THE-ICE is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Gulbahar Abdallah, Head of Quality Assurance and Academic Partnerships and Assistant Professor at Al Rayyan International University College, Qatar, as a new Auditor of THE-ICE Assessment Panel.

Dr Abdallah brings more than 12 years of experience in higher education, with extensive expertise in quality assurance, accreditation, programme development, academic governance and institutional effectiveness.

In her current role, Dr Abdallah holds senior responsibility for quality assurance frameworks, academic standards, institutional and programme accreditation, academic partnerships and curriculum review. Her experience includes programme approval and validation, periodic review, re-accreditation, learning outcomes, assessment frameworks, regulatory compliance and continuous quality enhancement.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr Abdallah to THE-ICE Assessment Panel. Her extensive experience in quality assurance, programme review and international accreditation will bring valuable expertise and insight to the Panel,” said THE-ICE CEO, Dr Craig Thompson.

“Her knowledge of tourism and hospitality education in the Middle East will further strengthen THE-ICE’s regional expertise and support the continued enhancement and expansion of our activities across this dynamic and growing region.”

Dr Abdallah has led and supported accreditation processes involving THE-ICE, the Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation, NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands and Qatar’s National Committee for Qualifications and Academic Accreditation. She currently serves as Al Rayyan International University College’s Accreditation Liaison Officer for its institutional accreditation process.

Her appointment builds on an established association with THE-ICE. Dr Abdallah previously served as project leader for THE-ICE accreditation at Stenden University Qatar and has coordinated THE-ICE re-accreditation activities for Tourism and Hospitality programmes. She also participated as a panellist at THE-ICE 17th International Panel of Experts (IPoE) Forum 2024 in Doha, contributing to a discussion on involving all stakeholders in the quality enhancement process.

Dr Abdallah’s quality assurance expertise is underpinned by a strong academic foundation. She holds a PhD in Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management from Leeds Beckett University, a Master of Arts in International Management from the University of Sunderland and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Cyprus International University.

Her research includes publications and conference contributions relating to gender equity, ethical leadership, migration, emotional labour and hospitality education. In 2024, she received the Best Paper Award – First Runner-Up at the EuroCHRIE Conference in Doha.

We welcome Dr Abdallah to THE-ICE Assessment Panel and look forward to her valuable contribution to THE-ICE’s mission to recognise, benchmark and promote excellence in tourism, hospitality and events education worldwide.