Our Team

Dr Vardanyan has a PhD in Political Geography from the National University of Singapore, an MBA, a Master of International Affairs, a First-Class Honours in Economics, and a Cambridge International Diploma for Teachers and Trainers. A dedicated IB educator, he has around two decades of experience as a principal and leader in IB schools. Dr Vardanyan will spearhead our world-leading approach to assessment, further improving academic standards and a culture of high achievement.

While being immersed in the IB for 20 years, Dr Vardanyan spent the first 10 years of his career in leadership positions in the banking and finance industry. His ‘real-world’ experience is exceptional.

Chairman of Westbourne UK, Mark has over 30 years’ experience in business strategy, management and operations, and has worked in the education sector since 2001.

Prior to becoming Chairman of Westbourne in 2006, Mark founded and ran a strategy and private equity advisory business, during which time he worked with the BBC, the UK Government and the broader education sector to create a £300m programme to build and deliver digital learning resources to schools across the UK. He has led the development of Westbourne to make it one of the UK’s most successful schools. Integral to the group’s continuing international development, Mark was instrumental in the conception and launch of our colleges in Sydney and Singapore.

Mark holds an MBA from INSEAD, a Graduate Diploma in Applied Corporate Finance & Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia (FINSIA) and a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil & Structural, Honours, 2:1) from the University of Sydney. He was a senior manager in Accenture’s strategy practice and attended James Ruse Agricultural High School.

Marie has over two decades strategic leadership, entrepreneurship and business development experience across Europe and Asia. Prior to joining Westbourne in 2018, Marie founded, led and successfully sold a niche agency in the high value travel sector. Previous roles include Managing Director, The Big Domain, the UK’s leading venue rental business, International Head of Proposition Development, Cendant Corporation and Logistics Captain in the British Army. One of the first female graduates of the Combined Commissioning Course, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Marie has extensive experience of complex and dynamic environments and a particular interest in supporting students in challenging themselves to reach beyond the easily obtainable.

Stephen brings a wealth of international leadership experience: he taught mathematics for nine years in Sydney before venturing overseas. Over 38 years in ten countries, he worked as a teacher, head of department, IBDP coordinator, head of high school and school principal.

He has teaching experience in the NSW HSC, IB, IGCSE, British A levels and US Advanced Placement curricula. Stephen was the IB Diploma Programme Asia Pacific Regional Manager for six years. Most recently, he has been active as an educational consultant in IB schools in China. Stephen also serves as non-executive Director for Westbourne College Sydney.

Edmund is an engineer by training with over two decades of experience in teaching, both with Singapore government schools and international IB Diploma schools. Having previously held roles as Head of Middle and High School, and IB Diploma Coordinator, he brings his extensive teaching and management experience to Westbourne College (Singapore). Edmund believes that each student is a unique individual and has the ability to excel in his/her studies given the necessary support.

Tilly has over 20 years of experience in education, specialising in English, ELA, EAP and teacher training. She has worked in international schools across China, London, and Spain, creating dynamic learning environments that foster critical thinking, collaboration, and personal growth. Prior to moving to Singapore, Tilly taught at City University, London, and developed teacher training workshops for VSO, an NGO working with Education Ministries in China. Passionate about empowering students, she focuses on helping them achieve academic success while cultivating the intellectual curiosity, resilience, and global awareness necessary to thrive in today’s changing world.

Dr Chiew has over 30 years of Technical R&D experience on data science, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, cloud computing and IT architecture with relocation experiences in Abu Dhabi (UAE) and out-station experiences in Taiwan, United Kingdom, Turkey, South Korea, Cambodia, and Xi’An (China). He is a business owner of a technical consultancy firm taking up leadership and consultative roles with various local enterprises on Cloud Administration, Applications with Generative AI, Energy Management and Machine Learning Pipelines. Dr Chiew has authored a few dozen research papers on video processing, machine learning, and wireless communication. He is also an educator who supervises and mentors students of all ages on STEM, and also teaches part-time on Computer Systems, Physics and Mathematics to young adults.

Joyce graduated from NUS (Biomedical Science) Degree and Masters in Education (Curriculum Planning and Teaching) from Nanyang Technological University. She possesses a passion for teaching and working with youth. With over 18 years of experience at Tertiary Institutions, she is a firm believer that students have innate curiosity to learn and teachers can identify these potentials by allowing room for their growth.

Sindy is a dedicated bilingual educator with over two decades of experience teaching Chinese Mandarin. Throughout her career, which spans both local schools and private institutions, she has had the privilege of working with a diverse range of students, fostering a love for language and culture at every age and proficiency level.

Through customised and differentiated learning approaches, Sindy has helped students significantly improve their grades, often advancing several levels in proficiency. She has empowered many IGCSE and IB students to not only master the complexities of the Chinese language but also develop a deep appreciation for its rich, thousands-of-years-old history and culture.

With over a decade of experience across Australia, China, and Singapore, Gervais brings extensive expertise in marketing, brand management, sales, strategy, and international student recruitment. Before joining Westbourne, he spent over six years at The University of Western Australia, where he led student recruitment strategy, marketing, and business development across Southeast Asia and North Asia. Gervais holds a Master of Business Administration with High Distinction and a First Class Honours degree in Marketing.

Lea brings a wealth of experience and a global perspective to our team. A graduate of California State University, Lea has a background in international admissions and student recruitment. Having worked across Singapore and Asia, her career includes leadership roles at Cognita, the Australian International School, and Stamford American School. Prior to joining Westbourne College (Singapore), Lea also ran her own dive resort in Bali. Her career began at Dell, where she held various positions in the US, Sydney, and Singapore.