At Wellington College China (WCC), we aspire to create a caring community that develops well-rounded individuals with strong values and the skills to thrive within an ever-changing world.
WCC aims to establish schools that, over time, can flourish with high levels of autonomy. Each WCC school enjoys significant levels of legal and financial independence with its own governing body, a School Affairs Board (SAB).
The schools, however, are not independent. They are under a single ownership and operate under a clearly defined common framework. All schools carry the same Wellington College China name and therefore share the same reputation. The Central Office is a shared group resource. The WCC Executive Board was established to make group-level decisions and govern the Central Office. The Executive Board has the power to mandate standardisation of policies, systems and services. It also approves the group-level targets shared by our senior leaders.
There are three levels in our governance structure: the WCC Executive Board, SABs and sub-committees. The WCC Executive Board has five members. Each SAB has five members as well.
SAB members are appointed by Wellington College International China Management (WCICM), a company owned by WCC’s founder and chairman, and Wellington College International (WCI), a subsidiary of Wellington College UK. The latter comprises no less than 34% of the voting membership. Huili SAB members are solely appointed by WCICM.
Each member of the WCC Executive Board, SABs and sub-committees (staff members and parent members are not included) is given the title of ‘Wellington College China Governor’. They meet twice a year, online or in person, in November/December and June to:
• Engage in training and development
• Evaluate the effectiveness of governance and plan for improvements
• Share group-level information and long-term development strategies.
However, such a gathering is for training and information sharing purposes and is not a decision-making forum.
There are four full-time governors: the chairman, the CEM and two international directors (ID), who are appointed by Wellington College UK. The chairman serves on all SABs. The CEM serves on the SABs of new schools. The ID serves on all Wellington SABs.
All other governors are non-executive unpaid governors and serve on one SAB only. The combination of paid full-time governors and unpaid non-executive governors provides a balance. The full-time governors have the depth of knowledge and overview of the group and are responsible for much of the governance administrative work, while the non-executive governors provide a broader range of expertise and ensure openness and transparency in our governance.
Many governance decisions are delegated by the SAB to the four sub-committees. They are: the Academic Sub-Committee (ASC), the Facilities and Services Sub-Committee (FaSC), the Finance and HR Sub-Committee (FiHRSC) and the Safeguarding and Child Protection Sub-Committee (SCPSC).
The aim of the SAB sub-committees is to provide a more detailed and practical level of governance to the school. They allow for deeper analysis and discussions and have delegated authority from their SABs to make certain decisions.
Sub-committees comprise SAB members, external non-executive experts, school leaders, employees who have undertaken the WCC High Potential Programme, CO representatives and parent members. This combination is intended to offer a balanced view. The SAB members attending the sub-committee shall decide if any item should be referred to the SAB.
Wellington College China governance undergoes an annual evaluation process to examine the effectiveness of its strategic leadership. This is done through self-assessment by all governors, collecting feedback from school leaders and working with external consultants to compare ourselves with and learn from the most effective school governance worldwide. The Executive Board works with experienced UK school governance and culture specialists to support the development of the current approach and provide ongoing training and support to all the governors. This continuous self-improvement process helps to keep the board professional and adaptable to each school's — and the group’s — growing needs.
School Affairs Board
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.
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Scott Bryan
Wellington College
International Director
Scott Bryan
Governor
Wellington College International
Tianjin, Shanghai, Hangzhou
Mr Scott Bryan is the International Director for Wellington College. He is responsible for developing Wellington College International’s schools’ business and working with partners to ensure the reputation and quality of those schools.
Scott has a BSc (Hons), PGCE and postgraduate diploma in Educational Studies. He has a thorough understanding of the UK independent sector and a wide range of international experience from more than 20 years of working in education. His school leadership experience includes three successful headships in the UK, United Arab Emirates and more recently as a founding Head in Switzerland.
Scott has previously held the post of Strategic Director at a leading UK independent school, including responsibility for developing international business. He has also served on school governing bodies and chaired the finance committee. He brings extensive experience in international school business, strategic planning, regulatory compliance, school improvement and mentoring of senior leaders.
He is office-based at Wellington College in England, with both his daughters currently attending the College. In his spare time, he likes to visit the Swiss Alps, where he enjoys skiing and a variety of outdoor sports.
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Rebecca Li
Kejie Associates
Senior Partner
Rebecca Li
Governor
Wellington College International Shanghai
Rebecca Li is a Senior Partner of Kejie Associates. She has extensive experience in implementing creative solutions to the most complex business issues and is well-positioned to support companies achieving strategic objectives with her well-rounded legal expertise.
Rebecca has over 15 years of legal experience with proven track records in the areas of securities issuance & capital markets, PE/VC investments and corporate and M&A. Her clients come from various industries, including real estate, education, retail, finance, fund management and TMT.
Rebecca obtained her Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the University of International Business and Economics and she obtained an EMBA from Guanghua School of Management, Peking University.
Rebecca advised on the establishment of Wellington College China in 2009 and has maintained a cooperative relationship with WCC ever since.
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Michael Xu
Bank of China International
Investment Banker
Michael Xu
Governor
Wellington College International Shanghai
Michael is an investment banker working at Bank of China International, where he provides a wide range of services, including IPO, M&A advisory, PE and debt financing to large financial institutions and fintech companies across mainland China and Hong Kong, with further exposures in sectors such as technology and healthcare.
He graduated from Imperial College London with BSc in Mathematics with Statistics for Finance and MSc in Risk Management & Financial Engineering. An Old Wellingtonian himself, Michael attended Wellington College in England from 2002 to 2007 as a member of Hill House, and he captained the basketball team. He currently lives in Shanghai with his wife and two daughters. His elder daughter attended Huili Nursery Shanghai, and his younger daughter now studies at the Wellington College International Shanghai Early Years Centre, where she has followed in her father's footsteps and joined Hill House.
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Dr. Joanna Waley-Cohen
NYU Shanghai
Provost
Dr. Joanna Waley-Cohen
Governor
Wellington College International Shanghai
Joanna Waley-Cohen is the Provost for NYU Shanghai and Julius Silver Professor of History at New York University, where she has taught Chinese history since 1992. As Provost, she serves as NYU Shanghai’s chief academic officer, setting the university’s academic strategy and priorities, and overseeing academic appointments, research, and faculty affairs.
She has a MA in Chinese Studies from Cambridge University and a PhD in History from Yale University. Her research interests include early modern Chinese history, China and the West, and Chinese imperial culture, especially in the Qianlong era. She has received many honors, including archival and postdoctoral fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies, Goddard and Presidential Fellowships from NYU, and an Olin Fellowship in Military and Strategic History from Yale.
Waley-Cohen's books include The Culture of War in China: Empire and the Military under the Qing Dynasty (I.B. Tauris, 2006), The Sextants of Beijing: Global Currents in Chinese History (W.W. Norton, 1999), and Exile in Mid-Qing China: Banishment to Xinjiang, 1758-1820 (Yale University Press, 1991). Her current scholarly projects include a revised history of imperialism in China, a study of daily life in China c.1800, and a history of culinary culture in early modern China.
