Schoolbox CEO Grant van der Kruk has announced the introduction of an Executive Leadership Team (ELT), effective 1st November 2023.
Since its inception in 2002, Schoolbox has been a founder-led organization, successfully growing to become a key contributor to the Australian and New Zealand edtech landscapes.
The appointment of our CEO in March this year, and subsequent creation of the ELT are key milestones in Schoolbox’s transition from a founder-led company, to an organization that successfully operates independently. This important step is critical to the success of our next phase in further supporting our customers through ongoing innovation, and becoming a global leader in education technology.
The key areas of growth for Schoolbox include the International School market in Asia and the Middle East, as well as Australian Systemic and Government schools.
Grant notes ‘We are already making significant progress in all strategic initiatives including expansion markets, which is a testament to our incredible team and the global versatility of the Schoolbox platform. Whilst a key focus will be ‘sustainable scalability’, this will not come at the cost of our award winning service and support of our customers, which is something that we are incredibly proud of.’
The ELT are specialists in their field, bringing a wealth knowledge and experience to Schoolbox. After careful evaluation, each member was selected not only for their capabilities but also their fundamental values, aligned to the principles and culture at Schoolbox.
Meet the Executive Leadership Team
Chief Operations Officer
Formerly Schoolbox’s Head of People & Staff Experience, Natalie Neilson has been promoted to Chief Operations Officer, adding all internal operational responsibilities to her remit. Natalie has delivered strategic initiatives that have led to attracting amazing talent and achieving an overall staff satisfaction rating of 86%.
Natalie’s appointment reaffirms Schoolbox’s dedication to providing a supportive and positive workplace.
Chief Innovation Officer
Duane Cox is well known to the Schoolbox community, having held senior roles in supporting customers through several phases of their journey with Schoolbox over the past 7 years.
A holder of double degrees in education, incredibly deep knowledge of the Schoolbox platform and leading the research in Education innovation for Schoolbox, Duane continues to lead our Education, Innovation and Strategic Partner initiatives.
Chief Financial Officer
The most recent addition to the Leadership group at Schoolbox, Andrea Pesavento has been appointed as CFO. Andrea has most recently been part of a successful manufacturing start-up story, growing to 500+ employees globally and listed on the ASX 12 years later.
Andrea not only brings specialized financial experience to Schoolbox, but the understanding of what organizations need to thrive during growth phases.
Chief Commercial Officer
With over 25 years of senior leadership experience in schools across Australia and Hong Kong, and successfully leading our School Engagement Team over the past 18 months, Chris Barr has been appointed as Chief Commercial Officer.
Chris has shown incredible leadership capability in his short time at Schoolbox, becoming one of the most respected Schoolboxers both internally and by our customers and partners.
Chris’ appointment reaffirms Schoolbox’s commitment in keeping the Customer in the center of all growth initiatives, strengthening our engagement and transparency with our schools.
Chief Success Officer
Scott Salter has been promoted to Chief Success Officer after having successfully held the role of Head of Customer Success at Schoolbox for the past 2 years.
During this time, Scott has continued to demonstrate a deep understanding of the needs of schools to lead the Professional Services, Customer Support and Online Learning teams to deliver incredible outcomes for our schools.
Chief Product Owner and Technical Officer
James Leckie continues in his role in driving the direction of the Schoolbox platform and the performance of its architecture.
As a Co-Founder and Director, James will continue to play a vital strategic role as we backfill operational responsibilities over the next 12-18 months.
Chief Executive Officer
In March 2023, it was announced that Grant van der Kruk was appointed as Chief Executive Officer after receiving a unanimous endorsement from the Schoolbox Board. Read the full announcement here.
