2024 IBSC Annual Conference
Harrow School
Harrow on the Hill, London, United Kingdom
July 1-4
Speakers
Jaz Ampaw-Farr
Opening Plenary Session
Teachers as Everyday Heroes
Monday, July 1, 3:30 PM
As CEO of Human First Ltd, Jaz Ampaw-Farr helps leaders who want to influence, inspire, and motivate their teams with greater engagement to grow their businesses and leave a lifelong legacy. She combines lessons learned from a challenging and often brutal childhood with those from her rise to a TV presenter, TEDx speaker, stand-up comedian, and Z-list reality TV star. Her authentic honesty and humor consistently empower people to think differently about leading themselves and others.
Ben Fogle
Preparing Our Boys to Lead Lives of Exploration
Tuesday, July 2, 10:30 AM
A broadcaster, traveler, and adventurer, Ben Fogle has rowed the Atlantic Ocean, crossed Antarctica on foot, run across the Sahara, crossed the Empty Quarter on camel, and summitted Mount Everest. He has presented numerous hit programs, including the BBC’s Animal Park, Countryfile, Wild in Africa, Wild on the West Coast, Crufts, One Man and His Dog, Country Tracks, and three series of the hit BBC adventure show, Extreme Dreams, in which he led ordinary people on extraordinary journeys across some of the most hostile environments on earth.
Fogle currently presents Harbour Lives, Countrywise, and Fisherman’s Lives for ITV and New Lives in the Wild (Where the Wildmen Are) for Channel 5. He is also a special correspondent for NBC News in the United States, reporting from all over the world for Today, Dateline, and MSNBC Nightly News. He has toured the world for various broadcasting assignments and has also made documentaries on Prince William in Africa, disease in Ethiopia, Captain Scott in Antarctica, and crocodiles in Botswana.
Fogle has written six Sunday Times best-selling books, including The Teatime Islands, Journey’s to Britain’s Faraway Outposts, Offshore: In Search of an Island of My Own, The Crossing: Conquering the Atlantic in the World’s Toughest Rowing Race, and Race to the Pole: Conquering Antarctica in the Toughest Race on Earth. He also writes a weekly diary for the Sunday Telegraph and has appeared in numerous other publications, including The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Sun, Country Life, The Independent, Glamour, The Daily Mail, The Evening Standard, and The New York Times.
His sporting achievements include a charity boxing match and running marathons to benefit nonprofits. Fogle has won a Royal Television Society award for the highly acclaimed Through Hell and High Water and been awarded an honorary doctorate of letters from the University of Portsmouth. He is an ambassador for WWF, Médecins Sans Frontières, Tusk, Centrepoint, and the Prince's Trust; a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society; and patron of The Royal Parks Foundation.
Heads from All-Boys and All-Girls Schools Panel Discussion
The Power of Single-Sex Education
Tuesday, July 2, 2:45 PM
Mark Sturgeon chairs a panel discussion among experienced heads on the value of single-sex education in 2024. Explore the relative value of single-sex education for boys and girls, challenges facing the single-sex sector, and ways single-sex education contributes positively to the global education landscape. Alighting on the theme of the conference, discussion focuses on how our schools may produce leaders for the future, how single-sex schools are reacting to an ever-changing technological environment, and how teachers may use positive ritual and tradition to inform the character of pupils in our schools.
Panelists:
- David Atkinson, headteacher, Dr. Challoner’s Grammar School (United Kingdom)
- Rebecca Brown, head, Northwood College for Girls GDST (United Kingdom)
- Jim Hawkins, former head master, Harrow School (United Kingdom), and chancellor, Huitong School (China)
- Sally-Anne Huang, high master, St. Paul’s School (United Kingdom)
- Mark Sturgeon, headmaster, Aylesbury Grammar School (United Kingdom)
Find panelist bios at the bottom of this page.
