Faculty

Dr. Alessandro Bianchi has worked for more than 30 years within the IT and Pharmaceutical industries and International Institutions in the USA, Australia, Switzerland, and Italy.

He started in the R&D domain and later moved to Corporate Planning, Management Control Systems, and International Marketing to reach the position of Managing Director of an IT components company.

While being active as a Strategic Management Consultant and Business Development Coach within several enterprises (food producers, banks, fashion, telecommunications, transport, etc.), he has kept in contact with the academic world by holding business-related seminars and courses in Europe and Asia.

As an academic background, Dr. Bianchi has a Master of Business Administration, from New York University, and a Doctorate in Physics from the University of Turin.

A former member of the Italian Federation of Public Relations has also written several articles and professional handbooks on different international management issues.

Prof. Artur Decurtins has a diverse background in legal advisory, mediation, and law courses. Mr. Artur is formerly president of the labor law court, with experience in labor law, human resources, and handling critical situations. He attended the University of Lausanne and the University of Geneva for his Bachelor’s degree in Law.

As a certified trainer and expert for federal exams, Artur Decurtins excels in imparting his knowledge to others. He has a remarkable track record as a lecturer for law, designing and delivering engaging seminars.

His expertise extends to the realm of banking, specifically in credits and recovery of bad debts. With seven years of experience as a trainer, he brings a wealth of practical insights to his teachings.

Prof. Artur Decurtins is fluent in French, German, English, Italian, and Romansh.

Artur is a member of several boards of directors, and foundation boards.

Dr. Attila Shelley has dual Swiss and American nationality and has lived and worked in various countries, including Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, the USA, the UK, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico. He received his BSc in Applied Physics from Princeton University and his MBA and Ph.D. from Stanford University. He has 25 years of teaching experience in the US, Europe, and the Middle East.

He has worked in management and consulting positions at companies including The Boston Consulting Group, Credit Suisse, HSBC, and Barclays Bank. Besides teaching, he works as a management consultant and strategic and financial management workshop leader, working primarily with Middle Eastern and East European companies.

Naggib Chakhane is an experienced Leadership Development Consultant, Business Strategist, and Executive Coach, with over a decade’s experience in developing leaders, building high-performance teams, and building sustainable success. He has a proven track record of working with entrepreneurial businesses as well as established multinational corporations to help them build resilient leaders and managers, make significant contributions, and deliver big results, without compromising their values.
Prior to his transition to the leadership development space, Naggib served as a C-suite level executive and in a period spanning two decades, held various leadership positions in multinational corporations such as Sterling Software Inc., Novartis Pharmaceuticals, and Diebold International, heading up significant finance functions. His international work experience spans four continents, including countries and regions such as the United Kingdom, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Africa, and the Middle East.

Naggib's passion for developing the next generation of leaders in Africa is evident through his work on the boards of Mildmay Hospital and The Virtual Doctors, a non-profit organization committed to improving primary healthcare in impoverished African communities. He also travels regularly to East Africa and Southern Africa, training and promoting values-based leadership in corporations, non-governmental organizations, and schools. He is also a regular visiting speaker and serves as a mentor in the MBA program at the Surrey Business School, University of Surrey in the UK.

Naggib holds an MBA from Surrey Business School at the University of Surrey and is a certified coach with the European Mentoring; Coaching Council (EMCC), the Academy of Executive Coaching (AoEC), and Maxwell Leadership. He is also a certified Human Behaviour Consultant for DISC and Zortify.

Dr. Chisha is an expert in Business and Economics with a research interest in regional integration and global corporate responsibility, focusing on extractive industries. He attended New Mexico State University for his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. He earned his Ph.D. in Business Administration, specializing in International Business, from Northcentral University.
He spent 25 years in industry (supporting SMEs, advising corporate executives and leadership in units of government in China, USA, and Zambia; conducting training workshops in Dubai, and Istanbul; winning the Franklin Covey Team Excellence Award) before joining academia in 2008.
Since becoming an educator, he has been involved in a wide array of activities at various third-level institutions in Rwanda, South Africa, the United States, and Zambia. Some of his accomplishments included: designing baccalaureate degrees; overhauling and heading a finance department; representing faculty on the budget committee; chairing a policy committee; redesigning an MBA program; serving as program lead; accepting appointment to the position of program director; representing faculty on the university senate; supervising capstone and MBA research projects; serving as external examiner of MBA theses; joining a consortium of senior scholars; coaching Ph.D. and DBA students; supervising student teams in annual Inter-varsity contests; and winning a faculty of the year Award.
Dr. Chisha’s dedication to student success is evidenced by his appetite to bend any environment to provide an enriching learning experience. His interaction with students in and outside the classroom sculpts his unwavering quest for a value-oriented teaching style. He strives to engage students in a continuous process of questioning, challenging, and personalized discovering as opposed to a casual brush with course content.

Humbert has two engineering degrees, Aeronautical and Industrial, a IESE Executive Education and 18 years' experience in aviation managing high performance teams in competitive environments.

