and observing. “My parents are very adventurous,” she explains. “They started a sailing school, and my dad was a captain, my mum was the first mate and the nurse on board and we would take trainees and travel around the world. The first trip I went on was from the west coast of Canada to Australia and back when I was ten. “I did BC correspondence, which is basically like a
home school. In Canada the home education system is very good because a lot of people live outside the school catchment area. I was seeing and meeting people and understanding different cultures and languages and looking back, I realise how absolutely fantastic that experience was. I spent three years of my childhood 100% on the boat.” This led to a lifelong interest in understanding different
cultures, languages and walks of life, as well as striving to identify and connect ideas. Living her life aboard also taught her teamwork, tolerance and cooperation. “It can be a challenge, because you're living in
such close quarters on a boat, but it's also really an opportunity to get to know people and to understand people and if there's an issue, you have to deal with it straight away,” she says. That background and international experience has had a big influence on her work. “I don’t see myself as one dimensional or just a title
or role,” she says. “In fact, I like to say to people that we should all ‘lead without the title’ – sometimes we are not given the title or the salary but that shouldn’t stop us from making waves, creating connections and making our voices heard.”
DEVELOPING A GLOBAL MINDSET Family life on the boat was very adventurous, and they often stopped in ports of call for a month at a time, which gave Esther time to experience the local culture and make friends. “Whenever we went into different ports of call,
because we were this beautiful traditional 111-foot schooner tall ship, people would come to the boat, and they’d want to show us their town or city or their village,” she says. “It was this instant connection because we were doing something different and connecting with people from different walks of life, both on board the boat and where we were sailing to. The most important thing is having that international mindset and you have to really be open to knowing it's not going to be like it was at home.” She studied for a BA and MBA and on finishing her
studies, went to work for BMW Group Canada. Then she moved to South America and worked for the Canadian Foreign Service. In the American School in Quito they needed someone to liaise with the government and handle their PR, and Esther rose to the challenge. “I've always been passionate about education
because of my upbringing. The idea of learning from different people in different ways is amazing. Once I started in the international schools sector, I found it fascinating. School is probably the most important decision a parent will make, and it is also one of the biggest investments.” She believes that being a woman leader in a
global world is about what you bring to the table and finding your voice, rather than trying to fit
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into a structure. “Everyone has a voice, and everyone has something
to say. It is about giving the younger generation the confidence to stand up and find their voice and share it.” Esther is an Outstanding Contributor to Forbes and
contributes through panel facilitation or with articles to international forums like WEF, the Global Peter Drucker Forum and the Christensen Institute. She writes about strategy and innovation in English and Spanish. Her first book (in Spanish) is coming out this year. It’s a playbook about leadership and balance entitled Liderazgo y Una Taza de Te (Leadership and a Cup of Tea). “The best advice I can impart is don’t be so hard on
yourself – things sometimes don’t work; learn from them and move on,” she says. “Sometimes we figuratively beat ourselves up when actually the cause or correlation has nothing to do with us. I have learnt this many times over. There is a whole world out there for us to explore, discover and enjoy; it is not always made for us – that’s why we need to be trailblazers and to support those making change and leading without the title!”
“ EVERYONE HAS A VOICE, AND EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING TO SAY. IT IS ABOUT GIVING THE YOUNGER GENERATION THE CONFIDENCE TO STAND UP AND FIND THEIR VOICE AND SHARE IT.”
Esther at our Think Women event at the IoD, London
THINK WOMEN
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
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