BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees consists of up to 9 parent members elected for a period of three years, and up to 3 non-parent professionals elected for a period of one year. 

Its main function is to appoint and give support to the Director, establish policy, define the direction of the school, approve the finances and ensure the school has facilities appropriate to an international education in Monaco.

The Board meets approximately once per month during term time.

Ricardo KAUFMANN

President of the Board of Trustees

Co-opted to the Board in October 2022

Elected to the Board in 2023

Member of the Finance and Governance Committees


Ricardo was born in Brazil and has resided in Monaco since 2017. He is of dual nationality (German & Brazilian) and is married to Fernanda. He has two children enrolled at ISM and has been actively involved with the school since 2021, through ISM's Finance Committee.

He was educated in Brazil and in the US. He holds a dual degree in Economics-Finance from Bentley University and an MBA from Universidade de São Paulo.

Ricardo has over 25 years of experience in global financial markets. He has extensive experience in the Private Banking, Asset Management and Brokerage industries, and a career that spans over major international organization in the Americas and Europe.

Amelia KEUNING

Vice-President of the Board of Trustees

Chair of the Education, Governance, and Well-being & Safeguarding Committees

 Elected to the Board in 2021

Re-elected to the Board in 2024

Amelia is of dual nationality (New Zealander and Dutch) and has lived in Monaco since 2008.


She was educated in New Zealand, the Netherlands and the US. She holds a degree in International Law from the University of Amsterdam and an LL.M. from Columbia Law School.


She has over 20 years of experience representing clients in complex international art recovery claims.


She has twin boys at ISM.

Yuliya SMYK 

Secretary of the Board of Trustees

Member of the Education and Finance Committees

Co-opted to the Board in August 2021

Elected to the Board in 2022

Born and raised in Kazakhstan, Yuliya was educated and worked in the United States, UK and Canada and has been a resident of Monaco since 2016.  One part of an international family, she and her husband chose ISM for their two children, having tried other schooling options in the Principality.


Yuliya was a commodity trader with a Wall Street bank and a multinational oil and gas company in her first career.  In recent years she was involved with the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto and Grimaldi Forum in Monaco in educational and tour-guiding capacity.  An in-depth historical archival research due to be published in 2022 is currently her main focus outside of parenting.


Marco REPETTO

Treasurer of the Board of Trustees 

Chair of the Finance Committee

 Elected to the Board in 2021

Re-elected to the Board in 2024

Marco was born in Switzerland and has resided in Monaco since 1980. He is of dual nationality (Italian and New Zealander) and is married to a Swede. Their two children have been enrolled at ISM for 10 years.


He graduated from Franklin University in Switzerland in 1992. He now runs his family’s multinational business, which specializes in industrial supplies.

Yuri BOGDANOV 

Member of the Board of Trustees

Co-opted to the Board in September 2021

Elected to the Board in 2022

Member of the Finance and Governance Committees


Yuri is Russian and his background is in finance. He has have been living in Monaco for over 10 years. His wife Alina is also Russian and they have two children at the school.


He joined ISM's Finance Committee in 2020 and was co-opted to the Board of Trustees in September 2021. He was elected to the Board for a three-year term in February 2022.


He is a Certified Public Accountant and has worked in various CFO and senior management roles. He also serves as a Board Director for AS Monaco FC.


He loves to travel, particularly to the parts of the world that are least touched by man. In his spare time he listens to classical music from the early 20th century, and he enjoys avant-garde art from the same period. 

Zhanna SUBKHANBERDINA

Member of the Board of Trutees

Co-opted to the Board of Trustees in June 2023

Elected to the Board in 2024

Member of the Education and Wellbeing & Safeguarding Committees

Zhanna is a British national who has been living in Monaco since 2016. She and her husband chose ISM for their children to ensure they benefit from bilingual education, an IB program and an international environment. Six of their children joined ISM between 2016 & 2021; three continued their education at boarding schools and colleges in the USA, and the other three are still at ISM.


Zhanna has been well exposed to different academically selective schools' management practices, academic programs and standards, such as the British and USA curricula, meeting the target for various standardised tests and other admission criteria for competitive USA high schools’ and colleges’ application processes.


