At WCC, we have a robust, multi-layered governance structure that provides strategic oversight and accountability across all our schools. It consists of three key components: the WCC Executive Board, the School Affairs Boards (SABs) and a series of sub-committees.
The WCC Executive Board serves as the top level of governance, approving group-wide policies and overseeing the Central Office. Each Wellington College China school then has its own SAB, which is responsible for its governance and strategic direction. The SAB handles critical tasks such as hiring and evaluating school leadership, setting the school’s development plan and evaluating its progress, as well as monitoring educational and financial performance.
To provide more specialised and in-depth governance, the SABs have delegated certain responsibilities to four sub-committees. These allow for deeper analysis and decision-making in their respective domains.
The Academic Sub-Committee (ASC)
The ASC plays a vital role in evaluating the academic performance of our schools. The ASC closely examines a range of data and evidence, including:
• Quality of teaching
• Pupil attainment and progress data
• Public examination results
• University destinations of graduates
The Facilities and Services Sub-Committee (FaSC)
The FaSC oversees the physical infrastructure and support services that enable our schools to thrive. Key duties include:
• Aligning capital expenditure plans with the educational needs of pupils
• Evaluating the quality and effectiveness of services such as catering, uniforms, and transport
• Approving long-term facilities maintenance and improvement plans
• Signing off on capital expenditure budgets for facilities and IT
• Ensuring that robust environmental health and safety measures are in place across all WCC campuses
The Finance and HR Sub-Committee (FiHRSC)
The Finance and HR Sub-Committee (FiHRSC) is tasked with safeguarding the financial sustainability of our schools, as well as overseeing the development and compensation of our staff. Specific responsibilities include:
• Approving annual operating budgets
• Overseeing the creation of multi-year budgets aligned to each school’s educational plans
• Ensuring staff salaries are competitive externally and equitable
The Safeguarding and Child Protection Sub-Committee (SCPSC)
The SCPSC operates across the group. It is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of safeguarding and child protection. Through this sub-committee we uphold our uncompromising commitment to the safety and wellbeing of every pupil in our care. The SCPSC’s key duties are to:
• Review safeguarding updates and reports from the schools
• Monitor the implementation of WCC’s safeguarding action plans
• Ensure all safeguarding training remains current and in line with best practice from the UK
A key strength of this model is the diverse composition of our boards and committees. We have a balance of full-time, paid employee governors and unpaid, non-executive governors. Appointments come from both Wellington College in Crowthorne and WCC. The full-time governors bring deep institutional knowledge and administrative expertise, while the non-executive governors provide a wider range of external expertise in areas such as school leadership, academics, finance, legal matters, HR and facilities management.
This blend of voices ensures transparency and accountability while also enabling a more collaborative approach to governance. It has also garnered recognition within the wider field of international education. Most recently, the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) named Wellington College International Hangzhou a Beacon School for its governance practices. It is the only school in China to hold this title. Such an achievement underscores our steadfast commitment to setting the standard for effective, modern school governance.
School Affairs Board
Joy Qiao
Founder and Chairman
Joy Qiao is the Founder and Chairman of Wellington College China. She founded the group in 2009 and, under her leadership, Wellington China has become one of the most reputable international education groups in China and globally. Joy grew up in Shanghai and earned her BA in Computer Science at the University of Oxford. Prior to her devotion to education, she had extensive experience working in the IT industry in the United Kingdom, Germany and China.
Joy is married to a British husband and they have two teenage sons. Influenced by this, Joy's vision is to create the world's leading English-Chinese bilingual schools, which combine the very best attributes of both British and Chinese education. She views such blended education as being a key contributor towards deepening understanding and appreciation between China and the rest of the world. Bilingualism, cross-cultural awareness and global citizenship will all be highly valued skills in this century when East is meeting West.
Maya Tarabay Schisano
Governor
Wellington College International Hangzhou
Ms Maya Tarabay Schisano is one of the founding members of the Friends of Wellington (FOW), serving as the Events Chair since 2014 and the Chair in the 2018-19 school year. She worked closely with the College to achieve an open, dynamic and inclusive culture.
Maya has a BA in Interior Design, Marketing and Fine Arts from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon and is fluent in Arabic, French, Italian and English. Currently living in Shanghai, Maya has lived in the United States, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Italy and Australia.
