Senior Management Team
Dr. Kate Gerrard
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Dr. Kate Gerrard is Study World’s Chief Operating Officer (COO). She is responsible for driving the strategic growth of Study World with direct reporting to Study World’s CEO.
Kate was educated at the universities of Birmingham (BA (Hons), PhD) and Oxford (Masters), and has spent the last twelve years in a number of senior leadership roles in UK higher education institutions, after starting her career in museums and galleries management. Most recently, she was Director of Faculty Operations at De Montfort University, Leicester (DMU), before taking on the position of Director of Global Campus Operations to support the establishment of the university’s first overseas branch campus at DMU Dubai.
Since starting to work with Study World through DMU Dubai, Kate has continually been impressed with the professionalism, commitment and vision of the Study World team, and is really delighted to be joining that team.
Kate also has experience in school and charity governance and is on the board of several international development charities. Until recently she was Chair of Governors for a large city primary school in the UK. Outside of work, she enjoys yoga, gardening and other outdoor activities – and is looking forward to exploring all of these in her new home in the UAE!
Mr. Vinod Neethakandam
Senior Vice President
Mr. Vinod is the Senior Vice-President of Study World Group and is primarily responsible for all legal and financial aspects of the business. He started his career in India before moving to Dubai and has vast experience in a wide range of industries, both in UAE and abroad.
Mr. Jayakrishnan
Director HR and Operations
Mr. Jayakrishnan joined the group in 2008. He is responsible for all HR & admin related activities of the whole group worldwide. He is in charge of overseeing corporate affairs, general office administration, and management of personnel, wages and training. He ensures the compliance with legal, contractual or statutory procedures on personnel management such as recruiting, welfare benefits & work contracts. As the Director – HR & Operations, Mr.Jayakrishnan works closely with the senior management team, to elaborate on the company’s human resources strategy in line with the company’s development goals. He manages personnel’s individual and collective development, such as training, assessment & promotions.
Mr.Jayakrishnan also serves as the liaison between administrative personnel & senior management and overseas day to day operations and manages the following departments as well - Administration & HR, Transport & Accommodation, Visa Services, Facilities Management
He ensures that needs are handled expeditiously in line with organization’s strategy. He started his career as an entrepreneur and has 20 years of experience.
Mr. Nikhil Gangadharan
Vice President Legal and Corporate Affairs
Nikhil is the Vice President of Legal and Corporate Affairs at Study World, and he specifically focuses on TNE, M&A and joint ventures. He has a wide range of experience from arbitration to public policy matters in multiple jurisdictions.
He is also the Director of Study World Education Limited, United Kingdom and he graduated from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.
Furthermore, he is a Founding Member of Uhubs; a global learner community based in London and a graduate of The Founder Institute.
Dr. Kishore Sirnani
Vice President Marketing and Business Development
E3D=Success (Excellence in Every Endeavour through Dedication, Determination and Devotion)
This is Kishore’s personal mission statement which he lives by to the core. Kishore has been with the Study World Group since it’s inception and brings with him extensive marketing and international business development expertise.
Having won several accolades and a national prize from the government of India for his outstanding academic performance, he started his career teaching and progressed to achieve significant student recruitment growth for the group.
With passion, creativity and an “I can” attitude, Dr. Sirnani currently serves as the Vice President – Marketing and Business Development for Study World and is focused on achieving the group’s strategic vision.
Prof. Ramakrishnan Ramachandran
Chief Academic Advisor
Prof. Ramachandran is the Chief Academic Advisor of Study World Group and oversees all academic, teaching, learning, and pedagogical strategies at all Study World institutions worldwide.
Mr. Donald Nambudiri
VP- Higher Education Projects & Business Development
Mr. Donald Nambudiri has been part of the higher education industry in Dubai/UAE since 2004 . was responsible for heading the operations of 3 higher education institutions in Dubai and successfully turning them around. Worked with senior management of Dubai International Academic City ( DIAC/TECOM), 2008-13 and being responsible for the relationship and business development of partners/Higher Education Institutions in DIAC before joining Study World in 2014.
With Study World , Mr. Donald has been involved and significantly contributed towards the group’s effort in setting up new green field projects, acquisitions, new partnerships, strategic initiatives, student acquisition , marketing, and finally heading the operations of Global College Malta, Europe ( June 2019-June 2022) with P&L responsibilities and so on and so forth. After the stint in Malta, Mr. Donald is currently handling new strategic projects and partnerships for the group.