Matt Smith

Group Chief Financial Officer

Matt is the Group Chief Financial Officer, based in London, UK. He joined Inspired in November 2023.

Matt is an experienced Chief Financial Officer and prior to Inspired, he was CFO at Selfridges for over five years during which time he lead the sale of the Group in a £4bn deal. In addition to the CFO role, Matt was also the COO and had responsibility for key operational areas including Property, Procurement, Supply Chain and Legal and General Counsel.

Prior to Selfridges, Matt held CFO roles at Debenhams Plc and Argos, part of Home Retail Group Plc, where he also lead on global investor relations and completed a number of large financing and M&A transactions. Matt was also involved with the listing of Home Retail Group Plc as a FTSE100 public company.

Matt is experienced in transformational leadership and strategic financial planning. Matt started his career at KPMG, where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant and after an international secondment in Sydney, Australia, specialised in Corporate Finance advising on corporate M&A, fundraising and private equity. Matt has extensive experience of working in international markets.

Torben Lundberg

Chief Information Officer

Torben joined Inspired as Chief Information Officer in 2020 and is based in London, UK. With over two decades of experience in IT management, he exercises a wealth of knowledge in his role. Torben oversees the IT systems, educational software, and technology across the Group. 

Prior to joining Inspired, Torben was CIO at EC Education Group for four years. Previously, he worked within the consumer media industry as Group CIO at Mecom Plc; a prominent FTSE-250 listed pan-European media conglomerate. Earlier in his career, Torben was appointed CIO at Local World Media (London) after holding a CIO post at Berlingske Media Group (Copenhagen). 

Torben holds a BSc in Economics (Copenhagen Business School) and a BSc in Engineering (Technical University of Denmark).

Ravi Nadasen

Chief Executive Officer – Africa & The Middle East

Before joining Inspired, Ravi worked as Chief Operating Officer at Tsogo Sun Hotels, Africa’s leading hotel group. His tertiary education started in Durban (Durban University of Technology, now ML Sultan Technikon) where he obtained a National Diploma in Hotel Management. Later, he gained a BTech. in Management at the university, and concurrently completed the Advanced Business Programme. In 2018, he obtained an MBA (University of Stellenbosch) before completing a leadership programme (Institute for Management Development) in Switzerland.

Ravi is a long-time member of several tourism bodies in South Africa, having been on the Cape Town Tourism Board, and a member of the Cape Town Chamber of Commerce. Currently, Ravi is the interim Chairperson of South African Tourism, and the Deputy Chairperson and board member of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa. He was reappointed by the Minister of Tourism for a second term as a B-BBEE Charter Council member, (Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment) imparting invaluable advice regarding transformation within South Africa’s tourism industry.

Elena Benito

Chief Executive Officer – Spain

Prior to joining Inspired, Elena Benito was appointed CEO of the King’s Group in 2011. Before King’s, she was the CFO for Zed Latam and Finance Director for Monsanto in Spain and Portugal. Elena trained as a Chartered Accountant at Deloitte in Spain and the UK and is a member of the Spanish Institute of Chartered Accountants. She holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration (San Pablo CEU, University of Madrid), and a degree in Law (UNED). Elena gained an MBA (ESADE) in 2009, and an AMP qualification (Project Management) in 2019.

José Nogueira

Chief Operating Officer

José graduated with a BA in Economics (Porto University) and an MBA (INSEAD) before becoming a partner at McKinsey, consulting with corporations across several sectors in multiple countries. Since 2018, he has worked in significant operational roles, including Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Seguradoras Unidas. Following his most recent position as COO at Generali Portugal, a leading Portuguese global insurance business, José joined Inspired Education as CEO for Portugal and the UK. In September 2023 José was appointed Chief Operating Officer of Inspired Education.

Paulo Moraes

Chief Executive Officer – Brazil

Paulo joined Inspired in January 2024 and is our CEO for Brazil. He is a seasoned executive with over 20 years of experience in driving sustainable growth and operational excellence. His expertise in business optimization, performance enhancement, and efficiency improvement is well-recognized. 

Paulo has held key positions in leading companies across consulting, banking, and retail sectors, and has spent more than a decade in the education sector. Most recently, as CEO of XP Education and in various leadership roles at Cogna Educação/Kroton Educacional, including CEO of Platos, one of its business units. 

Paulo holds a B.Sc. in Computer Engineering from the Instituto Tecnologico de Aeronautica and an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Clarence van der Wel

Senior Advisor

Based in New Zealand, Clarence started his career as an educator and joined ACG as the founding principal of ACG Parnell College in 1999. He became the founding Executive Principal of ACG Strathallan in 2001, creating a school widely reputed for its academic achievement and personal development for all students. In 2003, Clarence took on the additional role of ACG Group Principal and has held senior executive positions at ACG since 2006, where his key responsibilities were to drive educational performance and business growth forward.

