Senior practitioners, not an external layer.

Prof. Washika Haak-Saheem

Managing Partner

Washika Haak-Saheem, PhD is an internationally recognized academic leader and trusted advisor at the intersection of education, policy, and industry. With over two decades of global experience, she has led large-scale institutional transformation, built high-impact public-private partnerships, and advanced internationally accredited, future-focused education models aligned with national development agendas. Her work spans higher education strategy, human capital development, accreditation, and inclusive growth, with advisory roles supporting governments, multinational organizations, and global professional bodies. As a scholar, she is widely published in leading international journals on talent management, workforce transformation, and career systems in emerging and high-growth economies. Dr Haak-Saheem brings strategic foresight, governance expertise, and a deeply international perspective, enabling higher education organizations to translate vision into measurable impact across borders and sectors.

Kelly Bokhari

Managing Partner

Kelly Bokhari is a seasoned higher education leader with more than 20 years of international experience across the United States and the Middle East. She is recognized for translating the UAE's Outcome Based Framework into measurable institutional strategy and performance improvement. Her professional foundation includes experience at Ernst & Young, where she developed strong capabilities in governance, compliance, and process optimization, alongside senior academic leadership roles in the United States. Kelly brings a distinctive global-to-local perspective, aligning US best practices in strategic planning, accreditation, and digital transformation with the regulatory and cultural realities of the GCC. She is particularly known for strengthening institutional competitiveness through evidence-based decision making, curriculum digitisation, stakeholder alignment, and integrated performance management systems.

Dr. Mathias Falkenstein

Senior Advisor

Dr. Mathias Falkenstein brings over 25 years of experience in higher education management as a trusted global advisor to universities, business schools, governments, and educational institutions. Across senior leadership roles in Asia, North America, and Europe, he has specialized in guiding institutions through complex evolutionary phases by designing and implementing data-driven institutional strategies. His practice draws on deep international experience at the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in New York, the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) in Brussels, and the Center for Higher Education in Berlin. Alongside his advisory work, Mathias is an Associate Professor in Higher Education Management at Luiss Business School — operating across Rome, Dubai, Milan, and Amsterdam — where he is also Founder and Scientific Director of the school's Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in Higher Education Leadership and Management.

Cindy Bonfini-Hotlosz

Consultant

Cindy Bonfini-Hotlosz is a globally recognized strategist in higher education transformation, specializing in AI-enabled learning, digital innovation, and large-scale academic capacity building. She works with universities, ministries, and international foundations to design forward-looking learning ecosystems that integrate emerging technologies with human-centered pedagogy. Over the past three decades, Cindy has led technology-enabled education initiatives in 28 countries across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. She serves as a strategic implementation partner to the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation, supporting the University Quality Consortium for Online Learning in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Education and leading universities across the Emirates. Earlier in her career she held executive roles with Jesuit Worldwide Learning and JesuitNET, and served as the first Director of Distance Learning for NASA's Commercialisation Division. She has taught at Georgetown, Gonzaga, Loyola Marymount, Temple, and San Francisco State universities.

Dr. Carrie Bauer

Consultant

Dr. Carrie Bauer has leveraged over 15 years of experience to foster transformative educational initiatives. With a keen focus on strategic planning and quality e-learning practices, Carrie guides university, ministry, and institutional clients through the complexities of creating impactful educational programs. Her expertise includes building capacity and developing student-centered programs that respond to the dynamic needs of the e-learning landscape. An experienced program director and partnership-builder, she has led multi-stakeholder initiatives that integrate academic research with social impact priorities, bringing expertise in grant development, monitoring and evaluation, and equity-centered program design. Carrie's approach is characterised by her ability to organize complex systems, utilize data-driven insights, and cultivate strong relationships with all stakeholders.

Charley Wright

Consultant

Charley Wright is a data-informed practitioner whose work focuses on assessment, analytics, compliance, and institutional effectiveness. With a strong methodological background, Charley has designed evaluation frameworks that support continuous improvement and evidence-based decision-making in complex educational environments. He has served as a specialist for two UN agencies, first leading technology-enhanced higher education for the UN Refugee Agency across Africa, West Asia, and South Asia, and subsequently advising UNESCO on digital learning strategies. He has directed regional education programs for the Aga Khan Development Network in Central Asia, managed projects for World University Service of Canada, and led a technical and vocational college in Saudi Arabia. Charley holds graduate degrees in both International Education Policy and Business Administration.