The Board of Governors
CIS’s Board of Governors is comprised of a diverse set of leaders from a range of fields, who together act as the legal authorizing body of our school.
The CIS Board is the final authority of the school and is accountable for the following topics:
- Ensures financial oversight, including approval of annual operating budgets, setting school fees, and long-term financial planning;
- Sets the overall mission, vision and strategic plan goals for the school
- Sets annual operational goals/KPIs
- Establishes policies and plans that are aligned with the school’s mission and strategic plan and seek to manage risk. These include but are not limited to policies around admissions prioritisation, inclusion, artificial intelligence, financial aid, child safeguarding, crisis management, etc.
- The school’s senior leadership team then develops procedures that consistently implement these policies on a day-to-day basis.
- Reviews and maintains the school’s constitution that conforms to all legal requirements;
- Ensures that the school and Board operate in compliance with all laws and regulations;
- Cultivates and maintains good relationships with key stakeholders; and
- Selects and evaluates the school’s Director.
The Board delegates day-to-day administration and operational decisions to the Director.
Joined by the school’s Director, the CIS Board meets approximately six times a year for Board meetings (every 2 months), a Board retreat in June, and the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in April.
The Board’s Finance and Governance Committees are convened before each Board meeting to ensure that all decisions are reviewed by the relevant Committee(s) before going to the full Board for decision.
Chair and Vice Chair
In addition to the Board meetings, the Board Chair and/or Vice Chair meet with the Director a few times a month. The Board Chair oversees the composition and functioning of the committees, of which they are an ex-officio member. In addition, the Chair leads the annual Board induction, presides over Board meetings and presents the annual report at the Annual General Meeting. The Board Chair liaises with and delegates authority to the Vice Chair as and when needed.
Meet the Board
The Board currently consists of two elected members and seven appointed members; the majority are parents of students enrolled in the school. The Board strives for gender balance and diversity of cultural background, skills, and experience. All members are volunteers.
The Board currently consists of nine voting members: The Board consists of nine voting members: Chair (Kate), Vice Chair (Ram), Secretary (Nick), Finance Committee (Jan, Rex, Jacob) and Governance Committee (Nathalie, Soledad, Malte).
Kate is Canadian and moved to Copenhagen in August 2021. An IB graduate of Pearson United World College, she holds a Master’s degree in economics and currently consults for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other clients on global health financing and strategy. Kate has worked in Canada, the US, Kenya, Zambia, and Switzerland on a range of health financing topics including policy development, strategic planning, cost-effectiveness analysis, financial management, and innovative finance. Beyond her global health career, Kate is an education advocate; in 2020, Kate pursued a part-time secondment to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s US education team to support their pandemic response efforts and was a Board member of an education advocacy organisation in Seattle.
Kate joined the CIS Board in January 2023 and endeavours to lead a transparent and efficient school board to articulate clear strategic goals, develop a long-term financial plan, and ensure that the school’s policies are robust, clearly communicated, and consistently implemented.
Ramkumar is Indian, father of two kids at CIS and has lived in Copenhagen since 2014. He is an architect by training and a business leader by profession. He has worked in the domains of logistics, business consulting and enterprise software for 20 years and currently is a regional COO at SAP for Northern Europe.
Ramkumar’s core skills lie in developing go-to-market strategies for organizations, driving vision to execution and delivering successful outcomes. He is passionate about education, talent development and technology. He has served on the tech working group at CIS over the past two years and serves on the board of governors of a leading business school in India, overseeing curriculum development.
Nick is an Indian American, who has lived in Copenhagen since Autumn 2022. He is passionate about education with over 20 years of experience in this industry and currently is Vice President of Product Management at Pearson, a global education company.
He has lived in India, US, Canada, UK and now Denmark and is an avid foodie and cook, board gamer, travel enthusiast and football fan. Nick and his wife, Natasha reside in Østerbro, along with their two children who attend secondary school at CIS.
As a member of the Board he wishes to bring both his expertise in education as well as his management experience in continuing to enhance the quality and scope of education provided at CIS.
Jan is Danish and has lived in Copenhagen since 2018 where he returned to Denmark after 18 years abroad living in Hong Kong, London, and San Francisco. Jan is a proud father of two boys at CIS.
He is the Chief Investment Officer at A.P. Moller Holding and serving on boards and board committees have been an integral part of his job for the past 20 years.
Both Jan and his wife have always sought to contribute where they can to the schools of their children, and as a member of the Board, he wishes to bring his expertise in board work to support to continued success of CIS as a critical institution for international families living in Copenhagen.
Rex is Chinese and a citizen of Hong Kong. He moved to Copenhagen in April 2023 and currently serves as the Global Head of Finance for Contract Logistics at Maersk. Over the past decade, he has held senior finance leadership roles across Europe and Asia-Pacific, with a strong focus on strategic financial management and corporate governance.
Among other volunteer roles, Rex has served as Chair of the Thought Leadership and Business Ethics Committee at the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA) from June 2023 to May 2025. He holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from SDA Bocconi School of Management and is a Fellow of CPA Australia and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
As a member of the Board, Rex aims to contribute his international experience and financial governance expertise to support the continued growth and success of CIS as a leading school for international families in Copenhagen.
Nathalie Rayes Samad has a distinguished career spanning government, corporate, nonprofit, and diplomatic sectors, including service as U.S. Ambassador to Croatia. She has held leadership roles on several boards, including as Chair of the Hispanic Federation and as a board member at her children’s Montessori school, where she chaired the fundraising committee. Her background reflects extensive experience in governance, strategic planning, and community engagement.
Nathalie has two sons at CIS and is been actively involved in the school community, serving as a classroom parent, volunteering with the basketball team, and supporting school events. She has a passion for education, community building, and ensuring that every child has access to the best possible opportunities.
Jacob is CEO at TORM A/S and has been a board member, as well as, chairman of various boards during his professional career. As a member of the CIS Board and Finance Committee, Jacob wishes to contribute to the continued success and development of CIS because it serves as an excellent institution for both international and Danish families living in Copenhagen and surrounding areas. Jacob lives in Hellerup with his wife and three children, two of which attend CIS.
Soledad is originally from Argentina and moved to Copenhagen with her family in August 2025. She is a parent of two CIS students and has previously lived in the United States, the UK, and Singapore, where her children attended several leading international schools.
Soledad has over 20 years of experience in strategy and marketing. Her career spans management consulting, advertising, and the non‑profit sector, from orchestrating strategic initiatives for Fortune 500 companies to empowering underrepresented women entrepreneurs with practical business skills. She combines strategic thinking, creativity, and strong analytical skills to deliver impact and support long‑term growth.
She holds an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and a Masters in Economics from Universidad Torcuato Di Tella. As a newly appointed board member, Soledad aims to contribute her experience to strong governance and a thriving CIS community.
Malte is an international business leader with more than 25 years of experience building global brands and leading commercial transformation across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. He currently serves on the Group Leadership Team of Colian Gubor Group as their Chief Commercial Officer in charge of Marketing, Sales and Strategy. Prior to this, he held senior leadership roles at Ritter Sport and Mars Inc., including General Manager of Mars Nordics based in Copenhagen.
Malte moved to Denmark in 2011 with his wife, Jennifer, and quickly made it home. He is a proud father of three daughters, all of whom have greatly benefited from the values-driven and internationally minded education at Copenhagen International School. His connection to CIS is deeply personal, and he is committed to supporting the school’s strong community, principled foundation, and long-term success through his contributions in the Governance Committee.