Adam is a seasoned and dynamic C-suite senior executive and non-executive director with a wealth of international and regional experience in strategic, technical and functional areas, having worked with multinational corporations, government, regional conglomerates, family offices, private investment offices and sovereign wealth funds. He has been in the MENA region for 17 years in senior executive roles (CIO, COO, CFO) in private equity/investments, funds/asset management, institutional real estate, banking/finance and government. In terms of sector experience/exposure, this includes: education, real estate, healthcare, financial services, telecommunications and technology.

Adam is currently Director - Investment for the Government of Dubai Knowledge Fund, one of the government’s sovereign wealth funds, with responsibility for all aspects of investments (across all sectors and asset classes), and was also responsible for devising and implementing the entire investment, governance and operational framework from scratch. He also contributes and provides guidance from a strategy, board and corporate governance perspective.

Adam is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and has been a non-executive director and chairman on several operational, supervisory and advisory boards for over 20 years, in areas ranging from: trade and investment, financial services, funds management, family/private investment offices, property, education, healthcare and medical research and endowments. He has also been a member of board sub-committees, including: executive committee, audit, finance, risk, strategic technology, projects, assets and liabilities (treasury), compliance, governance, operations, investments, remuneration and nominations. Adam is also the Chair of the Middle East Advisory Committee for the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the world’s largest director and governance institute, with over 45,000 members across 85 countries.

Professor Yusra Mouzughi is the Vice-Chancellor at Muscat University. The Vice-Chancellor role involves creating the strategic vision and leading the team to achieve the objectives of Muscat University in a growing and fiercely competitive higher education landscape

Professor Mouzughi joined Muscat University as the inaugural Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Academic Affairs in 2016. In 2018, she was promoted to the Vice Chancellor role whilst also temporarily maintaining the acting DVC Academic Affairs position. Notably, she is also the first female head of a University in Oman. Under her leadership, Muscat University has grown in staff and student numbers, delivering the first cohorts of graduates, attracting research funding and strong industry collaborations. As a new and young institution, Muscat University has quickly secured for itself a reputation for quality and rigour.

Professor Mouzughi is a highly motivated and innovative academic with over 18 years experience in the Higher Education sector and over 5 years industry experience in large blue chip organisations, with a proven track record of delivering to strategic objectives and a passion for providing a quality educational offering that is relevant to the workplace. She is a committed individual with a unique understanding of both Western and Arab cultures and an ability to motivate staff and students incorporating a deep understanding of the links between industry and academia coupled with a natural personal presence and an articulate approach to negotiation.

Professor Mouzughi is a member of the Oman Research Council (TRC) representing higher education institutions. She is also an external reviewer for a number of quality assurance agencies including the Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (OAAA), the UK Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) and the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ). Further, she is on the editorial board and a reviewer for several academic journals.

Prior to joining Muscat University, Professor Mouzughi worked for over 14 years in the UK higher education sector, and developed expertise in education management with a particular focus on Professional Doctorates. She received her PhD in Knowledge Management from Liverpool John Moores University and her Masters from Heriot-Watt University. She has developed a cross disciplinary research profile spanning knowledge sharing and the sustainability agenda. Professor Mouzughi has since supervised many Doctoral theses in the broad management area, has numerous publications in the field and is an invited keynote speaker at many international conferences. Prior to joining academia, she worked as a project manager in the financial services sector in the UK.

