Gulf Education Conference and Exhibition, Bahrain 19^th – 20^th April 2019

Mohamed Loutfi is a Professor of Internationalisation and the Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) with responsibility for the development and implementation of the University's Internationalisation Strategy at home and abroad.

Nationally, Professor Loutfi is a member of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education's International Governance Group and the British Council - Going Global Steering Committee. Internationally, he is a council member at the Magna Charta Observatory of Fundamental University Values and Rights in Bologna and a member of the board of the European Quality Assurance Agency?.

He holds a BSc in Economics and Political Science, an MSc in Information Technology and a PhD in Systems Thinking. Before joining Cardiff Metropolitan University, he held the posts of Senior Lecturer, then Principal Lecturer, then Head of Transnational Education at the University of Sunderland, UK.

Professor Loutfi has worked on many EU projects for Education Reforms, Accreditation and Quality Assurance in Ukraine, Russia, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt. He is currently working with the ministries of Higher Education in Lebanon, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Morocco to develop a framework for building capacity for leadership in Higher Education through European experiences in this field. In addition to this, Professor Loutfi is currently coordinating six Erasmus Mundus projects; these projects aim to enhance institutional cooperation among partners by facilitating student and staff mobility exchanges.

As Senior Regional Director at Blackboard, Hanny Alshazly cultivates opportunities in the Higher Ed, K-12 & Corporate markets by highlighting how learning technologies improve the quality of education globally & are the means to meet the dynamic needs of the universal learner. With customer success as his mission; Hanny is dedicated to ensuring that each one of Bb's customers' goals & vision are met in the long term.

Having been a part of the online education field since its early days, Hanny possesses pragmatic insights into the online teaching and learning industry, which encompass both corporate and academic perspectives. His extensive experience allows him to serve on several educational boards including the Gulf Education Advisory Board. Being a regular speaker at multiple conferences worldwide, Hanny is also well known for his interactive keynote presentations on education and educational technologies.

Over the course of his career, Hanny's contributions and his dedication to his field have garnered him several awards and recognitions, the most recent being the Distinguished Alumni Award from Athabasca University in Canada, where he received his Masters of Education and Advanced Post Graduate Diploma in Distance Education and Technology. During the ceremony, Hanny was also honored to have been added to the Nova Scotia Legislature for his career achievements. Hanny also holds a B.Sc. in Computer Science with a focus on Business Administration from Dalhousie University in Canada.

For more information or to connect with Hanny, please visit
http://www.linkedin.com/in/hannyalshazly @HannyAlshazly – LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr

Prof. Khalid Bin Abdulrahman is a Professor of Family Medicine and Medical Education. He is at present the Vice-Rector for Planning, Development & Quality at Al-Imam Mohammed Bin Saud Islamic University (IMSIU). The founding Dean of the College of Medicine at Al-Imam University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The former Chairman of the Saudi Deans National Committee and the former Vice-President of the Saudi Society for Medical Education (SSME). Prof Abdulrahman is the current President of the Saudi Society for medical Jurisprudence and the editor in chief of Imam Journal of Applied Sciences (IJAS). The Editor of Medical Teacher Saudi Supplement. An Active member of many prestigious strategic committees including the National Health Council in Saudi Arabia. In 2006 he was appointed to lead the national strategic planning project for health professions education in Saudi Arabia. Professor Khalid is a founding member of the international board of ASPIRE initiative; a program has been initiated to recognize international excellence in medical schools (www.aspire-to-excellence.org).

His areas of interests include Planning and Development of Medical Education and Continuing Medical Education Programs, Strategic Planning & Leadership Development and Management of Chronic Illness in family practice setting. Prof Khalid has published more than 70 papers in family medicine and medical education, both in local and international peer reviewed journals. He presented more than 300 presentations in local and international meetings. Prof. Bin Abdulrahman is a recipient of numerous prestigious awards including the certificate of editorial excellence from the Association of Medical Education in Europe has been awarded during AMEE 2014 conference in Milan, Italy.

