Jeetender Jaisinghani

Operations Manager – Hope Academy

Jeetender graduated in Business Administration specializing in Marketing and Management. He possesses excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills and demonstrates the ability to influence decisions and to develop positive relationships. With more than a decade’s experience, Jeetender works relentlessly towards collaborating between schools, students (innovators) and parents with educational entrepreneurs.

Danielle Bartkiewicz

Co-Manager of Programs

Danielle Bartkiewicz holds a Graduate Certificate in Collaborative Creativity and Design Thinking for Innovation from the Werklund School of Education with the University of Calgary, and a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Ecology, Major in Environmental Science from the University of British Columbia.

Since 2015, Danielle has been working in both formal and informal educational environments, with a focus on bringing inquiry-based learning and interdisciplinary thinking to learners of all ages. In addition to her time with STEM Learning Lab, she has worked with education teams at TELUS Spark and the City of Calgary to develop custom educational opportunities for classrooms, facilitate hands-on learning experiences with public audiences, and prototype ideas with any materials available – often cardboard and duct tape. Outside of work, Danielle enjoys knitting and crocheting, playing hockey, and skiing with her family.

Mosab Samra

Academic & Technology Executive

Mosab Samar is a Computer Engineer from the University of Wollongong, with a lot of passion and experience in the field he leads the technology and academic innovation department. A software enthusiast, who believes that a continuous tech education for generations after generations is crucial in shaping our present and determining our future. If he is not developing our academics or coding, he is usually playing with his Oud.

Joanna Micah Aguilar

Office Manager & Client Relations

Joanna manages administrative and client relations of UAE operations. Before joining Coded Minds, Joanna used to work as a Client Services Consultant for one of the largest real estate companies in the Philippines. She also had stints in the F&B industry.

Amna Khaishgi

Chief Operating Officer – UAE & Pakistan

Amna has spent over two decades in media and communications and left her mark in the various avatars – as a reporter, news producer, and filmmaker.
As a journalist, she has written some path-breaking stories and exclusive interviews. As a filmmaker, she made a hat-trick of appearances at the Short Film Corner of the Cannes Film Festival along with other leading international film festivals. She is also running an international theatre group in the UAE. Amna’s leap of faith has led to another exciting journey with Coded Minds.

Param Sivaprakasam

Vice President – Asia Pacific

Param is a serial entrepreneur with over 4 decades of experience in senior management positions and in creating/running businesses. For the last 2 decades, he has focused on offering a variety of rich educational content and content delivery services to the education sector in the ASEAN region. In the recent years, he moved to engage in Information Management and Data Analytics for institutions and enterprises in Malaysia.

Gregory A. Duffell

CEO – Asia Pacific

Gregory is an entrepreneur in his own right with 35 years of experience in global travel and technology, STEM Education, Fintech, franchising and marketplace platforms. He was formerly CEO/President of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). He has served organizations like Emirates Airline Group, Indochina Services Travel Group, Thomas Cook Group; and Budget Rent A Car.
He created his own ancillary mobile app TripXtra; and co-founded a Silicon Valley software company, Migo Software. He has also been the MD of a Hollywood digital movie studio and has re-engineered tech companies, such as Illusions Online in Dubai and Creative Advances Technology in Malaysia.
A native of New Zealand, his home base has been in Asia for the past 29 years and he is conversant in several Asian languages – including Bahasa and Thai.

Dr. Gina Cherkowski

CEO – Coded Minds, The Americas

Founder – STEM Learning Lab by Coded Minds

Dr. Gina Cherkowski holds a PhD in Mathematics and in Culture Studies in Education. She has extensive experience in teaching and learning math as a remediation specialist, a classroom teacher, and as a university professor for both undergraduate and graduate courses in education both in Canada and internationally.

In 2015, Gina founded STEM Learning Lab Inc. Through her entrepreneurial leadership in the STEM education space, Gina has earned various awards including the AWE Emerging Innovator Award in 2018 and the Global Impact Award at the Canadian Women of Inspiration Awards, 2019.

Lindsay Farnholz

Director of Early Learning & Child Care

Lindsay has multiple years of Administrative experience. She has two Bachelor degrees from Nipissing University in Canada: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology & a Bachelor of Education, specializing in the primary/junior division (K-6). Understanding, helping and lifelong learning have always been of strong importance to Lindsay. Teaching with the Calgary Board of Education reinforced her belief that a child’s development can help lead them, and our society, to great things.

