Our Team

Kevin McNeany

Chairman

Kevin started his career as a teacher and lecturer in schools and further education institutions in Northern Ireland and England. He founded Nord Anglia Education in 1972 and since then, Kevin has proven to be both an entrepreneur and innovator in the field of education.

Nord Anglia established independent schools in the UK and international schools in central and Eastern Europe and the Far East. When Kevin stepped down from Nord Anglia in 2005, the company was educating over 4,500 pupils worldwide.

As Chairman of the Manchester Academy of English, Kevin oversaw substantial growth and a successful disposal. He was the founder of Acorn Care and Education, a company providing expert care and tuition for children with special educational needs and placements for fostered children. On disposal, the company had grown a portfolio of eleven schools and fostering businesses in most parts of England.

Kevin started Chairman of Orbital Education in 2006. As Chairman, he focuses on establishing international schools and colleges, which offer quality education, mainly in the British style and tradition to expatriate and host nation families in countries throughout the world. The portfolio already includes schools in Russia, Spain, Hungary, Slovenia, Ecuador, Qatar and China.

David Pottinger

CEO

David has 30 years of experience of leadership and management in international education. He joined Orbital Education as CEO in early 2016, from the position of CEO at Obeikan Education, the leading Arab education services provider and publisher working throughout the Middle East.

Qualified to Master's level in Applied Linguistics and Business Administration, his early career was in English language education, followed by leadership positions in the British Council, Nord Anglia Education, qualifications awarding body NCC (National Computing Centre) Education, and ELT provider, Bell Educational Trust.

During his career, David has lived and worked in France, Peru, Turkey, Nepal, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia as well as developing overseas operations from the UK.

James Stewart

CFO

James has 30 years' experience in finance and management roles, the majority within international education and training.

After studying for a degree in Economics and Accountancy, James spent 3 years in chartered accountancy, before taking the position of Financial Accountant in a large national training company. Later at NCC Education - a multinational Higher Education Awarding body - he held the roles of Finance Director and, in his last year, Acting Managing Director. He contributed substantially to turning the business around, resulting in the company enjoying the most financially successful period in its history.

James joined Orbital in 2007 to fulfill the role of Group Finance Director and support the development of the group.

Karen Adams

Regional Head of Schools

Before joining Orbital Education, Karen worked for 5 years in the Middle East, employed by Nord Anglia Education as a Regional Adviser, as well as working twice as an interim executive Vice Principal of two schools in Dubai. Prior to working in the Middle East, Karen worked as a School Improvement Adviser for Hartlepool Local Education Authority. More recently, in her role as an Education Consultant, Karen was part of a team involved in reviewing the impact of the British Council’s 'Connecting Classroom' programme in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Karen’s specialism is gifted and talented education provision within schools, as well as leading on issues relating to school improvement. At Orbital she is responsible for schools in Europe and the Gulf region.

Mike Welland

Regional Head of Schools

Before joining Orbital, Mike spent a number of years in the international schools’ market. His most recent position was Group Academic Director of Shenzhen Chenghan Education Group, based in Guangdong Province, China, which has a portfolio of schools including two international schools, of which he was Principal. Mike's remit at Chenghan was to drive the design, development, planning and internationalization of the group. He was previously Academic Director at the Cambridge International Centre of Shanghai Normal University and has held Principal and Vice Principal positions in Oman, Dubai, Malaysia and the UK. At Orbital, Mike is repsonsible for our three schools in Moscow, together with Shanghai and Quito. He will also lead Group-wide developments in information management systems and learning technologies.

Brian Frakes

International Education Development Consultant

Brian is a former primary school teacher and held two headships before joining Rochdale Education Authority and then training to be an OFSTED Inspector. Brian joined Nord Anglia Education in 1996 as Education Officer, with responsibility for starting and developing a portfolio of international schools.

In 2006, Brian joined Orbital Education as International Education Development Officer to support the start-up and growth of the group and provide expert oversight in the daily operational and strategic management of the schools. His role later changed to Regional Head of Schools, in which he continued to support the Principals in ensuring that an excellent standard of education and learning is provided in every school.

Brian's role has now evolved to provide consultation to all Orbital schools in a number of key strategic areas. His primary focus is on ensuring that all schools have policies and procedures in place that exemplify best paractise; he will support schools on the pathway towards accreditation and he will contine to lead on child protection and safer recruitment.

Trevor Wilson

International Education Development Consultant

Trevor is an experienced educator, having been headmaster of several British and International Schools. He is a graduate of University College, London and a post-graduate of Wadham College, Oxford. Initially he taught at Oxford and then in the USA and Switzerland.

Since 1990, Trevor has worked for Nord Anglia Education and Orbital Education. As Director of Schools for Nord Anglia Education, he was responsible for a portfolio of 12 UK schools and 8 international schools. At Orbital, he supports the development and performance of the schools, providing reassurance to expatriate parents and their children.

