Faisal Raja
Chair

Faisal was appointed to the Board as a parent-elected Governor in December 2018 and has been serving as Chair since 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 the Chief Financial Officer of e& UAE and has previously served as a Board Director and Chair of the Audit Committee in Etisalat Sri Lanka. He is a qualified Chartered Management Accountant with over 25 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 with 2 children at BSAK. In his spare time Faisal is a keen sports enthusiast especially in football, cricket and golf.

Nicolas Heard
Vice Chair

Nicolas was appointed as parent-elected Governor at the November 2019 AGM and has been the Vice Chair since January 2026 after previously holding the role of 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.

HE Younis Haji Al Khoori
Honorary Treasurer

HE Younis was appointed to the Board by His Excellency the British Ambassador in May 2015 and has been serving as Honorary Treasurer and Convenor of the Finance & Resources Committee since January 2026. 

HE Younis 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, HE 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. HE Younis has 2 children now past students of BSAK and a further 2 children currently attending the School.

Mariam Al-Qubaisi
Honorary Secretary

Mariam was appointed to the Board as parent-elected Governor at the November 2024 AGM and has been Honorary Secretary since January 2026.  She is also a member of the Education Committee.

Mariam is the Director of 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.

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 presently attending BSAK.

Dr Ray Ahern

Dr Ahern was appointed to the Board as a parent-elected Governor at the November 2025 AGM and is a member of the Education and Finance & Resources Committees.

He is a doctoral-qualified humanities educator who has lived and worked in Abu Dhabi since 2008. Throughout this period, he has contributed to higher education through roles spanning teaching, academic development, and student learning support. His Doctorate in Education from the University of Exeter explored the cultural and epistemic dynamics of international higher education, with particular attention to the Gulf region.

Dr Ahern also serves as a non-scientific, voting member of the SEHA/PureHealth Clinical Institutional Review Board, contributing to the ethical oversight of research involving human participants. His professional interests include academic quality, educational governance, and the intercultural dimensions of university teaching.

Originally from Ireland, he lives in Abu Dhabi with his wife and their two children, both of whom attend BSAK. In his spare time he is a licensed light-sport aircraft pilot and has trained in martial arts and boxing for many years.

Dr Sulafa AlMarzouqi

Dr AlMarzouqi was appointed to the Board as a parent-elected Governor at the November 2025 AGM and is a member of the Education Committee.

She is a physician with a career spanning across military medicine, government, and international health. She began her professional journey within the UAE Military Medical Corps and completed her officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

She later joined the Abu Dhabi General Secretariat of the Executive Council, where she established and led its first health division, overseeing health strategy, policy development, and system wide coordination. She subsequently moved into the international philanthropic sector, setting up operations and serving as a director at the Global Institute of Disease Elimination, whose mission is advancing the elimination of preventable infectious diseases. She currently serves as advisor, at the UAE Frontline Heroes Office. Dr AlMarzouqi also holds an MSc. in Health Policy from Imperial College London, UK.

In her spare time, you can find her lost in a book, watching old Hollywood movies and running to 80’s rock classics.

Dr Heba Al-Naseri

Dr Al-Naseri was appointed to the Board as parent-elected Governor at the November 2023 AGM and is a member of the Education and Finance & Resources Committees. She is also the Board’s designated Safeguarding Governor.

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. 

Dr Al-Naseri 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.

Jon Knight

Jon was appointed to the Board as the Ambassador’s Representative in September 2023 and is a member of the Education and Finance & Resources Committees.

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 and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. 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 an Ambassador for the Royal Air Force Museum.

Adriana Guzman Lopez

Adriana was appointed to the Board as a parent-elected Governor at the November 2025 AGM and is a member of the Education Committee.

Adriana is originally from Mexico and has called the UAE home for the past 18 years.  Married to a British man, she embraces British traditions and values. She is a proud mother of 5 children, all attending BSAK.

With a background in interpretation and translation, and a 15-year career in aviation – serving as a Purser with Mexicana de Aviacion and Senior Flight Attendant with Emirates Airlines – Adriana brings strong leadership, service excellence and community engagement to the Board of Governors.

Adriana is deeply involved in school life and community initiatives, driven by her passion for family wellbeing, communication, community engagement, and strengthening the family-school connection. Through her active role as Vice Chair of Friends of BSAK, she has helped bring people together, support events, and foster a greater sense of belonging within the BSAK Community. She is always delighted to dedicate a significant amount of time to various school initiatives.

Adriana joins the Board of Governors with a dedication to ensuring that every family feels heard, supported, and welcomed, and with a strong commitment to helping BSAK continue to grow as a vibrant, inclusive, and connected community.

Maheen Pfeffer

Maheen was appointed to the Board by His Excellency the British Ambassador in March 2021 and has been Convener of the Education Committee since January 2026, previously holding the position of Honorary Secretary from September 2022. Maheen is also the Board’s designated Data Protection Governor and a member of the Finance & Resources Committee.

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. 

Reema Traynor

Reema has been on the Board since 2014, is one of the UK Ambassador Appointees and is a member of the Finance and Resources Committee. In December 2018, Reema was appointed as Honorary Secretary before moving to the role of Vice Chair from September 2022 until January 2026.

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.