About Us
Maple Bear schools offer full Canadian programs utilizing Canadian methodology and curriculum developed by our own experts from the ground up for preschool, elementary, and high school.
We take our responsibility to our students and their parents very seriously. Strict quality controls ensure we deliver the very best Canadian practices in education.
There are currently more than 39,000 students in 560 Maple Bear Early Childhood, Elementary, and High Schools. We are open in 30 countries: Korea, China, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, UAE, Oman, Turkey, Morocco, Brazil, Mexico, Hong Kong, Romania, Bulgaria, Nepal, Thailand, the USA and Peru. We will be opening in 9 countries: Kenya, Argentina, Paraguay, Albania, Croatia, Serbia, Guatemala, Ukraine and Australia.
The head office of Maple Bear Global Schools Ltd is located in North Vancouver, Canada.
The economies of Eastern and Central Europe countries have been developing at a rapid rate for the past decades. Local companies have expanded into international markets and international corporations are setting up offices locally. This dynamic has enhanced the cultural identity of the region and increased the demand for educated, locally-based global citizens who are fluent in English.
Maple Bear CEE leaders believe that education is the cornerstone institution that will have the most positive impact on the future of the region – not only from an economical point of view but with regard to addressing the main challenges humanity faces as well.
The Story of Maple Bear
The idea to develop Maple Bear Canadian schools grew out of the work of the Canadian Education Centre Network (CECN), a non-profit organization supported by the Government of Canada and the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada which was mandated to market Canadian education abroad to attract foreign students to study in Canada.
Maple Bear was born after CECN managers overseas recognized there was a domestic demand for high quality, bilingual Canadian education from emerging middle class parents, many of whom had studied outside of their own countries in general and in Canada in particular.
The first Maple Bear Canadian School to open was in Indirapuram (New Delhi), India in 2005.
In 2007, Maple Bear became a privately owned company with a dozen schools operating in Korea, Brazil and India. Those numbers quickly changed as news of the excellence of Canadian immersion and bilingual education spread, especially among parents who could see the positive outcomes in language, learning and behaviour of their children.
Today, there are more than 560 schools in 31 countries with more than 39,000 students studying at Maple Bear schools worldwide.
We invite you to join the Maple Bear global family as an owner, a student, a parent, a teacher or a member of the Canadian faculty.
Maple Bear Faculty
Maple Bear Central & Eastern Europe Team
Yann Bidan
General Manager
Yann Bidan has over 12 years of experience in entrepreneurship in Eastern Europe. He has built and led multi-site organization of over 1200 team members in Romania. His focus currently is in Impact Entrepreneurship.
"Impact Entrepreneurs are inspired to direct their energy and skills to disrupt the status quo and make a difference, through creating start-up or investing into organizations with the intention to generate a significant beneficial social, societal or environmental impact alongside a financial return.
When facing the opportunity to bring Maple Bear school to Central & Eastern Europe I did not hesitate a second. I am confident Maple Bear will contribute positively to the education of thousands of children in Central & Eastern Europe and will grow in the region at a rapid speed.”
Yann holds a bachelor degree in International Business and a masters degree in Financial Engineering. He has had significant multicultural exposure. He has studied in Sweden, UK and France and has worked in New York, London, Barcelona. He spent the last 5 years as a top executive for a large Canadian company subdivision in Eastern Europe.
Virginia Momtchilova
Director of Communications
Virginia Momtchilova has over 15 years of experience working for various corporations in Eastern Europe. She has developed an extensive range of skills having been an Operations Leader of 300 team members, Quality and Security Auditor and Business Project Manager in a large Canadian company subdivision in Eastern Europe. For the last 4 years she was responsible for the recruitment and branding activities in the region as a Talent Acquisition & Employer Branding Director. She holds a masters degree in Finance and Accounting and profound experience in cross countries management.
“I genuinely believe in the Maple Bear statement that every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfill their potential."
In her role of Director of Communications & Operations, Virginia works with the Maple Bear Global Communications team and supports local school owners and the Maple Bear Eastern Europe team on all communication and operational matters.
