The Foundation
The Schools Development Foundation acts to develop and safeguard educational quality and student care by setting educational policies, setting and evaluating school targets and development plans, and making senior appointments.
Darren Brown
Darren has been a founder, co-founder and board member of several highly regarded British schools across the US, South East Asia, China, Brazil, and Europe. Born and raised in Australia, he has spent almost half his life in Asia. Darren has a deep understanding of all aspects of the establishment and governance of international schools.
Nigel Archdale
Nigel is a Foundation Fellow of The University of Gloucestershire, a Governor of the Geneva English School, a COBIS trained Heads’ mentor and a former International Schools Inspector for ISI. He was a school Head in the UK for 25 years at The Royal Wolverhampton Junior School and then Cheltenham College Junior School, before concluding his years as Principal of The British School of Warsaw and finally as Principal of Compass International School in Doha.
Cheryl Godfrey
Cheryl brings international experience as Managing Director in a leading cosmetics and luxury company, and a deep understanding of brand equity, and business strategy. Passionate about people and leadership, with a focus on inclusion and diversity, she has an excellent track record delivering outstanding organisational performance. Cheryl has guided her two children through school both in the UK and overseas in British International Schools.
Syikin Mahmud
Syikin concluded her career in the Oil & Gas industry in 2017 as a petrophysicist with Shell. Often leading the petrophysics discipline, she has worked with cross functional teams across countries on countless drilling campaigns in the many tens of millions of dollars. Syikin was also responsible for junior talent development and contributed to the improvement of technical processes and methodologies. Syikin brings an engineer’s rigour and attention to detail to planning and processes.
Bryan Ross
Advisor to the Board.
Brian’s distinguished career in senior Directorship/Regional Leadership roles within the oil and gas sector makes him an invaluable asset. His corporate governance, commercial finance, and operations expertise drive transformative growth for multinationals. With exceptional leadership and ethical practices, he ensures sustainable success. As a parent of children attending British international and UK independent schools, Brian advocates for inclusivity in our educational community.
Richard Anderton
Advisor to the Board.
Richard has spent almost 20 years at board level in international education. He was the founder of The British School of Nanjing and has sat on the executive board of more than ten British International Schools from New York to São Paulo. Richard possesses comprehensive knowledge of every facet concerning the oversight and management of international schools. Richard’s two children have spent time in British Schools in Asia and private schools in Australia.