Clarence managed the merger of the two ACG joint venture schools in Vietnam, forming Australian International School (AIS). Clarence was appointed General Director of AIS in 2013, and in 2016 he became CEO of Schools & Early Learning. In this role, Clarence oversaw all ACG Schools and Early Learning Centres, placing particular focus on academic quality management and business growth.

Ricardo Carriedo

Chief Executive Officer - LATAM

Ricardo is our CEO for Latin America. He brings a wealth of experience in business optimisation, driving performance and improving efficiency in several high-growth organisations whilst managing complex regional operations across Latin America.

Prior to joining Inspired, Ricardo served as CEO and CFO of several companies. One of his most recent roles was as CEO of a group of day care and early education centres in Mexico, which were part of a private equity enterprise that he founded. During his successful career, Ricardo was a management consultant for Bain & Company and an M&A lawyer for White & Case, a leading US law firm. He has also held senior leadership roles within international businesses, including AB InBev, a Belgian-based multinational company.

Ricardo obtained his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management (US) and has a Law (Hons) degree from the Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology.

Stefano Melani

Chief Executive Officer - Italy

With nearly 20 years of expertise in driving business growth, operational excellence and outstanding customer experience, Stefano has built a notable international career based on his distinctive leadership style. He is passionate about driving innovation and pioneering new solutions, consistently operating with clarity and speed, while cultivating an approachable and inclusive environment. Stefano began his journey in management consultancy at one of Italy’s top strategy firms, where he honed his skills working with world-leading companies. 

Stefano then joined EssilorLuxottica, the global leader in eyewear, where he spent 13 years in pivotal senior leadership roles, living between the UK and Italy. During this time, he played a key role in developing and executing the company’s omni-channel growth strategy across EMEA. Most recently, he served as their General Manager Retail for Northern Europe, one of the company’s major global markets. Stefano holds a Master of Science in Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering from the Politecnico di Milano.

Nicholas Wergan

Chief Executive Officer - UK

John Leitao

Chief Executive Officer - Greece, Portugal & Northern Europe

Chief Executive Officer – APAC

Glenn brings over 30 years of experience driving performance, business optimisation, and improving efficiency while managing complex regional operations across the Asia-Pacific region. Originally from the UK, following a successful career at PricewaterhouseCoopers, he has undertaken several pivotal senior leadership roles at Dyson and Molson Coors. During his time at Dyson, Glenn was instrumental in their expansion across the APAC region and growing their business nearly fivefold as their CEO for Australia and New Zealand, making it Dyson’s most successful region globally and one of Australia’s Top 10 most trusted brands.

Glenn is a Chartered Accountant (ICAEW) and holds a first-class degree in Accountancy from Cardiff University.

Chief Executive Officer – North Africa & The Middle East

Prior to joining Inspired, Rabih Saab was Travelport’s President & Managing Director for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, where he held overall responsibility for the strategy and performance of the company’s leading travel commerce platform across these regions. Rabih and his team were responsible for introducing highly innovative products to travel agencies, designed to increase sales, drive earnings, and more effectively meet their customers’ needs. In 2008, he led the transformation of Travelport’s new direct operations for travel agents and airlines across the Middle East region.

Before joining Travelport, he held senior executive roles at several international organisations, with operations in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, including French company Chantelle, Japan Tobacco International, and Procter & Gamble.

Rabih was born in Lebanon and is a graduate of Business Administration (American University, Beirut). Since 1991, he has lived in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and Cyprus. He currently resides in the United Arab Emirates.

Ashley Harrold

Chief Executive Officer - Inspired Online Schools

Ashley Harrold is the CEO of Inspired Online Schools. He oversees the operation of King's InterHigh, the world's leading British curriculum and IB Diploma online school, and Academy21, a market leader in alternative provision in the UK.

Ashley qualified as a teacher at University College London's renowned Institute of Education, beginning his education career in London before ascending to a school leadership position in Sussex. After six years as a Headteacher, Ashley joined King's InterHigh, where he excelled as Executive Headteacher before rising to his current role.

Holding both the NPQH and NPQEL, two world-respected British qualifications for headship and executive leadership, Ashley brings a wealth of experience. He is also deeply committed to fostering an environment where all students can excel, no matter their circumstances.

Ashley sees learning as a transformative force for good, and technology as a tool that can unlock the potential of each student. Under his direction, Inspired Online Schools continues to grow as a leader in education where every learner is supported to thrive.

Richard Evans

Chief Human Resources Officer

Richard joined Inspired in October 2022 and is our Chief Human Resources Officer. He is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of experience in human resources and driving operational excellence, with extensive expertise in performance enhancement, executive search, business transformation, M&A and process reengineering.