Paul Brunson
We Need to Talk
Wednesday, July 3, 9:00 AM
Paul Carrick Brunson is recognized globally for his expertise in relationship counseling, matchmaking, and personal development. His roles as co-host on the twice BAFTA-nominated Married at First Sight UK and Celebs Go Dating, in addition to his contributions as a relationship expert on Lorraine, highlight his influence on contemporary discussions about love and partnership. Holding the position of global insights director for Tinder, Brunson is a key player in shaping the future of online dating, earning accolades from Oprah Winfrey for his role in the world’s largest social experiment on relationships, Lovetown, USA, where he highlighted how love can positively change entire communities. His entrepreneurial ventures, like cofounding Bay Atlantic University in Washington, DC, and founding and selling a matchmaking agency, along with his role as a USA Today columnist, underscore his agility and adeptness at integrating relationship wisdom with business acumen.
Contender Charlie
Inspirational Leadership: Lessons from Shakespeare’s Henry V
Wednesday, July 3, 1:45 PM
Harrow School has a tradition of performing Shakespeare’s plays. When the roof of the school’s Speech Room was bombed in 1941, the school staged a production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night in the open air. Of course, these conditions mirror the setting in Shakespeare’s original Globe Theatre. Harrow has staged two plays at Shakespeare’s Globe: The Taming of the Shrew (featuring Benedict Cumberbatch and Nick Luck as Petruchio and Katherine) in 1994 and Twelfth Night in 2019.
Contender Charlie believes that anyone involved in the teaching, mentoring, or supervision of young people holds a key leadership role, whether they realize it or not.
Henry V tells the story of a leader who unites his people around a common goal, overcoming many obstacles in his path on his way to achieving a remarkable victory despite significant odds. School leaders and teachers need to be visible. They need to communicate vision and purpose in a way that inspires their teams and truly reflects their passion and commitment with authenticity. Off the back of the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s first folio, explore the concept of leadership through the story of Shakespeare’s most inspired and inspiring leader, Henry V.
Ben Walden
Contender Charlie Artistic Director Ben Walden is an international speaker and workshop leader in the realm of education, keynoting conferences in Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Australia. He also works with many individual schools, looking at themes of leadership and inspiring communication with both staff and—especially—students.
In the 1990s he played several leading roles in London’s West End theatre and as a member of the inaugural company at the new Shakespeare’s Globe. He has also spoken on leadership and the arts at many business conferences, including at Harvard and Columbia business schools.
Nigel Owens
Closing Plenary Session
Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in Boys’ Schools
Thursday, July 4, 11:30 AM
Widely acknowledged as the best referee in rugby union—and the one chosen for the prestigious 2015 World Cup final between New Zealand and Australia—Nigel Owens has officiated Test matches since 2005.
Appointed as an international referee in 2005, he officiated his first international between Ireland and Japan in Osaka. Owens made his World Cup debut in Lyon in 2007, when he refereed the Argentina vs. Georgia game. Only one other referee has ever been appointed to referee two consecutive Heineken Cup finals: He refereed Munster v. Toulouse at the Millennium Stadium in 2008 and Leicester Tigers v. Leinster at Murrayfield in 2009.
Born and raised in a small village in South Wales, today Owens appears as one of the presenters on S4C’s Jonathan, a rugby-themed Welsh language chat show hosted by former Welsh international Jonathan Davies. He also co-presents the sports-themed Welsh language chat show Bwrw'r Bar.
In 2007, Owens publicly came out as gay in an interview with Wales on Sunday. Having struggled with his sexuality most of his life, the announcement was difficult for him. Shortly after, Stonewall’s awards ceremony named him Gay Sports Personality of the Year. In 2011, Owens became a member of the Gorsedd of Bards at their National Eisteddfod in Wrexham and a patron of Bullies Out charity in Wales in 2013. Working hard to kick discrimination out of sport, he won further recognition in 2015 when Stonewall named him Gay Sports Personality of the Decade.
In 2016, Owens was appointed an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours and Cardiff University awarded him an honorary fellowship.
