CIS Ownership
The Canadian International School of Phnom Penh (CIS) is a privately owned school accredited by the Ministry of Education in Alberta, Canada. CIS received approval from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of the Kingdom of Cambodia to operate as an education institution in August 2012.
For-Purpose School
Since its inception, CIS has reinvested 100% of its revenue back into the school.
Governance
The school is guided by a Board of Directors/Governors composed of educators, business owners and members of the Phnom Penh community at large. The Board provides strategic support to ensure the ongoing strength and stability of the School.
Board of Directors
Lina Lim (Since Inception)
Ms. Lim Lina is a native of Cambodia who was raised and educated in Canada. She is a trained medical doctor. Due to family reasons, she moved to Phnom Penh in 2007. There was an increasing demand for schools offering international standards, high quality education at reasonable prices, and because she wanted the same for her own children, with this in mind, in August 2012, the Canadian International School of Phnom Penh (CIS) was founded. CIS aspires to offer the ideal environment to groom the leaders of tomorrow: global citizens and life long learners who are well-rounded, open-minded and can think critically. CIS is a purpose built school where students are well-versed in various languages and comfortable with the latest in science and technology, being at the same time caring and empathetic towards one another.
In February 2014, to enhance the international and Canadian experience at CIS, a partnership was established with John Crawford, founder of other Canadian international schools as CDNIS (Hong Kong) and TIS (Macao). In 2016, her passion for education led her to establish with Amaury de St-Blanquat l’École Française Internationale de Phnom Penh (EFI), another high-quality educational institution which offers programs in accordance with the French national curriculum.
She is also the Managing Director of Dara Hotels, a Cambodian hospitality group, and Board member of the Cambodian University of Science and Technology (CamTech), Dara Insurance as well as Sovannaphum Life Insurance.
Enghuy Ang (Since 2012)
Mr. Enghuy Ang is a professional accountant with over 15 years of experience. He serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Overseas Cambodia Investment Corporation (OCIC). Ang was an auditor at PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for seven years before joining the Canadia family.
He recalls the excitement to be with CIS from day one with opening the school’s first campus in 2012. With the CIS Koh Pich expansion and new facilities, Ang believes this will deliver better learning environment and experiences to CIS students.
Donna Trafford (Since Inception)
Ms. Donna Trafford is a seasoned and passionate educator of over 45 years. Much of her experience was gained in Canada, where she was appointed to administrative roles at top levels in Canadian Schools and Canadian School Districts. She holds a Masters Degree in Educational Administration and a Masters Degree in Curriculum Implementation. After retiring, she served as the Principal of the International School of Nanshan Shenzhen in Shenzhen, China from 2006 to 2010. Beginning in 2012, under her guidance and with the vision of the Board of Directors, CIS progressed to become a recognized and certified body of student learning. Donna participated in the construction of CIS Koh Pich, the transfer of students to the new primary location and the adoption of the Alberta curriculum. She later took a leadership role in founding two additional pre-schools for the CIS family of schools and establishing a strong Early Years program. Donna has spent many years working and traveling in Asia, promoting high educational standards.
Howard Stribbell (Since 2016)
Mr. Howard Stribbell has been serving international schools for over 15 years. He is the CIEO Group Headquarters International Education Director and the School Supervisor at The International School of Macao (TIS). Stribbell is also the co-founder of the Canadian Overseas Schools Association (COSA) and a recent startup International Education Solutions (IES). Howard graduated from the University of Lethbridge with a BA (Honours), B. Ed. (Honours) and M. Ed in Educational Leadership. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Technology, Education and Management through Assumption University.
John Crawford (Since 2014)
Mr. John Crawford has been a Hong Kong resident for over 45 years and possesses an extensive range of business experience in Asia. He was a founding partner of Ernst & Young – Hong Kong and in 1997 was appointed as a Justice of the Peace. John has been proactive in charity work as evidenced by his being a founding member of such bodies as the Hong Kong Institute of Directors and UNICEF Hong Kong Committee together with serving on many boards.
John was closely involved with all aspects in the early development of the Canadian International School of Hong Kong (CDNIS) where he was the driving force behind the development of the school’s state-of-the-art campus including its funding programs, design and construction. In 2002, he founded The International School of Macao and in 2014 began working with Lim Lina to develop CIS. These schools establish themselves as leading international schools with their unique school qualities and culture. John’s commitment to children’s education drives him to ensure schools he is involved with are only of the highest standard internationally and deliver programs which develop well rounded students to face the future challenges in our world.
Dr. Kieth Rethy Chhem (Since 2021)
Professor Kieth Rethy Chhem is a medical doctor, science diplomat, educator, and historian with extended experience in digital science and technology, global health diplomacy, nuclear technology policy, and executive education. He is a Minister Delegate and Attache to the Prime Minister. He holds a doctorate degree in medicine from Université de Paris, as well as doctorate degrees in education and history from Université de Montréal. Dr. Rethy was Professor of Radiology at Université de Sherbrooke, McGill University and the University of Western Ontario from 1998-2008. From 2014 to 2019, Dr. Rethy served as the Executive Director of the Cambodia Development Resource Institute, a leading think tank in Cambodia and the ASEAN region. He is currently a board member of the Cambodia Academy of Digital Technology and vice-chairman of the Cambodian University of Technology and Science (CamTech).