Dr Hassard is an academic at Imperial College and an entrepreneur, having worked in the USA, Japan, The GCC and elsewhere. Prior to Imperial he was at Harvard University and also Cornell University as a faculty member in both. He has set up or helped set up 10 companies, three in the Middle East. Four have been sold (most recently one for 100 million euros) and he has pioneered the use of the Solar Vortex Tower in producing vast amounts of fresh water, emulating in part nature's tried-and-tested processes in making rain. Hassard trained as a particle and nuclear physicist, is an Intellectual Property specialist, and teaches classes in Entrepreneurship, covering best-practice, team-building with a heavy experiential and game theoretical foundation, finance, IP development and governance. He is strong in sustainable technologies and sees the future clearly with the GCC taking a leadership role in mitigating against climate change.