Team

Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro has been Chair of the UWC International Board since 2019. She is a member of the UN Global Compact Board and serves as Senior Advisor to “Target Gender Equality”, an accelerator programme of the UN Global Compact supporting companies in setting and meeting ambitious targets for women’s leadership. She is also the Board Chair of the Women’s Learning Partnerships (WLP), and serves on the Boards of the London School of Economics (LSE) and CARE International (CI). 

Musimbi Kanyoro is an accomplished leader with more than three decades of experience leading international organizations. She is the immediate past President and CEO of the Global Fund for Women, a leading philanthropic foundation supporting women and girls’ social movements for gender equality. Dr. Kanyoro worked for David and Lucile Packard as Director for Population and Reproductive Health. Prior to moving into Philanthropy in the USA, Kanyoro  spent twenty years in Geneva, Switzerland: the first ten years with the Lutheran World Federation as Executive Director for Women and Church and Society, and the next with the World YWCA, where she made history as the first non-white General Secretary (CEO) in 150 years history of the YWCA Movement.

Kanyoro received a Ph.D in Linguistics from the University of Texas in Austin and a Doctor of Ministry (DMin) from San Francisco Theological Seminary. She was also a Visiting Scholar at Harvard Divinity in Old Testament and Hebrew Studies. Musimbi Kanyoro has held leadership positions in Research of Languages, Human Rights and Philanthropy.  

Kanyoro is the recipient of numerous awards over the years including a recognition as one of the 21 Women Leaders for the 21st Century by Women’s E-News. In 2015, Forbes named her as one of the 10 power brands working for gender equality and in 2016 she was recognized on a list of “Forty over 40 – women who are reinventing, and disrupting and making an impact”. In 2018, she was named among the 100 people making a difference in gender policy,  and in 2019 she was recognised as one of the nine people who fought for the planet alongside Bill Gates, Ban Ki-moon and Michael Bloomberg.

“I am delighted to be part of UWC: part of a vision that creates international learning environments and opportunities for young people to grow.”

Simon Head has nearly 30 years of experience in teaching at and leading international and IB World Schools in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Australia and China. His focus has been on developing indigenous leadership, sustainable education, and more recently, leading innovation in learning for a better world.

The UWC mission to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future resonates deeply with Simon’s ambition to ensure education supports learners to flourish and empowers them to co-create a future built on the wellbeing of individuals, society, and the planet.

From 2014 to 2020 Simon was the head of one of the IB flagship schools of Europe – the International School of Düsseldorf in Germany – where his mandate was to develop and implement a compelling vision to position the school as a global leader in innovation in learning.

In 2020 he was invited to China to develop an IB Innovation Academy that fuses high academic performance with creative, project-based learning and prepares learners to become positive changemakers.

In 2019, Simon was elected to the IB World Heads Council to represent IB schools and advise the IB Director General.  He has served on the boards of the Association of German International Schools (AGIS) and the Middle East IB Association (MEIBA) and he chairs visiting teams for New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) accreditation.

His previous leadership roles include Head of School at an Aga Khan Academy in Kenya, Director of Al Sahwa Schools, a bilingual, Islamic school in Oman, and secondary Principal of the Oporto British School in Portugal. He has taught science, physics, and psychology in schools in the UK, Europe and Australia.

Simon started as Principal of UWC Changshu China in December 2021. He is joined in China by his wife Diane, who is an artist, and his two children. He was born in the UK and grew up in Australia.

“We create learning experiences that inspire students to discover their unique talents and empower them with the skills and aptitudes to shape their own lives and contribute positively to the lives of others.”

Bob Harayda has held a broad range of management and Non-Executive Director positions in the hospitality, property development, sport and energy sectors.  Over the course of his career, he had assignments in the US, UK, Thailand and Singapore. Bob is now based in London where he is a consultant in the property development sector. He also serves as an Independent Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of the International Tennis Integrity Agency, the independent body established to manage anti-corruption and anti-doping programs on behalf of professional tennis.

Bob’s involvement with UWC started in 1998 as a parent, when his daughter joined the first group of students in the new infant school at UWC South East Asia. Both of his children are UWC SEA graduates. He served on the Board of UWCSEA from 1999 to 2002 and, more recently, was a member of the Finance Committee.

Bob has a BA in Economics from Claremont McKenna College and MBAs in finance from Cornell University and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.

“Every experience that I’ve had with the UWC movement, whether as a parent, committee member or board member, has reinforced my belief in the value and continued relevance of UWC’s approach to education. It’s a privilege to remain involved with UWC International.”

Amantia Muhedini is an Albanian alumna of UWC Red Cross Nordic (2009-2011). Amantia’s professional background is in sustainability, investing, and public policy. She works or has worked in sustainable and impact investing with UBS, Morgan Stanley, Humanity United and Working Capital Investment Fund.

Amantia is the Chair of the Nominating Committee of UWC International. Prior to joining the UWC Board, Amantia was a member of the Committee of National Committees, the Community Engagement Committee, the Nominating and Governance Committee, and the UWC Council. Amantia is a co-founder and former Executive Director of the Albanian UWC National Committee. 