Richard has held key positions in a number of leading global employers, including Apple, McDonald’s and Tesco. More recently, he has held the role of Chief People Officer in several private equity-backed high-growth financial technology businesses, including XE and the international payments provider Ebury.

He is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and holds a first-class in Business Administration from Cardiff University.

Graeme Crawford

Senior Advisor

Graeme Crawford is a renowned educator, demonstrating extensive academic knowledge as Senior Advisor. He began his career as a Science Teacher, and believed, following first-hand teaching experience, that much more could be done to improve educational standards.

Driven by his adverse experiences in the schooling system, he constructed the model of an ideal school that would provide students with a well-rounded education via a dynamic approach to education. As a result, the Crawford Schools were conceived. The mission was to achieve high academic standards and importantly, to nurture the confidence, potential and individuality of each child. Graeme opened his first school in 1993 and six years later, five more schools were established with the original ethos in mind.

In 2000, following the success of the previous schools, Graeme founded Reddam House. His impressive record of accomplishment spans more than two decades and to date, Graeme Crawford’s schools have educated more than 100,000 students.

Marianne Valentine

Inspired’s Education Director for Early Years

Marianne's training as a classical dancer sparked her initial interest in young children's creativity. After graduating with a BA in French and History, she completed her postgraduate studies (University of Glasgow). Marianne taught Primary Education for several years at premium independent boarding schools in Edinburgh before moving to Reggio Emilia, Italy. In 2013, she held an Early Years Teacher post at the International School of Modena.
 
Reggio Emilia's unique approach to Early Childhood has informed Marianne's work as a teacher and researcher for over twenty years. Marianne has collaborated with educational organisations on research and development programmes, including Learning Teaching Scotland at Glasgow University, the International Baccalaureate Organization, and The Lego Foundation.

John O’Connor

Managing Director East Africa & Africa Education Director

John O'Connor received a BA in Literature, and a Diploma in Education (University of Western Australia) His extensive 30-year career in education began in Australia, and for the last 25 years, he has worked in Kenya. Born in Perth, John chose to take Kenyan citizenship a decade ago. He was appointed various roles at Hillcrest School, Nairobi for 14 years, before becoming Director at Brookhouse School in 2004. John currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Round Square, a global association of 150 schools devoted to holistic education and servant leadership training. He is a visiting team member, reader, and co-chair for the Council of International Schools (CIS) and is a member of the Association of International Schools of Africa. In 2012, John was invited to join the G-30 association, alongside an international group of experts in education. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Human Needs Project, a community sustainability initiative for the people of Kibera, the largest informal settlement in Kenya.

Sonsoles Castellano Zapatero

Spanish/Bilingual Education Director

Sonsoles has been the Policy Educational Director of Colegio San Patricio since 1999. Previously, she was a History and Humanities teacher at the school for 23-years. In 1984, she received a degree in Geography and History, specialising in Prehistory & Archaeology. In 2001, Sonsoles completed an MA in Management of Educational Centers (Villanueva University, Madrid). She has led educational innovation processes in the four Colegio San Patricio schools, focusing on emotional intelligence in school environments, and the application of learning by tasks in multilingual contexts. Since 2001, Sonsoles has held management roles in educational quality within EFQM environments, and in 2018, she was appointed leader for Innovation Technology and Circular Economy. For 20 years, Sonsoles has led the Spanish section of the Model European Parliament, and in 2019, she became an Award leader for the Duke of Edinburgh programme to positively influence young students and integrate the rewarding scheme in Inspired Schools.

Jez Prior

Head of Safeguarding

Jez is the Global Safeguarding Lead for Inspired (role commencing September 2022) and is based in London, UK. Jez was the Head of Safeguarding in Education for West Sussex County Council for six years. Before this position, he served as a senior detective with Sussex Police, leading the county's multi-agency safeguarding response hub. Jez has overseen many significant investigations and is a highly experienced safeguarding inspection and audit officer. Jez has worked very closely with schools throughout his career, including as Chair of Governors. Positively influenced by his contribution to education, two of Jez's children are now teachers. Jez has lectured nationally and internationally on the development of child protection processes within schools and other agencies. He strives to highlight the importance of placing the needs of the child at the centre of safeguarding procedures.

Sir Roger Fry

Senior Education Advisor

Sir Roger Fry graduated from University in London (King’s College University) and qualified as a teacher in the capital city (Institute of Education) shortly afterwards. After a brief teaching career in the UK, he moved abroad and built the group of King’s College British International Schools (now members of Inspired). He later founded an Academy Trust in England. He holds an Honorary PhD from the University of Portsmouth, his birthplace. Sir Roger Fry is an Honorary Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford, Honorary President of the Council of British International Schools (COBIS), and Chairman of the Association of British Schools Overseas (AoBSO).