Tanglin Ex-Staff: Where are they now?

David Woods, Head of Senior School (2004-2009) 

“I left Tanglin in December 2009 and became Campus and Secondary Principal at the La Chataigneraie campus of the International School of Geneva (often known as 'Ecolint'). It is a 3 to 18 school with about 1500 students. Ecolint has three sites with 4,500 students in total and is the school where the IB Diploma was first conceived of and taught in the 1970s so in the IB world, it is something of a 'rock star' school to work at. In August 2020 I moved to my current school, Hockerill Anglo European College in the UK where I am also principal. The College is a state school of about 950 students, which offers day and boarding places and, very unusually for UK state schools, only the IB Diploma post-16.”

Richard Curran, Assistant Director of Music (2001-2016)

“I arrived at Tanglin from Paris in 2001 as a Music teacher in the Senior School alongside Emma Northin. I remember Ron Stones telling me when he offered me the job that I'd feel at home at Tanglin as there was a Curran Hall in the Infant school, which I think was named after one of the governors before the three schools were rebuilt. In any case, I loved working in the Music department as Assistant Director of Music where many fond memories were made. One of the fondest memories was setting up a Jazz Band comprising the best instrumentalists in the school. Some of the students ended up working in the music industry: at Carnegie Hall, signed with Universal Records, producing their own music, and working for Artist Management agencies in London. We had a lot of fun recording a couple of albums: the first was at the old analogue Panasonic Studio in Commonwealth and the second at a digital studio in Chinatown. The British High Commissioner at the time, Alan Collins, wrote the band a letter asking where he could buy a CD and invited the band to perform at several events at the High Commission for members of the Royal Family and other dignitaries.

I left Tanglin eight years later in 2009 to take up a Head of Faculty position at the British School in Tokyo to be closer to my wife's family. We lived in Tokyo until 2016 before moving to Henley-on-Thames where I have been Director of Music at Shiplake College ever since. In 2020 I graduated with a Master’s in Educational Leadership and once the COVID years became a distant memory, I embarked on a search for another role in secondary education. I was delighted to be offered the role of Founding Director of Sixth Form at King's College in Bangkok that will commence in August this year when it opens the last of its new buildings in the heart of the city. My family and I are excited to be moving back to Southeast Asia and we definitely plan on a trip or two back to Singapore where my wife and I first met and where our daughter was born!”

Georgina James, Publications Editor (2020-21)

"My time at Tanglin was short but memorable for all sorts of reasons. My 18 months as Publications Editor began the week all non-essential workers in Singapore were asked to work from home, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, for many months, I 'learned' Tanglin from the dining-room table, with my two preschoolers virtually at my feet. I felt very honoured that the community trusted me to tell its stories in print. Nowadays, I live in Auckland, New Zealand, where I'm a lead editor at an international EdTech company. In the last year, both my daughters have started school, so I'm experiencing the magic of campus all over again, this time as a parent. I still keep up with Tanglin's news and applaud its continuing progress from afar. I will always be proud to have been a tiny part of its history."

Elizabeth Briggs, Communications Manager and Director of Admissions (2020-21)

"After leaving Tanglin we moved to Melbourne, and I am now Director of Marketing & Communications at Scotch College in Melbourne. We have a long history at Tanglin, my husband went to the school as a child, then our children were there (our son from Reception till Year 8, and our daughter from Nursery to Year 5). I loved working at Tanglin - I was Director of Admissions and before that, I was the Communications Manager.  My time at Tanglin was one of the most enjoyable of my career and I really miss the people - it really is a very special place."

 

Peter Welch, Founding Head of Sixth Form/Head of Humanities (1999-2004)

Since his time at Tanglin, Peter has amassed an impressive array of accomplishments. Notably, he authored the book Who on Earth Are You? How to Thrive in a Mixed-up World and assumed the role of Director for IB World Schools across Thailand, Turkey, and Finland. In addition, he has held leadership positions such as Head of the American Pacific International School in Thailand, Head of the Istanbul International Community School in Turkey, Director of Admissions & Marketing at the Elmwood School of Ottawa in Canada, and Director of Post-16 Education at Sir James Henderson School in Milan, Italy. Following his tenure in Helsinki as the director of the International School of Helsinki, Peter embarked on a year-long journey with his family. During this time, they volunteered extensively and travelled globally. They worked with marine conservationists to monitor the whale and dolphin populations off the coast of Portugal and cared for primates at a wildlife sanctuary in Malaysia.