Khalid Alafari is a general manager of Career Guidance & Recruitment Center (CCGR) at Technical & Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) in Saudi Arabia. The center is considered as a new initiative at TVTC. In this position, he develops strategic plans that will work through a clear vision & mission to establish and lead other centers for career guidance & recruitment at all of the TVTC units around K.S.A. In addition, Alafari is a member in many committees which is related to developing the workforce in Saudi. One of the major committees that he is involved is the National Plan for Information Technology that develops the first Saudi national IT plan. Khalid graduated from King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, and obtained a bachelor degree in Computer engineering. After that, Khalid gained master degree from the same university.

Alafari has a long experience in developing & managing adult education and training since 1994. He contributed to develop English book for property year in King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, and he was a director assistant of guidance and consulting center for three years. He joined TVTC in 2000 and worked in different roles instructor, adviser, chairman, manager of infrastructure, deputy of GM for eLearning, deputy of GM for student services. Nowadays, he works as a manager for CCGR. Furthermore, he represents TVTC as program manager for one of the initiatives with Mackenzie & PWC.

Mr. Essa Al Mulla is a sales and marekting specialist. He graduated with a BA from University of Lincolnshire and Humberside, after which he gained professional experience working as a manager at Eppco/Enoc and Microsoft. Before his current appointment as the Executive Director, Essa Al Mulla served the role of Deputy Director at ENDP. His current duties include corporate relationship building, work placement of ENDP candidates, monitoring current trends, influencing attitudinal change in key stakegholders, and serving as liaison with senior management members of the sectoral committees. The mandate of this programe is to develope and train UAE nationals to join the private sector.

Mr. David Lock was appointed as Director of International and UK Projects at the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education in October 2007.

Until October 2007 he was the founding Registrar and Acting Chief Executive of the new British University in Dubai, a post he held for 4 years. BUiD now has over 400 students and David led a strategic review of the University which has helped to set its course for the next 5 years.

David was appointed to the International Advisory Panel for the Middle East Association’s Learning and Leadership Symposium Programme 2006-9, has spoken on UK Higher Education in several countries and been called on to advise on the establishment of new universities in other Middle East countries.

Prior to going to Dubai David had been Secretary to the University of Huddersfield and Registrar and Secretary to the University of Hull in the UK for a total of 14 years. In both roles he was secretary to the governing body and its committees and responsible for leading significant parts of the administration and support services. In particular he led student services, human resources and a range of professional services and performed a key role in governance and strategic reviews. He also played a leading part in major projects including the merger with another HE institution, the acquisition of new campuses and various other initiatives including a civic millennium project. He was particularly focused on the student experience.

He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators and an advisor to the Institute. He is a Freeman of the City of London and Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators. He is a graduate of the UK HE Top Management Programme.

David has also undertaken a range of consultancy assignments including national HE governance projects, including the training of members of governing bodies at national level and FE governance assignments.

Prof. Sultan T Abu - Orabi Aladwan serves as a Secretary General for the Association of Arab Universities in Amman, Jordan. His academic experience lies in the field of Chemistry, with research focus on 1.3-Dipolar Cycloddition Reaction of Azides and Nitrile Oxides towards the Synthesis of five-membered Ring Heterocyclic Compounds. Prof. Sultan T Abu - Orabi received his Doctorate in Organic Chemistry from University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in USA, and has been active in the academia since through multiple professional appointments. Currently he teaches in the Chemistry Department at Yarmouk University, having supervised a total of 18 Msc and PhD theses in the field.

Professor Sultan has participated in over 90 conferences at the national, regional and international level: he has organized over 10 national and international conferences in Jordan, served on many international Advisory Boards, and acts as Chair of the Scientific and Organization Committees of several scientific meetings.

He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Association of Arab Universities, Vice Editor-in-Chief for the Arab Journal of Chemistry, and an editorial Board Member on multiple journals pertaining to his field. Professor Sultan has published over 55 Journal research papers, as well as 5 book reviews and over 70 abstracts presented at scientific meetings.

