Our Team

Patrick McGing brings a wealth of experience with over 20 years in senior educational leadership, including 5 years as a Principal of Georges River Grammar and 7 years as a Regional Director of OneSchool Global (OSG) overseeing 12 schools and colleges in NSW with similar operating models to Westbourne.

Patrick also led Teaching and Learning for OSG supporting over 2000 teachers in 130 schools across 21 countries. Patrick’s formal qualifications include a focus on gifted education in both his Honours degree and his Masters in Education from UNSW. He has a passion for STEM and has introduced practical, hands-on STEM programmes in all schools he has led. He has long been a member of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools in Australia as well as a member of the Association of Independent Schools (AIS) NSW Consultative Committee.

Patrick is uniquely placed to further enhance our academic standards and embed our links with our UK and Singapore colleges – and soon to be Mumbai – and make these links deliver further value and a global perspective for all of our Westbourne International students.

Chairman of Westbourne UK, Mark has over 30 years’ experience in business strategy, management and operations, and has worked in the education sector since 2001.

Prior to becoming Chairman of Westbourne in 2006, Mark founded and ran a strategy and private equity advisory business, during which time he worked with the BBC, the UK Government and the broader education sector to create a £300m programme to build and deliver digital learning resources to schools across the UK. He has led the development of Westbourne to make it one of the UK’s most successful schools. Integral to the group’s continuing international development, Mark was instrumental in the conception and launch of our colleges in Sydney and Singapore.

Mark holds an MBA from INSEAD, a Graduate Diploma in Applied Corporate Finance & Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia (FINSIA) and a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil & Structural, Honours, 2:1) from the University of Sydney. He was a senior manager in Accenture’s strategy practice and attended James Ruse Agricultural High School.

Jonathan comes to Westbourne with a broad experience of international education. After beginning his career at Girton Grammar School in Victoria, Jonathan spent over twenty years working at schools in the UAE, Japan and most recently as the Deputy Principal of a four-programme International Baccalaureate school in China. He also spent several years working as an international business development manager for a large UK educational resources corporation. Jonathan holds a BA in history and modern languages from La Trobe University, a Graduate Diploma in Education and an MA in Educational Leadership from the Education University of Hong Kong focussing on cultural diversity and international mindedness within IB schools. In addition, he is an IB programme evaluation leader and a DP examiner in History.

With a deep belief in the benefits of the IBDP Jonathan is most excited to further embed the programme and IB values across Westbourne. He is also passionate in increasing real world opportunities for students by building connections within the local community as well as globally through Westbourne’s unique network of colleges.

Poker holds qualifications within both science and education, holding a Bachelor of Science (Hons.) and a Ph. D. in biophysics from University of Sydney, followed by a Masters of Teaching (Secondary) from Macquarie University after a decade in scientific research. During his research career, Poker has worked within both European and Australian institutes on fundamental topics of structural biology, while fulfilling various professional development and mentorship roles along the way.

As an educator with a research scientist background, he is dedicated to understanding how the molecular machinery of life is built and functions. Poker prefers a student-centred teaching philosophy that aims to spark their passion for science via multimodal engagement alongside relevance to their present and future lives. 

At Westbourne he seeks to foster resilient scientific inquiry skills, with an emphasis on self-regulated learning, inquisitiveness, and learning from mistakes – truly reflective of instilling the IB Learner Profile.

With a strong passion for the International Baccalaureate and its stated focus upon preparing students for leadership on the international stage, Amanda has extensive experience as both a teacher of IBDP English and as an IB (and HSC) examiner. Her record for many years of preparing students for success in English is most impressive.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts (English, History and Politics) from the University of Adelaide, plus Graduate Diploma in Education (English & History) from UNSW. Even now, Amanda continues her love of English by undertaking a Masters of Arts in Creative Writing at UTS.

Fully upholding the College’s vision of advocating global leadership in STEM, Amanda has consistently sought out opportunities to educate high-achieving students and understands how to support ambitious students achieve the best possible results. To this end, her approach to the study of literature involves the identification of ways in which composers respond to contextual influences, often seeking to disrupt and dismantle perceptions based upon hegemonic discourses.

Alicia has over 25 years’ experience in secondary and university education in Australia and overseas, including an IB school in Chile. She has taught IB Mathematics Analysis and Approaches, plus Spanish AB Initio & B Levels, coupled with responsibilities as an IB Coordinator at Westbourne.

She holds a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) from Murdoch University, a Master of Arts (TESOL – Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Bond University and a Master of Learning Science and Technology from the University of Sydney (USYD). As a native Spanish speaker her passion for teaching comes alive in every class and has success with Spanish students achieving full IB points, enabling them to easily navigate the world after Year 12.

Alicia is currently a PhD candidate at USYD with her research and practice driven by her interest in innovative approaches to learning and teaching. Her philosophy is focused on delivery inquiry-based, high-quality challenges that prepare students for a successful career in a globalised world. She seeks to help young people develop their knowledge, intercultural awareness, and skills and attributes that go beyond academic success to empower them to become open-minded, balanced, reflective, and caring citizens of the world.

Robert McCreery joins Westbourne College with a distinctive background spanning IB Mathematics education, computer science and industry-based problem solving. He holds degrees from Harvard University, Bowling Green State University (USA) and the University of Technology Sydney, and has taught Mathematics across multiple NSW schools, including Advanced, Extension 1 and Extension 2 pathways.

Before entering teaching, Robert spent more than 20 years in senior technical and analytical roles within the telecommunications and technology sectors, bringing real-world relevance and applied thinking into the mathematics classroom. His educational philosophy centres on believing in every student’s potential, encouraging questioning and discussion, and treating mistakes as essential steps in learning. Robert favours a collaborative, Socratic approach, helping students build mathematical fluency, confidence and the habits of mind required for further study and professional work.

Amanda brings over seven years’ experience as an IB Biology and Chemistry educator. She holds a Bachelor of Science (Advanced) (Honours) from the Australian National University, alongside a Master of Teaching from the University of Sydney and a Master of International Education from the University of Melbourne.

Amanda is passionate about designing active, inquiry-driven learning experiences that help students engage deeply with complex and abstract scientific concepts. Central to her teaching approach is a focus on the nature of scientific research, encouraging students to explore the connections between their scientific knowledge, the IB Core, and key epistemological questions that underpin scientific inquiry.

Nicole joins Westbourne after her role as Director of Enrolments and Community Engagement in the Independent School System and in Education for over 18 years. She specialises in global admissions, community engagement and management of events and databases. Her experience extends to administration in professional development, curriculum compliance, WHS compliance and HR from her time at Commonwealth Bank of Australia. She has completed Office Traineeship at TAFE and continues to upskill with Cert IV in Work Health and Safety.

Nicole’s friendly nature is a force of spirit at BJP Physical Culture (Physie) having supported the team with administration and being involved in the sport for over 50 years plus a teacher there, herself, for over 35 years. As such, she brings this unique energy to Westbourne Sydney, holding a keen eye for only the best and brightest future STEM & Business leaders.