Governance

board & Advisory Council

Governance comprises the Board of Directors (Board) and an Advisory Council. The Board includes the owners and an independent member. It is involved in all strategic areas including the school’s philosophy and objectives, policies, appointment and review of the leadership team, managing key relationships, ensuring quality infrastructure, resources and financial stability.

Board of directors
Abdulla Majed Al Ghurair - Chairman Abdulla is a UAE national and a third generation member of a prominent business family. He brings an acute understanding of local culture and business acumen to organisations. 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 (www.bpggroup.com) 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 conceptualisation 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 the Managing Director of Innoventures Education; General Partner of Montana Capital Ltd, the holding company of Ramusake and Copper Dog in Dubai, AMEA Ventures Ltd, Partner Director of HTMi Switzerland Dubai LLC, and Chairman of International Management Ventures FZ LLC. He is also on the Board of Governors of The International Institute of Tolerance by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the VP/ PM of UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Avi is widely recognised as one of the most influential expats in the GCC, and has been honoured by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum for his contribution to the evolution of Dubai Shopping Festival. Avi has also been recognised 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.

Board of directors

Abdulla Majed Al Ghurair - Chairman

Abdulla is a UAE national and a third generation member of a prominent business family. He brings an acute understanding of local culture and business acumen to organisations. 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 (www.bpggroup.com) 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 conceptualisation 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 the Managing Director of Innoventures Education; General Partner of Montana Capital Ltd, the holding company of Ramusake and Copper Dog in Dubai, AMEA Ventures Ltd, Partner Director of HTMi Switzerland Dubai LLC, and Chairman of International Management Ventures FZ LLC. He is also on the Board of Governors of The International Institute of Tolerance by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the VP/ PM of UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Avi is widely recognised as one of the most influential expats in the GCC, and has been honoured by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum for his contribution to the evolution of Dubai Shopping Festival. Avi has also been recognised 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.

advisory council
Avishesha (Avi) Bhojani 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 (www.bpggroup.com) 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 conceptualisation 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 the Managing Director of Innoventures Education; General Partner of Montana Capital Ltd, the holding company of Ramusake and Copper Dog in Dubai, AMEA Ventures Ltd, Partner Director of HTMi Switzerland Dubai LLC, and Chairman of International Management Ventures FZ LLC. He is also on the Board of Governors of The International Institute of Tolerance by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the VP/ PM of UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Avi is widely recognised as one of the most influential expats in the GCC, and has been honoured by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum for his contribution to the evolution of Dubai Shopping Festival. Avi has also been recognised 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. Alan Egbert Alan has been a Teacher, Teacher Educator, Educational Consultant, and currently is General Manager of the Australian Council for Educational, Dubai office and is responsible for the direction of wide national and international programmes in the UAE and Middle East region. He has extensive experience in working with schools and developing effective assessment programmes for students and schools. Alan is currently also Project Director for the UAE National Assessment Programme (UAENAP 2015). He is also a parent at DIA. 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 organisation, 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. Poonam Bhojani 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 organisations across India, Hong Kong, USA, Belgium, Sweden, The Netherlands, Oman and UAE. She is the CEO of Innoventures Education, has served as the President of the Middle East IB Association of Schools and is the Secretary of the Dubai Private Schools Group. Michael Stephen 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.
James Roberts
James has over 20 years of senior leadership experience across a diverse range of schools and educational organisations. He was previously CEO of one of the largest education services companies in the UK, leading the initial launch and establishment of this company as a profitable, growing business. He is a vastly experienced executive education leader who works with the CEO and school teams to drive forward the group’s performance agenda and secure the highest quality outcomes for every student. As well as a degree in Biochemistry, James has a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Management, along with the National Professional Qualification for Headship. He firmly believes in unlocking the potential of every child academically, personally and socially through a continuous and relentless drive for sustained improvement in the quality of education.

advisory council

Avishesha (Avi) Bhojani

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 (www.bpggroup.com) 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 conceptualisation 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 the Managing Director of Innoventures Education; General Partner of Montana Capital Ltd, the holding company of Ramusake and Copper Dog in Dubai, AMEA Ventures Ltd, Partner Director of HTMi Switzerland Dubai LLC, and Chairman of International Management Ventures FZ LLC. He is also on the Board of Governors of The International Institute of Tolerance by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the VP/ PM of UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Avi is widely recognised as one of the most influential expats in the GCC, and has been honoured by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum for his contribution to the evolution of Dubai Shopping Festival. Avi has also been recognised 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.

Alan Egbert

Alan has been a Teacher, Teacher Educator, Educational Consultant, and currently is General Manager of the Australian Council for Educational, Dubai office and is responsible for the direction of wide national and international programmes in the UAE and Middle East region. He has extensive experience in working with schools and developing effective assessment programmes for students and schools. Alan is currently also Project Director for the UAE National Assessment Programme (UAENAP 2015). He is also a parent at DIA.

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 organisation, 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.

Poonam Bhojani

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 organisations across India, Hong Kong, USA, Belgium, Sweden, The Netherlands, Oman and UAE. She is the CEO of Innoventures Education, has served as the President of the Middle East IB Association of Schools and is the Secretary of the Dubai Private Schools Group.

Michael Stephen

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.

James Roberts

James has over 20 years of senior leadership experience across a diverse range of schools and educational organisations. He was previously CEO of one of the largest education services companies in the UK, leading the initial launch and establishment of this company as a profitable, growing business. He is a vastly experienced executive education leader who works with the CEO and school teams to drive forward the group’s performance agenda and secure the highest quality outcomes for every student. As well as a degree in Biochemistry, James has a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Management, along with the National Professional Qualification for Headship. He firmly believes in unlocking the potential of every child academically, personally and socially through a continuous and relentless drive for sustained improvement in the quality of education.

Governance | About Us | DIA Al Barsha | Dubai, U.A.E

Governance

board & Advisory Council

Abdulla Majed Al Ghurair - Chairman

H.E. Dr. Gargash Anwar - Director

Avishesha (Avi) Bhojani - Managing Director

Avishesha (Avi) Bhojani

Alan Egbert

Ben Bailey

Poonam Bhojani

Michael Stephen

James Roberts

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