NIST Leadership Team (NLT)
The NIST Leadership Team includes the senior administrators: Head of School, School Director, Head of Operations, Head of Learning, Head of Secondary and Head of Primary. Together they oversee the daily operations of the school and help guide our community as we pursue our vision and mission. All of the current members of the leadership team are also parents of NIST students.
Before taking on the role of Head of School in 2016, Mr. Brett Penny served as the Head of Elementary from 2011 after eight years in Switzerland, where he held the position of Primary Principal of the Inter-Community School Zurich. After a successful teaching career in his home country of New Zealand, Brett commenced his career in international education, working at NIST from 2000 – 2003 as a year 6 teacher and the year 6 coordinator. He holds a Diploma of Teaching from the Dunedin College of Education (NZ), a Bachelor of Education from Otago University (NZ), a Master of Arts in Education Leadership from Columbia University (USA) and an M.B.A. in International Education (with distinction) from Keele University in the UK.
Brett is joined in Bangkok by his wife Debbie (a NIST elementary counsellor from 2001-2003 and now an elementary EAL teacher), a Canadian national, and his son Liam and daughter Hannah.
Khun Nirut Chavanarodjanarugi joined NIST as the Head of Operations in 2013 and oversees all operational (non-academic) areas of NIST, including property, finance and accounting, purchasing, development, catering, transportation, and security. Khun Nirut brings with him great strengths in project management, attention to detail and communication, as well as 32 years of experience in the services and business operations industry. He has worked with various international hotel management companies and was part of the pioneer opening team of Conrad Bangkok Hotel, where he worked for 11 years. His final position there was resident manager and licence hotel manager.
Prior to this Khun Nirut held overseas postings in Edsa Shangri-La Hotel in the Philippines and the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore. His education and professional training includes: Assumption Sriracha, Assumption Commercial College, ABAC, Washington State University, Hotelschool The Hague (The Netherlands), Hotel & Airline Central Reservation System – CLAS International US, and Ecole Hotelier Lausanne Switzerland. He believes firmly that “the more you do, the more you get, and that you should always do your best”.
Khun Nirut and his wife Kwanta have two sons, Chinnapat (Birdy), who also attends NIST, and Thanathon (Trophy).
Ms. Poonam Sachdev is the Thai School Director, though she has worked in several roles in the administration since joining NIST in September 1995. Her key responsibilities include dealing with Thai government agencies such as the Ministry of Education, the Immigration Office and the Labour Department to ensure that the school is in compliance with Thai laws. Khun Poonam earned her bachelor’s degree in commerce from Punjab University in India, a Diploma in Teaching from Suan Sunandha College in Bangkok and a master’s degree in Educational Administration from Assumption University, also in Bangkok. Both her children graduated from NIST and are now attending Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.
Stepping into NIST as the Interim Head of Secondary for the 2017-2018 school year, John Snowball has extensive international experience, having served as the Secondary Principal at Yokahama International School in Japan from 2008, and in Singapore prior to that. In addition to his extensive experience as a teacher, curriculum coordinator and administrator in international education, John brings a great deal of expertise in the realm of higher education, where he worked for a decade.
Beyond his work experience, John is well-known and respected in the international school community, and specializes in change management and team building. His ability to connect with others has allowed him to bridge multiple areas in schools, including student welfare, curriculum development and implementation, professional development, and accreditation (including NEASC and CIS).
With her husband Paul Cooper, the Deputy Head of Secondary (DP), Jane has two children: Hannah, who graduated from NIST in 2016, and Daniel, a member of the Class of 2020.
Our Guiding Principles
We firmly believe that leadership is shared, and that with a common understanding of our roles, we can achieve our shared goals as a community. These guiding principles shape our approach not only as leaders, but also as learners.
We will start with the belief that people are intelligent, capable, working hard and acting in good faith.
We will seek to be solution-oriented, and use the school mission and a focus upon student achievement to guide discussions.
We will advocate and support each other, and work as a team.
We will value open discussion, aim for consensus in decisions, and constantly strive to follow up decisions and communicate effectively.
We will strive to be transparent, make moral decisions and be fair in our dealings.
We will create an environment based on trust and respect, which will enable our colleagues to function at their highest point of contribution.
