Board of Directors
MR. ABDULLA GHIYAS RIYAZ
CHAIRPERSON
Mr. Abdulla Ghiyas was appointed as a Board of Director of Visit Maldives Corporation on 11th July 2024.
He is the Chair of the PATA Maldives Chapter, the PATA Face of the Future 2018, and the current President of the Maldives Association of Travel Agents & Tour Operators (MATATO). Over the past several years, he has led MATATO, having been involved with the NGO for nearly 18 years in roles ranging from Board Member to Treasurer to Vice President.
In his current role, he has supported the independent non-profit organization with a variety of activities, including advocacy, training, recognition, familiarization trips, international trade shows, destination marketing, government lobbying, and whistleblowing.
With 20 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry, Abdulla Ghiyas became the youngest Board Director of the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) from 2014 to 2018. In 2010, Junior Chamber International (JCI) Maldives recognized him as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons in the Maldives. In 2018, he was named PATA Face of the Future. Additionally, he serves as the Deputy at the Consulate of the Republic of Seychelles to the Maldives.
A serial entrepreneur, Ghiyas leads travel businesses and startups in the Maldives. In 2019, he was named one of TTG Asia’s 45 Trendsetters in Asia / Agents of Change. He has been featured in various interviews and global leading news outlets, including CNN and BBC.
MR. ABDULLA YASIR
CEO & MANAGING DIRECTOR / EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Mr Abdulla Yasir was appointed Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director (CEO & MD) of Visit Maldives Corporation on 26 August 2026.
Mr Yasir brings more than 25 years of experience across tourism, hospitality, corporate management, investment and destination development. His career includes senior management roles within the Maldivian tourism industry, board-level experience in luxury hospitality, and leadership of private-sector businesses.
Since 2010, he has served as Managing Director of Supersupply & Watermark, leading strategic planning, business development, stakeholder engagement, corporate communications and commercial partnerships. From 2002 to 2008, he served as a Director of One&Only Kanuhura, contributing to the strategic planning and governance of the luxury tourism property.
Mr Yasir began his career in tourism and hospitality in 1993 and has held a range of senior operational and management positions, including General Manager, Assistant General Manager, Front Office Manager, Training Coordinator and Guest Relations Officer. His wider tourism experience includes destination development, tourism promotion, feasibility assessments, market analysis and tourism investment advisory work.
He has also participated in international destination development initiatives, including the Poros Live Project in Greece, where he contributed to destination audits, benchmarking, market assessments and strategic recommendations aimed at strengthening tourism competitiveness.
Mr Yasir currently serves as President of the Entrepreneurs Association of Maldives, leading initiatives focused on entrepreneurship, economic diversification and private-sector development.
He holds a Master of Arts in Tourism Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Hospitality & Tourism Business Management from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.
MS. MAHA NASEER
NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Ms. Maha Naseer was appointed as a Board of Director of Visit Maldives Corporation on 26th December 2024.
A highly accomplished culinary professional, Ms. Maha brings a wealth of experience spanning various culinary domains. With more than 10 years of experience in the tourism industry, she has held key positions, showcasing her leadership skills and culinary expertise.
Currently serving as a Freelance F&B Consultant and Entrepreneur, Ms. Maha has demonstrated her culinary expertise in different capacities. She has successfully navigated roles as a Freelance F&B Consultant and Pastry Designer, contributing her innovative thinking to projects at renowned establishments such as Fihalhohi Island Resort and Amilla Fushi Maldives. Additionally, her dedication to the culinary arts extends to teaching, where she has served as an instructor, sharing her knowledge and skills with aspiring chefs.
Maha’s remarkable achievements include being recognized as the first Maldivian to receive the prestigious “Master Chef” recognition by the World Master Chef Society. Her strategic thinking and organizational skills were further honored during her term of service as the Secretary General of The Chefs Guild of Maldives from 2019 to 2023.
Maha, a proud graduate in culinary arts and cuisine from Singapore Creative Culinaire (2014), holds a MasterChef certification from the World MasterChef Society (2022). Additionally, her commitment to the art of baking is evident through her graduation from the prestigious Lavonne Academy of Baking Science and Pastry Arts in 2017.
MS. AMINATH VULAU MOHAMED NAZIM
NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Ms Aminath Vulau Mohamed Nazim was appointed as a Board of Director of Visit Maldives Corporation on 16th January 2024.
Ms Nazim brings over 15 years of experience in the hospitality and tourism sector, with professional exposure in both the Maldives and the United Kingdom. She is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Hotel 78 Group Pvt Ltd, a community tourism operator that owns and manages hotels, restaurants, and speedboat services across multiple islands. She is recognised as one of the pioneering female leaders within the community tourism sector.
