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SGIS BOARD
Governance, innovation and strategy for SGIS
The SGIS board oversees the strategic direction and governance of the organization, ensuring its mission is effectively carried out and its operations align with ethical and legal standards. Comprised of dedicated volunteers with diverse expertise, the board provides guidance on policy, financial stewardship, and program development while holding leadership accountable for achieving organizational goals. By fostering transparency, supporting sustainable practices, and engaging stakeholders, the SGIS board plays a vital role in advancing the organization's impact and maintaining its credibility within the community it serves.
Lucy Gowdie
Board Chair
Lucy Gowdie is the Head of the Inter-Community School, Zurich. With over 25 years in education, in Australia and Internationally, she has a breadth of experience in education policy design and implementation. Lucy has worked in both boarding and international schools and understands the immediacy and the necessity of powerful policy in strengthening whole school systems.
Ruth Norris
Vice Chair
Dr Ruth Norris is the current School Principal of St. George’s International School. Dr Norris has over 15 years of experience in the independent school sector, across four different independent schools, boarding and day, with a solid leadership background at top-performing UK schools. She started her teaching career by lecturing while at Oxford before going into school teaching. She obtained her undergraduate degree in History at the University of Cambridge and her postgraduate at the University of Oxford. Her own experience of education was key in her decision to pursue a career in teaching and be a part of the profession that makes those life-changing opportunities for children.
Barry Dequanne
Treasurer
Barry Dequanne is currently serving as the Director of the International School of Zug and Luzern (ISZL). Barry has more than twenty-five years of international administrative and teaching experience, including work at schools in the Kingdom of Swaziland, the Lincoln School in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the American School of Sao Paulo (Graded), Brazil, and Brasilia. His academic background includes studies in mathematical physics, computer science, education, and leadership. Barry has also served as the President of the Board of Directors of the Association of American Schools in South America (AASSA) and the President of the Association of American Schools in Brazil (AASB). He is currently serving as a member of the Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE) Board of Trustees and the TIE Online Advisory Board, in addition to working as a consultant and facilitator at international schools in the areas of strategic planning and governance. His areas of interest include school improvement, leadership, governance, teacher professional development, assessment, and program and policy development.
Frazer Cairns
Board Member
Frazer Cairns is the Director of the International School of Lausanne. He started his career as a management consultant and journalist after graduating from the University of York in the UK. He retrained as a science teacher and subsequently taught in the UK, Indonesia, Singapore and Switzerland. Having worked in international schools for most of his career, Frazer is particularly interested in the way language is used in multilingual educational settings. He continues to study and contribute to research in this area, holding both Master and Doctorate degrees in education.
Denise Coates
Board Member
Denise is the School Director at the International School of Berne. British by birth, Denise has been in Switzerland since 1995 and is proud to have Swiss nationality. Denise was initially trained as a secondary school English literature teacher and taught in the UK for seven years before moving into international education. Denise worked for 14 years at Haut Lac International Bilingual School, where she gained her IB MYP experience, becoming the MYP Coordinator and then Head of Secondary. She joined Knightsbridge Schools International as School Director and subsequently led teaching, learning and curriculum for the school group. Denise is also an IB Lead Educator involved in training IB workshop leaders, site visitors and consultants, as well as IB chairs for synchronised visits. She attends IB regional events as a 'field representative' focusing on quality assurance and workshop leader development. Denise is CIS-trained and has recently been NEASC-trained for the new ACE protocol.
Bradley Roberts
Board Member
Bradley Roberts is the Director of International School Basel. With just over 30 years of experience in education, Bradley joined IS Basel from Singapore, where he was the Principal at St. Joseph’s Institution International School (SJI) from 2012 to 2019. Prior to this, Bradley spent a five-year period in Qatar, where he was Deputy Principal and Head of Secondary School at Al Khor International School. Bradley has extensive international school experience spending (24 years in total). Bradley spent 13 years of his earlier career as a housemaster and teacher at boarding schools in Switzerland, Japan and South Africa. His wife, Janette, joined Bradley in Basel. They have two sons who are now at university (in Amsterdam and Vancouver). Growing up in South Africa, Bradley completed his Bachelor of Science and Higher Diploma in Education at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He obtained his Bachelor in Education at the University of South Africa. A lifelong learner, Bradley obtained a Diploma in Personnel Management and completed an International Leadership in Management Programme. He was the Chair of the Singapore IB Heads Network as well as a member of several other educational associations.
George Walsh
Board Member
An accomplished leader in global education, George brings to the SGIS board extensive experience acquired from pivotal roles across Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and South-East Asia. Currently championing the cause of international education as Headmaster at Institut International de Lancy (IIL), George values the power of collaboration, which envisions a harmonious world built on the pillars of peace and respect. George firmly believes that through education grounded in these principles, a brighter future awaits us all. At the core of George’s educational philosophy lies the commitment to enable students and educators to unlock and chase their unique potential. George’s advocacy for innovative and engaging learning ensures that international school communities thrive in an environment where they feel content, secure, and driven to grow. Under George’s guidance, students evolve as well-rounded global citizens, poised to contribute selflessly to the betterment of the world. George is honoured to be part of the SGIS board and continues with passion and dedication to help steer us toward excellence in international education.
Jackie Chan-Kam
Secretary and non-voting Board Member
Jackie grew up in South Wales and trained as a nurse in Wales and London, where she met her husband. The family moved to Mauritius in 1976, where they spent the next fifteen years before relocating to Geneva. While in Mauritius, Jackie engaged in voluntary social work and, in the immediate few years before coming to Switzerland, in public relations activities with the local media and with national and international agencies in support of her husband’s work in AIDS prevention. These activities prompted her to pursue further studies after arriving in Geneva, and she successfully completed the degree course in Social Sciences from the Open University (UK). She subsequently worked first as a freelance editor and, for two years, as an editor in the publications unit of the World Health Organization. Thereafter she was fortunate to be able to combine for several years a lifelong love of books and an interest in education in general with a gratifying job as an international sales representative for Scholastic International and Follett publications. Jackie has been the Executive Secretary of SGIS since 2003. Email Jackie at secretary@sgischools.com