John Puddefoot

John Puddefoot

Founding Director and CEO

A graduate of Oxford and Edinburgh, John taught at Eton College for 25 years, as a Mathematics Master, Head of Mathematics and Deputy Head (Curriculum).

He then became Warden of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia, Sri Lanka; the Founding Head of the Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad, India; and the Founding Head of United World College, Dilijan, in the Republic of Armenia.

In recent years he has been involved in educational consultancy and start-ups in China, first with Sir Paul Judge, Bright Scholar Education, and later with RCE Suzhou and Dragon Spruce Changsha. He was the Honorary Principal of Xuzhou and Yiwu International Academies and the Founding Principal of BeeMee Primary School in Changsha, Hunan province.

Married, with three daughters and four grandchildren, John sees education as a key contributor to human progress and the establishment of aspirations that are sustainable.

"There is no end of good and well-meaning advice available, but it seldom takes sufficiently seriously the particular abilities, needs and interests of an individual, and too often young people are persuaded to do things based on general principles rather than whatever suits their particular talents. We created EDSIL to try to define a new kind of education that blends the very best traditions and practices of East and West and serves to facilitate a dynamic educational process that equips young people with all the best knowledge and wisdom from the past while also enabling them to create a sustainable future."