Mrs. Chan Ching Oi

CEO

Mrs. Chan attained her Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) from the University of Singapore, and her Master of Pharmacy from the University of California (S F Medical Center). Prior to assuming this role, she was with the Singapore Civil Service for over 30 years rising to the Head of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Pharmaceutical Purchasing Departments at the Ministry of Health, and later, the Head of Pharmacy Department at Singapore General Hospital. She has transferred her broad management experience from the healthcare industry to education.

Ms. Chan Mun-E

Deputy CEO

Ms. Chan started her career with the Development Bank of Singapore. She was responsible for the banking needs of corporate clients and later managed the syndication of loans and the bank’s overseas branches when she moved on to international banking. In preparation for the challenges of work in the field of education, Ms. Chan received a Masters in School Counselling from the University of Buffalo, the State University of New York (SUNY Buffalo). She has spent time in all the schools and campuses under the Group, as well as being involved with the work of the different departments within the schools. She has been a part of the ISS International School board since the mid-90s and is ISS’ Manager under the Private Education Act.

Dr. Margaret Alvarez

Head Emeritus

I have over 25 years’ experience in education. Prior to rejoining ISS International School, I served as the Associate Director of Accreditation for the Council of International Schools (CIS). In this role, I have evaluated international schools in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and was responsible for overseeing international school evaluations in Asia (including Singapore). My other responsibilities included research and development, teacher training, and government relations. I have published various papers on school improvement, the development of global citizenship skills and effective administration. I am an IB trainer and am also the Past President of the Board of Trustees of the East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS); the Council that supports international schools in our area.

I was part of the team that designed the CIS protocol used to measure the quality of international schools and was responsible for designing the protocol CIS uses during joint evaluations with the International Baccalaureate (IB).

Before joining CIS, I served ISS International School for thirteen years in various roles including Head of World Languages, Head of High School and Head of School. During this time, I introduced the three IB programmes (IBPYP, IBMYP and IBDP) to the school. I started my career as a French and German teacher within government schools in the United Kingdom then moved to Europe where I taught English as an Additional Language, French, German and Spanish in European International Schools.

My educational philosophy places student learning and wellbeing at the heart of everything a school undertakes. The leadership model I have designed is informed by my observations, research and many years of experience as a school leader and evaluator.

I am married to Antonio and have two daughters who are both ISS graduates.

Mr. Charlie Chan

Mr. Charlie Chan worked for many years with the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Purchasing Departments at the Ministry of Health and the Singapore General Hospital. After his retirement from the civil service, he joined the Beijing BISS International School as its Facilities Manager and held that position for more than 20 years. While in Beijing, his extensive knowledge of Chinese government regulations, good relations with the municipal offices and the local community enabled him to effectively promote BISS’ interests in the area where it is located.

He stepped down from BISS International School in 2014 and was subsequently invited to serve on the ISS International School Board. He has been on the ISS International School Board since November 2015.

Dr. Chia Kok Hoong

Dr. Chia is a Senior Consultant in General Surgery and Vascular Surgery. He graduated from the National University of Singapore in 1986. He started in General Surgery training in 1989 and exited in 1996 after which he embarked on Vascular Surgery Training in 1996 at the Singapore General Hospital. He was awarded an HMDP fellowship in Vascular Surgery in 1999-2000 at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, where he was trained in endovascular surgery and renal transplantation. He was appointed Associate Professor at the Yong Loo Lin Medical School at the National University of Singapore in 2006. He became the Deputy Head Department of General Surgery at Tan Tock Seng Hospital in 2006. He has been in private practice since June 2009.

Mr. Clarence Lim

In the early 2000s, Mr. Lim was the Programme Coordinator with Beijing BISS International School, teaching a Special English Course to the staff of the Beijing Television Station. Today, Mr. Lim is a linguistic consultant in a publishing house and teaches English in a tertiary institution.

Mrs. Julie Lee

Mrs. Lee graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Singapore in 1977 and went from legal practice to education in 1988. She worked in administration and as registrar of the independent Singapore Chinese Girls’ School until 2007. During that time, she took on the school redevelopment programme and the mentoring of international scholars there. She also served on a Ministry of Education external Evaluation Team for School Excellence. In 2008, she joined ISS International School as its Director of Administration, retiring from the position in 2010. Julie has continued to provide consultancy to the ISS International School Group since.

Mr. Leong Weng Kam

Mr. Leong was a veteran journalist who started his career as a reporter with the Singapore Armed Forces’ monthly Pioneer magazine in 1975. He joined The Straits Times as a bilingual reporter in 1977 when the paper launched its bilingual page. Later, he moved to write news reports and features for the local, China, foreign, and political desks, as well as the Life! section of the paper. He was one of three senior journalists from the paper tasked to write the book, Men In White, The Untold Story Of Singapore’s Ruling Political Party, which was published in 2009. He later became a senior writer with The Straits Times, but is now retired. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese Language and Literature from Beijing Normal University, and a Master of Arts in Asia Pacific Studies and a Master of Arts in Contemporary China from the University of Leeds and Nanyang Technological University respectively.

Ms. Serene Lai

Ms. Serene Lai graduated with a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Biochemistry from the University of Singapore in 1978. Starting as a Clinical Biochemist at Singapore’s KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, she transitioned into teaching, taking on roles such as Chemistry Teacher at Temasek Junior College. She then moved into management and served as Principal and Director at various secondary schools in Singapore. During this time, she also received her Masters in Educational Management. She then ventured into international education by first joining the Emaar Education Group as their Vice Chair of the Academic Advisory Council, based in the UAE, followed by time spent with The Council of International Schools as its Regional Accreditation Officer for Asia and the Middle East. Currently, she serves as the Principal Educational Consultant of VEEV Interactive Pte Ltd.  Ms. Lai’s diverse experiences from mentoring, advisory, to consultancy roles for both local and international schools, and accreditation agencies, demonstrate her enduring commitment to the field of education.