Board of Trustees

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, UAE University. Former CFO of Etisalat, advisor to H.H. Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, member of the Supreme Council. Board member of RAK Bank, RAK Insurance, and Dubai International Financial Centre.

Mr. Al Sharhan has previously served as an advisor to His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah.

He currently serves as a board member at RAK Bank, RAK Insurance and Dubai International Financial Centre. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting (minor in business administration) from United Arab Emirates University, UAE.

Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom. Worked as Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at UAE University. Also, worked as Director of the UAE University Center for Public Policy and Leadership. Research interests include public policy analysis, development of public administration, and quality of government.

Dr. Ateeq completed his M.A. in Public Administration from the University of Southern California and a B.A. from UAE University. He has also held other academic positions; assistant dean for research and graduate studies at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and director for the Ph.D. program.

Dr. Rashed Iqbal holds a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from the University of Sheffield.

He joined IDO in August 2018. He is responsible for empowering IDO’s portfolio of companies to use Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, and Data Science for effective business operations, and for supporting them in developing and maintaining high quality and secure technology infrastructure. He has over 25 years of professional experience in Technology, Product Development, and in Technical Management. Before joining IDO, he held roles with Teledyne Technologies, Western Digital, Synopsys, and other companies, mostly in California.

Mr. Jean Diab has a MSc in Finance and Investment from the University of Durham and BA in Economics from the American University of Beirut. He has 17 years of experience in managing institutions across multiple sectors in the MENA region.

He is currently an investment director with the Investment and Development Office of RAK. Prior to joining the IDO, Mr. Diab lead Kamco Invest’s private equity office in Dubai and spent several years with Eastgate Capital, the private equity arm of Saudi National Commercial Bank.

Mr. Diab served and is currently a member of the board of directors of several institutions across the MENA region in multiple sectors including education and healthcare.

Dr Pablo Fetter is an expert in education with a track record of successfully running and improving international private education operators. He brings in three decades’ worth of experience in education, investments, and industry, both as senior executive and as board member.

As the CEO of three different private education companies, Dr Pablo led multiple organic growth and improvement initiatives leading to significant boosts in academic and financial performance and participated in some of the world’s largest education transactions.

Dr Pablo resided and worked in seven countries in Europe, South America, Asia, and Middle East, and is proficient in four languages.

Dr. Ayesha Mohammed Abdulla Yasin is a leader in the education, healthcare, and engineering industries with 32 years of experience. Dr. Abdullah was the Vice President of Academic Affairs/Chief Academic Officer at the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) and retired on Dec. 31st, 2022. In this role, Dr. Abdullah was responsible for managing the academic affairs of the UAE's largest Federal Higher Education institution.

Prior to that, Dr. Abdullah was the Executive Dean of the College of Business at Higher Colleges of Technology. She was responsible for academic excellence and advancing linkages with industry. Moreover, she achieved international and national accreditation of all the programs and embedded leading specialized industry professional certifications such as CIPD, ACCA, CIPS, and CIM. Dr. Abdullah was also the Chief Executive Officer of the CERT Group of Companies, and her role was to advance technological innovations, training, and development.

Dr. Abdullah previously held the position of the Managing Director of the Science Cluster in Dubai Holding. She was responsible for managing and formulating the strategic direction of the three major companies in Dubai for the development of the knowledge-based economy- namely Dubai Healthcare City Cluster and its subsidiaries, Dubai Biotechnology & Research Park-Dubiotech and Enpark.

Before that, Dr. Abdullah held the position of CEO of Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC). Under her leadership, DHCC rapidly gained status as an internationally recognized location of choice for quality healthcare and an integrated center of excellence for clinical and wellness services, medical education, and research. In 2008, DHCC won the Dubai Quality Award, and the 'DHCC Out-Patient Quality Standards’ were the first Middle Eastern standards to be accredited by The International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQUA). Prior to this, as Chief Executive Officer at the Center for Healthcare Planning and Quality (CPQ), Dr. Abdullah was responsible for setting up and upholding healthcare standards within DHCC. She also played a key role in establishing CPQ as a premier regulatory body in the industry.

