Board of Council

Dr DON K

Chancellor & Dean of Business School Maverick International University

Chairman Kingston Academy Accreditation Council

Dr. Don K – a phenomenal talent holding triple Academic Doctorates in the field of Education, Business & Marketing & International Law. He is also a proud LLM graduate from the revered University of Northampton UK & a multi-faceted dynamic persona who has worked for and been a consultant with several Multinational Corporations and SMEs in Australia, USA and Asia prior to joining academia. He has taught in the area of marketing for well-known accredited universities in Asia, Europe and Australia. He has also been a nominated member of several research publications like the Business Intelligence Journal and European Journal of Marketing.

As a faculty and consultant, he holds extensive training & academic experience, in training CEOs and top corporate executives in Singapore, UK and internationally in the following sectors: Banking & Finance, Commercial, Health Care, Accounting, Public & Local Governments, Hotel & Hospitality, Education & Schools, Oil, Gas & Petroleum. He has extensive experience in initiating, preparing and implementing External Quality Assurance arrangements with bodies such as OFSTED, BAC, City and Guilds, Edexcel, and several UK Universities as well as brokering educational agreements with foreign governments.

Over the last 25 years, he has published several academic papers. He is a member and fellow with various prestigious professional bodies, Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK), Cambridge Academy of Management (UK), Institute of Management Specialists (UK) and sits on the Board of various international top profile universities & awarding bodies. He has redefined the concept of APEL, APAL, CT & Validation Programs. Humble and down to earth individual who always strives for the excellence of his students and associates. He has been one of the core pillars of Maverick since the inception stages & endowed us with the Blueprint of Quality Academica& inspired us to explore the Transnational Education domain and has been of enormous support to our parent entity HALI Management in terms of spreading our wings outside GCC MENA & inspiring many learners & educators. Currently, he oversees our Business School Affairs globally & mentors our global faculty who supervise our PhD & MBA Students Thesis & Research Publications. He has always been our Go-To-Man and will continue to be so.

Dr. MARCIN LAPA

Vice-Chancellor - Maverick International University

Royal Advisor to H.E. H.H SHEIKH AHMED BIN FAISAL AL QASSIMI

Vice-President, Business Development - EMEA

Dr. Marcin Lapa is an Iconic Personality with immaculate business acumen, He has donned many high-profile roles in EU, GCC & MENA regions and under his leadership these organization were able to reach gargantuan heights in a shorter period of time delivering service excellence & handsome dividends to all the stakeholders. Dr. Marcin is an Impact Leader and a multiple award-winning experienced CEO, Executive Director, Strategy Advisor, Project and Program Manager, Business & Solution Architect, SAP Principal Consultant and Developer since 1989 and possesses over 20+ years’ experience in the Global Utility markets.

From the last decade till date, Dr. Marcin has been bestowed with the honour and posthumously chosen as the Royal Advisor to GCC Governments & Royal Families in UAE & GCC. He leads the International Ventures, Intelligence Solutions, Business Succession Planning & managing vast Investment Projects & Portfolios for Royal Private Offices of H.E H.H Al Maktoum, H.E H.H Al Nahyan & H.E.H.H Al Qassimi Eminent Emirati Sheikhs.

Dr. Marcin is a renowned figure amongst the African Government Diaspora and works closely with the Presidents & Prime Ministers of various emerging African Nations. Brining his rich global expertise on the table, Dr. Marcin fosters economic growth & prosperity through Business Diplomacy & forging International Relations.

He is also a Global Innovator and Patent Owner in the area of Utilities, IoT, Big-Data, AI, Cloud and Mobility expert with the proven track of successful projects. Awarded by SAP, Microsoft, Ericcson, Hub:raum for his impeccable design solutions which was implemented across Europe. He also holds the honours for participating in Acceleration Program from InnoEnergy for Utilities Talent & was chosen to partake in the MIT Enterprise Forum for the best Utility Start-Up

Dr. Marcin who is also a notable TEDx Speaker has the distinction of launching more than 20 Startups Invested and Lead – most successfully. The notable ones are SEPIN Inc – digital transformation for Utilities, SeeYou Mobile as a first-world MVNO with a dedicated mobile phone for blind people and Parsee – smart glasses for blind. Studied Professional Certification Courses at Harvard, Stanford, MIT, York St. John’s, in area of utilities, leading Innovation and change in new technology.

