Our Speakers

Dr. Melissa Burnell is an experienced international school leader with over 20 years in education, specializing in curriculum design, multilingual learning, and building high-performing teaching teams. As the Elementary Assistant Principal of Academics at Beijing International Bilingual Academy, she leads schoolwide initiatives focused on instructional excellence, data-informed literacy practices, and fostering collaborative, concept-driven learning. Melissa is known for her servant leadership, strategic mindset, and commitment to strengthening professional cultures where educators feel supported, challenged, and empowered to grow.

Gráinne O' Reilly is an experienced senior educator with extensive practical and executive experience of both British and International headships. With over 40+ years in international education, she is an inspirational leader with excellent communication, interpersonal and nurturing skills that support and enable children, parents, and staff to strive for success, fulfilment and unity. In addition, Gráinne possesses a commercially aware school development and start-up specialist with a positive, inclusive can-do attitude and the vision and practical skills to motivate, create and deliver.

Lisa Thorpe is a passionate and strategic educational leader who leads through relationships, empathy, and a clear vision for impactful learning. With over two decades of experience in education, Lisa began her teaching career in Australia before moving overseas, where she has held senior leadership roles across Early Years, Primary, and Secondary settings. Her deepest passion lies in building strong, inclusive learning communities that empower both students and staff to thrive.

Lisa holds a Bachelor of Education (PreK–Grade 12) and a Professional Qualification in Headship from University College London (UCL). She is also an experienced accreditation and inspection visitor for NEASC, CIS, and Tribal. Alongside her consultancy work, Lisa delivers Middle and Senior Leadership training through UCL and serves as an assessor for the National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) and is a mentor for upcoming leaders.

Her extensive leadership experience spans large educational groups, where she has successfully led initiatives in curriculum design, assessment, and pedagogical development. Lisa’s global work studying positive education and wellbeing has profoundly shaped her leadership philosophy, placing the wellbeing of students and staff at the heart of sustainable school improvement.

A frequent conference presenter, Lisa has shared her insights on educational leadership, wellbeing, and school culture through podcasts, publications, and international events. In recognition of her contribution to the field, Lisa was recently honoured with the Education 2.0 Award for Excellence in Educational Leadership.

I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Teaching and Science and a Master’s degree in Leadership, Policy, and Change. With over ten years of experience in education, I am a strong advocate for student leadership and the development of inclusive, engaging school communities. I specialize in guidance counselling and special education and am currently in my fifth year as a Secondary Principal at an Ontario offshore international school in Guangzhou. Prior to my work in teaching and school leadership, I also served as a domestic and international recruitment representative for an Ontario university.

I am an international education specialist with expertise in the international schools market across East Asia, with a passion for turning on-the-ground insights into actionable market intelligence.

My work sits at the intersection of education and market analysis. I lead qualitative research efforts to produce high-impact reports, advise on market trends, and contribute to strategic decision-making in one of the fastest-evolving education regions globally.

An international Educator who started my journey from the USA in 2010 and ended up in South Korea, my first calling. I taught in early childhood and elementary classrooms in Seoul, Saudi Arabia and China. During my last two years in China, I transitioned from the classroom and became a full-time elementary curriculum coordinator. I moved to Hanoi in 2024 to work as the founding principal of the international elementary department at True North International School.

Charlie Pybus is the Director International at Durham University. He oversees international partnerships, recruitment marketing, international student recruitment and inbound and outbound student mobility. Charlie is an experienced leader in the field with over 15 years of experience across international, recruitment and admissions. 

Previous to his position at Durham, Charlie led the international recruitment teams at Bristol and Exeter after starting his career at Manchester, where he worked in a number of roles covering international and domestic recruitment, admissions and outreach. Charlie was a member of the International ACAC Executive board and a delegate to the NACAC assembly from 2019 to 2021 and Chair of the Russell Group International Forum from 2023 to 2025.

I am a passionate education consultant dedicated to driving school improvement and making a meaningful impact in international education. With a career spanning the UK and UAE, I have held key leadership roles, including Principal, Vice Principal, and Head of Inclusion/SENCo, before transitioning to full-time consultancy and inspection.

