Ariston Education Leadership Team

Tammy Murphy is the Global Director of Education and Quality Assurance at Ariston Education. She leads the Group's education strategy, shaping academic excellence, innovation, safeguarding, wellbeing, and student outcomes across diverse geographies, curricula, and school models.

An accomplished global education executive with over 34 years leadership experience across K–12 systems, Tammy has served as CEO, Superintendent, Chief Education Officer, and Head of School — leading education at scale while preserving each school's distinctive culture.

Most recently CEO of XCL Education's Singapore schools and Head of School at XCL World Academy, where she was accountable for educational performance, leadership effectiveness, and student outcomes. She helped shape a shared educational vision, supported multiple curricula, oversaw a purpose-built campus and Innovation Hub, and advanced future-focused learning through AI and technology literacy. She previously held senior roles at GEMS Education in Dubai and served as Superintendent in California and Assistant Superintendent for Cherry Hill Public Schools in New Jersey.

Tammy is recognized for building high-ambition, evidence-informed education frameworks; advancing modern pedagogy, AI, robotics, coding, and computational thinking; and developing strong pipelines of educators and school leaders. She champions safeguarding, pastoral care, inclusion, and student wellbeing as foundations for academic success. She holds a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and completed doctoral coursework in Educational Leadership from Rowan University.

Ian Evason is an accomplished and transformative educational leader with a proven track record of driving institutional excellence in highly demanding environments. Armed with deep operational experience, Ian has successfully orchestrated the turnaround in several schools facing challenging circumstances, transforming them into thriving learning communities. His sharp diagnostic insights and commitment to quality standards are further sharpened by his background as an Ofsted Inspector. This dual perspective allows him to align rigorous regulatory frameworks with practical, impactful school improvement strategies.

Ian regularly shares his insights on international and national stages. He has featured as a keynote speaker for high-profile events including Education Experts Qatar and the Future of Education Summit Qatar. Within the United Kingdom, Ian is a trusted advisor who has spearheaded numerous trust-wide initiatives, scaling best practices across diverse networks of schools. His presentations combine empirical strategy with real-world application, making him a compelling authority for developing school leaders.

At the heart of Ian’s leadership philosophy is the firm belief that sustainable school improvement is inherently people-led. He champions a leadership model that prioritizes relational trust, and collective efficacy over rigid bureaucracy. By investing heavily in staff development, empowering middle leaders, and fostering a culture of mutual respect, Ian demonstrates how human-centric leadership directly translates to elevated student outcomes.

Michael W. Clack is EMEA Director of Education at Ariston Education, bringing over three decades of senior leadership experience across international school systems in the UK, Europe and the Middle East. In his executive role, he provides group wide leadership for educational standards, safeguarding, compliance and quality assurance, working in close partnership with CEOs, Boards and senior leaders to drive strategic alignment and continuous improvement across Ariston's global school portfolio. He is also a member of the Ariston Educational Leadership Council.

Michael's career spans teaching, senior leadership and principalship across diverse and complex educational environments. His leadership has encompassed major campus developments, large scale organisational change and the consistent delivery of high standards in teaching, learning and student outcomes, all underpinned by a strong command of the operational, financial and strategic dimensions of school management.

A recognised authority in governance, safeguarding and inspection, Michael brings extensive Board level experience as Chair, Vice Chair and Governor, advising governing bodies on strategic oversight, risk and accountability. Internationally, he serves as a Senior Team Inspector, senior accreditation practitioner and Chair of visiting teams for global accreditation bodies, supporting schools worldwide through evidence based self-evaluation and rigorous quality assurance frameworks.

At Ariston Education, he serves as Interim Global Lead for Safeguarding and oversees the Group's quality framework, accreditation strategy and inspection readiness. A published author and accredited trainer in safeguarding and school improvement, Michael is a respected contributor to professional practice and thought leadership across the international education sector. His leadership is defined by a clear moral purpose, placing student safety, wellbeing, and excellence at the centre of everything he does.

