Tanya Kane is a Parent Governor with twins at DESS who has lived in Doha for the past 13 years. She brings to the board two decades of teaching experience spanning primary, intermediate and tertiary education. Tanya is an Assistant Professor in the College of Medicine at the University of Qatar where she has established the Social and Behavioural Sciences Curriculum. She holds a PhD and MSc in Anthropology from the University of Edinburgh, an MA from McMaster University, a BEd from the University of Toronto, and a BA from Queen’s University (Canada). Tanya has held posts at Northwestern University in Qatar, Texas A&M University at Qatar and Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. A former primary school teacher, she is qualified to teach in Canada, Scotland and England.
Tanya is committed to the culture, values and ethos of DESS and looks forward to contributing in a meaningful way to the school’s continued development and improvement for all its stakeholders.

Ali is Chair of the Finance & Funding Committee and DESS’ Treasurer, with one child at the school. He is currently Director of M&A at QNB Capital, and moved to Doha from London in 2013 having previously worked in Healthcare Investment Banking at Barclays and Deutsche Bank. He holds an MEng in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College London obtained under Shell’s sponsorship, is an Associate of the City & Guilds Institute and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Ali also serves on the Board of one of the largest technology groups in the region.

Simon Whitaker worked in Qatar as the Chief Financial Officer of Mosanada FMS from 2013 until 2024.
Prior to joining Mosanada, Simon held the position of Finance Director for Cushman & Wakefield in the Middle East and previously worked at KPMG for 8 years.
Simon holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of St. Andrews and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (FCA).
During his period in Qatar, Simon had 2 children who were educated in DESS.

Kate Ling is a non-parent governor.  She joins the Board bringing two decades of Human Resources management experience from the corporate world.  She graduated from Newcastle University with a BA Hons in Economics & Politics and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. She is currently Vice President Outstation Services at Qatar Airways having moved to Doha in October 2021, after eighteen months with Qatar Airways in London.  Previous to this Kate held the role of Head of International HR at British Airways.
Kate looks forward to using her commercial and HR experience to contribute to the ongoing success of the school. Kate is married and has two boys both of whom are currently at Uppingham School in the UK.

Eugene Lim is a results-driven operations director and registered RIBA architect, boasting over 23 years of extensive international experience in architecture, engineering, construction, and contracting. Recognised for his strategic foresight and operational excellence, Eugene has successfully delivered high-profile projects across four continents, consistently setting and surpassing performance standards.
Eugene earned his Bachelor's degree in Architecture from the University of Portsmouth and was subsequently awarded a scholarship for his Master’s at the prestigious Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL. His early career began at RHWL / AEDAS, one of the UK’s most prominent architectural practices. Here, he spearheaded notable projects such as the British Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo, IQ Towers in Qatar, Norwich Football Stadium, Liverpool’s St Paul’s Square Offices, London’s iconic St Pancras Station Hotel, and the comprehensive regeneration of King’s Cross.
In 2010, Eugene transitioned to Qatar, taking on the role of Technical Lead where he meticulously established and expanded the firm’s technical capabilities. His rapid ascent led him to oversee significant landmark developments, including the National Library of Qatar and the Qatar Foundation Headquarters. Currently, he manages multi-disciplinary teams executing complex, multi-billion-dollar projects such as an integrated island development in The Pearl, significantly improving operational efficiency, productivity, and profitability through rigorous budgeting, forecasting, and P&L management.

H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi is the Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), the organisation responsible for coordinating amongst public and private entities to ensure that infrastructure and development projects are delivered in readiness for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
His Excellency also serves as the Chairman of the 2022 FIFA World Cup LLC, - the joint venture between FIFA and the SC responsible for organising and staging the event.
He holds board positions at Katara Hospitality, Qatar International Islamic Bank, and Qatari Diar.
He sits on the Joint Advisory Board member at Northwestern University Qatar and is an Advisory Council member at Hamad bin Khalifa University (College of Humanities and Social Sciences).
His Excellency previously served as General Counsel for Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and Qatar Holding.

