Our People

Simon is from the United Kingdom and has a background in mathematics and sport, gaining a BSc from Birmingham University and a PGCE from Durham University. After qualifying as a teacher, Simon initially taught at two top independent schools in the UK before moving abroad to become Head of Maths and Sport at The Banda School in Kenya. From there, his journey took him to the UAE where he was involved with the start-up of Brighton College Abu Dhabi as Deputy Head, and then Cranleigh Abu Dhabi, where he was Headmaster of the Prep School. His experience in leading teams through the early stages of school development will prove hugely advantageous as Hiba School Nantong begins to take root.  His interests include all sports, but particularly rugby and cricket, and whilst in Abu Dhabi, he competed in several triathlons. His other main interest is travel: having visited 101 countries, Simon enjoys being out of his comfort zone, exploring new cultures and meeting new people, and plans to do more of the same in east Asia once the boarder situation is more relaxed.

Simon will be joined in China by his wife Phoebe, who is an English and History teacher, and their baby daughter, Sophie.

Suisui Yu is a passionate educator with 20 years of teaching and leadership experience. Before joining Wellington College China, she served at different bilingual and public schools, gaining a wealth of experience in the Chinese National Curriculum, bilingual curriculum，IGCSE ，A-level and IB curriculum etc. Suisui was the founding member of two well-known bilingual schools, serving as Founding Secondary School Principal, Head of Year Groups and Head of Mathematics. Prior to that, she was an inspector at Shanghai Jing’an Education College responsible for Primary mathematics teaching quality and teacher training within the district. 

Suisui participated in and won a number of district and municipal mathematics teaching competitions in the public education sector. She was deeply involved in the Second Phase of Shanghai Curriculum Reform Programme and was responsible for facilitating curriculum reform across the municipality. Suisui holds a bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics and a master’s degree in International Higher Education. Her current role is to develop and assure the quality of Chinese components of the curriculum for Wellington College China’s bilingual schools. She also plays a central role in establishing effective working relationships with the local education system.  

Suisui is married with two children. she enjoys reading, baking, travelling and crocheting.

Mrs Liya Liao is of Singaporean / Chinese decent and graduated with an MBA degree from James Cook University in Australia. She also holds a qualification for secondary school teaching. She taught in secondary schools for nearly five years before joining the non-academic team and has worked in several international schools in Singapore.

Mrs Liao has extensive experience in different educational management positions including finance, human resources and facility maintenance. She is also responsible for the daily operation of the school, especially liaison between the parents, school staff and management.

In her spare time, Ms. Liao likes to travel and experience new cultures and customs. She also likes sports, with running, swimming, badminton being amongst her favourites.

Ann Frew holds a Masters Degree in Education from Massey University in Auckland, New Zealand. She has had a long and varied career in both national and international education, working as a school principal, a curriculum and leadership adviser, and a school evaluator. 

Before joining Hiba Nantong, Ann worked as a school leader in the UAE, Brazil, Thailand and The Philippines. Ann believes in the importance of educating the whole child and creating learning environments that are authentic, caring, positive and growth-oriented. She has worked extensively in bilingual environments and is passionate about developing and strengthening students' literacy skills.

In her spare time Ann enjoys playing tennis, walking, reading, theatre and travel.

Ms May Xue received her bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Child Development Psychology from Zhejiang Normal University. She joined the Hiba community in 2016 and has served in Hiba Academy Shanghai and Hiba Academy Hangzhou. She has always tried to apply pedagogical and psychological theories to her teaching. This experience has helped form her educational concept and philosophy. Together with the leadership of Hiba Academy Nantong, she looks forward to turning our Nursery into a place that children enjoy coming to learn.

Ms Xue is an outdoor sports enthusiast with hiking and skiing being her favorite. She believes that exercise not only keeps us healthy, but also brings us closer to nature.

Jenny joins Hiba Academy Nantong from Stamford American International School in Singapore, where she was the Director of Admissions and Marketing for 4 years. Working closely with the Superintendent and the school’s senior leadership, she was responsible for marketing and branding of the school and recruitment, assessment and selection of all incoming students to Stamford.

Jenny graduated in Business Administration from Cardiff University, UK in 2004. She explored a career in marketing, event management, project management and business development in various industries and countries. Jenny was appointed marketing director at IQPC China, where she was one of the pioneer members of the setup and development of the business.

After returning to Singapore from the UK, where she worked as the deputy marketing director and database strategist with Worldwide Business Research, Jenny joined London School of Business & Finance (LSBF) as Regional Marketing and Business Development Director, beginning her journey in the education sector. During her 5 years with the school, Jenny had expanded the international business from less than $1M in revenue to over $8M. In 2017, Jenny established the first Belt and Road Multi-Cultural Studies Centre in Singapore at LSBF, funded by the China Cultural Heritage Foundation, supported by the Overseas Education College of China’s Xiamen University.

Following Jenny’s departure from LSBF, she joined Duke-NUS, the only postgraduate Medical School in Singapore as theAssociate Director of Admissions, responsible for recruitment, assessment and selection, financial aid and scholarships.

