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Dr. Ayesha Abdullah

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Dr. Abdullah is a leader in the education, healthcare, and engineering industries with 32 years of experience. Dr. Abdullah was the Vice President of Academic Affairs/Chief Academic Officer at the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) and retired on Dec. 31st, 2022. In this role, Dr. Abdullah was responsible for managing the academic affairs of the UAE's largest Federal Higher Education institution. 

Prior to that, Dr. Abdullah was the Executive Dean of the College of Business at Higher Colleges of Technology. She was responsible for academic excellence and advancing linkages with industry. She developed five new business programs catering to the economy's essential sectors (Tourism, Logistics & Supply Chain, Business Analytics, Digital Marketing, and Innovation & Entrepreneurship). Moreover, she achieved international and national accreditation of all the programs and embedded leading specialized industry professional certifications such as CIPD, ACCA, CIPS, and CIM. 

Dr. Abdullah was also the Chief Executive Officer of the CERT Group of Companies, and her role was to advance technological innovations, training, and development. 

Dr. Abdullah previously held the position of the Managing Director of the Science Cluster in Dubai Holding. She was responsible for managing and formulating the strategic direction of the three major companies in Dubai for the development of the knowledge-based economy- namely Dubai Healthcare City Cluster and its subsidiaries (Medical and Dental schools), Dubai Biotechnology & Research Park-Dubiotech and Enpark, a Business Park facilitating the growth of energy and environmental businesses. These companies help position Dubai as an international city with quality healthcare and contributed to its GDP and diversification strategy.

Before that, Dr. Abdullah held the position of CEO of Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC). Under her leadership, DHCC rapidly gained status as an internationally recognized location of choice for quality healthcare and an integrated center of excellence for clinical and wellness services, medical education, and research. In 2008, DHCC won the Dubai Quality Award, and the 'DHCC Out-Patient Quality Standards’ were the first Middle Eastern standards to be accredited by The International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQUa). 

Prior to this, as Chief Executive Officer at the Center for Healthcare Planning and Quality (CPQ), Dr. Abdullah was responsible for setting up and upholding healthcare standards within DHCC. She also played a key role in establishing CPQ as a premier regulatory body in the industry.

Dr. Abdullah started her career in the Ministry of Health and was the Head of Engineering at Dubai Medical District. She worked on designing, commissioning, and equipping most of the majors in the UAE. Moreover, she was seconded to WS Atkins, an international engineering firm, and worked on many prestigious commercial projects..

In October 2009, Dr. Abdullah received the prestigious ‘Leading Woman CEO’ Award, marking a milestone in her achievements and recognizing her strategic management and leadership acumen that significantly contributed to the healthcare cluster’s growth. She was also awarded the L’ Officiel Arab Women of the Year in 2010. Recognized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) publisher of Science Magazine as a leading Innovator in the Middle East in 2014. Dr. Ayesha Abdullah is the first Arab woman to be elected as the President of the ACBSP Region 8 in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, she was also one of the three finalists for The UAE Prime Minister's Medal which honors outstanding leaders across all Federal Institutions. 

She holds a bachelor’s degree in biomedical/ electrical engineering from Marquette University, USA, an MBA, and a Ph.D. in Strategy Management & Planning Studies from the University of Sheffield. She has also attended many Executive Education programs at Harvard, Stanford, LBS, and GE leadership programs at Crotonville.

Dr. Abdullah is a guest speaker at numerous international and local conferences, and she has published Scopus-indexed articles. She is also currently a member of the AACSB Advisory Council. Dr. Abdullah also has academic and industry board experience.