Dr Edward Groughan

Dr Edward Groughan commenced as Principal of AIS in July 2017. He is no stranger to the world of international education, having been a Principal at four well-regarded schools across Australia and Asia (Pulteney Grammar School and Pedare Christian College in South Australia; Matthew Flinders Anglican College in Queensland and Dulwich College in Shanghai).

Eddie’s teaching career began at the Sydney Grammar School where he taught Science and Physical Education from K-12. He has also been a Deputy Headmaster at Aquinas College, and a Head of Sport at the Hale School in Perth, Western Australia.

In his academic endeavours, Eddie holds a Doctoral degree in educational history with a thesis on the social effects of the Great War. His university association includes a year, as an Associate Professor, teaching and devising units of study in a Master’s of Educational Leadership program at the Australian Catholic University. 

Eddie believes that learning is a means to self-fulfilment. As an insight to the belief, Eddie was a late starter to study beyond school, gaining a Diploma of Physical Education at the age of thirty before progressing to a Doctorate over the subsequent fourteen years.

Beyond schools and formal education, Eddie has been a Hawaiian Ironman, has taken part in a number of endurance events and was a first-grade rugby player for the Gordon club in Sydney. He remains keen on his fitness and guitar.

Mr Adam Patterson

Adam joined AIS in 2016 as the Head of Early Years, before being appointed Head of Elementary in 2019 with his most recent appointment of Principal of AIS in 2022. Originally from Armidale, NSW, Australia, Adam has been working in International Schools for 30 years, in a variety of countries and educational settings. 2022 marks his 30th year in education. He has varied experience as a teacher and a school leader, from a young teacher beginning his career teaching English in France to teaching and  leading schools in the United Kingdom, China, Malaysia, Kuwait and Brazil. 

Adam loves leading schools, his passion is developing positive relationships with everyone within the community, working with students as they grow, supporting teachers and staff so that they can reach their greatest potential, strengthening a connection between school and home, and a fostering a positive school culture.  At our core, we know that the school to home partnership is what allows us to provide an extraordinary school experience for all students. 

Mr PJ Roberts

PJ was appointed as the Managing Director at AIS in January 2019 where he is responsible for the overall Operations function of the school. PJ returns to AIS where he was initially a teacher in the Secondary School in 2005 and 2006 prior to embarking on a corporate career in various regional senior leadership roles in Asia. PJ brings experience to AIS as both an educator and a senior corporate leader based in Singapore since 2003.

PJ taught at AIS after ending his professional football career in Singapore where he played previously in Malaysia and Australia. PJ also captained Australia at the 1996 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Spain.

Following the completion of his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Western Australia, Graduate School of Management, PJ forged a successful corporate career in regional senior leadership and management positions with ANZ bank, Nielsen, and more recently Catapult. Following graduation with his MBA, PJ was a Tutor and Assistant Lecturer at the Graduate School of Management. PJ brings with him to AIS a breadth and depth of knowledge in areas of leadership, management, business operations, sales, marketing, banking and strategic business development, in addition to his prior knowledge of AIS and Singapore as a former staff member.

PJ has combined his corporate experience with a successful on-screen television career covering football in the region since 2004, currently with FOX Sports. PJ has also contributed to the Australian, New Zealand, and wider Singapore community through his long-term presidency of the Australian and New Zealand Association (ANZA) since 2008. This is a volunteer elected position responsible for providing strategic leadership and vision to the Association.

In addition to his MBA, PJ also holds a Bachelor of Education from the University of Canberra, a Bachelor of Science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas through a football scholarship following the completion of his secondary education, and an Advanced Diploma of Financial Services from Kaplan Australia.

PJ is positioned to add significant value to our AIS community as he takes on the responsibility for providing strategic leadership to the Operations function at AIS.

PJ has a wife, Jo who also works at AIS in the Admissions department and they have a son, Ashleigh.

Eric Van Den Berg

Eric joined Cognita Schools as a Chief Operating Officer Asia in June 2017. Prior to this, he had over 20 years of experience in the logistic industry, with his recent role as Regional Vice President of FedEx Express, South Pacific.

In addition to Singapore, he has been based in the Netherlands, Germany, and China where he held roles that ranged from Marketing, Strategy, Operations & Engineering and General Management.

He has played a leading role in key projects like the acquisition and integration of companies into in Germany, market entry into China, and leading change in the management across a number of strategic programs. He also thrives on large transformational assignments and driving business results through strong performance management.

Eric holds a Master of Business Administration from the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), in Communication at The Hague University of Applied Science.

