Our team of educational, business, and management professionals

IGE’s Team

Tony is a leading UK justice services strategist. His close work with the UK and Welsh governments has resulted in ground-breaking initiatives. His leadership of the Wales Reducing Reoffending Strategy, which incorporates education, training, and employment as ways to reduce reoffending. He has also led multi-agency partnership working to prevent crime and reoffending.

Anthony Kirk

Accreditation Advisor

Q&A Advisor

  • Tony is a highly experienced UK justice services professional with over 20 years’ experience. He has supported a range of justice partners, including education providers, understand the services they provide in HMPs and for those on probation, and how these can be improved. For much of his time Tony has developed and led justice inspection programmes.

    Tony guides and supports IGE’s independent accreditation and quality assurance teams, to ensure our work for you is carried out to the highest standards.  He leads and independent inspections to promote excellence in justice and education services across England and Wales, also writing guidance on effective practice that influences local and national policy. (See A joint thematic inspection of Offender Management in Custody (2022))

    Tony has led prison inspection teams looking at how offenders are manage in the prisons. To ensure high-quality probation services in the community for vulnerable children in England and Wales, he has led and worked closely with education and health inspectors. His inspection and senior management roles have involved him in leading performance improvement support, quality assurance, management support, staff and management training, post-inspection improvement support, and guidance on preparing for inspection.

    His work also includes the review and evaluation of strategic governance arrangements, evaluation of documentary evidence against inspection standards, quality assurance assessment, producing inspection reports, and setting standards to help services change people’s lives for the better.

Chris is a member of the UK’s NHS Improvement pool of Turnaround Directors and fulfils a similar role for the UK Cabinet Office. He is recognised as being in the UK’s Top 10 Programme Directors by … . As an organisational Psychologist with 20 years’ experience, he has led program management and transformation. Chris is accustomed to establishing and leading multi-stream Business and IT programmes.

Dr Chris Davies

Turnaround Director

Organisational Psychologist

  • UK Top 10 Programme Director and Organisational Psychologist with over 20 years’ experience in   

      programme management and transformation, who is accustomed to masterminding and leading multi- 

      stream Business and IT programmes.

    He is a member of the NHS Improvement pool of Turnaround Directors and fulfils a similar role for the UK Cabinet Office.

    He has delivered numerous Turnarounds and Transformations – some solely IT and others combined IT/Restructuring.

    Noted as a strong relationship builder with key stakeholders and a governance advisor.

    Holds Chartered status as a Software Engineer and as an Organisational Psychologist with a PhD in Sustained Organisational Change as well as a professional coach.

     

    With UK Government support, he setup a Programme Management Academy to provide competency-based training for Central Government and the ‘blue chip’ Private Sector.

     

    He has worked in the Defence, Construction, Airlines, Pharma, Education, Health, Finance, Insurance, Nuclear and Telecom sectors. He has also worked for Venture Capital clients regards Due Diligence and M&A.

     

    Prior to setting up his own consultancy, he held senior positions within Fidelity, Bankers Trust, Citicorp, GEC and Xerox. His early career was in the mainframe computer business.

     

    Geographically, he has worked in the United States, most parts of the EU, East Africa, Switzerland, Scandinavia, India, Russia, Middle East, Far East and Japan.

     

    Awards include:

     

    ·   Chairman’s Award for delivering the Big Bang programme for Citicorp Investment Bank

     

    ·   British Computer Society Awards:

    1)  Complex Artificial Intelligence design for BP Exploration

    2)  UK’s largest systems migration programme for Sun Life

     

    ·   SBS Programme success earned the Wesleyan an unsurpassed 3rd consecutive

    Financial Advisor Award

    ·   USAFE Recognition Award for supporting the Chief of Staff Team Excellence Programme

Brett has 25 years educational leadership across management roles, and as a BSO accreditation lead. He is skilled in developing robust learning environments, team leadership, strategic planning, and positive culture in learning environments.

Brett Neilson

Lead Inspector (BSO)

Executive Principal

  • Brett, a level 3 BSO inspector has experience of leading and inspecting British Schools Overseas in Europe, and the MENA. He has developed internal self evaluation frameworks with teams of Senior and Middle Leaders in multiple schools. Having led accreditation processes for implementation of the Cambridge International Education curriculum in schools, Brett is skilled in helping schools to meet the standards for a range of frameworks. During his time in the Middle East, Brett is familiar with the different inspection regimes which operate in the region.

    Brett is passionate about developing others. As a true educator, he seeks to continually share his knowledge and skills for the benefit of schools, teachers and students everywhere.

Gayle is an experienced global education professional, providing incisive analysis and focused school improvement programs. Gayle’s knowledge of the similarities of opportunity and challenge across educational landscapes, and the globally accepted hallmarks of education excellence enable her to advise on building excellent schools and strong school businesses wherever they are located.

Gayle Lane

Teacher Development

Curriculum Delivery

  • Gayle’s experience working in Europe, the MENA, South America, and the UK has been as a school inspector, principal, teacher, and teacher trainer. This has honed her ability to assess the work of schools, and signposting for school owners how to improve the delivery of their services to pupils, to maximise the opportunities for growth and long term ROI. She brings these skills and her particular interest in teacher training, and curriculum delivery to IGE’s team

  • Strategic Planning & Growth: Alec supports school proprietors craft and execute strategic plans that ensure sustainable growth. His expertise includes restructuring, enhancing enrollment, and developing pathways for schools to become market leaders.

    School Turnaround: Drawing on his success in reviving underperforming schools, Alec provides tailored solutions for financial recovery, leadership restructuring, and boosting academic results. His proven methodology transforms struggling institutions into thriving learning environments.

    Start-up & Expansion: Alec has successfully launched new schools in multiple international markets, from conceptualization to full-scale operation. He provides school proprietors with the guidance needed to expand their educational offering or enter new markets.

    Leadership Coaching & Team Development: With vast experience in leadership coaching, Alec mentors school owners and senior leadership teams, ensuring they are equipped with the skills and mindset to steer their schools towards excellence. Alec is certified to use DISC Personality Profile, DISC For Teams, DISC For Sales; TalentPredix - a strengths assessment; GLA360 - a leadership 360 feedback tool. Alec is a certified Executive, Leadership & Teams Coach and a member of the International Coaching Federation.

Neil Bunting

School Startups

IB Inspector│IB Trainer

Alec Jiggins

Strategic Growth

Executive Coaching

Alec’s expertise. gained over 15 years leading premium international schools and guiding school, Alec focuses on strategic growth, turnaround leadership, and operational efficiency, guiding school owners through the transformative changes that drive academic excellence, financial stability, and long-term growth.

Karl is a business, investment, and organisational design expert, and HR specialist based in HK. His work has played pivotal roles across business, from established multi-nationals such as Renaissance Capital, and Barclays, private equity portfolio companies, to startups.

Karl Franzmann

Business Growth

Investment

  • Karl is recognized for his engaging approach and deep knowledge of recruitment and HR practices and large network of investors. He brings his experience developing businesses across Asia, Europe, the MENA, and Russia / CIS, to IGE, supporting school startups, established schools, and education businesses to set and reset the foundations and structures needed to grow and scale as businesses. 

    Karl, who excels in building relationships and nurturing talent in rapidly growing companies, brings this corporate expertise in business planning, HR consulting, training, team building, change management, and executive coaching brings a multi-national corporate approach to IGE’s team.