His professional career combines experience in aircraft manufacturer, airlines and consulting, all multinational companies.

In particular, he has been Director of Safety and Quality and Director of Operations Planning of an airline with a turnover of 600M€ and +1000 employees in Europe, responsible for ensuring operations´ regulations compliance auditing all operations´ areas, lecturer for more for more than six years in Airline Operations and Safety Management Masters for a top ranked European aviation university, and member of the founding operations team of an airline (Volotea, 2012) with a high knowledge of airline company culture. Since March 2023, he is working as a Consultant for IATA.

Dr. Marko Majer is a seasoned marketing communications professional and business educator with over 30 years of international experience. He has been sitting proverbially on two chairs all his life: he founded and then managed one of the leading marketing communications agencies in Slovenia, working for blue-chip clients such as MasterCard, Coca-Cola, Ford, Nestlé, etc.

The agency team, under his leadership and himself personally, have received over 80 international awards for their work. The challenges of leading a diverse and demanding creative team have encouraged him to research the young generation, Millennials, as talent in the European advertising industry for his doctorate, which was subsequently also published in a book.

He currently acts as a mentor to young leaders and startups and teaches his favorite topics of marketing and leadership with special attention to digital trends and responsible behavior at three high-profile Swiss business schools.

Marko's academic credentials include a ManagementTeaching Academy certificate from CEEMAN, a doctorate (Ph.D.) in management science from the IEDC Bled School of Management, an EMBA degree from IEDC Bled School of Management, and an MSc. degree from the University of Ljubljana, School of Architecture.

Marko is an avid traveler, fluent in 6 languages. He is a sports pilot and enjoys flying small aircraft around Europe, skiing, and spending time outdoors.

Mr. Robert Fontaine has been an active player in the blockchain ecosystem since 2016, including investment, business development, support of building and launching dapps, lectures, and advising medium and large companies.

His experience includes strategy and operations in blockchain, smart city, and telco industries across Europe, CIS, and MENA markets.

Dr. Aleksandra Zając is a social scientist specializing in security studies. In her recent research, she has tackled contemporary security threats and democratic societies’ phenomena in a comparative perspective using both qualitative and quantitative methods.

She holds a master's degree in International Relations, spec. American Studies (2009) and in Philosophy (2012) from Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. She earned her PhD in 2019 from Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University.

From 2016 until 2021, she worked as a lecturer at the State University of Applied Sciences in Racibórz, Poland, teaching security professionals (police officers, prison and border guards, soldiers) and civilians, delivering original lectures on European Union security policy, international relations, threats to contemporary societies, etc. Her professional experience is, among others, Erasmus Plus Visiting Professor at the University of Foggia (2019), participation in a project run by the University of Warsaw's Internal Security Chair that resulted in the publication of the "Encyclopedia of Internal Security" (2020), United Nations Development Program’s International Short-Term Junior Legal Expert on Poland (2021).

Aleksandra Zając is Polish and moved to Switzerland in early 2022. Beyond academia, she has some experience in Anti Money-Laundering and paralegal services for business.

Mr. C. Rezvani is a dual German and a United States citizen with 20 years of teaching experience in Switzerland and Germany.

Prior to teaching, Mr. Rezvani worked in various areas of international assignment management, project management, tax compliance, accounting, and consulting with reinsurance and pharmaceutical companies, as well as the “Big Four” tax firms in the United States and Switzerland.

Mr. Rezvani holds an MBA degree with a concentration in Finance from Marymount University’s School of Business Administration in Arlington, Virginia, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies from the American University’s School of International Service in Washington, DC.

Giuseppe Catenazzo is the Head of Research & Adjunct Lecturer at the American Institute of Applied Sciences in Switzerland and Visiting Professor in Service Operations Management at EHL Hospitality Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland, the top world institution for hospitality education. Dr. Catenazzo is also an Affiliate Professor in Marketing at ICN Business School, a leading French Grande Ecole, and an External Lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland (HEG & Hepia Geneva, HEIG-VD Yverdon-les-Bains), and ECEBiS in Malta. Giuseppe studied in Switzerland (Ph.D. in Management), France (Master' in Management and Business Research), the United Kingdom (PgCert in Applied Environmental Economics), and Italy (Bachelor's in Economics and Management). He is also a Certified Management & Business Educator (CMBE), a Fellow of the Charted Institute of Marketing (FCIM), and a Certified Member of the Market Research Society (CMRS) in the United Kingdom. An Italian and Swiss citizen, Dr. Catenazzo is also an editor of international research books; his research on quality perceptions, service recovery, and complaining behavior has been published in Production Planning and Control, International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction & Complaining Behavior, and Anatolia International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research.

Haitao Zhang obtained his degree of Ph.D. and Master of Science in the field of finance, accounting, and international business management from the University of Surrey, UK. His Bachelor's degree of Business Administration was obtained from the Webster University Genève.

