The Chairman, Mr Stuart Walker is a partner with Afridi & Angell, a full-service Dubai law firm. Mr Walker specialises in financial-services regulation, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and employment matters. Prior to joining the firm, Mr Walker was a solicitor in the banking department of Lovells in London. Born in Scotland, he grew up in Hong Kong and has lived and worked in London, Hong Kong, New York and Dubai. He wrote for and edited various magazines, trade journals and other publications before qualifying as a lawyer. Stuart has three children, all of whom have been educated at JESS. He joined the Board in 2015 and was appointed Chairman in 2016.

Dr Sapna Verma graduated from the University of Birmingham Medical School in 1994 and was awarded Membership of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in 1998. She undertook postgraduate training in Paediatric Emergency Medicine in the UK, which included a one-year fellowship at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead in Sydney, Australia. She was appointed as a Consultant in Paediatric Emergency Medicine at Birmingham Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (UK) in 2003 becoming a Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in 2005. Sapna is also a member of the Association of Paediatric Emergency Medicine (APEM). In Dubai, Sapna is now a Consultant Paediatrician at Circle Care Clinic in Jumeirah. She currently has two children at JESS and was appointed to the Board in 2015.

Mr Robin Padgett is dnata's Divisional Senior Vice President International Catering. In August 2014 he took responsibility for dnata’s newly created catering division which bought together a number successful business units including Alpha Flight Group Ltd, dnata catering in Singapore, En Route and a joint venture in South Africa. dnata catering and its subsidiaries operate across 60 locations in 12 countries. Prior to this, he held a number of senior roles within the Emirates Group including Senior Vice President Aircraft Catering and also Vice President for Airline Procurement. Robin originally trained as an economist in the United Kingdom. He has 22 years of experience in the aviation sector; prior to which, he worked in industries as diverse as insurance & retail. Robin has been based in Dubai since 1996. He is married with three children all of whom have attended JESS from the Foundation Stage. Robin was appointed to the Board in 2006.

Ms Alison Dawson is a dedicated educator, who began her teaching career as a class teacher and PE Coordinator in England. She gained valuable international experience when she moved to Dubai. While maintaining her focus on class teaching, Alison also was responsible for leading Literacy and ICT. She followed the leadership pathway from Deputy Head to Head of Primary. A desire to impact whole school development and a passion for inclusive education led Alison into a whole school role as Head of Innovation and Inclusion. She is now Head of Primary in an IB school in Dubai. Alison is a certified PENTA school inspector. Alison is married and has two children who attend JESS Secondary and have been with the school since their foundation years. Alison was appointed to the Board in 2017.

Mr Ali Al-Sayegh is a Senior Engineer with Dubai Petroleum. He has 20 years experience in the oil and gas industry that ranges from offshore oil and gas upstream operations, onshore gas supply operations, production engineering, safety leadership, human resources and management. He has held a number of senior positions within Dubai Petroleum Establishment, and with Dubai Supply Authority and Schlumberger. Ali's career has included delivering a variety of projects, leading multi-culture teams and managing large and vast departments and fields. He has a strong interest in human relations and managed the aligning of HR benefits for three staff groups in Dubai Petroleum. Ali is a father to seven children, six of whom attend JESS, and his youngest joined FS1 in September 2019. Ali was appointed to the Board in February 2019.

Mr Christopher D’Cotta is an Associate Director in the Enforcement Division of the Dubai Financial Services Authority. He joined the DFSA in January 2009. Christopher’s responsibilities include regulating and enforcing compliance with the Law and Rules administered by the DFSA. He has extensive experience applying administrative, civil and criminal remedies in domestic and cross-border investigations. His particular areas of expertise include corporate governance, anti-money laundering, fraud, securities and financial services regulation. Prior to joining the DFSA, Christopher held a senior position at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission as an Assistant Director and Senior Specialist. He holds a Masters of Law from Sydney University and has practised law for over 22 years after being admitted in Australia in 1991. Christopher was recently appointed to the Board in April 2019 and he is an independent Governor.

Mr Paul Marson is working at Emirates Group, and is Head of Finance for dnata. He is responsible for the development and implementation of dnata’s global Finance strategy across the entire network as part of the global management team. With over 20 years of experience in accountancy and business management, Paul has worked across the globe in countries including United States, Japan and New Zealand before moving to the Middle East. Paul holds a BSc in Accountancy and Financial Management from Loughborough and is a qualified member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). Paul is a family man with two daughters at JESS. Paul was appointed to the Board in June 2021.