APEX2100 - Key Persons
Alex has a vast amount of experience at the highest level of both international ski racing and coaching. As an athlete, Alex has raced for his country at the Youth Olympics in Finland, competed at International FIS races across Europe and represented his country in two World Cups in Are, Sweden and Val D'Isère, France. Alex has significant ties with the Club des Sports and ESF throughout France and is fluent in 6 languages.
Arnaud started skiing at age 2 and went on to compete at FIS Level for 10 years (including ANC and NorAM cup). Arnaud studied Sports Management in Salt Lake City and continued racing at University level alongside his studies before coaching in the US and France. Alongside being a keen golfer, Arnaud loves traveling the world and experiencing new cultures.
Job Titles:
- Teacher of French / Teacher of French
Candice, our passionate Foreign Languages teacher, is excited to join the Apex2100 team as the French B instructor with additional responsibilities in the Languages Department. Hailing from France and having grown up in various countries, she truly understands the foreign-living experience and international school settings as an EAL student.
Chris has been involved with Apex since the beginning and is responsible for the day-to-day running of the academy. He has significant experience in boarding school life; being Head of Boarding for four years at his previous post at St Hugh's, Oxfordshire. Chris gained a Masters from Oxford University in Learning & Teaching, specialising in digital learning. Outside teaching, Chris enjoys skiing and is fluent in French.
Clive is a highly experienced CEO & non-Executive Director having worked across a wide variety of business sectors over the last 30 years. Clive is a non-executive director of several companies and is a trustee of the Apex2100 Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Teacher of French, English and Humanities
Cloé, our dedicated language and Human Sciences educator, hails from France but has a wealth of experience teaching in UK schools. She will serve as the bilingual teacher for French, English, and Humanities at Apex. Beyond the classroom, Cloé finds joy in reading, drawing, diving, engaging in mountain sports, and exploring new travel destinations.
Dave is the FIS Houseparent at Apex, merging his love for mountains with his dedication to working with children and youth. He holds a Master's in social work from the University of Plymouth and has seven years of experience in various roles involving children and young people in Plymouth and London. Outside of work, Dave enjoys snowboarding, climbing, the outdoors, and traveling.
Dr. Lockley is the Sleep and Recovery lead for Apex2100. He has been studying sleep and circadian rhythms in humans for the past 25 years and has published more than 150 original reports, reviews, chapters, editorials on sleep and his research is funded by the NIH, NASA and others. He co-authored 'Sleep: A Very Short Introduction' from Oxford University Press in 2012.
With a Bachelor's in Physical Education and a Master's in Education, Fanny specializes in teaching students aged 6 to 12. She spent three years in New Orleans sharing her passion for the French language with American students. Now in Tignes with her family, she's ready to continue her work as a CNED Supervisor.
Job Titles:
- Designated Safeguarding Lead
James will be our Math Teacher at Apex. Originally from the Northeast of England, he holds a BSc in Mathematics from Newcastle University and a PGCE from Sunderland University. James brings six years of teaching experience from Kuwait and Dubai, including five years as a Head of Year. His interests include travel, adventure, photography, skiing (since age 5), and being an avid Newcastle United supporter. He's excited about living in Tignes and supporting athletes in their sports and academics.
Job Titles:
- Replacement Teacher and Learning Assistant
Jerry steps in as a replacement teacher, specializing in BTEC and collaborating with Pamoja. His academic background includes a master's degree in engineering from Nottingham University, followed by a PGCE. For the past five years, he has been teaching in Victoria, Australia. Jerry's global adventures have taken him in search of prime surfing, mountain biking, and snowboarding locations, fueling his passion for these outdoor pursuits.
Job Titles:
- Athletic Development Coach
Jess grew up in Tignes and spent 15 years in the Club des Sports de Tignes and competed at FIS level for three years. Jess became a strength and conditioning coach to offer adapted training programs to develop the physical potential of young competition skiers. At Apex she oversees the technical progression of the athletes' weightlifting.
