The consultants

Neil Amas

Principal Consultant

Neil is an experienced school leader and executive manager. He has held two international school headships, as well as director and senior management roles in other sectors.

He knows school start-up, growth and expansion from the inside, and has a long history of leadership coaching and teacher training. He is particularly interested in holistic approaches such as mindfulness, environmental awareness and social and emotional learning, and in what makes them succeed in real schools.

Neil has worked across the private, public and voluntary sectors in the UK and Thailand. Alongside 11 years of school leadership, he has directed a research centre and worked as a teacher, a community services manager, a radio presenter and a football coach.

The feeling of growing, learning and becoming better at what you do is invigorating and powerful. Only by improving ourselves can we bring successful development and change to others and our organisations. I believe that schools should not only be creative and innovative, they should be joyful: places where a love of learning is supported by a caring community, all working towards a shared vision. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than helping others on their personal and professional journey of learning and growth.

MSc, University of London

Gary Jolliffe

Senior Consultant

Gary has spent 30 years in education as a teacher and head teacher in primary and secondary schools in Thailand, China and New Zealand.

He is a trained guidance counsellor, co-founded a language school and has held a range of management positions, most recently as principal of an international school in Chiang Mai. His passions are enquiry-based learning, curriculum development and helping teachers grow their skills.

Gary loves the outdoors and can often be found trekking or cycling through the forests of northern Thailand.

Diploma of Teaching and MEd (Counselling), University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Michel Thibeault

Senior Consultant

Michel has nearly 40 years of experience as an educator. He has taught every level from nursery to high school and spent twenty years in leadership.

He has been principal of a K-12 school in Canada, founding CEO of an outdoor education centre, and primary school principal and mindfulness director at an international school in Thailand. He is an experienced professional development trainer and is now undertaking doctoral research in educational leadership.

Michel somehow finds time to cycle, hike, swim, rock climb and watch action movies, and then calms down again with meditation.

BEd, MEd (Administration of Education). ACC-certified ICF Leadership Coach and NLP coach

Jeerawan Panma

Consultant

Aae has more than 12 years of experience as an early years educator at a values-based international school, and she is dedicated to fostering a deep love of learning in her students.

She brings therapeutic practice into the classroom, creating an environment where children feel connected and thrive, both emotionally and academically. Play-based learning and mindful interaction are at the heart of how she teaches, and she designs experiences that support each child’s whole development so that every one of them can reach their potential.

Outside the classroom, Aae enjoys hiking, travelling and spending time in nature.

Degree in ecotourism. Thai teaching licence. Registered Play Therapist, Play Therapy UK

Elizabeth Binyon

Consultant

Elizabeth is an enthusiastic educator with more than 25 years of experience teaching primary school and English as a second language.

She believes every child can learn in an engaging, supportive environment, and she inspires her students to develop a love of learning. A sustainability-focused educator, she specialises in using mindfulness techniques in her lessons. She has taught in the United States, Japan, Colombia and her favourite, Thailand.

A lifelong learner, Elizabeth enjoys yoga, art, travel, gardening, learning languages, meditation, volunteering, reading and hiking with her dog.

Master of Education. Bachelor of Fine Arts. ESOL Endorsement. Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language

Jettana Sangchote

Consultant

Jettana is a school start-up and enrolment specialist, with ten years leading marketing, admissions and parent support for two international schools, and more recent work as a school start-up consultant.

An experienced manager and trainer, Jettana is skilled at setting up successful school support teams, building effective communication channels and fostering constructive relationships between schools and parents.

Outside schools, Jettana has a passion for interior design and loves to travel, and is fluent in Thai and English.

MA in English for International Business, King Mongkut’s University of Technology, Bangkok

Anthony Biddlecombe

Consultant

Anthony is an experienced early years practitioner who specialises in play-based education. He has worked in schools for 15 years and recently co-founded a successful multi-age, play-based preschool in Chiang Mai.

He is passionate about bringing positive life values such as empathy, compassion and patience into the classroom, and he is always looking for, and trying out, innovative and creative ways to support students and teachers, based on the latest thinking in education.

A former competitive swimmer, Anthony is a fully qualified lifeguard and, in his spare time, a keen motorcyclist and rock climber.

BSc Psychology, University of Sussex. PGCE, University of Sunderland