When Poonam Bhojani left her role as head of technology for a major bank, she was professionally fulfilled and firmly established in the corporate world. An MBA with a background in business and technology, she had built a successful career in a sector far removed from classrooms and curriculum design.
But at home, something did not sit right.
“Professionally, I was very content and very happy. But I felt that my children were not doing so well with having a mum who came home so late in the evenings and didn’t have time for them.”
On the advice of her father, she made what she now describes as the most important investment of her life. “He said to me that the best investment you can make is your time for them. And I think that is so true.”
She resigned, knowing that returning to the corporate fast track would be difficult. “I quit. I never looked back. I was a full-time mum and loved it. The best part of my life I think.”
What followed was not part of a grand entrepreneurial plan. It began, as many ventures do, with dissatisfaction.
Holistic education
Immersed in her sons’ schooling, Bhojani volunteered in classrooms and closely followed their homework. Over time, she began to question the academic rigour and international relevance of what she saw. She also questioned the narrowness of the curriculum, which she felt needed to be more international and holistic.
For Bhojani, education was never just about academics. It was about sport, music, culture and character. “It’s just not enough to learn in the classroom. Learning has to be in sports and music and dance as well.”
Slowly but surely the idea of starting her own school crystallised. Dubai in the early 2000s was transforming rapidly. Opportunity was in the air.
With her husband’s support and network, the couple submitted a business case to the authorities. Their proposal to bring the International Baccalaureate (IB) framework to Dubai won approval. In 2005, Innoventures Education opened its first school: Dubai International Academy in Emirates Hills. It was the first IB school in the country, and even today is the only IB school and only Outstanding full IB school, as rated by education authority KHDA.
It was her primary motivation to ensure her children had access to a holistic education that empowered them to graduate from the world’s leading universities. Her older son studied at Yale University and later graduated from Harvard Business School, while her younger son is a graduate of the University of Cambridge.
She is equally proud of the many students who have secured places at universities of their choice, including Princeton, Wharton, University of Pennsylvania, Brown, Stanford, Columbia, Cornell, Oxford, Cambridge, McGill and University of Toronto, among many others.
The bumblebee principle
Bhojani had no formal background in education. That, she admits, was both a struggle and a gift. “I come from the business and tech world. I did not have any formal education in education per se. So it was difficult, but it also turned out to be a blessing. We looked at everything from a parent’s perspective and adapted as per parental feedback”
She cites a line from a book she once read: according to the laws of aerodynamics, the bumblebee should not be able to fly – but the bumblebee does not know that, so it flies.
“That was pretty much our state. We didn’t know what we didn’t know.”
Parents, however, responded immediately to the blend of rigour, international mindedness and holistic development. “From day one, we never had an issue with enrolments.”
Today, Innoventures Education oversees five schools in operation, with two more opening in 2026 – one in Town Square, Dubai, and another in Sharjah. From a single campus, the group now educates more than 9,500 pupils and 125 countries, aged from 45 days to 18 years.
Growth accelerated in 2010, when the group acquired a portfolio of schools previously operated by Emaar Education following the global financial downturn. It was a bold move.
“Of course the fear comes – what if we cannot make it work?” she says. “But our values have stood us in good stead. We started from the beginning with value-based education, and that has been our focus all through.”
Values beyond the wall
Achievement, collaboration, innovation, integrity, respect and responsibility form the backbone of Innoventures Education philosophy. Yet Bhojani is acutely aware that values can easily become decorative slogans.
“Everyone says they are child-centric. But for me, I live that every day to the best of my ability,” she says. “Decisions must be pupil-centric. Our success is based on the success of our students in achieving their personal goals.”
To translate principles into practice, the schools align themselves to the IB learner profile. This integration ensures that ethical behaviour, reflection and global awareness are embedded in everyday teaching rather than treated as add-ons.
“For us, the greatest level of leadership is when a student takes the leadership of learning in his or her own hands.”
Bhojani remains deeply hands-on, breaking the myth that a CEO should spend their time in boardrooms.
“How can you not be hands-on? How can you not see what children are doing and experience that on a day-to-day basis and then call yourself an educator? You cannot.”
She makes it a point to interact daily with students and teachers. “For me, that is the joy of being in education.”
International mindedness in practice
With over 125 nationalities across its community of students and staff, diversity is not an abstract concept. It is a daily reality. “International mindedness is all pervasive through everything we do,” Bhojani says.
One pioneering initiative has been the introduction of mother tongue instruction during the school day. Innoventures Education now offers 16 languages, including Mandarin, French, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, Portuguese, Turkish, Hindi and Urdu, enabling students to develop literacy in their home language.
“If you want to be a global citizen, you have to first know who you are. And how best would you know who you are except through your own language and culture?”
Beyond language, the group’s philanthropic initiative, GIVE, channels student-led fundraising into global impact projects. Pupils raise small amounts – often just five or 10 dirhams at a time – which the organisation matches.
In partnership with Dubai Cares, the initiative has helped fund 10 schools in Nepal, Senegal and Malawi, alongside clean water projects in Kenya. Students have participated in some construction projects themselves, deepening their understanding of privilege and responsibility.
“It’s a huge learning,” she says. “Being truly global is caring for those less fortunate and caring for your environment.” As part of its 20th anniversary celebrations, Innoventures Education extended its responsibility to the environment. Through its 20,001 Trees initiative it turned sustainability into meaningful action, in partnership with Emirates Environmental Group in support of the UAE’s #PlantTheEmirates movement.
AI and the human factor
With her technology background, Bhojani approaches artificial intelligence pragmatically rather than fearfully.
“First of all, we focus on values,” she says. “We educate students that whatever they do, based on a value system, will finally get them to the best place.”
Schools use AI tools to detect academic dishonesty and assess whether written work reflects genuine student understanding. But Bhojani is more concerned about mental health and altered realities driven by social media.
While she anticipates change, she does not foresee the demise of brick-and-mortar schooling due to the rapid introduction of AI.
“During Covid, people said physical schools would perish. But that phase proved that brick and mortar is here to stay. Social skills, values and learning how to learn are so important.” She believes that education will continue to rely on human relationships. “The magician in the classroom is the teacher.”
Partnership and perspective
Throughout the conversation, Bhojani repeatedly emphasises that Innoventures Education is not a solo endeavour. “My husband (Avi) has been the most supportive. Without working with him, none of this would have been possible. It’s not me alone.”
Her children, too, remain her inspiration. “Now my children have grown to become 9,500 children. But really, these are the things that continue to drive me each day.”
Her parents influence also looms large. A career government official in India who later worked with the United Nations, her father instilled discipline, integrity and international perspective. “You have to work very hard and work with integrity,” she says. “Nothing falls from the sky.”
That ethos underpins her approach to expansion in a fast-growing UAE market. Competition is intense, but she views growth as both opportunity and responsibility. “To ride the wave is very important and to support the vision of the country is essential,” she says. “But quality has to come first.”
What is her key takeaway as an entrepreneur who built a school from nothing and now oversees a thriving education group? That time is the most valuable asset. “Dare to dream and dream big and be prepared to work hard.”
Two decades since she started, Bhojani has built one of Dubai’s most significant education groups. Yet her measure of success remains simple.
“Most importantly, that we have happy students who love coming to school every morning with a smile on their face and a spring in their step,” she says. “For me, that is the most gratifying aspect of being with our wonderful young people.”