Anushka Lydia Issac is an Academic Faculty and Program Leader at Westford University College, United Arab Emirates, leading undergraduate and postgraduate business programs affiliated with UK universities. With a Ph.D. in Business with Management from the University of Plymouth, a dual-specialization MBA in Human Resource and Quality Management, and an Engineering Degree in Biotechnology from BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus, Anushka brings a unique interdisciplinary background. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK (FHEA) and a Certified Management and Business Educator (CMBE) by the Chartered Association of Business Schools and is Certified in leading Internal Quality Assurance at HEIs. Anushka is also an active contributor to the scholarly community, with over 20 Scopus-indexed publications across leading publishers such as Springer, Emerald Publishing, Routledge, Taylor & Francis, Inder science, and IGI Global. Her academic work is grounded in a strong student-centered philosophy, reflected in her passion for mentorship of over 50 students for inter-university competitions and her organization of major academic events annually, including colloquiums, panel discussions, and workshops.
Hasnan Baber is an Assistant Professor at the School of Business Administration, American University of Sharjah, UAE. He has received a Ph.D. degree in Management Studies from Woosong University, Daejeon, South Korea, and holds two master’s degrees in Business Administration and Public Administration. He was awarded as a meritorious student during his doctoral program. He has authored or co-authored over 70 research articles indexed and listed in Scopus, SSCI, and ABDC Journals. He has consistently been recognized as one of the top 2% of scientists by Stanford University for three consecutive years (2022-2024). Additionally, he co-edited a book on "Alternative Finance," published by Routledge in 2024, and "Sustainable Financing for Entrepreneurs," published by Springer in 2025. He has served as the lead/co-lead investigator for various government and research projects. He is a Guest Editor, an Associate Editor, an editorial board member, and an advisor for various reputable journals. His areas of research include crowdfunding, FinTech, entrepreneurship, sustainability, technology adoption, and digitalization.