Haitao Zhang was an Assistant Professor at Surrey International Institute of Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, China. He has over ten years of industrial experience in international project management, international business and investment, and business liaison techniques by leading several international projects between Swiss start-up firms and Chinese companies. Haitao Zhang is also a Certified Public Accountant in Australia.

Haitao Zhang published several studies in top-tier academic journals (e.g., European Financial Management, Applied Financial Economics, European Accounting Review), and as the book chapter, his studies were also presented at international academic conferences. His current areas of research include Financial Reporting, Financial Management, Corporate Finance, Investment Efficiency, Corporate Governance, Business Ethics, Global Leadership, and Strategy.

Katarzyna Grzesik-Harz is teaching at AUS Development of Intercultural Skills, Executive Leadership, and Psychology of Leadership.

Katarzyna Grzesik-Harz has been working in the field of Intercultural Management since 2017.
In her workshops, she meets the needs of already well-established professionals coming from the corporate world as well as those of students preparing to successfully work across borders.
Her intercultural programs are based on recognized, management consulting techniques as well as concepts and methods from the field of intercultural communication. She follows the approach of gamification to enhance students’ engagement in the class. Furthermore, she applies experiential learning to create sustainable learning effects going beyond the course duration.

She started her professional career in 2001 by working in Germany as a Business Process Consultant. She continued as a Project Manager by running various IT and business process implementation projects which demonstrated her analytical and organizational competence.
Katarzyna is fluent in Polish, English, German, and French and works in all those languages. She is an expert on Polish, German, and Swiss (over linguistic borders) culture and is well immersed in the multicultural environment of the Geneva Lake region.
Katarzyna is an active member of SIETAR (Society for Intercultural Education Training and Research).

She believes in female leadership and empowerment and is the Executive Vice-President of the OWIT Lake Geneva (Organization of Women in International Trade).

In terms of educational background, Katarzyna has a Master’s degree in Intercultural Communication from USI Università della Svizzera Italiana and a second Master’s degree in European Studies – European Law, Economics and Culture from the Adam Mickiewicz University.

Sanja Fabrio brings to the table a broad business experience from 20 years of a corporate career in a Fortune 100 multinational in setting up and managing local market operations, building and leading multicultural organizations, and outreaching high-level internal and external stakeholders. She recently held positions of Managing Director Central Europe South and Vice President Corporate Affairs EEMA region in Philip Morris International.

Sanja accompanies C-suite executives in setting and executing robust strategy for growth, developing and leading high-performing teams, and facilitating a flying-start performance for business leaders in their new role. She collaborates with IMD business school, taking a fresh look at the ways corporations deal with ever-increasing operational pressures that have the potential to affect their license to operate. Sanja contributes business cases and papers, co-hosts lectures, and frequently participates on international panels treating the future of business and regulation.

Sanja Fabrio holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics & International Trade from the University J.J.Strossmayer, Croatia, and an MBA from SDA Bocconi, Italy and is fluent in English, French, Croatian, and Italian and commands a fair knowledge of German.

Founder of Global Competitiveness Consulting, Dr. Suzanne Rosselet specializes in issues of national and corporate competitiveness, sustainable economic development, and strategic investment for global companies. She was a guest professor at the University of Lausanne, teaching in their Executive Education programs and the Sino-Swiss Management Training Program for Sustainable Development in China. Suzanne is also a member of the Duke Corporate Education Global Learning Resource Network. Her main areas of expertise include the identification and assessment of country strengths and weaknesses; the determination of national competitive strategies to enhance growth and social development; global trends; and helping executives understand the challenges they face in today’s rapidly changing global landscape.

At IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland, Suzanne was Deputy Director of the World Competitiveness Center (WCC) and co-author of the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY) from 2001 to 2012 - the most comprehensive study on the competitiveness of nations. She was responsible for the research and interpretation of the report’s findings, often invited as a keynote speaker at international conferences. She has also published extensively on the themes of global trends and competitiveness.

Additionally, from 2012 to 2013, Suzanne advised the Canton of Vaud on their international investment strategy: helping to identify potential countries for investment in Switzerland and target countries and industries for investment abroad. Other projects have included several in-depth country profiles to advise governments on their competitive strategy and teaching in various workshops and seminars worldwide.

Suzanne Rosselet received a B.S. in Economics from Stanford University, CA. She was a Post-Graduate Fellow at H.E.C., University of Lausanne, and holds a doctorate from the Geneva School of Diplomacy. Suzanne is also a graduate of IMD’s Leadership Development Program.

Mario Saba (Ph.D.) is a professor and researcher in Information Systems (IS). He has been teaching IS-related subjects since 2009 at higher education institutions in Europe, the USA, and the Middle East.

Dr. Saba has an extensive experience in professional leadership contexts too. He has developed coaching approaches for professionals at all levels. Mario Saba is a fellow faculty at Washington State University (WSU). He is the founder of the Higher Hospitality Academy of Switzerland, a network of experts who use Information Systems and Hospitality values for creating and implementing outstanding client service practices across all industries.