Specialising in whole school improvement, I work with schools to enhance their overall judgement ratings, aligning with various inspection and accreditation frameworks. My expertise spans multiple curricula, including UK, US, IB, Philippine, Indian, and Pakistani systems. Since 2019, I have been a British Schools Overseas (BSO) inspector across 4 continents. I have also inspected against the UAE Framework and led mock reviews across the Emirates.

I am also a board member of Leading Your International School, supporting ethical and sustainable leadership in international education.

As an advocate for educational excellence, Steven had dedicated over two decades to leading international schools towards academic excellence. With a track record of propelling schools through significant growth and transformation, he prioritises the development of robust educational programs that reflect international perspectives.

His journey in educational leadership has been characterised by strategic vision and meticulous execution. From the formative grounds of preschool to the explorative stages of grade 8 education,  his approach has always been driven by a deep-seated belief in the power of inclusive, equitable learning environments. Additionally, a key facet of Steven's leadership style is the development of strong, collaborative teams.

An accomplished educational leader with over 20 years of experience across Southeast Asia and Australia, Donnah Ciempka is recognised for driving strategic growth, developing high-trust, high-performance cultures, and fostering inclusive, globally-minded learning communities. She has led major school transformations, expanding Ascot International School to a full IB Continuum (PYP, MYP, DP, CP) through innovative programming, marketing, and partnership strategies.

Her leadership philosophy is grounded in trust, collaboration, and strength-based growth, with a deep commitment to professional learning and coaching. Donnah is known for empowering teams, forging community partnerships, and aligning strategic and pedagogical goals to ensure sustainable impact.

I am currently the Deputy Head of Secondary (Pastoral) and Child Protection Lead at Dehong Shanghai. With leadership experience across the United States, Egypt, and China, I have led whole-school wellbeing systems and strategy, behaviour frameworks, mentoring programmes, and cross-school alignment initiatives for over a decade. My work focuses on building cultures of belonging, strengthening middle leadership, and integrating wellbeing with academic success. I built Dehong's PARE (Pastoral Area Review & Evaluation) framework alongside the parent and student community. I hold two master’s degrees, have sat as an Executive Board Member on the Oklahoma Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (OASCD) 2017-2022, and I am a contributor to a chapter in Dr Sue Roffey’s upcoming publication on the Handbook of Wellbeing in Education: Research Transforming Practice.

Experienced in leadership in computing education that incorporates cutting-edge AI strategies and software training. Collaborated with students and faculty to enhance computational thinking and programming skills, fostering a forward-thinking learning environment.

Experienced in organising international expeditions and education events. Holds multiple certifications, including Microsoft Certified Educator, underscoring a commitment to advancing education through innovative technologies. Experienced in delivering training in AI and software across large businesses.

As an educational specialist, I aim to provide all students with an opportunity in the breadth and depth of education that is on offer, which goes beyond academic success into every sphere of life. Students must be stretched to develop their competencies, attributes and virtues through a broad and enriching diet of creative, active, service, extension and enrichment opportunities. Currently managing an outstanding school community in Hanoi. 

I’m an international school leader with 18+ years of experience driving academic excellence across the U.S., South Korea, Spain, England, and Vietnam. My work spans private schools, public schools, and global education systems, giving me a panoramic view of what powerful, student-centered learning looks like around the world. My remit includes instructional leadership, organizational management, teacher coaching, community engagement, and strategic operations. I’ve also led budgets, payroll, and schoolwide spending, ensuring strong fiscal stewardship alongside strong learning outcomes. Earlier in my career, I served as the founding Director of Student Services (Dean), where I helped design and launch a school grounded in belonging, restorative systems, and community partnership. That experience shaped much of my leadership approach today: clear expectations, high trust, and a whole-child mindset. 

What sets me apart? I’m a culture architect. I build environments where students are known, teachers are empowered, and families feel seen. I lead with humor, candor, and purpose, because teams do their best work when the culture feels both energized and human. As a Black woman and global educator, I also bring lived experience that strengthens my commitment to representation, equity, and culturally responsive leadership. Throughout my career, my guiding belief has been that education transforms lives and that every student and teacher deserves to be seen, heard, and supported. 

Maria Knox is the Head of Secondary at ISPH, Vietnam. Originally a Drama teacher and still a professional performer, she brings a highly developed skill set in communication, presentation, and presence. Maria is passionate about empowering leaders to hold space in the educational setting and supports them in presenting themselves intentionally as values-driven professionals.

