Geoffrey Canada is internationally recognized as a leading advocate for children and innovator in the field of education. Canada created the Harlem Children&#8217;s Zone, a birth-through-college network of programs that today serves more than 13,000 low-income students in a 97-block area of Central Harlem in New York City. The concept of the Children’s Zone is to do whatever it takes to help children in areas of concentrated poverty overcome the entire range of barriers to their success – whether it is failing schools, the threat of violence or instability at home. The organization offers after-school programs, in-school supports, parenting classes, community-building, health and social-service programs, as well as running two public charter schools. The unprecedented success of the Harlem Children’s Zone has attracted the attention of the media and leaders around the world. In 2011, Canada was named one of the world’s most influential people by Time magazine and as one of the 50 greatest leaders by Fortune magazine in 2014. President Barack Obama created the Promise Neighborhoods Initiative to replicate the Harlem Children’s Zone model across the country, giving 58 matching grants totaling almost $290 million. The initiative was included in the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, guaranteeing its lasting impact across the country.

GEOFFREY CANADA - Alef Education

https://cms-backend-prod.alefeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GEOFFREY-CANADA.jpg

Home

GEOFFREY CANADA

Alef Education

Ralph Tabberer is an expert educator with more than 40 years’ experience in the school sector, in higher education and in government. He was Director General of Schools in England between 2006 and 2009, responsible for the development and performance of 23,000 schools in the UK. Between 2009 and 2012, Ralph was Chief Operating Officer and Chief Education Officer at GEMS Education where he steered the company through the recession and prepared it for faster growth. In 2012, Ralph established the first of his own businesses, supporting investors, operators, governments and schools in the region. He now owns and chairs four educational businesses providing consultancy, solutions, management and HR support for regional and international clients. He has worked with government reform programmes in the UAE, Libya, Jordan, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia; he has held contracts with leading technology players including Pearson, SEGA and the BBC. He is particularly proud of the work his teams do with individual schools on school start-ups, school improvement, professional development, financial benchmarking, executive search and teacher recruitment, procurement and digital marketing. He was recently engaged to help open more affordable international schools in Singapore and Japan. Ralph is a graduate of Cambridge University and a qualified teacher. In the New Year’s Honours list of 2009, Her Majesty The Queen invested Ralph as a Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (CB) in recognition of his services to teacher training and to schools. He is a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Education, University College of London and an Honorary Professor at Warwick University. He has a Honorary Doctorate from the University of East London. In the last year, he co-authored reports on low-cost schools in Africa and Asia, and on the expansion of international school chains, globally.

RALPH TABBERER - Alef Education

https://cms-backend-prod.alefeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/RALPH-TABBERER.jpg

RALPH TABBERER

Dr. Baker researches how students use and learn from educational games, intelligent tutors, and other kinds of educational software. Drawing on the fields of educational data mining, learning analytics, and human–computer interaction, he develops methods for mining the data that come out of the interactions between students and educational software. He then uses this information to improve our understanding of how students respond to educational software, and how these responses influence their learning. Prior to joining Penn GSE, Dr. Baker was an associate professor in the Department of Human Development at Teachers College, Columbia University. While at Teachers College, he taught the “Big Data and Education” MOOC twice, with total enrollment of more than 50,000 students. He has served as founding president of the International Educational Data Mining Society, where he currently serves on the board of directors. He has been co-author on nine award-winning papers. He serves as co-lead of the Big Data in Education spoke of the NSF Northeast Big Data Hub.

RYAN BAKER - Alef Education

https://cms-backend-prod.alefeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/RYAN-BAKER.jpg

RYAN BAKER

His Excellency Abdulhamid Mohammed Saeed Alahmadi is the Chairman of the Endowments and Minors Funds Authority in Abu Dhabi and is also the Chairman of Al Nahda Investment Company.
H.E. is a member of the Board of Directors of Mubadala Investment Company, Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company PJSC (ADQ), Emirates Red Crescent, and Al Ain Holding.
H.E. has held several C-suite positions including, the Governor of the Central Bank of the UAE, Group Chief Executive Officer of First Abu Dhabi Bank, CEO, Managing Director and Board Member in legacy First Gulf Bank, and held various key senior positions in Citibank. He also served as Chairman of Abu Dhabi Capital Group and Managing Director of Reem Investments.
In addition to this, H.E. served as a Board member in the UAE government and public sectors, which include Emirates Investment Authority, Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, and Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (Du).
H.E. holds a Bachelor&#8217;s degree in Business Administration from the University of Arizona, USA.

