Meet Our Trainers
Nickie Aiken
Nickie is an expert in campaigning, public affairs and crisis management with 20+ years of experience in both public and private sectors. As an UK Parliamentarian and former Local Authority Leader she navigated complex political and corporate landscapes, managed crises, built stakeholder relationships and delivered successful campaigns. Now, as a PRCA trainer, she shares practical insights on working with government, influencing policy, effective campaigning, handling reputation challenges, helping professionals strengthen their public affairs and crisis communication skills.
View training courses by Nickie here.
Stuart Dunk
Stuart has worked in marketing procurement for 14 years at brands like Nike, Danone, Reckitt, and Betfair. Since launching “Don’t Forget to Look” in 2019, his mission has been to ‘help agency leaders sleep better at night’. He does this by working with agencies to enhance critical commercial and growth skills, including pricing, negotiation, pitching, procurement navigation, and sales tactics. He lifts the lid on how agencies can influence the buying process, stand out, and win step-changing deals.
View training courses by Stuart here.
Samantha Evans
An established communications consultant who worked in Dubai for 15 years, before hopping across to Riyadh for a couple of years and ultimately returning ‘home’ to the UAE, Sam has experience across a range of consumer and corporate brands in the Middle East, working both in-house and within an agency environment. Her work in PR and social media extends across F&B, travel & tourism, hospitality, B2B, retail, arts, wellness, education, luxury goods & services, and healthcare, and includes brands such as Jumeirah Group, Landmark International Group, Emirates Holidays, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Emaar, Heineken, Carluccio’s, Coffee Planet, Barakat, University of Birmingham Dubai, Dubai World Trade Centre, British Business Group Dubai & Northern Emirates, P&G, Ray-Ban, and Reiss. Sam is an experienced trainer in PR, written & spoken communication, crisis communications and social media. A keen social media advocate and an endorsed travel blogger herself, she recognises the value of compelling, engaging content and effective message delivery.
View training courses by Samantha here.
Ahmed El Hamamsy
Ahmed brings forth more than 20 years of internationally strategic and transformational leadership. Ahmed has robust experience within the region and has established a large Global network, building long and trusted relationships to assist in driving top-performing sales teams and support substantial revenue growth. Advised and consulted on supply chain services to companies in GCC along with handling transformation projects in pharmaceutical and FMCG companies led to
-2-5% improvement in Bottomline
-15-20 million dirhams cost savings yearly
-Reduction in stockouts through better replenishment improving inventory turnovers
Multilingual Speaking English, Arabic with Masters in Business Administration and Certified from Association of Supply Chain Management in Production and inventory Management.
View training courses by Ahmed here.
Saarmisthaa Mitra
Sarmistha Mitra, a visionary entrepreneur and thought leader in holistic health. She is the CEO & Founder of The Wellbeing Sanctuary, a holistic personal and professional development academy, accredited by KHDA. A peaceful nest in a bustling city, created to provide a nurturing and supportive environment for individuals who are seeking a solution from mental and physical illnesses. Sarmistha has developed an innovative mind-hacking program called DecodeYou™: Subconscious Mind Mastery Program. It is a groundbreaking program is designed to aid individuals in curing and preventing symptoms of dis-eases of the mind and body. Sarmistha firmly believes in the power of preventative care and strives to train the mind to handle crises like never before.
View training courses by Saarmisthaa here.
James Thomlinson
James Thomlinson is a specialist growth consultant with over 20 years’ experience launching, scaling, and leading award-winning agencies and campaigns for some of the world’s most recognisable brands, destinations, CEOs, and governments across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Previous roles include EMEA MD at Havas and One Green Bean, where he delivered major growth and high-profile wins for Apple, Samsung, Heineken, Domino’s, Porsche, and the tourism boards of Australia, Singapore, and Qatar. He was also a Partner at Consulum, advising clients across the GCC such as Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the Future Investment Initiative, the Saudi Tourism Authority, and the Bahrain Economic Development Board. Passionate about relevance, resilience, and results, James now partners with CEOs, CMOs, and leadership teams to sharpen propositions, strengthen teams, optimise operations through AI, and accelerate sustainable growth.
View training courses by James here.
