Timothy Fisher is the CEO and Investment Manager of Stirling Education. He is responsible for ensuring that the schools and universities within the group continue to focus on and obtain the very best education outcomes. If the education results continue to flourish then the financial performance duly follows. Tim’s professional background is in finance & banking and Tim read undergraduate and postgraduate engineering degrees at Imperial College, London where he attained both prize winning first class and distinctions. Tim was also awarded full sports colours whilst at university.

Tim is the current Chairman of an English Football League Club.

Laura is a Board Member at Stirling, and provides support to the organisation’s activities to ensure it makes consistent progress towards its mission in the most effective possible way.

She graduated at Granada University, Spain as a Teacher and moved to London where she worked in an Independent School and a SEND School. After some years in teaching she spent a year in an Independent British School in Madrid as School Director, and went back to the UK where she continued training in education leadership with UCL. Laura has been part of the team at Stirling Education since 2018.

Prior to joining Stirling Education, Victor was the CFO of a large shipping company. He is a graduate of St.Petersburg Polytechnical University, where he studied Economics. Victor worked at PwC for ten years, where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant and held various positions from a consultant to a senior manager. He loves football, ice hockey and chess.

Neil Brown is the independent Financial Advisor to Stirling Education. In this role Neil advises the company on all aspects of finance, risk management and control. Neil provides standalone oversight. In addition, Neil advises on corporate sustainability.

From 2008 he was variously CEO, COO, CRO and Investment Committee Chair at Earth Capital, a global PE group deploying capital into sustainability themes of energy, food, and water with c$1.7bn assets under management. Prior to that he was Global Head of Risk Management consecutively for Credit Suisse Asset Management, sitting on the Credit Suisse Group Risk Committee, and HSBC Asset Management. In these roles he had oversight of businesses from Australia to Canada and dealt with regulators on all 5 continents.

Previous roles in a forty-year career have included trading, broking, and financial consultancy. He has been a Trustee of a £1.5bn UK pension scheme and acted as expert witness in fund governance and client classification cases. He started his career trading derivatives on the opening day of the London International Financial Futures Exchange in 1982.

Neil is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment and chairs their Capital Markets Pathway Qualifications Assessment Board and Bond Forum. Neil holds an Economics degree from University College London.

Sam Thomson brings over two decades of experience in business development, education and childcare to her role as Business Development Advisor at Stirling Education. With a keen focus on stakeholder engagement and organisational growth, Sam advises the company across various areas including team management, customer relations, school relationships, and overall business development.

In 2022, Sam embarked on a new venture, a consultancy aimed at supporting education settings, childcare providers, and people-focused organisations. Sam offers guidance through consultancy, mentoring, and training. Her expertise extends to being qualified to teach adults and deliver mental health and wellbeing training, reflecting her commitment to holistic development and support.

Sam has a B Ed Hons Degree from Oxford Brookes University and she taught across the Primary age range prior to starting her first company. She brings her teaching experience, knowledge of educational establishments and leadership knowledge combined with a solution focussed, supportive approach to all those she works with.

Michael Green is the Education Consultant of Stirling Education. In that role, he ensures that the schools and universities within the group focus on achieving the very best education outcomes. Michael received his Bachelors and Ph.D from University of Liverpool; taught in several countries including Germany, Australia, and universities of Durham and Edinburgh in UK.

Michael’s career divides into two parts. The first part, as an archaeologist for 20 years, specialising in Ancient Egypt. During this time he worked in universities in many countries including Netherlands, Germany, Australia, Egypt and UK.

For the following 30 years he led international recruitment and strategic partnership activities in several UK universities. During this time he worked extensively in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, India, Pakistan, Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Indonesia and Central Asia. Michael loves to learn new things and help others.

Sara is the Head of Marketing and Communications of Stirling Education. She runs all of our media channels to help keep everyone up to date with all our work. Sara received her Masters in International Law and has since worked as a legal and medical interpreter while also tutoring in her spare time, helping students learn English.

Having parents from a mixed background, she grew up speaking multiple languages such as Arabic, Bosnian as well as English, and has developed a keen interest in learning several more because she believes that language is the key to understanding people and their culture.

Tim is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in owning and managing creative agencies. Throughout his career, he has spearheaded projects that harness creativity to drive positive change within organizations.

Currently, Tim is actively engaged in the realm of further and executive education. He serves as an Entrepreneur In Residence and an Honorary Fellow at The University of Nottingham Business School. In these roles, Tim is dedicated to his belief that education plays a pivotal role in addressing societal challenges. He is committed to equipping individuals with the necessary skills and knowledge to transform their ideas into impactful businesses and movements.

Additionally, Tim is a valuable member of the executive education team at the University of Leicester. He brings to the table his expertise as a qualified business mentor and facilitator, as well as his credentials as a qualified Climate Reality Leader.

Alex is the Head of Primary at Thames British International School in Madrid, which is a joint venture with Stirling. After completing a BA (Hons) in Linguistics at Lancaster University and then a PGCE at London Metropolitan University, Alex started work at a British School in Madrid, firstly as a Primary teacher and English and Humanities Co-ordinator, and then as Head of Phase.

After eleven years at the school, she moved to Shanghai where she worked for four years as the Assistant Head of Primary, overseeing a department of nearly a thousand students. She is delighted to have joined Thames British School in Madrid as Head of Primary and is responsible for ensuring the high standards in teaching and learning as well as the well-being of the pupils are maintained and developed further.

Mersid is the Rector at one of Stirling’s universities, the highly respected International Burch University in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He received his MBA and PhD in marketing and delivers subjects such as Strategic Marketing, Digital Marketing, Marketing Management and Marketing Services. As part of his academic life, he was the editorial assistant in the Journal of Economic and Social Studies (JECOSS) and he currently holds the position of journal editor associate.

He also co-chairs the International Conference on Economic and Social Studies (ICESoS) which focuses on publications related to economic and business-related issues in the region. He has published several books and scientific papers, loves sport and plays guitar and is the father of two lovely daughters. Mersid is proud to foster an environment in which young adults can grow and develop their horizons, at the same time as encouraging and nurturing fresh ideas and new ways of thinking.

Umed is CEO and sits on the Board of Directors of Stirling Middle East. He has served as the Vice-Chancellor, General Secretary, Representative for the Board of Trustees, Dean of Students, and lecturer for Tishk International University in Erbil.

He earned an MSc in Biophysics and PhD in Bioengineering and completed his undergraduate studies in Physics. He has a rich background in schools, formerly working as a teacher, school administrator, and head of department. His considerable experience across various levels and contexts of education enables him to guide and lead the various institutions and departments in Stirling Middle East effectively.