Dr. Abdullah started her career in the Ministry of Health and was the Head of Engineering at Dubai Medical District. She worked on designing, commissioning, and equipping most of the major hospitals in the UAE. Moreover, she was seconded to WS Atkins, an international engineering firm, and worked on many prestigious commercial projects.

In October 2009, Dr. Abdullah received the prestigious ‘Leading Woman CEO’ Award, marking a milestone in her achievements and recognizing her strategic management and leadership acumen that significantly contributed to the healthcare cluster’s growth. She was also awarded the L’ Officiel Arab Women of the Year in 2010. In 2014, she was recognized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) publisher of Science Magazine as a leading Innovator in the Middle East. Dr. Ayesha Abdullah is the first Arab woman to be elected as the President of the ACBSP Region 8 in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, she was also one of the three finalists for The UAE Prime Minister's Medal which honors outstanding leaders across all Federal Institutions.

Dr. Abdullah is a guest speaker at numerous international and local conferences, and she has published Scopus-indexed articles. Dr. Abdullah also has academic and industry board experience.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in biomedical/ electrical engineering from Marquette University, USA, an MBA, and a Ph.D. in Strategy Management and Planning from the University of Sheffield. She has also attended many Executive Education programs at Harvard, Stanford, LBS, and the GE leadership programs at Crotonville.

Dr. Shamma Hamdoon Al Naqbi is a Zayed Military University Executive Director with over 18 years of leadership experience across the UAE’s education and defence sectors. She currently leads academic transformation and strategic initiatives at Zayed Military University under the UAE Ministry of Defence, where she oversees academic governance, institutional partnerships, and the development of future-focused military higher education models. 

She holds a Ph.D. in Education Management, Policy and Leadership from The British University in Dubai, a Master of Strategic Security Studies from National Defense College, and a Master of TESOL from The University of Melbourne.

Throughout her career, she has led major institutional transformation initiatives across higher education and defence, including the development of academic operating models, strategic partnerships, and integrated learning environments aligned with national priorities. Prior to her current role, she held leadership positions at Higher Colleges of Technology and Rabdan Academy, where she contributed to the establishment and advancement of academic programs, student success initiatives, and institutional growth within the UAE higher education sector

Professor Bassam Alameddine is a seasoned higher education executive, widely recognized for his transformational leadership and strategic vision. Prior to joining AURAK, he served as President of Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST), where he led a phase of institutional growth, academic innovation, and operational excellence.

Over a distinguished tenure at GUST, Professor Alameddine held key leadership roles including Director of Graduate Studies and Research, Vice President for Academic Affairs, and ultimately President. Among his many achievements, he oversaw the establishment of the College of Engineering and Architecture, launched interdisciplinary programs aligned with market needs, and implemented the Students’ Performance Enhancement and Active Retention (SPEAR) system, which resulted in a 56% improvement in student retention and success.

His leadership contributed significantly to GUST’s rise in global and regional rankings, successful institutional accreditations (QAA, AACSB, ABET, ACA), and increased research output by a factor of five. He championed governance reforms to enhance transparency, streamlined academic operations, and advanced the university’s internationalization strategy by cultivating partnerships with leading global institutions.

Professor Alameddine is also an accomplished scholar and Principal Investigator of the Functional Materials Group, a research initiative focused on carbon capture, gas separation, hydrogen storage, and environmental remediation. His work, which aligns closely with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, has attracted over $2.5 million in competitive funding and led to more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and conference contributions.

Before his tenure at GUST, Professor Alameddine held academic and administrative positions at Columbia University, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), and the University of Fribourg, where he cultivated his expertise in academic governance, program development, and institutional strategy.

He holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Fribourg, a Master’s in Materials Science Engineering from ENSIACET in Toulouse, and a postgraduate certificate in Senior Leadership from the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford. Beyond academia, Professor Alameddine advises major players in the energy, cosmetics, and scientific sectors, and serves on multiple advisory and scientific boards. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and an active member of various professional organizations, with a deep commitment to diversity, sustainability, and leadership development in higher education.