Panelist Bios
The Power of Single-Sex Education
Tuesday, July 2, 2:45 PM
David Atkinson
In 1996, David Atkinson joined Dr. Challoner's Grammar School (United Kingdom) in Amersham and has served as headteacher since 2016. A geography teacher by training, he also served as vice president of the Royal Geographical Society from 2018–21. Challoner's is a boys' state selective school with a coeducational sixth form, educating 1,350 students. Atkinson has keen interest in how boys' schools can help young men develop into citizens who thrive and make positive contributions to our society.
Rebecca Brown
A historian at heart Rebecca Brown studied at the University of Oxford, specializing in early modern culture and religion. After graduating she worked in the education departments at the Museum of London and the Tower of London before becoming head of history and politics at North London Collegiate School. Brown joined Northwood College as director of sixth form before becoming academic deputy head and then head in September 2021.
As a contributing international conference speaker for the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools and a representative on both the Independent Schools’ Council and the Girls' Day School Trust diversity and inclusion leadership teams, she works with leaders in education to develop inclusive curriculum and cultural approaches. A member of the Girls’ Schools Association Sport and Wellness Committee, Brown works to develop girls’ sports at both the elite and recreational levels.
The power of collective endeavor and inspiring girls to think of others are particularly important to her. Brown recently marked the 130th anniversary of Northwood College educating in Northwood with the launch of an ambitious pledge for every student to participate in service to others within the local community. She is passionate about the value of knowledge and the impact of enthusiastic, skillful teachers in supporting the development of strong, smart, and principled women.
Jim Hawkins
A former head master of Harrow School (United Kingdom) and IBSC vice president of UK-Europe, Jim Hawkins has had a long career in independent schools, beginning with mathematics teaching and rowing coaching at Radley College, and culminating in leadership positions at Norwich School, Harrow and, currently, Huitong School in Shenzhen, China. Having helped found Huitong (under the Whittle School name) as part of a global team in 2019, he has since taken on the headship of the Shenzhen campus, moving this bilingual school into a new phase of development. His key interests and areas of influence lie in leadership and talent development, curriculum design and the liberal arts, scholarship and deep learning, and education with social impact.
Sally-Anne Huang
Sally-Anne Huang attended Bolton School prior to reading classics and English at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. She also has an MSc in educational leadership and management and a master’s degree in children’s literature, a personal passion of hers. She is high master of St. Paul’s School (United Kingdom) and experienced in governance of both boarding and prep schools. Previously Huang served as headmistress of James Allen’s Girls’ School and Kent College, Pembury, where she also chaired the Methodist Independent Schools heads’ group for two years. She was an elected officer of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference from 2018–22 and is a member of the board, serving as chair during the 2020–21 academic year. Her previous appointments have included housemistress at Sevenoaks School, where she taught the International Baccalaureate, and deputy head at Roedean. Her professional interests include the importance of character education in boys’ schools and the power of performing arts and sports in pupil experience. Married to Alexis, Sally-Anne has two adult sons and two dogs; her interests include young adult fiction, playing the saxophone, and watching rugby.
Mark Sturgeon
Headmaster of Aylesbury Grammar School (United Kingdom) since 2014, Mark Sturgeon has also served the school as head of geography (1998–2005) and head of year 13 (2000–05). Previously he held roles as a geography teacher at Burnham Upper School (1996–98); assistant headteacher–learning development (2005–09) and deputy headteacher (2009–14) at Dr. Challoner’s Grammar School; and founding fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching. During his career Sturgeon has presented nationally and internationally on developments in learning, character development, and leadership, most notably for IBSC, where he is vice Chair for UK-Europe. Additionally, he is chair of The Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools and a member of the Steering Committee for the Grammar School Heads Association. Sturgeon is the chair of Buckinghamshire Schools’ Football Association and honorable secretary of the South East of England Football Association. He is a graduate of the University of Liverpool.