I hold the IB Diploma from The Sultan's School, and a BSc and an MSc from Brunel University London. Since June 2021, I have been a doctoral candidate in Innovation and Management at the University of Central Lancashire. My certificates include Summer of Code, the National Youth Program and Etimad.
The Sultan's School, 2011 to 2013
I studied for the International Baccalaureate Diploma at The Sultan's School from 2011 to 2013. The IB is an internationally recognised pre-university qualification. Its academic standards are high.
Those standards set my pace for later study and work. Today I run a group of companies next to a full-time institutional career. That load started with the discipline I built at school.
Brunel: Economics and Management, 2013 to 2016
In 2013 I moved to London for a BSc in Economics and Management at Brunel University London. I finished in 2016. The degree gave me my base in markets, firms and how organisations make decisions.
Economics also gave me tools. My skills include EViews and Bloomberg, two tools for economic analysis. Later, at the Central Bank of Oman, I did economics research. At ITHCA Group, I now lead strategic planning across more than 20 portfolio companies. Each step uses the analysis I first learned at Brunel.
Brunel again: Sustainability, Entrepreneurship and Design, 2016 to 2017
I stayed at Brunel for an MSc in Sustainability, Entrepreneurship and Design. The course ran from September 2016 to December 2017. It focused on sustainable business practice and on design thinking for new ventures.
My first job overlapped with the master's. At Reckitt Benckiser in 2017, I helped improve Dettol packaging with sustainability principles. The course and the job fed each other. Entrepreneurship later became my daily work: since 2019, I have led BHD Group as founder and CEO.
Summer of Code, 2017
In September 2017, I completed Summer of Code with the Information Technology Authority (ITA). It was an intensive programme in coding and software development.
For an economics graduate, this was a new skill. It mattered more than I expected. Software development is now on my CV as a skill. BHD Group runs on our own systems: an ERP, a CRM, a WhatsApp platform and AI agents. I can read and shape that work because I learned to code.
Royal Academy of Management: National Youth Program, 2019
In November 2019, I completed the National Youth Program at the Royal Academy of Management. It is a national leadership programme for emerging Omani leaders.
The timing was useful. In 2019 I took on BHD Group as founder and CEO. In December 2019 I joined Oman Aviation Group as a Specialist Business Planner. The programme came at the point where I moved from analysis into leadership roles.
Doctorate at UCLan, since June 2021
In June 2021, I started a doctorate in Innovation and Management at the University of Central Lancashire. My research is on innovation management and strategic business development. It is still in progress.
A doctorate next to a full-time job is a long project. My work in those years included the Oman Vision 2040 Unit, Oman Broadband and now ITHCA Group. These roles give my research real cases. The research, in turn, makes me test my ideas before I act on them.
Royal Academy of Management: Etimad, 2024
In June 2024, I received the Etimad certificate from the Royal Academy of Management. Etimad is a leadership and management certification programme. In February 2025, I became Head of Strategic Planning at ITHCA Group.
What the path adds up to
My studies did not follow one straight subject. They moved from economics to sustainable design, then to code and leadership, and then to innovation research. Each step matched a need in my work at that time.
My advice to a student is simple. Choose a first degree that teaches you how to analyse. Then add skills when your work shows you what is missing.
Related: Education and Awards and certificates.