Our Teachers - Crimson Global Academy ZA

Meet our teachers

John Morris

Executive Principal

Meet John Morris, ONZM, our Executive Principal. John’s many achievements include being the Headmaster of Auckland Grammar School for nearly 20 years, running his own education consultancy, and being made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. John has also represented New Zealand in football as a goalkeeper! John is an academic visionary and looks forward to helping CGA’s students thrive in a digital learning environment.

Mark Phillips

Principal

Meet our Principal, Mark Philips. Mark is deeply committed to helping students thrive, having been involved in the education sector for over 35 years. Prior to joining CGA, Mark was Deputy Principal of Macleans College with students achieving Top in NZ and Top in the World results under his leadership. Mark looks forward to continuing this leadership to allow our CGA students to reach their highest potential!

Kenny Knight

Assistant Greenwich Dean Physics, Chemistry

Meet Kenneth Knight, our Physics and Chemistry Teacher. Kenneth is a seasoned teacher with experience in school leadership roles (as Deputy Principal) as well as extensive teaching experience with IGCSE and A-Level sciences across multiple countries. In addition to his teaching experience, Kenneth has 13+ years of experience working in several of the worlds largest and leading companies in the chemical industry. Kenneth has been a star teacher at Macleans College, one of New Zealand’s top schools with regard to successful admission of students to prestigious US and UK universities.

Andrew Daniel

Greenwich Dean Mathematics

Meet Dr. Andrew Daniel, our CGA Greenwich Dean and Math teacher. Andrew has taught in five different schools, in the UK and overseas, and also been involved in areas such as university preparation and extra-curricular programmes. Many of his former students are now studying at Oxford or Cambridge, or the Ivy League universities in the US. Andrew has a particular interest in technology and IT in education and leads our 3D Game Development Club. He has recently been involved in training with American universities in areas such as the mathematics of 3D computer game design, and artificial intelligence.

Sam Yates

Head of Academic Enrichment History and Law

Meet Sam Yates, our History and Law teacher and head of academic enrichment. Sam has spent the last 12 years teaching in a large and successful independent school in the North of England. He has held a variety of roles including deputy head of department, sixth form tutor, head of academic extension and Oxbridge Coordinator. He has particularly enjoyed supervising students for their Extended Project Qualifications (EPQ). Before going into teaching, Sam qualified as a solicitor and spent five years in private practice as a commercial real estate and restructuring lawyer.

Kate Thompson

Senior School Dean English

Meet Kate Thompson, our Aoraki Dean and Literature teacher. Currently based in New Zealand's South Island, Kate has been teaching in New Zealand for 10 years, after teaching in various countries, including Switzerland, during the 15 years she spent living abroad. While teaching at Auckland's Macleans College, Kate's students were top of NCEA L3 English every year. Kate left a Head of Department position to join CGA and is passionate and enthusiastic about developing her students' active engagement and critical thinking skills at all year levels.

Beth Haresnape

Director of Pastoral Care and Greenwich Dean Psychology

Meet Beth Haresnape, our Psychology teacher! Beth had a convoluted journey into psychology, as she studied for a Bachelors in Philosophy, a Masters in Cognitive Science and her PGCE teaching specialism was ICT. After six years of teaching both ICT and psychology, she decided to follow her passion, becoming Head of Psychology, first at an outstanding UK comprehensive and then most recently at a top tier British International School in Bangkok, Thailand. Her students have achieved "Top in the World" and "Top in Thailand" awards and many have gone on to study Psychology at leading universities around the world such as UCL and Yale.

Andrew Rugg

Academic Dean History and English

Andrew is a passionate educator with nearly two decades of teaching experience in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Denmark. He has taught at both public and private institutions, including at some of the world's leading schools. Andrew is a student-centred teacher and leader, with the well-being and happiness of students central to his practice.

Angela Irwin

Assistant Academic Dean Biology

Meet Angela Irwin, our Biology teacher based in Scotland, UK. She has taught since 2004 in Scotland, Thailand and London, UK. Having completed a BSc Degree in Human Biology (Neuroscience), Angela then embarked on the PGDE in Secondary Education (Biology with Science) both from the University of Glasgow, Scotland. She is also an Examiner for both Cambridge International Examinations and Edexcel. Angela's love for Biology has drawn her to further study with the Open University where she is currently studying Natural Biological Sciences.

Timothy Smith

Interim Dean Biology

Meet Timothy Smith, our CGA Interim Dean and Biology teacher! Timothy has taught Biology for over 20 years in positions including the Head of Biology at Auckland Grammar School. Throughout this time, Timothy has taught the IGCSE and International A-Level curriculum, with his most recent class of 30 students all achieving an A* or A in their A-Level final exam. Timothy is dedicated to delivering the most engaging and effective lessons possible for our CGA students!

Sheryl Husband

Science Head of Department

Meet our Head of Department for Science, Sheryl Husband. Sheryl has had over 20 years of teaching experience in both New Zealand and the United States. Having taught students all the way from Lower Secondary to Tertiary level curriculum, Sheryl is an expert at conveying the skills students need to achieve perfect scores in all curricula. Under Sheryl’s guidance, our CGA students will learn to unlock their passion for science!

Andrew Karlsberg

Social Science Head of Department

Meet Andrew Karlsberg, our Head of Department for Social Sciences. Holding a BA in History with Sociology (Combined Honours) from Bath Spa University, Andrew has had 15 years of experience teaching History, Global Perspectives, and Geography in both New Zealand and Europe. With such a love for his field, Andrew looks forward to showing our CGA students the many opportunities that the social sciences offer!

David Storey

Mathematics Head of Department

Meet David Storey, our Head of Department for Mathematics. David has more than 25 years of experience teaching in both New Zealand and the UK, including serving as the Head of Faculty for Mathematics at ACG Senior College and teaching both the A-Level and IB mathematics curriculum. David’s wealth of experience in implementing new technology in schools will allow him to help seamlessly transition our CGA students into their digital learning environment!

Elise Marlow

English Head of Department

Meet Elise Marlow, our CGA English teacher based in the French Pyrenees. During her career, Elise has taught English Language, Literature and Drama in four UK schools and four international schools. She has also been involved in directing plays, volunteering and service learning and the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Scheme. Her qualifications – Bachelors degree and PGCE in English and Drama and Masters degree in Education – were studied in the UK, but she has always been interested in exploring other countries and culture. Learning foreign languages is one of Elise's hobbies; she studied her Bachelors degree in Wales, living in a Welsh-speaking Hall of Residence and having lived in Thailand, the Middle East and now France, she has had to learn the everyday basics of several languages. From this, she has developed an interest in the different sounds and structures of languages and the formation of World Englishes.

Rebecca Close

Economics, Business Head of Department

Meet Rebecca Close, our business and economics teacher! She left the traditional classroom in 2018 to build a career as a digital nomad in the education sector and design a professional life that blended economics, travelling and sustainability together. She was previously employed in a highly academic school in England, as the Head of Economics and Business before becoming the school's first Digital Learning Support. She is also an associate examiner with four different exam boards.