Mike brings 35 years of educational leadership experience, delivering outstanding outcomes through strategic planning, innovation, and growth. His expertise spans greenfield school development, campus expansion, learning space design, and budget management. Having served as a teacher, headmaster, CEO, and global advisor, he offers a unique, first-hand understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing schools today. His leadership experience extends across the UK, South Africa, and Portugal.

Mike began his career at Coundon Court School in the UK before becoming Housemaster and Deputy Head at St Albans College in South Africa. He later served as Founding Senior Headmaster of Pecanwood College, helping establish it as a leading independent school. After two decades in South Africa, he became Head of School at Nobel British International School in Portugal's Algarve region. He then went on to become Founding CEO of Globeducate (UK & Portugal), one of the world's leading international K–12 education groups, before serving as Senior Global Advisor at Noble & Eaton, the renowned global education design consultancy.

Throughout his career, Mike has consistently grown schools, strengthened their academic performance, and enhanced the reputation of every school he has led. His commitment to educational innovation and teaching excellence has shaped successful schools across Africa, Europe, and the UK.

Melanie Hitchcocks (Mel) is a dynamic and results-driven international school leader with over 15 years of experience driving educational excellence across the UK, Russia, Mongolia, Egypt, and Slovenia. Currently serving as Principal of the British International School of Ljubljana, she leads a team of 65 teaching and administrative staff with a clear focus on raising the quality of teaching and learning, strengthening school culture, and building sustainable leadership capacity. She is a member of the Ariston Educational Leadership Council.

Mel's impact as a school leader is defined by measurable outcomes. As Head of School at the English International School in Moscow, she delivered a 54% increase in IGCSE A*–C grades and a 37% improvement at A Level, while doubling student enrolment in a single academic year. She secured CIS accreditation, introduced robust performance management frameworks, and embedded whole-school literacy and tracking systems. In Ljubljana, she has since led the school through a successful ISI BSO compliance inspection and overseen the introduction of an Oracy Framework, a new primary curriculum, and a whole-school peer coaching programme.

A passionate advocate for holistic education, Mel believes that strong teacher–student relationships and a genuine love of learning are the foundations of academic success. Her leadership philosophy — to lead by example — drives a culture of continuous improvement and high expectations at every level. Mel holds a BA (Hons) in History from the University of Newcastle, a PGCE from Durham, an MA in Medieval Studies, the NPQH, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring for Education Professionals from Leeds Beckett University. She is also a qualified ISI BSO Inspector and COBIS Peer Accreditor.

Paul Farrell is an accomplished international school leader whose career spans British and international education across Europe and Asia, united by a single conviction: that every young person deserves to be challenged, supported, and known as an individual. As a member of the Ariston Educational Leadership Council, he currently serves as Principal of Britannica International School, Shanghai — a role he has held since 2020, having joined the school as Vice Principal in 2018. Paul has built a reputation for creating high-performance school cultures grounded in trust, inclusion, and genuine aspiration.

His leadership philosophy places equal weight on academic excellence, personal wellbeing, and character development, empowering teachers through collaboration, professional growth, and evidence-informed practice. His international career began at The British School of Bucharest, where he served as Head of Sixth Form for five years, before taking on Vice Principal responsibilities at Harris Academy South Norwood in London.

Beyond the classroom, Paul serves as a Peer Accreditor for COBIS, a Peer Evaluator for the Council of International Schools, sits on the Executive Committee of the Shanghai International Schools Association, and served as Education Chair of the British Chamber of Commerce Shanghai. Academically, Paul holds an MBA, MA, BSc, and the NPQH, and is currently completing a Doctorate in Business Administration — embodying the same commitment to lifelong learning he instils in the communities he leads.

Brian Rogove is the Founder and CEO of Ariston Education, a global education platform focused on building a portfolio of high-quality, future-ready schools. He is a recognized leader in international education, with nearly two decades of experience building, scaling, and transforming education organizations across Asia and globally. Most recently, he founded and led XCL Education, growing the business into one of Asia’s largest private K–12 education groups, serving approximately 30,000 students across Southeast Asia.

