Introduce yourself in three words or phrases.
Driven, ambitious and resilient.
What do you like most about your job?
Being able to take risks, be creative and push the envelope.
Best work trip/Worst work trip?
The worst work trip was when I was working for International Schools Partnership. We were trying to get a deal in São Paulo across the line. It was getting a bit sticky, so the CEO and I decided the only way we could do this was in person.
We left the office in London, went to Heathrow, got on a plane, flew overnight, got off the plane at 5am, drove through two hours of traffic and had something like a three-hour meeting. Then we drove back to the airport, got on the same plane – I sat in the same seat, the air stewardesses could not believe it – flew home, got off the plane and went back to the office. That’s got to be the worst ever, right?
And the best one. Towards the end of last year, I was lucky enough to visit our school Beach Hall in Saudi Arabia, which Clemmie Stewart and I designed. On the first day I took an assembly with children up to the age of six. I suddenly saw the future of education, because in that group of children, I saw those that had no additional needs whatsoever. But I also saw children who had physical difficulties. I saw children who clearly had mental or emotional difficulties, and also those who were educationally challenged.
And they were sitting next to each other impeccably. They were all engaged in some form in what I was doing. But but it wasn’t about what I said or what I did. It wasn’t about the assembly. It was the lasting impression that what Clemmie and I had worked so hard to create and been brave enough to open in Saudi Arabia was actually making a tangible difference.
If you could learn a language instantly, which would you pick and why?
I would really love, from a romantic point of view, to be able to learn Italian very, very quickly so I could be proficient as opposed to stuttering around it.
But fundamentally, for me, without wanting to sound trite or pretending to come up with the right answer, it’s about learning how to communicate. And that’s not about one specific language. It’s about being open and respectful, receptive, creative and taking people on the journey.
What makes you get up in the morning?
My dogs and my cat, who never have a lie in!
I’m very, very blessed to do what I do. I’m really passionate about what I do and the people I do it with.
Champion/cheerleader which we should all follow and why?
We should all follow Clemmie Stewart, who is currently just about to stop being executive principal of Beach Hall school in Riyadh. She’s a champion for children’s rights. She’s a champion for children’s education. She’s a champion for inclusive education. And she’s the biggest cheerleader for Saudi Arabia.
I’m so desperately proud to know her, but so desperately proud of all she’s done. And I just think if everybody was a bit more like Clemmie we’d have better schools doing a better job and children would benefit.
Best international ed conference and why
I love IPSEF because it’s meant so much to me over the years. They’re very patient with me and they keep asking me back so I feel a kind of loyalty to that.
You just look around the variety of people who are here – it’s not all investors and it’s not all school operators and it’s not all buyers. It’s that beautiful mix of different people all seeking the same thing, which is which is exciting
Worst conference food/beverage experience
At Education Investor two, maybe three, years ago changed its venue and we all rocked up really early and we had to pay for coffee.
Now, I know that’s a small thing. But if you think about it, people are paying a lot of money for a ticket, and if you can’t even provide them with a cup of coffee and water through the day without charging people through the nose… They changed that the year after. But I just remember the huge disgruntlement.
Book or podcast recommendation for others in the sector?
I have widely distributed Let them [by Mel Robbins]. Partly as a female but partly as someone who operates in different regions around the world, and has been doing that for a very long time, I think we suffer from imposter syndrome way too much.
We challenge ourselves way too much, and we worry far too much about people’s opinions – over which, let’s be fair, we’ve got no control. Whatever you do, they’ll have opinions. Just let them. And everybody that’s now read that book is like, oh, this is just awesome.
Describe a project or initiative you’re currently working on that excites you.
Beach Hall in Saudi because we took a school that was new to market as an inclusive education school and opened it with 50 children. Now we’re looking at September year three with 750 children. It will always excite me. I will always be proud of that project. It gets me out to bed.
