Professor Ger Graus OBE

Speaker Summary

Professor Ger Graus OBE is an iconic figure in the field of education. A renowned expert on educational innovation and community engagement, he is the first Global Director of Education at the world-famous children’s entertainment-education company, KidZania. With his extensive experience at the very highest level of the learning industry, Professor Graus is a much sought-after advisor for organisations globally on the future direction of education. Driven by his famous mantra that “Children can only aspire to what they know exists” Professor Graus champions the cause of creativity, progress, equity, and innovation in children’s learning. We are honoured by his presence at the summit.

Areas of Expertise

Wellbeing – Whole School Improvement

Full Profile

Professor Ger Graus OBE is the first Global Director of Education at KidZania. KidZania is where children aged 4 to 14 can experience the world of work through role-playing. It is designed to inspire and empower: “from inspiration to aspiration”. Since its inception in 1999 in Mexico City, KidZania now has a presence in 30 cities on 5 continents with plans for further developments in some 20 locations including the USA, Canada, China, and South Africa.

Before he began working for KidZania, Professor Graus was the founding Chief Executive of the Children’s University in 2007. Under his leadership, the University flourished to worldwide recognition, earning multiple international awards, and provided countless 5 to 14-year-olds with exciting and innovative learning opportunities outside of their school hours. The Children’s University has expanded even further, and now extends its reach as far as Australia, China, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Middle East.

Professor Graus began his teaching career upon his arrival into the UK in 1983, at the Taverham High School in Norwich. He then moved to Hull, taking on an upper management role at a high school there. Subsequently, he has served as the Education Adviser for Manchester City Council, where he introduced Modern Foreign Languages into the primary school phase, as the Senior Inspector for Salford City Council, and as the Direction of two Education Action Zones in south Manchester, where he led improvements in quality and standards across 29 schools and tens of thousands of students.

Professor Graus’s stellar contributions to the world of education have not gone unrecognised. In 2019 he was] invited to become a Visiting Professor at the National Research University Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Russia. He is also a Guest Lecturer at the Moscow School of Management, Skolkovo. He has been invited by the Crown Prince of Dubai to help shape the future of their education as a member of the Dubai Future Councils and in 2014 Ger Graus was made an Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to children.

Publications

– Planning for Volunteering: Guide to Children’s University Volunteering (2011)

– Planning for Learning: Children’s University – A National Framework for Validating Learning (2008)