Academic Team

Anil brings over 40 years of professional experience. He is currently a Master Trainer and recognised as an outstanding leader in the field of academic and commercial management. He was also actively engaged in training while serving in the Indian army and was delegated by the Indian government to form the Botswana Defence Force. Anil is currently spearheading all training programs, as academic director and quality head of Westford Education Group in the United Arab Emirates and all its branches worldwide. He is a very passionate trainer and takes immense pride in dealing with the most important resource, the human resource and believes that people sometimes limit their progress by building barriers with self-defeating prophecies and he enjoys assisting people to successfully overcome them.

Zawahir has over two decades of academic expertise in engineering and management sciences in teaching and advisory capacities. Throughout his teaching journey, he has facilitated a meaningful learning environment. Prior to Westford, Zawahir was the Academic Head of i2i Consultancy, coordinating International Leadership Initiatives for MBA students. Zawahir's got a B.E. In Mechanical Engineering, and a M. Tech. In the field of Engineering Management. He is currently head of Blended Learning at Westford University College. He has lived and worked in India, the UAE, Malaysia and South Africa, pursuing a career in academic excellence, and has participated and published research papers at numerous international conferences.

Andrew is an experienced academic who has worked for 17 years in universities in the United Kingdom as a Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor. He studied for his doctorate at Durham University. Andrew worked with the Westford University College for many years as a partnership manager and link tutor and has a detailed understanding of the needs and expectations of experienced professionals undertaking study internationally. Andrew’s research is in the areas of labor law and human resources and he has a particular interest in religion in the workplace. He has published several articles, book chapters and a monograph. He started his career as an HR Consultant for the global financial services company PWC. For some years, he was an officer in the British Reserve Forces.

Paul has over 18 years of experience in the area of supply chain management, which enables him to acquire a comprehensive understanding of warehouses, strategic sourcing, inventory management and freight logistics. He has been a full-time practitioner for most of his career and has been passing his knowledge to students for the last 13 years. He holds an MSc in Procurement from the University of South Wales (UK), Postgraduate Degree in Higher Education (HE) at Greenwich University (UK) and is MCIPS eligible for the past 11 years. At Westford, Paul is currently the leader in many companies and project-based modules and supply chain management courses. Paul is designated as a dissertation supervisor for both undergraduate and MBA students with a research interest in operations and supply chain management.

Alan has nearly 20 years of experience in various roles, such as managing and consulting, including a decade of teaching and training experience. He contributed to the content development of numerous programs for a number of prestigious institutions. After completing his MBA at Western Michigan University in the United States, he worked with IT companies in contract staffing and IT project outsourcing. Following that, he worked as an independent HR consultant for IT firms, sourcing talent and meeting training needs. His passion for education led him to turn to teaching and training. Some of the courses, Alan has covered include strategic management, human resources development and management, organizational behaviour, marketing management and change management.

Sufia has over 12 years of collaborative expertise in fashion, design and academia. She is a motivated and dedicated educator who is firmly committed to fostering a cohesive learning environment for students. Sufia holds a PhD in Sustainable Fashion Development, exploring the challenges and forcing factors in market acceptance of new consumer models in the UAE. She is a senior faculty member for the HND and MBA courses, furthermore responsible for the internal art and design verification, the editor- in-chief of our monthly newsletter, and member of the Academic Review Committee, teaching and assessment.

Dr. Arpita is an academic and research enthusiast. She possesses broad experience in academia, research and administration at management colleges. She has an established track record of leveraging pedagogical theories and methodologies for planning, implementing and executing successful educational programs and integrating effective training methods, to deliver on-line and on-site lectures and training. In addition to being responsible for courses and teaching at Westford, she is also responsible for quality assurance of assessments, content and reviews of internal and external assessments, as well as affiliated issuers. Her core expertise in Non-Finance, Finance, Business Research Methodology, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Finance, Executive Accounting, Financial Planning, International Business and Finance.