H.E. Abdulhamid Mohammed Saeed Alahmadi - Alef Education

https://cms-backend-prod.alefeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/team_01@2x.jpg

H.E. Abdulhamid Mohammed Saeed Alahmadi

His Excellency Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh was appointed as Minister of State to the UAE Cabinet in September 2018. As Minister of State, H.E. is responsible for the economic and trade affairs within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
H.E. supports the UAE government actively in its initiatives and efforts that drive the nation&#8217;s economic diversification plans and the sustainable future of the UAE.
H.E. holds a number of positions including, Managing Director of Dolphin Energy, a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Board Member of Emirates Foundation, Board Member of Abu Dhabi Development Fund, Deputy Chairman of Emirates Nature – WWF, and serves as the co-Chair of the UAE-UK Business Council.
He has formerly served in several key capacities such as the Founding Chairman of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), Founding Chairman of Aldar properties, Founding Chairman of Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), Founding Board Member of Etihad Aviation Group, Founding Board Member of Mubadala Development Company, Deputy Chairman of First Gulf Bank, and held senior positions in Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Abu Dhabi Investment Company (Invest AD).
H.E. holds a Bachelor&#8217;s degree in Economics from Lewis &amp; Clark College, USA

H.E. Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh - Alef Education

https://cms-backend-prod.alefeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/team_02.jpg

H.E. Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh

Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi is a Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She previously served as Minister of Culture and Youth, as well as Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs.
In addition to her ministerial responsibilities, H.E. formerly served as the President of Zayed University, Commissioner-General of the UAE Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, and chaired the National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, and the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
She also held other positions including CEO and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Abu Dhabi Media, in addition to chairing the Media Zone Authority in Abu Dhabi (twofour54), where she played a vital role in the founding process aiming to enable the creative community in the UAE.
H.E. has contributed to enhancing the educational environment and promoted innovative courses at Zayed University, through new programmes in the College of Interdisciplinary Studies, which ensures that students are equipped with all the skills and knowledge required to enter a dynamic labour market and provide them with the necessary expertise to compete in the sector.
In addition to this, H.E. led the efforts for the UAE to become a member of the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). She was also instrumental in the UAE&#8217;s cooperation with UNESCO for the restoration of heritage and cultural sites in the Iraqi city of Mosul as part of the “Revive the Spirit of Mosul“ initiative.
H.E. is a Chevalier of the French Order of Merit in recognition of her efforts in developing relations between the UAE and France encouraging cultural and creative exchange.
Throughout the years, H.E. has contributed to the launch of several initiatives and projects for the development of the cultural and creative sectors in the UAE and enhancing relations with various countries. The most prominent of these initiatives include the launch of the National Creative Relief Program for creatives affected by the Covid-19, and the National Strategy for Cultural and Creative Industries, to grow the sector to be among the ten most important economic sectors in the country.
She is also a recipient of the Diplomatic Service Medal &#8211; Gwanghwa Medal from the then President of the Republic of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, in recognition of her efforts in supporting UAE-Korea relations.
H.E. holds a Bachelor of Arts in Management Information Systems from the United Arab Emirates University, and she has completed the Executive Leadership Programme from the London Business School.

H.E. Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi - Alef Education

https://cms-backend-prod.alefeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/team_03.jpg

H.E. Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi

Her Excellency Jameela Al Muhairi was appointed as Minister of State for Public Education in February 2016 until 2022. H.E. has more than 20 years&#8217; experience in education and has worked in key roles ranging from administrative to leadership positions.
Before becoming a Minister of State, H.E. served as a member of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority&#8217;s Board of Directors in Dubai and simultaneously worked on developing a comprehensive school inspection system for Dubai schools, following a resolution by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, to establish the School Inspection Department at the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai. H.E. was appointed as the Head of the Department in 2007.
From 1995 to 2004, H.E. held key positions at the UAE Ministry of Education and later served as the Executive Director of Dubai Knowledge Village from 2004 to 2007. She has also been involved in improving private education as the Executive Director of Dubai Education Council.
She is also a board member of Dubai Cares Foundation.
H.E. graduated from the United Arab Emirates University where she studied Management.

