Management Team

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Basil Hanna

Managing Director

Basil brings extensive experience in education and professional training within the Middle East. With a deep understanding of the region’s cultural and economic dynamics, Basil has led Kaplan’s efforts to expand its offerings, develop innovative programs, and align solutions with the evolving needs of organizations and government sector across the region. Establishing Kaplan as a trusted partner for educational solutions and workforce development in the MENA region.

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Walid Chehade

Chief Partnership Officer

With over 17 years of experience at Kaplan International, Walid has been instrumental in expanding the Kaplan brand across the Middle East and Africa. Specializing in international education and business development, Walid has successfully collaborated with both private and government entities to secure partnerships for Kaplan’s.

Leveraging deep expertise in navigating government frameworks across the Gulf region, Walid has facilitated strategic agreements that meet the educational needs of diverse sectors. Through a results-driven approach, Walid has played a key role in positioning Kaplan as a trusted partner in global education.

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Stuart Whent

Chief Operating Officer

With over 25 years of industry and professional training experience, Stuart is a Chartered Accountant with FCA and FCCA designations. He qualified in 2001 while working in professional practice. Having a background in industry, commerce, and the financial services sector, he transitioned into education in 2003, specialising as a trainer in financial reporting and audit. 

Over the past 20 years, Stuart has successfully led multiple professional education businesses across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. As a seasoned expert in the finance and education sectors, he is highly regarded for his expertise, leadership, and commitment to excellence. 

Stuart joined Kaplan Middle East & North Africa in May 2023 following 9 years in Kaplan UK and Ireland as the Head of New Business Initiatives and 10 years with BPP in several senior leadership roles, including Managing Director and Director of Central and Eastern Europe.

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Rahul Sonthalia CFA, CMA, AFM

Director of Finance, Digital and Business Skills

Rahul brings over 18 years of expertise in investment banking, equity research, macroeconomic research, and training. As the Director of Finance, Digital, and Business Skills at Kaplan, he oversees the complete management of learning projects and key account management.

His role involves designing and implementing market-leading learning solutions, leading a team of learning professionals, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to strategically shape our offerings to align with market trends and client needs. Additionally, Rahul serves as the Strategic Account Director for a client portfolio, ensuring the performance of Kaplan MENA meets client expectations, conducting strategic planning, and regularly checking in with lead client contacts to understand their future needs.

Rahul is an Economics graduate, a CFA Charterholder and a CMA. He also holds the AFM certification from the Financial Modeling Institute (FMI), CISI certificates for International Introduction to Securities & Investment and International Certificate in Wealth & Investment Management and Risk in Financial Services.

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Bashar Mezher

Director of Business Development

A distinguished senior executive with over 20 years of experience, Bashar Mezher has a proven track record in starting, building, and growing businesses, enhancing profitability, and optimizing performance. He possesses extensive expertise in business strategy, and customer relations, and successfully leading multi-national and multi-cultural organizations.

Bashar currently serves as the Director of Business Development, Middle East for Kaplan MENA. His responsibilities include developing strategic relationships with key business entities, enhancing Kaplan’s reputation, and maximizing growth.

Previously, Bashar was the Country Manager, KSA for IMA Institute of Management Accountants and Regional Director for Morgan International in the GCC Region, where he held various senior roles, driving commercial operations and strategic planning across the GCC.

His earlier career included pivotal roles at DHL Express, where he honed his skills in customer management and operational leadership.

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Waleed Minhas, MSc, ACCA, CPA, MCSI, UAECA

Director of Leadership, Behavioural & Exam Preparation

Waleed has over 10 years of training experience in the region, focusing on Financial Management and Management Accounting. 

He was the lead trainer at PricewaterhouseCoopers where he also managed professional qualifications, degree programs and Train the Trainer courses.

He brings 8+ years of industry experience in the UK and UAE where he has been involved in setting up and controlling finance functions of diverse businesses.

It was late 2015 when he switched to full time training and has since enjoyed exceptional pass rates. He has also trained many national, regional and global prizewinners.

Waleed’s training approach is built around adding value on courses and incorporating memory and exam techniques to help students ace their exams.

Trainers

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Hattem AlHajery, MBA, CMA

Finance Trainer

Years of Experience: 21 years

Hattem AlHajery is a finance and accounting professional and trainer, with over 13 years of corporate experience, mostly in multinational organizations. Over his tenure, Hattem has delivered virtual as well as in-person training programs and helped organizations optimise their finance department by integrating them into business operations. 

