Honoris operates with a decentralised model. There are no prescriptive governance requirements of the 14 institutions (i.e., how they construct their governance structures/membership/invitees and attendees etc) however there is a requirement for compliance with the Delegation of Authority and Honoris’ Code of Conduct. Engagement with leadership of the 14 institutions is regular.
Jonathan Louw
Group Chief Executive Officer,
Based in South Africa
Jonathan Louw
Group Chief Executive Officer, Based in: South Africa
Dr. Louw brings nearly 30 years of general management and board experience across developed and emerging markets in private equity, healthcare and FMCG. He has led a business career focused on results but also on mission-driven organizations. His experience in the healthcare and pharma sectors has enabled him to make significant, even life-saving contributions in South Africa and beyond his home country. He has led businesses through transformational changes. He has been successful leading organizations in highly regulated environments while maintaining strong stakeholder relationships.
Dr. Jonathan Louw joined Honoris United Universities from the South African National Blood Service (SANBS), where he served as CEO of the organisation across 185 sites and 2,700 staff. During his three-year tenure at SANBS, Dr. Louw oversaw the entire value chain of blood donation, testing and logistics through transfusion to patients across South Africa and succeeded in driving revenue growth of 17%. Additionally, he spearheaded innovation through the initiation of the organization’s first ever drone project, which transports life-saving blood products to patients in rural areas while also implementing convalescent plasma trials for the treatment of COVID-19.
Previously, he served in various leadership roles in private equity, across healthcare and pharmaceuticals, and was the CEO of JSE listed Adcock Ingram for many years.
Dr. Louw began his career in medicine in 1993 as a practicing doctor following the completion of his studies for an MB. ChB from the University of Cape Town, where he also holds an MBA.
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Field Leadership
Houbeb Ajmi
Managing Director of the Université Centrale Group, Tunisia
Houbeb Ajmi
Managing Director of the Université Centrale Group, Tunisia
Houbeb brings with her a long career in the management of large accounts. An IT engineer, graduated from the National School of IT Sciences (ENSI), she started her professional experience as an IT Manager at Tunisie Electronique in 1995.
In 2001, Houbeb created her own start up in the IT field, a company called SMS (Software Management Solutions) which was a pioneer in the sphere of the HP software business. In 2006, she took over the management of the mother company “Tunisie Electronique” and headed both companies until June 2017.
A few years later, Houbeb was able to expand the business (SMS and TE) to the MENA Region, where she contracted with big firms in North Africa and the Gulf countries, such as Telco companies.
In 2017, she made a switch in her career path towards the challenging field of private higher education, and is now heading Académie D’Art de Carthage, Institut Maghrébin des Sciences Economiques et de Technologies (IMSET), The Medical Simulation Centre, Honoris Collective Lab, Honoris Career Center, Honoris Certification and Languages Center, Université Centrale and UPSAT, all institutions of Honoris Tunisia.
She is currently determined to position this group among the top-ranking universities at the international levels and to guarantee the best future for her students.
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Lamjed Bettaieb
Deputy General Manager of ESPRIT Group, Tunisia
Lamjed Bettaieb
Deputy General Manager of ESPRIT Group, Tunisia
Lamjed is the Deputy CEO of the Esprit Group and oversees a staff of 700, including 400 full-time faculty members who provide academic training to more than 12,000 engineering and business students. He has over 30 years of experience in the higher education industry.
He has been teaching computer networking and software engineering for 20 years. He started at Esprit, since its inception in 2003, as a technical director and then assumed the responsibility of academic director for 12 years. During his tenure, he led pedagogical reforms, mainly active pedagogy, based on problem-based and project-based learning.
He has published many articles and a book chapter in this field and has organized various train the trainer workshops on active pedagogy and positive education.
Lamjed led the successful achievement of the European accreditation (EURACE) for all ESPRIT programs in addition to the active membership to the CDIO initiative.
Lamjed holds an engineering degree in computer science from the Ecole Nationale d’Informatique de Tunis-Tunisia (ENSI) and an MBA from IAE-Dauphine Paris. He is currently finalizing his Master’s thesis in clinical psychology. He is trilingual in Arabic/French/English.
