School Council

BHS School Council

The purpose of School Councils in ESF schools is to work in conjunction with the senior management team and staff to help provide the very best education for its students. Here are the members of the BHS School Council and their biographies.

Kenneth Wong, Chairman

Having worked in both the government and private sectors for nearly 30 years, Kenneth is now contributing his time in community work around Hong Kong. He has since developed a passion for the education system and taking part in nurturing the younger generations. This is a natural fit. Kenneth regards himself as an approachable person with an open mind for new ideas and concepts, and he looks forward to making a lasting impression at BHS. Kenneth is the Chair of the School Council and Chair of the Staffing Sub-Committee.

Dr. Jamie Schmitz, Principal

Jamie holds a firm belief that the key to successful education is the creation of strong, positive relationships, making schools joyful and inclusive places for all.
Jamie’s educational journey began at the University of Tasmania where they earned a B.Ed in 1994. This journey continued at the same institution later, resulting in a Masters degree in Educational Leadership and a Doctoral Degree in Coaching Psychology. Spanning a 27-year career, Jamie has had the honour of working with the International Baccalaureate (IB) curricula in a variety of cultural and school contexts globally.
As an educator, Jamie thrives on helping others to explore, attempt new things, and foster their innovative and creative spirits. Jamie likens his role to the captain of a sailboat, steering the learning journey by actively listening, learning, and making minor course corrections that enable everyone to bring their unique talents and perspectives to the table.
Jamie enjoys playing the guitar and singing, staying active through strength training, and practising person-centred coaching.
Jamie feels privileged to serve the students, parents, and staff at Beacon Hill School.

Rob Shorthouse, Director- Communications

Rob is a seasoned communications and marketing professional, with 25 years of experience working for large organisations and political campaigns in the UK, the Middle East and here in Hong Kong. A native of Scotland, his career has seen him take on high-profile roles covering a wide variety of sectors – ranging from government to sport, policing to public transport. Rob is committed to developing and empowering the people he works with and has, during his time with ESF, become passionate about education in general – and ESF’s vision of helping every student be the best that they can be in particular.

Rob’s wife is a teacher at ESF Sha Tin Junior School – and his daughter is a student at ESF West Island School. In his spare time he likes long distance running – although some recent knee problems that have nothing to do with his age have curtailed this temporarily! He also enjoys going to the movies and just spending good quality time with his family.

Joanne Chan, Parent Representative

Joanne is the Chairperson of the PTA and a member of the Building Committee of the School Council. She has two children, a son aged 9 in BHS and a daughter aged 14 in Island School. Joanne grew up in HK and has worked in the public relations sector for over 20 years. As a ‘mompreneur’ for over more than a decade, she has become an active learner and multitasker – enabling her to balance being an effective mother and a successful professional. She loves playing tennis, running and hiking. She hopes to work closely with other PTA members to enhance the health and well-being of BHS students.

Paul Fu, Parent Representative

Paul Fu is a Director with Allianz Global Investors. He joined the firm in 2011 and is responsible for marketing mutual funds to intermediaries in Hong Kong and China. With over 20 years of financial industry experience in Asia and Canada, Paul is also the Responsible Officer licensed under SFC for the company, which he is involved in supervising the business regulated activities.
Being a father of three children, studying in Beacon Hill School, Paul is committed to maintain the highest standards in the role of Parent Member at the School Council with his extensive professional experience. He hopes to contribute to the school by maintaining the very best education standards in a great learning environment.

Joseph Law, Community Representative

Joseph is the Managing Director of CLP Power Hong Kong and holds overall responsibility for the operations of CLP’s Hong Kong regulated business, which includes a vertically integrated electricity utility serving customers in Kowloon, the New Territories and most of the outlying islands. Joseph has a banking background before joining CLP in 2001 and has a range of experience in the energy business from finance, renewable energy development, fuel procurement, strategic planning, commercial development, and operations. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He joined the BHS School Council in 2021 and is the Chair of the Finance Sub-Committee.

Joe Lau, Community Representative

Joe is the Executive Director and Team Head of Private Banking at Royal Bank of Canada HK Branch. Prior to that, he spent 17 years with Credit Suisse HK in both Private Banking and Asset Management departments. His experience also includes financial management, strategic planning and controlling functions. He is a Certified Public Accountant (U.S.) and had public accounting experience in the United States, Hong Kong and China. He received his Bachelor Degree in Finance from the University of Hong Kong. He joined the BHS School Council in 2019 and is the Chair of the Buildings and Redevelopment Sub-Committee

Colette Davis, Teacher Representative

Colette is the leader of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Beacon Hill school where she has been working as part of the Inclusion team for over 9 years. Before BHS she worked with children with individual needs in schools in Dubai for 8 years, and prior to that Colette was based at Kennedy and Bradbury, both schools within ESF. Colette was originally from the UK but grew up in HK and attended ESF schools as a student. Colette is a firm believer in Inclusion and diversity and is an advocate for children with additional needs. When not working, she loves hiking, playing hockey and hanging out with her two daughters aged 12 and 16.

Charlotte Fennelly, Teacher Representatives

Originally from UK, Charlotte has had the privilege of working within the English Schools Foundation for over 20 years, most of those at BHS. She is passionate about building positive relationships with students and colleagues to create learning environments where everyone can thrive and develop a lifelong love of learning. Charlotte is currently enjoying her role as Curriculum Leader and is delighted to be able to work alongside learners and colleagues from all year groups. She is looking forward to working with a wider range of stakeholders on the School Council to help ensure Beacon Hill continues to be a wonderful place to learn and work for everyone.

Priya Chainani, Support Staff Representative

Priya initially started her collaboration with Beacon Hill School as a parent volunteer in 2001, after which she became a permanent member of staff. She has now been at Beacon Hill School for over 15 years, passionately supporting the education and development of students from all year groups in her role as Education Assistant. She has extensive experience with inclusive education, and thoroughly enjoys her role.

The school council:

• is accountable to the Board of Governors and also to parents and the wider community for the way it carries out its functions;
• seeks to develop effective working relationships with the principal, staff and parents; ESF management; other schools and the wider community;
• acts at all times in accordance with the requirements laid down in the Ordinance and Regulations;
• is a collective entity and acts as a group. No one councillor or category of councillors has any right to act individually except when the school council has delegated authority to do so.

The strength of a school council lies in the talents and commitment of its members, and in their ability to work together as a team for the good of the school.

The BHS Council has 10 members, comprised of the following: –

• a Chairman, appointed by the Board, who is neither an employee of ESF nor the parent of a student at the School
• 2 persons from the general community who are neither employees of ESF nor parents of students at the School, appointed by the Board;
• 2 persons elected by members of the teaching staff of BHS from among their own number;
• 2 parents who are not employees of ESF, one elected by the parent members of our PTA committee and one elected by the parents of the School;
• 1 person elected by the support staff of BHS from among their own number;
• the Chief Executive Officer of ESF, or her appointed delegate;
• the Principal.

The Council has meetings 5 times each year.

School Council Members 2024-2025