Dr. Jason has a strong interest in higher education and higher education management with a focus on learning innovations and the increasing use of technology in education. With a broad range of experience across a number of industries his real passion comes from combining entrepreneurship and higher education in developing higher education business models that leverage on the key trends rapidly transforming the global higher education landscape. He has been involved in higher education for more than 15 years and during that time has held senior academic roles with extensive experience in international student recruitment, program development, academic collaborations, executive education programs the integration of technology in learning environments. In addition to his teaching and administrative roles, he has also published numerous peer-reviewed articles and delivered conference papers in leading entrepreneurship and higher education journals

Fiona joined Hartland International School in 2016 after an extremely successful tenure at GEMS Education. Initially joining Jumeirah College as Principal and CEO in 2009, she led the school to “Outstanding” in 2010. Following that, Fiona held a number of senior roles in GEMS including Director of School and Senior Vice President New Schools. Prior to her roles in the UAE, Fiona was the Headteacher of Wilmington Grammar School for Boys in Kent, where she was the first female leader of the school in its history. Fiona joined Hartland in 2016, and under her leadership, Hartland received a “Good” judgement in its first KHDA inspection and is now judged to be a “Very Good” school in the latest inspection. Fiona is a graduate of University College Dublin and majored in Classical Music and English. Fiona sits on several local and international boards including the COBIS Global Board, The Irish Business Network Dubai and the International Task Force on Child Protection. She is a guest speaker on the MSc in Leadership for Woman at The Royal College of Surgeons, Dubai and is part of the schools advisory group at The University of Birmingham, Dubai.

Zeeshan has over a decade of experience in the Ed Tech sector. In his present role as Director of IT, Chief Innovation & Digital Officer at GEMS International School, he is instrumental for the direction, coordination, implementation and integration of technology across the school. Zeeshan believes in developing innovative systems, policies, practices and procedures to ensure technology is high quality and seamlessly integrated. Zeeshan is passionate about the use of technology in education and having come from a teaching and learning background, he strives to ensure that the learning experiences students receive are innovative and stay at the forefront of any key decisions.

Dr Tenia Kyriazi completed her undergraduate and postgraduate studies in law in Greece and the UK and qualified as an attorney in Greece. She holds a BA in Law from the University of Athens (Greece), an LLM in International Law and International Relations from the University of Kent at Canterbury (UK), and a PhD in International Human Rights Law from the University of Athens (Greece). Currently, she is an Associate Professor of Law, Deputy Director Academic Operations and Head of Law and Politics Programmes at Middlesex University, Dubai and a Senior Fellow at the Higher Education Academy, UK. At Middlesex University Dubai she also chairs the Teaching and Learning Committee and oversees the Wellness Office. Through her research and teaching practice she studies issues of international human rights law, mostly relating to education, gender, migration and trafficking in human beings. Furthermore, she is committed to the development and undertaking of initiatives aiming to bridge academia with practice and to support students in building strong employability skills and transforming their potential into success

Prof. Melodena Stephens’ areas of research and consultancy are in strategy, focusing on crisis management, entrepreneurship and brands. She has over 25 years of experience at senior levels in both industry and academia. Prior to joining MBRSG, she was the first female Indian Dean of a University in Germany. Before that, she spent over a decade in the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UAE), one of the first private universities in the UAE, where she handled the roles of Deputy Dean and MBA Program Director. She has actively been involved in accreditation and accreditation committees (UAE, Germany) and institution outreach. She has lived in USA, India, Taiwan and Germany.

Her didactive approach to teaching has been to facilitate an inter-disciplinary, co-created problem-solving competency with a global mindset. She has won several teaching and research awards, including two UAE National Research Foundation Grants. She is passionate about emerging markets especially the MENA region, and is frequently invited to panels and discussion forums. She has published extensively - over 130 publications and she is the Series Editor for the Actions & Insights series and author of the forthcoming book, “Business with Purpose”. Before her PhD, she worked in India for the Tata Group. Prof. Stephens is on several advisory boards.

Prof. Stephens is the founder of the Academy of International Business – Middle East North Africa Chapter (AIBMENA), a nonprofit social initiative founded in 2009, now under MBRSG. It is a self-financing volunteer organization. The purpose of the organization is to act as an ambassador and champion for the MENA region by fostering research and teaching in the field of international business and policy. AIBMENA was awarded the ‘Dubai Brand Ambassador Status’ by Dubai Conventions & Events Bureau, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing in 2012 and jointly won the bid to host the AIB annual conference in 2017.

