Faisal Raja
Chair

Faisal was appointed to the Board as a parent-elected Governor in December 2018 and appointed as Chair from December 2023.  Previously, Faisal held the role of Honorary Treasurer from December 2020.  He is a member of the Education and Finance & Resources Committees. Faisal is currently a Senior Vice President in Etisalat and was a Board Director and Chair of the Audit Committee in Etisalat Sri Lanka. He is a qualified Chartered Management Accountant with over 20 years of financial management experience working for ICI and British Telecom before his move to Abu Dhabi in December 2012. He is an economics graduate from the London School of Economics and Political Science and is married to Saima with 3 children at BSAK. In his spare time Faisal is a keen sports enthusiast especially in football, cricket and golf.

Reema Traynor
Vice Chair

Reema has been on the Board since November 2014 and is one of the UK Ambassador Appointees. In December 2018, Reema was appointed as Hon. Secretary before moving to the role of Vice Chair from September 2022. She is a member of the Finance and Resources Committee and is also the Board’s designated Safeguarding Governor. Reema graduated from San Diego University with a BA in Political Science and Film and later undertook her postgraduate studies at City University London.  She is a qualified lawyer in England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland and is Principal Consultant at Reemedia Consultancy.

Vincent Gordon
Honorary Treasurer

Vincent was appointed to the Board as parent-elected Governor at the November 2019 AGM and has been serving as Honorary Treasurer since December 2023.  He is also the Convener of the Finance & Resources Committee. Vincent has two children who attended BSAK and has been based and working as a lawyer in Abu Dhabi for 18 years.

Maheen Pfeffer
Honorary Secretary

Maheen was appointed to the Board by His Excellency the British Ambassador in March 2021 and has served as Honorary Secretary from September 2022. She is a member of the Education and Finance & Resources Committees. She is currently Senior Associate General Counsel at NYU Abu Dhabi and previously served as Legal Counsel at Abu Dhabi Investment Council following private practice with Afridi & Angell. She attended Durham University, the Inns of Court School of Law, Lincoln’s Inn and University College London, and is qualifying for admission to the New York State Bar. She has lived in Abu Dhabi with her family for many years and is a BSAK parent with children in the Primary and Secondary Schools. 

HE Younis Haji Al Khoori

HE Younis was appointed to the Board by His Excellency the British Ambassador in May 2015 and is a member of the Finance & Resources Committee. He is the Under Secretary of the UAE Ministry of Finance and manages the day-to-day work of the Ministry in areas such as government budget, revenue operations and diversifications, financial policies and procedures, and support functions.  He manages the UAE’s relations with regional and international financial institutions (IMF, World Bank, Arab Monitory Fund, Islamic Development Fund, OPEC Fund).  He serves on the Board of organisations such as the UAE Central Bank, Federal Tax Authority, Emirates Development Bank, UAE General Pension and Social Services Authority, etc. His role also entails supervising the UAE’s tax and budget related matters and agreements like ‘avoidance of double taxations’ and exchange of tax information with OECD and other jurisdictions. Prior to this, Younis was the IT Director of Abu Dhabi Department of Finance where he managed implementing Oracle ERP and Financial Management and Accounting standards. Before joining the Ministry, he worked as an engineer with ADNOC. He majored in Computer Engineering at Boston University, with a Masters Degree in Engineering Management from North Eastern University.  Younis has one child now a past student of BSAK and a further 3 children currently attending the School.

Heba Al-Naseri

Heba was appointed to the Board as parent-elected Governor at the November 2023 AGM and is a member of the Education Committee. 

She is a GP from London that is currently working in one of the Abu Dhabi Embassies looking after Diplomatic Health needs. She is a mother of four children, presently three are at BSAK. She enjoys the outdoors, sports and hiking. Her greatest peak to date has been Kilimanjaro, and she hopes to ascend to Base Camp of Mount Everest when her children are old enough to join her. 

Heba is originally from Iraq but lived in London most of her life. She enjoys volunteering her time and energy into community events, these have included organising a fun run in Hyde Park, London, to raise funds for Iraqi charities, and being part of virtual teaching programmes for medical students in Ukraine and Palestine that have had their learning interrupted.

Mariam Al-Qubaisi

Mariam was appointed to the Board as parent-elected Governor at the November 2024 AGM and is a member of the Education Committee.

