Professor Aftab Gharda (formerly Deputy & Acting Head of Visual Communication) has been the Director of Academic Partnerships (International) at Arts, Design and Media (ADM, formerly Birmingham Institute of Art and Design – BIAD). He was also ADM Coordinator for all ADM programmes delivered at the School for Higher and Professional Education (SHAPE) in Hong Kong; Silpakorn University International College (SUIC) in Bangkok; ITM-Institute of Fashion, Design and Technology (ITM-IFDT) in Mumbai and Image College of Art, Animation and Technology (ICAT Design and Media College) in Chennai/Hyderabad/Bangalore. Previous post as Academic Coordinator for Trans-National Education within the central Academic Partnerships Unit at Coventry University. Now employed by the University of Derby as Associate Dean for International Academic Partnerships.
Aftab is a Visual Communicator with a master’s in graphic design. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and his membership of professional associations is extensive, namely International Society of Typographic Designers (MISTDed); Designers and Art Director’s Association (D&AD); International Trademark Center; Chartered Society of Designers (CSD); Typographic Circle (ITC) and International Institute for Information Design (IIID).
Aftab has received numerous prestigious awards and prizes from RSA, D&AD, Creative Design, Agfa, Royal Television Society, Wrangler, Newspaper Society, Arjo Wiggins and many others for private professional work and as design tutor for student design competitions. A prolific producer of award-winning work, he has also been published in a large number of the UK and International media. Aftab was conferred a Professorship by Birmingham City University (formerly the University of Central England in Birmingham) in February 2001. And more recently, awarded Professor Emeritus by Rishihood University in Sonipat, India in March 2020.
Aftab has a wide range of experience of Trans-National Education (TNE) in managing national and international academic development and practice, research and consultancy across the fields of art and design. In the past, Aftab has organised an international exhibition/conference entitled ‘Global Concern/Endangered Earth’ which was held in Shah Alam and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with seven global institutions taking part.