Amantia earned a Bachelor’s degree in Public Affairs from the Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs, and a Masters in Public Administration from the School of Public and International Affairs at Columbia University.

“UWC has the power and potential to change young people’s lives by providing a paradigm-shifting education. Education itself, in nearly any context and nearly any form of delivery, can be the most defining tool to change people and societies. UWC takes that further by focusing on deliberate diversity, it challenges students to continue growing and changing. It is also open as an institution itself to be challenged and to change.”

Cecilia has a background in Literature and Applied Linguistics. She has taught in high school and university and is currently a freelance editor and translator. She is also a trained chef, an interest born in her residence kitchen at UWC Adriatic (1995-1997) under the influence of so many international teachers and friends.

She has been a member of the Venezuelan National Committee for over 25 years and has also helped the Philippines National Committee and the Global Selection Programme.

In the past 12 years, Cecilia has also volunteered working with underprivileged and refugee communities in Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia. 

Having lived in 8 countries across 3 continents, navigating cultural differences and strengthening multicultural communication remain her passion and lifelong commitment.

“Education is at the core of pressing issues of our time − peace, equity, sustainability. Working for UWC is my way to contribute to positive change, and to give back to a movement that provided me with a unique experience and lifelong friends. I am as committed to the UWC ideals as when I was selected almost 30 years ago!”

A social anthropologist by background, Daniel has spent the last 20 years working with not for profit organisations to improve their governance arrangements. He is currently a freelance consultant and a special advisor with Nestor Advisors. Daniel has also a rich experience in monitoring and evaluation and organisation development.

“I am happy to join the newly established governance committee where I hope to contribute to a strengthened UWC movement.”

David Hawley is an educator, head of school, partner, parent of two UWC alumni (Adriatic and Pearson) and grandparent with a deep interest in human development and human flourishing. He was Head of Pearson College UWC of the Pacific, and the Chief Academic Officer of the International Baccalaureate (IB), where he was responsible for the development of all IB programmes and their strategic direction.

Currently, David is a consultant, mentor and coach for school leaders and those who govern schools. David has a master’s degree and a doctoral degree from Harvard University.

I am optimistic, rebelliously hopeful about the future and love engaging with others who believe there are good reasons for taking such a positive stance. The UWC movement is one of those good reasons for hope and it brings me joy to be a part of it.

Fleur Meijs is a Dutch national who studied in the Netherlands but moved to London to work in the City. She joined PwC where she became a partner specialised in significant and complex audit and advisory projects with financial institutions in the City. She was also a member of the Dutch Parliamentary Committee in respect of the Structure of Dutch Banks following the credit crisis.

She left PwC to become a non-executive director and also spent more time on contributing to society by getting involved in charities. [She is a non-executive director for Fidelity European Values plc, Invesco Asia Trust plc and Ruffer LLP. ]

Besides her professional career, she has always had an interest in giving something back to society in different ways. She worked for Plan International in West Africa, a children’s development organisation, she was a trustee of the British Museum Friends and set up with her husband the endowment for UWC Mostar, Bridge to the Future. She is also a member of the UWC Mostar Board. She has a family with three children, and lives happily with her husband who is a UWC alum, in London.

“I strongly believe that education is one of the most important tools that we can give to people, not only to develop individually but also to contribute to their societies. I have always tried to make the most out of the opportunities given to me. Now it is the time to create opportunities for others by devoting my time, talents, and treasures to UWC!”

Khalid has been first and foremost a teacher for the past 30 years and has held middle and senior leadership positions in Europe, the Middle East, and North America. He has experience working with a number of national education systems as well as the IB programmes. 

Khalid holds an undergraduate degree in European Economics from the University of Nantes in France and a PGCE from the University of York in the UK. In addition, he has completed a Master’s degree and a Doctoral degree in Education with a focus on the development of teachers’ professional knowledge. 

At UWC Adriatic, Khalid feels incredibly fortunate as an educator to be part of a movement that supports the physical, intellectual, and emotional development of young people as they engage in meaningful ways with their local, national and global communities. He genuinely believes that this provides a life-changing experience for students.

Kanyoro  spent twenty years in Geneva, Switzerland: the first ten years with the Lutheran World Federation as Executive Director for Women and Church and Society, and the next with the World YWCA, where she made history as the first non-white General Secretary (CEO) in 150 years history of the YWCA Movement. Kanyoro received a Ph.D in Linguistics from the University of Texas in Austin and a Doctor of Ministry (DMin) from San Francisco Theological Seminary. She was also a Visiting Scholar at Harvard Divinity in Old Testament and Hebrew Studies. Musimbi Kanyoro has held leadership positions in Research of Languages, Human Rights and Philanthropy.   Kanyoro is the recipient of numerous awards over the years including a recognition as one of the 21 Women Leaders for the 21st Century by Women’s E-News. In 2015, Forbes named her as one of the 10 power brands working for gender equality and in 2016 she was recognized on a list of “Forty over 40 – women who are reinventing, and disrupting and making an impact”. In 2018, she was named among the 100 people making a difference in gender policy,  and in 2019 she was recognised as one of the nine people who fought for the planet alongside Bill Gates, Ban Ki-moon and Michael Bloomberg.