International House World Organisation has announced that its Board has appointed a new chairperson, Peter Hayes. Peter is one of the directors at International House Manchester and will be taking over from Monica Green who has been Executive Director since 2008.

“We are delighted that Peter Hayes from IH Manchester will be stepping in as Chairperson from 1st January 2023,” commented Emma Hoyle, Managing Director of IH World. “He will do an excellent job of guiding our organisation through the next set of challenges.”

Peter started his career as a teacher with a job in Verona, Italy. Having done the Dip TEFLA, he then moved to Prague to teach at The Bell School. He held various academic management posts in Oxford, Stafford and Cheltenham before, in 2006, becoming Director of the school that became IH Manchester.

IH Manchester joined the network in 2013 and Pete has been a key figure in the community, embodying the principles of International House through his support of the network and fellow IH schools. He has served on the IH Board of Directors since June 2021 which has been good preparation for his role as Chairperson.

“I do now feel a big responsibility to help make the new company structure work, as well as helping IHWO to continue to move forwards and navigate the exciting but challenging times ahead,” Peter reflected. “I love this industry because I've always got a tremendous buzz from helping people get where they want to be. But, most of all I just love working with people. And since we joined IHWO back in September 2013, I've learnt that there is nothing better than IH people.” 

The network is delighted with the appointment of Peter, but it’s the end of an era as Monica Green, the Executive Chair, stands down. As Executive Chair, Monica has truly shaped the organisation that exists today. Her leadership, expertise and wisdom have guided International House through many decades of highs and lows and her dedication is reflected in the global network we see today.

In Pete’s words, “It is only by serving on the Board that I have fully understood exactly how much Monica has achieved for our global network and how much better the organisation is for her leadership. Brava Monica and thank you on behalf of us all.”