Our Story

It’s been said, “If you build it, they will come.” For many, that axiom might hold true however, for Shanna Parry and Greg Parry, it was the reverse. “They” came first. “They”, being the builders, leaders, and administrators of international schools. They came, seeking the accrued knowledge, experience, and above all, integrity of this preeminent pair. The demand was there, Global Services in Education – the response.

After being approached repeatedly from virtually every corner of the world, both individually and as a dynamic team, the founders of GSE decided to create their international company. Peerless in their capacity to start-up new schools, provide management and support, GSE became a veritable overnight success. The demand was tremendous from the outset, and continues to grow.
Nelson Mandela observed, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” GSE’s founders understand this, because they’ve experienced those mighty changes first-hand on five continents.

Building on the bedrock of their own, “down in the trenches” experience, both as principals and directors, Shanna and Greg have mastered the intricacies of the education process. More importantly, they possess an innate gift for imparting that knowledge. Coming from a mindset that the ultimate goal is the successful development of young minds, they pave the path to this goal in one simple directive: develop great teachers, who in turn develop excellent schools.

Both Shanna and Greg excel in their leadership roles, bringing together great people, harnessing their energy and talents, and pointing them in the right direction. Despite the rapid and continual growth of the company, and regardless of how large their team might become, these two remain true to their original values which centers on people.

“We aren’t just building schools, we’re building relationships,” notes Shanna. “And this does not just apply to the individuals directly associated with the school. A school is not an island, but part of a greater community with its own unique culture and environment. These aspects are as important as the bricks and mortar, and each part must come together in a seamless shared goal.”

“We don’t go in with closed minds or preconceived ideas. Each school is unique, every teacher an individual,” Greg adds. “And because our primary premise is the building of strong relationships, these people want to work with us again and again.”

Mirroring this philosophy of collaborating, empowering and interfacing, the schools that have benefited from Shanna and Greg’s expertise are, not surprisingly, counted amongst the most highly respected in the world.

Driven by their passion to inspire young minds and imbue them with the confidence to think and reason independently, Shanna and Greg complement key components when developing each highly-personalized school curriculum. These include: methodology to cultivate resourceful, critical thinking skills; seamless and dynamic integration of technology and teaching; and a cohesive melding of local and international coursework.

Whether the mission is creating a new school or recalibrating an existing one, the focus remains constant: to foster each individual student to grow and develop as a self-assured, knowledgeable and responsible global citizen who will positively shape the future.