Andreea Necsulea
Director Implementation and Operations
Andreea has more than 15 years of experience in training and coaching working for various corporations in Romania. She coordinated training and development programs in a multilingual and multicultural business environment. As Director of the Training and Coaching Department in a large Canadian company subdivision in Eastern Europe, she was in charge of the training and development strategy for the region and supported large teams of trainers and quality coaches in their professional development.
She believes that at Maple Bear, children benefit from the best of Canadian education. Being guided with kindness and care through a process of discovery of the world, in a safe environment, learning by doing, being surrounded by amazingly beautiful and meaningful books is the best possible start in life.
In her role as Director for Academic Coordination for Maple Bear Central and Eastern Europe, Andreea supports the local partners on all academic matters and facilitates the communication with the global Canadian teams.
Denis Bonningue
Development Director
Denis has a broad experience, over 15 years in the franchising industry in different fields. He has held senior positions in franchise development, sales, marketing and operations and he was leading multinational teams and complex cross countries operations. He has worked in different countries, including Poland.
Denis holds a Master`s degree in Finance from SKEMA Business school.
Denis speaks French, English and Polish and German.
Irena Korbabicz-Putko
Academic Director
Irena Korbabicz-Putko has been a Canadian educator for over 30 years. She began her teaching career as an elementary school teacher in Toronto, Canada, advancing to the position of principal and curriculum leader with the Toronto Catholic District School Board.
Her many years in the Canadian school system were most recently used In the leading curriculum design and administration at Novopecherska School (K-11), a recently launched private school in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Her life and experience have equipped her with a deep expertise in education reform in Eastern Europe, especially Ukraine and Poland, and in Canadian curriculum integration.
Beyond her time in the school setting, Irena has worked as a primary basic qualification course instructor at Queen’s University’s Faculty of Education, servicing teachers in the international market.
Irena holds an Honors Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Education.
Maple Bear Global Team
Rodney Briggs
Co-Founder & Board Chairman
Rodney Briggs graduated from the University of Manitoba with a B.A. and M.A. (International Relations). He was the recipient of the J.W. Dafoe scholarship for studies in International Relations.
In 1981, he joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and served abroad at Canada's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, in the Kingdom of Thailand, studied Mandarin Chinese in Taiwan, worked at the Canadian Embassy in the People's Republic of China, and concluded his distinguished diplomatic career in the Republic of Korea. He also served as President of the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers. In addition to Mandarin Chinese, he also speaks French and Portuguese.
In 1996, Rodney joined the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada as the Vice-President responsible for the Canadian Education Centre Network project and in 1997 became the first President of the newly-formed non-profit company, the Canadian Education Centre Network. In this capacity he was responsible for building the network from three centres in the Asia-Pacific region into an entity with a presence in 17 countries spanning the globe.
Rodney also oversaw the establishment of the CEC Network's subsidiary CECN Global Schools Ltd. and conceived the Maple Bear education system. In March, 2007 he resigned as President of the CEC Network and purchased CECN Global Schools Ltd from the CEC Network. Since that time, he has traveled extensively, expanding Maple Bear’s global presence.
Arno Krug
Chief Operations Officer
Holding a BSc in Law, a Post Grad in Administration, two Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in Logistics and in Franchising, as well as many certificates such as Disruptive Strategies, Global Business and Leading Management in Education from Harvard Business School, Arno has served in many executive roles and companies including ALL Logistics, AB Inbev, Pearson PLC, Wall Street English and most recently as CEO of Maple Bear in Latin America.
Arno is responsible for the operations side of the company. He oversees company structures, budgets, KPI management and financial sustainability. He also supports growth in the numbers of global schools and students by working closely with our existing joint venture partners and new partners to come, as well as building new strategic relationships.
Michelle Tice
Vice-President, Global Communications
Michelle holds a BA in International Relations from the University of British Columbia and an MBA from Canada’s prestigious Ivey Business School at Western University. Michelle has over 25 years of broad ranging communications, marketing and sales experience in corporate, education, non-profit and entrepreneurial environments.
Originally from Vancouver, Michelle has lived, worked and studied in many different countries, including Denmark, Germany, France, Belarus, Ukraine and USA, as well as other parts of Canada. She is also fluent in German and has a working knowledge of French.
