King’s Academy has announced the appointment of Ali Kolaghassi as the new chairman of the Board of Trustees. Mr. Kolaghassi succeeds HE Bassem Al-Salem, a founding trustee who has stepped down from the post after 15 years on the board, six of which as chairman.

A member of the Board of Trustees for the past six years, Kolaghassi is father to two children who attended the Middle School and the Upper School at King’s and who, as a result, has seen firsthand the transformational power of a King’s Academy education.

Kolaghassi has had an illustrious career with over 29 years of leadership and management experience in corporate business development with a focus on construction, real estate development, asset management, investments, banking and telecommunication at an international level. A skilled entrepreneur, he has a specialty in building strong management teams and creating new businesses. He also has extensive experience across a broad range of strategic mergers, acquisitions and restructurings.

Holding several positions and serving on several boards, Kolaghassi brings to them his unique insight into business creation and development, sharpened by his legal and business training. He is the founder, president and chairman of Kolaghassi Capital Ltd., a private equity management firm operating in the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) with offices in Dubai and Washington, D.C. He is a member of the boards of trustees of George Washington University and the King Hussein Cancer Center.

The recipient of many awards and accolades over the years, Kolaghassi was named multiple times by Dubai-based Arabian Business Magazine as one of the “100 most influential Arabs”, in addition to being named as one of Jordan’s “Power 30” by Jordan Business Monthly Magazine.

In a letter to the community, Kolaghassi said he is “delighted and humbled to have this opportunity to contribute to His Majesty King Abdullah II’s vision for King’s Academy,” adding that he looks forward to working with the rest of the board members towards furthering the mission and vision of King’s Academy.

In the letter, he extended his appreciation to the trustees, faculty, staff, donors, parents and alumni who “have worked together since the Academy’s founding to ensure that King’s remains one of the most special places on earth,” particularly  over the past year which he said presented unexpected challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In particular, I would like to thank outgoing Chairman HE Bassem Al-Salem for his leadership, his grace under pressure, his generosity of spirit and knowledge and his tireless advocacy of the school,” said Kolaghassi.

In a letter to the community, Al-Salem extended his gratitude to His Majesty King Abdullah II for entrusting him with this extraordinary responsibility. “It has truly been an honor to have helped realize His Majesty’s vision for King’s Academy,” he said.

“Ali, and all the trustees, have my full support as they work to ensure that King’s maintains its reputation as an extraordinary institution locally, regionally and internationally,” Al-Salem added. “My time with the King’s Academy family has been one of the most rewarding in my professional life and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for our school, our students and our alumni.”