Dr. Marcin advises the Maverick Team on key parameters like global education, international expansion, tendering government educational projects and he is the brainchild behind the upcoming Al Qassimi Business Academy which will be fully backed & patronized by Maverick & associates. He is known for his calm, composed, collective & friendly approach and is very keen in establishing others’ growth & development. He works closely with our Dean & Group CEO to monitor quality assurance, manage ethical business practicesand ensure the well-being of all personnel at Maverick International University by creating a stimulating work environment.

SALEEM SHEIKH SALAI

Group Managing Director

Mr. Saleem Sheikh Salai has over 37 years of professional experience in GCC across various verticals of management and he is well known for his transformational leadership style which he has successfully exhibited in his previous Fortune500 organizations in UAE, Saudi, Oman & Yemen which allowed these companies to flourish steadily. Mr. Saleem Salai manages the overall operations of our parent entity HALI Management UAE and is actively involved in devising new strategies and key policies for the organization to meet its objectives &enhance the KPI’s. He is one of the key masterminds behind expanding the concept of European Professional Doctorate Qualification &visualizing it as a grand global event with his young team, who have been working relentlessly then along with the India Trade & Exhibition Centre m.e& now Council of International Chambers of Commerce to elevate the leading businessmen, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists in GCC & MENA region with accredited academics, professional & entrepreneurial qualifications & awards, hereby creating a vast transactional network that transcends beyond boundaries.

This creates a lot of opportunities for students, clients and associates who benefit a lot by being a part of this exclusive and niche network of businessmen and entrepreneurs as it enables them with the path of internship leading to permanent job opportunities. Mr. Saleem is an active social welfare persona who has a panache in helping people in need as he is always known to be the People’s Man. His astute research, professionalism and his leadership abilities combined with his interpersonal skills have laid down a strong foundation for the organic evolution of HALI Management’s Educational Arm to Maverick Business Academy London.

Dr. HANEEF AL AHMED

Chief Advisor, Strategy & Government Relations - Maverick International University

Dr. Haneef Al Ahmed is known as the man with the Midas touch and an industry leader who has mastered the art and science of managing a business, and apart from owning a number of successful outlets, he also advises VIP’s, Royal Families and Ultra High Net worth Businessmen in the region. This gentleman pioneered the concept of medical insurance in the private sectors of the UAE and the GCC, and is the first person to create a foundation for employee welfare and a humanitarian committee in the UAE, to support expat workers both financially and medically, and also offering them job opportunities and access to quality lifestyle.

Dr. Haneef is the very first from his societal hierarchy to have graduated with an Academic Doctorate in Project Management specializing in Construction Management from the USA & an accredited Professional Doctorate from EU in the field of Entrepreneurship & HRM. He firmly believes in giving back to society and has contributed generously to charitable institutions that support the education and healthcare needs of the underprivileged. Having a successful and an inspiring career spanning over 30 years in GCC MENA Regions, he presently oversees Maverick’s strategic alliances with key government sectors and organizations in UAE, KSA, Oman and Qatar. He has always been vocal of our growth and supportive of our initiatives truly a blessed persona to have on our Board.

PROF. EMERITUS NEIL THOMPSON

Chief Mentor - MaverickInternational University

President - Kingston Academy

Professor Emeritus Thompson is a retired professor of military intelligence and development with prestigious institutions around the world. He sits on the board of several organizations in Europe and works closely with several international trade bodies. Known for his impeccable time management skills, tremendous work ethics and a through professional which always makes him a crowd favourite. He takes immense joy in mentoring the young team at Maverick & offers them a purpose & direction in life with a humanely military touch.

FAZIL SHEIKH SALAI

Group CEO & Founder

Mr. Fazil Sheikh Salai, Multiple Award Winning & a Passionate Entrepreneur, established HALI Management Consultancies (HMC), parent entity of Maverick in Souk Al Bahar Burj Khalifa back in 2012 at the age of 22 with his own funding, raised from previous work in banking, conducting training workshops & seminars in schools & direct selling opportunities. The name HALI in HMC was derived from his loving grandmother HALIMA whom he still considers as a role model and inspiration to date thus founding an organization solely built on values & ethos. He has been responsible for various International University & Awarding Body Partnerships and strategic alliances for HMC across the UK, Cyprus, Switzerland, USA, Singapore, Russia, Kosovo, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Ghana and Nigeria over the past decade, making HMC’s global presence felt and a Brand his clients can vouch for. He also acts as a mentor to his fellow youngsters on various direct selling projects, edutainment, e-marketing and small start-up businesses and sponsors downtrodden families & funds the studies of lesser privileged students..