Raj began his professional career in the mid 1980’s working in the banking sector in London, before moving to the retail industry, where he held several management roles in the late 1980’s. His love for the academic environment began in 1990 when he joined the American College in London and he has remained in academia ever since.

He came to the Middle East from the UK in 1999 as AUD’s first Human Resources Director and distinguished himself in that position for nearly eight years (1999-2007). Effectively, Raj created the HR Department and put in place the systems, databases and operating procedures that established the department as a strategic linchpin between academic and administrative management at all stages and levels of HR management. Besides his role as HR Director, Raj also taught various courses in the Business School as an adjunct faculty member.

Raj rejoined AUD in 2012 and was Assistant Dean and Associate Professor of Business Administration. He assumed the role of Director of Student Recruitment in January 2019. Over the course of his career, he has consulted for many academic institutions and Multinational Corporations, including experiential training programs for government organizations. He has participated as a speaker at various international seminars and conventions and delivered presentations and managed workshops for businesses, firms and universities (both locally and overseas), on topics ranging from Student Recruitment, Leadership, Soft Skills, Talent Acquisition and Motivational techniques, to How to do Business in the UAE.

Raj has also offered his expertise in education and issues related to academia in the media, including newspaper articles and radio interviews. Most recently he co-authored an article published in Biz-Ed: https://bized.aacsb.edu/articles/2019/september/here-come-the-centennials

He was also interviewed by Edarabia:https://www.edarabia.com/universities-need-instil-ethos-lifelong-learning-asst-dean-business/

He is the current host for TV show “Crucial Choice” -- the only show of its kind that offers insights on careers and higher education in the Middle East. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99atBaH7ZNY
https://youtu.be/swNIOqmbYOU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAU4Lcdnl5o

Prior to rejoining AUD in 2012, he was Director of the University of Phoenix’s Dubai Student Service Center (a start-up operation) for five years.

He is fluent in English, Punjabi and can speak basic Swahili.

Fiona was educated at Rugby School and St. Andrew's University, and for the past 30 years has worked in independent education in Australia, the U.K., and the U.A.E. Her roles in schools have encompassed teaching, marketing, recruiting, as well as running alumni relations. Fiona's comprehensive understanding of how schools run was built up as the wife of a Headmaster, a Governor of several U.K. schools, and as the parent of four children who have all been educated in British boarding schools.

Fiona moved into education consultancy and ran the Middle East business of another well-known firm before taking up the role of the Head of Education at the Carfax Education Group. Over the years Fiona has worked with hundreds of families guiding them to make the best educational choices for their children whether at school or university level.

Kevin Fullbrook is the Deputy Director at Al-Bayan Bilingual School, Kuwait. Having started his career as a Math and Physical Education teacher in a remote Australian school, he then taught at a range of schools across the country before serving in leadership positions in the Middle East, China, and Australia. Having participated in the Think Tank on Global Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2016, Kevin then went on to be named one of 'The Educator' magazines Rising Stars of Education under 40 years old.

Kevin is passionate about creativity and innovation in education and speaks at conferences and workshops around the world on design-thinking, innovation, and community engagement. He is the country lead ambassador for HundrED.org out of Finland, and an alliance member of LearnLife, Spain. He has a Bachelor of Applied Science, Bachelor of Education, an MBA, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

A dynamic thinker and innovator, Kai has devoted his career to teaching, learning and seeking ways to bring out the very best in students, teachers and the community. Kai has an appreciation of and interest in combining the best traditional teaching methods with more innovative, research-based approaches. As the Principal of British School Muscat since 2011, Kai has accelerated BSM into the position of a leading international school. Kai has steered an ambitious building and renovation programme at BSM, creating inspiring new facilities for BSM students and the community. In the school year 2018/19. BSM received the following awards:

After graduating from the University of Oxford with a degree in English Language and Literature, Siobhan Dickerson first worked for a global bank in their private wealth management team before following her true vocation to support students at a local school. She started her teaching career in 2004, in the North of England. Siobhan has taught at both state and independent schools, and as Lead Teacher consulting on improvements in English, overseeing several schools, and she has also worked as a trainer for new teachers.

