Paul Smith

For more than 30 years, Paul has championed vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young adults. Guided by an inclusive leadership philosophy, he works with organisations to secure equality of entitlement, improve access to essential services, and create the conditions in which every individual can truly thrive while strengthening organisations culturally, ethically and economically for sustainable, inclusive growth.

An internationally experienced executive, Paul has led the transformation of children’s services across education, independent schools, residential care, and clinical and therapeutic provision working with governments, public-sector bodies and private operators, including private equity-backed organisations across the UK, Middle East and Europe.

Before supporting the UAE government, Paul served as National Leader for Enterprise, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Education on behalf of the Department for Education. His extensive inspection experience subsequently enabled him to shape national policy and frameworks for inclusive schools, including contributing to the development of the UAE’s unified school inspection framework and supporting the national innovation in education strategy. In this context, he has helped embed inclusive and innovative practices within a complex, culturally sensitive environment, ensuring that reform is both locally responsive and globally informed. He has also contributed to international work supporting UNESCO Sustainable Development Goal 4, advancing equity in children’s entitlement to literacy across developing nations.