Tarek Alami appointed as next Chair of Amala’s Board of Trustees
Amala is delighted to announce that Tarek Alami will join its Board of Trustees as Chair from 1 January 2027.
Tarek brings more than twenty years of senior leadership experience spanning international education systems, philanthropy and organisational transformation. He is currently Vice President, International Programmes at the LEGO Foundation, where he oversees a global grant-making portfolio, leads strategic work to build high-impact systemic partnerships, and represents the Foundation at senior levels across government, multilaterals and civil society.
Prior to joining the LEGO Foundation, Tarek spent fourteen years at EDT, Education Development Trust, where he served as Managing Director and Director of International Growth for the Middle East, Africa and Asia. During his time there, he led expansion into new geographies and helped drive the growth of the organisation. He has worked closely with ministries of education to deliver large-scale systemic reform in complex contexts, and played a significant role in shaping Dubai’s school system. A trustee of the Vodafone Foundation, Tarek brings significant experience of education in emergencies and global philanthropy.
Tarek’s appointment comes as Amala approaches a decade of impact and begins planning the next decade, with the ambitious aim of enabling millions of refugee and conflict-affected youth to access transformative education by 2040. Drawing on his experience leading organisations through growth, Tarek is well placed to guide Amala towards this important goal at a time when quality education for refugees is more pressing than ever.
Tarek Alami, incoming Chair of Amala’s Board of Trustees, said:
“I am honoured to join Amala at such an important moment in its journey. Amala’s mission, to ensure that displacement and conflict do not limit a young person’s potential, resonates deeply with me. I look forward to working with the Board and the Amala team to expand access to high-quality, relevant education and to demonstrate what is possible when refugee and conflict-affected young people are given the opportunity to learn, lead and shape their own futures.”
Amala extends its deepest thanks to Keith Clark, who is stepping down after nearly a decade as our first-ever Chair, a role he has held since Amala’s founding in 2017. Under Keith’s leadership and with his steadfast commitment to Amala’s mission, the organisation has grown from an idea serving 33 students a year into an internationally accredited organisation reimagining what education can look like for refugee and conflict-affected youth which has reached more than 9,500 young people around the world.
Keith Clark, outgoing Chair of Amala’s Board of Trustees, said:
“I am truly delighted that Tarek will be Amala’s new Chair. We had a deeply impressive field of candidates but Tarek’s experience in relevant roles and organisations and his personal commitment stood out. It has been one of the privileges of my life to have been Amala’s Chair. Under Polly and Mia’s inspirational leadership, we have developed remarkably and I am most pleased that we have done so by building strong foundations and a deep supporter base. This is vital because there is such a desperately important need to meet. Amala has been pioneering and it must remain so. I know that with an outstanding team, and with Tarek and a strong Board in place, Amala will continue to push itself to reach many, many more young people and their refugee and conflict-affected communities.”
Polly Akhurst and Mia Eskelund Pedersen, Co-Executive Directors and Co-Founders of Amala, said:
“Tarek’s experience, perspective and values make him an exceptional fit for Amala as we enter our next chapter. We are hugely grateful to Keith for the leadership, wisdom and commitment he has brought to Amala since its founding, and excited about what Tarek’s leadership will make possible as we work towards our ambition of making transformative education accessible for millions of conflict-affected youth.”