Staff

Abeera has over a decade of experience in academic and quality management within the higher education sector. Coming from a background in humanitarian jurisprudence and commercial law, Abeera worked as a lawyer before joining Global University Systems (GUS) in 2009. Over the years she has been responsible for fostering and managing relationships with regulatory and compliance stakeholders such as those pertaining to the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), and British Accreditation Council (BAC), as well as national and international regulatory and funding bodies. As such, Abeera is highly experienced in ensuring market growth, commercial sustainability, and corporate social responsibility take place in tandem.  Abeera has played an instrumental role in establishing GUS subsidiary colleges and entities through the development of robust academic governance processes, brokering new partnerships, and streamlining operations procedures. She joined GISMA Business School in 2019 as Head of Business Transformation with the aim of reshaping the school’s operational and academic processes and managing strategic change in a fast-changing world.

John joined GISMA Business School in October 2019 as Head of Marketing. Prior to joining GISMA, John has held various marketing, product, and project focused roles in corporate healthcare and banking organisations in the UK. John holds a Master’s in International Marketing from The University of Law Business School. He is now based between Berlin and London, working closely with both the campus teams and corporate teams at Global University Systems.

In November 2023, Julian Davies embarked on his role as the Managing Director of Gisma University of Applied Sciences GmbH, bringing with him an exceptional track record in both UK and international higher education sectors. At Gisma, he is responsible for guiding the operational strategy, academic excellence, and the overall commercial and financial performance.

Juliane Bock has been with GISMA since 2006. As Director of Strategic Projects/Business Planning, she works closely with the Managing Director and the Dean on all issues regarding strategic business planning and accreditation. Juliane holds degrees in geography from Leibniz Universität Hannover and the University of Otago, New Zealand, as well as an MBA from GISMA and Leibniz Universität Hannover.

Nigina Tawakalsada is the Chancellor and Managing Director at Gisma University of Applied Sciences. She brings over nine years of experience in operations, leadership, and financial management.

Professor Maurits van Rooijen is the Chairman of GISMA’s Board of Governors, Chief Academic Officer (CAO) of Global University Systems, and Rector of the University of Europe for Applied Sciences, Germany. In addition to these roles, he is the Board Chair for IBAT College Dublin, Ireland. He was awarded the Constance Meldrum prize for Vision and Leadership from the European Association for International Education (EAIE) and the Insignia d’Ouro of the Universidad Santiago de Compostela.

Professor Dr. Ramon O’Callaghan serves as the President of Gisma. He brings a wealth of experience in business education, having served as Dean of Porto Business School and Founding Dean of the Graduate School of Business at Nazarbayev University. He has also held leadership positions at other business schools in Europe and Asia. Prof. O’Callaghan’s expertise lies in Management of Technology and Innovation, and his work has been published in top academic journals. His educational background includes a Doctor of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Dr. Ahmad Abu-Alkheil is the Programme Leader for Global MBA and International Business Management courses at Gisma.