David Fitzgerald (CEO, Dukes Education Europe)
David Fitzgerald is an experienced school and system leader with over 30 years of experience in education and having previously worked for the Reserve Bank of Australia. He holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Undergraduate degrees in Education and Business. David joins Dukes from Education in Motion (EiM), the leading Asia based school group that includes the Dulwich and Green School brands. In his role with EiM, he was responsible for the educational outcomes and the quality of education provision for all EiM international curricula schools and is focused on improving education quality.
David has been a successful Head/Principal of five schools across government, private independent and international sectors. He has been involved in international education since 2006 and has worked in IB World Schools, US Curriculum schools, Indian Curriculum schools and NCfE schools. David has system leadership experience with the English Schools Foundation in Hong Kong and with GEMS Education in the UAE where he was Senior Vice President – for US and IB Schools. David is an accredited IB, CIS and WASC team visitor and Chair, and an accredited Performance Coach.
Philippe Grosskost (Chair of the Board of Governors and Managing Director of Dukes Central Europe)
Philippe is a senior professional, with over twenty-five years’ experience of working in training, education and general management positions, mainly in Europe and also the Middle East and North America. Philippe brings a wealth of experience across a range of different sectors including consulting, distribution, vocational training and Higher & K-12 education management.
During his career, Philippe has built, managed and motivated multicultural, international teams around the world. He has previously been Managing Director (EMEA) for ETS Global, a subsidiary of ETS, the world leader in business certification, educational testing and consultancy (known for GRE, SAT, TOEFL and TOEIC). He then joined an education start-up financed by the Varkey Foundation and lead by Jeffrey Beard, the ex-Director General of the IB. After that inspirational experience, he co-founded a business school in Geneva before joining ISP in early 2022 where he contributed to the growth of the region from 4 to 10 schools. In 2024, Philippe joined Dukes Education as Managing Director for Central and Eastern Europe, recognising that the Dukes values and its founding ethos of nurturing young people so they can achieve their full potential, resonate strongly with his own aspirations.
Philippe has a Bachelor’s degree in political science, from Sciences Po in Strasbourg and a Master of Business Administration from ICN, one of the world’s top 50 FT schools. He has completed a Harvard Business School leadership program and has been trained on case-based teaching, also by Harvard Business School.
Brought up in Alsace, in the East of France, Philippe enjoys cycling, travelling and spending his free time with his family.
Juan Casteres (Finance Director, Dukes Education Europe)
Having gained degrees in economics and law, Juan began his career as an auditor at Arthur Andersen as an auditor before working as an international consultant supporting the EU and the Central European Countries authorities in their EU joining process. Juan held senior positions in companies in Germany and France before joining IEP Group in 2017 as Chief Financial Officer responsible for the group’s successful expansion in Spain. A native Spanish speaker, Juan is also fluent in English and German and speaks Portuguese.
Christopher Durbin
Christopher Durbin brings nearly a decade of experience in international school accreditation through his work with the Council of International Schools (CIS), most recently serving as Associate Director of School Support & Evaluation. In this role, he has partnered with schools across the world to drive continuous improvement and strengthen educational quality.
Before joining CIS, Christopher was a School Development Adviser for the English Schools Foundation (ESF) in Hong Kong, where he oversaw quality assurance, strategic curriculum development, and professional learning. He also served on several ESF governing bodies and contributed to the recruitment and support of school leaders.
Christopher’s earlier career in the UK included positions as a teacher, head of faculty, and advisory teacher for Derbyshire LEA. He later joined the BBC as an Education Officer, leading the development of the GCSE Bitesize online learning platform. He went on to work as an advisor and inspector for Staffordshire LEA, contributing to inspection frameworks, curriculum innovation, and national teacher‑networking initiatives.
A published writer and experienced presenter, Christopher has authored articles and textbooks and delivered keynotes and workshops at national and international conferences, particularly in the field of global citizenship education.
Beyond his professional life, Christopher is a lifelong environmentalist and avid cyclist. A cancer survivor, he regularly takes part in long‑distance charity rides, raising funds for myeloma and heart‑research initiatives. He is most at home in the wilderness or completing a challenging 100‑kilometre cycling route.
Berrin Schofield (Executive Head of Schools at Thames British School Warsaw)
Berrin Schofield joined Thames British School in 2023, bringing over 22 years of experience working in international schools in Laos, Thailand, Jordan, and Cuba to our community.
Originally from Australia, he has spent most of his career as an expatriate, with well over half of his experience gained in Senior Leadership and consultative positions. Berrin has led school development in the domains of curriculum development, developing and embedding standards and competency-based assessment and reporting, school campus redevelopment, and master planning, marketing, revitalising mission and vision, the development of Learning Definitions and Principles as well as budgeting and financial reform. He has worked closely with Governing bodies on development projects and served as an ex officio invitee for Finance, Development, and Operations Board of Trustee sub- committees.
He is also an experienced accreditation leader, working with 16 schools in various roles, supporting school development through the accreditation processes, including as a Visiting Team Leader and Chair for NEASC and CIS.
Berrin remains passionate about utilising a philosophy of systems thinking for school development and continuous improvement while ensuring an ethical and authentic approach to leadership. Above all else, he strives to ensure that when the young people entrusted to us move on, they are ready for whatever comes next.
Learn more
We are always delighted to hear from prospective parents that are considering our international school for their children’s education. Please do not hesitate to call us on the phone number above or select from the options below:
As an international school we conduct admissions placement all throughout the year. Applications for the academic year 2025-2026 are for children in Nursery (2.5 years old) through to Cambridge A/AS Levels and IB DP (18 years old).