The Team | Shiv Nadar School

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Vandana Marda Director - Marketing, Branding & Admissions

An alumna of Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University (USA) with a Post Graduate Degree in Business Management, Vandana also has a Doctorate in Management – Digital Learning. A gold medallist Master’s in science from the University of Bombay and an Executive Alumnus of IIM, Lucknow, she carries a rich global experience of over 20 years in the EdTech domain with expertise in Product Positioning and Strategy, Business Expansion, and Market Entry Strategies, Digital & Organic Marketing, Marketing Automation, Product Development, Reporting & Analytics Tools, Strategic Alliances, and Partnerships.

Vandana has worked in global setups and has been associated with the education space for the past ten years with K-12, EdTech and Training organisations. Soon after her MBA, she worked with global organizations such as International Techne Group Inc. (Cincinnati, USA) and Virtusa (Fremont, USA). She was also the Founder and Promoter of Going2USA.com (an Internet Start-up based in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA) for five years.

After moving to India, she joined Hindustan Times as Head - Product Management & Business Alliances, followed by a stint with GEMS Education as General Manager - Business Strategy and Operations. Vandana was later associated with The Princeton Review (Manya Group) as Vice President - Product Strategy, Global Partnerships, and Marketing. She was also the Director - Products with the Global University System (GUS), where she played a crucial role in enhancing the online portfolio across all product lines. She led the Product division for the company defining the long-term product roadmap based on market research, competition mapping, data analytics, market evaluation, and organization strategy.

Vandana enjoys travelling and spends her free time painting rocks and bottles, singing, creating music albums, and creating fusion-themed home décor items with a mix of ceramics, quilling, pebbles, and acrylic paint. She strongly believes in the power of will, congruency, and the right attitude.

Padmini Sambasivam is the Founding Principal of Shiv Nadar School Chennai. A distinguished professional with over 28 years of academic and administrative experience, she has led some of the top academic institutions in India and overseas during her extensive career.

A Zoology major from Stella Maris College with a master’s degree in Environmental Toxicology, she has successfully added an M.Phil. in Genetics, a Bachelor’s in education, and a Master’s in Education to her string of academic accomplishments. She has enjoyed an illustrious career in organizations like The Krishnamurthi Foundation, Bala Vidya Mandir, Arsha Vidya Mandir across Chennai, The Peevees Group in KSA, and most recently, The Welham Girls’ School, Dehradun.

As an instructional leader, her key areas of interest include Education in the 21^st century, Military History, National Education Policy, Child Welfare, and Mental Health. She is a passionate advocate for the need to facilitate learning “by design than by default” and firmly believes that Arts and Sports hold equal weightage as theoretical subjects in a student’s academic pursuits. She has been a member of the Board for various schools like Welham Boys’ School, Vidya Devi Jindal School, Aasraa Trust, Devi Academy (Chennai), John Martyn School for the underprivileged, and the World Leading School’s Association.

She has been recognized with various awards and honors – the prestigious ‘School Leader of the Year Award’, the ‘Distinguished Service Award’, the ‘Exemplary Leadership Award’, and the ‘Best teacher Award’, to mention a few. With a philosophy focused on “thriving, rather than just surviving”, she views challenges as an opportunity to unlock her highest potential. A keen debater, Padmini is trained as a solo pilot under the NCC Air Wing and is an avid trekker and adventure enthusiast. She has represented the Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry Contingent in the Republic Day celebrations in Delhi.

Ms. Anju Soni, Principal of Shiv Nadar School, Noida, follows a ‘learner-centred’ approach. She also looks after the High School students as the Senior School Head. The expanse of her horizons ensures that her students fare favourably both within and beyond the confines of the school.

She comes with a deep understanding of the National Curriculum Framework and supports the school management and Leadership in building the School on goals of academic rigour, creativity, and community service by ensuring the implementation of the Academic Calendar. She is also an integral part of the assessment team that ensures the efficacy of the teaching-learning process.

Ms. Soni holds a Master Degree in English Literature and Bachelor’s degree in Education. She is a learning pedagogue with over 20 years of rich experience in imparting education and training in the English Language. She enables students to become independent, lifelong learners and promotes intercultural awareness to foster tolerance, respect, and empathy. Ms. Soni plays an active role in supporting the management in school review and improvement framework to develop future strategic planning and accountability while establishing trust among the team for the required changes.

She drives pastoral initiatives to promote Student Leadership Structures by closely working with and mentoring the student leaders who are a part of the student council. Ms. Soni regularly engages with all the stakeholders (parents, students, staff, leadership team) and conducts initial interviews for prospective students and new staff members.

Aamir Masood, Head, Career Guidance Centre, is an experienced career coach and a passionate counsellor. With over 10 years of experience in the study abroad domain, he has been instrumental in setting up the Career Guidance Centre at the Shiv Nadar School.
He holds a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, and a post-Graduation in Management. He has also completed the Global Management Program from the Rotterdam School of Business, Erasmus University.
He has been counselling students who are part of diverse curriculums like the IGCSE, CBSE, and International Baccalaureate. Aamir guides them through their high school journey and supports them with their university applications for over 15 countries across the globe.
Aamir has been part of various career counselling conferences and has been associated with the International Guidance Counsellors’ Conference by the University of Oxford, The Association of International Schools of India (TAISI), and International Career and College Counselling (IC3). He has also presented his views as a speaker and panellist at multiple forums.