Prior to XCL, Brian founded A-Star-Education and served for more than eight years as CEO Asia Pacific for Cognita, where he led the development of the group’s regional platform. In 2009, he also founded Stamford American International School, which has become one of Singapore’s leading private American/IB schools, with more than 3,000 students.

Brian has served on the boards of leading global education organizations, including GEMS Education, one of the world’s largest private education operators.

Brian holds a B.S. in Economics from Northern Illinois University and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He is committed to expanding educational opportunity and has held leadership roles across numerous education, civic, and non-profit organizations.

Ton van Vilsteren is a seasoned global CFO with over 30 years of financial leadership experience across the hospitality, leisure, and private education sectors. Having held executive roles spanning Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, Ton has a proven track record of steering multibillion-dollar organisations through complex growth, transformation, and capital market transactions.

Most recently as Group CFO and Executive Board Director of Nord Anglia Education – the world's leading premium schools organisation – Ton led the company's capital markets strategy, culminating in a landmark acquisition by EQT and a consortium of global investors in 2025.

Prior to this, he served as CFO of Jumeirah Group, overseeing luxury hospitality operations worldwide as well as leading construction and corporate development, and spent eight years as Head of Finance for Hilton Worldwide's Asia Pacific region during a period of extraordinary expansion.

Ton holds a B.HA in Finance from Hotelschool The Hague and an MBA from IMD Business School in Switzerland. He thrives in complex international environments and is known equally for leading high-performing multicultural teams and his analytical rigour, while bringing deep expertise in financial strategy, M&A, real estate, and digital transformation.

Emilio Malpica is the Chief Executive Officer for the Americas for Ariston Education, bringing extensive expertise in educational leadership and operational strategies within the Mexican education sector.​

Throughout his career, Emilio has demonstrated capabilities in strategic planning and academic operations. His experience at Universidad del Valle de México includes serving as Director of Planning and Management, Director of Operations and then Regional Director of Academic Operations, where he oversaw academic processes and contributed to strategic initiatives. ​

Building on experience in the education sector, Emilio's work history includes roles at Universidad Multicultural CUDEC, where he progressed from Manager, Planning & Quality to Director, Planning & Quality, Director, Finance & Planning, High School Principal, and ultimately Executive Vice Rector. His tenure at Universidad Multicultural CUDEC reflects a focus on leadership in multicultural education and strategic planning.​

​Emilio's background is supported by knowledge of international relations and business administration, holding degrees in International Relations from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and an EMBA from El Instituto Panamericano de Alta Dirección de Empresa (IPADE). His participation in The FIMPES Institutions assembly further underscores their commitment to educational excellence in Mexico.​

Ba Ribe is an executive with over 15 years of international experience spanning strategy, business development, M&A, and general management across the healthcare and finance sectors. Before joining Ariston Education as Chief Strategy Officer, she was Global Head of Strategic Planning at Unilabs, a pan-European leader in diagnostic services, where she worked directly alongside the CEO to transform the company into a long-term value creation business, building new governance frameworks and driving global strategic initiatives. She then went on to serve as Head of Radiology Iberia, leading a Radiology, Gastroenterology, and Cardiology services business unit across 90+ sites and 2,000+ employees in Portugal and Spain.

Earlier in her career, Ba held senior commercial and corporate finance roles across Sweden, Denmark, and the UK, including Chief Commercial Officer for Unilabs Sweden and Head of Business Development for Unilabs Nordics, after starting her career in Corporate Finance and Equity Capital Markets at SEB Investment Banking in Stockholm and London.

A fluent communicator in multiple languages with a truly global outlook, Ba combines sharp financial and business acumen with a proven ability to drive profitable growth and lead organisational transformation at scale. She holds a Master of Science in Business Administration and Economics from Stockholm University in Sweden.

