Middle East Thought Leadership Forum

The event was hosted under the Patronage of the Secretary General of the Association of Arab Universities. In addition, the VIP guests included the Ministers of Education of the Arab League and there were an expected number of delegates from 400 universities.

The forum was led by Ministers of Education and Quality Assurance leaders who helped address policies related to online education. The event helped companies reach out to large markets in the Middle East, and we proposed financial models that included referral fees alongside the sponsorship. Middle Eastern students were invited freely to benefit from virtual learning.

Speakers

Mr David Lock

Chair of Gulf Conferences

David Lock has had a varied career in international higher education and university leadership. He is currently Education Director of Gulf Conferences, Chair of Gulf Education Conferences and is Secretary General of the Magna Charta Observatory.

Dr. Ashwin Fernandes

Regional Director – Middle East, Africa & South Asia, QS Quacquarelli Symonds CEO, QS IGAUGE Rating

HE Prof. Amr Ezzat Salama

Secretary General of the Association of Arab Universities

He is the Secretary General of the Association of Arab Universities, Chairman of the Executive Bureau of 57357 Foundation (Children Cancer Hospital), and Professor of Structural Engineering at Helwan University in Egypt since 1981.

Professor. Anas Alsoud

Assistant to the president for foreign affairs, director of center of innovation and excellence, and director of the global engagement center at Al-Ahliyya Amman University

Anas is a professor of Informatics (electronic business and commerce). Prof. Anas holds a BSc in computer information systems from the University of Jordan (2006), MSc in Managing Information Technology from Salford University – UK (2007), and PhD in Informatics from the University of Reading – UK (2012). Since joining Al-Ahliyya Amman University in 2012, Anas has been involved with studies related to e-business, e-government, and cloud computing in developing countries.

Dr. Gerry Hanley

Executive Director of MERLOT

Gerry Hanley Ph.D. is the Executive Director of MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching, www.merlot.org) and SkillsCommons (www.skillscommons.org) which are free and open digital libraries of academic and workforce development teaching, learning, and training resources administered at California State University Long Beach. At CSULB, Gerry is also the Director of the Center for Usability in Design and Accessibility and Professor Emeritus of Psychology; he teaches Human Factors, conducts research, and leads projects for industry, education, and government agencies.

Professor. Dahlia Mahmoud

Associate Professor | Academic Consultant CCI

Dahlia Mahmoud is an associate professor, an international educator with expertise in developing the educational modules for the regional cultural and creative industries sector. An academic with institutional advancement and strategic consulting expertise in research development, outreach through government and stakeholder relations and developing creative professional programs. Her career centers on implementing innovative design strategies and entrepreneurial initiatives. Mahmoud teaches creative approaches to visual communication and storytelling within the MENA and GCC academic structures.

Professor Mohamed Loutfi

President and Vice-Chancellor of the British University in Egypt

Professor Loutfi is currently President and Vice-Chancellor of the British University in Egypt. Prior to this, he held the post of the Vice-Chancellor’s Special Envoy at Coventry University, and served as the inaugural President of the Knowledge Hub, Coventry University’s branch campus in Egypt. Thoughout his career, he held a number of leadership roles as the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff Metropolitan University and at the University of Sunderland, UK.

HE Dr Khalid Abdul Ghaffar

Acting Minister of Health and Population

Khalid Atef Abdul Ghaffar is a former Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and the current Minister of Health and Population in Egypt. He is also Acting Minister of Health and Population since October 2021.

Professor. Michael Murphy

President of the European University Association

A past President of University College Cork, Ireland (2007-17), he has been active in many academic organisations in Europe and the United States and has served as Vice-Chancellor of the National University of Ireland, Chair of the Health Research Board of Ireland, Chair of the Irish Universities Association and Chair of the Permanent Working Group (PWG) of European Hospital Doctors. Currently, he chairs the Steering Committee of the European Learning and Teaching Forum and the Advisory Board of U-Multirank.

Professor. Silas Lwakabamba

Regional Managing Director, Africa Hub, Coventry University Group. Rwanda’s former education minister

Mr. Jeff Maggioncalda

CEO

Photos