Supervisory Board profiles

The current list of Supervisory Board members is given below.

Key responsibilities of Supervisory Board members

contribute to the strategic development of the school
supervise decisions and recommendations of the Management Board (Principal and Bursar)
join and play an active role in one or more working groups, advising the rest of the Supervisory Board on relevant strategic issues
approve spending and investments in accordance with the Articles of Association
approve and if necessary challenge or advise on the strategy of the school
coach and support the Management Board
always act in accordance with the interests of the Foundation and its schools
adhere to the Code of Conduct and Articles of Association

Profile

relevant degree-level qualification
at least 10 years' relevant experience ideally in a senior leadership role
strong interest in international education and the aims of the school
willing and able to invest time to attend Supervisory Board meetings, working group meetings and ad hoc meetings
fluent in English

Furthermore, Supervisory Board members should have the following characteristics

team work – supports colleagues to ensure team success
vision – sets a long-term direction that anticipates future changes, without losing sight of current strategy and needs
ability to inspire others – creates a clear sense of team spirit that inspires enthusiasm
influential – builds a coalition to get agreement on moving forward
manage ambiguity – is comfortable with ambiguity and can decide between (seemingly) conflicting situations or priorities, using clear principles (particularly important for parent members)
employees and close relatives of employees of the BSA are excluded from becoming members of the Supervisory Board

Jonathan Atack MBE - Chairman

Jonathan is a Senior Adviser for The Investor Forum. Prior to this he was Senior Vice President, Corporate Finance and Investor Relations at SES, the world’s leading satellite operator. He was also the Corporate Director Treasury and Investor Relations at AkzoNobel until April 2016. Before joining AkzoNobel, he worked for ING Investment Management as Chief Financial Officer, and he was previously the Head of Investor Relations of ING Group. Before moving to The Netherlands in 2004 Jonathan worked at easyJet., Royal Bank of Scotland Group and Bass in a variety of finance and investor relations roles. His professional career started in the telecommunications industry but he quickly progressed to investment banking where he spent nine years working for some of the leading names in the City of London. His first senior finance role was Finance Director of Bass International Brewers, where he had responsibility for breweries in the Czech Republic and China.

Jonathan has a Masters degree in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford and an MBA from the London Guildhall University. He joined the Board of The British School of Amsterdam in January 2012 and now lives near London having relocated to the UK when he left AkzoNobel, after 12 years in The Netherlands.

He has a wife and two children, both alumni of the school. The eldest is now studying Aeronautical Engineering at Southampton University and the youngest son is now at college in Amersham, studying Media and Visual Effects. His term of office ends in December 2019.

Jonathan was awarded an MBE in the 2019 New Year's Honours for services to education and the British Community in The Netherlands.

Dr Helen Wright - UK Educational Advisor

Dr Helen Wright is a highly experienced and well-regarded educator who has been Head of high profile schools in the UK and Australia for over 13 years. She was awarded the prestigious Tatler School Awards’ Best Head of an Independent School for 2010-11. Helen has fulfilled a number of national UK roles, including as Vice-Chair of the Independent Schools Council and President of the Girls’ Schools Association; she is also a published author and writes and speaks regularly at significant national and international events. She is a trained inspector with the UK Independent Schools Inspectorate and currently sits on a number of Education Boards, including the University of Oxford Alumni Board, the Dalton Foundation in Hong Kong, and the English Speaking Union (Scotland). She has chaired a research group at the World Leading Schools’ Association. She is extremely well-networked and well-respected in the world of UK and international education and is committed to making a positive impact through education at local, national and global levels. Helen studied Modern and Medieval Languages at the University of Oxford, has a Masters in Applied Linguistics from the University of Leicester and a doctorate in Education from the University of Exeter.

Helen joined the Supervisory Board in July 2018 and her first term will end in July 2022. She is Chairman of the Education, Welfare and HR Working Group of the Supervisory Board.

