Dr. Mariam Shaikh is an eminent professional in the Education field based in the United Arab Emirates with over 35 years of experience and continued success. She is a Global Thought Leader with extensive expertise in Student Recruitment, Marketing, Strategic Development, International Relations and Student Experience. Dr. Shaikh hаs held key роsitiоns in reрuted аnd prominent Universities in UАE аnd hаs worked actively to drаw аsрiring students looking to pursue further studies from аll аrоund the wоrld tо Dubаi.
Her professional endeavours in Education started in the early ’80s in UAE when she owned a Nursery School inspired by her own children and then went on to Head a prominent school group as Principal. Dr. Mariam was integral to the exponential growth of the school making it one of the largest Asian schools in UAE with over 7000 students.
Following this, Dr. Mariam entered the Higher Education Sector to pursue new opportunities and assist students to fulfil their academic and career aspirations. She has played a key role in establishing some of the most reputed foreign University branch campuses in UAE such as the University of New Brunswick in Dubai Knowledge Village, which was a pioneering effort to encourage foreign Universities to set up their Branch Campuses in Dubai.
She has held senior leadership positions with the Canadian University of Dubai, Heriot-Watt University Dubai and Amity University Dubai and has actively contributed towards the start-up and exponential growth and development of the student population in these institutions’ foreign branch campuses.
Dr. Mariam has been a keynote speaker at several Conferences and a spokesperson on various digital platforms, overseas and locally, promoting world-class education offered by Institutions based in UAE. She has travelled extensively as a Brand Ambassador and as part of foreign delegations to promote higher education and has contributed relentlessly to establishing Dubai as an Education Hub and destination of choice to study.
She is tremendously passionate about her work and assisting students. Throughout her journey, she has worked closely with students of over 100 different nationalities, mentoring and empowering them and helping them in their study choices, encouraging them to pursue their dreams in careers they are passionate about and via entrepreneurship and work hard to achieve their goals.
She has been the Chief Happiness Officer and Vice President of Student Experience in Universities, where she implemented several projects and initiatives to promote and foster happiness and create a positive and happy environment for students and encourage them to take the lead.
Dr. Mariam has also worked closely with UNHCR to provide scholarships for student refugees. She is of the opinion that wherever they are, children must go to school. Education can help refugee children and youth to succeed despite the severe challenges they face. For boys and girls forced to flee violence and persecution, an opportunity to study will provide them hope to define their future and realize their potential.
She strongly believes that international exposure and the amalgamation of various cultures will help create a tolerant and peaceful global society which will, in turn, be progressive and will establish a bright future for the next generations to follow.
In 2020, Dr. Mariam started her own Consulting firm, MS Education Consultants with a vision to assist students globally to meet their educational goals and as well to facilitate the establishment and growth of Educational Institutions.
Through this venture, vital partnerships with Innovative Learning Programs, Entrepreneurship & Empowerment programs, Government initiatives and Industry collaborations are established to better equip students with the relevant skills to be successful in our fast-paced and rapidly evolving world.
Dr. Mariam has recently been appointed the Middle East Strategist for the prestigious University of Guelph, Ontario Canada to assist students in the Middle East with their admission into U of G. The University of Guelph is a leading higher education institution in Canada with three majors ranked top 20 in the world, in combination with Student Satisfaction that is consistently top-ranked in Canada.
She is an accomplished Leader, Mentor, Consultant, Entrepreneur, Advisor, Change-maker and seasoned Businesswoman.
Awards & Accolades:
(a) GCC Woman Leadership Award 2019
(b) Global Super Achiever Award 2020
(c) Lifetime Achievement Award 2020
(d) Woman of Wonders Award 2020
(e) Achievers Award in Entrepreneurial Venture 2021 Excellence in Mental Health – World Health Award 2021
(f) SHE Business Woman Award 2021
(g) Gem of India Award 2021
(h) The only UAE Nominee for ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Education Industry’ by PIoneer Awards 2021
(i) Awarded Global Excellence in Education from H.E Sheikh Eng. Salem Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Department of Civil Aviation, in Ras Al Khaimah (RAKDCA) & Chairman of RAK International 2021
(j) Awarded the Prestigious Fame Times International Excellence Award from a renowned International Award organization supported by The World Book of Records, UK, South Asian Chamber of Commerce & many other renowned organizations 2021
(k) Awarded Outstanding Contribution to the Education Industry Under the Patronage of The Private Office of H.E Sheikh Ahmed Bin Faisal Al-Qassimi 2021
We got a chance to speak to her about her incredible success story. Here are the excerpts from our exclusive conversation:
We are aware of your contribution to the ecosystem, talk us through your background and your journey as a leader, please;
My Background: Born into an influential business family from Mumbai, but still very grounded, I chose to make Education My Career.