Job Titles:
- Head of Teaching & Learning
Jo is coordinating the IB program at Apex. She is also the Languages and EAL Teacher at the Academy. Following a degree in French Studies at Newcastle University, she pursued a career in EAL, working throughout Europe and in Asia. Jo has been tutoring the British Curriculum and running EAL programmes for people of all ages. She has developed a particular interest in bilingualism and immersive language acquisition.
Job Titles:
- Digital Marketing Executive
With a decade of nursing experience across various medical specialties, Karen is our Medical Lead. She has a keen interest in mental health and has additional training in facilitating learning, mental health, diabetes, and adult pediatrics. In her previous UK role, she excelled in senior nursing and emergency management, prioritizing effective communication. Karen enjoys running, hiking, cycling, and skiing when she's not working.
Katie has over 6 years experience teaching Chemistry up to A level in the South West of England. She graduated from the University of Exeter with a BSc in Biological and Medicinal Chemistry in 2013 and a PGCE the following year. Throughout her career she has been involved in extracurricular activities, including the Combined Cadet Force and Duke of Edinburgh. She enjoys being outdoors and spends her spare time walking, paddle boarding and sailing.
Katy is responsible for managing athletes from application to contracts. She enjoyed an international upbringing and is well placed to discuss the opportunities with applicant families. Before moving into the world of education, Katy was in the fast paced world of high fashion in London. Katy then ran a successful boarding community in Oxfordshire for four years before making the move to Apex. Outside of her role at Apex, Katy is a dedicated mother of two and enjoys everything that the mountains have to offer.
Job Titles:
- Athletic Development Coach
Keenan completed his masters in strength and conditioning at Loughborough University whilst working in the English premier league developing young athletes. With an array of experience as a sports scientist and soft tissue therapist, Keenan oversees the collective sport programme.
Matt oversees all Commercial Partnerships, Marketing, PR and Business Development operations for the Academy. Prior to joining Apex, Matt worked in the Consulting Division at IMG for 10 years. During his time at IMG Matt was part of the team who delivered General Electric's Olympic Programmes at the Torino 2006, Beijing 2008 and Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games before going on to lead Holiday Inn's London 2012 activation programme.
Mike has held a variety of senior leadership posts in a wide range of schools. He helped establish three state-funded schools in the UK and most recently was the Executive Director of the HMC, the world's oldest association of Head Teachers. Mike's interests lie in the use of positive phycology to promote well-being in education through a school's culture and climate.
Nathalie is well known and respected by the Tignes community and joined us to work with those athletes following the CNED. Nathalie has good experience managing CNED and the demands of athletes having looked after the athletes at Tignes Club des Sports for many years.
Job Titles:
- U12 Learn Coordinator U12 Houseparent
Olivia is our U12 Learn Coordinator and U12 Houseparent. She graduated with a BA in Archaeology and Anthropology from the University of Exeter and holds a PGCE from Bath Spa. Olivia has five years of experience as a primary school teacher in London and two years as a Teaching and Learning Consultant for a group of London academies. In her free time, she enjoys skiing, sailing, reading, and outdoor activities.
After his ski career, Olivier went to the University of Grenoble to study Sports Science. Since then, he has gained 30 years of coaching experience and worked in a variety of environments and levels. From a Canadian National Academy, private international teams, the French regional team to the Head Coach in Val Thorens and Les Deux Alpes Ski Club.
Following a degree in Accounting & Financial Analysis at Newcastle University, Paul went on to become a Chartered Management Accountant. Paul joins us from Ski World, where he has acted as European Finance Manager for the past 10 years, and has over 20 years of experience in various finance roles. Paul is excited to be starting this newly created role, and is hoping he can use his experience and knowledge to help Apex continue to thrive.
Pierre is extremely passionate in ski training and educating young people in sport and competition. He learnt his trade in the Pyrenees having grown up in Toulouse. After years of competitions on the Pyrenees circuit, Pierre trained for the local ski club and became their head coach.
