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- Prof Payyazhi Jayashree
Professor Payyazhi Jayashree is Dean, and Full Professor in Management, School of Business, University of Wollongong in Dubai, UAE with over fifteen years of experience in strategic leadership roles in a transnational higher education context, including as Associate Dean at the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD). She has an impactful track record in providing strategic leadership for the School of Business, UOWD and a strong reputation for aligning and inspiring teams, leading the school to be ranked as the top single campus Dubai Business School in the Scimago Institution Rankings (2024), with the ranking system based on 50% Research Quality and Quantity, 30% on Innovation and 20% Societal impact (2024).
Professor Jayashree is consistently ranked as a transformative and innovative educator, with twenty years of teaching, scholarship and practice, in ‘Strategic Change and Business transformation’, with a focus on building strategic insights, to drive fundamental changes in a disruptive business context. Her contributions have led to multiple awards and commendations for teaching and learning innovation and impact. These include, the University of Wollongong, Australia, Vice-Chancellors award for ‘Excellence in Global Strategy’ (2022), and UOWD award for MBA global collaboration impact (2022), for implementing and scaling a collaborative global model of teaching MBA students. She has also been consistently ranked in the top one percent of teaching evaluations, with several awards including ITC Award for Excellence in Teaching and Related Duties, University of Wollongong Enterprise, Australia (2010-2011), and Excellence in Teaching Award, University of Wollongong in Dubai, UAE (2009-2010), and multiple nominations for teaching excellence, including for Vice Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to Teaching and learning (OCTAL) (2017), UOW, Australia, and for Excellence in Teaching Award, University of Wollongong in Dubai, UAE (2011-2012 & 2008-2009), and Highly Commended in recognition of Excellence in Teaching and Related Duties by ITC group of Companies, a University of Wollongong Enterprise, Australia (November 2008). She also has extensive experience in leading executive development programs,, with nearly ten years’ experience as program director for a highly successful program that she has co-taught at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, for senior executives from industry, with a particular focus on building competencies in Strategic thinking and Leading Strategic Turnarounds.
Besides being a passionate and committed educator for close to two decades, Professor Jayashree has a strong track record of research contributions to both SDG5 (Gender Equality) and SDG6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) goals, with multiple awards, grants and collaborations. Her strong interest in applied research has led to building a strong track road of winning competitive external grants in areas of strategic significance to organisations. These include harnessing Generative AI in the Workforce and Al Bias, Inclusive Smart Cities and the Future of Work, Global Challenges Grant (2022, 2023, 2024), with collaborators, including global AI experts and scholars, including from Arizona State University. In recent years she has been increasingly involved in research on how digital disruptions and AI impact inclusivity and Career Capital development. The outcomes of her research in #SDG 5 has led to global recognition and substantial media coverage, including uptake by prominent scholarly publications, such as Personnel Review (ABDC A), and extensive press coverage in the region, such as Emirates Women, Forbes Middle East, among others, with several grants and awards including University-Industry Research Collaboration Award awarded by H.E Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, UAE.
Professor Jaya’s international reputation as a practising scholar in Strategic Change and Business Transformation for the last two decades, and her sustained contributions to sustainability goals, led her to be appointed as Board Member, Water for People (WFP), India Trust (2017 -2022) and Vice President of the Board for WFP India Trust (2021-2023) and being selected to the 2024 Board of Directors for WFP Denver, USA (2024 - ongoing).
- Ph.D. in Organisational Behaviour
University of Delhi, India
Graduated: 1998
(funded by Industry and through Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Senior Research Fellowship (SRF), Personal Fellowship Scheme, University Grants Commission (UGC), India) - Master of Applied Psychology
University of Delhi, India
Graduated with First Class: 1991 - Bachelor of Arts Honours (BA Hons.) Psychology
University of Delhi, India
Graduated with First Class: 1989
Research Impact Awards
- Nominated for Best Paper Award. Jayashree, P., Hamza, F., El Barachi, M. & Gholami, G. (2019) Inclusion as an enabler to sustainable Innovations in Smart Cities: A multilevel framework. 4th International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Technologies, June 18th to 21st, 2019, http://2019.splitech.org/
- UOWD Diversity and Equity Award (2017-2018) for impact on community, through Research
- UOW Women of Impact (2016-2017) for contribution to Research and Practice in the area of Women and Leadership in UAE
- Shukran Award, Dubai Chamber of Commerce as part of Dubai Business Women Council ‘s 15th Anniversary by HE Dr Raja Al Gurg, for impact through achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #5 (Gender Parity), 2015-2016
- Power Woman of Arabia Award for contribution in ‘Shaping the Socio-Economic Landscape in the region’, Presented by Leaders Middle East, 2015
- 2014 University-Industry Research Collaboration Award (U-IRCA 2014). Awarded by H.E Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, 2014.
- Research Excellence Award “Highly Commended” Certificate (2013- 2014; 2012-2013), UOWD
- Best paper Award, Management Education and Development Stream, ANZAM 2011 Conference, Wellington, New Zealand, (2011-2012)
- Appointed to 2024 Board of Directors, Water for People (WFP), Denver, USA (https://www.waterforpeople.org/)
Responsible for providing Strategic Direction & Overall Governance, in alignment with WFP Goals, Mission, and Vision. This includes providing Visibility to raise the public profile of WFP - Special Invitee, Water for People India Board, 2023 November - Present
- Vice President, Board, Water for People, India Trust, 2021- 2023
- Board Member, Water for People (WFP), India Trust, 2017-2022 (https://www.waterforpeople.org/india/)
- Certified Reviewer, Commission of Academic Accreditation (CAA), Ministry of Education, Since 2021 (Home - CAA)
Extensive regional experience and track record of success as Certified Reviewer for the Commission of Academic Accreditation (CAA), Ministry of Education (these include experience as Chair and ERT member for several Comprehensive Institutional Reviews of Federal and Private institutions, Relicensure Reviews, Renewal of Program Accreditation (RPA) Review, Initial Program Accreditation (IPA) Review, Program Audits (2022- 2024) - Premium Corporate Member, Australia India Chamber of Commerce
- Member of Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC), Dubai Chamber of Commerce
- Member of Principles for Responsible Management Education (UNPRME)
- Member of Australian Institute of Company Directors
- Member of Australian Business Council
Key Areas of Teaching/Research and Practice
Strategic Change and Business Transformation; Strategic Alignment, Recreation and Reorientation; Change Management; Enterprise Design Thinking and Innovation; Organisation Theory and Design, Organisational Analyses, Organisational Development, Career Capital Development and the Future of Business
Professional Qualifications
- Enterprise Design Thinking IBM Practitioner, January 2023 (https://www.credly.com/go/UmswufIi)
- Professional Development through completion of EDU60014 Design and Delivery for Online Learning (12.5 credit points) Swinburne University of Technology. Grade: Distinction (75%). 2021
- Professional certification in ‘Empathize and Prototype: A Hands-on Dive into the Key Tools of Design Thinking’, Stanford University, Stanford Centre for Professional Development, 2020 (Score: 87%)
- Professional Development through completion of EDU60003 Curriculum Design and Assessment Course, (12.5 credit points) Swinburne University of Technology, AUS (2017)
- NLP Practitioner with Coaching Skills, New Code NLP Practitioner and Certified NLP Coach, NLP Academy, UK (July 2011)
- Balanced Scorecard Professional (BSP) Certification by Balanced Scorecard Institute (BSCI) and by George Washington University, College of Professional Studies, USA (October 2010)
- Certified in Case Writing and Teaching, Richard Ivey School of Business, Canada, 2010

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