Our Team

Andrew has a BA in Economics from Harvard University and two Masters degrees from Stanford University in Computer Science and Management Science & Engineering. He founded Outwhiz, an adaptive online and mobile education platform for K-12 students, with a mission to create math practice programs that both students and parents would love. Andrew is a pioneer in applying technology to improve education. In addition to Outwhiz, he founded Edore, an open, online education platform to help students connect learning with their real lives and interests.

Previously, he was in charge of software performance at Yahoo's homepage and built various software systems at SugarSync. He is currently a Strategic Advisor and Venture Partner of CoCoon, and the Founder and CEO of Delight Global, which focuses on using voice assistant technology to improve business functionality. Andrew is also President of the Stanford Club of Hong Kong and Advisory Council Member of the Stanford Bing Overseas Studies Program.

Aly is a global leader of the Maker Movement in international schools around the world. As co-founder of the Global Innovative Schools Network, Aly has set up makerspaces in schools from Hong Kong and Guangzhou to Malaysia, Tanzania, and the UK. She is a regular speaker at international conferences, such as the 21st Century Learning Conference, the Asia-Pacific International Schools Conference and the Asia Region Workshop for Arts Educators. Aly is known for opening dialogue on Ethical Design, Sustainable Innovation in sSchools and tThe “A” in STEAM.

Aly joins Bloom as its inaugural Director of Creativity and Innovation and leads its unique Explore, Create, and Share projects-based learning curriculum. In preparing Bloom students for a future-ready world, Aly applies Stanford University d.school’s model of Design Thinking to innovate and instigate Bloom’s maker culture. Before joining Bloom, Aly was the Leader for Making and Innovation at the Canadian International School in Hong Kong for seven years. Originally from Australia, Aly holds two BAs in Visual Arts and Arts Education and an MA in Sustainable Design from the University of South Australia, as well as Certificates in Digital Learning and Educational Technologies from the State University of New York.

Catriona is a passionate educator, committed to creativity, innovation and learning through the world around us. She started her career as an educator in the UK, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Plymouth and her PGCE from Goldsmiths, University of London. Since then, Catriona has held a number of leadership positions in school start-ups in both London and Hong Kong, acting as an integral part of these founding teams.

Catriona is a Level 1 qualified Forest-Beach school practitioner and has studied and trained teachers in the Reggio Emilia philosophy. Before joining Bloom, she most recently served as the Assistant Principal at Malvern College Pre-School, starting up the school from scratch in 2019 and supporting teachers and parents in understanding the importance of connecting children with the natural world around them. At Bloom, Catriona serves as the Director of Community and Partnerships, where she focuses on building the Bloom community of students, parents, teachers, supporters, and external partners.

Catriona's interest in innovation and change in education has allowed her to become a part of a global network of changemakers, who meet regularly to discuss best practice in a range of educational fields. She is an Ambassador for HundrEd, a global education non profit whose mission is to improve education through impactful innovations. She has been invited to speak and run workshops for practitioners at a range of conferences around the world on topics such as wellness in education, empathy based leadership, nature based learning and the links between creativity and education.

Catriona is a creative at heart and has researched the link between creativity and education at length. She is a practicing ceramicist and film photographer and has a home studio on Lamma Island, where she runs a number of workshops to teach creativity using the natural world.

Cara is from mainland China and Mandarin is her first language. She has a genuine passion for teaching Chinese, after she obtained her degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language from Tianjin University of Science and Technology, she continued to study at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and received her Master’s degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. This was followed by a PGDE in ECE from The Education University of Hong Kong.

Cara has been teaching Chinese for seven years and helps students to customize their Mandarin studies in both motive and method. Cara really enjoys teaching and taking care of children. Helping them to achieve their own milestones is one of her personal motivations. She is also able to encourage and guide her students to explore their daily life and cultivate positive values during their learning opportunities and interaction with peers and adults, which she believes is essential for children's development.

Cara likes sports, arts and music, playing drums and learning different instruments is one of her passions, and she goes to the gym everyday!

Connie’s passion in language and literature leads her to various areas, from advertising to translation studies, and eventually to bilingual education. She has taught in private bilingual schools, ESF schools and other international schools in Hong Kong, with curriculum experiences over Chinese immersion, IB PYP Chinese and Chinese as a foreign language. Connie holds a MA in Translation from Hong Kong Baptist University and a MED from The University of Hong Kong. She also finishes her PGDE from Education University of Hong Kong, where she is trained in special needs education with a focus on supporting students with challenges in Chinese reading and writing. She is experienced in one-on-one and small group learning support, as well as classroom lead teaching for all Primary grade levels.

With a firm belief that students’ well-being is the foundation of education, Connie is dedicated to research and design engaging Chinese lessons with appropriate differentiation strategies. She has also applied her training from art and music therapy to help channeling students’ emotions, and actively integrated multi-sensory and multimedia tools in her classes to motivate learning. In her spare time, Connie enjoys books and movies, hiking and cycling. She is looking forward to taking her students to the bigger classroom outside — parks and trails, art venues and local communities — to experience and explore the beauty and creativity shaped by languages and culture.

Ling majored in Chinese Language and Literature and has been teaching Chinese for a number of years. Her career experience has been unforgettable and full of laughter, no matter being the Chinese class teacher in a bilingual kindergarten or the Mandarin instructor for a five-star hotel training section.

Ling began teaching students the IB and IGCSE Chinese curriculum nine years ago. Her students are all studious and have attained grades 6 and 7 in IB examinations. She enjoyed teaching Chinese as well as accompanying the children, and would teach them to sign and read prose in Chinese beyond daily classes, so as to allow students to grasp the essence and magnificence of Chinese sentences through the songs’ rhythms and lyrics, as well as to experience the beauty of the scenes depicted by the prose by reading them out. Ling's students have won champions and 1st runner ups in Hong Kong Schools Speech Festivals, and she is wild with joy whenever she finds her students are learning Chinese with enthusiasm and motivation. She is fond of signing, listening to music, reading and making pan-fried buns too.

Sophie is a firm believer in experiential learning. Sophie’s deep understanding of both Chinese and Western cultures allows her to combine the strengths of the two worlds into her daily work. Sophie’s experience in the business world cultivated her strategic mindset and spirit of always striving for excellence.

Sophie completed her primary and secondary education in China. Growing up in a maker family, Sophie enjoyed solving real life problems with her inventions. She was admitted to University of Cambridge as the first pilot student straight after Chinese high school. At Cambridge, Sophie received her bachelor’s degree in Engineering and master’s degree in Finance.

Sophie has worked for leading global investment banks and Fortune 500 companies including UBS and JT International. Sophie worked closely with senior leadership in these firms to manage strategic and acquisition projects across Asia Pacific.

Sophie has always been passionate about education and finds education her next calling. She strives to discover each child’s uniqueness, and to enlighten them to find their significance and meaning in life. Sophie is a trained Positive Education educator.

In her life, Sophie enjoys travelling and reading stories to children.

Elliot has always been deeply involved with education and finds teaching to be something that gives him flow, meaning, and enjoyment.

Elliot’s interest in teaching began during his time at United World College Red Cross Nordic in Norway. There, he gained an appreciation for teaching students from his various tutoring and teaching experiences, and also developed a deep passion for doing good for society. Combining his interests in education and social justice, he used this experience to springboard his career in education.

Elliot graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, as well as minors in Education and Data Science. His undergraduate research focused on moral discussion and moral education.

During his free time, Elliot loves to do fencing, as well as perform magic, and coding. He hopes to connect with his students through his interest in video games and storytelling.