About the author
Melodena Stephens Balakrishnan (PhD), is the Founder and President of the Academy of International Business - Middle East North Africa Chapter, a nonprofit social initiative founded in 2009 in Dubai under the University of Wollongong in Dubai, UAE (UoWD). It is a self-financing volunteer organization. The purpose of the organization is to act as an ambassador and champion for the MENA region by fostering research and teaching in the field of international business. She is the Dean of the Faculty of Performance and Management, Professor of International Marketing Strategy and Entrepreneurship and Head of Degree Program International Business, Karlshochschule International University in Germany. She is a Non-Resident Fellow of the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government, Dubai, UAE. Previously, in UoWD, she held the position of Deputy Dean and program head of MBA, leading multiple accreditations. She has 25+ years of industry and education experience, and a multi-cultural perspective (India, USA, Taiwan, UAE & Germany). She is a winner of several teaching and research grant awards, including two UAE National Research Foundation Grants. She is the series editor of the Actions and Insights: Middle East North Africa Series - and has nowsix books published. She is passionate about emerging markets especially the MENA region, actively working with industry and is frequently invited to panels and discussion forums. Her areas of research are brand strategy, social entrepreneurship and crisis management. Immanuel Azaad Moonesar (PhD), the Assistant Professor is from one of the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago. His qualifications include a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Health Services: Leadership (Superior Distinction) from Walden University, USA; Master of Quality Management (Distinction) from the University Of Wollongong Australia (UOW); a Postgraduate Diploma in Institutional Community Nutrition & Dietetics (Distinction) & a Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology: Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of West Indies (UWI), Trinidad & Tobago. He is also the Managing Director, at "I AM Consulting" (Trinidad & Tobago, Caribbean), in addition to, the role of the Vice President and Executive Board member of the Academy of International Business - Middle East North Africa (AIB-MENA) Chapter. He is also a Registered Dietitian and possesses professional certifications in 'NEBOSH Occupational Health and Safety', 'Project Management: Certified Business Professional (CBP)' and 'Quality Management System Internal Auditors (ISO 9001:2008)'. He has published in over 60 publications in peer-reviewed journal articles, peer-reviewed international conferences, co-authored books and book chapters thus far. His PhD dissertation manuscript was entitled: The Role of UAE Health Professionals in Maternal and Child Health Policy. His career experience includes quality assurance and management, nutrition and dietetics, health & safety, teaching and institutional research. While, his research interest is in public policy, healthcare management & leadership, maternal & child health, health policy and innovation, nutrition, and quality management. Raed Awamleh (PhD) is the Dean of Mohammad Bin Rashid School of Government MBRSG (formerly Dubai School of Government). Prior to Joining MBRSG, he was Middlesex University's (UK) Dubai Campus Director and Pro Vice Chancellor. Professor Awamleh was also the Dean of Academic Affairs at the University of Wollongong (Australia) in Dubai and a Professor in Management. Raed specializes in leadership and strategy and has numerous international management publications in reputed academic journals, and has won a number of best papers award in international conferences. Dr. Awamleh has a wide corporate consulting and executive development experience across the Middle East in both private and public sectors. His industry experience also included being a lead assessor for prestigious excellence awards such as King Abdullah II Excellence Award, Dubai Excellence Award, and Ras Al Khaimah Excellence Award. Raed holds a PhD in Management from the University of Mississippi (USA), an MBA in Finance from Mercer University (USA), and a BBA from Yarmouk University (Jordan). Professor Awamleh is also an alumnus of the Oxford University Strategic Leadership Program (UK). Rhys Rowland-Jones (PhD) is a Professor of Strategic Operations Management and Director of Academic Affairs at MBRSG. Prior to joining MBRSG in January 2015 he was employed as Dean of Academic Accreditation and Commissioner for the UAE Federal Government's Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, where he chaired international teams for the licensure and program accreditation of over 80 Universities in the UAE. Rhys has over 19 years' experience of higher education quality assurance, accreditation and validation, in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Rhys moved to the UAE in 2010, working at Heriot Watt University in Dubai as Director of Research and Knowledge Transfer. As Head of Glyndwr Business School in North Wales, he was a member of the senior management team who successfully achieved the formation of Glyndwr University, where he was Deputy Chair of Quality and Standards, and Research Director for the Centre for Sustainable Enterprise. He is the former Chief Examiner of the UK based Chartered Quality Institute, and Head of the School of Operations at Bristol Business School. He has published results of his research in international journals, and has presented in international conferences winning best paper awards. Rhys is a European Assessor for EFQM Business Excellence Models, and worked internationally on developing a knowledge transfer facilities for SME's. He represented the HE sector in Wales on skills leadership and management, and was appointed as Chair of the Logistics Academy for Wales. Rhys worked with the Wales Assembly Government and the Sector Skills Councils to develop a 'lean management' capability for the aerospace sector in Wales.
