Your regional team

Last updated: 29 November 2024

Please see below the IB Development and Recognition team for the Asia-Pacific region.

	Stefanie Leong Head of Development and Recognition, Asia Pacific Based in the IB Global Centre in Singapore, Stefanie has over 20 years of experience in education management. Before joining the IB in 2012, Stefanie worked for an international education provider of international qualifications for five to 19-year-olds, and prior to that, she taught Commerce and Information Technology at an Australian university. Stefanie’s role at the IB is to develop and implement a regional strategy that sustains and advances the growth of IB programmes and services in identified and emerging markets. Regional Development is concerned with managing and nurturing key stakeholder relations with governments, higher education institutions, associations, corporate partnerships, large entities of schools and individual schools in the interested phase before application for candidacy.
	Casey Tay Business Development Manager, Asia Pacific Based at the IB Global Centre in Singapore, Casey collaborates with schools in Asia Pacific, focusing on Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Macao, Singapore, and Taiwan, to offer IB programmes. With an MBA and a distinguished career in educational leadership, he has consistently driven academic innovation and excellence, significantly enhancing education quality and operational efficiency. Casey has also championed initiatives to expand academic partnerships, enriching educational offerings and providing a global perspective for students.
	Endrea Tan Business Development Associate Manager, Asia Pacific Endrea works closely with Casey, supporting schools interested in joining the IB community and helping the further recognition of IB programmes in Asia Pacific, focusing on Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Macao, Singapore, and Taiwan. She also plays an integral role in the AP development team to support projects, outreach events, and university recognition work. Endrea holds a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from the National University of Singapore. Before joining the IB, Endrea has worked in the special education sector as an educator and has experience in supporting marketing campaigns and events.
	Emily Ellisha Ng Business Development Associate, Asia Pacific Based in the IB Global Centre in Singapore, Emily effectively supports the team by providing timely and accurate responses to general inquiries from schools, universities, and other relevant institutions, while also actively participating in the organization of IB Outreach events. Emily holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Psychology, minor in Korean Language, from the National University of Singapore. Before joining the IB in 2024, Emily has over 2 years of experience in education management. Emily has worked at Nanyang Technological University as a Business Development Manager where she spearheaded consultancy services sales and managed strategic partnerships with regulatory consultancies and partner agencies.
	Stella Jiang Business Development Senior Manager, China Based in Beijing, China, Stella works with schools interested in becoming IB World Schools and helps to extend the recognition of IB programmes in China. She holds a Master of Arts in Comparative Education from the Institute of Education, University of London. Stella has been involved in international education and assessment for more than 10 years, working for the British Council and for a provider of international qualifications for five to 19-year-olds as Senior Schools Development Manager for China and Hong Kong before joining the IB in 2014.
	Jessica Zhu Business Development Manager, China Jessica works closely with Stella, supporting schools interested in joining the IB community and helping the further recognition of IB programmes in China, focusing primarily on EY, PYP and the CP. Based in Beijing, China, Jessica has extensive experience in education business management and teacher training for international and domestic education service organizations. She has experience in managing and teaching at the IB school. She has good working relationships with governments, schools, organizations, education professionals and investors, focusing on the development and recognition of IB. Jessica holds a Master of Communication from the Communication University of China. She is passionate about creating an interactive environment between Chinese and international education.
	Mahesh Balakrishnan Business Development Senior Manager, India and Nepal Mahesh Balakrishnan works with schools interested in the IB programmes and universities for recognition of IB programmes. With over 20 years of global business development experience across various industries, including work with regulators, policymakers, and state governments in India, he has played a key role in expanding IB beyond major cities and securing equivalence for IBCP. A passionate educator, Mahesh has worked in higher and primary education, online learning, and educational technology, particularly in simulation and gamified learning. Mahesh holds an MSc in Technopreneurship and Innovation from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and an MBA in Marketing from Jiwaji University.
