Level 20, Office 47, Central Park Towers, DIFC, Dubai, U.A.E.

Our Team

You are in good company

Each member of our team is a specialist in their field and your success is their only concern. From our esteemed Phoenix Financial Training lecturers to our management and support staff, we are invested in your progress and will support you in every aspect of your journey from enrolment through to graduation. At Phoenix we always and without compromise put you the student, first.
NIKHIL VACHANI

Nikhil Vachani

Managing Director

Nikhil the Managing Director and a Senior Phoenix Financial Training Tutor with 11 years’ experience as a specialist trainer in Financial Accounting, Corporate Reporting and Taxation across all levels of ACCA. Nikhil is a fellow member of the ACCA and UAECA. Prior to joining PhoenixFT, Nikhil was an auditor at KPMG UAE and was involved in the audit teams of companies in the infrastructure, government and health care sectors.

VIGNESH SIVAKUMAR

Vignesh Sivakumar

Operations Director

Vignesh has over 12 years’ experience in teaching, specializing in Corporate Finance, Business Strategy & Performance Management. In addition to having completed the three levels of CFA, Vignesh is ICAI, ACCA, CIMA, CMA and ACT qualified. He is an experienced marker for professional exams and has trained many prize-winners, including those who secured global high scores in the past. Vignesh also manages the International Operations of PhoenixFT.

JAMES WINDER

James Winder

Commercial Business Manager

Originally from the UK with a background in customer service, B2B sales and e-commerce, James joined PhoenixFT in 2012 and has held a variety of roles within Phoenix including Course Manager, Operations Manager and now Commercial Business Manager. James has a passion to develop the business and manages, maintains and builds client relationships across the range of Phoenix qualifications and product offerings. James strives to offer Phoenix clients the highest level of service whilst keeping the students' interests close to his heart.

LIZZIE MOSS - Office Manager

Lizzie Moss

Operations Manager

Lizzie has been working in the financial training sector since 2014. She started her career with one of the leading training providers in the UK as the Manager of their Customer Service Team. She then moved to the UAE in 2018 to continue her experience with PhoenixFT. Lizzie is now responsible for the operations of PhoenixFT and is the Account Manager for our key clients.

DAVID THOMASSON

David Thomasson

Strategic Director

David has over 25 years of teaching experience in the UK, Africa, the Gulf, and India. He is a fellow of CIMA and worked in the industry for many years before moving into training in the 1990s where he held senior positions with a leading UK provider. David is the founder of Phoenix Financial Training and specializes in performance management, business analysis and corporate finance.

Audit and Assurance - Preethy Joseph

Preethy Joseph

ACADEMIC RELATIONSHIPS MANAGER & SENIOR LECTURER

Preethy Joseph is a Senior Lecturer at PhoenixFT and an ACCA fellow. She has practical and theoretical audit experience from her time with KPMG and has been with PhoenixFT since 2010, specializing in Audit, Financial Management, and Management Accounting. She excels in helping students achieve their academic goals and manages university partnerships, supporting initiatives that bridge academics and the business world.

Shiv Mehta

Head of CFA

Shiv is the Head of CFA at Phoenix Financial Training with over 12 years of experience in teaching CFA across all levels, CMA, FRM and other finance courses in domains such as in Investment Banking, Private Equity and Financial Modelling. Previously, Shiv worked in equity research, investment banking, credit ratings, and financial planning. He holds a CFA Charter, is a Certified Management Accountant, and a Certified Financial Planner.

SANJAY SAGAR

Sanjay Sagar

Associate Lecturer

Sanjay has been teaching at PhoenixFT since 2013 and specialises in Management Accounting, Financial Management, Corporate Finance and Treasury & Portfolio Management. Sanjay has been a prize-winner in Financial Management and is also involved in professional exam grading for one of the largest global accountancy qualifications.

SARAH KELANI - ASSOCIATE LECTURER

Sarah Kelani

Associate Lecturer

Sarah is ACCA qualified with over 4-years of professional experience in a ‘big four’ auditing firm before joining PhoenixFT as a lecturer in 2015. Sarah specialises in Financial Reporting and Audit bringing her professional experience into the classroom to demonstrate the practicality of the ACCA syllabus while focusing on the best ways to pass the exams.