Dr Raman has 24 years of experience, in Senior Management roles, across South Asian banking & Financial Services sector. Prior to his expertise in research, he was designated Dy. Vice-President and Head of Training at HDFC Bank. Dr. Raman has served various leading MNC and Domestic Private Sector Banks through his long and fulfilling career in mid-and senior management capacities. With his expertise and knowledge, Dr. Raman is a senior faculty member of Westford and is active in the delivery of many General Management modules along with the exchange of applicable knowledge through accounting, finance, and risk management-based programs. He is also a renowned research supervisor; he assists, coaches, and directs undergraduate, and postgraduate students, on diverse 'new age' and 'contemporary business research' subjects.

Dr. Pradeesh Kumar is a multi-disciplinary scholar and professional with international experience, with roles in Direct, Indirect and Personalized Customer Support for Aviation; Retailing; ITES-Collections; Marketing and Consulting; Project Management. He is a thorough academician with a Pedagogy and Andragogy approach, both on direct and on-line platforms, managing students from multicultural environments globally. In accordance with his positions, duties and responsibilities, Dr. Pradeesh is accredited by more ITS than 20+ Global Organizations, Colleges, Authorized Agencies/Bodies for diverse skills. Dr. Pradeesh holds a Ph.D. in Strategic Management and Marketing and has published more than 20 academic papers/chapters.

John has over 20 years of experience, in HR Business Management, focusing on talent management, including talent acquisition, performance management and employee learning and development, as well as employment engagement. John Flores holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, an Advanced Diploma in Human Resources Management from Cambridge College International, Australia and a Master's degree in Human Resources Management from Belfast University (Australia). He is also a bronze level Kirkpatrick Accredited Professional in Training Assessment (USA), a Certified MTA Masterclass-Experiential Training Facilitator (UK), and special training, Chief Learning Officer of the George Washington University (USA).

Sharmila has over a decade of scholarly experience in steering efforts toward identifying learning and growth needs at the university level in the UAE and the United Kingdom. She loves teaching and inspiring students to help them run successful academic courses and provide management and soft skills instruction. She studied Graphics and Animation at Los Angeles' Gnomon School of Visual Effects. She pursued her dream of teaching in the Middle East while also earning an MBA from the University of Wollongong. She is a senior faculty member and the program manager for the LJMU BA programs at Westford.

Mohamed is an academic professional, with 11 years of international experience, in university education, research methodologies, curriculum design and program management, primarily in areas of business management and information technology. He has a Ph.D. from Cardiff Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom and is currently publishing business and IT research journals. His focal point lies in educational activity, research, institutional effectiveness, quality assurance, project management and executive training across a diverse range of industries.

Tausif has 7 years of experience, in the corporate sector and almost 4 years in academia. In his distinctive teaching style, which combines humor, technology and movies, he exudes his passion for teaching, and the result is a deeply committed classroom that promotes critical thinking and lifelong memorable experiences. He moved from the management of promotional budgets worth millions of Dirhams to the development of new minds in the business world. He is in the process of completing his Ph.D. and is Google accredited trainer in the UAE, as well as a digital marketer and an avid blogger.

Ashima is an experienced professional with dual expertise in business endeavours and academic instruction. With a combination of 7 years of undergraduate experience and 5 years, of corporate experience, Ashima is currently a Faculty of at Westford University College in the UAE. Her experience consists of Market Research l Research Method l Process Design l Research Content Development and Analysis l Research for Branding, Advertising, Business Model and Policy Design. She is also a PhD candidate and is pursuing her Doctorate in Ethnographic Field Studies at a well-known institute in India.

Ankita has more than 11 years' experience in the fashion industry. She holds a master’s degree from the National Institute of Fashion Technology. Ankita is a talented and promising designer. She participated twice in the Amazon India Fashion Week where her creations were shown on the ramp. Before Westford, she worked as a Senior Designer for a well-known label Mantra. She has also participated once in South Indian Fashion Awards. She has judged a couple of fashion shows. She is a faculty member of the HND Art & Design program additionally responsible for Westford University College student registration.

