At Wellington College China (WCC), we aspire to create a caring community that develops well-rounded individuals with strong values and the skills to thrive within an ever-changing world.
WCC aims to establish schools that, over time, can flourish with high levels of autonomy. Each WCC school enjoys significant levels of legal and financial independence with its own governing body, a School Affairs Board (SAB).
The schools, however, are not independent. They are under a single ownership and operate under a clearly defined common framework. All schools carry the same Wellington College China name and therefore share the same reputation. The Central Office is a shared group resource. The WCC Executive Board was established to make group-level decisions and govern the Central Office. The Executive Board has the power to mandate standardisation of policies, systems and services. It also approves the group-level targets shared by our senior leaders.
There are three levels in our governance structure: the WCC Executive Board, SABs and sub-committees. The WCC Executive Board has five members. Each SAB has five members as well.
SAB members are appointed by Wellington College International China Management (WCICM), a company owned by WCC’s founder and chairman, and Wellington College International (WCI), a subsidiary of Wellington College UK. The latter comprises no less than 34% of the voting membership. Huili SAB members are solely appointed by WCICM.
Each member of the WCC Executive Board, SABs and sub-committees (staff members and parent members are not included) is given the title of ‘Wellington College China Governor’. They meet twice a year, online or in person, in November/December and June to:
• Engage in training and development
• Evaluate the effectiveness of governance and plan for improvements
• Share group-level information and long-term development strategies.
However, such a gathering is for training and information sharing purposes and is not a decision-making forum.
There are four full-time governors: the chairman, the CEM and two international directors (ID), who are appointed by Wellington College UK. The chairman serves on all SABs. The CEM serves on the SABs of new schools. The ID serves on all Wellington SABs.
All other governors are non-executive unpaid governors and serve on one SAB only. The combination of paid full-time governors and unpaid non-executive governors provides a balance. The full-time governors have the depth of knowledge and overview of the group and are responsible for much of the governance administrative work, while the non-executive governors provide a broader range of expertise and ensure openness and transparency in our governance.
Many governance decisions are delegated by the SAB to the four sub-committees. They are: the Academic Sub-Committee (ASC), the Facilities and Services Sub-Committee (FaSC), the Finance and HR Sub-Committee (FiHRSC) and the Safeguarding and Child Protection Sub-Committee (SCPSC).
The aim of the SAB sub-committees is to provide a more detailed and practical level of governance to the school. They allow for deeper analysis and discussions and have delegated authority from their SABs to make certain decisions.
Sub-committees comprise SAB members, external non-executive experts, school leaders, employees who have undertaken the WCC High Potential Programme, CO representatives and parent members. This combination is intended to offer a balanced view. The SAB members attending the sub-committee shall decide if any item should be referred to the SAB.
Wellington College China governance undergoes an annual evaluation process to examine the effectiveness of its strategic leadership. This is done through self-assessment by all governors, collecting feedback from school leaders and working with external consultants to compare ourselves with and learn from the most effective school governance worldwide. The Executive Board works with experienced UK school governance and culture specialists to support the development of the current approach and provide ongoing training and support to all the governors. This continuous self-improvement process helps to keep the board professional and adaptable to each school's — and the group’s — growing needs.
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.
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Scott Bryan
Wellington College
International Director
Scott Bryan
Governor
Wellington College International
Tianjin, Shanghai, Hangzhou
Mr Scott Bryan is the International Director for Wellington College. He is responsible for developing Wellington College International’s schools’ business and working with partners to ensure the reputation and quality of those schools.
Scott has a BSc (Hons), PGCE and postgraduate diploma in Educational Studies. He has a thorough understanding of the UK independent sector and a wide range of international experience from more than 20 years of working in education. His school leadership experience includes three successful headships in the UK, United Arab Emirates and more recently as a founding Head in Switzerland.
Scott has previously held the post of Strategic Director at a leading UK independent school, including responsibility for developing international business. He has also served on school governing bodies and chaired the finance committee. He brings extensive experience in international school business, strategic planning, regulatory compliance, school improvement and mentoring of senior leaders.
He is office-based at Wellington College in England, with both his daughters currently attending the College. In his spare time, he likes to visit the Swiss Alps, where he enjoys skiing and a variety of outdoor sports.
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.