Rachel has eight years of experience working in schools in the UK and internationally. She has always been interested in the sciences, having graduated from the University of Manchester with a BSc in Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, followed by a PGCE in secondary Physics. Outside the classroom, Rachel enjoys coaching girls extracurricular football, as well as playing in women's teams in her spare time. She loves being outdoors - trekking and camping in the mountains.
Rhiannon completed a dual Bachelor of Biomedical Science and Bachelor of Arts majoring in Spanish at the University of Queensland, Australia, before going on to study a Graduate Diploma of Secondary Education. She has a range of experience in immersive language education and is keen to see the athletes develop a passion for languages and STEM subjects.
Job Titles:
- Commercial Manager
- Commercial Law Solicitor
Roni joins Apex as Commercial Manager to provide additional income to support the Apex programme. Roni is a qualified commercial law Solicitor and previously worked in London before moving to Tignes, where she has now lived for the past 10 years. Before joining Apex, Roni worked for Tignes organising groups stays, corporate seminars and high altitude training camps in Tignes for various clients. Roni is excited to be starting this newly created role, bringing a wealth of experience in this field. Roni is trilingual, English, French and Spanish.
Job Titles:
- Head of Athletic Development
Sabrina is responsible for developing the Athletic Development and Rehabilitation programme at Apex. An international athlete herself, Sabrina competed for the French National Ski team winning the U21 national championships twice. As a coach Sabrina has studied Strength and Conditioning training at the University of Dijon and holds a French National Fitness and Weightlifting degree. She recently completed a diploma in rehabilitation for athletes.
Sam has eight years of experience working as a mathematics teacher. Primarily in the UK with some time also spent in Zermatt, Switzerland. He graduated from the University of Birmingham followed by completing his Post Graduate Diploma in Education (Mathematics). Sam is passionate about the mountains and travels extensively across the globe to trek, climb and ski in all of the great ranges.
Originally from Kilkenny, Ireland; Sarah has lived in Tignes for three years working at Evolution 2 Ski and Adventure School and Tignes Development. Before Tignes, she lived in Brittany where she worked as an English teacher and completed a master's degree in International Multilingual Project Management, specialising in Events and Translation. Sarah speak four languages: English, French, Spanish and Irish Gaelic.
Job Titles:
- Alpine Performance Director
Sasha joins Apex after a 19-year career in the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team. He is one of the most respected and experienced coaches working in snowsports worldwide. During his 10 years as head coach, the men's team won 15 Olympic and World Ski Championships medals. He moves to his new position from his previous role as head men's development coach for the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team.
Clive is the Director of Sport for Apex2100. Building on his unique experience as Director of Sport for Team GB throughout the Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Games and leading England Rugby to its first World Cup win in 2003. Clive is now fully focused on creating skiing champions of the future with Apex.
Steph has joined us after working the last 6 years in multiple resorts across the Alps. Having worked in Senior Management for a UK Tour Operator, she is looking forward to a new and exciting challenge as the Catering Manager at Apex2100.
Job Titles:
- Development Director of the French National Team
Most recently, Stephane has been the development director of the French National Team responsible for the Junior national teams through U14's. Prior to his 20 year career with the FFS, which included 13 years on the Men's World Cup DH side and 2 on the Women's side, he was responsible for the Club Des Sport de Les Arcs.
Tag specialises in sensory-motor skills development, with experience coaching world-class athletes across a range of sports including skiing, tennis, golf, judo and football. Tag has worked with elite athletes and organisations including the British Olympic Association Laura Robson, Chemmy Alcott, Euan Burton and the British Men's Judo team as well as many professional footballers.
Will manages the ten areas of the Perform programme to help athletes perform better and pursue excellence, on and off the mountain. He also works on the academy's Winning Behaviours to ensure our values are brought to life. Prior to joining the academy, Will worked with the INEOS Grenadiers Cycling Team, the Cresta Run and Hundred Hills Winery. In his time off, Will enjoys exploring the mountains on his road bike in the summer and ski touring in the winter.