International School of Geneva appoints new head with assistance from Odgers Berndtson

16 June 2010

The Governing Board of the International School of Geneva is very pleased to announce the appointment of Mrs. Vicky Tuck, Principal of Cheltenham Ladies’ College in the United Kingdom, as its new Director General to succeed Dr. Nicholas Tate, who will retire in July, 2011.

The appointment was made after broad consultation with the three Campus Development Groups (which include elected parents, students, teachers as well as school principals), the Conférence des Directeurs  (all school principals, campus directors and senior management of the Foundation), Student Council members from all campuses, the Staff Association, the Director General, and Board Members.

Mrs. Tuck comes to the International School after 15 years at Cheltenham, which, under her leadership, has enjoyed a period of great stability and carefully planned innovation reaffirming its position as one of the premier independent schools in the UK. During her tenure there she has introduced the International Baccalaureate program, expanded student guidance services and co-curricular programs, increased enrollment, enhanced academic standards, integrated information technology across the curriculum, and initiated new staff engagement structures that led to greater interaction and improved management-staff relations. She has spearheaded successful fundraising drives for major capital projects, including an award-winning Arts Centre.

A leading figure in education in the UK, Mrs. Tuck is Vice Chair of the Independent Schools Council, which represents 1,280 independent schools in the UK and abroad, and writes a regular column on education for The Telegraph (London).  She is currently on a sabbatical term researching education in the fast emerging economies of the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China). She is fluent in French, and speaks both Spanish and Italian. She is married with two grown sons.

“We are confident, and delighted, that we have found in Vicky Tuck the right leader to succeed Dr. Tate,” said Governing Board Chairperson Philip Biber on behalf of the entire Board. “Dr. Tate took the International School of Geneva to new levels with his passion for education and commitment to excellence. Vicky Tuck shares those qualities, and clearly has the vision and drive to continue to carry us forward in new and exciting directions.”

Mrs. Tuck’s appointment as Director General culminates a year-long search process by the Governing Board of the ISG, in which it was assisted by the firm Odgers Berndtson. Some 250 applications were received from leaders of schools and other institutions around the world.

Mrs. Tuck will take up her duties during the summer of 2011 upon the retirement of Dr. Tate, who will have served as Director General of the International School for eight years, a tenure that has been marked by significant improvements in the quality and breadth of educational provision at the School. These have included the introduction of a strategic planning process and numerous new programs, including expansion of learning and language support, the completion of many major capital projects – and the beginning of several more which are ongoing – and an overall increase in student numbers which will reach some 4,400 by the 2011-12 school year.