Our Leadership

David joined Cognita in 2018, and as of February 2026, became our Group CEO. He previously led our Middle East region as CEO. David has overseen the successful build of a new and growing Middle East region to 14 schools and over 23,000 students, previously supporting 40+ schools in the UK as Director of Education.

Manel joined Cognita in 2012, where he was firstly responsible for M&A and strategic development in LatAm. Since 2012, Manel has held the position of regional CFO overseeing the finance function and is also currently serving as Interim Group CFO. Before Cognita, he has formally worked in Investment Banking (Goldman Sachs, Rothschild), CFO role (Palau Pharma) and venture capital (Caixa Capital Risc).

Simon first joined Cognita in January 2016. Simon has an impressive and well-deserved reputation within the education sector in the UK and internationally. This includes experience as a teacher, Head of School in three schools and Chief Executive of an academy trust. Simon has also undertaken a great deal of work related to leadership development and programme design. He has served as Vice Chair of the Independent Schools Inspectorate in the UK and is an Honorary Associate Professor at University College London where he teaches on the MBA (International) Education and supervises PhD candidates.

Germà joined Cognita in 2019. Germà is a multi-sector leader (consumer electronics, retail, advertising, international education), with demonstrable outstanding achievements in B2C (Sony, Sharp, Cognita) as well as in B2B environments (PE-backed leading multinational shopper marketing agency in-Store Media).

Fara is a dynamic and highly experienced people and organisation leader with over 25 years of multinational experience across the US, Middle East and Asia, spanning education, healthcare and financial services. Fara has a distinguished track record in cultural transformation, organisational change and building high-performing teams.

Michael joined Cognita in October 2016 and has served as Regional CEO for Asia and Europe & US.  Michael was formerly Regional Managing Director for TNT (Asia, Middle East and Africa).

Stuart joined Cognita in June 2017 as Chief Financial Officer for Asia, moving across to the Middle East region in 2023 before taking on the Chief Operating Officer role in April 2026. He previously held several Finance Director roles for British Gas.

Josep joined Cognita in November 2007​, and was appointed CEO, LatAm in April 2013. Josep was formerly Vice VP of investment banking for Atlas Capital Close Bros​. 

Jayne joined Cognita in November 2017​. Formerly, she was a Senior Lawyer at BPP Professional Education and European Legal Counsel at Ecover. 

Caterina joined the Middle East team in January 2023 after successfully launching our partner school, RGS Guildford Dubai. With extensive expertise in sales and marketing in the education sector, including the establishment of a sales and marketing hub in the Middle East region, Caterina became Group Chief Commercial Officer in April 2026.

Jason joined Cognita as Global Head of M&A in January 2020 and became Chief Corporate Development Officer in December 2025.  Formerly a Senior Principal at Man Capital, London, Jason has extensive experience unlocking investments, as well as structuring and executing transactions.

Graeme Fisher is Group Chief Development and Property Officer, following a successful tenure as Project & Design Director for Cognita Middle East, where he led the planning, design, and delivery of new school projects across the region. He plays a key role in overseeing greenfield school projects across the Cognita group.

With a unique blend of architectural expertise and educational leadership, Graeme brings over 25 years of experience in designing and developing world-class environments. Graeme is known for his visionary approach to educational environments, combining design excellence with operational insight.  His work continues to shape Cognita’s global growth and commitment to delivering inspiring, sustainable and future-ready schools.

Kate joined Cognita in April 2020, initially as Group Financial Controller before transitioning to Group Finance Director in 2023. Prior to Cognita, Kate held a number of roles in both the UK and the US for Centrica Plc, including leadership of the Global technical accounting team and Finance Director at British Gas

Paul joined Cognita in 2014 and is the Group’s Tax and Treasury Director, leading both functions from the UK. He has played a key role in the Group’s debt-market fundraising to support international growth. Before Cognita, Paul led tax relationships with a variety of multinational clients at KPMG.