H.E. Jameela Al Muhairi - Alef Education

https://cms-backend-prod.alefeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/team_04.jpg

H.E. Jameela Al Muhairi

Omar Abdulla Al Hashmi serves as the Chief Executive Officer of TAQA&#8217;s Transmission and Distribution business, a position he has held since January 2024. In this role, he oversees the company&#8217;s diverse portfolio of transmission and distribution assets. Prior to this, Omar was Executive Director for Transmission and Distribution at TAQA, contributing nearly four years of strategic leadership to the organization. Before his tenure at TAQA, he was Executive Director of Asset Management at Abu Dhabi Power Corporation (AD Power), where he played a key role in shaping the company’s transformation plan, structure, and governance. Omar previously served as the head of strategy development at Etihad Airways and Vice President of the Industry platform at Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala).
Al Hashmi holds a Master of Business Administration from the London Business School and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from George Washington University.

Omar Abdulla Al Hashmi - Alef Education

https://cms-backend-prod.alefeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/team_05.jpg

Omar Abdulla Al Hashmi

Rima Al Mokarrab is the Executive Director of Strategic Affairs at the Executive Affairs Authority, a government agency mandated to provide strategic policy advice to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. She also chairs the Board of Tamkeen LLC, a company that delivers projects enriching Abu Dhabi&#8217;s social, cultural, and educational landscape.
Al Mokarrab co-founded and currently co-chairs Ideas Abu Dhabi in partnership with the Aspen Institute. She also sits on the Board of Trustees of New York University, is a Board member of the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research, and previously served on the Board of the UAE Space Agency.

Rima Al Mokarrab - Alef Education

https://cms-backend-prod.alefeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/team_05a.jpg

Rima Al Mokarrab

Dr. Saeed Alghfeli is the Head of Technology Portfolio for Abu Dhabi Capital Group (ADCG), and is responsible for the leadership, guidance, and oversight of all ADCG&#8217;s technology operating companies and investment.
Dr. Saeed brings 25 years of experience in the areas of digital transformation and technology adoption, crisis management and contingency planning, process improvement and innovation.
Prior to ADCG, Dr. Saeed held several senior roles in the UAE, most notably as DG at Emirates Identity Authority, and served as board member of various government and non-government agencies like the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, Daman, Abu Dhabi Statistics Center, Al Etihad Credit Bureau, Monitoring &amp; Control Center, In Health Information Technology and 500 Global.
Dr. Saeed holds a Bachelor in MIS and International Business from the University of Colorado, a Masters in CIS from the University of Denver, and a Doctorate in Management from the Colorado Technical University.

Dr. Saeed Alghfeli - Alef Education

https://cms-backend-prod.alefeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/team_06a.jpg

Dr. Saeed Alghfeli

A thought leader in education technology, Geoffrey has been listed among the &#8216;Top 30 CEOs&#8217; list curated by Arabian Business and among the &#8216;100 Most Inspiring Leaders&#8217; in the Middle East. Geoffrey brings a background of strategic thinking. He has over 25 years of experience implementing business transformations in the North American, Australian, and Middle Eastern markets and has held senior positions in EdTech, telecommunications, and finance globally.
Prior to joining Alef Education, Geoffrey was General Manager and Head of Pearson Education&#8217;s digital business practice in the Middle East and Africa for over nine years. Geoffrey currently sits on the board of THAKI – a non-governmental organization that provides digital education products and services to underprivileged children in the MENA region – and is a member of the Forbes Technology Council.
Under his leadership, Alef Education has grown from a startup in 2016 to a prominent organization. As CEO of Alef Education and founding member of the AI award-winning Alef Platform, Geoffrey leads the overall vision, design, innovation, and product portfolio to cater to global growth at scale. He rapidly grew the company into five new markets, serving more than 1 million learners.
Geoffrey holds an MBA from London Business School.