Stacey Benson

Director of Curriculum and Instruction

Stacey Benson holds a Master’s degree in Biology from Shippensburg University, a Post-Baccalaureate certification in Secondary Education from Millersville University, a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Maryland, and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Science Education from Montana State University and an Associate’s degree in Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Stacey taught for 12 years in the United States as a high school science teacher specializing in STEM practices, science inquiry, and problem-based learning. She loves opportunities that foster life-long learning, and thoroughly enjoys the mutual development of engaging curricular experiences. Stacey is passionate about collaborating with in-service teachers to incorporate classroom technology and promote hands-on learning. Outside of work, she loves spending time with her family through hiking, camping, travelling, and marathoning adventures.

John Kao

Senior Advisor – Council of Advisors, Coded Minds Global

Founder – EdgeMakers by Coded Minds

John has been called “Mr. Creativity” and “A Serial Innovator” by The Economist. He is a thought leader, practitioner and advisor, who has played a leading role in the fields of innovation and business creativity for over 30 years. He taught at Harvard Business School for 14 years and also served as visiting faculty at the MIT Media Lab and Stanford. John’s belief in the capacities of young people led him to launch EdgeMakers, a learning experience focused on innovative thinking.

Huda Kanwal Malik

Project Executive

Huda was awarded with highest honors in her Bachelors in Business Administration in Management and Marketing from University of Sharjah. She loves food and is an aggressive food blogger during the weekends. Highly believes on this strongly: “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”

Omar Farooqui

Founder & President

Omar is an entrepreneur, investor, and a startup enthusiast. He is the Founder & President of Coded Minds. Wanting to disrupt the education industry from ground up not just through pedagogy but also price through his vision of merging public and private education as one so he created Coded Minds. Omar is a careered finance professional in a previous life spanning two decades. His two previous ventures were Green Sands Equity out of San Francisco and previously CapInvest (latterly CI Holdings) which was a joint initiative with the asset management arm of United Overseas Bank Singapore. He was also on the Mutual Funds Board of Saudi Fransi Capital for several years. His corporate life was split between Algebra Capital, Deutsche Bank & NCB Capital out of Saudi Arabia. An avid tennis player he invests and ventures through his investment vehicle F3 Ventures.

Omar Farooqui

Founder & Chief Innovation Officer

Omar is an entrepreneur, investor, and a startup enthusiast. He is the Founder & President of Coded Minds. Wanting to disrupt the education industry from ground up not just through pedagogy but also price through his vision of merging public and private education as one so he created Coded Minds. Omar is a careered finance professional in a previous life spanning two decades. His two previous ventures were Green Sands Equity out of San Francisco and previously CapInvest (latterly CI Holdings) which was a joint initiative with the asset management arm of United Overseas Bank Singapore. He was also on the Mutual Funds Board of Saudi Fransi Capital for several years. His corporate life was split between Algebra Capital, Deutsche Bank & NCB Capital out of Saudi Arabia. An avid tennis player he invests and ventures through his investment vehicle F3 Ventures.

Long term Courses

With a commitment to get our students ready for the real world, we offer a two-year long-term course. Long-term courses are considered to be a perfect alternative for students who cannot adjust to regular school-based studies. In these 24 months, students will learn all iSTEAM subjects through project-based learning.

From making a Formula One car to creating a replica of the Roman Empire, we provide real-life learning experiences. We also organize international tours, lectures by experts and brainstorming sessions to inspire the young minds of students and prepare them for the future. All our courses are exclusive, curated by our expert curriculum and education experts and delivered by our young, passionate subject matter experts.

Jeetender Jaisinghani

Business Development Executive

A core business developer with more than a decade’s experience, Jeetender works relentlessly toward collaborating between schools, students (innovators) and parents with educational entrepreneurs. He has also led international platforms as a student mentor. Jeetender graduated in business administration specializing in marketing and management. He possesses excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills and demonstrates the ability to influence decisions and to develop positive relationships.
Jeetender is a firm believer in delivering the best for the betterment of life, profession, and society irrespective of the circumstances. For him, mutual benefits lead to win-win situations.

Amna Khaishgi

Chief Operating Officer

From a timid childhood to passionate professionalism, Amna has been a rebel with a cause. She has spent over two decades in mainstream media & journalism, working in both print and broadcast industries. She has left her mark in the various avatars – as a reporter, news producer, and filmmaker.
As a journalist, she has written some path-breaking stories and exclusive interviews. As a filmmaker, she made a hat-trick of appearances at the Short Film Corner of the Cannes Film Festival along with other leading international film festivals. Her movies are also archived at some of the reputed universities in the UAE.
Amna has led a life on her own terms – be it taking personal decisions or becoming a theater artist for the UAE’s well-acclaimed Urdu play. She and her theater team won several awards. Amna’s leap of faith has led to another exciting journey, with Coded Minds.
“ I feel I have reached a place I was destined to be. I am committed to and passionate about changing the world of education through Coded Minds!”

