Our Team
Our Team
David Chiem
Founder CEO & Executive Chairman of MindChamps PreSchool Limited
David is the Founder CEO & Executive Chairman of MindChamps PreSchool Limited. Arriving in Australia at the age of nine without being able to speak a single word of English, David has since gone on to become the first Asian cast in a lead role on mainstream Australian television, in the internationally acclaimed drama series Butterfly Island. He has also published two critically acclaimed novels, Only the Heart and The Full Story, which were nominated for three prestigious Australian literary awards.
David is also co-author of The 3-Mind Revolution, the ground-breaking volume that lays out a new world-view for leaders and educators, alongside internationally acclaimed author and literacy expert Brian Caswell. His research and work in developing the ‘3-Mind’ philosophy underpins the MindChamps movement, providing children with the mindset and learning tools to be the best they can be – that is, MindChampions.
Brian Caswell
Dean of Research & Programme Development
Brian is an internationally-acclaimed, multi-award-winning author, researcher, educator and song-writer, with a passion for early-childhood education and a special interest in the psychology and neuroscience of the learning brain.
Recruited by David at the very beginning of the MindChamps journey (1998), Brian’s leadership of the MindChamps Research and Programme-Development teams and his work with leading educationists, developmental psychologists, language-acquisition specialists and neuroscientists from 4 continents has been instrumental in the development of MindChamps’ educational philosophy and ‘brain-friendly’ learning strategies – including the S.M.I.L.E.S.TM Early Learning methodology, hailed as a breakthrough in preschool curriculum design, which is used in all MindChamps PreSchool and Early Learning centres worldwide. He was also mentor to the team which developed the celebrated curriculum for MindChamps Reading – personally writing over 200 reading and phonics books and 40 songs for use in the programme.
Over the past 35 years, Brian has spoken live to over 300,000 people on the subjects of Creativity, Literacy, Writing, Education and Early-Childhood Development – and to many more on podcasts, videos and Zoom presentations, television and radio.
Brian’s published writings range from innovative novels and short-stories to instructional volumes for parents and educators, from picture books for beginning readers to numerous articles and book chapters on literacy, creativity, education and parenting.
Dean Carey
Dean of Theatre
Dean is the founder of Actors Centre Australia (ACA) in Sydney, one of Australia’s top theatre schools. An established acting teacher, he brings with him with more than 30 years of experience and have coached celebrities such as Hugh Jackman.
Dean was also the Head of Acting at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) and the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). Some of the TV and film projects that he has worked on as a performance consultant include the Australian productions of The Boy from Oz and Saturday Night Fever.
Emeritus Professor Larry Scripp
Senior Fellow/Dean of Music in Education
Professor Lawrence Scripp is a distinguished musician, composer and educator whose research has had major impact in schools across the United States. As Founding Chair of the Music Education Department at New England Conservatory, he spearheaded the design of a new Music-in-Education programme for students of all backgrounds.
For over three decades, Lawrence has been researching, writing and publishing on artistic development in children, including with Harvard University’s Project Zero from 1982 to 1994. He remains heavily involved in various research centres and consortiums devoted to enriching young minds with the gift of music.
Michelle Peh
Global Chief Brand Officer & Chief Operating Officer
Michelle is our Global Chief Brand Officer & Chief Operating Officer. As one of the pioneers of MindChamps, Michelle has been instrumental to spearheading MindChamps’ brand positioning, culture and business growth over the last 16 years.
She is responsible for driving the visibility, values and strength of the brand across all touchpoints in Singapore and across the world. Michelle is also a highly experienced and diversified strategic leader in branding, sales, marketing, business growth and operations. She embodies MindChamps’ commitment to the creation of educational opportunities where they would not otherwise exist. This stems from her strong belief in the vision of making the world a better place to live in by nurturing generations of MindChampions who possess the 3 Minds and face the world with 100% Respect, Zero Fear.
Michelle holds a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Economics and Sociology and a minor in Statistics from the National University of Singapore.
Teo Wee Jone
Chief Financial Officer
Wee Jone is our Chief Financial Officer. He joined MindChamps in 2008 and assumed his current role in 2010. He is responsible for the MindChamps Group’s finance-related functions, including financial management, treasury, taxation and investor relations.
Wee Jone has over 19 years of experience in finance, corporate planning and mergers and acquisitions in the education and information and communications technology industries. Before joining MindChamps, he was most recently Finance Director, China Operations at Singapore Computer Systems Limited from 2006 to 2007.
Wee Jone holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Melbourne, Australia and a Bachelor of Economics majoring in Accounting from Macquarie University, Australia. He is a Fellow Chartered Accountant of Singapore and a Fellow of CPA Australia.
Our World Research, Advisory and Programme Development Team
Our research-backed curriculum is uniquely synthesised by award-winning and world-leading experts from the four domains of: Education, Psychology, Neuroscience and Theatre.
