Our People

Nivine Issa

Nivine is an environmental expert and a commercially astute business leader, with over 13 years’ consulting experience in the Middle East, UK, and Southeast Asia. She lived in Dubai for the past decade where she helped establish a global environmental consulting business, serving a wide array of clients in solving their biggest environmental challenges. She recently founded Terra Nexus with the aim to build an all-encompassing environmental firm that accelerates and leads environmental consulting excellence in the region.

Over the course of her career, Nivine developed an extensive global professional network coupled with exceptional negotiation skills which resulted in exponential business growth across a vast portfolio of environmental projects. Having won the Construction Week Middle East’s Female leader of the year in 2022, she is recognized for building one of the strongest and most diverse environmental and waste engineering teams in the region.

With a background in environmental health and sustainable development, she has led and directed the delivery of a wide range of projects in the infrastructure and built environment sector. Nivine’s unmatched passion for the environmental consultancy sector is driven by the principle of ‘Building with Nature’ which ignites her quest for simple yet innovative solutions for achieving project needs while maintaining the integrity of the environment.

Sara Rahme

Sara is a senior environmental expert with over a decade of consulting experience in the region. Sara has extensive experience in project management and the delivery of mega projects in the UAE, KSA and the wider GCC region. Her project management skills include understanding the client needs across the different Project stages, meeting expectations, controlling cost and budget, project planning, foreseeing and managing technical project risks, and ensuring the timely and effective delivery of a wide variety of projects.

Over the course of her career, Sara has worked on a number of large, complex and comprehensive development and infrastructure ESIA studies for the majority of regional environmental authorities. She has delivered on, and project managed environmental and social impact assessments (EIA/ESIA), preliminary environmental review (PER) studies, construction environmental management plans and programs (i.e. CEMPs), environmental auditing and compliance programs (i.e. ISO 14001) in line with local and international standards. Her experience spans over a multitude of industries including property development, construction, infrastructure, renewable energies, oil and gas, and transport.

Sara joins Terra Nexus as our Projects Manager and ESIA lead, overseeing projects delivery and leading technical delivery of environmental projects in the region.

Mark Tupper

Mark is a multidisciplinary marine science professional with a PhD and track record in marine environmental protection and fisheries management. He has strong capabilities in institutional management, stakeholder/client relations, communications, and capacity building.

Mark offers strong technical and scientific knowledge developed over his 30-year career in marine ecology and fisheries science as he approaches problems analytically and with a data-driven mindset. His specific areas of expertise include: fish habitat management, geographic information systems, statistical analysis, EIA, fisheries management planning and policy development, population assessment, scientific diving, biodiversity conservation and protected areas management.

In addition to his research career in the UK, Canada, Asia and the Caribbean, Mark has consulted on a number of infrastructure, renewable energy, and development projects in the Middle East amongst other parts of the world.

Mark joins Terra Nexus as our Ecology Lead, overseeing the implementation of biodiversity surveys, ecological impact assessments and management plans.

Roshan Akther

Roshan is an experienced environmental, waste management and GIS consultant with over 10 years of expertise in environmental reporting, data analysis, planning, and waste management strategies. He has delivered innovative environmental and waste management projects across the Middle East, Australia, and South Asia. He has successfully led numerous projects involving Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), Initial Environmental Examinations (IEE), scoping assessments, feasibility studies, and environmental baseline studies.
As a certified TRUE Advisor by the Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), Roshan specializes in Zero Waste management and sustainable waste planning, helping businesses reduce their environmental impact and optimize resource use.
Roshan’s academic credentials include a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Science and an MSc in Geoinformatics. His passion for research has led to multiple publications in peer-reviewed journals and research conferences, focusing on environmental management, GIS, and remote sensing.
A thought leader in his field, Roshan is also highly skilled in multi-criteria decision-making methodologies, using GIS and remote sensing technologies to provide innovative, data-driven solutions for complex environmental challenges.

Farah Kassab

Farah is an accomplished urban planner with over 13 years of experience in leading and delivering large-scale, mixed-use master plans in the Gulf region. She has held technical and operational lead roles within an international multidisciplinary consultancy, spearheading urban design, planning, and landscape division. Farah has also undertaken senior secondment roles for high-profile semi-private and government entities. Her expertise encompasses technical planning, project management, and stakeholder engagement, with a proven track record in executing master planning projects for prominent UAE government and private entities.
Farah's leadership has been pivotal in the successful delivery of diverse master plans, from strategic frameworks to detailed designs. In 2020, Farah completed an MBA, equipping her with advanced business acumen and strategic management skills, which enhance her ability to deliver value-driven, innovative solutions in complex urban planning projects.
Farah joins Terra Nexus as an Urban Planning Expert, supporting our environmental planning projects.

Abeer Abu Afifeh

Abeer is a skilled Junior Environmental Consultant with a background in civil engineering, holding a bachelor’s degree from the German Jordanian University (GJU) and international academic experience from Koblenz University of Applied Sciences in Germany. With three years of hands-on experience, she has played a key role in conducting Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) and developing Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMP) for diverse projects across the region.
Abeer specializes in ensuring compliance with national and international Environmental, Social, Health, and Safety (ESHS) standards, helping clients navigate regulatory frameworks and implement sustainable best practices on projects in the built environment sector. She is also OSHA-certified in construction health and safety, reinforcing her expertise in environmental risk management and construction safety compliance.

Joyce Riola

Joyce is a passionate and dedicated Admin Assistant with 10 years of experience in administrative support, office and overall operations management. Holding a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, she hones in her expertise in streamlining office processes, managing daily operations, bids coordination and ensuring seamless workflow efficiency. With 8 years of experience as an Office Administrator in the UAE, she has developed strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills, supporting teams in fast-paced environments.
Joyce joins Terra Nexus as an Administrative Assistant and Bid Coordinator, supporting the preparation of proposals and overall business operations.

Rama Kaysoon

Rama is an Ecologist and Junior Environmental Consultant with an academic background in Environmental Science and Engineering (MSc) and Biology (BSc). With a focused effort in marine ecology, she brings experience in conducting ecological assessments and biodiversity monitoring across both coastal and terrestrial ecosystems. Her work supports habitat evaluations, species surveys, and the collection and analysis of ecological data to inform conservation planning and sustainable development.
Rama has also contributed to environmental baseline studies, habitat mapping, and species identification efforts, and she is also proficient in applying science-based methodologies to assess ecosystem health and promote nature-positive outcomes. With a strong interest in marine conservation, climate resilience, and ecological restoration, Rama is committed to using data-driven approaches to support environmental protection and biodiversity conservation across the region.