Dr. Ali Al Marri has served as Executive President of MBRSG since March 2013, making significant contributions in the development of education, training, and research.Holder of a Bachelor's and Master’s in Law from Dubai Police Academy, and a Doctorate in Leadership and Strategy from Bradford University, UK, Dr. Al Marri also has many certificates and accolades from Dubai Police and a number of government bodies. In 2012, he won the Sheikh Rashid Award for Academic Excellence and The Best Paper Award at University of St Andrews’ 4th Annual Scottish Doctoral Management Conference. Dr. Al Marri delivers lectures and training programs in leadership, public administration and public management, strategic planning, total quality management and sustainable development and also serves as a keynote speaker at numerous local and international conferences and workshops. He has also contributed to the membership of a number of government committees and task forces specialized in corporate performance evaluations, strategies and policies development, as well as work mechanisms and processes.

Dr. Arthur King is the Acting Dean and Director of Academic Affairs at Mohammad bin Rashid School of Government. He is a career academic with over fifteen years teaching and academic management experience. Dr. King has taught at various universities in Europe, Africa and in the Middle East at under-graduate and post-graduate levels. Before joining MBSRG, Dr. King served at various managerial positions including Head of Department, Head of Accreditation, Head of Entrepreneurship Centre and more recently Dean of a university in Kuwait. He has participated in business consultancies in the area of quality evaluation in the public and private sectors.

Dr. King has expert knowledge in accreditation standards and ISO certification for educational institutions. He holds an honors degree in Business Administration from University of Zimbabwe, a Master of Business Administration from University of Science Malaysia and a PhD from Bedfordshire University, in the United Kingdom with a specialization in the quality management field. Dr King is an alumnus of Harvard University’s Entrepreneurship program (US).

Prior to joining academia, Dr. King worked in various positions including a foreign service role in the ASEAN region. He also worked as a Senior Business Analyst for an organization which specializes in providing start-up capital and consultancy services to Small and Medium Enterprises in developing countries. Broadly, Dr King’s research interests are in the area of quality management, accreditation, education and entrepreneurship.

Prof. Melodena Stephens’ areas of research and consultancy are in strategy, focusing on agile government, crisis management, entrepreneurship, AI ethics, and brands. She has close to 30 years of experience in industry, government, and academia at senior levels. Before joining MBRSG, where she heads the Master of Innovation Management program, she was the first female Indian Dean of a university in Germany. Before that, she spent over a decade at the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UAE), one of the first private universities in the UAE, where she undertook the roles of Deputy Dean and MBA Program Director. She has actively managesaccreditation and accreditation committees (UAE, Germany) and institutional outreach. Before her Ph.D., she worked in India for the Tata Group. She has lived in the UAE, the USA, India, Taiwan, and Germany. Prof. Stephens is on several advisory boards and is active in AI ethics, volunteering at IEEE SA. Her active 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, and recently was recognized as one of the 100 Admired People in Education in 2021 by Excelligent. She is passionate about emerging markets, especially the MENA region, and is frequently invited to panels and discussion forums. Prof. Stephens has published extensively – 11 books, close to 200 chapters, articles and journal publications. The most recent books are AI Smart Kit - Agile Decision Making on AI, Business With Purpose: Advancing Social Enterprise, and Agile Government. She is the founder of the Academy of International Business – the Middle East North Africa Chapter (AIBMENA), which has published cases on this region for local and international consumption. Since 2010, through this book project, she has captured organizational memories of a neglected region in international business studies to further our understanding of context. AIBMENA, a nonprofit social initiative founded in 2009, now under MBRSG, 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.

Prof. Melodena Stephens Publications ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7933-2750

Dr. Yousif El-Ghalayini is an Associate Professor in Public Administration at Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government, Executive MPA Program Coordinator, and Senior Fellow at the Centre on Governance at the University of Ottawa. His areas of teaching focus on public sector management and governance, HRM and PM, public policy development along with organizational behavior and development. Before joining Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government, Dr. El-Ghalayini was the Program Manager of HRM Program at the School of Business affiliated to the Australian College of Kuwait. Dr. El-Ghalayini spent few years of his career working with the Canadian Federal Government. He designed several organizational capacity-building programs and helped with the implementation of several federal government training programs including public policy development, strategic thinking and results based management. Prior to that, he spent several years as a United Nations specialist in civil society development and capacity building in post-conflict zones. Dr. El-Ghalayini holds a PhD in Public Administration from University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He holds a Master in Project Management from Université du Québec en Outaouais (Gatineau), Graduate Diploma in Administration from John Molson School of Business at Concordia University (Montreal), and BSc. in Electrical Engineering from Amman National University (Salt).

