Dr. Syed Ali Tarek is the Head of Department for MBA and Executive Education programmes. With over 16 years of experience, he has excelled in senior leadership roles and managed large academic teams. He led Arden’s MBA and EMBA to global recognition as top tier programmes in CEO Magazine's 2024 edition. Dr. Tarek has contributed to quality assurance in UK higher education and advised international initiatives, including collaborations with the UN.
Dr. Serkan Ceylan joined Arden University in 2021 and is the Dean of the Faculty of Business and Innovation. Alongside his extensive industry experience, Serkan has a impressive research grant history, securing over £1,000,000 to date. He also has visiting academic positions across Europe and has undertaken external examiner duties for universities in the UK. Serkan will be responsible for restructuring our portfolio of project management courses, and raising Arden University’s profile within the industry through the development of close industry ties and future partnerships.
Lee is a Mathematician and Data Scientist and has worked in both higher education and degree apprenticeships environments. Lee has planned, designed and developed programmes across all academic levels including Data Science and Data Mining, ensuring alignment to progressive industry requirements and skills. Lee completed his PhD in Magnetohydrodynamics at Coventry University, researching liquid metal blanket systems for nuclear fusion reactors. Lee has published multiple research papers in prestigious international journals and his thesis is housed within the British Library.
Paul joined Arden University in 2024 as a Lecturer, after previous stints at Global Banking School (GBS), Birmingham City University (BCU) and the University of Wolverhampton. He has worked in a variety of roles in the public and private sector over the last 20 years, including software developer, business analyst and specialist technician for the School of Computing and IT in Wolverhampton. He has supervised numerous students through their projects, including several award-winning dissertations during his time at BCU.
Joanne Newton has worked in higher education and degree apprenticeships, where she has developed and delivered various programmes across levels 4 -7, ensuring they align to current industry requirements and encompass the composite skills and accreditations required by professionals today.
For over twenty years, Gillian worked in senior marketing positions leading teams and directing the marketing strategy for several high-profile tourism, events, and cultural venues in the UK. Gillian joined Arden, where she has been responsible for setting up the department and planning an innovative suite of digital marketing and sales programmes. In her role at Arden, Gillian strives to help our ambitious students to grow faster, equipping them with the latest innovative marketing skills for them to be successful in their marketing careers.
Hassaan Khan brings 15 years of experience as a senior academic in higher education. Hassaan studied accounting and finance at the University of Kent, followed by an MSc and PhD in Finance from Durham University. Prior to joining Arden, he was associate dean at the Global Banking School, looking after the finance and business management degrees. Hassaan was director of programmes at BPP University where he was responsible for degrees in finance and applied management as well as professional courses and degree apprenticeships in accountancy.
Katy Fowler joined Arden University as Head of Department in January 2025, bringing over a decade of leadership experience in Higher Education leading degree programmes in Drawing, Games Design & Fine Art.