She became Assistant Head Teacher in 2012 and achieved her NPQH in 2018. She moved to Dubai in 2017 to take up the post of Head of English at GEMS FirstPoint School – The Villa, leading the school through its first set of GCSE and A Level results, In 2019, she was appointed as the school’s Careers and Higher Education Advisor and subsequently promoted to Director of Specialism. Siobhan works closely with staff, parents and the local and global communities to ensure students at FirstPoint have the information and opportunities they need to aim high and achieve their future goals.

Linda is a science teacher and Digital Learning Leader with a passion for creating meaningful online learning environments and leading whole school Digital Strategy. Linda is currently using her knowledge as a Microsoft Fellow to elevate the digital teaching standards in her school and beyond by coaching teachers to innovate in their own practice and create their personalised digital environments. Linda currently works in Deira International School, an ISC Finalist for the Digital Transformation Awards 2020. This school harnesses the power of technology from the Early Years to equip their students with the skills needed to become the responsible global leaders of tomorrow.

Dr. Neelam Parmar currently works as Director of Educational Technology, Digital Learning and Innovation. Neelam draws on her research and practical experiences of working with technology and regularly presents around the UK and internationally on the role of EdTech in digital education, providing strategy, roadmaps and CPD programmes for digital (blended and hybrid) learning approaches. She is the author of the ‘Digital Literacy in the Primary’ series and ‘Digital Parenting’ book.

Neelam is an award-winning professional, international researcher, author, thought leader and speaker on effective technology, pedagogy and curriculum integration within education and is currently engaged with the DfE EdTech Leadership Group, #EdTechImpact workshops and @WomenEdTech movement.

Twitter Handle - @neelamaparmar1

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/neelamparmar

Dr Wenli Chen is an Associate Professor with the Learning Sciences and Assessment (LSA) Academic Group at the National Institute of Education (NIE), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore. She is the co-chair for NIE AI for Education working committee.

Dr Chen’s research interests include Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL), learning analytics, AI for Education, and mobile learning. Dr Chen's school-based research projects address the challenges of transforming and enhancing teaching and learning, and applying her research outcomes to impact school practices. Through routine engagement of ICT enhanced learning activities, she has been working closely with schools to enhance students' collaborative learning skills and higher order thinking.

Dr Chen has led a number of national scale research projects. She has been invited as the keynote speaker for about 20 international conferences. She has won a dozen “Best Paper Awards” in international conferences. She was presented the "Distinguished Researcher Award" by the Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education in 2020. She received the "Excellence in Teaching Commendation" in 2015 and 2017 from NIE and the "Nanyang Education Award" from NTU in 2016.

Dr Chen is the Editor-in-Chief for Journal of Computers in Education (ESCI indexed), the Associate Editor for Instructional Science (SSCI indexed), Asia Pacific Journal of Education (SSCI indexed), Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, the Advisory Editor for Asia Pacific Education Review (SSCI indexed), and the editorial board member for International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (SSCI indexed).

Dr Chen is currently the CSCL community committee co-chair of International Society of the learning Sciences (ISLS) and the executive committee member for Asia Pacific Society of Computers in Education (APSCE) and Global Chinese Society of Computers in Education (GCSCE). She was the Program Committee Chair for International Conference on Computers in Education (ICCE) 2017, Co-Chair for the International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) 2016, the Program Committee Chair for Global Chinese Conference on Computers in Education 2014, and the Organizing Committee Chair for International Conference on Computers in Education (ICCE) 2012.

A successful international leader having worked over 20 years in the government and private educational sectors. He has worked at a senior board level leading year on year improvement in all aspects of leadership, change management, professional development, coaching, innovation, start-up, digital strategy and future of learning in the MENA region, Finland and internationally.