Nick Reynolds is a global C-suite marketing and commercial executive with more than 25 years scaling technology and industrial businesses on the international stage. He pairs deep operating exposure across Asia, Europe, the Middle East & the Americas with a proven record of building and leading large, multi-regional teams — and steering them through complex transformation and sustained growth.

His career is rooted in Fortune 500 technology, through senior sales and marketing leadership roles spanning Apple, Dell, Lenovo & Gateway — including product development for Lenovo’s ThinkPad & Yoga ranges and Apple’s consumer portfolio. In the industrial sector he has gone on to serve as Global CMO of Johnson Controls-Hitachi and as CMO of ADT for the EMEA & LATAM regions.

A transformation-focused leader, Nick ran Lenovo’s global eCommerce business as Global Head of Digital, driving demand generation, performance marketing and direct-to-consumer sales at scale. Most recently he was CMO of ALAT Technologies, a Public Investment Fund (PIF) start-up reshaping the global electronics and industrials sectors through clean-energy-powered manufacturing.

Across every role he has owned brand, customer acquisition, partnerships and full P&L responsibility within complex global organisations, consistently translating strategy into measurable commercial results. He has also served on several educational boards of directors.

A seasoned dealmaker and strategic finance executive with over two decades of experience across investment banking, corporate development, and private investment, he brings a rare combination of financial rigour, commercial instinct, and global transaction expertise.

He began his career as an economic litigation consultant at Smith Economics Group in Chicago, before moving into investment banking at Credit Suisse, where he executed M&A and capital markets transactions. He then served as a senior manager at Woodside Energy, managing international commercial operations and numerous M&A projects. Cristian went on to lead Mergers & Acquisitions at InterOil Corporation until its sale to ExxonMobil, where he also monetized multiple assets alongside multiple debt financing transactions. Since InterOil, he has negotiated the monetization of multiple assets opposite major global corporations and worked closely with prominent investment funds on buy-side transactions across various sectors. During this time, he has also actively deployed his own capital, investing personal funds independently as well as co-investing alongside institutional partners.

Cristian has also been an Executive Director of Deal Strategy & Execution at Alat — the Saudi PIF-backed company tasked with reshaping the Kingdom's economy, he was part of the corporate development team driving one of the most ambitious industrial transformation programmes in the world.

Cristian holds an Economics degree from The University of Chicago and an MBA from Rice University.

Weirong Chang is a multi-faceted global executive with experience spanning strategy, operations, and corporate development across technology and education businesses on the international stage. He brings cross-border expertise drawn from multiple geographies across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas, with a track record of leading multi-regional teams and steering them through rapid growth, expansion, and sustained value creation.

His experience in the education sector comes from his tenure as Head of Strategy and Chief of Staff at XCL Education, a group of K-12 schools serving 20,000 students across multiple campuses in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. In addition, Weirong focused on strategy and innovation at A-Star Education, a group of education companies spanning international schools, summer pre-college programs, university counselling, and academic services, where he led value creation initiatives in close collaboration with the management teams at portfolio brands.

Weirong was most recently an Executive Director with the Corporate Development at ALAT Technologies, a Public Investment Fund (PIF) initiative reshaping the global electronics and industrials sectors through clean-energy-powered manufacturing. He started his career at Bain & Co., a management consulting firm, working with companies spanning a full spectrum of industries across Southeast Asia. Over the course of about eight years, he gained specific experience with strategy, transformation, performance improvement, digital, and sustainability (ESG) projects.

Passionate about coaching, experiential learning, and wellbeing, Weirong also has a track record educational and mentorship roles throughout his educational and professional journeys. He received an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and engineering degrees from Dartmouth College and the University of Texas at Austin..

Magdalena Persson is an experienced international executive, board chair, and private equity advisor with extensive expertise in technology, transformation, cybersecurity, organizational development and value creation across Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Since 2017, she has served as an Industrial Advisor to EQT Partners. She currently chairs the boards of Universidad Europea, a leading higher education group, and SK Shieldus, one of South Korea’s leading security services providers. In addition, she serves on the boards of Qarlbo AB and Bactiguard AB.

