Board of Trustees

With an impressive track record in the biopharmaceutical industry, Mr. Taddese has built a career around his ability to drive business transformation, forge strong partnerships, and lead with purpose. Over the years, he has successfully guided organizations of all sizes, consistently enhancing their performance across diverse global markets.

Mr. Taddese's career highlights include his commercial and general management tenure at Pfizer, where he was deeply committed to diversity and inclusion, having played a pivotal role in shaping Pfizer’s global DE&I strategies and serving on the Senior Leadership Council, among other significant contributions. Following his involvement in the merger of Pfizer’s Upjohn unit with Mylan to form Viatris, Mr. Taddese served as President of Emerging Markets at Viatris, leading a $3 billion business and steering a team of 3,500 people across key therapeutic areas.

Today, Mr. Taddese continues to share his expertise and visionary leadership as a Partner and Advisor at EMIR Group and serves on various corporate and nonprofit boards, including Medexus, EVA Pharma, BCIU, and the Sparkle Foundation. His academic credentials include an Executive Program in Management from Columbia Business School, an MBA from the Smeal College of Business at Penn State University, and a BSc from Virginia Tech.
 

Marwan Al-Hamar’s expertise is in marketing strategy, business development, strategic planning, consulting and brand management. He is the owner of Al-Hamar Gulf Establishment which serves as the SUBWAY® development agent office in the United Arab Emirates, responsible for selling franchises, approving leases, locations, and supervising all restaurant operations in the country since 1999. Al Hamar Gulf has established over 150 SUBWAYS™ within the U.A.E. in the last 18 years and continues to do so meticulously. Mr. Al-Hamar has been leading the company as a Chairman since 2005. Previously, Mr. Al-Hamar was Chairman of MEIPC for 11 years.

Marwan established the AbdulMalik and Daed Al-Hamar Scholarship in September 2010 at the American University of Beirut in honor of his parents; this fund supports students who demonstrate financial need. Mr. Al-Hamar was a Dubai Little League Board member and has been a member of Young Presidents’ Organization since 2010.

Marwan and his wife Viviana Lindado have been active members of the ASD community for years along with their daughters Leila ’14 and Sarah ’15. Their son Ferris ’18 graduated from DAA.

Fahmi Al Shawwa is the CEO of Immensa, a global leader in the use of Additive Manufacturing (Industrial 3D Printing) across the Energy sector. Fahmi started Immensa in 2016 and currently leads a team of more than 100 specialized engineers with a presence in KSA, UAE, Kuwait, and USA. Fahmi is a founding member of the International Association that established global industry standards for producing metal 3D printed parts for the O&G and Maritime sectors. Fahmi is a regular lecturer at Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence and advises a number of government and private organizations on the uses and implementation of Additive and Advanced Manufacturing. Prior to Immensa, Fahmi spent 19 years in private equity and corporate finance with a focus on post-acquisition management across the FMCG, F&B, technology, and education sectors. He focused on operational turnarounds, financial restructuring, and corporate governance implementation. Fahmi has been living in Dubai since 2003 with his wife Lara and their three children, Ghalia ‘29, Omar ‘34, and Jude. 

Ms. Lucy Chow is focused on the innovation space, both in terms of supporting founders and as an investor. She is a Director of WAIN (Women’s Angel Investor Network) and an LP with Mindshift Capital. She was appointed Senator (UAE) at the Grand Assembly, World Business Angel Forum (WBAF), and is a board member of the Global Startup and Women Executive Committees. She is also an investor with NextWave Ventures and the Founder Institute, both based out of the US. Recently Lucy was honored to be a Judge for the GEMS Global Innovation Challenge, the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab & Challenge 22 Prize, Gulf Customer Experience Awards, and the Annual SpeakFluence Cup.

Lucy is the Chair of the Steering Committee with The Capital Club, Member of the Advisory Board, Canadian Business Council, and founded the Dubai Chapter of Room to Read. Previously, she sat on the UAE committee for Acumen, was Non-Executive Director for Educate Girls Globally and was a Co-Chapter Chair for Techfugees (UAE) and Ellevate. In 2017, Lucy was a member of the Canada 150 Committee formed by the Consulate General of Canada to UAE in Dubai. 

Regularly, Lucy contributes to entrepreneurship, corporate innovation, investor events, and forums as a speaker, moderator, as well as judge; she is also passionate about developing entrepreneurial skills in students. She has been a contributing author for “ Life on the Move,” an anthology of stories about expat life. Lucy has degrees from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management Northwestern University, HK University of Science and Technology, and the University of British Columbia. She lives in Dubai with her husband Raymond Everett and son Max '23. 

Ms. Jane Elliott and her husband Tim joined the American School of Dubai in 2002 along with their children Matthew ’09, Alex ’12, Margaret ’14, and Catherine ’21. Having lived in Dubai since 1989, Jane has been involved with the ASD community as a parent, teacher, and an active volunteer.

Jane has served as PTSA President and Parliamentarian; as Gala Chair in 2014 and 2015; as the Co-founder and President of CAST; Co-Chair of the Art Around the World program; and served on the ASD Strategic Planning Committee in 2011, 2015, and 2017. Her volunteer efforts also included co-founding the Kids For Wish Kids Club 2004-2016, a direct affiliate of Make A Wish, UAE.

Jane joined the ASD Board of Trustees in September 2018, and also serves on the Advancement Committee and Board Governance Committee.

Jane has been an educator since 1985, having worked in both the private and public sectors. She earned her Bachelor of Physical Education degree from McMaster University, Master of Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario, and Bachelor of Education from the University of Ottawa.

Mr. Nikesh (Nicky) Daryani is a Partner and Managing Director at Daryani General Trading (DGT) where he manages his family’s investment portfolio, which includes assets in equities, real estate, private equity, and direct private investments in start-ups in the region. Prior to DGT, Nicky was the Senior Equity Trader for Franklin Templeton Investments (FT) in Dubai for four years. He headed FT’s Dubai Trading Desk and traded for the MENA and Africa regions. Prior to that, Nicky was the Senior Trader and Strategist at Algebra Capital Limited, which was acquired by Franklin Templeton in 2011. He also worked in New York City as a Private Banking Analyst. Nicky has over 17 years of experience in the financial industry. He graduated from London Business School with a Masters in Finance in 2006 and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Duke University in the U.S. in 2000.

Dubai has been home for Nicky for the past 28 years. He was a student of the American School of Dubai (Jumeirah American School) from Grade 6, and graduated from ASD in 1996. He has been active in helping to develop ASD’s alumni programs and is an ASD Legacy family. Nicky and his wife, Dina, have three children, Kian, Nina, and Ayan. Kian and Nina currently attend ASD.

Mr. Sinokrot is Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of GCC Services, one of the Middle East’s fastest-growing providers of facility management for remote sites. Rashad has also been active as a board member in various profits and nonprofits across the Gulf.

Sinokrot has restructured and spearheaded the growth of GCC Services, to a wholly integrated remote site and facility management services company that operates Australasia, Africa, and the Gulf. GCC Services is active in promoting Corporate Social Responsibility in local communities and was awarded the Golden Award of Excellence in CSR from the Arab Organization for Social Responsibility.

Rashad obtained his BA from Tufts University, is a Fulbright Scholar and holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. UAE has been home for the Sinokrots since 2008. Rashad, his wife Razan and son Rashid who attends ASD, enjoys living in Dubai. Being a Canadian of Arab origin, Rashad speaks English, Arabic and French and his hobbies include reading, beach volleyball, and exercising