GEOFFREY ALPHONSO - Alef Education

https://cms-backend-prod.alefeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/team_06.jpg

GEOFFREY ALPHONSO

Dr. Aishah Al Yammahi acts as a Strategic Advisor for Alef Education. A thought leader with over 27 years of experience in the education sector, Dr. Aishah has been recognized among the 51 Emirati Women Achievers for her contributions to innovation in the UAE and for paving the way for future generations of inspiring women.
Dr. Aishah has held many roles in education in the public and private sectors, including the UAE Ministry of Education, where she oversaw the rollout of the Alef Education learning platform across public schools in Abu Dhabi.
Dr. Aishah also worked as the Director of the UAE National Commission for Education, Culture and Science at UNESCO, where she was introduced to many worldwide education systems. As part of the social role that Dr. Aishah deems a responsibility, she launched a successful social media campaign to cover topics related to education, AI and technology, and leadership. Her insightful contributions have been widely acknowledged, and she continues to be a leading voice in the field.
Dr. Aishah earned her doctorate in philosophy of education from The British University in Dubai (BUiD) after conducting in-depth research, which culminated in a published paper titled “Investigating the Impact of AI-Powered Digital Educational Platforms on Students&#8217; Learning and Teachers&#8217; Practice in Abu Dhabi Schools.” Preceding this, Dr. Aishah published additional research conducted at BUiD in the Journal for Researching Education Practice and Theory titled “The impact of Alef Platform on students&#8217; performance at Al Asayel School in Abu Dhabi, UAE.”
Dr. Aishah earned a Master of Business Administration and Management from Massey University in New Zealand.

Dr. Aishah Al Yammahi - Alef Education

https://cms-backend-prod.alefeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/team_07.jpg

Dr. Aishah Al Yammahi

Joe El Sebaaly has over 20 years of experience working with technology and EdTech companies focusing on digital transformation.
Before joining Alef Education, he led education services initiatives at Pearson and McGraw-Hill in higher education, K-12, and vocational education. He focused primarily on leveraging global expertise and capabilities to develop innovative products.
As Chief Product Officer at Alef Education, Joe leads the product and AI strategy. He focuses on crystallizing the product vision and creating value for end users.
Joe earned a Bachelor of Computer Science and Master of Computer Science from the American University of Beirut and an MBA from London Business School.

Joe El Sebaaly - Alef Education

https://cms-backend-prod.alefeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/team_08.jpg

Joe El Sebaaly

Amjad is a technology leader with over 27 years of experience, highlighted by a 14-year tenure as an independent consultant.
His professional journey spans over 15 diverse companies, including HP, EE, Siemens, DXC, Cap Gemini, TNT, and the Ministry of Justice. His expertise is built on a foundation of varied roles within the government, telecommunications, and service sectors, ranging from startups and scale-ups to large-scale enterprises.
As Chief Technology Officer at Alef Education, Amjad spearheads the development and delivery of the technical product vision, ensuring high availability, scalability, resilience, performance, security, and cost optimization across the product portfolio. His responsibilities span various technical domains, including software engineering, data engineering, platform engineering, machine learning, business intelligence, agility, security, and enterprise architecture.
Amjad earned a Master of Computer Science from the University of Manchester and a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacology from the University of Leeds.

Amjad Khan - Alef Education

https://cms-backend-prod.alefeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/team_11.jpg

Amjad Khan

Will has 20 years of experience in achieving global growth for pioneering digital businesses. He is an EdTech specialist and began his career as a strategy consultant before moving into the media industry, where he launched and led several groundbreaking initiatives across Europe.
A highly focused commercial leader, Will discovered his passion for education at Discovery Education International, where he held the position of President and Managing Director and launched the company in China and India, among other markets. Prior to joining Alef Education, Will worked with personalized learning scale-up CENTURY Tech.
As Chief Growth Officer at Alef Education, Will leads long-term strategy development and is responsible for revenue and global growth through organic and inorganic means. This includes managing teams in the Middle East, North America, and SE Asia that market to, sell to, and super- serve governments, schools, and partners.
Will holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Nottingham.

