Governance at ULIS
United Lisbon International School is proud to be part of Dukes Education, a family of schools and educational organisations across the UK and Europe. Each school within Dukes Education maintains its own distinctive identity and ethos, while being united by a shared commitment to delivering outstanding teaching and learning.
Our Governance Structure
Governance at ULIS ensures that the school is well-led, forward-thinking, and focused on the best outcomes for our students. The Governors work strategically with the Head and Senior Leadership Team to guide the long-term strategic goals, vision and priorities of the school. Their role includes supporting and challenging leadership, monitoring educational quality, reviewing progress, and ensuring that statutory duties are fulfilled.
The Governors act as a “critical friend”, a trusted partner who offers constructive challenge while supporting the school’s continued growth and success. Operational responsibilities remain firmly with the Head and Senior Leadership Team. The Governors’ focus is on strategy, oversight, safety, wellbeing, and long-term school improvement, reflecting the governance approach used across the Dukes Education family.
Our Governors
David Fitzgerald
Chair of Governors & CEO at Dukes Education Europe
David.Fitzgerald@dukeseducation.com
David Fitzgerald is an experienced school and system leader with over 30 years of experience in education and having previously worked for the Reserve Bank of Australia. He holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Undergraduate degrees in Education and Business. David joins Dukes from Education in Motion (EiM), the leading Asia based school group that includes the Dulwich and Green School brands. In his role with EiM, he was responsible for the educational outcomes and the quality of education provision for all EiM international curricula schools and is focused on improving education quality.
David has been a successful Head/Principal of five schools across government, private independent and international sectors. He has been involved in international education since 2006 and has worked in IB World Schools, US Curriculum schools, Indian Curriculum schools and NCfE schools. David has system leadership experience with the English Schools Foundation in Hong Kong and with GEMS Education in the UAE where he was Senior Vice President, for US and IB Schools. David is an accredited IB, CIS and WASC team visitor and Chair, and an accredited Performance Coach.
Matthew Tompkins
Governor and Director of Dukes Portugal
Matthew.Tompkins@dukeseducation.com
Matt is an experienced educational leader with a rich and diverse portfolio of senior roles within the education sector. He first qualified as a secondary teacher in the UK at Brighton University and holds a Masters in Leadership and Management of Schools from Canterbury Christchurch University and undertook his first teaching position in 1997. In his early career, Matthew was awarded with Advanced Skills Teacher status, recognising his exceptional classroom practice which enabled him to be deployed in the support of teachers across schools in his region. He quickly moved into senior management and in January 2015 moved into his first Principal position. Eighteen months after his appointment, working alongside an excellent team, the school moved to OFSTED Outstanding in all categories.
In 2018, Matt moved to the UAE and in January 2022 took the GEMS school he was Principal / CEO of to Outstanding in all categories following their British School Overseas inspection. Later that year, Matt moved into the GEMS Corporate Team and has joined Dukes from the position of Senior Vice President – Human Resources for the GEMS Group.
Dr Ricky Tavares
Governor & Director, Dukes PLUS
Ricky.tavares@dukeseducation.com
Dr Ricardo Tavares attended Latymer Upper School before completing his prize-winning pre-clinical Medicine degree at Oxford University, followed by his clinical training at UCL. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has a Post Graduate Certificate in Medical Education, with several publications across both the medical and education space.
Ricardo practised as a doctor for a decade and has vast medical teaching experience, including roles at Imperial College and The University of Buckingham, and is a regular speaker at national careers events.
He co-founded The Medic Portal (in 2015) & The Lawyer Portal (in 2017). Combined, both organisations support over four million annual users and work with hundreds of schools across the world, on a clear mission to support aspiring medics and lawyers from all backgrounds.
In his spare time, Ricardo is passionate about sports. He played football at a professional youth level with Queens Park Rangers and was awarded an Oxford University Blue for representing the university in the annual Varsity football match against Cambridge. He is a keen golfer and runner.