At Wellington College China (WCC), we aspire to create a caring community that develops well-rounded individuals with strong values and the skills to thrive within an ever-changing world.
WCC aims to establish schools that, over time, can flourish with high levels of autonomy. Each WCC school enjoys significant levels of legal and financial independence with its own governing body, a School Affairs Board (SAB).
The schools, however, are not independent. They are under a single ownership and operate under a clearly defined common framework. All schools carry the same Wellington College China name and therefore share the same reputation. The Central Office is a shared group resource. The WCC Executive Board was established to make group-level decisions and govern the Central Office. The Executive Board has the power to mandate standardisation of policies, systems and services. It also approves the group-level targets shared by our senior leaders.
There are three levels in our governance structure: the WCC Executive Board, SABs and sub-committees. The WCC Executive Board has five members. Each SAB has five members as well.
SAB members are appointed by Wellington College International China Management (WCICM), a company owned by WCC’s founder and chairman, and Wellington College International (WCI), a subsidiary of Wellington College UK. The latter comprises no less than 34% of the voting membership. Huili SAB members are solely appointed by WCICM.
Each member of the WCC Executive Board, SABs and sub-committees (staff members and parent members are not included) is given the title of ‘Wellington College China Governor’. They meet twice a year, online or in person, in November/December and June to:
• Engage in training and development
• Evaluate the effectiveness of governance and plan for improvements
• Share group-level information and long-term development strategies.
However, such a gathering is for training and information sharing purposes and is not a decision-making forum.
There are four full-time governors: the chairman, the CEM and two international directors (ID), who are appointed by Wellington College UK. The chairman serves on all SABs. The CEM serves on the SABs of new schools. The ID serves on all Wellington SABs.
All other governors are non-executive unpaid governors and serve on one SAB only. The combination of paid full-time governors and unpaid non-executive governors provides a balance. The full-time governors have the depth of knowledge and overview of the group and are responsible for much of the governance administrative work, while the non-executive governors provide a broader range of expertise and ensure openness and transparency in our governance.
Many governance decisions are delegated by the SAB to the four sub-committees. They are: the Academic Sub-Committee (ASC), the Facilities and Services Sub-Committee (FaSC), the Finance and HR Sub-Committee (FiHRSC) and the Safeguarding and Child Protection Sub-Committee (SCPSC).
The aim of the SAB sub-committees is to provide a more detailed and practical level of governance to the school. They allow for deeper analysis and discussions and have delegated authority from their SABs to make certain decisions.
Sub-committees comprise SAB members, external non-executive experts, school leaders, employees who have undertaken the WCC High Potential Programme, CO representatives and parent members. This combination is intended to offer a balanced view. The SAB members attending the sub-committee shall decide if any item should be referred to the SAB.
Wellington College China governance undergoes an annual evaluation process to examine the effectiveness of its strategic leadership. This is done through self-assessment by all governors, collecting feedback from school leaders and working with external consultants to compare ourselves with and learn from the most effective school governance worldwide. The Executive Board works with experienced UK school governance and culture specialists to support the development of the current approach and provide ongoing training and support to all the governors. This continuous self-improvement process helps to keep the board professional and adaptable to each school's — and the group’s — growing needs.
School Affairs Board
Joy Qiao
Founder and Chairman
Joy Qiao is the Founder and Chairman of Wellington College China. She founded the group in 2009 and, under her leadership, Wellington China has become one of the most reputable international education groups in China and globally. Joy grew up in Shanghai and earned her BA in Computer Science at the University of Oxford. Prior to her devotion to education, she had extensive experience working in the IT industry in the United Kingdom, Germany and China.
Joy is married to a British husband and they have two teenage sons. Influenced by this, Joy's vision is to create the world's leading English-Chinese bilingual schools, which combine the very best attributes of both British and Chinese education. She views such blended education as being a key contributor towards deepening understanding and appreciation between China and the rest of the world. Bilingualism, cross-cultural awareness and global citizenship will all be highly valued skills in this century when East is meeting West.
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Christopher Woolf
Wellington College International
International Director
Christopher Woolf
Governor
Wellington College Tianjin
Christopher Woolf is the newly appointed WCI International Director. He has spent more than 20 years working in a range of UK and international schools. Chris joins us from Pinner High School in Harrow where he is the founding headteacher. Opened in 2016, the school was rated 'Outstanding' by students, parents and colleagues in 2017 and judged 'Outstanding' in all categories by Ofsted in 2019. Pinner High has been the most oversubscribed schools in Harrow for the last three years.
