Leadership and Governance

Dan Urech served on the Board of the Riverside School from its establishment in 1990. He was ISZL’s first Board Chairman from 2008 to 2012 and re-joined the Board in October 2018. Dan is a Swiss citizen, who studied languages and law in Geneva, international relations at Princeton University and graduated from law school in Bern. After many years in insurance and banking, he started his own law practice in 1981 and is an active member of the Bar Associations of Zurich and Switzerland, while also serving on the boards of Swiss companies and foundations. He has a daughter and a son; the latter was a member of the first generation of students at the Riverside School.

Barry Dequanne is the Director of the International School of Zug and Luzern and sits on the Board as a non-voting member. Before moving to Switzerland, he worked at schools in Brasilia, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, and Swaziland. Originally from Canada, Barry has worked in the field of international education for over thirty years. Barry’s academic background is in mathematics and computer science. Shortly after graduation, he realised where his professional passion was to be found. Barry is married and the proud father of two young children. Their home languages are English and Portuguese.

In addition to his work at ISZL, Barry also served or is serving in the following roles:

• President-Elect, Board of Trustees for the Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE)
• Treasurer, Board of Trustees for the Swiss Group of International Schools (SGIS)

Roger Bosshart, a Swiss national, has called Zug home since 1973. He is the proud parent of three grown children.

Roger holds a Graphic Art degree from Zürich University of the Arts and has been at the helm of DYNAMITE AG, an advertising and communications agency in Steinhausen, since 1995. In his role as CEO, he specialises in developing innovative branding and communication strategies.

Roger served as a member of the parish council in the community of Neuheim for a commendable 14-year tenure. Roger joined the Board in July 2018.

Andreas Bosnjak is a German citizen and has lived in Zug with his family since 2017. He has two young daughters, one of which is already at ISZL.

Andreas has a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Technical University of Ingolstadt (Germany), with a specialisation in Finance and Human Resources Management. He has recently completed a coaching certification from INSEAD.

He has spent most of his professional career in the United States and Europe where he worked as a Strategy Consultant and Human Resources leader. Currently, he is the Global Head of Talent & Development at the Schindler Group.

Andreas joined the Board in 2024.

Chris McKinlay is a British citizen and has lived in the Canton of Luzern with his family for most of the last 20 years.

He has a son and daughter who attend university in the UK and are both ISZL alumni. Chris has a Masters’ degree in Economics from the University of Cambridge, is a Chartered Accountant and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

He has more than 30 years of experience in finance, accounting and auditing, mainly in the healthcare sector, and is currently VP and CFO for Kenvue’s EMEA and LATAM businesses and its Global Supply Chain operations.

Chris joined the Board in March 2020.

Val Hackel is a British citizen. Val and her late husband, Alec, founded the Riverside School in 1990 and initiated the merger with the International School of Zug, which created ISZL. They have provided leadership and financial support to the School from its inception. Val has two grandsons, both of whom have recently graduated from ISZL.

As of the 2016-17 school year, Val is serving as an Emeritus Board Member.

Viktoriia Anashkina is a Russian citizen and has lived in Zug with her daughter (ISZL alumni) since 2014.

Viktoriia is a medical doctor by education, holds a Master Degree in Consulting and Coaching for Change from INSEAD (France), and a Marketing Diploma from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (U.K.).

Viktoriia has several years of experience as a medical doctor, and more than 30 years of experience in the Pharma and Biotechnology Industry, mainly in Sales & Marketing and General management. Currently, she is VP, Sub-regional General Manager of EERT (Eastern Europe, Russia Türkiye) at Amgen.

Viktoriia joined the Board in 2024.

Andrea Vavassori is an Italian citizen with two children who attend ISZL.

Andrea has a degree in Business Administration from Università Bocconi in Milan and the CEMS Master in International Management from ESADE in Barcelona.

Andrea has over 25 years experience in business finance, based in France, Italy, Spain, and, since 2011, Zug.

He is currently VP and CFO EMEA at Crown Packaging European Division.

Andrea joined the Board in March 2016.

Jennifer Bayard is a Swiss citizen and has been a resident of the Canton of Zug since 2003.

Since her daughter joined ISZL, Jennifer has been an active member of the community. She has served on the Primary School Parent Advisory Council and regularly volunteers in different capacities to support school events.

Jennifer has a Law degree from Fribourg University, Switzerland. She has worked for many years in the financial services sector, where she has held different roles, including in governance compliance and quality management.

Jennifer joined the Board in December 2018.