Rohan is Director of Innovation and Future Learning at GEMS Education. He’s also the director of the Dubai Science Festival. In addition to being an award-winning educator, he is a serial entrepreneur, an edtech consultant, and author of the book, “Cosmic Citizens and Moonshot Thinking: Education in an Age of Exponential Technologies”. He is the co-founder of several global organisations including, Awecademy, Intelligent Optimism, and Café Scientifique Dubai. More details:   www.rohanroberts.com

Dina Khalaf is the IB Development & Recognition Manager working to support new and existing schools in Africa, Europe and the Middle East region. In addition to her work with schools, she engages with regulatory bodies, ministries and universities to articulate IB’s strategy. With an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Lehigh University, USA, Dina gained extensive school-based IB programme experience prior to joining the IB in 2014. In addition, she has a strong background in IB teacher training, consultancy and evaluation of schools based on IB standards.

Dr. Al-Maadheed is an experienced researcher and analyst in social science and humanities. A holder of Ph.D. from the University of Oxford with 20 years’ experience in the field of Education both academic and in the field working at Qatar University, Qatar Foundation and Education Above All. In the latter she worked with international institutes such as UNESCO-IIEP, IBE, CfBT and UNESCO Qatar as a consultant. Currently working as an Academic Consultant for Private Education Sector at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. Her particular interest in Educational policies and strategies within the fields of primary education, bilingual education, and teachers provision.

Brian possesses degrees in teaching, special education, leadership and management and a doctorate in education. He has been a classroom teacher, curriculum coordinator, director of teaching and learning, assistant principal, principal across three schools and principal advisor both in Australia and the United Arab Emirates for the past seven years. He is currently Principal of Springdales School, Dubai.

Brian has published more than 8 articles on school leadership and school improvement and has been a guest speaker at conferences in Australia, Singapore and the UAE. He was awarded the prestigious Australian Council for Educational Leadership (ACEL) National and State of Queensland Fellowships on October 6, 2011.

Mrs. Sahar Al Marzouki has been the Owner and Director of Al Faris International School, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia since 2004. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Education from King Saud University, Riyadh, in 1998 and was awarded a Master of Science in Education from Rochville University, USA, in 2009.

Her education has continued with a variety of training workshops and seminars including classroom management, teacher/coordinator training and lesson planning, quality management, Montessori, IB management and the Misk Global Forum for “Young Leaders Together”.

Mrs. Almarzouki is an active contributor in the local and regional community with involvement in a number of service activities including diabetes and breast cancer awareness, successful “Go Green” and “Eco Building” campaigns, and donations and support for the less fortunate including an ongoing initiative through Al Faris International’s IB CAS program to support refugee families in Jordan, especially children, with the building and supply of a caravan school.

Her personal goal is to provide educational opportunity for the underprivileged and less fortunate children of the Middle East, to help them obtain the literacy and skills needed to improve their lives and their communities with hopes of freeing the Middle East from poverty and conflict to eventually become a place where all young people are able to reach their full potential in life.

Mrs. Almarzouki’s mission for Al Faris International School is to provide a high quality, yet affordable, education for Riyadh families which takes advantage of the most advanced and effective resources and produces graduates who are independent, creative, compassionate and knowledgeable and who will actively contribute to the betterment of their local and global communities.

This vision culminated in the school’s full authorization as an IB World School in March 2017, offering the PYP, MYP and DP programs. Through the International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, Al Faris students have the opportunity for holistic education which develops the potential of each individual student intellectually, physically and emotionally, emphasizing his or her unique interests and abilities, challenging students to think beyond their experience with an attitude of curiosity, inquiry and open-mindedness, to live with integrity, and to be compassionate and concerned members of society.

