Our Board

Chris Sawyer

Chair of the Board

Chris Sawyer is legal manager for BP’s North Sea and Russia businesses, working in Aberdeen and living in Aboyne. He moved with his family to Scotland from London in 2005 and apart from three years in Moscow has lived and worked here ever since. His children have attended ISA since 2016, valuing the locally-rooted but globally-focused education offered by the school. He has been a member of the Board since May 2018.

Tristan Cutler

Vice Chair of the Board

Tristan is a Private Equity investor and Fund manager for Kinch Enterprises, leading and managing investments across multiple sectors. Prior to joining Kinch Enterprises, Tristan was an Investor with 3i, a UK based Private Equity firm where he was responsible for the origination, evaluation and execution of investment opportunities in the Oil and Gas sector. Prior to 3i, Tristan was an Officer in the Royal Navy where he held various support, planning and operational logistics roles at sea and ashore in the UK and internationally. Tristan is married to Melanie who is an active member of the ISA Parent Teacher Organisation. They have two children who have attended ISA since 2011.

Giselle Varn

Treasurer of the Board

Giselle Varn is the Europe GM Controller for Schlumberger and serves on its board of directors. She leads a diverse team responsible for accounting for both on-shore and off-shore activity. Before coming to Aberdeen, Giselle worked for Schlumberger in North America in a variety of roles the last involved leading a team of 90 finance professionals responsible for North America reporting.

Prior to joining Schlumberger, Giselle worked for Colgate as well she has taught at several Universities. Giselle earned an MBA from the University of Montana. Her daughter attends ISA and is in grade 11.

Fiona Lestrange

Secretary of the Board

Fiona grew up in coastal Australia and is married to Brett who is also Australian. She is a full time mother to their two third culture kids, Finn and Ava. Having relocated eight times between UK, USA and Africa, they now call Aberdeenshire home. Fiona enthusiastically cultivates the spirit of service in their family and has spent the last 20 years volunteering, serving on several PTO boards and other social committees and charitable organizations around the world. Fiona is a regular ISA library volunteer and has been an active member of the ISA PTO since joining the school six years ago. Prior to starting their family, Fiona had a successful career in the fashion industry before specializing in training and development. Fiona is a qualified coach mentor and was a faculty member of the Oxford School of Coaching and Mentoring.

Julie Currie

Board Member

Julie is a member of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (ACCA) and has worked in senior financial positions in oil service companies. Since leaving full time employment to have her children, she has worked for charities doing their accounts and jointly owned a construction company. Her husband David works in sub sea robotics and together they own a small property development and rental business. Their children came from the local school system to join ISA in 2016. Julie is an active member of the PTO and a volunteer in the school library.

Melanie Fauvel

Board Member

Melanie is French and has 2 children enrolled in elementary at ISA. She is the Managing Director of VOG UK. Arrived in Aberdeen last summer with her family, after 5 years in the USA, she has worked previously in different European countries. She enjoys a lot interacting with different cultures. Excited to join the ISA family and its international program, she is looking forward to supporting ISA to adapt to a continuously changing environment.

Dr Ravyn Hurry

Board Member

English, of Mauritian origin, Ravyn is an accomplished petrophysicist and project manager, employed by Shell. Over the last 12 years, he has worked in locations as varied as Norway and Oman. These experiences have provided him broad insight into diverse cultures. Excited by the energy transition, he would like to help ISA foster a genuine insight into future global energy scenarios. With one child at ISA (and another starting next school year), the school's wellbeing in these uncertain times is firmly in his interest.

Paul de Leeuw

Board Member

Paul is a senior industry leader and executive with over 33 years’ experience in the global energy sector. He has worked for a wide range of companies, including Shell, Marathon Oil, Amoco, BP, Venture Production and Centrica.

He is currently the Director of Robert Gordon University’s Energy Transition Institute, Chair of the National Energy Skills Accelerator, Chair of PlanSea Solutions and a Professor at Robert Gordon University (UK).

Paul is an experienced non-executive director, with over 20 years of involvement in public, private and voluntary sector organisations. He is also a regular contributor to industry events and a frequent media commentator on issues and developments in the international energy sector.