Her leadership experience extends across corporate boards, corporate society boards, and social sector boards, including serving as chairperson of one of the first corporate society boards in the Maldives. Her work reflects a strong understanding of organisational governance, stakeholder engagement, and the evolving dynamics of the tourism industry.
Ms Nazim’s professional strengths are rooted in strategy development and research, supported by her ongoing doctoral studies. Her work demonstrates a focus on data-driven marketing approaches and a practical understanding of market requirements, informed by her experience as a business owner and operator within the tourism sector. Her combined international and domestic exposure enables her to apply cultural insight and operational knowledge to enhance customer understanding and service delivery.
She completed her undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Innovative Tourism at the University of Primorska, Slovenia.
Ms Sabeeha Ahmed
Chief Operating Officer / Executive Director
Ms. Sabeeha Ahmed was appointed to the Board of Directors of Visit Maldives Corporation (VMC) on 29 October 2025. She has served as Chief Operating Officer of VMC since December 2023.
A tourism marketing professional with expertise in the Maldives’ luxury resort segment, Ms. Sabeeha has a proven record of generating demand through trade partnerships and integrated campaigns. At VMC, she has overseen the destination-marketing portfolio, spanning multi-market campaigns, trade activations, and brand governance, and now focuses on business development and enterprise growth, including revenue diversification and strategic partnerships that strengthen the Maldives brand globally.
With over a decade of experience in the tourism sector, Ms. Sabeeha has achieved commercial success with leading hospitality groups such as Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Crown & Champa Resorts, Accor, and Jumeirah Group. She has led sales, key account strategy, and distribution for island resort portfolios, which has strengthened her expertise in strategic planning, market development, and luxury resort positioning.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Tourism Management from Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (Malaysia), providing a strong industry-focused foundation for her leadership in destination marketing and business development.
Ms Aishath Malha
NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Ms Aishath Malha was appointed as a Board of Director of Visit Maldives Corporation on 26th April 2026.
Ms Malha is a finance and advisory professional with experience in internal audit, risk management, financial analysis, and asset valuation. She currently serves as a Treasury Management Analyst at the Ministry of Finance and Planning, where she contributes to financial asset management and sovereign fund operations.
She has previously held roles at Crowe Maldives Advisory, progressing to Manager within a short period, where she led advisory engagements across resort valuations, risk frameworks, and audit processes for both public and private sector entities. Her experience reflects a strong analytical approach to business processes, financial planning, and governance structures.
In addition to her professional work, Ms Malha contributes to academia as a part-time lecturer, supporting higher education programmes in accounting and finance. Her combined experience across advisory, public finance, and teaching positions her with a well-rounded perspective on financial systems and organisational performance.
She holds a Master of Science in Accounting and Finance with distinction from the University of the West of England, a BSc in Applied Accounting with First Class Honours from Oxford Brookes University, and is a member of ACCA.
Mr Ali Shinan
NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Mr Ali Shinan was appointed as a Board of Director of Visit Maldives Corporation on 26th April 2026.
Mr Shinan brings extensive experience in tourism policy, planning, and public sector management, currently serving as Director General at the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation. His career spans over a decade in senior government roles, including Deputy Director General and Director of Planning and Development at the Ministry of Tourism.
He has played a key role in shaping national tourism strategies, including contributions to multiple Tourism Master Plans and leading major initiatives on diversification, localization, and sustainable tourism transformation.
His work focuses on investment facilitation, strategic policy and destination planning, sustainable development policy formulation, and strengthening public–private collaboration in tourism development.
He holds a Master of Public Policy in Public Management from the KDI Graduate School of Public Policy and Management, and a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Marketing from Bangalore University.
Ms Hudha Faheem
NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Ms Hudha Faheem was appointed as a Board of Director of Visit Maldives Corporation on 26th April 2026.
Ms Faheem is a strategic communications professional with experience in public sector communication, policy engagement, and stakeholder relations. She currently serves as a Communication Specialist at the Ministry of Finance and Planning, where she leads communication strategies for national reform initiatives and economic policy programmes.
Her work focuses on translating complex policy frameworks into clear public messaging, while strengthening transparency, public awareness, and trust. She has worked closely with international partners such as the World Bank and ADB, and has contributed to high-level government communications, including national budgets and medium-term fiscal strategies.
Ms Faheem has also held roles in stakeholder relations and public communications at the Auditor General’s Office, where she contributed to policy development, social media strategies, and institutional communication frameworks. Her experience spans media relations, crisis communication, and public engagement initiatives.
She holds a Master of Business Administration, a Bachelor of Business in Management and Marketing, and a Diploma in Business from the Maldives National University.