Will Lock - Alef Education

https://cms-backend-prod.alefeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/team_09-1.jpg

Will Lock

Amit has 23 years of multinational experience in Europe, the Bahamas, the Middle East, and India, including the last 17 years in the UAE. He spent 13 years with &#8216;Big Four&#8217; accounting firms, including Deloitte &amp; Touche, KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers, followed by Waha Capital, where he was the Executive Director of Finance and Compliance.
Prior to joining Alef Education, Amit was the CFO of Qatar First Bank and Emirates Post (now called 7X) portfolio of companies, including the Wall Street Exchange, Instant Cash, and FINTX. He has led change, turnaround, and cost optimization strategies, resulting in significant company-wide improvements and value creation.
Amit earned a Bachelor of Commerce with Honours from The University of Calcutta. He is qualified as a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). He also earned the Associate CMA and CGMA titles from CIMA, United Kingdom, and certifications in Leadership from Harvard Business School and Corporate Finance from London Business School.

Amit Choudhary - Alef Education

https://cms-backend-prod.alefeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/team_10.jpg

Amit Choudhary

Gregoire has over 28 years of experience in customer service and IT service delivery. He has successfully led large teams in several countries and regions in the telecommunications and IT sectors and held senior positions at BT, C&amp;W, NCR, DELL EMC, and NTT DATA Corporation.
Throughout his career, Gregoire achieved key milestones, including building BT&#8217;s first outsourcing support center in France, efficiently managing service delivery in the US, and building remote resolution teams across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) from the Netherlands.
As Director of Service Delivery at Alef Education, Gregoire delivers contract value to clients within the service level agreement and quality expected to maintain satisfaction and optimize retention and renewal. His role focuses on school implementation, training and quality, project management office (PMO), IT support, and service desk.
Gregoire earned a Master of Innovation Management, Information Technology and Communication from Gustave Eiffel University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Paris XIII University.

Gregoire Provot - Alef Education

https://cms-backend-prod.alefeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/team_12.jpg

Gregoire Provot

Caroline Depirou has 23 years of experience in risk management and was most recently Vice President of ESG and Risk at Aldar Development. With a background in corporate risk management, she has extensive experience in building and improving risk and compliance systems, defining key risk indicators, and implementing control systems. Caroline developed a comprehensive enterprise risk management framework in her previous role and led crisis management during the COVID-19 pandemic. She holds an M.S. in Management from ISC Paris and is certified in NCEMA 7000:2015 (Business Continuity Management Standard) and Change Management.

Caroline Depirou - Alef Education

https://cms-backend-prod.alefeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/team_14.webp

Caroline Depirou

Daniel (Dan) Abela is a UK-qualified lawyer with over 20 years of exceptional legal expertise across the UAE and UK markets. He brings a wealth of experience from senior roles in blue-chip companies and top-tier private practices, where he has consistently translated complex legal challenges into strategic, business-focused solutions.
As a key driver of growth and risk management within the organisation, Dan excels in multi-jurisdictional corporate law, including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and fundraisings. His ability to navigate intricate transactions and regulatory landscapes has established him as a trusted advisor in high-stakes environments.
Beyond his technical expertise, Dan is a proven leader who has built and guided agile legal teams while implementing robust legal frameworks that align with business goals and enhance operational efficiency.
Dan holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Postgraduate Diploma in Law from Manchester Metropolitan University.

DANIEL ABELA - Alef Education

https://cms-backend-prod.alefeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/team_15.webp

DANIEL ABELA

Sarah Bradfield has over 20 years of experience in HR across a range of industries, from financial services to automotive to quality assurance and, more recently, in the technology sector in the UAE and UK. She has extensive experience in strategic consulting and implementation of human capital solutions focused on talent acquisition, performance, retention and succession strategies and organizational development. Sarah holds an MBA from Strathclyde University and a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Business from St Andrews University.

Sarah Bradfield - Alef Education

https://cms-backend-prod.alefeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/team_13.webp

Our Team