RONA NINAN - ASSOCIATE LECTURER

Rona Ninan

ASSOCIATE Lecturer

Rona is ACCA qualified and teaches ACCA, CIMA and CFA. She has been teaching since 2014. She has experience teaching within the Middle East and India. Rona teaches areas such as Business Strategy, Ethics and Law. She has been successful in working closely with her students and supporting them to ensure that they are able to get through their exams successfully.

ABBY RAVINDRAN

Associate Lecturer

Abby has been working with PFT since 2019 and takes pride in providing best support to all our students. She is an ACCA qualified tutor and specialises in Financial Accounting and Taxation. She always strives to create a positive classroom experience helping her students become happier, faster learners.

Business and Technology - Mustufa Ali

Mustufa Ali

Associate Lecturer

Mustufa is a qualified ACCA, with a several years of experience in the accounting and finance field. He has worked with several companies in various industries in the past, where his primary focus was on financial modelling, forecasting, and strategic process automation. He teaches the Business Technology, Financial Management, and Strategic Business Leader courses of ACCA qualification, as well as Microsoft Excel and Business Analysis workshops.

AHMED KHAN - ASSOCIATE LECTURER

Ahmed Khan

Associate Lecturer

Ahmed is an ACCA Fellow member who has worked in the field of accounting and finance since 2012. He worked in several sectors but specializes in F&B/Hospitality industry given to a decade of experience in the hospitality industry. He has implemented accounting systems and controls for various industries. thus, he delivers the financial subjects with a holistic view of what goes on in the real world.

Rochelle Dsa

ASSOCIATE Lecturer

Rochelle is a Chartered Accountant (ICAI) and has been teaching since 2017. Having previously taught in India for various academies, she has been very successful in guiding students to achieve success in their exams. She aims to provide the best learning experience to the students by combining her knowledge and experience with her passion and love for the topics. She currently teaches BT, FA , UK Taxation and Cert IFRS courses.

Ann Pius

ASSOCIATE Lecturer

Ann is ACCA qualified and specializes in Business Strategy, Performance Management & Management Accounting. She previously taught in Phoenix India centre for 3 years and joined Phoenix Dubai centre in 2024. Her willingness to go the extra mile to support students on subject specific matters as well as her approachability is appreciated by students.

Nandini Balaji

ASSOCIATE Lecturer

Nandini is ACCA qualified and specialises in Audit and Assurance. Having previously taught in other institutes, her simple structured approach easily conveys nuances of the topics to the students. With a strong academic background, Nandini’s interactive classes prepare the next generation of auditors and assurance professionals for the practical world. Previously, Nandini was an auditor with EY and was involved in the audits of various sectors including funds, retail, and construction

CUSTOMER SERVICE ADMINISTRATOR - AJIN TONEY

Ajin Toney

Junior Lecturer/Customer Service Administrator

Ajin first joined PhoenixFT as an ACCA student in 2021. Through PSR, he is now also working with PhoenixFT as a Customer Service Administrator. Being a student himself, Ajin works as a link between ACCA students and the PhoenixFT team. Driven by his passion and enthusiasm, Ajin takes pride in providing the best customer support to all our students.

ANGELINE BERNARDO

Angeline Bernardo

Marketing Executive

Angeline started her journey with PhoenixFT in 2014 as a student. She now works as part of PhoenixFT's customer service team and is committed to serving students and delivering the highest levels of customer satisfaction. Angeline also manages PhoenixFT's online presence and is responsible for external communications to students and other stakeholders.

Nazeeha Mirza

Customer Service Administrator

Nazeeha, who joined PhoenixFT as an ACCA student in 2022 and is now a valued member of our Customer Service Team. With her warm and lively demeanor, Nazeeha creates a welcoming space for students to freely express their questions. She is dedicated to ensuring students capture the true essence of the PhoenixFT experience.

Asif C P

Online Operations Administrator

Asif has 9 years of experience in financial training sector, initially leading administration and business development at Phoenix India since 2016.Transitioning to Phoenix Dubai, he now serves as the Online Operations Administrator, overseeing operations in both Dubai and India.