Payal Kapur is the Executive Head of Coaching & Mentoring at Shiv Nadar School. A passionate and innovative educator, with close to 30 years of experience, she has a deep understanding of children's educational needs. She joined the Shiv Nadar School team in 2013.

A student of English and an alumna of Kolkata University, Payal began her career as a member of the senior school English faculty at The Shri Ram School, Moulsari. She went on to be appointed Principal, senior school of The Shri Ram School, Aravali. She later joined Step by Step, Noida as founding Principal.

At Shiv Nadar School, in collaboration with the school teams, she has put into place specialized development programs which have afforded members of staff numerous opportunities to enhance their professional knowledge, skills and effectiveness.

Payal strongly believes that in today’s VUCA world, ethics must form the very foundation of the education system. She is an avid reader and a film enthusiast; she also likes travelling and acting. She finds inspiration in nature and music, and enjoys nothing more than having a good laugh.

Raspreet Sidhu is the Head of Sports at Shiv Nadar School, and the former Captain of the Indian Women’s National Basketball team. She is also a Federation International Basketball Association (FIBA) Level 1 certified Coach.

Raspreet comes with over 15 years of experience as a national basketball player. Raspreet is the only player in the history of men and women Basketball to represent India in 3 consecutive Asian Games (2010, 2014 and 2018) and Commonwealth Games (2018). She has been instrumental in bagging several medals for the nation during her illustrious playing career. She was an Assistant Professor (Guest) of Physical Education at Miranda House, University of Delhi. She has also worked as an Assistant Professor of Physical Education (ADHOC) in Mata Sundri College for Women, University of Delhi.

She has authored several articles related to sports, wellbeing, obesity in children, and fitness during the Pandemic. Several research papers have also been co-authored by her, focusing on physical fitness in students, sports injuries, gender bias, and training practices. A gold medallist from Delhi University in Masters of Physical Education, and a graduate from St. Stephen’s College in English Literature, Raspreet has received several awards for her contribution to the upliftment of physical education and sports training in India.

When she’s not on a tour, playing a match, or training students, Raspreet likes to spend time with kids and listen to music. She cites Lebron James and Roger Federer as her inspiration.

Paul Hetherington is the Executive Head – Middle & International Programmes at Shiv Nadar School. As a Specialist Leader of Education (SLE) Paul has worked with many schools to coach and mentor school leaders. He has over 25 years of teaching and leadership experience.

Paul has completed the National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership (NPQSL) and National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) qualifications. His leadership roles include six years as a Head of Department, eight years as an Assistant Head, and four years as a Head Teacher.

As a classroom teacher, he taught GCSE and A-Level Chemistry. He designed and delivered training courses for Middle Leaders as a Lead Practitioner for the local authority. As an accredited Cambridge Programme Leader, Paul designs and delivers Cambridge Professional Development Qualifications in Teaching and Learning, and Educational Leadership.

Working for AQA, Paul designed and delivered national training courses for teaching outstanding lessons. During his twelve years as a Senior Assessor for OCR and AQA, Paul developed considerable expertise in assessment and completed a post-graduate course on the Principles and Practice of Assessment at Cambridge University. Paul also assesses national professional development qualifications for Head Teachers in the UK.

Lt Col Sandeep Singh (Retired) holds the position of Director – Administration & Operations, Shiv Nadar School. He is responsible for providing administrative leadership and overseeing the day-to-day administrative and operational functions of all campuses centrally which includes verticals such as infrastructure & facilities management, school operations management, regulatory and statutory compliances, legal and new projects.

A veteran officer, he joined the Shiv Nadar School Gurgaon leadership team in 2021 as the Head - Administration & Operations, with a classical operational and administrative background after a military career spanning twenty-two years.

Col Sandeep has been an educator par excellence and has taught officers of foreign armies at Military Intelligence School, Pune. He considers his tenure as an educator as the singular high point of his career. During his tenure in the Indian Armed forces, he performed challenging assignments at high altitude and on an active line of control. According to Col Sandeep, his last assignment as ‘Director Operations & Admin’ Delhi Cantonment was arguably the most challenging one, where he oversaw several big-ticket infrastructure projects.

A business management postgraduate and an avid reader, Col Sandeep is also a keen traveller and a Formula 1 enthusiast. Equally at ease while discussing equities, spirituality, and realpolitik, he hopes to find his ‘AHA’ at Shiv Nadar School amongst creative minds.

Arti Dawar is the Deputy CEO and Director of People & Culture at Shiv Nadar School. A passionate professional with 20 years of experience, she believes in open and honest communication with her colleagues, and facing challenges head on.

With a degree in Commerce from Delhi University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management and Computer Applications, Arti began her career in advertising before finding her AHA! in the world of Human Resources. After stints at Ogilvy and Mather, NIIT Ltd. and MothersonSumi Infotech & Designs Ltd., Arti joined HCL Technologies as an HR professional in 2007 and was handpicked to build the People & Culture team at Shiv Nadar School in 2011. The strong employee value proposition developed by Arti and her team led to Shiv Nadar School being recognised as a Great Place to Work in 2020.

Known for her infectious joie de vivre and energy, her mantra in life is that excellence is not an act, but rather, a habit. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling and exploring new places with her husband and daughter.

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