Barry Dequanne is the Director of the International School of Zug and Luzern.

Before moving to Switzerland, he worked at schools in Brasilia, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, and Swaziland.

Originally from Canada, Barry has worked in the field of international education for over thirty years. Barry’s academic background is in mathematics and computer science. Shortly after graduation, he realised where his professional passion was to be found.

Barry is married and the proud father of two young children. Their home languages are English and Portuguese.

In addition to his work at ISZL, Barry also served or is serving in the following roles:

• President-Elect, Board of Trustees for the Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE)
• Treasurer, Board of Trustees for the Swiss Group of International Schools (SGIS)
• Member of School and University Leaders Summits, Council of International Schools (CIS)

Learn more about Barry on his LinkedIn profile and personal blog.

Maria arrived at ISZL in 2023 as our new Deputy Director. She joined us from Atlanta International School, a K-12 International Baccalaureate institution. During her tenure at AIS, Maria founded the school’s full immersion Early Years programme and later led the Primary community as Head of Primary School. Maria has taught and led in China, Thailand, Korea, Canada, and the US.

Maria is a strategic thinker, community builder, trained Restorative Practitioner and Intercultural Development Inventory administrator, and an effective communicator who is thrilled to be learning alongside the ISZL community. Maria has a background in Early Childhood and Elementary Education as well as a Master’s Degree in International Education.

Maria is originally from Canada, where her father immigrated from Greece. As such Maria speaks English, French, and Greek. She enjoys travelling with her wife Tina, who works as an educator in the Primary School, and their dog Sacha.

Linsey Lawrence worked as High School Principal and High School Vice Principal at UWCSEA (Dover) in Singapore for 7 years before arriving at ISZL in 2022. She has also worked as an international educator in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Thailand.

Linsey loves teaching Global Politics and Sociology, History, and Personal and Social Education. She is passionate about holistic education and nurturing wellbeing.

Linsey has two children at ISZL and her husband works as an educator in the Primary School. In her free time Linsey enjoys reading, cooking (and eating), cycling, yoga, weights, but mostly movie/ Nintendo and ice cream nights with her daughters.

Stuart has been a member of the ISZL community since joining in 2010 as Grade 7 Team leader and teacher of mathematics. He served as Assistant Principal of the Middle School working closely with staff, students and parents for seven years before taking on the Middle School Principal Role in 2019.

Previously, he was part of the senior leadership team at Ranby House School in the UK, with responsibility for curriculum development and leading a traditional preparatory school towards a more modern and student-focused approach to teaching and learning.

Stuart is married to Nikki, who runs an arts and craft business within the Swiss community, and they have three boys.

Mel joined ISZL in 2024 as the new Primary School Principal.

Her previous role was Foundation Principal at Te Uho o te Nikau Primary School in Auckland, New Zealand. Mel led her former school from its establishment to an enrolment of over 1,000 students.

Mel’s experience spans from New Zealand to international schools globally [Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan], to the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme. She has also worked leading early childhood centres, as her belief is that a primary principal needs to know the whole journey for our youngest learners.

The children are the best part of a school day for her and she thrives when she feels connected with those she works with and the community in which she is based.

Mel is here with her partner Mike and their dog Nikau. The kids are all grown up — one in Melbourne and one in Brisbane. They are also grandparents to the “Tornado,” Halo, who is three years old. Mike is a Health & PE teacher with a passion for coaching.

Mel was born and raised in New Zealand however she is also deeply rooted in her Fijian heritage from her mother’s side of the family. In her free time, Mel loves to go for long dog walks, go shoe shopping and watch the game of rugby in any form.

Stefan Dittli is a Swiss citizen who was born in Zurich. He has a Master’s Degree from ETH Zurich, a Swiss Federal Diploma in Information Technology and an Executive MBA in Digital Transformation from the University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons.

A former High School teacher, Stefan joined ISZL from Swiss Re, leading global projects, and regional and global teams of up to 150 employees. Stefan is married, and the proud father of two teenagers. He speaks German, English and some French.

Andrea is an experienced admissions professional with over 15 years working in the international school sector. She joined ISZL in September 2021. Prior to joining ISZL, Andrea served as Head of Admissions and Marketing at The International School of Azerbaijan. She also worked as a consultant on international projects in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan after moving abroad in 1997 from her home country of Germany.

Outside of work, Andrea enjoys hiking and running in Switzerland’s beautiful countryside, exploring new places with her husband Michael, going to the gym, and reading. She and Michael have two daughters, one just starting her professional career after graduating from university and the youngest one in her second year at university.