Mario Saba is an expert in weak signals pertaining to informational intelligence. Respectively, he undertakes applied research that tackles IS technology uses, decision-making tools, and artificial and augmented intelligence. He focuses on systemic interactions which are not easily apprehended by the classical approaches in management and publishes the results of his research in peer-reviewed international journals. Within this register, he provides advisory services which transpose weak signals into strong managerial touchpoints.

Dr. Saba holds a Ph.D. in Management Science – Information Systems, Two master’s degrees in marketing and Hospitality Management, and a PGCert in Higher Education from French and English Universities.

After completing his professional pilot training, Sandro Guidetti studied mechanical engineering, followed by postgraduate studies in business, law, and psychology. He holds a PgDipl in Business and Administration from the University of Portsmouth, an LLM in International Commercial Law from the University of Salford, and an MSc in Human Factors in Aviation from Coventry University. Sandro lived abroad for a substantial part of his professional life and had broad exposure to cultural differences.

Sandro held various management positions, both within the aviation and manufacturing industry, besides a diversified aircrew career as a pilot, instructor, and designated examiner. Furthermore, he has a good understanding of the aviation regulator perspective, having worked five years with the Swiss Civil Aviation Authority as licensing flight inspector and chief examiner SPA.

Sandro has more than twenty years of experience as a trainer and lecturer and developed many courses in the field of aviation. His main research interests are international aviation law implementation, aviation operational management and safety systems, advanced training methods, and human-automation interactions. Sandro is an Associate Member of the European Association for Aviation Psychology.

Dr. Ruby Bakshi Khurdi is a highly acclaimed innovative Educator, TEDx Speaker, and Trainer in Switzerland. She believes learning and teaching should be fun both for teachers and students!
She is an accomplished author of the book — "How to engage learners in a virtual Learning
Environment". Dr. Ruby launched her Online Learning Platform www.RubyBakshiKhurdi.com to help people across the world get knowledge and certificate sitting in the comfort of their homes. Her teaching style focuses on gamification. Recipient of various Awards for conducting engaging workshops in London, Bahrain, Amsterdam, India, Sweden, Nepal, China, Paris, Portugal, and Prague.
Dr. Ruby firmly believes Education and Communication are strong pillars in developing a progressive nation!

Her academic background includes a Doctorate in Business Administration from AUS and a Postgraduate Certification in Higher Education from the University of Derby.

Didier Thomas is a Swiss educator who has worked on diverse projects in many countries. He is a certified language teacher. His teaching technique is based on human-centered teaching philosophy. To teach, in his words, one must first comprehend human behavior. He is fascinated by human beings and how to get the most out of a person. He published a collection of short stories in 2005 under the name "Transition", which highlights the similarities between physics and human behavior.

Jenifer is the principal of Sarver Strategies, a communications consultancy. She has more than two decades of experience in media relations, crisis communications, speechwriting, coalition building, and media and presentation skills training. Her career has spanned the corporate, nonprofit, and political worlds, helping clients develop messages that resonate with their core audiences and create strategies for effectively delivering those messages through the appropriate communication channels.

In launching Sarver Strategies, Jenifer focused her skills on training and storytelling, helping clients develop a narrative that conveys their core values and then preparing them to effectively deliver that message. Jenifer has extensive experience in media and presentation skills training, having conducted workshops and one-on-one training for a wide range of public figures, including CEOs, foreign leaders, local and state political candidates and officeholders, and nonprofit leaders.

Jenifer teaches courses on public speaking, advocacy communications, speechwriting, storytelling, and confidence in communication, among other topics. She regularly presents at conferences and delivers keynotes remarks. She has conducted international training in Kenya, Tunisia, Kazakhstan, and Australia.

Jenifer spent nearly six years as Chief of Staff to Ambassador Karen Hughes, the Worldwide Vice Chair of Burson-Marsteller. In addition to supporting Ambassador Hughes, leading the Austin office, and helping drive new business development, Jenifer managed a wide variety of accounts, from corporate communications to developing internal employee communications campaigns to overseeing all aspects of grassroots and media relations for a coalition. She has also developed expertise in crisis communications, helping clients manage difficult situations from data breaches to bank failures.

Jenifer was the Deputy Director of Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Commerce in the Bush Administration. She also served as the Director of The Archer Center and was a Senior Advisor on the Washington, D.C. staff of U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. Jenifer worked in public relations at Cunningham Communications and Public Strategies, representing high tech and communications clients. She began her professional career in political campaigns, working as a Finance Director and a Deputy Campaign Manager on two separate congressional races during the 1996 election cycle.

She graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies. She received the degree of Master's in Public Administration from American University. In 2017 she was selected as a Presidential Leadership Scholar. She is the national board chair of the Women’s Public Leadership Network and on the advisory board of the LBJ Women’s Campaign School. She is on the Advisory Council of the UT Austin College of Communication, is on the Archer Center Board, and is past chairman of the board of the Texas 4000 for Cancer, as well as the Advisory Council of the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life. She is a member of the Texas Lyceum class of 2014. She was a member of the 2010 Leadership Austin Essential Class. Jenifer is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Civil Society Fellowship, A Partnership of ADL and The Aspen Institute, and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Jenifer ran in the 2018 Republican Primary to represent Texas’ 21st Congressional District in the U.S. Congress.

In early 1991, Patrick Lehner founded The PL Project, an office dedicated to providing professional translations and interpretation services. During the last 30 years, Lehner was General Manager of the Computer-Expo in Lausanne and of the Ecole de la Construction in Tolochenaz (VD). He has also served before as Head of the Information Department for the International Savings Banks Institute (ISBI) in Geneva and as Manager of the French-Swiss Chamber of Commerce (CFSCI).

A Swiss and French citizen, Lehner has a Master of research from the University of Paris I Sorbonne, an MSc in Management from EAP-European School for Management Studies (today ESCP Europe), and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Paris I Sorbonne. He started without full completion of a Bachelor’s in Translation, then in Theology at the University of Geneva. He also holds a CAS certificate as Legal Interpreter from the ZhAw and is a sworn translator.

Lehner started teaching in 1992 at the Ecole de la Construction, Tolochenaz VD, while serving as General Manager. He became a lecturer at the University of Finance, afterward Business Management University in 2002. He lectured at European University in Montreux and Geneva at BBA, MBA, and DBA levels. Lehner also teaches for PharmaSuisse in Management Techniques, at Innopark in Yverdon, and in Studio Renens about Creating a Start-Up. In 2012, He founded Universitas Cartagensis, a teaching institution in Bogota (CO) under construction.

Today, Patrick Lehner is a regular lecturer at Business School Lausanne/VD, American Institute of Applied Sciences in Switzerland/VD, and Banku Augstkola, Riga/LT. He has been teaching and organizing for 23 years the "Economic Weeks" in the French-speaking part of Switzerland and went 14 years in a row, teaching this introduction to the economy seminar at the Swiss School in Bogota/CO.

He has published different books about Human Resource Management and written several articles about HRM and IT.

Professor Wilkes’ educational background is a bachelor's degree in Pure Mathematics from Oxford and a master's degree by research in mathematics from Aberdeen. He has a broad range of experience and expertise in academia and business. He has undertaken projects within international environments. He has lived in Brazil and Saudi Arabia and has worked on management consultancy assignments in several countries in Africa and Asia.

His academic experience includes being a Professor of Production Engineering at the Post-Graduate School of Engineering (COPPE), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), and lecturing in various universities in the UK, Brazil, Switzerland, and Russia. He has also provided management training in organizations in the UK, Slovenia, and Nigeria. His main areas of interest are in the quantitative aspects of management, including Project Management, Operations Management, Supply Chain Management, Decision Analysis, Quantitative Methods, and Statistics.

His business experience includes running his own management consultancy company, which provided services in Operational Research and Information. Multiple projects were managed in the UK, including planning for the National Health Service and the Post Office. A number of missions were undertaken by him for UNCTAD in Africa and Asia; these mainly concentrated on trade infrastructure and management development. Professor Wilkes infuses the experience gained from real-life situations into his lecturing.

Co-founder
Fly Snowflake - aims to be a virtual airline offering regular niche commercial services from Geneva to Lugano with electric planes and ad hoc business aviation services.

Director Marketing & Economic Affairs
City of Meyrin, Switzerland (2016 –2019)
Coordinated the relationship between companies, the State administration and authorities; developed quality framework conditions for existing and future businesses; promoted actions at the local level in the heart of the business community; developed marketing actions to promote business aviation and maintenance.

Director, International Affairs & Airline Business Department
Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of Geneva (CCIG) (2006-2015)
In charge of international trade, economic policies, foreign direct investment and the airline industry; member of the Senior Management board; identified needs to increase the number of sponsors; analyzed opportunities by sectors; created clusters; set up visibility schemes: increase revenue by 2.5; managed the political campaign to transfer State’s assets to the airport; successfully improved air services through B2B negotiations with airlines.

Economic Development Officer
Geneva FDI Agency, Geneva, Switzerland (1999-2005)
Promoted Geneva as an ideal location for the European headquarters of multinational companies; played an active role in getting Colgate Palmolive, Gillette, LG Chem, Polo Ralph Lauren, etc. to establish headquarters in Geneva; connected foreign companies with State departments (work permits, tax rulings) and other organizations (airport, conference centers, tourism offices, etc.)

Marketing Manager
Lemanair, Geneva, Switzerland (1997-1998)
Developed and executed plans for the creation of this regional airline; executed a robust stakeholder outreach plan to engage and partner with travel agencies, airports, and chambers of commerce in the launch of this airline.

