A new era at SIS
The new Chair of the SIS Board of Trustees was not elected to the Board just because he has a wealth of experience of international schools – though he does. He was not selected just because of his business acumen – though he has it. He was not selected just because of his experience in nurturing three children through an international education from kindergarten to graduation – though he has done that. Nor was he selected just because his values and instincts chime in harmony with the guiding principles of SIS – though they very much do. No, Hans Skeppner joined the Board of SIS because of a mixture of happenstance and serendipity.
In 2021, the SIS board was looking for new faces to bring new ideas and a fresh perspective to the Board. At the same time Hans Skeppner, newly returned to Sweden after 38 years in Belgium, passed the Johannesgatan building one morning while out jogging. Attracted by the flags on the building Hans fell into conversation with Magnus, the Director of our Sports Association, who was selling SIS merchandise at a pop-up stall outside the School. It piqued Hans’ curiosity and they fell into conversation.
In those few minutes, Hans learned something about the School from Magnus and Magnus learned about Hans’ extensive experience while living in Brussels, where alongside an extensive business portfolio, he had also found time to serve on the Board of the International School of Brussels (ISB) for nine years, six of those as Chair.
When the Board came to hear of this, fellow trustee Phil McCrea was charged with tracking Hans down and starting an exploratory conversation with him. Hans takes up the story:
‘I had been missing the social side of being part of an international community. Meeting other nationalities, learning from them and sharing experience. And what I learned from Phil about the culture of the School resonated with me. At ISB our mantra was ´Éveryone included. Everyone challenged. Everyone successful.“ and it seemed to me that SIS was very much in the same mould.’
Those years in Brussels were not his only international experience though, having gone there after studying at the business school of the University of Lund and working in Dusseldorf for a time. These moves were all prompted by his role in the family business – his focus being on Eldon – a major success story in Swedish industry which saw significant international growth and expansion during Hans’ years in charge of the brand. Little wonder that he boasts Swedish, English, German, and French as fluent languages, though he confesses he is ‘working on’ his Spanish.
On joining the SIS Board, Hans was quickly invited to deploy his business and financial acumen as Chair of the Finance Committee, including looking at SIS’s asset portfolio to ensure it was working effectively for the long-term benefit of the School. As he immersed himself in the work of the Board something became apparent: ‘So many of the discussions we were having were parallels of discussions I had been part of at ISB. Pressures on space and the need to find new premises. A sound investment strategy and a strong balance sheet to guarantee financial stability. Doing everything we can to help each student develop to the best of their individual ability. Same scenarios, different context. I felt very comfortable from early on.’
SIS: The number one choice
Now elevated to the position of Chair, what does Hans see as his, and the Board’s, priorities in the future? ‘We’ve just taken a fundamental step in securing the future of SIS with the acquisition of the lease on Norra Latin. Many of our priorities will stem from that. As a community, we need to settle into the new building. Indeed, we need to grow into it actually and metaphorically. It gives us the capacity to serve more families in the region, but it also sets us the challenge of managing finances prudently. Moving into a new building is always going to bring high costs so we want to get through our planned phase of running in deficit as quickly as possible.’
Hans is excited about the benefits Norra Latin bring – benefits for the whole School. ‘When it comes to the teaching of IB programmes in English, I have always believed SIS to be the best international school in Stockholm. Norra Latin can help cement that reputation. Our transition to teaching IB programmes throughout the School will also add to our appeal I believe, as does our record of academic achievement. I would love to see a future where we will be the number one choice for families, the number one choice for teachers and staff, and the benchmark against which other international schools will judge themselves. ’
That is the visionary context, but what will be Hans’ day-to-day priorities to begin with? ‘The first thing I would say is that the Board isn’t here to run the School day-to-day. Our role is to recruit the people who do that best, and then support and advise them as necessary as they get on with the job.’ Acknowledging he does not have children in the School – his own family has grown to adulthood – Hans nevertheless says he is keen to learn more about the daily routine and the experience of the students and their parents. ‘I hope to get the chance to meet and talk with members of our community and learn more about their needs and requirements. When I attended our Winter concert just before the holidays I got such a warm sense of togetherness and I hope to discover more of that in the months and years to come.’