Louise Campbell

Management Accountant

Louise is a qualified Chartered Accountant and has a Master’s degree in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford. After graduating from university in 2009, Louise trained with PKF in Birmingham (now BDO). Whilst at PKF, Louise worked in both the audit and corporation tax teams.

Louise left PKF to join a global telecoms and IT consultancy group, in a mixed tax and finance role. Louise joined Orbital in December 2014 to fulfil the role of Group Accountant. Louise provides support and advice to schools on financial reporting, both for statutory and operational purposes.

Victoria Hark

Group Accountant

Victoria is a Management Accountant with considerable experience in a number of industry sectors. She graduated in 1998 from the University of Salford with a degree in Finance and Accounting.

Victoria joined Orbital Education in January 2016 as Group Accountant from Wellacre Academy, a secondary school in Manchester. Prior to this, she had worked for a property development company, a travel business and Nord Anglia Education. At Orbital Education, Victoria works as part of the finance team to produce financial and operating reports for the group.

Myles McNeany

Group Head of IT

Myles has a long history in supporting education through his knowledge and experience of IT systems. Myles was awarded a Bachelor's Degree in IT from Sheffield Hallam University and a Master’s Degree from Manchester Business School. He previously worked at the world famous Courtauld Institute of Art (part of the University of London), where he was a member of the information technology team.

Since 2008, he has developed a track record that is second to none in the implementation of school wide IT solutions for start-up enterprises. At Orbital, Myles supports the schools by the development of group-wide technology and information systems.

Sharon Leeson

Group Head of Marketing and Admissions

Sharon joined Orbital Education in 2016, following a 25 year career in consumer and business marketing. She has held successful roles in a number of sectors, including leisure, education and aviation. Prior to joining Orbital Education, Sharon was Director of Marketing and Commercial Operations at Twycross Zoo. She has also worked at Chester Zoo, Manchester Airport Group, the National Union of Students and Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

Sharon is an expert in the strategic planning of commercial consumer marketing activity and can develop multi-channel marketing strategies that target modern consumers in the online and offline worlds. Her role at Orbital is to provide marketing expertise and support to the schools, enabling them to achieve growth and enhance their reputation in their local areas.

Andy Edgar

Group HR Manager

Andy joined the Orbital group in May 2017 from Acorn Care and Education, the largest combined children’s services group in the UK specialising in Care and Education for vulnerable Children. In addition to his experience working within Education, Andy also has substantial HR experience across a number of other industry sectors, including Residential Care, Professional & Legal Services, and Digital and Media.

At Orbital, Andy is responsible for supporting the Group’s schools to deliver high quality education, by assisting the attraction, development, and retention of talented individuals, and ensuring that the People Strategy supports the goals of the organisation.

Andy holds graduate and post-graduate qualifications in Law, and has experience working with legal firms across various legal fields, prior to developing a career in HR. In his previous roles Andy has also worked as an Employment Law Advisor for the Legal Services Commission.

Pam Butterworth

Administration Officer

Pam first starting working in international education in 1984, when she joined Nord Anglia Education. She supported the development of Nord Anglia from a small family-run business into a major education company with several international schools and a listing on the London Stock Exchange.

Pam joined Orbital Education at its inception in June 2006 to manage the office and provide support to the head office team. She plays a key role in ensuring the company fulfills its financial and legal obligations, managing payroll and other functions, plus providing administrative support to ensure the smooth running of the Orbital office.

Kevin McNeany

Chairman

David Pottinger

CEO

James Stewart

CFO

Karen Adams

Regional Head of Schools

Mike Welland

Regional Head of Schools

Brian Frakes

International Education Development Consultant

Trevor Wilson

International Education Development Consultant

Louise Campbell

Management Accountant

Victoria Hark

Group Accountant

Myles McNeany

Group Head of IT

Sharon Leeson

Group Head of Marketing and Admissions

Andy Edgar

Group HR Manager

Pam Butterworth

Administration Officer

Join us

Talented and career minded teachers, administrators, school owners and consultants - find out how you can join the Orbital family of schools.

Kevin McNeany

Chairman

David Pottinger

CEO

James Stewart

CFO

Karen Adams

Regional Head of Schools

Mike Welland

Regional Head of Schools

Brian Frakes

International Education Development Consultant

Trevor Wilson

International Education Development Consultant

Louise Campbell

Management Accountant

Victoria Hark

Group Accountant

Myles McNeany

Group Head of IT

Sharon Leeson

Group Head of Marketing and Admissions

Andy Edgar

Group HR Manager

Pam Butterworth

Administration Officer

Our team of educational and specialist support staff

Kevin McNeany

Chairman

David Pottinger

CEO

James Stewart

CFO

Karen Adams

Regional Head of Schools

Mike Welland

Regional Head of Schools

Brian Frakes

International Education Development Consultant

Trevor Wilson

International Education Development Consultant

Louise Campbell

Management Accountant

Victoria Hark

Group Accountant

Myles McNeany

Group Head of IT

Sharon Leeson

Group Head of Marketing and Admissions

Andy Edgar

Group HR Manager

Pam Butterworth

Administration Officer

Join us