Member of the board
Transports Publics Genevois (TPG) (Since 2011)
Smart mobility/network/infrastructure and strategy

IATA Training, Geneva, Switzerland
Diploma of Advanced Studies, Aviation management, 2020

Pilot, Geneva Flying Club / Blogger & youtuber (Premiairclassetv)

Dr. Gaidi Faraj’s professional career spans three decades and includes a variety of leadership and management roles in higher education and international business. As a global citizen, Dr. Faraj has lived and worked on four continents. His academic approach and interests are in the intersection of global challenges and future thinking. He is focused on building sustainable institutions and evolving higher education to meet the needs of a diverse, rapidly changing world.

Most recently, Dr. Faraj served as Head of College at African Leadership University (ALU) in Kigali, Rwanda, where he led a dynamic team of 100+ staff members from over 15 countries and oversaw a campus of 1,000 students from 35 countries. While at ALU, Dr. Faraj pioneered the first Global Challenges degree program on the African continent. Prior to joining ALU, Dr. Faraj managed multiple lines of business, including construction, hospitality, and financial services, as the Vice-President of Operations for a transatlantic investment firm. He is also the founder of a business development consultancy.

Dr. Faraj holds a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master’s degree in Teaching from Troy State University in Montgomery, Alabama. He is a past research fellow at Harvard University and a former University of Massachusetts Amherst W.E.B. DuBois Scholar.

Dr. Kabiraj specializes in strategic management consulting and innovation-based market research studies. He has strong international practice area and research experience in multinational corporations such as Datamatics, IndoRama, and NOCIL (Petrochemicals), a JV of Royal Dutch Shell-AMG, iCRM (KL, Malaysia), and MMT Center (JIBS, Sweden). He has spent time as a Researcher with Volkswagen Consulting AG, Germany, Schenker Logistics AB, Sweden and Center for Industrial Production, Aalborg, Denmark. He has been actively involved in research studies with Datamatics Inc, Panasonic, Telekom Malaysia, The Coca-Cola Company, SIDBI, Jasubhai Media, CIDCO, ONREC (Canada), and Schenker Logistics AB. Dr. Kabiraj presently teaches at the School of Entrepreneurship and Business at Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK), Finland. Through his teaching career in China as a tenured Full Professor and elsewhere, he has been awarded the Best Teacher Awards in 2008, 2011, 2014, and 2018 for academic research and teaching excellence.

His research interests lie in strategy, sustainability, innovation, entrepreneurship, and international business. Sajal’s research focuses on the question of how companies, in collaboration with other societal actors, can contribute to sustainable development as defined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He works together closely with practitioners from various industries to find answers to questions of practical and academic relevance. His research is characterized by a quantitative-empirical approach. In addition to active publishing, he likes to be active in collaboration with companies and other societal stakeholders and create societal impact. He has publications in the Journal of Brand Management, Environment, Development and Sustainability, Triple Helix, Journal of Business Economics and Management, Sage Open, Australasian Accounting, Business and Finance Journal, Global Business Review, Vision, Journal of Management Research, etc. He has published articles in trade journals, interviewed CEOs, and engaged in Business to business (B-to-B) industrial journalism as a Features Writer with Tata Infomedia and Jasubhai Media.

Sajal has a Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering, an MBA (Marketing & Operations), Dual Specialization, a PG Diploma in Foreign Trade, Master of Science in International Logistics & Supply Chain Management, Jonkoping University, Sweden, Ph.D. (Strategy and Information Technology), Indian Institute of Information Technology & Management, Gwalior (An Apex Govt. of India University), International Professional Teacher Education program, HAMK, Finland.

Sajal is an experienced, innovative, and enthusiastic academic who is committed to providing students with an enriching learning experience.  Sajal has a strong international academic record in research and teaching in Sustainability, Strategy, and International Business with proficiency in Quantitative Methods and Analysis, Research Design, and Plan Development. Sajal received the Outstanding Contribution Award for Research and Teaching from Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, Dalian, PR China in 2018. He has been awarded the highest honor to foreign experts “Xinghai Friendship Award 2015” by the Mayor of Dalian City, Dalian Municipal Government, PR China. Initiated in 1996, the Xinghai Friendship Award is the city’s highest honor for achievement by a foreigner in education, economic and social development. He received an honorary award from Dean, HAMK, Finland in 2023 for designing a Master’ course in Sustainability. He has supervised theses at the postgraduate level, including MBA, MSc, and Doctoral students. He is a Ph.D. supervisor and examiner. Sajal is a team person and a firm believer in the 3 R’s - Rigor, Relevance, and Results.

Dr. Haruka Marufuji has been an Adjunct academic at Alliance Manchester Business School (UK) and a Lecturer at Middlesex University Dubai (UAE) prior to joining AUS. She is also the Founder & Managing Director of Altavant Consulting, a retail technology firm helping to transform the retail landscape.

