Founding Governor of Student, Parent and Staff Wellbeing
Born in the land of Sindh, Mohan Valrani landed in Dubai in 1966 and 5 years later he partnered with Abdulla Al Shirawi to set up what is today known as the Al Shirawi Group. Under Mohan Valrani’s leadership, the Al Shirawi Group has become one of the largest conglomerates in the United Arab Emirates consisting of 34 companies in an array of industries, including Printing & Packaging, Electronics, Logistics, Oil & Gas, Engineering Services, Heavy Equipment and various Steel Processing and Manufacturing Industries.
Today, Mohan Valrani has pursued his passion for education by founding a company to provide K-12 education in the UAE. Under the brand name of Arcadia, Mohan Valrani plans to build a number of schools providing a high quality British education to children within the UAE.
Apart from his business activities, Mohan Valrani is also at the forefront of social activities. He was the founding Chairman and member of the Board of Trustees of the India Club. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees as well as the founding Chairman of the Indian High School, the largest non-profit school in the UAE.
Mohan Valrani is happily married for the last 48 years and has 3 children and 7 grandchildren. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Commerce from Baroda University. He is a generous philanthropist, an avid bridge player, a keen reader and enjoys doing yoga on daily basis.
Founding Governor for Arabic and Islamic Education
Mohamed Al Shirawi is a passionate believer in the power of education to change lives. As a father himself, he knows the hopes and aspirations that parents have for their young. “Children are our future and helping them receive the best possible education is the most important gift we can give them,” he says. These sentiments underpin his commitment to serving Arcadia school on the Board of Directors and Governance.
A native of Dubai, Mohamed Al Shirawi was educated in the UAE and the USA where he graduated from the University of Southern California in 1980 with a BSc in Industrial and Systems Engineering. Enriched by his student experience and convinced that high standards are the key to success, he returned to Dubai at a pivotal time in its history and also that of the Al Shirawi Group, which was founded in 1971. He joined the Group and applied himself to learning the business at every level and helping it grow with Dubai.
Since 1989, he has served as the head of Emirates Printing Press (EPP) and Lunad Media & Communication, and has been instrumental in the success of both companies. In 2010, under his guidance, EPP won the prestigious title of Sappi International Printer of the Year, and remains the only press in the Middle East to have received that honour.
Currently Deputy Managing Director of Oasis Investment Co LLC, a Group holding company, Mohamed Al Shirawi takes great pride in the achievements of his skilled and dedicated staff. “Take care of your people,” he says. “Focus on what is important and success reveals itself.”
His own success has inspired him to become a patron of a number of charities, each of which he sees as an opportunity to give back to the society that has supported him.
Governor for Safeguarding and Inclusion
As CEO of Arcadia Education and the Al Shirawi Group, Dr. Navin Valrani pursues lifelong learning as a personal goal. After graduating from the Wharton School, he completed his MBA at London Business School, obtained a Master's in Education Entrepreneurship at Penn, and attained a doctorate degree in education after publishing research on the relationship between teachers' cultural backgrounds and their use of technology in the classroom. Navin also holds a College Counseling certificate from UCLA.
While Dr. Valrani has succeeded in various industries, his true passions lie in empowering women and advancing education. Under the Arcadia banner, he has established and operated schools in the UAE, acquired and operated the Tutoring Center franchise, established the UAE’s first high school student mentoring organization, and significantly impacted education worldwide. Together with his wife Monica, he has endowed several scholarships, providing not just opportunities but a beacon of hope for female students to pursue higher education.
Dr. Valrani’s commitment to education extends beyond his professional life. He founded and taught the renowned Junior MBA program at Arcadia School, an entrepreneurship curriculum that prepares students for the business world. His dedication to service and teaching has been recognized with the William B. Castetter Award and a position on the Board of Advisors at Penn's Graduate School of Education. He also serves on the Advisory Council of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Dr. Valrani's commitment to education is a family affair. He has been happily married for thirty plus years and has two wonderful sons. His wife, Monica, shares his passion and runs the Ladybird chain of nursery schools in Dubai, demonstrating their shared dedication to early childhood education.
M.A.Ed.
Governor
Giles Pruett is an educator through and through. After completing his A-Level studies in the UK, he trained and competed as a professional tennis player for five years until moving back into full-time study to complete his Bachelor of Education at Bedford, reading Geography and Sport Science. He immediately returned to his home city of Bath and subsequently started his teaching career as Director of Rugby, Boarding Housemaster and Geography teacher in the independent community of Prior Park College. After completing a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Management at Bath University in 2012, gaining a distinction level, Giles transferred into the international education community, joining Jumeirah College in Dubai as Vice-Principal, where he remained for four years, before becoming Secondary Principal and Deputy Head of School at GEMS World Academy, helping them to become the highest rated full IB programme school in the city.
Giles is also a qualified corporate coach with a specific interest in building impactful professional learning communities by empowering others. He has developed pastoral structures to support learning and development in three previous leadership positions, ensuring that educational outcomes have been met and exceeded. Giles has experienced and driven inspection outcomes as a Senior Leader within several different frameworks, including Ofsted, HMI, CSCI, DSIB, CIS, BSO, COBIS, working as a Lead Reviewer within the GEMS organization and as Lead Evaluator for the Council of International Schools. His core inspection specialisms fall under the domains of teaching and learning, safeguarding, child protection and leadership and management.
Giles brings a wealth of experience in coaching, school operations, pastoral care and strategic school leadership and has been instrumental in developing an Apple Distinguished Teaching Programme, Entrepreneurship and Innovation curriculum alongside the design and construction of a new Senior School Learning Centre and Entrepreneurship Hub. He has a keen interest in this strand of education, recently completing a diploma from the Penn Graduate school of Education.
Above all else, Giles is a committed father to three wonderful girls and a husband to Joanna, who is also an educator and former British Olympic Modern Pentathlete. Together they share a passion for working with children, striving to bring learning to life and making a difference.