Gerald Macleod
Co-Founder
Gerald Macleod holds both a B.A. and B.Ed from the University of Saskatchewan, a Masters degree from Carleton University in Ottawa, and a Masters of Education (second language and immersion specialization) from the University of Manitoba. In addition he holds a Diplôme d’études françaises from the Université de Poitiers, and a Diplôme d’études internationales et du développement from the Université de Toulouse, France. He has received numerous academic awards, including the Government of France scholarship for Graduate Study in France.
His education credentials are extensive, beginning as a teacher in Montreal, Saskatoon and Winnipeg; as Vice-Principal and Principal at all levels of the Winnipeg school system and as a university professor of Education Administration at the Collège universitaire de Saint Boniface, Manitoba.
Gerald served as School District Director of International Education in Winnipeg; Director of International Education in the Department of Advanced Education for the Province of Manitoba, and as a consultant in international education globally. He frequently presents on international education topics to teachers, principals and school boards.
Since 2007, he has been Vice-President and part owner of Maple Bear Global Schools Ltd. and has been responsible for the development and implementation of Maple Bear educational programs and teacher training worldwide.
Gerald passed away in early 2021.
Lenna Glade
Vice-President, Academic
Lenna Glade has been an educator for more than 40 years. She has been a teacher, a school administrator, a Department of Education coordinator and is currently a Faculty Member at the University of Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. For the past ten years, Lenna has initiated and implemented several international education projects in her role as Faculty Member. In addition to practicum programs in Thailand and China, Lenna implemented a Bachelor of Education program in Asia and a Post Baccalaureate program in Brazil.
Lenna Glade is a former Academic Director of Maple Bear Brazil. For the past 6 years she has trained teachers and administrators and presented to parents of Maple Bear Schools in Brazil, India, China, Korea, Viet Nam and Singapore. Also, Lenna has coordinated the annual Maple Bear Owner’s Convention in Brazil.
Patti Rodger
Director of Training and Quality Assurance
Patti Rodger, B.Ed., M. Ed., spent 30 years as an educator and administrator in the Saskatchewan education system. She was a classroom teacher, a special educator and finally a principal for over 19 years.
Patti served the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education as advisor for the Middle Years ELA curriculum writers, and the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation as President and Conference Chair for the Saskatchewan School-Based Administrators and Saskatchewan Middle Years Association Special Subject Councils for over 16 years. She has worked extensively with the University of Regina, facilitating internship workshops and supervising interns in the field. Building capacity in teachers is truly her passion.
Internationally, Patti worked with the National Middle Schools Association Leadership Faculty delivering workshops throughout the US and Whistler, BC for middle level teachers and administrators. She joined Maple Bear Global Schools as a trainer in 2019.
Patti believes in connection. With parents, students, teachers or colleagues, they don’t care what you know until they know you care! Connection is the key to nurturing relationships and building capacity.
In addition to working on Maple Bear program development, Jocelyn has been very active in developing educational programs and workshops: Writing for Early and Middle Years – implementation and development of K-4 student writing continuum and facilitating in-servicing and instruction in the writing traits for Grades 5-8. She has conducted workshops for Maple Bear in Brazil and Mexico, United States, and Turkey and she has been a leader in the development of Maple Bear training materials in literacy.
Michelle Fulco
Financial Process Manager
Michelle is the Financial Process Manager for Maple Bear Global Schools. She holds a BA in Economics and two Post Grads, one in Finance & Controlling and another one in Business Economics. With over 15 years of experience in corporate, her work focuses on improving business process management, implementing and monitoring financial policies and procedures. Born and raised in Brazil, Michelle moved to Canada in 2016, and has joined Maple Bear Global Schools in 2020, collaborating on the financial reports, development of strategies and goals, as well as giving support and working closely with the joint venture partners.
Giving Back
As part of this commitment, Maple Bear Global Schools also believes in giving back in the countries in which we operate by donating charitable funds to local education initiatives impacting on children and families.
In addition to funding projects, the Maple Bear curriculum incorporates themes of social responsibility and community service so that students at Maple Bear schools are exposed to the concept and undertake age appropriate activities. The goal is to turn a whole generation of students on to the joy of giving back.
