As the MECHF Awards 2026 journey gathers momentum, the spotlight now turns to the individuals entrusted with its most critical responsibility—the jury. Behind every accolade is a rigorous, transparent evaluation process, guided by industry leaders whose expertise, integrity, and insight ensure that only the most deserving rise to the top. 

Recognised as the region’s most prestigious platform for excellence in cleaning, hygiene, and facilities management, the MECHF Awards continue to set the benchmark for credibility and impact. From assessing innovation and sustainability to evaluating operational excellence and real-world impact, the jury plays a pivotal role in shaping the narrative of progress within the industry. 

This year’s panel brings together a distinguished group of experts from across the sector—professionals who understand the evolving demands of hygiene, the complexities of soft FM, and the importance of resilience in today’s landscape. With nominations reaching new levels of competitiveness and quality, their role has never been more vital. 

In the following section, we are proud to introduce the jury members of the MECHF Awards 2026—the voices of authority behind the recognition of excellence, and the custodians of standards that continue to elevate the industry across the Middle East. 

Alaa Al Boali, Executive Director, MEFMA 

Alaa is the MEFMA Executive Director who led the successful journey of the association by her visionary leadership and strategic orientation. Her dedication to serve the FM industry was noticeably demonstrated through committing to provide highly professional courses and running up multiple industry events across the Middle East. Her passion and experience in the associations industry led MEFMA to be one of the most active ones in the region. 

Alaa holds a BS in Business Administration with concentration in Accounting and Finance from the American University of Sharjah, UAE. She started her career with KPMG to be the first Saudi female to work in tax in Saudi Arabia. After four years of dealing with clients, she has found her passion in communications and clients’ relations. This led her to begin her career in the associations industry starting with MEFMA in 2012 as the Relationship Manager. In between, she managed memberships and marketing at the Middle East and North Africa Business Aviation Association before she was appointed as the director of MEFMA in 2016. 

Andrea Yoko Director– Yoko Excellence Solutions | FM & Hospitality Consultant 

Andrea is an award-winning soft services leader and consultant with over four decades of experience in facilities management and hospitality in the Middle East. Andrea now partners with organisations across the Middle East to elevate service standards and enhance operational performance across soft services, customer experience, and compliance. 

Andrea previously held senior leadership roles at industry giants such as Al Ghurair Facilities Solutions, Ejadah, and Emrill, where she built the original Centres of Excellence, drove strategic workforce transformations, and led multi-sector FM operations with workforces exceeding 10,000. Her expertise spans recruitment, training, mobilisation, transportation, succession planning, audit readiness, and the creation of robust systems for service quality and HSE compliance. 

Bassel Molaeb, MPH, CIC, FAPIC, AL-CIP, Healthcare Advisor, Trainer & Infection Prevention and Control Consultant, The Compass Health Consultancy, Dubai, UAE  

PhD Candidate in Public Health  

Bassel is an internationally recognized IPC leader with 15+ years of experience across healthcare systems in the region, holding an MPH and the CIC and AL-CIP credentials, along with FAPIC. He currently works as a Healthcare Advisor, Trainer, and IPC Consultant at The Compass Health Consultancy supporting hospitals with program strengthening and delivering competency-based training for multidisciplinary teams. Bassel is a PhD researcher focusing on the impact of AI-enabled tools on IPC training and measurable compliance outcomes that support sustainable behavior change and performance improvement.    

Denise Hanson, FBICSc, Commercial Director – BICSc 

Behind the softly spoken Yorkshire accent, Denise brings a wealth of experience in the cleaning and hygiene industry to the BICSc team. 

With over 40 years’ experience – from hotel housekeeping through to running her own company with contracts across the UK – Denise is always ready to pass on that knowledge to both experienced and non-experienced cleaning operatives. She never judges people on the questions they ask, just calmly and clearly explains what they want to know. 

One of her passions is the care of hard floors and she is happiest when in control of a rotary machine – be it light buffing of a floor or stripping it back and re-applying a coat of polish. 

Dorothee Stein, Advisor - Hospitality & Facility Management Soft Services  

Dorothee Stein is a recognized aviation and hospitality operations expert with over 35 years of leadership experience across global airports and luxury hotel environments. Formerly Head of Service & Hospitality Performance Management at Dubai Airports, she led large-scale soft services operations and drove service excellence, sustainability, and operational performance at one of the world’s busiest aviation hubs. She serves as a respected jury member for leading facility management and cleaning industry awards, contributing her expertise to evaluating innovation, operational excellence, sustainability and best practices across the sector. 

Mick Dalton MSc, FIWF IFMA and Board Member, ACIBSE, AIOSH, Mhimeem 

Mick is a globally recognized leader in facilities management, real estate, and asset management, with an extensive career spanning the Middle East and beyond. A former Chairman of the British Institute of Facilities Management and a founding board member of Global FM, he continues to serve on the IFMA Corporate Members Council Board. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management and a member of several leading professional bodies, including IFMA, the Institute of Asset Management, CIBSE, and IOSH. 

In the Middle East, Mick has held several high-profile leadership roles, including Managing Director of FM for Diriyah Gate Development Authority in Saudi Arabia, Director of FM at Meraas Holdings, Senior Director at Emaar PJSC, and leadership positions at Marafeq FM and Musanadah FM. He is currently the Owner of 360 FM Consultancy. His global experience also includes senior roles with Ernst & Young, White & Case, and Global Switch. 

Beyond operations, Mick is a respected thought leader, author, and industry contributor. He has delivered best practice FM training across the GCC and Europe, contributed to the development of BICSc standards, judged major FM awards, and has been consistently recognized among the top soft services professionals worldwide. 

Toni D’Andrea, CEO of ISSA PULIRE NETWORK and Director of ISSA EMEA 

Toni graduated in Architecture from Politecnico di Milano and earned a Master’s degree in International Leadership from SDA Bocconi University in Milan. He worked as a Quality Manager at AB Electrolux (CE line) until 1997 and has served as a Professor of Design Management at the Faculty of Architecture and Industrial Design at Politecnico di Milano, as well as at the University of Parma. 

Over the past 30 years, he has developed the international trade fair platform ISSA PULIRE, held in several locations worldwide, which has become the leading integrated trade fair system for the professional cleaning industry. 

He has long been instrumental in building strategic relationships among global players in the cleaning industry. He has delivered numerous lectures, workshops, and conference presentations around the world, adopting a scientific approach to analyzing the dynamics and characteristics of the trade fair industry, with a strong focus on the demand side. 

He is the CEO of ISSA PULIRE NETWORK and Director of ISSA EMEA. 

He has authored numerous papers and articles on topics related to the professional cleaning industry and its evolution. He also serves as the Director of FORUM Pulire and FORUM Facility.