She has extensive experience working in the luxury goods industry, and was at one time a global account manager at Prada. Maya also has experience in public relations and marketing, consulting for various Lebanese businesses as well as MSN Arabia and Sabil Water. In addition, she spent some time working as a presenter for the National Broadcasting Network (NBN) in Lebanon.
Maya first became seriously interested in education when her boys first started school at Wellington College International Shanghai in 2014. Recognising the alignment between the College’s philosophy and ethos and her own, she put her energy and focus as a parent into working towards that common goal: a school in which all children can thrive and that her boys are proud to be Wellingtonians.
Chris Huo
Governor
Wellington College China Hangzhou
Chris Huo works with Fosun International as Senior Investment Director. He leads the private equity investment activities in the UK and European market for the real estate arm of Fosun Group and is responsible for overseas subsidiary businesses from a governance and compliance perspective. Prior to Fosun, Chris spent 10 years with KPMG in the UK where he practiced as an auditor of international businesses, covering a wide range of industries and public organisations including universities and charities. He also worked in the KPMG Corporate Finance division, advising UK-listed corporates and global investment funds in infrastructure and TMT spaces, with respect to corporate reorganisation/ restructuring, strategic review, cross-border transactions and valuation.
Outside of work, Chris has gained experience of governance and wider regulatory issues through his interest in technology and investment. In the field of venture capital investment activities, he acts as a senior consultant for early-stage companies (FinTech, medical device, data analytics and distributed ledger) in the UK. He currently sits on the board of directors of VOGT Stockholm, a Swedish luxury fashion business.
Chris has 20 years of experience of living and working across Asia and Europe. Very relevant to Wellington China, he was educated in both China and in the UK. Chris has a deep understanding of both parts of the world, making him a natural candidate for working across cultures.
Chris graduated with a BEng (Hon) in Electromechanical Engineering from the University of Southampton in 2008. He then qualified as a chartered accountant with The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales in 2011. He is married with one child who presently studies at Wellington College International Shanghai.
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Stephanie Piper
Devonshire House Prep School
Headmistress
Stephanie Piper
Governor
Wellington College International Hangzhou
Stephanie is currently Headmistress at Devonshire House Prep School in London and Group Director of Education for the three schools owned by its proprietors. All three schools are based in central London and reflect the international nature of the areas where they are situated. She holds a BA Hons in French and German and a PGCE from Kings College London. She plans to retire from the Headship at the end of the 2022 academic year but will remain in her role as Director of Education for the group part time.
Stephanie was previously Head at Kings House School in Richmond for nine years and served as a Governor at Epsom College for seven years. She also served on the school's education committee and the committee formed to set up their overseas school in Malaysia.
For over a decade, Stephanie has worked as education officer for the charity Rwanda Action. She has led annual trips in which UK teachers conduct teacher training and has helped set up a teacher training and monitoring programme that is currently being rolled out across the country. She is also actively involved in UK private education as a member of the Independent Association of Prep Schools, having served as a district representative, vice president and now as a member of the national education committee. Additionally, she serves as an ISI schools inspector and is trained in compliance and academic quality inspections.
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Paul Vanni
Wellington College International
International Director
Paul Vanni
Governor
Wellington College International Hangzhou/ Hiba Academy Hangzhou
Paul joined Wellington College International in September 2024 having spent 25 years working across a range of schools in London including the prestigious St Paul’s School and St Paul’s Girls’ School where he was Director of School (Senior Deputy) for seven years.
In addition, Paul has considerable experience of setting up and leading new schools. In 2018, Paul became the founding Head of Kensington Park School, a co-educational, 11-18 day and boarding school in central London backed by overseas investors. He has since worked with St Paul’s Girls’ School International and their partners on the SPGSI Shengbo project in China. Paul joins us from Dukes Education where he led the successful OFSTED registration of London Park School Clapham. He has significant experience of independent school governorship across both the prep and secondary age ranges. He was for many years an ISI inspector and has been a principal examiner with Cambridge International Examinations.
Paul has a First-Class degree from University College London in Modern European Studies, a Master’s degree in French literature, and a PGCE from Cambridge. He is fluent in French and Italian, and in his free time enjoys hiking, coaching rowing, traveling, and supporting Brentford Football Club.
