Vanita Uppal OBE
An international educator for over thirty years, Vanita Uppal OBE is the Director of The British School New Delhi. She is the proud recipient of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of her services to British education in an international context, becoming the only Indian serving principal to receive this honour in 2014. During her directorial tenure, the British School has won many prestigious awards including the Best British International School in the world in January 2018 and the Nasen (UK) award for Special Needs Provision in 2020.
Vanita is a member of the global IB Heads Council, the advisory body to the Director General of the IBO. She is a member of the FOBISIA (Federation of British International Schools in Asia) Executive Board where she leads the Safeguarding portfolio, is a member of HMC (Headmasters & Headmistresses Conference, UK). She has served as a member of CIS Accreditation Visiting teams, has been an IBEN educator and workshop leader, Honorary Secretary for Friends of Round Square South Asia and Gulf, and a mentor to schools and leadership teams in India starting on their IB & IGCSE journey. Vanita has been a driving force and founding member of the first all India IB Heads association which is rapidly becoming the single largest platform for connecting and engaging heads from 150 IB schools across the country.
A recipient of the ‘Woman Achiever of the Year Award’ (2009), Vanita is a trainer in classroom pedagogy and leadership. She has presented at various prestigious international and national forums such as ISC, FOBISIA Head talks, Global Round Square (Canada, Germany and Heads Symposium, London), BETT Asia Leadership Summit (Kuala Lampur), IPEN Conference, IB advocacy sessions in India, Cambridge International (UK & Sri Lanka) etc.
Encouraging innovation, honouring rich traditions, trusting in the power of collaboration and leading with integrity and compassion are the core elements of her educational philosophy. To serve to make a difference is her mantra.