During his infancy stages of entrepreneurship, he unassumingly devised the European Professional Doctorate – EU Qualification Concept based on Reverse Learning Pedagogy in 2013 & now this in-house developed course is officially endorsed by many leading academic, government and semi-government bodies around the globe. This concept has grown over a period of 8 years & the legacy continues to be strong with over 200+ Entrepreneurs, Academicians & Experienced Working Professionals having successfully graduated globally from this unique course.

Recently he expanded his education domain in the UK by launching and founding his own Transnational Education based entity known as Maverick Business Academy London which acts as a HUB for 30+ Undergrad & Postgrad Qualifications delivered by 8+ Universities & Awarding Bodies. He is currently working on multiple international projects, out of which he is actively liaising with top government delegates in Poland, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Ghana, & Uganda for conducting Maverick International University Programs as a part of his vision to enable Borderless Education & make Education more meaningful, skill based & cost effective backed by accredited qualifications from EU, UK, USA & deploy International Student Exchange Programs & Internships in the regions to uplift the youth segment and equip them with relevant skillsets. He always strives to bridge the humongous gap between Academia & Industry interface through his principled strategies &well knit associations globally.

In 2019 he got awarded as ‘’The Top 100 Educators in The Region” by GLOBAL FORUM FOR EDUCATION & LEARNING’’ which was followed by a plethora of awards recognizing his contribution in the field of Experiential Learning & Transnational Education and in the process his team was winning back to back national & international laurels for being the youngest Transnational Education Varsity. Recently he has also been featured in a Book titled ‘’ Top 20 Influential Entrepreneurs from Asia’’ by a renowned award-winning Asian Author Mr. Hameed. Always a firm believer of binding relationships & constantly empowering his young team to discover their true potential & collectively realize each other’s dreams in the process.

Dr.YUSRA YOHAN

Joint Registrar Maverick International University

Registrar Maverick Business Academy

Chairman, CSIS Entrepreneurship & Management Studies Singapore

Dr. Yusra Yohan is a learned Scholar of Business Entrepreneurship and occupies senior positions on the core advisory board of various acclaimed teaching institutions and enterprise incubators. With a resounding experience over 25 years in the academic field, he plays an active role in establishing education for the underprivileged in third world countries. He is an active member of the international research community in both contributing and evaluating research publications. He holds a special place amongst his students and peers as he is known for his humour and comic sense in his lecture deliveries.

Dr. Yusra is a dual doctorate holder in the fields of Business & Education from the USA & IRELAND, his quest for learning & improving is a never-ending love story as he has actively started pursuing a Triple Crown Accredited DBA from UK. Despite of his busy schedule & prior ongoing commitments in South East Asia, he has exhibited sheer passion to be a part of our Board Advisory Council & takes utmost responsibility in ensuring the quality assurance of Academic, Professional & Entrepreneurial Awards & Qualifications & Internal Validation Programs.

Dr. SUNNY AHONSI

CEO MediLives

Dr. Sunny Ahonsi (EPD-EU, MBA, BA, FCCA, MCIM, MIVA) an entrepreneur with over 35 years of experience & currently making waves in the Blockchain AI Sector with his core project MediLives. He has been a professional lecturer, dynamic trainer and a prolific writer who has worked with reputed academic institutions in London, Dubai, Brazil, Cameroon, Ghana, Sri Lanka, India, Russia and Nigeria. He is actively involved in diverse professional training, research and publication. He has led a highly regarded international training institution for years that is bringing innovative educational solutions across the globe, including corporate and government leadership programmes (for CEOs, corporate executives and senior government decision-makers).

He uses the “teaching-without-teaching” methodology in his approach, where learning is promoted through self-discovery. He also believes that learning should be fun and at the same time beneficial to his audiences in order to help them achieve optimum performance in their chosen field. Training is not just a profession for him – but a passion. Known as a “Transformer”, he has transformed people and brings lasting change into their lives. Precisely, this is what he does with the robust Maverick Team & Maverick Local Access Points in 15+ countries.