His contribution to the field has been recognized with honors and awards, among them a "Jewels of the Muslim World" Award for "Top Movers of the Islamic Economics" (2011) and a "Badge of Honor Medal" presented by the International Scientific Partnership Foundation, Russia, for the Development of Science in Jordan and Arab countries and International Collaboration (2007).

Dr Aisha Al-Azemi is a senior education specialist at the Supreme Council of Education in Kuwait and was the consultant for the Minister of Education.

She studied at the Faculty of Education at The University of Kuwait where she obtained her Bachelors degree, which was followed by a Masters degree in Psychology of Education at Zagazig University (Egypt). She has subsequently been recommended for a PhD in Educational Psychology as a result of publications and exchanges between universities.

Dr. Aisha has participated in several conferences including Educational Bridges 34, The Kuwaiti Teachers Association Conference, the second Gulf Forum Conference in Istanbul 2013 and the 2014 Peace and Morals Culture Conference in Paris. She has delivered workshops on subjects such as educational planning skills, ‘What is Marriage’ and the psychological and social needs of orphans.

Dr. Aisha has made several academic contributions including a scientific study about the behavioural problems in primary school pupils - not published yet; a research in the skills of reading in primary schools learners - published in the Magazine of Educational Sciences at The University of Cairo in 2011, and her book ‘The Psychology of Growing’ - Alfalaah, Kuwait 2011.

Dr John is a Higher Education Adviser with the British Council, based in Manchester, and has over twenty five years experience in the Higher Education sector. He specialises in promoting collaboration through internationalising higher education.

After graduating with a BSc in Industrial Design, from Edinburgh’s Napier University, John worked as a designer in the creative industries, before joining the University of Central England (UCE) in Birmingham, where in 1996 he gained his PhD in Design Management.

In 2000 he was appointed as Head of the Department of Fashion, Textiles and Three Dimensional Design at UCE, before moving to Hong Kong as the Head of Design at the Hong Kong Design Institute, where he led the delivery of UK undergraduate programmes with UK partner Universities.

With the British council, John works with both the UK HE sector and Ministries of Higher Education overseas to promote dialogue and partnership between stakeholders. John has advised on issues of quality assurance, collaborative partnerships, research co-operation and international development, with a focus on MENA and East Asia. He is a regular contributor at international conferences.

Dr Tayeb A Kamali is the Vice Chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) – the United Arab Emirates’ largest higher education institution with 17 campuses throughout the UAE catering for 20,000 male and female students.

For over two decades Dr Kamali has spearheaded education, training, research and applied technology programmes in the UAE and Middle East regions. This has been achieved by establishing and leveraging relationships with global leaders in academia, business and government. He has helped create a ground-breaking, world class eLearning institution at HCT through the strategic implementation of technology in education with initiatives such as integrated wireless campus infrastructures, online and paperless learning and knowledge management programmes.

As a result HCT is a cutting-edge learning institution that provides UAE students with technological skills and the ability to innovate in an increasingly competitive global market. Dr Kamali has played a significant role in the introduction of numerous international conferences, focused on leadership, education, innovation and entrepreneurship, such as Education without Borders, Festival of Thinkers and the HCT Global Entrepreneurship 2010. Dr Kamali was appointed Chair of the UAE Federal Mobile Learning Initiative involving HCT, Zayed University and UAE University, which saw 14,000 mobile learning devices distributed to Foundations Programme students at those institutions as the first phase of a framework to enhance students’ learning capabilities. The second phase involved all first-year HCT Bachelor of Applied Science students receiving these devices.
HCT continues its leadership in the field of technology integration with the creation of over 150,000 e-Textbooks for its students.