Anam Shahid is a former marketing and human resources professional with advanced certification in teaching English as a foreign language. She is a certified reviewer and an accomplished internal auditor. She has been a keynote speaker and a lifetime member of the Eurasian Research Conferences in the past and has educated delegates in the armed forces for strategic management and leadership. She is an official contestant in the Guinness World Record set in the United Arab Emirates. She holds three academic publications and is an inspiring PhD student. Anam has lectured on subjects such as Business Environment, Business Resources, Business Communication, Organizational Behavior, Human Resources Management among the others.

Anjali brings more than 17 years of experience in marketing, sales, customer service and academia. In her last role at Amity University, she led the Department of Student Services and was a member of the School of Management. Prior to Westford, she worked with Himalaya Herbals as Brand Manager in charge of digital exposure and empowerment. She also served as brand leader in Emitac, Blackberry, Citigroup and Idea Cellular in India. Anjali also acted as a management faculty in the academic field within a wide range in law, design and tourism. Currently, Anjali is promoting the marketing campaign at the Westford University College and is a university leader at Al Zahia Campus.

Astha has over 10 years of experience teaching corporate communication, strategic management, rhetoric analysis, interpersonal skills management, personal development, human resource management, etc. She has been a speaker at various conferences, judging various speaking contests and debates, Astha has been a central player in student affairs and advisory roles. Formerly Astha worked closely with the UAE Government as Operations and Innovation Manager for their online teaching programme. To her education is to bring about a possible transition, that one wishes to pursue practically, and theoretically, through Westford's innovative and ingenious courses.

Dr. Liza has over two decades of experience in small and medium-sized businesses surrounding zero waste management and environmental protection. She holds a PhD in Administration, a major in Human Resources Management, from the Liceo de Cagayan University. She also holds a second Ph.D. in Business Philosophy from the Liverpool University, UK. Her professional passion includes teaching Human Resources Management, International Business, Supply Chain Management, Organizational Behavior, Organizational Growth and Transformation, Imagination and Innovation, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and other business-related courses.

Parag Tikekar is an Engineering Graduate in Electronics & Communication from the Delhi Institute of Technology, followed by an MBA in Finance & Marketing from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management in Lucknow (1997 batch). He has a career spanning more than 2 decades in the Financial sector in the Gulf covering, Retail & Commercial banking, including product & segment management, market research, analytics, wealth management and CRM. Parag has been teaching a diverse range of Management subjects for more than 5 years now, where he combines his educational background with practical work-experiences to provide an invaluable learning combination for his students who comprehend the application of academic principles to their professional deliverables.

Prof. Dr Abhijit Ganguly is a Chartered Fellow and Chartered Manager of the Chartered Management Institute, UK, Fellow of Higher Education Academy, UK, Certified Professor of the University of Northwest Europe, Netherland, Accredited Management Consultant and International Certified Trainer in Management and Leadership, USA. He comes with a vast experience of more than 25 years of global experience in multiple Industry verticals and Academic including organisational consulting, corporate training, lecturing, and guiding, supervising dissertations, providing coaching, and mentoring to Doctoral and MBA, Executive MBA, MA(Management) students at UK Universities for last 15 years. He is based in London and was working as a Dean & Director of Business Developments of British Canadian Institute of Higher Education campus in London and Toronto, Canada before joining Westford University College, UAE as Program Head-DBA. His specialization includes Strategic Management, Leadership, Strategic Marketing, Brand Management, Corporate Governance etc., Additionally, Dr Ganguly is a prolific speaker and researcher who participated and presented papers in various international conferences and published internationally 15 research articles on contemporary issues in Management and Leadership area in various International fully referred journals with high impact factor in Europe and USA.

Ann has over three decades of experience in education. She is currently Adjunct Professor at Westford College University, Sharjah, as well as Senior Visiting Lecturer, Director and Business Manager-Diamond Capital Living Ltd Property Rental & Development. She has a wealth of experience, in teaching a range of business modules, at undergraduate, and postgraduate levels, through a variety of higher education institutions in the UK and overseas. She has collaborated with a number of overseas higher education institutions in China (Shanghai), Bangladesh-Dacca-North- South University, New Delhi, Qatar. She holds a PhD from the University of Derby and a number of, other qualifications, in the areas of teaching and studying, research methodology, economics and philology.

