Our aim is to create inspiring schools that produce happy, confident, children that are educated for the future

John Forsyth

Founder & CEO

Post a career in the British Army as Captain, John worked for Mars Ltd making Maltesers and Minstrels in the UK. In 2010 John joined the Chandler Corporation (now the Clermont Corporation) in Singapore and Vietnam. His role was to buy, build and lead education, real estate, finance and healthcare businesses across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. He became the first CEO of the corporation in 2011. In 2013 John co-founded Rising Tide Asia, an education and healthcare investment platform, based out of Singapore.               

In 2019, John then founded Forfar Education with a view to buying and managing great schools across the World. John has been the Chairman, Director or CEO of over 70 schools.

Alex Eiranova

CFO

Alex has been a corporate finance and investment banking professional for 10 years. After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in political science, Alex moved to Shanghai in 2009 where he tutored local students on preparing for the entrance exam for American universities.

In 2011, he began his career in investment banking in Hong Kong as an Assistant Manager (M&A) at Somerley Group (SEHK:8439) where he spent five years and was promoted to Manager (M&A) in 2014. At Somerley Alex worked on M&A and fundraising advisory transactions across Asia Pacific in the Agriculture, Education, Environmental, Healthcare, Natural Resources and Technology sectors.

In 2016, Alex worked as M&A Manager for a leading F&B group in Singapore and joined Forfar Capital in January 2017 as CFO. He was also a founding Partner of MAR Capital Partners, a Singapore based private direct investment and M&A advisory business. At MAR Capital, Alex worked on and completed M&A, fundraising advisory and investments into transactions in range of sectors.

Fiona Carter

Group Director of Education

Fiona Carter joins Forfar Education with over 30 years’ experience in school improvement, curriculum development, international education and strategic leadership.

Most recently, Fiona spent eight years with Wellington College International — first as academic lead in China, then as International Director in the UK — helping establish high-performing K–12 bilingual schools and strengthening partnerships across the network.

She began her career as a primary teacher in Sheffield, before working in Forces Education in Germany. Back in the UK, she held senior school improvement roles in local government, leading major improvement programmes and helping shape new national curriculum and assessment frameworks. She later joined Early Excellence, supporting schools across the UK and internationally to strengthen early years and primary provision.

Fiona is committed to helping children thrive academically, socially and personally, and to building strong cultures of excellence in schools.

Christine Pouncett

Group Finance & Operations Director

Christine joined Forfar in 2021, having previously worked at Thomas’s London Day Schools and in a number of senior commercial, operations and finance roles.

She provides the team with a wealth of knowledge and invaluable first-hand experience of the detailed operations of independent schools.

With a collaborative solution-oriented approach, Christine supports a number of areas across the Forfar team, focusing on Finance & Operations.

Al Butler

IT Director

Al Butler joined Forfar Education as IT Director in 2021. He has worked within information technology since 2008, starting in financial services then moving to outsourced, best practice aligned, managed IT services. Formerly Director of a managed IT service provider, providing services to various sectors, including education since 2011.

Al is enthusiastic about the use of modern innovative technology within education, giving children the opportunities to explore the areas of information technology they enjoy so that they can be inspired to be the world’s future tech leaders and innovators.

Edward Stratton

Group M&A Director

Edward studied Modern Languages & Philosophy at Oxford University before starting his professional career with Merrill Lynch in London, and subsequently, New York. Over the course of over 15 years Edward worked on an extensive range of investment banking transactions, including M&A, fund raising and IPOs across the education, financial services, natural resources and industrials sectors.

Edward is a father to four children, a Governor of two schools, a keen sportsman and fluent in four languages (English, Spanish, French & Portuguese).

Lisa McDonald

Head of Early Years

Lisa began her career in law before pursuing her true passion in education. With over two decades of experience, she has held teaching and leadership roles across state and independent schools, working with children aged 3 to 14. Her dedication to early childhood education saw her spend several years as a Reception teacher and EYFS lead, before being appointed Early Years Advisory Teacher for the Government of Jersey, where she helped shape early years provision across the island.

Lisa’s leadership journey took her to New York, where she served as Deputy Head of The British International School for five years, gaining valuable international experience. Upon returning to the UK, she took on the headship of a prestigious co-educational boarding school in northwest London. Most recently, she successfully led a thriving prep school in Essex.

With a strong track record of driving educational excellence, Lisa brings her deep commitment to nurturing young learners to her current role at Forfar.

Vicki McErlean

Marketing & Admissions Director

Vicki is a CIM-qualified marketing professional with extensive experience across hospitality, retail, and leisure, complemented by 14 years specialising in marketing and admissions within independent education.

Passionate about innovation and driven by excellence, she is dedicated to empowering schools with strategic marketing initiatives that generate leads and enhance retention. By leveraging data-driven insights, practical expertise, and deep industry knowledge, Vicki plays a pivotal role in strengthening marketing and admissions efforts across all Forfar schools.

Tim Lakin

Group Director of Integration & Special Projects

Tim Lakin is a seasoned leader in the field of international education, with over 25 years of experience shaping academic institutions in Spain. As the CEO of International Education Partnership (IEP), Tim played a pivotal role in expanding and enhancing International education across Spain. Before leading IEP, he served as Vice CEO at Grupo Educativo IALE Elians, where he contributed to the the organisation’s strategic growth. His expertise in business development was further honed during his tenure as Business Development Manager at Internationella Engelska Skolan (IES), where he worked to strengthen their presence in the European market.

Tim’s leadership is marked by a commitment to innovation, bilingual education, and fostering global learning opportunities. His work has helped establish high-quality educational environments that prepare students for success in an increasingly interconnected world. Based in Spain, Tim continues to drive excellence in education, ensuring that students receive a rich and stimulating curriculum that supports their unique potential.

Francisco Claro

Regional Director – Iberia

Francisco brings a unique blend of expertise and educational leadership to Forfar Education. He holds a degree in Biology and a Masters in Education. His career spans 25 years in the education sector, during which time he has taught in diverse settings across Portugal, primarily in international and dual curriculum schools.

Beyond the classroom, Francisco has led the creation, development and expansion of schools, collaborating with leading educational investment companies to drive innovation and excellence. Based in Portugal, he plays a key role in Forfar’s operations, overseeing strategy, quality, development and growth.

Carole Heritage

Head of International Admissions and UKVI Compliance

Carole is a highly experienced strategic leader in school admissions with over 25 years of expertise across both the maintained and independent sectors. She has led admissions departments in several prep and senior schools, building high-performing teams and introducing fully digitised, through-school admissions processes from Nursery to Sixth Form.  She also has extensive UKVI knowledge to help support our sponsor schools. 

Carole is a champion of customer service at every stage of the admissions journey, ensuring that prospective families receive a seamless, responsive, and values-driven experience.