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Hassan Filali
CEO of Honoris United Universities, Morocco
Hassan Filali
CEO of Honoris United Universities, Morocco
Hassan Filali started his career with Schlumberger Oilfield Services as a field engineer in 1989. Over a 5 years career he held various responsibilities in postings in Italy, Libya and India.
In 1996, he joined ABN AMRO Bank in Amsterdam as Vice President responsible for project financing in the oil sector. He held various responsibilities in Amsterdam and Chicago before joining the top executive group of ABN AMRO in 2006, as the Global Head of Capital Management.
In 2009, Hassan moved back to Morocco to join the executive committee of OCP as Head of Strategy and Corporate Development.
In 2011 he started a consulting practice in Amsterdam, specialized in Asset & Liability Management of large financial institutions.
He joined Honoris as CEO of Honoris Morocco in March 2018 after 3 years of activity in the education sector, first as CEO of Sana Education and then as a founder of K12 schools.
Hassan holds an engineering degree from INSA de Lyon and an MBA from INSEAD.
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Mohamed Goga
Managing Director of MANCOSA, South Africa
Mohamed Goga
Managing Director of MANCOSA, South Africa
Mohamed, the CEO of MANCOSA, is an adept leader with over 20 year’s experience in management.
After completing his articles, Mohamed started his career with the Lion Match Company as Group Accountant. He was subsequently appointed Financial Executive at one of South Africa’s largest FMCG companies, Tiger Brands Limited. His role as a Financial Executive has exposed him to the exigencies of doing business in over 10 countries across Africa with extensive experience in South Africa and also living in Tanzania and Mauritius. As a consultant to larger businesses, Mohamed has assisted organisations in optimizing their strategy, business development and management (financial and general) practices. He has also consulted on the conceptualisation and implementation of key Greenfield projects across various sectors including pharmaceutical, retail, manufacturing, motor and printing.
Since joining MANCOSA in 2011 due to his passion for education, Mohamed has been instrumental in crafting a successful expansion strategy that has resulted in remarkable growth of the institution’s footprint across Southern Africa and beyond. His achievements and influence at MANCOSA serve as a clear indication of his passion for providing quality, affordable education.
Mohamed is a qualified Chartered Accountant, CA (SA).
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Tahar Ben Lakhdar
CEO of ESPRIT, School of Engineering, Tunisia
Tahar Ben Lakhdar
CEO of ESPRIT, School of Engineering, Tunisia
Tahar is the CEO of the Esprit Group has been involved in public higher education and vocational training reforms in Tunisia for over four decades with a prominent advocacy position for preparing engineering students to become operational, high employable engineers ready to tackle the challenges of the 21st century.
He founded ESPRIT in 2003 whose student population soared from 40 students in 2003 towards 12,000 engineering and business students today.
After securing the accreditation for all of its engineering programs, Tahar championed the establishment of Esprit Foundation the mission of which was to assist and nurture talented and needy students, to pursue their studies and to reduce the social divide among youngsters.
Prior to founding ESPRIT, contributed towards the establishment of the ISET network: the first higher institute of technology in Tunisia, IPEIN: the first preparatory institute for entrance to engineering schools in Tunisia, and ESPTT: the Tunisian School of Posts and Telecommunications.
He served as a consultant for various Ministries in Tunisia and for many International agencies on projects pertaining to vocational training and educational reforms and restructuring.
Tahar is originally a graduate of University Paris XIII, France, where he earned a Ph.D. degree in Physics in 1978. He is bilingual in Arabic/French.
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Prof. Reshad Jaumally
Director Of Honoris Educational Network, Mauritius
Prof. Reshad Jaumally
Director Of Honoris Educational Network, Mauritius
Prof Jaumally M Reshad is the Director of Honoris Educational Network and has been heading this institution since its inception two decades ago. In Mauritius, the educational landscape was still in an embryonic state with plenty of gaps. This was an opportunity which helped the organisation to grow from rented space to a campus-based institution in Highlands.
