Dr Laila Akbarali has been with the Aga Khan University since 1985 and has been instrumental in building student outreach efforts and the student experience across all programmes for more than thirty years. 

Laila holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration (Institute of Business Administration), a Master of Arts in Education Management (University of Warwick) and a Doctor of Education (University College London). 

As the University Registrar, Laila has responsibilities across the five countries served by AKU academic quality assurance and administration, including policy development, programme planning and approval, accreditation and regulatory compliance with various government and regulatory agencies, academic space utilisation, the academic secretariat and ensuring that AKU's standards for admission, enrolment and academic progression and graduation are safeguarded. In addition, she is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Registrar's Offices in Pakistan, East Africa and the UK, including the integrity of student records, the maintenance of the student information database and course repository, enrolment management, the issuing of transcripts and the University's convocation ceremonies.​