Professor Immanuel Azaad Moonesar R.D. is the President of Academy of International Business (MENA) and Health Policy and Systems Research Professor at MBRSG. He hails from one of the Caribbean islands- Trinidad and Tobago. His qualifications include a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Health Services: Leadership (Superior Distinction) from Walden University, USA; Master of Quality Management (Distinction) from the University of Wollongong, Australia (UOW); a Postgraduate Diploma in Institutional Community Nutrition & Dietetics (Distinction) & a Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology: Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of West Indies (UWI), Trinidad & Tobago. He is also the President (Chapter Chair) and Executive Board member of the Academy of International Business – Middle East North Africa (AIB-MENA) Chapter. He is also a Registered Dietitian and possesses professional certifications in ‘NEBOSH Occupational Health and Safety’, ‘Project Management: Certified Business Professional (CBP)’, Emotional Intelligence Assessor, and ‘Quality Management System Internal Auditors (ISO 9001:2008)’. He has published over 250 peer-reviewed journal articles, peer-reviewed international conferences, co-authored books, and book chapters. His Ph.D. dissertation manuscript was entitled: The Role of UAE Health Professionals in Maternal and Child Health Policy. His career experience includes quality assurance and management, nutrition and dietetics, health & safety, teaching, and institutional research. While, his research interest is in Health Systems, Public Policy, Healthcare Management & Leadership, Maternal & Child Health, Health Policy & Innovation, Nutrition, Global Governance, International Business Policy, Social Policy, Public-Private Partnerships, And Quality Management.

Connect: www.linkedin.com/in/iamoonesar

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4027-3508

Dr. Mona El-Sholkamy is an Associate Professor at the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government and a graduate of the Global Affairs and Public Policy Program at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. She is also an affiliate of the Harvard Business School - Microeconomics of Competitiveness group. Her research interests are in the areas of Macroeconomic Policies, Sustainable Development, Education Polcies, Food Security, Health policies and Sovereign Wealth Funds. She has published her work in research publications including International Journal of Management and Applied Sciences; Journal of Business and Economics; and Cambridge University Press; among a few. She is currently a member of the FAO-Regional Network of Experts and its Chair. She received her Ph.D. in from the Faculty of Economics and Political Science at Cairo University, and her Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Economics from the American University in Cairo.

Khalid Al Wazani is currently Professor of Public Policies in Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG), before that he used to be a Freelance Consultant in Strategies, Economic Policies, Economic Modelling, and Administrative Reengineering Agility and Nudging. During 2019-2020, he served as a full time Chairman of Jordan Investment Commission (JIC). Between Oct. 2015- Aug. 2019 he served as the Strategy and Knowledge Advisor for Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) in Dubai, previously he was the Chief Economist/ Strategist, & Founding Partner of Issnaad Consulting. Just before that, (2006-2011), he served at the private sector as General Manger & CEO of Saraya Aqaba Real Estate, Taameer Jordan Holdings (PLC) and Darat Jordan Holdings (PLC).

Earlier in his career, Dr. Wazani was associated professor of Economics at the Department of Economics at the Hashemeyeh University. Dr. Wazani was appointed as Deputy Dean for Faculty of Economics at the same university. Just before that, he established a research, consultancy and community service center at the university, and served as the first General Manager of the center during 1997-1999. Dr. Wazani has also held the position of Director General for the Jordanian Customs Department during 1999-2001.

Later on (Jul 2001- Nov. 2005) he was appointed as an Advisor and Director of the Economic and Development Division at the Royal Hashemite Court during which he served as the Head of the Economic Team for HM King Abdullah II. In early 2004 he served as the Deputy Chairman & Director General of Social Security Corporation in Jordan till early 2006.

Dr Abdulla Alawadhi is an Assistant Professor in Public Finance at MBRSG. He holds a DBA degree in Business Administration from the UAE University, Two Master’s in Business Administration & Applied Finance from Newcastle University in Australia. He is a Financial Consultant has 25+ Years of practical experience in fields of: Finance, Accounts, Strategic Management and Business Development, in Government, Semi-Government and Private Sectors. Dr Abdulla is a Certified Public Auditor, Tax Agent, Judicial Expert and Arbitrator. Dr Abdulla is Professional Trainer & Financial Consultant specialized in Corporate Finance, Accounting, Taxation & Entrepreneurship. Dr Abdulla is a Board Member of Emirates Association for Management Consultants & Trainers, holding a position of Treasurer. Finally, Dr Abdulla is an active person in the official media and social media, his interest is to publish the Financial knowledge for public.

Dr. Drissi is an Assistant Professor with a PhD Cum Laude in political science and sociology within the area of comparative/global policy and international governance; from scuola normale superiore in Italy. She has a background in social sciences and psychology with an experience within the public and private sector where she provided research assistance, behavioral insight consultancies and data analysis. Dr. Drissi currently works on governance, behavioral insight for public policy and system thinking; with a thematic focus on health, education and decentralized technologies. She speaks fluent English, Arabic, French and Italian.

Since 2003, Dr. Warner has worked in various academic and leadership positions at three major off-shore branch campuses in the UAE. A career educator with over 25 years international teaching experience, her professional engagement has been defined by her keen interest in social justice and equality. In her home country of Jamaica, she has initiated inner city community engagement projects that connected benevolent business owners with families who needed educational assistance. She also works actively in communities in Nepal, Bangladesh, and Kenya to support the development and accessibility of quality education to at risk groups. Dr. Warner holds an MA Education degree from the University of Wollongong in Australia, a PG Cert HE from Middlesex University and a Doctorate of Education from the University of Exeter (both UK). Her research interest in student engagement and learner autonomy has led to her work in curriculum redesign, teacher training, and education policy development. Her doctoral thesis at the University of Exeter explored student engagement as an alternative pedagogical approach in Higher Education institutions in the UAE. She is a member of Higher Education Teaching and Learning (HETL), the Vice President- Finance (Sponsorship & Treasurer) of the Academy of International Business - MENA Chapter, and has presented at many international conferences and published papers on the subjects of study skills, student engagement and the policy imperative of this approach.