Some of the courses Hattem specialises in are:

  • Financial Accounting
  • Financial Statements Analysis
  • Cost Accounting
  • Planning, Budgeting, and Forecasting
  • Variance Analysis
  • CVP Analysis
  • Corporate Finance
  • Capital Budgeting
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Mohammad Al Nabulsieh, MBA, TOT

Senior Financial Trainer

Years of Experience: 11 years

Mohammad is a seasoned financial trainer with over 11 years of experience as a financial and investment analyst, accountant, and trainer. He specializes in financial analysis, financial modeling, IFRS, banking, and investment management.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Banking and an MBA with a specialization in Finance. Mohammad is a Certified Bank Financial Modeler and a Certified Trainer from Pearson. Additionally, he holds the IPSAS certification from ACCA, demonstrating his expertise in public sector accounting standards.

With deep industry knowledge and hands-on experience, Mohammad delivers practical, high-impact training for professionals across banking, investment, and corporate finance.

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Sana Tariq, BSc, ACCA

Finance Trainer

Years of Experience: 12+ years

Sana has over 12 years experience in teaching ACCA and CIMA with her expertise being in Cost and Financial Management. She has received professional tutor trainings held by the ACCA body.

She has worked as a financial analyst for leading banks at a corporate level. She tends to find several solutions to a problem, in order to satisfy every candidate as per their thinking process.

Sana has done her BSc honors in Applied Accounting through research and analysis project. and has even mentored other candidates for their thesis. She is a global high achiever in ACCA too.

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Amar Mehra, CIMA

Senior Finance Trainer

Years of Experience: 23 years

Amar is an experienced trainer specialized in Tax teaching across all the UK accounting bodies such as ACCA, CIMA, and ICAEW for over 23 years. He has consistently ranked as a top tutor based on student feedback scores and has regularly achieved the highest pass rates in the country.

During his corporate tenure, he was appointed as the head of international business for FTC Kaplan after successfully managing the business restructuring process and leading the growth of top-line revenue from £500k to £7m which was responsible for the business being awarded the prestigious Queens award for enterprise in international trade.

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Taha Zia, ACA, FCCA, BSc

Head of Accounting Courses

Years of Experience: 7 years

Taha is a lecturer since 2015, in the areas of economics, management accounting and business strategy. He is a fellow member of the ACCA since 2018 and holds the ICAEW membership too. He has also been a member of the ACCA marking team for a professional level exam and has produced several country and regional prize winners across modules. His prior work experience includes working as a business analyst for a data company and an investment analyst for a capital firm in the UAE.

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Sheema Shiraz Ali, CFA, FRM

Head of Finance Courses

Sheema Shiraz Ali is a highly experienced banking and finance professional with over 15 years of expertise in risk management, regulatory compliance, and financial governance, gained through her work at the Central Bank of Pakistan. She specializes in providing in-depth training for CFA and FRM candidates, particularly in areas like equity valuations, derivatives, fixed income valuations and Quants. Her extensive background in banking enables her to deliver real-world insights, helping candidates not only understand complex financial concepts but also apply them effectively in their careers.

As a dynamic trainer, Sheema has led CFA and FRM-focused programs across GCC, guiding professionals through challenging topics with practical examples and engaging lessons. Her passion for financial education and mentoring shines through in her ability to break down intricate concepts and make them accessible, ensuring her students are well-prepared for success in their exams and in the finance industry

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Akshay Bhandari,CFA

Finance Trainer

Years of Experience: 10 years

Akshay has 10 years of experience in areas of investment banking, management consulting and training. As an investment professional, He has advised and executed diverse set of transactions and projects for startups and businesses globally. 

As a trainer, He specializes in corporate finance and investments and has delivered trainings on varied subjects in these domains to learners across age groups, professions and qualifications. His diverse professional experience, across industries, enables him to deliver practical and industry relevant courses. Hands-on industry exposure and penchant for staying ahead of latest developments has seen him deliver modules on upcoming domains like cryptocurrency, NFT’s and other diverse financial topics.

Akshay is an engineer, MBA and CFA Charterholder. An avid reader, he believes that learning is the only true free lunch in today’s integrated economy.

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Ali Hussain, CFA

Finance Trainer

Years of Experience: 5 years

Ali has over 5 years of training experience in the finance industry. After several years of effectively managing a credit portfolio exceeding USD 80 million in sectors such as Textile, Sugar, Cement, and Chemicals, he transitioned into a full-time trainer with a robust financial background. He has conducted training for banks throughout the Middle East and has coached numerous CFA candidates globally.