Magdalena is also Chair of the Board of Directors of Ariston Education and Chair of its Safeguarding Committee. These roles reflect Ariston’s strong commitment to safeguarding, as well as her extensive experience in health and safety, privacy, and security. She is widely recognized for driving governance excellence and fostering transparent, high-performing relationships among boards, executive teams, and broader organizations.

Anna Sundell is a Partner at EQT and Head of Infrastructure UK. Since joining EQT in 2010, she has been involved in a number of Infrastructure investments across Europe and currently leads the firm's investments in Constellation Cold Logistics, Encyclis, Ariston Education and Universidad Europea.

Prior to relocating to London in 2019, Anna was based in Stockholm, where she worked on investments including Swedegas, Hector Rail and GB Railfreight. Before joining EQT, she worked in corporate finance at Nordea Corporate Finance and HSH Nordbank.

Anna holds an M.Sc. in Business Administration from the Stockholm School of Economics and a Law degree from Stockholm University.

Kevin began his career as a teacher and lecturer in schools and further education colleges across Northern Ireland and England — the start of a lifelong commitment to education. In 1972 he founded Nord Anglia Education, and in the years since has established himself as both an entrepreneur and an innovator in the field.​

Nord Anglia was initially founded as an English Language teaching organisation. It became a leader in this field with many thousands of young language learners on summer courses and with English language year-round schools (for older more serious students) in England (four,) Australia (four), New Zealand (three), USA (two). Vietnam (one) and Ireland (one).​

​As Chairman of Nord Anglia for 33 years, Kevin guided the group founding and opening independent schools across the UK and international schools throughout Central, Southern and Eastern Europe and Asia. By the time he stepped down in 2005, the company was educating more than 4,500 pupils worldwide.​

​As Chairman of the Manchester Academy of English, Nord Anglia’s marquee language school, Kevin oversaw a period of substantial growth which led to the successful sale of the English Language business . He also founded Acorn Care and Education, providing expert care and tuition for children with special educational needs, alongside placements for children in foster care. By the time it was sold, Acorn had grown into a portfolio of eleven schools and fostering businesses across much of England.​

​In 2008 Kevin founded Orbital Education, where he has focused on establishing international schools and nurseries emulating his Nord Anglia model. These offer a high-quality education — largely in the British style and tradition — to expatriate and host-nation families in four continents.​

​In 2026 Kevin stepped down as Chairman of Orbital to join Ariston Education, where he now serves as a member of the Board of Directors.​

Kirk Wagar brings more than two decades of experience at the intersection of government, finance, and global business to his role as a Board Member of Ariston Education. He currently serves as Founder & CEO of Throughline Holdings, Inc., a fee-based alternative asset management company originating short-duration second-line bridge loans for business-purpose borrowers. Under his leadership, Throughline applies a conservative credit box and a fee-driven model to scale across twelve states in its first wave of expansion.

His international portfolio spans finance, policy, and technology. He is Founder and Chairman of Worldview Advisory, a public affairs and capital markets advisory firm, and Founding Partner of Terra-Invest, a Dubai-based investment vehicle focused on frontier capital structures in AI, mobility, renewable energy, and digital assets. He also serves as Vice Chairman of Kairoswealth, a Singapore-based AI-enabled wealth platform serving family offices and high-net-worth clients across Asia.

From 2013 to 2017, Kirk served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore, working with more than 4,000 American companies on Asia-Pacific market entry and regulatory navigation. He later served as Advisor to the CEO at Binance, acting as Head of Global Government Affairs during a period of intensive global regulatory engagement, and as a Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council's Asia Security Initiative.

His board experience includes roles at GEMS World Academy Singapore, XCL Education, A-Star Education Holdings, and General Synergy Acquisition Corp, alongside senior advisory positions at L Catterton and CSIS. Earlier in his career, he practiced commercial litigation in Florida and served as Florida Finance Chairman for Obama for America. He brings this rare combination of diplomatic, financial, and operational expertise to Ariston Education's Board.