Prior to joining MBRSG, Dr. Mohammad Habibur Rahman was faculty member at a number of universities including University Brunei Darussalam (Brunei), University of South Pacific (Fiji), Lakehead University (Canada) and University of Dhaka (Bangladesh). During his tenure at University Brunei Darussalam, he served the Faculty of Business, Economics, and Policy Studies and the Institute of Policy Studies as Program Leader of Graduate Studies. He supervised academic research by a number of graduate and doctoral students, and acted as external examiner to several doctoral theses. An active researcher, Dr. Rahman has published papers on governance, civil service reform, local government, human resource management, e-government, and knowledge sharing in top-ranked scholarly journals. His current research interests include public governance reform, smart government/e-government, knowledge management, and public sector performance. His rich professional experience also includes advising UNDP and providing consultancy to a range of international agencies, including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, United States Agency for International Development, Commonwealth Secretariat and Asia Foundation on governance and public policy areas. He was a coordinator and facilitator of executive development programs for civil servants in Fiji and Brunei, as well as a consultant to the Government of Brunei on national service and youth development. Dr. Rahman holds a PhD from the University of Wales, UK, and has two visiting positions – as Senior Fulbright Scholar at Maxwell School of Syracuse University, USA, and Visiting Fellow at York Centre for Asian Research in York University, Canada.

Dr. Scott Fargher joined MBRSG from the University of Wollongong in Dubai, where he was Associate Dean of Research in the Faculty of Business. He has also previously served as a faculty member at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT), the Institute of Public Policy; he was Deputy Director of the New Zealand Institute of Work and Labor Market Studies (now the New Zealand Work Research Institute). His research focuses primarily on Labor Economics, Macroeconomics, Economic Development, Sustainability and Public Policy. He has produced an extensive range of reports for public and private sector organizations and is widely published in academic journals including Applied Economics, International Journal of Manpower, Journal of Policy Modeling, International Review of Administrative Sciences, and Local Economy. Dr. Fargher also co-authored, together with Susan St John, the popular text Macroeconomics and the Contemporary New Zealand Economy. Possessing extensive teaching experience, he has supervised to completion up to PhD level; with topics ranging from ‘the economic impact of immigration’ through to ‘Investigating cross-market interdependence in frontier markets’. Dr. Fargher holds a PhD from the University of Edinburgh (UK), focusing on the economic evaluation of youth training programs; an MSc from Glasgow University (UK), and an MA (1st) and BA from Auckland University, New Zealand.

Malik Almadani is the Executive Director of Government Performance in the Prime Minister’s Office, where he manages the performance framework for the UAE Federal Government.Almadani has developed expertise and experience in a number of areas including leadership, global competitiveness, sustainability, government administration, strategic planning, innovation, future foresight, international relations in addition to financial services regulation and Islamic finance. His previous experience includes working in the federal and local government entities including, the Prime Minister’s Office, Minister of State Office and the Dubai Financial Services Authority. Almadani is a graduate of Impactful Leaders Program from Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development. On the academic side, he completed the MPA program from MBR School of Government, he holds a BBA from the American University of Dubai and a Diploma in Government Innovation from the University of Cambridge. Almadani also graduated from prestigious executive programs including the Executive Program on Artificial Intelligence from MBZUAI, the UAE Government Future Foresight program and the 4th Industrial Revolution Program by the University of Oxford in coordination with the UAE Prime Minister's Office.

Dr. Mari Luomi is a Non-resident Fellow at the MBR School of Government. Dr. Luomi is a policy-oriented social scientist who has been studying climate change, energy transitions and sustainable development policy in the Gulf and globally for 15 years. She has worked for leading energy, sustainable development, and foreign policy research institutions, including the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (Earth Negotiations Bulletin), Georgetown University, the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, and the Emirates Diplomatic Academy. She currently works on carbon circularity metrics, carbon markets and climate change policy at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) in Riyadh. Dr. Luomi holds a master’s degree in political science and international politics from the University of Helsinki and a PhD in Middle Eastern Studies from Durham University. In addition to a broad research publications portfolio, she has substantial experience in executive training, presentations, policy advisory, and reporting services for multilateral environmental negotiations.

Sara is a psychologist, specialized in epidemiology, with a PhD in Community Mental Health. She is a researcher at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council, Argentina and a faculty member at the School of Psychology, University of Buenos Aires with 20 years of experience of research related to the mental health care reform in Latin America. She teaches courses at undergraduate level (public health) and graduate level (information systems in mental health, evaluation on mental health services). Research interests include: Users' experiences and perspectives about health care, non-sanitary services for mental health needs, social inclusion in mental health.