She is the Director of Industrial and International Relations in the UAE’s Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. She hails from a multidisciplinary background in renewable and nuclear energy, natural resource management, change management, and the management of technology and innovation. Mariam started her career in academia as a researcher and instructor at Zayed University and later transitioned to the UAE’s national carrier, Etihad, where she led Sustainability and Business Excellence. In Etihad, she supported a pro-sustainability transformation focused on cleaner fuels, operational efficiency and carbon offsets.

As a certified subject matter expert, Mariam had actively supported taskforces within the GCAA, IATA, ICAO and UNEP in the Middle East.

Mariam holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health from Zayed University and an MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development from the University of Cambridge.

Mariam is the mother of 2 children, with one presently attending BSAK. 

Muhammad Amin

Muhammad Amin was appointed as parent-elected Governor at the December 2022 AGM and is a member of the Education and Finance & Resources Committees. 

Amin is a fellow member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in England and he is an alumni of University of London where he earned his Master’s degree. Amin comes with a vast amount of experience gained across corporates, accounting and consulting firms in England and the UAE. He is currently holding a position of the Associate Controller and an Interim Director of Budgeting in New York University Abu Dhabi.

He is married with twin boys, Bilal and Usman, who attend BSAK. He is a cyclist in his me-time and can be found at Hudayriat cycling track on the weekends.

Nicolas Heard

Nicolas was appointed as parent-elected Governor at the November 2019 AGM and is the Convener of the Education Committee. He was a pupil at BSAK between 1980-85 and has maintained continuous contact with Abu Dhabi ever since. He has lived and worked in various countries around the Middle East before moving back permanently in early 2003. In Abu Dhabi he spent several years working for a UAE-government strategic studies research and policy institute, and now helps to look after an Abu Dhabi based foundation which provides charitable grants globally to support the conservation of endangered species. Nicolas has a degree in Arabic and German Language and Literature from Pembroke College, Oxford, and is married to Philippa – who is also a former BSAK pupil. They have three boys, all of whom are at the School.

Jon Knight

Jon was appointed to the Board as the Ambassador’s Representative in September 2023 and is a member of the Education Committee. He is Deputy British Ambassador to the UAE, working across a range of topics in support of British interests, and is Chief Operating Officer of the UK’s large and diverse network across the Emirates.

A member of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office since 2008, Jon joined after a short period as a member of the Royal Air Force. He was educated at St Bartholomew’s School in Newbury, before attending Aberdeen University. He subsequently achieved a Master of Letters degree from the University of St Andrews. A graduate of both the Ministry of Defence’s Senior Leadership Programme, and the cross-Government Senior Leaders Scheme, Jon is a Member of the Chartered Management Institute. Prior to coming to the UAE, Jon has served as Deputy Consul General in Basra, Iraq, and as Deputy High Commissioner to Malta. He has also undertaken secondments to the Royal Household, UK Home Office and UK Ministry of Defence. Outside of work, he is a long serving volunteer at the Royal International Air Tattoo, and an Ambassador for the Royal Air Force Museum.

Sean Magee

Sean was appointed to the Board as a parent-elected Governor in November 2014 and has been a UK Ambassador Appointee since December 2022.  He served as Chair from December 2019 to December 2023 and had previously served as Vice Chair and Honorary Secretary.  He is a member of the Finance and Resources Committee. Sean is currently General Legal Counsel at Tabreed. Resident in Abu Dhabi since July 2009, Sean is married with two children, both of whom are current BSAK students.

Sara Shurrab

Sara was appointed as parent-elected Governor at the December 2022 AGM and is a member of the Education Committee. 

Sara is a business professional with 18 years of experience working with reputable organisations including Emirates Airlines, Tourism Development and Investment Company (developer of Saadiyat Island), Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation and currently with Etihad Airways serving over 10 years. At Etihad, Sara has held a variety of roles including Strategy, Loyalty and Project Management and is now performing the role of Digital Product Manager responsible for the digital development of Etihad’s web and mobile channels.  

Sara is an MBA graduate from the American University in Dubai honoured with scholarships from His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai, for both her Bachelors (double major Finance and Marketing) and Master degrees. She also holds the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) certification and Design Thinking Certifications. 

Sara is a mother of two boys, both studying at BSAK.