I am an international consultant on school growth, admissions and engagement.

My first career was in advertising and now, working to develop admissions and parent engagement, my work has almost come full circle. I try to bring together the sometimes conflicting worlds of education and marketing to help parents, teachers, school leaders and investors navigate the world of school brands, globally.

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Much of my time is spent advising families on right-fit school choices, having spent several years teaching and leading external relations in London independent day schools. I was later on the founding management team of a private equity-funded inclusive schools group in the UK, with a role focused on schools development and transformation. After this, I set up my own business, Commons Education, and simultaneously felt the pull back towards the classroom, while keeping one foot in the entrepreneurial world.

My aim is to lead children towards academic success while allowing them (and their parents!) to enjoy the journey on the way; my team’s empathetic approach acknowledges the equal importance of intellectual rigour and emotional wellbeing.

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The thread that’s always run through my life is a love of language. I studied classics at university, but if I could go back now, I think I would study European or Oriental languages. That fascination with how people are moved by words helped me bag my first job in advertising. The Web 2.0 revolution was in full swing – everything was going digital; social media was a brave new world. Ironically for someone who studied ancient civilisations, I was drawn towards technology and innovation. But then – like a lot of people who change careers into teaching – I woke up one day and realised that my work had no purpose. The tipping point was probably two days spent behind a two-way mirror transcribing focus groups about shampoo… Was this it?

 

Fast forward a few years later, and I have had the privilege of teaching and scaling up some of the UK’s most forward-thinking schools. I have taught children from primary to A Level, from all around the world. I am a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society and a Graydin-trained coach.