Naima Charlier, BEd (Hons) Eng, MBA, is Director of Teaching and Learning at Nord Anglia International School Hong Kong, where she is a member of the Executive Leadership Team and is responsible for teaching and learning from Early Years to Secondary across three campuses. In her 23 years of teaching, Naima has worked in both state and private schools in the UK, USA, Romania and Hong Kong. She has previously held the positions of Deputy Principal and Head of Primary and is especially interested in developing new schools. She has an MBA in International Educational Leadership from the IoE in London and is a Lead Improvement Partner for COBIS. She is currently teaching IGCSE Global Perspectives, which she is very much enjoying as it ties in with her interest in the development of 21st Century learning skills.

Peadar has been a University lecturer for over 13 year. He has taught in Asia, the Middle East and Europe. It was while trying to find better ways to motivate students that he first became involved in gamification and game design for educational purposes. Gamification helped to revitalize his teaching and encouraged him to share his techniques with others. Peadar is currently studying and working with the University of Tallinn in Estonia as a lecturer in the related fields of gamification and learning game design. He has also published on diverse fields including cyber wargame design, the creation of adversaries in games and the creation of games to teach research methodologies. When not studying he enjoys comic books, martial arts and old school tabletop roleplaying games.

Mohanad Alfiras received his B.Sc. Honors degree in Electric and Electronic Engineering in 1998 from University of Technology, Iraq. He continued his higher education at the same University and accomplished his MS. and Ph.D. degrees in Communication System Engineering in 2000 and 2006, respectively. In 2006, he joined Gulf University as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Communication Engineering. He was promoted as the Head of Computer Communication Engineering in 2008. Mohanad Al Firas has authored/co-authored over 41 re-search/publications in peer reviewed reputed journals and presented papers in numerous conferences. With his academic accomplishments, he also continued his academic administrative duties at Gulf University. He fulfilled his duty as the Dean of Admissions and Registration of Gulf University. Since 2015, he had been extending his duty as the Acting President of Gulf University and from 2017 he has become the President of Gulf University.

Stefan Wisbauer attended Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government before joining the World Bank and later McKinsey & Co. as a consultant. He proceeded to help establish a large Public-Private-Partnership treatment capacity building effort in the UK as well as a clinician co-owned hospital chain. Today he is Co-CEO of Lecturio, where he oversees the growth and development of the company’s innovative learning-science based medical education platform, which is used by medical students and schools around the world. He sees a need to build scalable new education initiatives to address the health worker shortage around the world and believes a solid digital foundation is a necessity for the success of such efforts.

Dr. Al-Assaf had his PhD from Oxford University and leadership training from Cornell University. He is a widely published and academic and senior education management professional with extensive international experience.

He is currently President of Rochester Institute of Technology- Dubai, a leading not for profit international branch of RIT Rochester, New York. RIT Dubai University is established in conjunction with the Dubai Government in Dubai Silicon Oasis. Prior to this he was Dean of the College of Engineering at the American University of Sharjah where he was one of the founding members of the electrical engineering and computer engineering programs.

During his tenure at RIT Dubai, he has ensured that the university plays a major role in the ecosystem of Dubai Silicon Oasis and supporting the achievements of Dubai vision. Introduced a number of new programs, certifications and initiatives to meet the needs of public and technology partners including: Smart City Sciences, Data Analytics, Emerging Technologies, Corporate and Customer Happiness, Future Shaping, Computing Security and Sustainability among others.

Dr. Al-Assaf's research focuses on using soft computing to model and control various industrial, business and medical systems. Applications include materials modeling and classification, prostheses control, industrial quality control and optimization. His industrial experience is in the areas of adaptive and predictive control, soft computing and industrial instrumentation and control.

Amged is an Educational Technology Expert in the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. Amged enjoys sharing his passion for digital transformation and the latest educational apps and tools by coaching teachers and leaders on the effective use of technology in the classroom to enhance teaching and learning.

Microsoft Education Exchange (E2) Winner 2020, Global Teacher Award 2020, Microsoft Innovative Educator Fellow 2020-2021, Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE)| Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert 2017-2021.