Global Schools Forum appoints Director of Operations to support growth

Global Schools Forum (GSF) is a collaborative community of non-state organisations working to improve education at scale for children from underserved communities in low- and middle-income countries with a collective vision to ensure that all children can realise their potential through safe access to quality education.

Since their establishment in 2017, the GSF community has grown to 89 organisations spanning 55 countries. The organisations within GSF’s community together reach over 200,000 schools and learning centers providing education to nearly 16.2 million children across South and South-East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.

This operations role is a significant, director-level appointment for GSF, to provide strategic leadership as their scaling and development journey continues. The search phase of the campaign consisted of a nationwide mapping exercise to identify charities that have experienced sustained growth in recent years, and the key operational leaders within them. In addition, Society looked within its existing education and not-for-profit networks to identify potential options. 

After several rounds of interview, Philippa Frankl emerged as the preferred candidate. Philippa’s experiences at Hatch Enterprise UK have significant overlap with the strategic goals of GSF as the organisation moves into its next phase. Moreover, Philippa’s organisational development experience, programme delivery, and background working with the global south have enabled her to effectively address the strategic operational needs of GSF at interview.

After the appointment, Philippa commented:

"It's a real pleasure to join the GSF team at such a key point in their growth journey. The team and the leadership have been extremely welcoming and it's evident that everyone is really passionate about the work the organisation does. I'm looking forward to getting stuck in to ensuring that the team and the internal operations grow and develop to support the growth of the impact GSF is having and wants to have in future.”
 
Aashti Zaidi, CEO at GSF, commented following Philippa’s offer that


"We are thrilled to welcome Philippa on board as our Director of Operations. Global Schools Forum is at a critical stage in its journey, and Philippa’s progressive experience in programmes and operations, her deep understanding of the needs of people-focused and social-impact organisations, and her leadership and commitment to education make her a perfect fit for this role. She has hit the ground running and is already a valued member of the senior management team, and the organisation at large. This is also the second time we have worked with Society. We continue to be impressed with their ability to source excellent candidates and support growing organisations like GSF to fill critical roles.”

The whole team at Society wishes Philippa the best in her new role. And we look forward to watching GSF make further strides as they continue to widen their impact.