A strategic and conscious educational leader with over 30 years of experience in international education, driving academic excellence, wellbeing, and innovation through collaborative pedagogy and positive education. Skilled in mobilising teams and building capacity for sustainable change, I have led curriculum transformation, teacher growth frameworks, and student wellbeing initiatives that enhance engagement and achievement. I believe human beings are inherently wired for connection, creativity, and purpose; my leadership cultivates environments where educators and learners alike experience self-discovery, agency, and deeper intellectual growth. 

Leading teaching resilience in the technological age and driving data for purpose in the primary school sector. My career across three continents has helped me to grow into a leader who focuses on removing the barriers for teachers so that they can do what they do best. I have a passion for raising the awareness of qualitative data and reasonable adjustments we make to challenge every child for growth. I am always looking to learn about the perspectives of other leaders and how we can empower leaders without increasing the workload. 

I have been in education for 15 years in India, Thailand, Uzbekistan, and China. I am a former Founding Principal and have previously held the title of Deputy Head - Academic. I possess a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Management from the University of Nottingham and an NPQH from the UCL Institute of Education. I have been in academic leadership exclusively in British International Schools in China.

I co-founded Amiata Co. to be a global community prioritising values, partnerships, and impactful solutions in international education and business development. My 20+ years of global experience contribute to creating bespoke services for diverse stakeholders, including secondary schools, higher education institutions, private industries, NGOs, and government agencies. My focus lies in fostering strategic partnerships and aligning resources to achieve mutual success across interconnected ecosystems.

With over ten years of leadership experience in international outreach and alumni engagement, I bring a proven ability to enhance global networks and post-secondary pathways. At Education in Motion, I oversaw University and Career Counselling, supported the strategic growth of a 10,000+ member alumni network and partnered with key stakeholders to deliver innovative programming. I developed and signed MOUs and commercial contracts novel to secondary-tertiary programming. 

Linguist, educator, university lecturer, founder of a school, writer. Interested in improving the educational system as a whole, step by step.

I have been teaching for over 10 years, starting my career in an inner-city school in Leeds. After 4 years, I decided to move to China, where I worked at Harrow Beijing as a Year 3 Class Teacher and Head of Year. Since joining ISPH, I have taught in Year 1 and had oversight over Early Years and Key Stage 1. We have implemented new strategies to help transition the children smoothly into each new phase, developed our methods of assessment and implemented Forest School. 

Owner of Totally Teach, specialising in providing talent to top-tier international schools with an emphasis on China, SE Asia and KSA.

By understanding the unique goals of each educator and strategically matching these with a school’s mission and culture, Totally Teach is here to help you succeed.

Rowena is a true animal lover, with 6 rescue dogs and a cat from China, plus a horse now living with her in France. She’s also training for a half-marathon and loves Christmas! 

School leader and educator with over 10 years’ experience across secondary, university, and adult education in international settings. Currently an Assistant Head of Secondary at The International School at ParkCity Hanoi (ISPH), leading pastoral, wellbeing and inclusion provisions, and teaching Humanities subjects. Leadership is centred on building a positive, values-driven culture for students and staff, where wellbeing and belonging sit alongside the deliberate development of critical thinking and informed decision-making. Holds an MA (Cum Laude) in International Relations, alongside degrees in Political Science and Education; bringing a global lens to institutional growth and student success.

For the past three years, I have served as Whole School Assistant Head, overseeing Learning Support, English Acquisition, and Safeguarding at The International School @ ParkCity Hanoi (ISPH). In this role, I lead whole-school inclusion, ensure alignment with UK and Vietnamese frameworks, and coordinate systems that support our most vulnerable learners in thriving academically, socially, and emotionally.

Prior to joining ISPH, I led the Leadership in Action programme at a large British international school in Beijing. As a core co-curricular and enrichment pathway, the programme developed student leadership through structured enrichment opportunities, community action projects, and residential experiences.

Earlier in my career in the UK, I worked extensively with students with high EAL, behavioural, and safeguarding needs, building a strong foundation in inclusive practice, early intervention, and multi-agency support.

Founder of WeToon, an AI-powered creative learning platform. With over 15 years in educational content development, he designs AI literacy programs that help students become critical thinkers and responsible creators, leading learning through human-AI collaboration.