Amar Dhull

As the Chairman of IBS, let me take you through my journey.

Hailing from a humble village in Haryana, India, I began my educational journey at KVS and continued to pursue a diverse range of degrees at Delhi University, including B. Com, PGDPM, LLB, MSW.

Sports have always been my passion, leading me to compete at university, state, and national levels in sports such as Basketball, Handball, Volleyball, Swimming, and Athletics. This blend of academic and athletic pursuits has shaped my character, fostering determination and discipline in all aspects of my life.

Commencing my professional journey in India, I delved into the corporate landscape across diverse industries including manufacturing, print media, hotel and hospitality. In 1993, a new chapter in my life unfolded as I ventured to the UK, where initially I served as the Project Manager for Kent County Council. This experience laid the foundation for my entrepreneurial endeavours, shaping my path towards creating impactful ventures and making a difference in the business world.

Driven by a vision for educational empowerment in India, I founded IB School in Rohtak, India, in 1999, transforming it into a thriving educational institution for over 1500 children. A significant number of students receive free education, reflecting our philosophy of giving back to the society, commitment to inclusivity and ensuring accessibility to learning opportunities to students of all economic strata of the society.

As a serial entrepreneur, I have spearheaded the founding of companies across diverse sectors, including social care, real estate, and child care. Notable ventures such as Vision Fostering Agency Ltd. (later rebranded as Capstone Vision), Sevenark, Avantus Ltd., RounndArk Ltd. and Vision Care Services Ltd. have been instrumental in not only generating resources but also creating a substantial impact for Charity World.

Through these ventures, along with my team, I have been able to support thousands of vulnerable and disadvantaged children and families, demonstrating our unwavering commitment to making a difference in their lives. The collective efforts of these companies have not only driven business success but also enabled me and my team to uphold our philanthropic goals and provide essential aid to those in need.

In 2013, alongside a dedicated team, I launched Charity World, a UK-based charity with a global reach, focusing on providing essential services to children in need in the UK and India. This marked a significant milestone in our mission to make a positive impact on young lives.

Currently, I serve as the Managing Director of UK Fostering and as the Director of Roundark Ltd, both entities that align their efforts to support the noble initiatives of Charity World. My journey has been defined by a relentless commitment to education, welfare, and community service, and I am honoured to lead IBS in its mission to shape a brighter future for our students and the world.

Gita Nath (Director, Academics)

Masters in English Literature and Education, Gita Nath has recently joined the IB Education Society as the Director, Academics. She has been an educator for over three decades. She has completed the Writers’ Programme from Manchester, U.K. and Certificate of Teaching English (CTE) from IGNOU. She is also a certified IELTS Examiner.

She was the HOD (English) and later the principal of Apeejay School, a reputed senior secondary school of the NCR. During her long tenure, she worked closely with the Chairman of the Education Society and Principals, and was continuously rewarded and upgraded for her aptitude, attitude and her very empathetic relationship with the student community. She shouldered her responsibility for English-related activities such as production and direction of plays, inter house and inter school debates, declamations and other literary events with immaculate diligence. She planned and conducted inter school Literary Fests, as well as, was in charge of school excursions. She was involved with CBSE in the responsible role of the Head Examiner for English for several years.

She was the Master Trainer and Project Manager with two leading eLearning companies, Liqvid eLearning Solutions and Educomp Smartclass. While working with Liqvid, she guided trainers of corporate houses and trained clients such as the Gentlemen Cadets (GCs) of Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, Career Launcher, NIS and CRPF Academy, Kadarpur.

As the Project Manager-English digital content for Educomp Smartclass, she flawlessly executed the Govt. of Assam’s project, ‘Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan’. She created and curated the K-12 English content for Educomp Smartclass which earned her several rewards and recognitions.

As the Head of Training Department, she devised training modules for principals, and facilitators of Educomp Schools and, along with her team, conducted training for teaching strategies, learning styles and classroom management techniques for them.

She successfully conducted satellite training from Hughes Studios, Gurgaon in English and Soft Skills for over 2 years. She was empanelled with IGNOU as well as with National Testing Agency (NTA) for setting and moderating question papers for their English Certificate courses.

A published author, she has efficaciously produced Question Banks for Tata McGraw-Hill for Senior Secondary English. She has authored a set of 10 books in children’s fiction and a set of 8 books on Phonics for Pegasus. She has prepared Trainer Manuals, ELT- based text books and workbooks for Viva Education, Pearson, Harper Collins, Burlington English, Macmillan and Assessment Tools for Cambridge University Press (CUP) based on CEFR standards. Single-handedly, she designed the curriculum and content for two upcoming e-learning education platforms for the middle and senior school English.

Along with shouldering the responsibility as the Director, Academics of IB Schools, she is a Corporate Trainer for Soft Skills and Business Communication. She conducts sessions for the faculty and students of schools and colleges which are solution-centric and aim at working on the mindset, thereby helping them lead more mindful and contented lives.