From the very beginning, I was extremely passionate to cultivate young minds as the future of the Nation.
My journey as a leader has been a high impact learning experience and continues to be. Through my experiences over the years as a leader in Schools and Higher Education Institutions, I strongly believe that leading and managing involves influencing and guiding others towards achieving a certain objective.
Let me share a little about my journey and how it all started – My first pioneering milestone achievement was accomplished because of my daughter for whom I started a Pre-School as there were no preschools in Ras Al Khaimah at that time so one of the ways in which we can support our own children is to be good role-models.
Always model big dreams in your own life which your children can follow. We should always instil confidence in them and encourage them to dream big and persevere. Always lead by example.
In the same way, I always encouraged my students to identify their passion and work at what excites them and keeps them happy. I always encourage positivity and emotional well-being and mentor students to set attainable goals and then guide them to define their direction.
What would your advice be for leaders and those spearheading the educational institutions?
There are people who are called leaders simply because they are in leadership positions. Then there are leaders that others want to follow and are thrust into leadership positions.
You want to be a person that you would follow into the darkest nights and brightest days. When YOU would follow YOU, then you become a leader others will follow.
In a world of million-dollar CEO’s making headlines on a daily basis, one has to question if those big buck leaders are inspiring others to follow them?
Ask yourself, are you inspiring others to follow you? Just being in a leadership position doesn’t mean others want to follow you. You have to earn it, work for it, be an active participant and take responsibility for what you do and say because others are watching you.
People follow leaders who provide the most simplest of things to those around them. Things like respect, empathy, appreciation, embracing new ideas, openness, patience and even the ability to ask questions too.
A great leader is one who is able to build a great team. No matter how skilled team members are, if a leader is unable to bring them together efficiently, their talent will always go to waste.
I highly recommend that leaders build a strong network. Start being part of leadership conferences, connect with leaders on social media platforms — LinkedIn can be a great way to begin with and follow the world leaders who have reached the pinnacle in their respective fields, and try to emulate and inculcate the qualities they have. We must seize every opportunity to learn and keep growing.
You always focus on the happiness of your students, how important is that? Why should others follow that approach?
If we want our students to become happy adults, documented research suggests that Schools and Universities should focus more on students’ well-being than academic success.
Emotions play an integral role in education, affecting students’ motivation, attention, social functioning, and ethical decision-making.
I can speak from experience that when I was appointed as the Chief Happiness Officer and Vice President of Student Experience during my professional career, the positive impact on student life was clearly visible upon implementing several projects and initiatives to promote and foster happiness and create a conducive and supportive environment for students to learn and develop.
It is vital that all educators recognize and validate students’ emotional lives and help them work with all their emotions in a rich and balanced way.
How do challenges, failures and obstacles help us grow in our journey?
Inherent to chasing an ambitious goal is that we will fail at least once and encounter many obstacles along the way. I believe this is part of pursuing something ambitious. It’s part of the process.
I have understood that every failure contains valuable lessons and provides new insights that I wouldn’t have gained otherwise.
Every obstacle or challenge forms an opportunity for exponential personal or professional growth. Such experiences make us stronger and equip us with valuable lessons, skills, tools, and beliefs that we perhaps didn’t have before. They shape us into the person we need to become in order to attract success.
In this time and age, where we notice increasing use of social media, how does that impact us?
Social media use has skyrocketed over the past decade and a half. The increase in social media, of course, goes hand in hand with a large increase in the amount of time that we spend online, especially since the pandemic.
Social media benefits us by expanding our social networks and keeping us in touch with peers and far-away friends and family. It is also a fantastic outlet for creativity and a powerful marketing tool.
However, one particular concern is whether time spent on social media sites is eating away at the face-to-face time, a phenomenon known as social displacement. I believe we should be mindful of this aspect.
How do you define leadership? What are some of the traits that make a person a true leader like yourself?
The definition of True Leadership is to Influence, Inspire and Empower others to become their best selves, building their skills and achieving goals along the way.
You don’t have to be a CEO, Manager or even a Team Leader to be a True Leader. Leadership not only applies to professional settings but is also vital in personal life.
Being a good communicator is crucial, other vital traits I can share for leaders to possess are high levels of openness and conscientiousness.
What makes you unique and sets you apart from your contemporaries? What is your secret sauce to achieving massive success?
I believe anyone with smart habits and a positive ‘Can Do’ attitude can be a success. We should always be aware that a few conscious changes to behaviour and attitude could prove to be very rewarding!
My Passion is my driving force – my Energy booster! I believe that when you do something that truly excites you, something that you are truly passionate about, then success will follow…..
Another thing that sets me apart is that I am always available for my students even till very late hours and fondly referred to as the 24/7 Mentor and my strong Positivity to provide solutions to all their concerns and problems is My Winning Grace!
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