Hiske van Hövell tot Westerflier-Molenaar - Independent Board Member

Hiske van Hövell tot Westerflier-Molenaar studied at the teacher training college in Rotterdam (HR&O) and at Sotheby's Institute in London. In the past she worked at several schools in both Rotterdam and Amsterdam. She combined her teaching with working at Sotheby's, which she found an interesting challenge. Hiske is a full time mother to her four children who until July 2017 attended The British School of Amsterdam. Before joining the Supervisory Board Hiske was a supply cover teacher of Dutch in the Senior School. She has contributed to the development of successful Dutch programme for both native and non-native speakers.

Hiske joined the Supervisory Board in December 2012 and is now in her second term which ends in November 2020.

Himanshu Shah - Parent Board Member

Himanshu Shah joined the Supervisory Board in June 2014. He was re-elected for a second term which will end in July 2022. He is currently an Executive Director/Associate Partner with Ernst & Young.

A chartered accountant by professional qualification, he has spent more than 20 years in senior compensation and benefits roles in companies like Vopak NV,NXP Semiconductors, ABN AMRO Bank and Aon Hewitt Consulting in the Netherlands and in Asia. Himanshu brings a wealth of experience in financial management, compensation and benefits, performance management strategy, HR systems and governance to the Board as well as detailed insight into the needs/issues of international organisations dealing with a multicultural workforce.

Himanshu and his wife, who has a PhD in Psychology, are of Indian origin and live in Ouderkerk. Their two sons have been at The British School since Nursery and are both in the Senior School.

Annette Roodhart - Independent Board Member

Annette Roodhart joined the Supervisory Board in June 2014. Annette was re-elected for a second term which will end in July 2022. Annette and her husband are both local and their son was in The British School for eight years until moving to a boarding school in the UK. Annette is a partner in Salomons & Partners, where she is responsible for global executive search and HR consulting. She is a former Global HR Director for Santa Fe Reynolds Tobacco. Previously she was responsible for group HR with Selecta, a private equity owned market leader in vending solutions, and has held local and international HR positions with Maersk and Bacardi.

Annette brings experience in HR, internal communications and structuring organisation development to the Board. She graduated from the Erasmus University/Rotterdam School of Management.

Jonathan Gimblett - Secretary and Parent Board Member

Jonathan Gimblett is a British citizen and qualified as a lawyer in the UK in 1994. Since 2005 he has served as a Senior Vice President and General Counsel in Europe for Prologis. Prologis is the world’s largest owner and developer of industrial real estate. In this position he manages a team of 20 lawyers and paralegals and oversees all legal aspects of Prologis’ business across 14 countries in Europe.

Prior to joining Prologis, Jonathan worked for Linklaters, a UK international law firm, specialising in international corporate real estate transactions working in London, Moscow and Warsaw.

Jonathan holds a degree in Economics & Law from the University of Wales. He is a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Judicature of England & Wales and a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel and Global Leaders in Law.

Jonathan has two children at The British School of Amsterdam and has been resident in the Netherlands since 2005. His eldest daughter was at the school for 12 years. Jonathan joined the Supervisory Board in 2015 and his four year term ends in October 2019.

Ilya Meshcheryakov - Indpendent Board Member

Ilya Meshcheryakov joined the Supervisory Board in March 2018.

Ilya was formerly the Group Business Controller at Royal DSM NV, a Dutch global science-based multinational active in the fields of health, nutrition and materials. Prior to this position, Ilya has worked for AkzoNobel leading the Finance function in the Region covering Eastern, Central and Southern Europe, North and South Africa and Turkey. Ilya has worked in senior finance positions for more than 20 years and has experience with supervisory and management boards, experience in leading teams and managing change across functions, geographies and cultures.

Ilya has master's degrees in Finance and Control from Maastricht University, Business Administration from TSM Business School and Economics from Voronezh State University. Both of Ilya's daughters attended The British School.