Vinu is a passionate Lean Operations and Systems professional with a research interest in Logistics Management. He was formerly associated with a major research project on collaborative social authoring services funded by the Institute of Science Technology and Management, a research collaboration by Christ University (India) and Indo-Korea Science and Technology Centre (KIST- South Korea). Vinu has taught Management Control Systems, Management Information Systems, Operations Research to MBA students. He possesses an ability to communicate and reframe complex issues by effectively orchestrating change using systems thinking.

Thomas is an executive management advisor, partner, mentor and instructor, who has contributed to the continuous improvement and growth of successful organizations in various market sectors with proven leadership and organizational skills across multi- Cultural, private and publicly held International organizations, and a multitude of SMEs. Partner of the Operations, Sales and Business Support teams, with a strong business sense focused on sustainability, benchmark practices and metrics, efficiency and growth. Besides, Thomas has experience working for the US government and the GCC. Thomas teaches MBA levels and mentors varied startup organisations within the GCC.

Dr Fadda is an eminent public health expert with numerous national, regional and international credentials. In addition to her education in dentistry, she obtained her master's degree in public health, MPH, from the University of Liverpool, UK. Dr Jazla also has a remarkable contribution in the field of academia, she has wide experience in teaching as a faculty member for graduate students in Public Health, Health System Management, Hospital Management and Health Economics at the Center for Strategic Health Studies affiliated with UK Liverpool School of Tropical Medicines. She has also worked as a consultant with WHO, helping to develop the Global Program for Urban Health Equity. Dr Jazla continued her passion in academic discipline by joining American University in the Emirates/ Dubai International Academic City- the College of Business Administration as the head of “HHM” Hospital & Healthcare Management Specialization, she was also a member of the Academic Administrators & Assurance of Learning Committee, and the main teaching faculty member of HHM specialization courses. Dr Fadda has also joined Westford University College as an adjunct faculty teaching Healthcare Operation Management at MBA in Healthcare Management Program, and Post Graduate Diploma in Healthcare Management & Leadership Program.

Piyush Bagla is an organised professional with a proven teaching record of over 5 years. He holds Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech) and Master of Technology (M. Tech) degrees in Computer Science Engineering. In addition to his teaching abilities, he has significant research experience and is pursuing a PhD degree in Computer Science. His research areas are Machine Learning (ML) and Natural Language Processing (NLP). He has also received commendations from university leadership, faculty peers, and students for his dedication to teaching excellence and his commitment to ensuring an outstanding student experience. He also worked as a website administrator and has good experience in website design, development, and management. Presently, he works as a Computer Faculty at Westford University College.

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Prof. Mila Georgieva has graduated Healthcare Management in 2000 at Varna Medical University, Bulgaria with Summa cum laude and therefore a position at one of the biggest hospitals in Bulgaria - Varna University hospital “St. Marina”. Her practical experience includes more than 20 years administrative and managerial work in hospitals, medical centers both state and private, and also 12 years of academic experience teaching healthcare management around the world - Europe, Africa and Asia. Current research interests include: hospital management, performance measurement and management, healthcare project management, healthcare management diagnostics and analysis.

With over 20 years of supply chain exposure across a variety of industries like oil and gas services, electricals, automobiles, spares, retail etc, he has worked in large MNC’s in various roles and has also been an entrepreneur handling supply chain implementation project within the region. Nilay is widely experienced in various aspects of the supply chain, specifically, procurement, supplier development, logistics, warehousing, inventory, S&OP, Forecasting. He believes that organizations are all about people and their attitude and is passionate about working with clients that require spirited individuals to work closely with their organizational supply chain. Nilay’s work focuses on training supply chain professionals, frame policies and procedures, lending services to training and development institutes to improve operational efficiency. In his spare time, he works on his passion for creating beautiful homes.