Jenny is married to Scott, a British and Canadian citizen and he is an English teacher at our school. Together they have 3 children: Shannon (11), Julian (9) and Alexandria (1).

With a passion for traveling and history, Jenny worked as a tour guide during her study in Cambridge, UK. She had toured 27 cities out of 69 within a year.

Wei Qian joins Hiba Academy Nantong as Head of Boarding on 10th February 2025.

Wei holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Shanghai Normal University, and a master’s degree in Accountancy from the United States. With 8 years of experience in international schools and entities, Wei specialises in student activities, student development, and boarding. Before joining Hiba Nantong, she served as the Dean of Student Life and Boarding in an IB school in Suzhou. Originally from Wuxi, Wei is passionate about fostering a supportive and enriching environment for students.

In her spare time, Wei enjoys traveling and exploring various sports, always seeking new experiences and opportunities for personal growth.

Juliana Koch is from the warm and beautiful city of São Paulo in Brazil. She was inspired by her mother to participate in volunteer activities from a young age and worked with volunteer children to do sports and decided to become a teacher.

Juliana's first job was as a bilingual kindergarten teacher, while she studied English and Portuguese literature at the University of São Paulo. She learned the Montessori teaching method while working and later became a Montessori mentor certified by the Montessori Teacher Education Accreditation Commission. She had the opportunity to lead bilingual teaching projects for different age groups in Brazil and China. With her rich teaching experience, she began to guide and help other teachers in the Montessori teaching field. She found that teachers' respect for the relationship between home and school and cultural differences is crucial for children's development and also helped her to constantly enhance her communication with students' parents.

Juliana loves cats, traveling, and exploring local customs. She also loves painting, coffee, and trying new things. She has a cute cat named Pumpkin who accompanies her daily life. She has been living in Shanghai since April 2018 and loves life in China, looking forward to exploring different regions of China.

Judy graduated from Wenzhou University. Her major is Business English. This is her eighth year working as a teacher. Before Hiba, Judy worked in an international nursery in Shanghai and a bilingual nursery in Hangzhou and is familiar with the daily routine of an international school, especially the teaching work for the early years. She also understands the bilingual teaching model and the needs of children in a bilingual environment.

In her spare time, Judy loves traveling, watching dramas, and reading. The reason she is passionate about education is that it makes her feel cheerful when she plays with children and talks to them. From her point of view, the most important skill a teacher should have is patience.

Irene holds a bachelor’s degree in preschool education. When she was in college, she went to Denmark for an exchange study for approximately one year, where she received a diploma from VIA College in Denmark. In Denmark, Irene studied and worked in a local nursery for a period of time, which was a very unforgettable experience for her. There, she played with local children and learned many foreign early childhood education concepts and methods. When she returned to China, she worked as a teacher in a nursery in Nantong for 3 years. During this period, she gained extensive work experience and mastered the skills of communicating with children and parents.

During her spare time, Irene enjoys painting, handicrafts, photography, and watching movies. She finds these to be effective ways to relax.

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.

Julian Jeffrey

Chief Executive Master

Julian is the Executive Master of Wellington College in Tianjin. In August 2022, he moves to Shanghai as Chief Executive Master of the Wellington College China group.

Julian has been involved in school leadership for over 20 years, the last eight of which have been based in Tianjin. Before moving to China in 2014, he began his career in education as a teacher of history in a prestigious independent girls’ school in north London, followed by almost 18 years at our sister school in England, Wellington College. He is a graduate of Durham and Exeter universities.

Lydia Cheung

Governor

Hiba Academy Hangzhou/ Hiba Academy Hangzhou

Ms Lydia Cheung has served as the Non-Executive Director of Wellington College International China Management Ltd since 2016.

Lydia graduated at Queen Mary College (University of London) with a BSc (Hon) Statistics and also holds an MBA degree from Oklahoma City University in the United States. She practiced as an auditor in London after graduation.

Primarily based in Hong Kong, Lydia has more than 20 years of financial management experience in the United Kingdom and Greater China. Her expertise includes anticipating strategic investment, optimising capital structure, budget control, implementing financial recommendations to achieve business objectives and enhancing sustainable long-term shareholder value and profitability.

Lydia is the Financial Controller of Italian luxury fashion brand INNIU. She is a visionary finance professional with extensive technical knowledge in the international luxury fashion industry, having previously worked for Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana and Balenciaga.

She is married with one daughter who is a graduate of the Wellington Academy in England and is currently studying her postgraduate degree in Luxury Brand Management.

Shuanglin Chen

Governor

Hiba Academy Nantong/Hiba Academy Nantong

Ms Shuanglin Chen is a senior architect who specialises in the design and development of mixed-use projects in urban centres. She joined Lujiazui Group in 2013 and has played a key role in major projects, including the New Bund Centre office tower, the Qiantan Shangri-La Hotel, the Qiantan Taikooli shopping village, the Zhangjiang Science Gate office tower, the Zhangjiang Hilton Hotel and more. She has also participated in the development of Hiba Shanghai South Building.

Ms Chen has bachelor’s degree in architecture from Tianjin University, and master’s degree in architecture from National University of Singapore.

She is married and has two sons and is passionate about education.