Leo Schlesinger is an experienced CEO, investor, and board member with more than 30 years of global leadership across education, private equity, hospitality, industrial, consumer, and financial services. He has led large organizations through transformation, growth, mergers and acquisitions, and operational improvement, with a strong focus on governance and long-term value creation.

Leo is currently Chief Executive Officer of Tortuga Resorts, a private equity-backed hospitality company and a USD 3.5 billion platform operating 22 premium beachfront resorts across Mexico, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic under the Hyatt, Hilton, and Viceroy brands. He also serves as an Industry Advisor to EQT Group on education investments and advises family offices on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and portfolio company performance.

Previously, Leo was Chief Executive Officer of Norte 19 (BMV: HCITY), one of Latin America's largest hotel owners and operators. Before that, he spent nearly ten years as Chief Executive Officer of Aliat Universidades, one of Mexico's largest private higher education groups. During his tenure, he led the acquisition and integration of 16 universities, creating a leading hybrid education platform serving more than 50,000 students across 30 campuses and over 100 learning centers. Earlier in his career, he was Chief Executive Officer of Masisa México and held senior leadership roles at GrupoNueva, CIGNA, and Citigroup across the Americas and Europe.

Leo serves as a Trustee of the University of London and previously served for almost a decade as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the American School Foundation in Mexico City, one of Mexico's leading K–12 schools. He has also served on the boards of public companies, private equity-backed businesses, and educational institutions. He is a member of the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders community, served as Chairman of the WEF Global Agenda Council on Sustainable Business, and was President of the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) Mexico Chapter. In 2012, he received YPO's International CEO of the Year Award in recognition of his leadership in sustainable business. Leo holds an MBA from London Business School, a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, and has completed executive education programs at Harvard Business School, LBS and Yale University. He is also the author of Mi Mejor Yo (My Best Self), published by Pearson in 2018. The book has sold more than 95,000 copies, and all author royalties have been donated to higher education scholarships.

Marcos Alvarez brings nearly a decade of experience and a strong record of board governance across Europe and APAC to his role as a Board Member of Ariston Education. Marcos is a Managing Director at EQT Group, where he has spent over nine years across offices in Madrid, Sydney, and Munich, heading Social Infrastructure investing in APAC and Europe.

His work spans execution, value creation, and board-level oversight across EQT's platform, giving him deep, hands-on experience guiding companies through growth, operational transformation, and international expansion. He has served at numerous Boards including Universidad Europea, one of Spain's leading private university networks, Evidia, a pan-European radiology platform and Icon Group, a global integrated oncology operator.

Earlier in his career, Marcos worked at Morgan Stanley in investment banking in London and has, throughout his career, been involved in the Education sector including early-stage investment and advisory to Luca Education, an leading education technology company in Latin America.

Thomas Hilde is an international executive, senior advisor, and board director with more than 20 years of experience building, scaling, and transforming businesses across Europe and Latin America. Over the course of his career, he has led approximately 200 acquisitions and post-merger integrations across more than 10 countries and established greenfield operations in multiple European markets.

As a Senior Advisor to EQT, Thomas has worked closely with portfolio companies in the business services sector to accelerate growth, strengthen operations, and deliver sustainable value creation. Throughout his career, he has partnered with private equity investors, founders, boards, and executive leadership teams to execute complex transformations, drive international expansion, and build high-performing organisations.

Having held executive leadership and board positions across multiple European markets and Latin America, Thomas combines strategic oversight with deep operational experience. He brings a proven track record of scaling businesses, leading cross-border organisations, and creating long-term value across diverse markets and cultures.

As a Board Member of Ariston Education, Thomas contributes extensive experience in international growth, operational excellence, mergers and acquisitions, and governance, supporting the group's strategy to build a leading global education platform.

Thomas holds a B.Sc. in International Marketing and has completed the International Executive Leadership programme at Stockholm School of Economics and the Psychological Leadership programme at Lund University.