Janice Vergara

Content and Research Officer

With an education and business management background, Janice believes Coded Minds is the right place for her to broaden her horizon. She has worked as a class adviser and teacher for five years in a private school and for over a decade as creative director and manager in an advertising firm. Her years of experience in teaching have made a significant contribution to the Coded Minds’ education department. She believes that radical change must take place in the field of education and is always motivated to come up with innovative course ideas. Janice is purpose-driven and believes in using education to transform people’s lives.

Joan Samson Calimpong

HR Manager

Joan is among the first employees of Coded Minds. Previously, she worked in various healthcare facilities which gave her access to different communities. She has taught people with learning disabilities and has witnessed how the lives of people had been greatly affected due to the inaccessibility of education and healthcare. As a healthcare provider-turned-educator, Joan wants to help in transforming the methodology of teaching. She believes that Coded Minds is a platform where everyone can learn numerous courses without having to sit all day listening to theories. For her, ushering in change requires a sincere beginning. “Education should not be a luxury but a right.”

Mustafa Sibai

Curriculum Developer

Mustafa Sibai is an engine developer, games lecturer and a curriculum developer with over 11 years of experience in the education and game industry. He has developed multiple single-player and multiplayer game titles for (PC, IOS, and Android) using VR and AR technology and has written and published an open source MIT licensed game engine on GitHub. Mustafa teaches game programming (Unity engine, C++, C#), game and level design, 3D game math, project management, low-level engine development in OpenGL4.5 and DirectX11. Mustafa joined Coded Minds as a Curriculum Developer to help the company achieve its vision of transforming and enhancing the education system worldwide.

Tasneem Jamaly

Curriculum Developer

Tasneem earned her bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology and medical research at the Manipal University, Dubai. In her experience of tutoring children, she developed a love for creating educational activities and assessments. She now heads the science division and helps curate science curriculums for the Coded Minds platform. She also orchestrates cool experiments and science projects. When not being all nerdy, Tasneem enjoys traveling, reading and an occasional Netflix binge.

Anika Joynab

Curriculum Developer

Anika believes in being a catalyst for an alternative possibility in the world. Her relentless calls for transformation began in Mumbai, at the Dhirubhai Ambani International School (DIAS), where she bagged her first award for ‘Inspirational Speaker’ at the ‘Paigam’ conference in 2011. She worked with the prestigious international network of about 180 schools across 50 countries called Round Square, as their conference coordinator in Bangladesh till she started working with the UNHCR at the Kutupalong Rohingya Camp, one of two government-run refugee camps, largest in the world, inhabited mostly by Rohingya refugees that fled from ethnic and religious persecution. Anika attends ongoing educational programs to strengthen her skills and keeps abreast of the current research in her field. She is always willing to be a generative element by embodying what she believes in; “We are steel, wrapped in silk”.

Abdulrahman Hani

Curriculum Developer & Instructor

Abdulrahman Hani is a Curriculum Developer & Instructor at Coded Minds. He studied aerospace engineering at the Emirates Aviation University. He worked in the fields of marketing, promotions and even a start-up that designed games for children. He then realized that there was a missing piece in all of this as he wanted to build the most complicated invention ever (the airplane) in the easiest possible manner. Abdulrahman is a strong believer in the power of positive thinking in the workplace and regularly develops internal wellness campaigns to assist employees with effective mental health techniques.

Omer Elmogamer

Curriculum Developer

Omer is actually Omar with an “A”, but someone misspelled his name a long time ago and he continues to suffer as a consequence. He is the most enthusiastic, energetic, and happiest person you’ll probably ever meet. He has always believed that education should come first, and teaching has always been his passion. At Coded Minds, he was presented with the opportunity to achieve this life-long dream. He looks at it as more as sharing of education acquired over the years, and gain more knowledge in the process.

Short term Courses

For students who cannot commit two years to the long-term course, we offer a three-month short course plan, in which they will learn all iSTEAM subjects through project-based learning.
These projects are designed to be completed in a three-month time period and to evolve students’ cognition, critical thinking, and curiosity. All our courses are exclusive, curated by our expert curriculum and education experts, and delivered by our young, passionate subject matter experts.

Vishnu Prem

Curriculum Developer

Vishnu is an engineering graduate with a background in mechatronics and a zeal for robotics. Vishnu is thrilled to have found a group of people at Coded Minds who are working to create something that aligns with his philosophy of learning by doing where he is currently contributing in the curriculum development department.

Our Platforms

Global Presence

Contact Details

Connect With Us