Mohammed is a Parent Governor and is currently a Member of the Board of Directors of Ariane Real Estate.  Mohammed previously worked for Commercial Bank, holding various roles including Vice President - Commercial Bank Private, Acting EGM – Consumer Banking and finally AGM – Head of Private Banking.  During his tenure at Commercial Bank Mohammed sat on the Board of Directors of Massoun, a Commercial Bank JV partnership with Qatar Insurance Group.
Mohammed graduated from the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport in Alexandria, Egypt with a Bachelors in Business Administration.Mohammed has 2 children in DESS and is keen to contribute to the ongoing development and growth of the school.
 

I have been a parent governor since May 2023 and I feel very lucky to have two children attending  DESS. ’I studied in Sheffield, UK, and I am a chartered project manager. I am currently the General Manager of a large local facilities management company, specialising in commercial property.
It’s an honour to be a governor at DESS and with my understanding of project management and asset development, I hope to contribute to the continued success of the school via the Premises Committee. 
In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my family, playing golf and going to the gym’.

Basma is a founding fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching (UK) with 30 years of experience in education. She holds a PGCE, a BA in Comparative Religions, and two Masters in Islamic Studies & Translation and Islamic Education. She has held executive roles both in the UK and internationally, including Project Manager at Blue Ocean Research and Senior Researcher at Inmedia Training. Basma has chaired key education bodies, contributed to Initial Teacher Training, and worked with Sherborne Qatar and Qatar Foundation. She has also led over 100 accredited parent coaching courses and her work influenced an award-winning doctoral thesis.

Laila is the Programme Leader for the Undergraduate Accountancy & Finance Programme at AFG College with the University of Aberdeen. She has an undergraduate degree in Accounting & Finance with a major in Economics from the University of Toronto and a Masters degree from the University of Waterloo.
Laila is a Fellow of Higher Education Academy and is currently a 4th year PhD student with her research focusing on the impact of technological advancements on the accounting profession. 
Prior to her career in education, Laila had over five years of work experience in public accounting in Canada, starting off her career in banking. She worked as a Manager at KPMG LLP & Ernst & Young LLP, where her practice focused on global compliance & reporting, advising real-estate clients on structuring cross-border acquisitions, divestitures, corporate reorganizations and financing transactions.

Jennifer is an Associate Director with AECOM in Qatar, having transitioned from the AECOM UK business in 2013.  She is a Chartered Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), a Grade A registered Engineer with MME Qatar, a PMP and Prince 2 Qualified Project Manager and holds a Masters in Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering from the University of Cambridge. Jennifer previously sat on the Qatar-UK Alumni Association Board, and is the current President of the Cambridge Society of Qatar and the Country Representative and Chair of the ICE Qatar Committee.
Jennifer is committed to ensuring the maintenance and development of the DESS school premises for the benefit of staff, students and parents in line with international best practice.

Vanessa is a Cambridge University graduate having studied Teaching and Theatre Arts. Vanessa has been a teacher for 30 years and a Principal for over 20 years, working in Spain, Malaysia, UK, Italy, Panama and Qatar. She is a qualified BSO inspector and Vice chair for the AOBSO supporting British Schools overseas. Her current position as Director of Development has allowed her to act as a consultant supporting schools and work on a team designing and creating a new school. Vanessa is proud to be supporting DESS as a governor and hopes her experience and knowledge will help support the school and its community.

Ian has been the Director of Trade and Investment at the British Embassy in Doha since early 2024. With a long career in His Majesty’s Diplomatic Service, he has a wealth of experience from a variety of roles both at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London and from British Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates overseas,  including Bahrain, Venezuela, India, Zambia, Argentina, Cambodia, Japan, Sri Lanka, Russia, Brazil, Indonesia and Somalia. Ian is married to Judy and has 4 grown up children.

Anish Nicholas Patel is a Manager for Patient Administration at Sidra Medicine located in Doha, Qatar. This is a tertiary care women and children's hospital which opened in 2016.
Anish is a Clinical Pharmacist by professional background however, he has branched out into Clinical Operations Management in recent years with a focus on leading project plans aimed at continuously improving access to care and organizational process improvements.
His credentials include a Master of Pharmacy with Honours from the University of Nottingham (UK), as well as a Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Medicines Management, a Certificate in Operations Management and a Certificate in Risk and Compliance Management.