Qatar Foundation Appoints Dr Hend Zainal President of Higher Education

Qatar Foundation has announced the appointment of Dr Hend Zainal as its President of Higher Education. She will assume the position with effect from 1 January 2027.

Dr Zainal began her career in higher education in 2005, holding roles at several of Qatar Foundation's partner universities. She joined Qatar Foundation in 2015 and has since played a central role in advancing and implementing the organisation's higher education strategy.

As President of Higher Education, Dr Zainal will oversee the continued development and implementation of this strategy. Her responsibilities will include advancing Qatar Foundation's distinctive higher education model and guiding its partnerships with international universities.

She will also oversee the programmes and opportunities offered by Qatar Foundation's Higher Education Division to support students throughout their academic journeys. These responsibilities cover the broader educational environment through which the foundation connects students with academic resources, institutional partnerships and opportunities across its higher education ecosystem.

Before the new appointment, Dr Zainal served as Executive Director of Strategy, Management and Partnerships within Qatar Foundation's Higher Education Division. In that role, she worked on the strategic direction of the division and the management of relationships supporting the foundation's higher education model.

Her connection with Qatar Foundation's education ecosystem began before she joined the organisation as an employee. Dr Zainal is an alumna of two Qatar Foundation partner universities, and her academic journey included studying design at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar. Her subsequent work enabled her to witness and contribute to the development of Qatar Foundation's higher education landscape.

In 2023, Dr Zainal was selected for the American Council on Education Fellows Programme for the 2023-2024 academic year. The year-long leadership development programme is designed to strengthen educators' skills, expand their understanding of higher education leadership and prepare them for senior roles in the sector.

Her selection made her the first person from Qatar and only the second from the Gulf region to join the fellowship. She was also the only participant in the programme's 2023-2024 cohort from outside the United States.

At the time of her selection, Dr Zainal said she intended to make the most of the programme's opportunities for gathering and exchanging knowledge, then bring that experience back to Qatar. She said the knowledge gained would support the continued development of Qatar Foundation's higher education strategy and contribute to higher education in Qatar more broadly.

She also said the fellowship offered an opportunity to represent Qatar as the country gained international recognition as an education hub and to highlight its significant investment and efforts in education among international higher education leaders.

Dr Zainal has described education as both her work and her passion. Her progression from studying within Qatar Foundation's university ecosystem to helping shape its strategy, partnerships and management has formed the background to her appointment as President of Higher Education.

From January 2027, she will lead the next stage of Qatar Foundation's higher education strategy while continuing to strengthen its model, international university partnerships and the programmes and opportunities designed to support students at each stage of their academic journey.

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