Chris’ international experience includes five years at Dulwich College Beijing, initially as head of English, then deputy head, and then head of senior school. The school was named 'British International School of the Year' in the Independent School Awards whilst he was head of Senior School.
He trained as an English and drama teacher at Homerton College, University of Cambridge, after graduating from the University of St. Andrews with an MA (Hons.) in English literature and language. He was awarded a scholarship to the University of California, Davis, where he twice featured on the Dean's Honour List.
Chris was awarded the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) in 2012 and is now a course tutor on the UCL/IoE NPQH course for aspiring headteachers. He is a governor of a Harrow Primary School and a member of the Department for Education Star Chamber Scrutiny Board.
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David Mallinson
Withers LLP
Consultant
David Mallinson
Governor
Wellington College Tianjin
Mr David Mallinson is an Old Wellingtonian (Picton), having attended the College from 1979-1984.
He holds a BA (History) from Bristol University and studied law at The College of Law, Guildford. He was admitted as a solicitor of England and Wales in 1993 before moving to Hong Kong where he qualified in 1995. David returned to the United Kingdom in September 2018 as a consultant for Withers law firm.
David has experience as in-house counsel and in private practice and applies this unique expertise in advising clients across the Asia-Pacific region on transactions in the hotels, hospitality and sports sectors. Prior to joining Withers in August 2016, David was a partner at Mayer Brown JSM in Hong Kong, which he joined in 2006. Before that, David was in-house counsel with Le Meridien and Starwood Hotels and Resorts (2003-2006) and at World Sport Group (1996-2003).
David has built deep, and well respected, relationships in the hospitality and sports sectors. He is recognised as a leading lawyer operating in these industries across Asia-Pacific. He works closely with regional team leader Robert Williams and his team based out of Sydney and Singapore, and regularly speaks at industry conferences in Hong Kong, Singapore and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region.
In his spare time, David enjoys a variety of different sports. He is the current Hong Kong Masters 45+ Squash Champion and with regard to cricket, he captained the Hong Kong Cricket Club and Bristol University teams, and was a member of the MCC (London). He is a keen golfer and enjoys playing tennis. He is also actively involved in coaching and refereeing junior rugby.
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Jerry Qian
My-BioMed Technology (Guangzhou) Co.,Ltd.
Senior HR Director
Jerry Qian
Governor
Wellington College Tianjin
Jerry is married and enjoys exploring various cultures all over the world. Mr Jerry Qian is a generalist HR leader with 20+ years of experience across a variety of industries, including FMCG, power and control, lighting, finance, foods and education.
Jerry holds a BE from Shanghai University of Engineering Science, and an EMBA in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Imperial College London. He is also a certified coach and professional facilitator.
Jerry has previously worked for large-scale blue chip MNCs like Philips and Schneider Electric, and in recent years he has strived to apply his extensive HR knowledge and skills to help local Chinese companies, both listed and non-listed, big and small.
Throughout his career Jerry has held HR leadership roles that supported a complete range of businesses, including corporate, sales, marketing and supply chain, with a balanced focus on both strategy and execution, in both Asia-Pacific and Chinese markets. He brings all of his prior experience in searching for HR solutions in the face of diverse business challenges with him, as these skills are transferrable and applicable across sectors.
Jerry is married and enjoys exploring various cultures all over the world.
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Cathy Xie
Beijing Normal University
Dean of Huiyan International College, Faculty of Education
Cathy Xie
Governor
Wellington College Tianjin
Cathy Xie is Dean of Huiyan International College (HIC), Faculty of Education at Beijing Normal University. She previously worked in Peking University, specialising in research on school leadership and teacher professional development. Her research interests include educational policy reform, international education and school change. She has been a (co) principal investigator of several international, national and provincial projects commissioned by the Education Section of Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the UK, Development Research Centre of the State Council. She has published several works in China and the United States.
Cathy has been involved in teaching and leadership practices in Chinese K-12 state and private schools for almost 20 years. She worked as Director of Academics in Kaiwen Education Group, the key founding member of the private school, and deputy director of the International Curriculum Centre of RDFZ (High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China). Her expertise in principal leadership development and teacher professional development is reflected in many school workshops and consultancy.
Cathy obtained her PhD in Educational Leadership and Management in the University of Nottingham, UK. She completed Master of Public Administration programme at Renmin University of China, majoring in human resource management.
Cathy is married and has one daughter who is currently studying at the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China, Beijing.
Cathy is married and has one daughter who is currently studying at the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China, Beijing.