meet the team

Mrs Shahina Ahmad OBE brings over three decades of exceptional educational leadership to her role as Principal of GEMS World Academy Abu Dhabi. Recognised nationally for her service to education, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her outstanding contribution to improving student outcomes and leading transformative change across schools in the UK.

Her career began as an English teacher in Newham, London, before moving to Waltham Forest, where she held a number of senior leadership roles, including Vice Principal at Norlington School for Boys. Her success in raising achievement led to her appointment as an English Adviser with Waltham Forest Education Authority, where she supported multiple underperforming schools.

In 2014, Mrs Ahmad became the founding Principal of Eden Girls’ School, Waltham Forest, part of the Star Academies Trust. Under her leadership, the school was rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted at its first inspection and went on to rank among the top-performing state schools in England, placing 13th nationally for pupil progress in the 2019 government league tables.

Mrs Ahmad is known for establishing ambitious, high-performing school cultures rooted in care, aspiration and integrity. She has also contributed to national school improvement strategies by mentoring other school leaders across the Star Academies network.

At GEMS World Academy Abu Dhabi, Mrs Ahmad leads with a clear focus on academic excellence, student wellbeing and preparing young people to thrive in a global context.

David Craggs joined GEMS World Academy – Abu Dhabi in 2022 with over 12 years’ senior leadership experience, including five years as Head of Secondary and two years as Vice Principal at his previous school, GEMS Cambridge International School – Abu Dhabi.

During his time at Cambridge International, David supported the school through its ‘Outstanding in all areas’ British Schools Overseas inspection, its ever-improving ADEK inspections, and its Optimus school awards for Excellence in Pupil Development, SEND Inclusion, Leading Parent Partnership, and Wellbeing. He also helped to drive the school’s record academic success year on year and the expansion of its sixth form provision, rising from 30 graduates to over 100 in just three years, with students going on to attend top Ivy League and Russell Group universities.

David is a passionate, committed and values-driven educator, focused on ensuring all learners achieve success no matter where their interests lie. He sees it as all educators’ duty to prepare the children in their care for the next phase of their education journey as well-rounded individuals who are fully equipped to thrive as global citizens.

David also firmly believes that a leadership team should have a visible presence and openly communicate with all school stakeholders, encompassing learners and their families, teachers, support staff and the wider community.

Vicky Martin joined GEMS World Academy – Abu Dhabi as Primary Principal in 2022. Her successful career in education spans over 23 years, 16 of which have been at senior leadership level within the GEMS Education group of schools. Vicky first joined GEMS in 2005, when she took up the position as one of the founding members of the senior leadership team at GEMS Royal Dubai School – a primary school that she later went on to lead as Principal.

During her time at GEMS Royal Dubai School, Vicky successfully supported the school’s growth from an initial 60 students to over 1,000. Under her leadership, the school went on to achieve a wealth of accolades, including ‘Outstanding’ KHDA inspection status (a rating the school has maintained for the last five consecutive inspections), COBIS Membership, High Performance Learning World Class Award and Optimus awards for Wellbeing and Leading Parental Partnership.

The High Performance Learning pedagogy, a focus on wellbeing and the development of strong parental links are very much at the centre of Vicky’s education philosophy and vision to ensure student success in their lifelong learning journeys. She believes in the importance of a holistic approach, where students develop webs of information rather than merely memorizing facts. Vicky is also an advocate of a ‘balance in education’, recognising the importance of teaching core skills alongside enabling student-led enquiry, creativity and innovation.

Vicky qualified with a BA (Hons) in Primary Education with subject specialism in English from University of Winchester, UK. In 2020, Vicky completed the UK-based Headteacher qualification (NPQH) and she now has ambitions to complete a Master’s in Education in the near future.