Impact Continues: AISG's Executive Team Leading Into Our Next 45 Years

As the American International School of Guangzhou (AISG) opens the 2026–2027 academic school year and celebrates its 45th anniversary, we're excited and proud to share that Mr. Jamie Robb and Mr. Max Zhu, two of AISG’s impactful leaders, have stepped into new titles this year, part of AISG's leadership alignment to enhance school governance, operational efficiency, and academic excellence.

“AISG continues to be looking at how we can evolve in the international education space, not only in our instructional programs, but also in our leadership,” says Director Mr. Kevin Baker, reflecting on the start of another school year. “One of the actions we've taken to innovate this year is revising the titles of two of our most impactful leaders, to better reflect their excellence and innovation.”

Mr. Jamie Robb moves from Deputy Director to Head of School, reflecting his expanded leadership over AISG's academic vision – curriculum, teaching quality, and student learning outcomes – across both campuses. Mr. Max Zhu moves from Director of Facilities and Operations to Chief Finance and Operations Officer, recognizing his expansive role across the business and services that keep both campuses running and focused on the school experience.

"The three of us are the executive committee of the school," Mr. Baker explains. "At AISG, it's a collaborative approach. I continue to be Kevin Baker, the Director of the American International School of Guangzhou, and I continue to lead strategic responsibilities, crafting strategic partnerships, working with the government, working with the Board on the long-range vision of AISG. That is my responsibility: to be the legal representative and the face of AISG. That hasn't changed. Mr. Robb and Mr. Zhu will continue to report to me, and I have the utmost confidence in what they'll bring to their roles."

Jamie Robb: Driving AISG's Educational Vision

At AISG since 2020; previously led schools across four countries, including Canada, Kuwait, South Korea, and Brazil.

AISG is special because of its community, says Mr. Robb: “We've built some amazing partnerships, and the connections we have with our caregiver group are like no other I've seen in any other school. This isn't something we do alone. We do it together.” As Head of School, Mr. Robb says, "fundamentally how I show up every day won't change. I'll still be extremely visible in classrooms, with teachers, with students, on a day-to-day basis, and I'll remain connected and accessible to our caregivers. My decision-making will be expanded, and that will help our school become more efficient and put the supports in place that our community needs."

Looking ahead, his focus is AISG's transformative learning framework, ensuring “students are getting experiences in class that are authentic” and applying that learning “in the real world.” Mr. Baker calls Mr. Robb's global experience, spanning the Middle East, South America, and Asia, “a tremendous asset” to the role.

Max Zhu: Leading the Everyday Experience That Powers Teaching and Learning

At AISG since 2022; nearly two decades leading international school operations across China.

Mr. Zhu's expanded title reflects the level he's earned, years of dedication to AISG's services and school experience, now recognized at the level it deserves. "My title has changed to help people understand clearly what my responsibilities are, and how I can better optimize to serve the community," says Mr. Zhu. As Chief Finance and Operations Officer, Mr. Zhu leads budgeting, accounting, and procurement across both campuses, oversees campus safety and facilities, and manages the staffing and HR services that keep AISG running day to day. Mr. Baker calls him "a true treasure," pointing to the wealth of experience Mr. Zhu brings from three other international schools before Guangzhou, and his commitment to making sure "each and every one of our students has everything they need to be successful."

For a community that has watched Mr. Robb, and Mr. Zhu lead impact at AISG for years, this title change has come as no surprise. AISG's culture has always championed empowering compassionate leaders. “The ability to grow as a leader, and work with such an amazing senior leadership team, is incredibly important to me,” says Mr. Robb, Head of School. “There's nothing more satisfying than growing not only as an individual, but as a team and an organization.” Mr. Zhu, Chief Finance and Operations Officer, agrees: “This is not only a working space, but also a compassionate, welcoming, and warm community. This has inspired me to do my best to provide the services to our AISG families.”

Same Mission, Amplifying Impact

Ask any one of AISG's leaders what drives them, and the answers converge on the same word: impact. For Mr. Baker, that means a compassionate community living out its mission, "It is about impact, it's about engagement, and it's about being that compassionate community," he says, pointing to the resources, the team, and the talent already in place at AISG to deliver on it. Mr. Robb sees it in learning that reaches beyond the classroom, with students applying what they learn "not only in the community within the school, but also the community outside,” work he hopes will one day have a global reach. And for Mr. Zhu, it's about investing his knowledge. Nearly two decades of international school operations in China, he says, give him the confidence to bring real impact to AISG's community, from daily campus services to the resources every family relies on, and "give our students the best learning experiences in our school."

Entering the school's 45th anniversary year, Mr. Baker calls that shared sense of purpose what excites him most: "the chance to make a difference in the life of each family and child that we serve."

For Mr. Robb, that same purpose comes back to showing up. "My approach in working with our community is one of being authentic, developing those relationships, building trust, being visible, and being open to different ideas and sharing," he says, an approach built on keeping the door open between home and school. "What I want to do is make that bridge between our caregivers and the school, making sure they know what's going on, being available for them, making sure they can come in and talk to me and have a clear understanding. Because if we have that understanding, we can establish the partnerships that are so important to making sure our students do well in school, feel safe, and belong."

Same people. Same partnerships. Same commitment to every student feeling like they belong, carried forward, with more room to lead, into AISG's next 45 years.

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