Outgoing & Incoming Principals of Madrid's Most International School — On Leading 70 Nationalities

Two principals, one school. Eddie sits down with Chris Broman, outgoing principal of ICS Madrid after six years at the helm, and Sean O'Neill, who takes over the top job this September.ICS is unlike any other school in Madrid: 1,200 students, 70 nationalities, the only school in the city teaching the full International Baccalaureate in English from age 3 to 18 — and part of Nord Anglia, a global education group spanning 90+ schools across 37 countries.Chris and Sean open up about the founding of ICS in 1980 as a haven for Iranian refugees, what the IB really teaches that other curricula don't, and why a school with no uniform and constant student turnover produces unusually resilient kids. They get candid on the tension between profit and education, how to balance parents, teachers, students and shareholders, and the question keeping every educator awake in 2026: what is school for when AI knows more than any of us?Plus: Chris's advice as he hands over the keys, why "there are no right answers" in school leadership, and what Sean plans to protect — and change — over the next five years.In this episode:01:22 — The refugee-school origin story of ICS10:20 — What makes the IB different (and who it's not for)15:17 — 70 nationalities: the power and challenge of difference23:19 — Leading a school like a business: stakeholders, parents, profit45:10 — AI, social media bans, and the future of education59:13 — Legacy, stewardship, and passing the baton