As part of our commitment to leadership excellence, professional development and building a culture we are all proud of and aligned to, the senior leaders from Cognita’s Europe and USA region gathered just outside London on 22 and 23 October for the annual 2024 Europe and USA Leadership Conference. This impactful event offered a space to strengthen cross-regional connections, explore innovative ideas, and align on strategic goals.

Attendees were wide ranging, including Group CEO Frank Maassen, Group CFO Andreas Tolpeit, Group Chief Education Officer, Dr Simon Camby, Michael Drake (CEO Europe and USA), Headteachers and the wider Europe & USA Leadership Team. The attendees fully engaged in discussions spanning quality teaching and learning, company culture and the mindsets that drive it and growth. Simon Camby and Sarah Reynolds, Director of Education for Europe, shared a keynote on the conference’s central theme of ‘Quality’, while other sessions focused on important topics such as evaluating teaching and learning, developing a culture the drives belonging and performance and speaking with confidence. Europe & USA’s Chief People Officer, Emily Lofting-Kisakye discussed the Cultural Mindsets for the third consecutive year and launched the Employee Value Proposition to enable our teams to attract and retain the best talent.

The conference also celebrated exceptional contributions to the region’s shared mindsets through the Owards ceremony, recognising individual and team achievements across various categories:

  • Great Place to Work 2024
    • Large School: The British School of Barcelona, Spain
    • Small School: Oakfields Prep School, UK
  • Most Loved by Parents 2024
    • Large School: Downsend School, UK
    • Small School: Kingscourt School, UK
  • Key Owards by Category
    • We Go Together: Karen Nicholson, Dominik Anke, Regional Legal Team
    • We Believe We Can: Hastings Admissions Team, VAT Team, Christian Littrup-Fiil
    • Growth Mindset: North Bridge House School, York Prep School, Southbank International School
    • We Stay Ahead: Regional HR Team, Parent Experience Team, SCP M&A Team
    • We Go Together (Friend of Europe): Group Education Team, Group Legal Team
    • Special Recognition Oward: Brendan Pavey, Ian Thorpe
  • School of the Year 2024
    • Large School: El Limonar International School Villamartín, Spain
    • Small School: Duncombe School, UK

Through these recognitions, the conference underscored Cognita’s enduring commitment to empowering leaders at every level to inspire change, foster a culture of excellence, and collectively raise the bar in education across Europe and the US. Congratulations to all the award winners.

To find out more about other regional leadership conferences, click here for Asia or here for the Middle East.