She has 20 years of hands-on business experience as a founder and CEO of her company in the sports and wellness industry. She holds an MA degree in International Finance from the University of Amsterdam and is working on her honour’s degree in Fine Arts with Open College of Art, UK. 

Costa THEO

Member of the Board of Trustees

Co-opted to the Board in June 2023

Elected to the Board in 2024

Member of the Governance,  Finance, and Wellbeing & Safeguarding Committees

Costa is a Greek Cypriot, raised in South Africa and married to Kelly. He has one daughter who has been enrolled at ISM since 2018.


Costa was educated in South Africa and at New York University and has a BA and LLB degree. He has over 25 years’ experience in legal, corporate finance and private client affairs and has worked globally across these sectors.


He was originally involved at ISM on the committee for the drafting of the Articles of Association and is also a member of the Education and Wellbeing & Safeguarding Committees.

Alex MITCHELL

Member of the Board of Trustees

Co-opted to the Board in October 2023

Elected to the Board in 2024

Member of the Governance Committee

Alex is a British national, born in Hong Kong and resident of Monaco since 2002. He was educated in Scotland at Gordonstoun School and holds a degree in Law and Politics (BA) and an additional degree in International Relations (MA) both from the University of Nottingham, UK. 


Alex is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers and has been a shipbroker for 27 years in London, Hong Kong and Monaco.

 

Alex and his wife Catherine have three daughters, all of whom have been or are currently educated at the ISM.  The eldest daughter graduated in 2019.

Aurelie ARENT

Member of Board of Trustees

Elected to the Board in 2024

Member of the Wellbeing & Safeguarding and Education Committees

Born in Paris and raised on a French island in the Indian Ocean, Aurelie has been a Monaco resident since 2012.


With an MBA in Marketing in France and the United States, she has worked as an international brand manager in the Strategic Business Unit in Germany and the UK in fast moving consumer goods.


Her recent endeavors involve nurturing Monaco's youth in entrepreneurial ventures, working alongside the Junior Chamber of Commerce to cultivate innovative ideas. An enriching year in the U.S. with her children has broadened her insight into contemporary educational strategies.

Andrew HEINRICH

Non-Parent Board Member

Elected to the Board in 2021

Re-elected to the Board in 2022, 2023, and 2024

Andrew Heinrich works on Special Projects and Policy for Senator Robert Melendez in the U.S. government. Previously, Andrew lectured at the Yale School of Public Health where his work focused on Regulatory Affairs, Global Health, and Behavioral Sciences, with particular attention to post-conflict reconstruction health systems and the Great Lakes Region of Africa. 


Andrew is the Founder of Project Rousseau, an education non-profit that serves young people in communities with the greatest need — including many refugees and asylum seekers — and The Rousseau Foundation, a private foundation. Andrew is also a co-founder and Secretary General of the Prince Albert II Recreation Centre (PARC) Adventures Monaco, a planned outdoor and global education centre.


Andrew serves on the Fund Development Council at Columbia University, on the Board of Directors of HIAS, and of the Haskell Foundation. Andrew's work has recently been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Foreign Affairs and in an Oxford University Press edited volume. Andrew holds degrees from Columbia University, Harvard Law School, and Oxford University. Andrew played varsity American football for Columbia University and is still actively involved in sports.

Fiona MCLEAN

Non-Parent Board Member

Member of the Education and Finance Committees

Elected to the Board in 2024

Fiona McLean is a UK citizen and resides in Windsor.


She has worked in education for 30 years mainly in the EdTech sector but also in publishing and higher education. Fiona has worked for some of the largest brands in the sector including RM plc, Promethean, Discovery Education and Oracle. As a consultant offering PR, Communications, Brand and Marketing guidance to the education sector she has worked with high-profile independent schools, Multi Academy Trusts, international education publishers, start-ups and long-established EdTechs. She also worked closely with Ministries of Education in countries including, Chile, Egypt, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and, the UK.


Fiona holds a degree in English and History from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, a CIM post-graduate Diploma in Marketing and a Mini Marketing MBA.


She is also chair of trustees of The King George VI Day Centre, Windsor.