Dr. Irfan Al Hasani
Owner, EconBrain Consulting, Dubai, UAE
Dr. Irfan Al Hasani’s career spans academia, research, training, and advisory work.
He served as an Economic Expert for the Government of Dubai for nearly two decades, during which he published numerous working papers, studies, and reports. He also spearheaded several strategic initiatives, most notably the establishment of the Dubai Competitiveness Center—the first of its kind in the UAE and the wider Gulf region.
Dr. Al Hasani has published extensively in Arab and international journals, covering a wide range of economic themes, including foreign trade, global financial crises, international finance, public-private partnerships (PPP), oil markets, and competitiveness.
Following his tenure with the Government of Dubai, he became Head of the Strategy & Transformation Unit at the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF), where he developed several initiatives to support Arab economies. His more recent research has focused on issues such as the U.S.–China trade war, and stagflation.
In addition to his academic and institutional work, Dr. Al Hasani has written hundreds of economic articles for leading UAE and Arab newspapers and magazines and has been a frequent guest on regional and international business media channels. He has also participated in numerous global conferences, particularly in the areas of finance and PPP. Among his most recent engagements are the AIM Congress 2025 (Abu Dhabi, April 8, 2025) and the International Conference on “The Academic Economist’s Perspective on the Benefits and Risks of AI, Data Science, Blockchain, and Machine Learning” at New York University Abu Dhabi (April 14–15, 2025).
In recent years, Dr. Al Hasani has specialized in PPP, becoming an internationally recognized expert and lecturer in the field. In 2018, he was selected by the Geneva-based United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), along with other global experts, as a co-founder of the World Association of PPP Units and Professionals (WAPPP). He also served as Co-Chair of its MENA Chapter.
Dr. Al Hasani is an active member of several professional associations, including the Economic Research Forum (ERF) in Cairo, and the Canadian Economics Association (CEA). He also serves on the jury committees of several prestigious scientific awards.
His contributions have been recognized through numerous awards, including: Dubai Economic Research Award (2008), organized by the Government of Dubai, for the best applied research in the UAE; Research Grant Award (2002), for the best research submitted in the Arab world, organized by the Arab Economic Research Association in Egypt; Several certificates of appreciation from regional and international universities, including the University of Georgia, for his scientific contributions; and Economic Personality of the Year (2017), awarded by the International Finance Award.
Dr. Al Hasani holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Derby, UK, as well as Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Economics from Al-Mustansiriya University, Iraq