Seasoned in leading projects of business development and strategy implementations in multi-cultural context, she has a wealth of international experience working with both private and public sectors in diverse markets. Haruka has held various international roles throughout her 20 years of corporate career in a range of industries including retail, entertainment, media, financial services, and FMCG. Her previous employers include multinational conglomerates such as Sony Corporation, Viacom, and Philip Morris International. She has lived in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Embracing both the challenges and the opportunities of leading across borders, Haruka’s research has focused on global / cross-cultural leadership and gender traits. Her contribution to publications has been on topics around globalization, multiculturalism, and education.

Haruka holds a B. A in International Relations from Sophia University (Japan), MBA from Webster Univesity Geneva (Switzerland), and a DBA from Manchester University (UK). She has a Higher Education Certification from Harvard Derek Bok Center for Teaching & Learning, and is an advanced certified Cultural Intelligence facilitator and an EMCC accredited performance coach.

Dmytro Kylymnyuk received an MA degree from Kyiv School of Economics (Ukraine) in 2003. After obtaining his PhD in Economics from the University of Toulouse (France) in 2009, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Research in Economics and Statistics (CREST) teaching at the École nationale de la statistique et de l’administration économique (ENSAE) in Paris. Dmytro moved to Switzerland in 2010 and since then worked in several public and private universities and business schools including the University of Geneva, Pepperdine University, Webster University, etc. He joined AUS in 2023, where he teaches Microeconomics and Game Theory.

Dr Haluk Haksal is an expert with over twenty years of experience in academic research, training,
and publishing in the field of economic development and sustainability, as well as in international
organizations like the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the International
Labor Organization.

He holds a Master’s degree in Finance and a Ph.D. in Economics from Swiss universities. He is the
author of a book on economic development, which offers a solid, theoretically informed, and
multi-faceted account of the struggles faced by a developing country and the mixed results that
emerge as it attempts a transition towards a market economy.

He has also conducted research on external imbalances in the Eurozone and debt management
with a development economics perspective.

Education:
Ph.D. in Economic and Social Sciences, University of Geneva
Master of Science in Banking and Finance, HEC-University of Lausanne
Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business, University of Florence
Areas of Expertise:

Economic development
Green Economics
Financial Markets
Sustainable Finance

Dr. Jonatan Zimenkov is a distinguished expert in economics and financial management, bringing a wealth of experience from the world of finance and macroeconomic policy. Currently, he serves as Senior Vice President at a private bank in the CIS where he oversees the liquidity and risk management at the treasury as well as the integration of new emerging technologies that bridge the gap between tradition banking and digital assets. His leadership has been instrumental in guiding mergers, acquisitions, artificial intelligence integration and the bank's strategic expansion across Euroasia.

Beyond banking, Dr. Zimenkov is a lead investor and advisor of multiple UHNWI family offices, where he helps build and manage diversified portfolios of successful investments across Latin America, Africa, Middle East and Eurasia often in conjunction with global investment banking firms. In addition to that, Dr. Zimenkov has also advised country and industry leaders on topics of critical economic reforms and macroeconomic policies.

Dr. Zimenkov’s diverse and global experience in high-level management and finance brings a wealth of practical knowledge to his students. He is dedicated to present the workings of academic theory in real-world application as well as demonstrating the delta in between to empower the next generation of leaders in finance and business.

Dr. Zimenkov's academic achievements reflect a deep commitment to understanding global financial systems and international relations. He holds a Bachelor degree in Global Financial Management and a Master's degree in International Relations and a Doctorate in Business Administration.

Dr. Olivier Naray brings over 17 years of international experience. He advises companies, organizations, and individuals in safeguarding and advancing their interests with external stakeholders at the intersection of private business, the public sector, media, research, and civil society. Drawing on his extensive network within Geneva’s diplomatic community and Swiss politics, Olivier has supported clients across diverse sectors, including digitalization, ICT, commodities, public health, and international trade.

Since 2017, Olivier has served as President of the Public Affairs Committee for Groupement Romand de l’Informatique, the largest ICT professionals' interest group in Western Switzerland. In this role, he has represented their interests within the national umbrella association for ICT.

From 2010 to 2017, Olivier managed large-scale projects at the International Trade Centre (United Nations / World Trade Organization) under the Netherlands Trust Fund. His work focused on supporting SMEs from emerging markets in Africa and Asia, particularly in ICT, BPO, offshoring, and agribusiness.

Dr Naray is a reviewer for two scientific business journals' editorial boards (International Trade Journal; International Journal of Diplomacy and Economy). He has published in peer-reviewed journals and books (Emerald Insight; The International Trade Journal; The Hague Journal of Diplomacy). He holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland), an M.A. in International Affairs from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna (Austria), and an M.Sc. in Political Sciences from the University of Geneva (Switzerland).

A sociologist of gender in global governance, Associate Professor Dr. Eleanor T. Khonje has extensive research and professional experience in gender, business and sustainable development. In particular, she works and researches on gender, diversity and inclusion in business and public sector organizations; women’s economic empowerment through entrepreneurship; social entrepreneurship; public-private partnerships; corporate social responsibility and leadership and management. Dr. Khonje teaches courses at BSL on personal branding and gender, diversity and inclusion.

