Apr 10
Listening, last Monday, to former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, as he gave a detailed and incisive lecture at the University of Edinburgh Law School, hosted by the Scottish Council on Global Affairs, I was struck by how – once again, it would seem, we have all failed to heed the lessons of centuries of …
Mar 29
This is the time of year that I find myself immersed in budget discussions in each board meeting I attend, whether as non-executive Director, Trustee or simply as a governance coach/consultant. No matter where I am in the world, there are days at the moment when I seem simply to move from one meeting to …
Mar 15
Although I occasionally joke that my life would be much easier if I hadn’t taught my children the word ‘why?’, I am an enormous advocate of the power of the question. As a coach, or as a Board member, or as an interviewer, I ask questions every single day, and I know that the right …
Feb 21
Arriving in Seoul for the Second WISE (Women in International Schools Empowerment) conference this weekend – which I am VERY much looking forward to! – I set off early this morning for a ride on the metro. I will confess that it took me a number of years of international travel before I could comfortably …
Nov 19
The student performances at FOBISIA conferences are always excellent and this year’s performances at the 31st FOBISIA conference in Bangkok this past weekend more than exceeded expectations. The harmony of a school chamber choir, the fluid elegance of a school dance society … and then there was a duologue performed by two students from St …
Nov 01
One of the topics I have been focusing on in particular with leaders this term, and which I will shortly revisit, at one of my talks at GESS Dubai 2024 later in November, is that of the wellness of school leaders and teachers: what it means, how to engender it, and how to sustain it …
Jul 20
It is now almost exactly a month since the second Hakuba Forum, which took place over four days in the Japanese Alps in the second half of June, and it has taken me this amount of time to process this astonishing experience and capture it in a format which can, I hope, begin to communicate …
Jun 18
‘I wasn’t feeling that story anyway’ … so says Robert Peston in the British Airways safety video, as he dutifully demonstrates packing away his laptop, and storing it securely for take-off. As I head to Japan (on a BA flight) for the Hakuba Forum, where I hope to learn, grow and explore, alongside other educators …
Jun 04
I have felt ridiculously, joyfully pleased with myself several times over the past ten days. It has been amazing! At moments, I have felt like singing from the rooftops, as I have taken enormous pride in the achievements of those with whom I have worked, and have felt the glow of satisfaction for having helped …
May 05
I have just spent a truly lovely day largely in the company of a number of wonderful female school leaders in Riyadh, ahead of the inaugural GESS Saudi Arabia conference, which takes place on 6-7 May. Today has been enormously uplifting and stimulating; I have enjoyed engaging in discussions, astute observations, and insights. Plus we …