Neil Smith

Head of Primary School at British International School Riyadh

Speaker

Neil is originally from the UK and has worked internationally for over 30 years; including spells in Kuwait, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand. He is passionate about learning space design and has extensive experience in school renovation, new builds and playscape designs. This includes new Primary Schools in Phuket and Bali, and large-scale renovation projects in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, the latter to the tune of $8m Singapore dollars. He is currently Head of Primary at the Al Hamra campus of the British International School Riyadh. At BISR he has been heavily involved in the design and fit out of the new campus, opening in August 2024. He has also very recently been appointed as the Founding Principal of a new project for BISR, which will include the full renovation of the old Al Hamra Campus.

"Whilst schools are much more than just bricks and mortar, there is no escaping the fact that as the child's 3rd teacher: the learning environments play a crucial role in enhancing outcomes for our communities. I have been lucky enough to be at the forefront of a number of projects and fully appreciate the challenge of getting it right the first time."