Board of Directors

Nabil Al Rantisi

President

Nabil is an entrepreneur and investor born and based in Dubai, deeply rooted in the city’s growth and success. Nabil has built and led multiple financial services companies. He served as Managing Director for Menacorp and Daman Investments from 2012 to 2022. He successfully founded and expanded brands in the F&B space such as Pickl and BonBird operating more than 30 stores in the GCC, Egypt & Pakistan. He is also the founder and Executive Chairman of Hakkini Mental Health Clinics. His expertise lies in fostering businesses that scale beyond borders, creating value across industries.
 

Arjette van den Berg 

Vice President

Arjette has over 15 years of experience investing in the emerging markets. She is a senior advisor to AFIG Funds (a pan-African PE fund) and led the turn-around of a publicly traded pharma and beverage company in Nigeria. Arjette commenced her career in investment banking at Salomon Brothers in London and holds an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School and an MSc in economics from the LSE. 

 

Alexander Lupachev

Treasurer

Alex received his MBA degree from HBS in 2004 and currently serves on its Alumni Board. Alex pursued his career with US private equity firms Access Industries, Delta Private Equity and Siguler Guff, and represented them on the boards of several portfolio companies. While at HBS, Alex became actively involved with the community and joined the Finance Club as Treasurer. In 2004-2009 he also served as Treasurer and President of Harvard Club of Russia. Alex currently resides in the UAE.
 

Thembisa Skweyiya

Secretary

Thembisa, an admitted attorney of the New York State Bar, and holds an LLM from Harvard Law School. She is an African native and enthusiast with a background in international law and corporate finance, has gained skills from serving in various roles on more than a dozen public/listed boards in the past 24 years. Her experience covers institutions across multiple sectors (private, public, development finance, multinationals, listed corporates, non-profit and education). She has served on and advised leadership teams in strategy, governance, risk and compliance, ethics and social impact. Thembisa is now based in Dubai.
 

Bader Samir Tayeb Alawadhi

Director

Bader is a business director based in Dubai, serving at Leader Group, a diversified conglomerate across retail, real estate, hospitality, investments, and F&B. Previously, he worked as a banker at Commercial Bank of Dubai. An alumnus of Harvard Business School's Senior Executive Leadership Program, he is pursuing doctoral studies at EMLyon Business School and Durham University. He completed a postgraduate diploma at Oxford’s Saïd Business School and the Oxford Advanced Management and Leadership Program, along with executive courses from the UN, IMF, and World Bank.
 

Dilyana Karadzhova

Director

Born and raised in Bulgaria, Dilyana is an alumna of Harvard College (Honors in Organizational Studies). She began her career at Bain & Company in South Africa, working on cases across multiple industries before transitioning to African Leadership Academy, leading strategic projects in education. She later joined Harvard Business School’s Africa Research Center, supporting faculty with research and case writing. Currently based in Dubai, she oversees R&D ecosystem performance tracking at ASPIRE UAE.
 

Herda Xhaferaj

Director

Born and raised in Albania, Herda graduated from Harvard College in 2017. After graduation, she worked in economic development, focusing on attracting FDI to developing countries, including her own, with a particular emphasis on tech-related projects. For the past three years, she has been based in Dubai, working in management consulting with a specialization in tech and digital infrastructure across the GCC. She's excited to be a Director on the Harvard Club of the UAE board, and to contribute to bringing the community closer.
 

Prachi Narang

Director

Prachi is an education professional from New Delhi, India. She relocated to the UAE in 2021 and has been working as a government consultant specialising in education and skills work across the Middle East. Prior to this, she has consulted with governments in Mexico and Zambia and has worked as a teacher and teacher trainer in India. A common thread in all experiences, including in her move to Dubai over 3 years ago, she has been involved in various community building efforts for the groups she has been a part of. As one of the elected Directors of the Harvard Club of the UAE, she aspires to make the Harvard community accessible and inclusive for all who call the country their home. 
 

Robert Coulson

Director

Robert, a Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) alumnus, is a senior real estate advisor and client leader at Accenture Middle East. For nearly a decade he has volunteered with the GSD as a mentor, alumni event host, and fundraiser as a member of the Sert Council. As a Director on the Board of the Harvard Club of the UAE, Robert leads the Committee for International Partnerships with a focus on fostering strategic collaborations and enhancing alumni engagement.