Governance

Abdulla Majed Al Ghurair - Chairman

Abdulla is an UAE national and a third generation member of a prominent business family. He brings an acute understanding of local culture and business acumen to organizations. His interests span marketing services, education, contracting, building materials, retailing and ceramic tiles manufacturing. Abdulla also serves on the boards of Majid Al Futtaim Real Estate and is the Chairman of BPG Group, a leading marketing solutions provider in the MENA region.

H.E. Dr. Gargash Anwar - Director 

His Excellency Dr. Anwar Mohammed Gargash is the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Federal National Council Affairs of the UAE. Having taught political science for over a decade at the UAE University, he has a long and rich background in academics. He is also a member of several government and advisory boards. He was, until recently, the Executive Director of Gargash Enterprises, the authorised dealers for Mercedes-Benz in Dubai and the Northern Emirates. Earlier in his career, Dr. Gargash studied political science at the George Washington University in Washington DC, USA and got his doctorate from King's College, Cambridge University, UK.

Avishesha (Avi) Bhojani - Managing Director

Avi's 40+ year career spans Marketing Services, Media, Education, Private Equity, Real Estate Direct Investments and Government sectors. At the helm of the BPG Group since 1991, Avi consolidates the Group's interests across advertising, public relations, design, activation, media asset management and digital verticals, in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Avi has also assisted in the conceptualization and execution of a number of strategic Dubai initiatives (Dubai Quality Award, Dubai Shopping Festival etc.) and has served the Government of Dubai while assisting with the development of Knowledge Economy hubs in Dubai (Internet, Media and Ideas).

An Alumnus of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad and The Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, Avi is also the Managing Director of Innoventures Education the operators of Dubai International Academy and various Raffles Schools & nurseries etc.; General Partner of AMEA Ventures Ltd, Partner/ Director of HTMi Switzerland Dubai LLC, and Chairman of International Management Ventures FZ LLC. Avi has held several Board positions including the Founding Boards of Endeavor UAE and International Institute of Tolerance. 

Avi is widely recognized as one of the most influential expats in the GCC, and has been honored by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum for his contribution to the evolution of Dubai Shopping Festival. Avi has also been recognized by leading media such as Forbes Middle East and Arabian Business, both as an Entrepreneur of the Year as well as a Chief Executive of a Media company.

Avishesha (Avi) Bhojani - Chairman

Avi's 40+ year career spans Marketing Services, Media, Education, Private Equity, Real Estate Direct Investments and Government sectors. At the helm of the BPG Group since 1991, Avi consolidates the Group's interests across advertising, public relations, design, activation, media asset management and digital verticals, in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Avi has also assisted in the conceptualization and execution of a number of strategic Dubai initiatives (Dubai Quality Award, Dubai Shopping Festival etc.) and has served the Government of Dubai while assisting with the development of Knowledge Economy hubs in Dubai (Internet, Media and Ideas).

An Alumnus of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad and The Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, Avi is also the Managing Director of Innoventures Education the operators of Dubai International Academy and various Raffles Schools & nurseries etc.; General Partner of AMEA Ventures Ltd, Partner/ Director of HTMi Switzerland Dubai LLC, and Chairman of International Management Ventures FZ LLC. Avi has held several Board positions including the Founding Boards of Endeavor UAE and International Institute of Tolerance. 

Avi is widely recognized as one of the most influential expats in the GCC, and has been honored by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum for his contribution to the evolution of Dubai Shopping Festival. Avi has also been recognized by leading media such as Forbes Middle East and Arabian Business, both as an Entrepreneur of the Year as well as a Chief Executive of a Media company.

Poonam Bhojani - Vice Chairman

Poonam is an Economics Honours Graduate with an MBA from India's premier business school, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. Prior to envisioning and cofounding Dubai International Academy, Poonam has had significant industry experience working on leading edge technology solutions with a range of organizations across India, Hong Kong, USA, Belgium, Sweden, The Netherlands, Oman and UAE. She is the CEO of Innoventures Education and has served as the President of the Middle East IB Association of Schools and is the Secretary of the Dubai Private Schools Group.

Dr. Sehamuddin Galadari

Dr. Galadari graduated with Ph.D. from Imperial College, London. He is a visiting Professor at Harvard Medical School and Senior Vice Provost of Research Outreach, and Managing Director of the NYUAD Research Institute.  He joined the UAE University in 1991. He has served as Vice Provost for Research & Graduate Studies and on the Advisory Boards of Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research, Emirates Foundation, Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Medical Research Grant Committee of Sheikh Hamdan Award for Medical Sciences. He has been a visiting Professor at Imperial College, University of Glasgow, Duke University Medical Centre, Medical University of South Carolina and POSTECH in South Korea.

Alejandro Carbon

Alejandro is the Executive Director of Alternative Products and Analytics at Majid Al Futtaim Finance. Alejandro is in charge of prepaid cards, remittances and mobile wallet businesses as well as running the analytics function for the entire business. Prior to that he has spent 10 years in consulting with McKinsey & Company, working across multiple industries. An MBA with distinction from University of Michigan - School of Business, he brings a keen understanding of strategy, stakeholder engagement and processes to the council.

Nasser Talib Ibrahim Nasser

Nasser studied at the prestigious Higher Colleges of Technology, Dubai. After stints with Pepsi (Dubai Refreshments) and Ghandi Electronics (Philips) he joined the Desert Group in 2006 and currently serves as its CEO. He has led the diversification and expansion of the group in trading, commercial, interior landscapes and golf and set up a potting soil manufacturing factory. He has been on the Boards of Nasser Group and Al Islami since 1996.

Michael Stephen - Secretary

Michael is the Director, Finance & Administration at Innoventures Education. He is a Chartered Accountant and has a Diploma in Portfolio Management with over 20 years' experience in consulting and industry. He was part of the core team of Innoventures Education that set up Dubai International Academy in 2005. Michael started his career in an accounting firm focused on audit, tax, corporate law, and business and investment advisory services. He is a Fellow of the Association of International Accountants, UK and has been on the faculty of a business school in Dubai.

Ben Bailey

Ben has worked for the University of Birmingham since 2015, currently as its Campus Director and moved to Dubai in January 2018. Ben’s early career was in social care with local authorities in the UK after graduating from the University of Nottingham. He has held senior roles in Student Services in UK universities for over 15 years and was also formerly Chair of the UK’s national Student Services organization, AMOSSHE. Ben has also held significant partnership roles with national Higher Education bodies on areas of national policy and strategy affecting Student Services. Alongside professional life Ben was a Governor of an Independent Day School in the UK for 7 years and was the Chair of its Governing Board. Ben believes in the transformative power of education and research and the positive impact it can have on improving outcomes for people. His professional and voluntary work has been dedicated to enabling people to reach their potential.