Dr Kamali is the founding Group Chief Executive of the Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training (CERT), the commercial, research and training arm of HCT, which was formed in 1996 and which is an institutional member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Growth Companies. He is also Chairman of the CERT Thales Institute; the Emirates Driving Company; CERT Info Track Telematics and the Vice Chairman of the Institute of Applied Technology’s Governing Council.
He is a founding Board Member of the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics (WFCP); a member of the World Economic Forum’s Regional Agenda Council on the Middle East & North Africa; a 2012 Rolex Awards for Young Laureates Jury member, and a member of the Cleveland Clinic International Advisory Board. He was a moderator at the Arab Business Leaders’ Forum and the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in 2012. In February 2013 he was a guest speaker at the UNESCO International Symposium on Mobile Learning in Paris. He also spoke at the Going Global 2013 Education Conference and participated in the New York University’s Global Colloquium of University Presidents. In September 2013 he was a panelist at the Annual Summit of The Stern Stewart Institute in Germany.
Dr Kamali is a board member of a number of corporate entities and institutions including Tanmia (The National Human Resource Development and Employment Authority); ICT Fund (Telecom Regulatory Authority); the Future Centre for Special Needs, Dubai and the Higher Education Sports Federation.
Dr Kamali holds a Doctorate in Engineering from George Washington University, USA and an honorary Doctorate in Engineering from the University of Waterloo, Canada. He also holds a number of qualifications from the Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, USA, being an MBA (Concentration in Aviation), a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Aircraft Engineering.
He has received many education and leadership awards throughout his career including France’s highest award for education, the Ordres des Palmes Académiques in 2006 and the Human Resource Leadership Award from the World Human Resource Development Congress in 2006 and 2009.

Mr. Westring is based out of Stockholm and heads EF's global business development and partnerships work. Previously, he was EF's Country Manager for Russia, where he was co-lead for EF's Sochi 2014 project. He is overall responsible for EF's commitment to the Olympic Movement and the United Nations. He is also a member of EF's global team offering advice and solutions to governments around the world and is responsible for the Gulf Region.

Prior to joining EF, Mr. Westring worked at McKinsey & Co, e.g., in public sector projects, including setting up a USD 3 billion charity fund with focus on education in Russia. He is a frequent speaker at global education events and business schools.

Mr. Westring speaks Swedish, English and Russian fluently, has conversational abilities in French, understands German and has basic knowledge of 5 other languages.

Mr. Westring is a member of Mensa International, member of the Advisory Board to the Stockholm School of Economics, and a Board member of the Sverker Åström Foundation which furthers relations between Sweden and Russia.

• Iconic public figure on Academic, Political and Business fronts.
• The first Elected President of Benha University 2011-2016 Holds a PhD in Agricultural Chemistry from Agro Paris-Tech France.
• Board member in several public & private companies, NGO's and governmental organizations.
• Founder & Key Inspirational Coach at the National Leadership & Management Development Centers. He developed & supported Leaders who are Key icons in Today's Business & Political sectors and Egyptian Parliament.
• 40+ years of expertise in Business Consulting & Organizational Development in several fields including agriculutre , chemical industry, and Trading companies.
• Active member in several governmental and international organizations:
  • Chairman of the Advisory Committee of Agriculture and Fundamental Sciences in the Supreme Council of Egyptian Universities (SCU).
  • Advisor to several committees in the Ministries of Agriculture, Environment, Health and Youth & Sports.
  • Board member of the Arab European University Network (ARELEN).
  • Member of the executive committee of the University Alliance of new Silk Road (UASR China).
• Over 40 years of remarkable achievements in education. Recognized as a veteran in the Higher Education system and a key player in the educational reform program in Egypt where he successfully launched top notch international programs to serve Universities in Egypt.
• Participates in key projects with organizations such as the British Council, Fulbright Commission, AMIDEAST, Institut Français and The American Council of Young Political Leaders (ASYPL).
• Distinguished Politician and Diplomat with over 40 years of achievements on National & International level .
  • Cultural attaché in the Egyptian Embassy in the UK 1996-2000.
  • Advisor to the Egyptian Parliament and an Elected member in Cairo Local Council.
  • Board member of Egypt Youth Fund at the Egyptian Cabinet.
  • Chairman of the National Environmental Protection Society of Egypt since 2000.

Ashwin has been with QS since 2012, starting off from the regional base in Singapore.

He is responsible for working with institutions in Middle East, North Africa and India. He is also responsible to liaise with governmental and public agencies in these regions. He is currently pursuing his PhD on university rankings and reputation.

He has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing along with a Bachelor of Commerce in Financial Accounting, Auditing & Taxation.