Sukumaran Narayanan, Author at The Fourth Plate

Sukumaran Narayanan

Abunayyan Holding and Nextracker (Nasdaq: NXT) have signed an agreement to form Nextracker Arabia, a new joint venture that will help accelerate solar adoption across the Kingdom and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Middle East & North Africa...

Abunayyan Holding and Nextracker Enter Agreement to Form JV to Accelerate Energy Transition in Saudi Arabia and MENA Region

Sukumaran Narayanan

November 4, 2026

Exports & Trade, Food Syst...

India’s Agri Exports: Repeated Rejections Undermine Credibility and Opportunity

Sukumaran Narayanan

November 4, 2026

Moderated by Fifi Peters, Senior Anchor at CNBC Africa, the session was attended by Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) in France; Arnoud van den Berg, Group Chief Executive Officer of Al Dahra Holding; and Alice Ruhweza, President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).

News & Events...

Global Future Councils Examine Strategies to Strengthen Food Security Amid Climate Challenges and Market Monopolies

Sukumaran Narayanan

November 4, 2026

Focusing on emerging technologies like AI, quantum computing, and synthetic biology, the panel brought H.E. Maryam bint Ahmed Al Hammadi together with Rachel Adams, Founder and CEO of the Global Centre on AI Governance, South Africa; Prof. Hiroki Habuka, Research Professor at Kyoto University’s Graduate School of Law in Japan; and Jack Hidary, CEO of SandboxAQ, USA.

News & Events...

Maryam Al Hammadi says adaptive regulations will always be relevant

Sukumaran Narayanan

November 4, 2026

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of GITEX Global 2025 in Dubai in the presence of Her Excellency Dr Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak, Minister of Climate Change and Environment. Representing the Ministry was Her Excellency Eng. Amal Abdulrahim, Assistant Undersecretary for Support Services, Chief AI and Innovation Officer, while IBM was represented by Mr Shukri Eid, General Manager, Gulf, Levant and Pakistan.

News & Events...

MoCCAE and IBM collaborate to develop innovative AI solutions to advance environmental sustainability

Sukumaran Narayanan

November 4, 2026

Organised by the UAE Government in partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF), the event brings together more than 700 specialists and experts from 93 countries in 37 councils. The purpose of the Councils is to advance global efforts to build a sustainable future, improve the quality of life for communities, and create opportunities for future generations.

News & Events...

Experts at UAE-WEF meeting urge action on climate health threats

Sukumaran Narayanan

November 4, 2026

His Excellency Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, joined the Annual Meetings of the Global Future Councils and Cybersecurity 2025, held from 14–16 October, in a panel discussion titled ‘Taming Trade’ to discuss the challenges arising worldwide due to trade tensions between major countries.

News & Events...

‘Trade Flows Like Water’: UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Dr. Al Zeyoudi Highlights Global Trade Dynamics at AMGFCC Dubai 2025

Sukumaran Narayanan

November 4, 2026

The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) demonstrated the United Arab Emirates' unwavering commitment to a nature-positive future during a series of high-level engagements at IUCN World Conservation Congress, taking place in Abu Dhabi from October 9 to 15, 2025. Her Excellency Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, delivered a keynote address on the inaugural day of the Congress welcoming heads of states, delegates, and environmentalists.

News & Events...

UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment underscores steadfast commitment to biodiversity at IUCN World Conservation Congress

Sukumaran Narayanan

November 4, 2026

The first edition of the accelerator in 2024 attracted 150 submissions from 31 countries. Winners included Othalo (Norway), whose solution upcycles plastic waste into housing; The Surpluss (UAE), which redistributes excess materials across industries; and Midori Network (UAE), which converts plastic waste into construction materials. All three have since forged active partnerships with Dubai Holding, demonstrating the accelerator’s ability to catalyse scalable, real-world impact.

News & Events...

Dubai Holding opens global call for bold innovators to join the Innovate For Tomorrow Impact Accelerator 2025

Sukumaran Narayanan

November 4, 2026

On behalf of Grant Thornton UAE, I would like to extend our sincere thanks for the time, energy, and creativity your team invested in preparing and presenting your proposal. We truly valued the opportunity to learn more about your approach and appreciated the professionalism and insight you brought to the process. The review was highly competitive, and every agency demonstrated clear strengths. After careful comparison, we have decided to move forward with another partner whose overall balance felt more closely aligned with our immediate needs. To provide a bit of context, we looked at: Strategic creativity – the ability to bring fresh, differentiated ideas that can strengthen GT’s positioning in a highly competitive market. Team dynamic and ways of working – how naturally the collaboration style would fit with our internal culture, values, and stakeholders. Commercial structure and flexibility – ensuring that scope and pricing align with the priorities we must address in the coming year. While we saw real strengths in your team, other agencies showed a slightly stronger balance across these criteria. We are very grateful for the insights you shared and for the positive engagement throughout the process. We’d like to keep the door open and explore future opportunities to work together where there is strong alignment.

News & Events...

Nature Guardians Majlis Mobilises Private and Third Sectors for a Nature-Positive Future

Sukumaran Narayanan

November 4, 2026

Guest Columns, Opinion & A...

Godspeed, Jane Goodall

Sukumaran Narayanan

November 4, 2026

unrecognizable beekeeper with honeycomb in garden

News & Events...

Dubai to Host the 50th Apimondia International Apicultural Congress in 2027

Sukumaran Narayanan

November 4, 2026

Silal, the UAE’s leading agri-food and technology company, and Limagrain Vegetable Seeds (LVS), the vegetable seed division of Limagrain, an international seed group and agricultural cooperative, have partnered to establish the Center of Excellence for Abiotic Resilience and Crop Genomics (ARC-GEN) at the Silal Innovation Oasis in Al Ain.

Food Security, Food Systems, N...

Silal partners with Limagrain Vegetable Seeds to launch Center of Excellence for Abiotic Resilience and Crop Genomics

Sukumaran Narayanan

November 4, 2026

In Kerala, it began with a 40-acre stretch of abandoned paddy fields that the villagers of Pirappamankadu had named Kanneer Paadam alias the Field of Tears. For two decades, this land, just 28 kilometers from Kerala's capital Trivandrum, had known only failure: failed crops, failed monsoons, and failed dreams that drove farmers away from their ancestral occupation.

Agriculture, Editor's picks, S...

Pirappamankadu’s field of tears becomes Kerala’s field of dreams

Sukumaran Narayanan

November 4, 2026

Khusugtun and Batzorig Vaanchig, the internationally celebrated Mongolian ensemble famed for their throat singing and traditional steppe instruments.

News & Events...

Anoushka Shankar joins Tanweer Festival 2025 line-up

Sukumaran Narayanan

November 4, 2026

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