Mr Steve Cook (Advisor, Overseas Education

Mr Steve Cook is a reputed educationist and consultant in international education. He has extensive experience in both educational and administrative aspects of international education.

Mr Cook has been Advisor to the Board of Directors and has served international schools at senior levels. He is currently the Head Teacher at The Grange School & Sports College, Bristol, UK.

Mr Cook is especially involved in curriculum development, faculty training and is equally responsible for the selection and recruitment of expatriate faculty.

Danielle Brown (Advisor, Overseas Education)

Danielle’s background is elite sport. She is a double Paralympic gold medallist and five-time World Champion in archery. She also became the first disabled person to represent England, and win gold, at the Commonwealth Games. During her time training, she also graduated from the University of Leicester with first class honours in Law.

On becoming disabled as a teenager, Danielle realised that even in adversity one has the choice: to either let the things beyond your control defeat you, or to control your response to it

Taking up archery on her fifteenth birthday, Danielle made the Great Britain team three years later, jumping straight in as world number one. She hung onto that position for her entire career. Danielle is a five-time World Champion and two-time Paralympic gold medalist, winning gold in Beijing 2008 and retaining her title on home soil in London 2012. She also became the first disabled person to represent England as an able-bodied competitor at the Commonwealth Games, where again she bagged a gold.

Danielle is now a Keynote Speaker, Trainer and Coach. She specialises in helping others unlock their potential, break through barriers and achieve more. Working with young people is an important social aspect of Danielle’s engagements; she is passionate about helping young people develop strong foundations for success. She has developed the online programme, ‘Your Journey to Success’, which equips young people with the tools to create their own success stories. She has also co-authored a children’s self-development book, ‘Be Your Best Self’, with nine-year-old Nathan Kai, which was released in October 2019. This book helps young people not only to develop essential life skills, growth mindsets but also learn valuable life lessons on how to be happy, healthy and successful.

Susanne Klahre

Susanne Klahre, a former Director of UK Fostering, lives in Switzerland. She has an impressive background in education (primary school teacher), disability/sensory- impaired (hearing impaired children and deaf blind adults), and in the past few years, as a specialist teacher for ‘individual talent development’. Susanne Klahre studied ‘Rhythmic’ in Switzerland (1989) which focuses on working with hearing impaired children and adults. It is a therapeutic form of creating experiences through movement and the tactile senses. She worked for several years at a specialist school for hearing impaired children in Switzerland. Presently, she works at a primary school in a culturally rich and mixed part of Basel, Switzerland.

Her active and family-oriented lifestyle includes cycling, hiking, expressive arts such as painting, music, play and theatre and frequent outings with her two sons (age 15 and 18) and her husband. Susanne Klahre is passionately dedicated to creating child-friendly environments for children, in which individual learning, having fun, sharing experiences and enjoying each other’s presence is paramount.

Jukka Sormunen (Advisor, Overseas Education)

Since 2002, Jukka Sormunen has been building the new era high school in Kuopio, Finland. He has successfully and effortlessly connected international learning platforms using ICT. He has earned the credit of creating the best high school in Eastern Finland. As an innovative Headmaster, he has had several opportunities to work with different companies apart from his normal Headmaster’s job. Jukka’s latest development work has been ‘OnEdu’, a learning platform. Developed in Kuopio, Finland, it is European Union’s best learning solution. Using and developing ‘OnEdu’ together with ‘Mobie Ltd’ in Finland since 2013, has been a phenomenal path for him to tread on. Nevertheless, he continues to tackle new challenges while operating upon virtual reality learning platforms.

Mr Ajit Singh (Director, Preparatory, Middle and Senior School Wing)

Mr Ajit Singh has been associated with I.B. School since its inception and has been single-handedly responsible for the administration of IB School. With a vast experience of more than three decades and his impressive leadership qualities, he leads a motivated team of educators with focus and precision. One can always count on him to get a job done in a time bound and immaculate manner.

A Masters in Social Work, and an avid social worker, he handles the students’ needs compassionately, as a trustworthy friend, philosopher and guide. He is an ardent sportsman and takes special interests in the school’s sports activities; under his guidance and due to his passionate commitment towards sports, the school has been consistently achieving noteworthy laurels, both at the state and national levels.

Mr. S.B.S. Rathi (Director, IB Smart Start- Foundational School Wing)

Empowered by a vast experience of over two decades, Mr Rathi excels in his role that includes school management and administration of IB Smart Start. He has a vast experience in various types of schools and different curricula segments. His experience with established as well as new schools, has helped him to discern closely the constantly evolving needs of schools and their stakeholders, and implement policies that are best suited for them. An active Teacher Trainer, Mr Rathi has been involved in integrating Information Technology and Communication needs of schools.

He sees tremendous potential and ambience for nurturing the individual needs of each student. The School’s ethos of carefully blending the values and wisdom of the past with the skills and knowledge required for the future, is a motivating challenge that keeps him, the staff and the school at large, abreast with the latest pedagogical developments. He takes great interest in the cultural events of IBSS and is deeply involved in their immaculate coordination.