I obtained my first degree (Joint BA degree in Arts & Education) in English Literature & Education where I specialized in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from the University of Alexandria, Egypt in 1994. Shortly after my graduation, I traveled to the UK where I did my MA & PhD in Applied Linguistics (Universities of Westminster and Durham respectively). While living and studying in the UK (11 years), I practiced translation/interpreting and I taught Arabic for non-native speakers both at the University of South Bank (part time) and at the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office (full time). I moved to Kuwait in 2005 when I obtained a job as a country expert (UNDP, Kuwait), and I lived in Kuwait for 12 years. I maintained my connections with UNDP over a 9-year period (part-time capacity), and I finished my role as a technical manager for the Early Learning & Disability Challenges Project in December 2013. In 2006, I joined the Centre for Child Evaluation & Teaching (full time) as an Executive Director, and I worked there for 5 years until 2011. In 2012, I joined the Australian College of Kuwait, where I worked there until 2017. I was first recruited as the Head of their Foundation Skills programme, and I then became an Associate Dean and finally the Dean of the College. In September 2017, I returned to Egypt to focus on being the Managing Director of Global Educational Consultants, the company I started with some colleagues in 2011.