Leadership Team
Leadership Team at Victoria International School of Sharjah – Central Region.
Mr. Shaun Melind
Mr Shaun Melind joined the VISS community as Assistant Principal in Khorfakkan in 2022 and was appointed Principal of the Central Region campus in 2024. With over 19 years in education and 13 years in senior leadership across New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, Hong Kong, and the UAE, Shaun brings a wealth of international experience and a strong commitment to building a caring, high-achieving school culture. Holding a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Charles Sturt University, where he received the Executive Dean’s Award, Shaun is passionate about holistic student development; social, emotional, academic, and character.
As a founding school leader, he has established new campuses, built cultures of care and high expectations, and created strong community partnerships to ensure every child feels supported and empowered to thrive. His leadership philosophy is grounded in relational trust, intercultural awareness, and evidence-based practice, with a strong belief in distributive leadership that nurtures teacher agency and collective responsibility. Alongside his school leadership, Shaun serves as a Council of International Schools (CIS) evaluator, supporting schools worldwide in their growth and improvement.
Guided by the principle that education is the most powerful tool to change the world, Shaun is committed to preparing students not only for academic success but also to become compassionate, resilient, and globally minded citizens.
Shaun Melind
Campus Principal
Saara Ahmed
Assistant Head of School
Ms. Saara Ahmed
With over a decade of experience in international schools across the UAE and a background in highly reputable schools in Queensland, Australia, Saara Ahmed brings a strong passion for education and leadership. Since 2012, she has held a variety of leadership roles in top-rated schools across the UAE, including Dean of Students, Head of Early Years, and Head of Wellbeing. She is currently the Assistant Principal for Pre-KG to Grade 3 at VISS CR.
Saara’s professional focus is student wellbeing, and she is dedicated to creating a safe, supportive, and stimulating environment where every child can thrive. She is committed to delivering a creative curriculum aligned with both the Victorian Curriculum of Australia and the priorities of the UAE, equipping students with the skills they need to be “future-ready.”
She deeply values the culture and heritage of the UAE and believes in the philosophy that “it takes a village to raise a child.” Saara works closely with the UAE community to support students and build strong foundations for lifelong learning. At VISS CR, she looks forward to collaborating with students, parents, and staff to ensure that every child’s wellbeing and success remain at the heart of all school initiatives.
Ms. Tandi McRae
Ms. Tandi joined the VISS community in 2017 at the Al Taawun campus and transitioned to the Central Region Campus in 2022. She was appointed Assistant Principal of the Central Region Campus in 2023. With over 21 years of experience in education, including 12 years in senior leadership roles in both New Zealand and the UAE, Ms. Tandi brings extensive expertise in building teacher capacity with a strong emphasis on cultural connectedness and professional growth.
She holds a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Victoria University, where her research focused on developing cultural competencies to enhance teacher practice. Her leadership is guided by a commitment to fostering inclusive learning communities where students, teachers, and families work together to achieve success.
Since joining the Central Region Campus in its second year, Ms. Tandi has been instrumental in establishing a culture where students are supported to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. She takes great pride in the school’s progress, particularly in students’ language development, their collective social and emotional growth, and their increasing ability to confidently articulate their needs and aspirations.
As a New Zealand Māori, Ms. Tandi draws on her cultural heritage, which emphasizes the strength of the collective over the individual. This perspective underpins her belief that school communities are built on respect, trust, and shared responsibility. She is dedicated to ensuring that all members of the school community are valued contributors and is committed to developing both students and teachers as leaders in their own learning and development.
Tandi McRae
Assistant Head of School
Hilary Hunt
Assistant Head of School
Ms. Hilary Hunt
Hilary Hunt is an experienced international educator, having taught in New Zealand, France, Taiwan and the UAE. She has been working within the VISS Group of schools for 10 years, 9 of those at the Taawun Campus as Head of Middle School and Secondary Wellbeing, now with the responsibility for ensuring a strong, tailored, Secondary program at CR. For the last 3 years, she has sat on the Sharjah Private Education Authority’s (SPEA) Wellbeing Improvement Committee as an advisor, guiding changes for all schools in Sharjah, related to student, teacher and parent wellbeing and inclusion. With a Masters in Education in Teaching and Learning, she is an advocate for the concept that Maslow and Bloom must work together in the classroom. Her approach is student-centered, future focused and relies on collecting both wellbeing and academic data to ensure that students receive a tailored, holistic educational program that meets their needs, builds essential skills and capabilities to ensure success at school and beyond.