	Shashikant Vishwakarma Business Development Associate Manager, India Shashikant works closely with Mahesh, supporting schools interested in joining the IB community and helping the further recognition of IB programmes in India. Based in New Delhi, India, Shashikant is an experienced business development professional with over a decade of experience in the education sector. He has a particular focus on working with schools interested in offering IB programmes. With a passion for international education and assessment, Shashikant has worked as a Manager for North India for a provider of international education and assessment for 5 to 19-year-olds. He has also worked with organizations providing ed-tech products and services.
	Ayumi Hoshino Business Development Manager, Japan Based in Tokyo, Ayumi has an extensive experience as a business development manager since 2013. She works closely with local schools interested in offering IB programmes and becoming IB World Schools and engages in strengthening relationships with national and municipal governments as well as board of education offices. Before joining the IB, she started out her IB career at Japan’s first national/public IB World School as an MYP language acquisition teacher and held various in-school roles such as MYP coordinator, DP coordinator, vice principal and IBEN roles such as workshop leader. She now teaches at an IBEC university in Tokyo offering Certificate in Teaching and Learning (CTL) and Advanced Certificate in Teaching and Learning Research (ACTLR). She holds Master of Education from International Christian University (Tokyo) and Master of Arts from The University of Tokyo.
	Ayako Kurokawa Business Development Associate Manager, Japan Ayako works closely with Ayumi, supporting schools interested in joining the IB community and helping the further recognition of IB programmes in Japan. Originally from Hiroshima, Ayako gained her undergraduate degree in Fine Arts from York University, and her graduate degree in Fine Arts from Western University in Canada with full scholarships. After moving back to Japan, she obtained her Japanese teaching license and began her career as an IBDP and MYP Visual Arts teacher, CAS Coordinator, College Counsellor, and Diploma Programme Coordinator at IB World Schools in Japan, and practiced IB education for 17 years in total. Ayako was also the IBDP Visual Arts Senior Examiner in English and Principal Examiner in Japanese, workshop leader for both DP Visual Arts and CAS since 2013, a site visitor and leader for school authorization, DP consultant, translator for DP Guides, and a Programme Leader for the school evaluations. She also worked as a speaker and a panellist at various IB forums in Japan.
	Faizol Musa Business Development Senior Manager, Southeast Asia and Bangladesh Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Faizol works with schools interested in offering IB programmes and engages with key educational decision-makers across Southeast Asia and Bangladesh. His role includes promoting IB recognition among universities and governments. Over the years, Faizol has built a strong reputation and relationships with schools, educational associations, universities, media, and governmental bodies across the subregion. Before joining the IB in 2013, Faizol held leadership roles at the British Council in Malaysia, including Acting Deputy Country Exams Director and Examinations Services Manager. He also served as Schools Development Manager for Indonesia with an international qualifications provider for five to 19-year-olds. Faizol holds a Master's Degree in Corporate Communication and Public Relations from Asia eUniversity and a Master of Business Administration from Unitar International University.
	Tram Nguyen Business Development Associate Manager, Southeast Asia Tram works closely with Faizol, supporting schools interested in joining the IB community and helping the further recognition of IB programmes in Southeast Asia. Holding a Master of Education from Harvard University, Tram has diverse experience in the education sector, ranging from language teaching, college counselling, EdTech program development, and transnational education project management. She has lived and worked in multiple countries including Australia, China, the United States, and Vietnam.
	ChongA Hong Business Development Manager, South Korea Based in Seoul, ChongA engages with educational institutions that are interested in implementing IB programmes in South Korea. She also fosters robust connections with higher education institutions to facilitate entry opportunities for IB students and works towards increasing awareness and recognition of IB programmes among various stakeholders. ChongA holds a Bachelor's degree in Foreign Language Teaching from Ewha Womans University and a TESOL Certificate from Sookmyung University. With a passion for education and a rich background in language and literature teaching, ChongA has served 17 years as a Korean Literature and Language Literature teacher at IB World International Schools. Furthermore, she has been involved as an IB workshop leader. Before joining the education field, ChongA worked in overseas sales and marketing at Samsung SDI for five years.
	Michelle Kang Development Associate Manager, South Korea Michelle closely collaborates with ChongA to support schools in South Korea seeking to adopt IB programmes and achieve IB World School status. With a diverse background, she began her career in destination marketing before transitioning to the international education sector in 2014. In this role, she has successfully promoted UK universities and ESL institutes as a Business Development Manager. Additionally, she has eight years of experience teaching marketing at the college level. Michelle holds a Bachelor's degree from Seoul Women's University and an MBA from the University of British Columbia.