With the leadership of Prof Jaumally, Honoris Educational Network has seen steady growth. He ensures that all the efforts the institution makes are student-centric and the programmes are affordable. With the vision of Prof Jaumally, to make the offerings at the institution more contemporary, more tech-oriented programmes (coding bootcamp) were launched.
Prof Jaumally has enjoyed a rich career as a public officer at the Division of Veterinary Services where he exercised as Senior Veterinary Officer. During his tenure in office, he has overseen the Animal Health Laboratory and has contributed to the scientific advancement of the veterinary fraternity. He has published many scientific articles and has travelled extensively into Africa, Europe, Canada, and the USA in the capacity of Regional Representatives of international organisations for animal Health (OIE) and epidemiology. He is also responsible for the isolation of Bovine Tuberculosis and Anthrax, two pathogens of zoonotic importance amongst others.
Prof. Jaumally graduated from the Bombay Veterinary College and underwent intense training in France, Japan, and South Africa in Virology and vaccine production. He holds a Masters from the Management College of Southern Africa.
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Dr Ahmed Shaikh
Managing Director of Regent Business School, South Africa
Dr Ahmed Shaikh
Managing Director of Regent Business School, South Africa
As the Managing Director of REGENT Business School, Ahmed plays a leading role in the leadership, growth and development of the Honoris Universities Network across Southern Africa. He oversees several strategic programs for Honoris, including the development and rollout of academic makerspaces, 21st learning environments and the development of employability initiatives.
He also acts as Head of Selections for Honoris students nominated to participate in the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings in Germany; an elite academic establishment which is collaborating with Honoris to increase participation and promote research in natural sciences and economics across Africa.
Ahmed began his working career as a mechanical engineer and then spent ten years working in the NGO sector and served as an executive board member for several non-profit organisations. During this time, Ahmed travelled extensively across Africa, the Middle East and South East Asia. He has also served as the Deputy President of the South African Business School’s Association (SABSA) and worked as Research Advisor to the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry in South Africa.
Ahmed holds an MBA Degree and a Doctorate in Philosophy (PhD) in Leadership and Business Administration. He regularly writes and publishes articles on a range of topics including higher education, employability and leadership.
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John Vermaaten
Pro-Chancellor of Nile University Of Nigeria
John Vermaaten
Pro-Chancellor of Nile University Of Nigeria
John is a senior executive with a 30-plus year career in international business, working for best-in-class global corporations in construction and infrastructure, green and renewable energy, technology, banking, professional services and higher education sectors. He has worked in more than 50 countries in the Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia/Pacific regions. He has worked and lived in Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Nigeria.
He has more than 12 years in the Education sector. Most recently, John was the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for Anaergia which is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and a global leader in producing renewable energy. Prior to Anaergia, John spent six years with Laureate Education, one of the world’s largest networks of private universities. His last role there was Chief Financial Officer of EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia).
Before entering the Education sector, his experience includes Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer at several companies including Pitney Bowes, a global technology and e-commerce company, PetMed Express, an e-commerce pet pharmacy based in the United States, KPMG and others.
John has a Bachelor of Science with a concentration in Accounting from Virginia Commonwealth University. John is originally from Richmond, Virginia.
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Functional Leadership / HoldCo
Laura Kakon
Group Chief Growth and Strategy Officer,
Based in: Morocco
Laura Kakon
Group Chief Growth and Strategy Officer, Based in: Morocco
Joining in 2016, Laura Kakon is Group Chief Growth and Strategy Officer at Honoris United Universities.
Laura is in charge of identifying and steering Honoris’ long-term growth strategy and driving value creation across the network through differentiation, competitive advantage and innovation. Having been at the forefront of Honoris’ emergence as a pioneer in 21st century skills development across the network, Laura plays a critical leadership role by spearheading the Marketing, Sales and Public Affairs function of the organization. In addition, she drives digital, skilling and employability initiatives that reflect Honoris’ commitment to embracing the digital transformation across the student journey and its strategy to reshape and rethink education to continually improve learning outcomes and graduate readiness for the future of work.