His hobbies are playing drums, Thai boxing and Scuba Diving. As a Dutch native, he enjoys good food and fine wine.

Eric is married to his wife, Emily and has two boys.

Anita Mahesan

Anita commenced as Director of Finance of AIS in October 2014. She brings over 17 years of experience in the Finance sector to the School.

Before this, she was Regional Finance Director, MEAPAC at Pacific World Singapore Pte Ltd. During her time there, she was proven to be very good not only at the Finance function, but as a business partner, strategizing, giving operating and commercial advice and working very efficiently with all the company stakeholders.

Over the years at AIS, her assertiveness and a tenacity has helped her become a goal-oriented finance practitioner. This has enabled her efforts to achieve objectives tailored to the School.

Anita holds a Bachelor of Honors in Accounting and Finance and a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Wales in the UK.

Find out more about our School Management.

Ms Eromie Dassanayake

Eromie’s teaching career spans an outstanding 22 years. Her professional journey commenced in Sri Lanka and continued across countries and continents. This international experience has enriched Eromie’s teaching practice and emphasized the importance of being a global citizen. She considers it a privilege to be a steward for children’s rights, be it the right to play, the right to free expression, or the right to find the kind of learning that personally excites and motivates children. She appreciates being part of their learning journeys and inspiring their growth in all developmental domains. 

Eromie has previously held a Deputy Head of Early Years position, and has worked extensively in developing a holistic curriculum that supports the learning and wellbeing of all learners. There are three key concepts that permeate all aspects of curriculum and life at the Early Learning Village; Love, Care and Respect. Care and respect are evident in Eromie’s interactions with young learners and their families. The element of love comes through her passion for play-based learning. The central tenet of learning through play is bringing together the different spheres of children’s life – home, school and community and wider world so that there is continuity and connectivity of learning over time and across different contexts. Eromie holds a Bachelor of Childhood Studies, Guidance and Counselling Degree from the Northumbria University in the UK and a Masters of Early Childhood Education from Monash University. 

Eromie moved to Singapore seven years ago with her husband Indika and her son Thane. Currently, Thane is a first year student at the University of Melbourne. She likes travelling, cooking and spending time with her family.

Ms Emma Mcaulay

Emma’s career  in education spanning over 25 years, she  has taught and held leadership positions in the United Kingdom, NewZealand and Australia. In the United Kingdom, Emma  proactively led and sustained collaborative relationships with diverse stakeholder groups, including senior educational leaders. Before joining AIS, Emma spent 15 years as a leading academic team member at a leading independent P-12 school in Sydney. She played a pivotal role in securing the School’s formal authorisation to become a recognised International Baccalaureate (IB) World School. Emma’s expertise and educational experience are recognised by the IB, as she is both a workshop leader and school evaluator for IB schools globally. Offering proven success binding productive partnerships with universities and academic institutions, she has led action-based educational research projects and co-written journal articles.

Motivated to establish positive and highly engaged working environments that prioritise educational excellence, Emma builds and sustains cohesive and inclusive educational models that stimulate intellectual curiosity and offer diverse, holistic educational opportunities.  

"My vision includes a strong focus on Academic and Personal Excellence; achieved through a broad and rich curriculum, strong academic outcomes, progress and value add."

Emma is married to Hector and has two daughters, Ava and Molly, who both attend AIS. She is an avid runner and has completed two full marathons and several half marathons.

Mr Brad Bird

Brad is an experienced educator who has worked in Education for over 25 years in Australia and Singapore.

In his experience, he has worked as a consultant in Australia, published a master thesis and other teaching resources. He has run teacher training, conferences and student academic programs across multiple schools. He has a strong commitment to safeguarding and was part of Victoria’s Royal Commission to modify and set up safeguarding practices through the Catholic Education Office. His is committed to excellence in teaching and learning and teaches classes in the Secondary school in the commerce area.

Brad has held numerous leadership positions from, Year Level Coordinator, Head of Department, Head of House, Head of Senior School, Assistant Head of School, Deputy Principal, Deputy Head of School and Acting Principal/Head of School. His over 20 year journey in leadership prepares him extremely well for the challenges of Head of Secondary at AIS.

He believes in providing a holistic education that is student centred and solution orientated. His experience leads him to enquiring minds, a desire and passion for lifelong learning for both students and staff and a commitment to exceed expectations with outstanding opportunities. His plan is to ensure that all students at AIS have academic wellbeing at the forefront of their mind so that can achieve their personal best in where ever life takes them after AIS.

Brad is joined by wife Amanda and their children Maddyn and Harry who attend AIS. The family love sport, travel and spending time with family and friends and love life in Singapore and AIS.