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Adithi Chaturvedi CA, B.Com

Finance Trainer

Years of Experience: 11 Years

Adithi Chaturvedi is a seasoned Chartered Accountant and esteemed professor for CA, CS, ACCA, and CMA students with over 12 years of teaching experience. She extends her expertise to various branches within the WIRC of ICAI as a visiting lecturer. Moreover, she serves as a guest lecturer across multiple institutes and classes, actively participating in seminars. In recent years, Adithi has expanded her reach into virtual learning, offering video lecture courses to better facilitate student learning.

Specializing in theory subjects, she is renowned for making them engaging and highly rewarding for students. Her teaching methods, rooted in real-life examples, simplify complex topics and aid in effortless retention, earning her widespread acclaim and popularity among students. Adithi has mentored thousands of CA, CS, ACCA, and CMA students, with numerous rank holders benefiting from her guidance.

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Rahul Sonthalia CFA, CMA, AFM

Director of Finance, Digital and Business Skills

Rahul brings over 18 years of expertise in investment banking, equity research, macroeconomic research, and training. As the Director of Finance, Digital, and Business Skills at Kaplan, he oversees the complete management of learning projects and key account management.

His role involves designing and implementing market-leading learning solutions, leading a team of learning professionals, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to strategically shape our offerings to align with market trends and client needs. Additionally, Rahul serves as the Strategic Account Director for a client portfolio, ensuring the performance of Kaplan MENA meets client expectations, conducting strategic planning, and regularly checking in with lead client contacts to understand their future needs.

Rahul is an Economics graduate, a CFA Charterholder and a CMA. He also holds the AFM certification from the Financial Modeling Institute (FMI), CISI certificates for International Introduction to Securities & Investment and International Certificate in Wealth & Investment Management and Risk in Financial Services.

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Ubaid Ur Rehman, CIMA

Finance Trainer

Years of Experience: 15 Years

Ubaid is a highly experienced trainer having spent over 15 years in the fields of Accounts, Finance and Audit. His extensive teaching experience is spread over several reputed universities in the UAE and Pakistan and various professional training institutes. He has offered his training expertise for professional qualifications such as ACCA, CMA, CA, and CIMA.

His industry experience includes having worked as a Consultancy Partner, Financial Controller, Audit Supervisor, and Accounts and Finance Officer across industries such as Hospitality, Real Estate, Retail, Construction, Higher Education, Consultancy, and Auditing among several others.

Ubaid is a GCC VAT (UAE) Specialist and a Certified Microsoft Excel Specialist. He has experience working with several popular accounting software such as Tally and Opera and he can easily adapt to any new accounting and financial software.

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Waleed Minhas, MSc, ACCA, CPA, MCSI, UAECA

Director of Leadership, Behavioural & Exam Preparation

Waleed has over 10 years of training experience in the region, focusing on Financial Management and Management Accounting. 

He was the lead trainer at PricewaterhouseCoopers where he also managed professional qualifications, degree programs and Train the Trainer courses.

He brings 8+ years of industry experience in the UK and UAE where he has been involved in setting up and controlling finance functions of diverse businesses.

It was late 2015 when he switched to full time training and has since enjoyed exceptional pass rates. He has also trained many national, regional and global prizewinners.

Waleed’s training approach is built around adding value on courses and incorporating memory and exam techniques to help students ace their exams.

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Manav Modi, CFA, MBA

Finance Trainer

Manav Modi is a dedicated CFA Trainer at Kaplan Professional Middle East, specializing in delivering comprehensive CFA curriculum training to aspiring finance professionals. With a robust background in finance, he holds a CFA Level 3 designation and an MBA in International Business from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT).

Before transitioning into academia, Manav built a successful career in investor relations at D.E. Shaw, where he worked extensively on crafting marketing materials, responding to RFPs, and leading strategic initiatives. He also gained expertise in process automation, leveraging tools like PowerBI and VBA to improve team efficiency. His ability to manage complex projects and deliver high-quality investor communications was further demonstrated during his five-week assignment at D.E. Shaw’s New York headquarters, where he played a pivotal role in launching a new strategy.

Manav’s industry experience spans across business finance, investor relations, and operations, having previously held roles at Swiggy and ZS Associates. His analytical and process-driven approach, combined with certifications in Credit Analysis and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, provides a well-rounded foundation for his teaching role at Kaplan.

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