With nearly 25 years of experience and great agility to lead international and multicultural projects, Laura is a seasoned and passionate leader with proven leadership experience in several key positions in the Education sector (with Laureate International Universities Group) and the business sector, including 11 years with the L’Oréal Group where she held several global management positions covering the USA, Europe and Asia – roles that catalyzed her expertise in brand building and customer acquisition and experience.
Laura also serves as a board member of non-profit organizations focusing on youth mental health and is involved in numerous international initiatives to promote women empowerment and leadership.
Laura is a graduate of the ESCP Business School, Université Paris Dauphine, and Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique where she recently obtained a certificate in Collective Intelligence.
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Jose Peran
Group Chief Business Development Officer,
Based in: Spain/France
Jose Peran
Group Chief Business Development Officer, Based in: Spain/France
Jose joined Honoris in 2020 as Senior Advisor. Prior to that, he was COO and CSO of INSEEC U, the leading French private provider of higher education, responsible for operations, digital transformation, strategic growth, and business development initiatives. Jose spent 11 years at Laureate (LIU) holding various senior development and operational roles, including VP M&A Europe, CFO of LIU’s French operations and CEO of Ecole de Hautes Etudes Internationales et Politiques. Jose started his career for 7 years in E&Y’s Transaction Services department and has been a board member in profit and non-profit higher education institutions
Jose has 20+ years of experience (15+ years in Education) and holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Durham University and an MA in Economics from Exeter University
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Luis Ramirez-Alonso
Group Chief Human Resources Officer,
Based in: US/Spain
Luis Ramirez-Alonso
Group Chief Human Resources Officer, Based in: US/Spain
Luis joined Honoris in 2020. He was before Vice President of Human Resources, Professional Education at Adtalem Global Education. He was previously Founder and Principal at LRA HR Solutions, providing senior HR consulting services to companies worldwide.Prior to founding his consultancy, Luis spent 10 years at LIU, holding various roles in HR, and most recently as Vice President Human Resources, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa. He started his career at Iberia Airlines of Spain in Chicago followed by 13 years at Motorola in various international HR leadership roles
Luis has 30+ years of experience (12+ years in Education) and holds a Bachelor in Geography and History from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and a MHRIR from Loyola University in Chicago
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Oussama Trabelsi
Group Chief Financial Officer,
Based in: Tunisia
Oussama Trabelsi
Group Chief Financial Officer, Based in: Tunisia
Oussama is Chief Financial Officer of Honoris United Universities. He joined the network in June 2015 after spending 8 years as Chief Financial Officer of the Altea Packaging Group. Altea Packaging Group is a leader in the packaging Industry in the MENA region.
During those years, Oussama actively participated in the group’s mergers & acquisitions operations, leading, in particular, to the purchase of the Egyptian leader in the sector. He was also responsible for taking the Altea Group into Algeria as well as initiating the financing of the group’s expansion.
Prior to joining Altea, Oussama was a manager for PwC. He directed many audit and legal assignments for large local and international organisations, operating in different sectors including insurance, hospitality, telecommunications and industry.
He also participated in a number of important due diligence studies within the mergers and acquisitions operations, particularly for the privatisation of a public bank and the Tunisian Government’s public offer for the construction and exploitation of the country’s biggest airport.
Oussama holds a diploma in Public Accountancy and a Master’s in financial management from the Tunisian Institute of Higher Commercial Studies in Carthage, Tunis.
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Digital Division
Melindi Britz
Managing Director, Honoris Digital Division,
Based in: UK
Melindi Britz
Managing Director, Honoris Digital Division, Based in: UK
Melindi is the Managing Director of the Honoris Digital Division. She brings twenty-plus years of executive experience in the IT and higher education sectors with a special focus on online learning, operations, and business development.
She joined after six years at 2U edX where she held a wide range of leadership positions, most recently as senior vice president for university partnerships. There she was responsible for setting up 2U’s UK operations and establishing many of the company’s prestigious partnerships such as the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, and The London School of Economics.
For years, she has been committed to leveraging technology in higher education in Africa and has supported several businesses to grow from a start-up phase to maturity.
Her formal training began in the early stages of her career and focused on programming and coding and the impact of IT platforms on education. She later complemented her passion for technology with management studies at the London School of Business and Management. Melindi is originally from South Africa.
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