Ollon, Vaud, Switzerland
I am a senior executive with a proven track record in providing strategic leadership, vision and mission for schools and a distinctive positioning of them as the leaders in their markets. I have a broad senior leadership and management background with a strong track record of building high performing teams and developing and running highly successful premium schools and groups of schools for over 20 years in both Europe and the Far East. Throughout my career a key to my success has been my ability to attract, retain and develop talent. My successful leadership and management of schools is predominantly collaborative and is based on strong inter-personal relations and communication skills which ensure the full engagement of internal and external stakeholders. I have also consistently displayed a capacity to astutely plan and manage financial budgets and to engage and contribute successfully to a corporate team environment. In all my posts we have operated successfully in highly competitive environments where student numbers have always been the top priority and I have been held fully accountable for my performance and all aspects of that of my team. I have led and completed several large-scale campus development projects including the design, build and commissioning of the new secondary campus (800 students) at BISS Puxi 2009-11. I have been also involved in the acquisition and integration of a number of schools into the parent organization. I am very proud of the vibrant and innovative learning environments my teams have created and the forward-looking school communities, rooted in tradition, that I have led and that continue to thrive and help others to fulfil their potential.
A member of the company’s ExCo involved in the strategic leadership of the company. I was also responsible for the smooth running of 17 premium schools across Europe with an annual revenue of 330m USD. I created a new regional team and enhanced the management and leadership of the schools through a strong focus on HR and the recruitment of key staff including 6 Principals and 8 Directors of Admissions and Marketing. The team was also been focused on driving up educational standards, as well as increasing the capacity of the existing schools, increasing the number of schools (+4) and the profitability of the region (increased more than 20%).
During my tenure we restored Beau Soleil’s reputation and re-established it as one of one of the world’s most desirable and exclusive boarding schools. We reviewed and sharpened its vision and mission, restructured, and enhanced the staff team and reunited the boarding and teaching elements of the community. We successfully drove up standards inside and outside the classroom. In addition, an ambitious 40M CHF campus development project was successfully completed and opened. As a result, student numbers grew to a new historical high and the school’s EBITDA improved by 25%. Today the school continues to be one of the jewels in the NAE crown.
In 2009 BISS Puxi was in the decline and split across two campuses. During my time in post, we built a high-quality team, reduced staff turnover, enhanced facilities and created a single unified campus by building a new state of the art secondary campus. We worked hard to produce consistently high quality academic and university placement results and to develop a strong reputation. BISS Puxi became and remains today the most popular school in West Shanghai (NOR1300), nurturing and developing the next generation of leaders.
In 1995 I was appointed Headmaster of Norman Court Preparatory School. The high achieving staff team I built saved the school from closure, turning it into a very successful all round prep school with strong academic results, able to flourish within a highly competitive market in central southern England.