- Neuroscience
- Education
- Psychology
- Theatre
Chancellor and Chair of the MindChamps Global Research, Advisory & Programme Development TeamEmeritus Professor Allan Snyder FRS
- Fellow of the Royal Society (the prestigious scientific fellowship that counts Newton and Einstein as its former fellows)
- Founder, Centre for the Mind (University of Sydney)
- Holds the 150th Anniversary Chair of Science at the University of Sydney
- Winner of the 2001 Marconi International Prize, the world’s foremost prize in communications and information technology
Senior FellowEmeritus Professor Steven Schwartz, AM, FASSA
- Appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2013
- Former Chairman of the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority
- International award-winning researcher
- Named as one of the 100 highest cited researchers in his field
- Former professor with Harvard and Stanford
- Won the Brain Research Award, British Red Cross Society
- Australian Academy of Science – Royal Society (London) Exchange Fellowship
- Former Vice-Chancellor of:
- Macquarie University
- Brunel University
- Murdoch University
Chief Academic OfficerMr Steven Andrews
- Former Senior Education Advisor to the UK Government
(Tony Blair Administration) - Former Director of Schools, Greenwich, UK
- Former Group Chief Education Officer, Cognita International Schools
- Former Group CEO, Tanglin Trust School, Singapore
Mentor PrincipalMrs Carmee Lim
- Former Principal of Raffles Girls’ School, one of Singapore’s top schools
- Former Senior Inspector of Schools in the Ministry of Education, Singapore
- First Executive Director of the Academy of Principals, Singapore
Director General Of EducationMrs Louise Mulligan-Andrews
- Former Director of Schools, The Department for Education, UK
- Responsible for improving student exam performance in Nottingham City at double the national rate
FellowProfessor Trevor H. Cairney, OAM
- Awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2012
- Adjunct Professor at the University of New South Wales, Department of Education
- President of the New South Wales Business Chamber
- Has written nine books and over 200 reports, articles and book chapters on early learning, training, language acquisition and development
FellowMs Libby Gleeson, AM
- Appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2007
- Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Sydney, Department of Education and Social Work
- Award-winning writer for picture books and fiction titles, including Hannah and the Tomorrow Room, An Ordinary Day, and Amy and Louis
- Chair of WestWords, Western Sydney’s Literature Development Organization for Young People
Senior FellowProfessor Kathy Hirsh-Pasek
- Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute, USA
- Director, Infant Language Laboratory, Temple University, USA
- Recipient of numerous awards
- Author of 12 books including Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us About Raising Successful Children, Einstein Never Used Flash Cards and A Mandate for Playful Learning in Preschool
- Has published over 200 articles and research papers
Senior FellowProfessor Roberta Michnick Golinkoff
- Director, Child’s Play, Learning, and Development Laboratory, University of Delaware, USA
- Recipient of numerous awards
- Author of 14 books including Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us About Raising Successful Children, Einstein Never Used Flash Cards and A Mandate for Playful Learning in Preschool
- Has published over 150 articles and research papers
FellowDr Thalia R. Goldstein
- Assistant Professor of Applied Developmental Psychology at George Mason University
- Focuses on children’s developing of social and emotional skills
- Directs The Social Skills, Imagination, and Theatre Lab
- Co-director of the National Endowment for the Arts Research Lab, the Mason Arts Research Center (MasonARC)
Senior FellowDr Scott Hicks
- Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award-winning director and screenwriter
- Director of the Academy Award-winning films Shine, Snow Falling on Cedars and box-office hits including No Reservations and The Lucky One
- Member of the Directors Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
- SA Australian of the Year recipient in 2008
Senior FellowMr Aubrey Mellor, OAM
- Awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 1992
- Former Director of the world-renowned National Institute of Dramatic Art, Australia
- Renowned theatre teacher to a generation of acclaimed Australian Academy Award winners
Our Educators and Trainers
Our educators and trainers are personally coached by members of Our World Research, Advisory and Programme Development Team, who are recognised as leading experts in the domains of neuroscience, psychology, theatre and education. They go through extensive training to embody and impart the MindChamps curriculum, and also undergo an accreditation to ensure that they are fully equipped to nurture our young children. We believe that “when we stop learning, we stop teaching.”
At MindChamps, we believe that every child deserves our time and attention. Even the best curriculum is only as good as the educators and trainers who deliver it.
Our educators and trainers are personally coached by members of Our World Research, Advisory and Programme Development Team, who are recognised as leading experts in the domains of neuroscience, psychology, theatre and education. They go through extensive training to embody and impart the MindChamps curriculum, and also undergo an accreditation to ensure that they are fully equipped to nurture our young children. We believe that “when we stop learning, we stop teaching.”
Early Learning and PreSchool Professionals
Our early learning and preschool educators receive up to 200 hours of extensive training and accreditation at MindChamps, regardless of their early childhood qualifications, to ensure that your child’s mind is nurtured by only the most qualified and dedicated educators.
Enrichment Trainers
Only the top 10% of applicants with extensive educational qualifications and expertise are selected to become MindChamps trainers. For any educational and training organisation, there are two areas for which there can be no compromise:
All MindChamps accredited trainers are seasoned education professionals with the drive and talent to make it through our intensive and exhaustive selection and training process.
Enrichment Trainers
Only the top 10% of applicants with extensive educational qualifications and expertise are selected to become MindChamps trainers. For any educational and training organisation, there are two areas for which there can be no compromise:
All MindChamps accredited trainers are seasoned education professionals with the drive and talent to make it through our intensive and exhaustive selection and training process.
Our Pedagogy
Our Philosophy
what drives us.
Our Team
Programmes
Our Philosophy
what drives us.