Charvi, a former UAE Women's Cricket Team Captain, brings not only academic and also strong industry background. A cricket commentator, with more than 50 international matches played live on all television channels, has collaborated with well-known names on the market. Prior to Westford, she was an Associate Faculty at Amity University in Dubai and worked in a number of capacities at sports competitions around the UAE. Charvi is currently pursuing her PhD in Sports Administration with an emphasis on Gender Roles Shifts, and Leadership Roles in Sports. Presently, Faculty, for Business and Sports Administration at Westford. She specializes in inspiring young people to break down stereotypes, to do the extraordinary.

Mr. Alarm Masroor has over 18 years of experience, in the Field of, Higher Education, across three countries. Leading up to Westford Alam, he worked as a research and development consultant at Prim Box LLC, Dubai. In addition to his teaching skills, Alam is also an expert in the areas of leadership, development and quality assurance. He has served at Amity College, teaching business programs as an adjunct prof. He has also collaborated with the MENA College of Management, University of Modern Sciences, Skyline University, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology, Business Research Methodology, Human Resources Management, Organizational Behavior, etc. Alam has successfully handled leadership, collaboration, and policymaking in the last six years. He published 9 and delivered 5 academic papers at national and international peer-reviewed and peer-reviewed journals/conferences.

Hailing from the roots of Engineering combined with the Pragmatism of Business Management, Anushka, carries with her a flair for Communications and is a people’s-oriented person. Having contributed to the growth of various corporates, in her capacity as a Certified Quality Auditor and with a credible experience in the field of Academics, she strongly believes that knowledge is constantly gathered from and imparted into the world around us. She has been a speaker at various conferences on an international level, judged public-speaking events and debates and has interviewed renowned authors including Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalam. By drawing examples that range of experiences, movies, humor and technology, she intends to transfigure today’s aspiring students into tomorrow’s progressive leaders.

She is an experienced academician with expertise in teaching, course, and curriculum development in areas such as ‘Marketing’ and ‘Business Management'. Her pedagogical competence includes extensive knowledge in developing learner-centric teaching material while adopting the blended learning style and conducting program reviews. She boosts over a decade of prowess teaching at UG and graduate levels. As a project supervisor, her proficiency lies in her ability to connect with students at all levels and build on their research interests. She has a penchant for producing interesting and engaging assessments like simulation-based assessments, Poster Presentations, and video assessments to cater to different learner styles. She is also a seasoned corporate trainer whose specializes in sales, marketing, and personal development. She has conducted seminars and workshops for major corporates in Oman and India who want their employees to positively impact the workplace. Her research interests lie in the field of sustainable marketing, digital marketing, adult education, and entrepreneurship.

Jessica has seven years of academic and business industry experience. She holds an MBA from the Dr. DY Patil School of Management in Mumbai and a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality from the University of Mumbai. She helped establish autonomous businesses for the blind in rural India and participated in competitions such as ENACTUS with these projects. She has also, been the moderator of the national and collegiate level panel discussions on social issues with prominent business tycoons of India. In addition, Jessica is a certified personality development trainer and has conducted a variety of workshops and seminars in the same field. Along with her ability to use wit and values, she believes it is important to impart theoretical concepts related to real-life situations with ease. Jessica believes in being a friend, philosopher, and guide who instill confidence through education.

Ameeta Rawool is an academic professional with experience of 7 years in university education, teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students. She has completed her Masters in Information Technology and is a certified Cyber Security Analyst (Microsoft, (ICSI, UK)). She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. In Computer Science. Her research areas encompass Cyber Security and Artificial Intelligence. She also has expertise in Networking, Project Management, Operating Systems, and Software Quality Assurance. She has received various accolades from colleagues and peers and has a proven track record of dedicated teaching. Additionally, she has expertise in university curriculum designing, assessment designing, and evaluation and has been a core member of several academic teams. She has also significantly contributed towards guiding students in developing indigenous software, building their project portfolios, and engaged in student mentoring and counseling. Presently, she works as an Associate Faculty and a Course Coordinator at Westford University College.