Beyond the academic context, Dr. Khonje is an experienced entrepreneur, leadership speaker and coach, and has many years of professional experience in international development, community development, project management, capacity building and strategic communications. She has worked with both the public and private sectors in over 10 countries, thriving in different capacities and serving a myriad of reputable institutions.

Motivated by the individual’s immeasurable capacity to transform and embody their unique totality, through her company ETK Leadership Solutions, Dr. Khonje predominantly works with women leaders to equip them with the tools and skills to build and strengthen their individual strengths and authentic leadership capacity. Committed to service, Dr. Khonje gives back through The African Diaspora Leadership in Action (ADLA), a projects-based NGO she founded to foster community-led development in underprivileged communities on the African continent.

Dr. Khonje holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science-International Relations, and has minors in English and Communications, from The University of Texas at Arlington, Texas. She holds a master’s degree in Development Studies from the Graduate Institute Geneva. Dr. Khonje has a PhD in Social Sciences from The University of Lausanne where she defended her dissertation titled, Neoliberalized Feminism in Nigeria: "Developing" the Global Entrepreneurial Woman.

Founder of LMK Training and Koenig Financial Education

Dr. Laure Matsoukis is a Finance Expert, Educator, and Entrepreneur with over 20 years of
experience in corporate finance, financial education, and entrepreneurship. She holds a Ph.D.
in Finance and an M.Sc. in Finance from Université Paris-Dauphine, an MIM from EDHEC
Business School, and a Higher Education Teaching Certificate from Harvard.
Dr. Matsoukis has an extensive international background, having worked in Europe, Asia, and
the USA across both academic and corporate sectors. She began her career as a Senior
Consultant at Ernst & Young, specializing in corporate treasury and financial risk
management, before transitioning to research and academia. She has held teaching positions
at institutions such as Université Paris Sciences & Lettres (France), Grenoble Ecole de
Management (France), Saint John Fisher College (USA), and the State University of New
York (USA). She currently teaches Introduction to Finance (BSBA level) and International
Finance (MIBA level) at the American Institute of Applied Sciences in Switzerland. Her
courses cover financial decision-making, corporate finance, risk management, and
international financial markets.
In addition to her academic roles, Dr. Matsoukis is the Founder of Koenig Financial
Education and LMK Training, two companies dedicated to providing tailored financial
education and strategic consulting for financial institutions, SMEs, and startups. She has
helped over 400 businesses worldwide navigate financial challenges, optimize capital
structures, and improve strategic decision-making.
A recognized speaker, Dr. Matsoukis regularly presents at business conferences and
entrepreneurial networks, sharing insights on financial decision-making, SME financial
strategy, and business growth.

Dr. Natalia Raksha is an accomplished academic and strategic consultant with a wealth of expertise in strategic management, leadership, business negotiations, intercultural management, and sustainability innovation. With a strong academic background, she holds a PhD in Economics and Enterprise Management from Kyiv National University of Trade and Economics (KNUTE), Ukraine, and has extensive experience in both teaching and consulting.

Currently, Dr. Raksha serves as an adjunct professor at various prestigious institutions, including the American Institute of Applied Sciences (AUS) in Switzerland, Swiss UMEF (University of Applied Science Institute), and Key West University (KWU) in the United States. Her academic focus spans from negotiations and conflict resolution to sustainability, entrepreneurship, and leadership. She has been a key player in developing partnerships between Ukrainian, European, and American universities, contributing significantly to international collaboration in education.

In addition to her academic career, Dr. Raksha is a successful entrepreneur and consultant, leading Raksha Swiss Consulting in Geneva, Switzerland, where she specializes in sustainability strategies and business development. Her work focuses on helping companies implement sustainable practices and align their processes with environmental considerations. She has also served as a strategic adviser to major companies like Auchan, Renault Group, BMW, and Toyota, providing insight into business strategies, operational effectiveness, and market trends.

Dr. Raksha is fluent in multiple languages, including Russian, Ukrainian, English, Italian, and French, which allows her to engage with a diverse range of academic and professional communities globally.
Her research interests and academic contributions focus on sustainability, management, and entrepreneurship, and she has authored numerous publications in these fields.

Fereshteh Vahidi is a researcher and lecturer with over a decade of experience across academia and industry, specializing in supply chain management, analytical marketing, consumer behavior, and data-driven decision-making. She is in the final stage of her PhD at the Geneva School of Economics and Management, where her research focuses on product quality and customer behavior, offering valuable insights for both operations managers and marketers. Moreover, she holds both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Industrial Engineering, which provide her with a strong analytical and systems-thinking foundation.

Fereshteh has successfully applied her expertise in FMCG and banking sectors, bridging academic research with real-world business needs. At AUS, she teaches academic research methods, connecting theory with practice through hands-on, evidence-based learning. Her goal is to provide students with the tools they need to apply research effectively, promoting critical thinking and structured, analytical problem-solving.