Maple Bear Global Schools Appoints Global CEO
TORONTO, Ontario, Canada, June 24, 2021 – Maple Bear Global Schools, a Canadian company and a well-established international leader in bilingual education, has appointed seasoned executive Arno Krug as its global CEO. Krug takes over the position after four years in the role of leading Maple Bear’s operations in Latin America, where the company has experienced significant growth under his leadership. For the past six months, he led Maple Bear’s operations on a global level as its COO before assuming his new role.
Krug’s primary objective in his new role will be to continue investing in the development of the Maple Bear network on a global scale to provide a high-quality bilingual education to children from different cultures as it continues to expand and enter new markets, following the successful trajectory developed in dozens of countries around the globe.
This trajectory has led Maple Bear to extend its global network from 20 to 30 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, adding 60 schools to its portfolio through its proven model. There are now more than 38,000 Maple Bear students worldwide, and the company seeks to ride this momentum forward as it expands into new markets such as the U.S., where it presently operates three schools, located in Texas and Arizona.
“While we currently have a relatively small presence in the U.S. market, Maple Bear has an internationally proven, scalable model for rapid expansion,” stated Maple Bear CEO, Arno Krug. “We have seen this growth in our other markets outside the U.S. with our portfolio growing significantly over the past year despite the pandemic. Our proprietary education methodology is based on a bilingual curriculum and a strong focus on the development of 21st century skills that are highly sought after by investors and parents alike. Our focus on creating future leaders who are global citizens is what sets us apart from others.”
Maple Bear’s immersion learning language program, a key component of its proprietary Canadian teaching methodology in all its 500+ schools, helps students face the globalized challenges of the future labor market, and it has proven effective on a global scale. With its schools spread across the globe, from Latin American countries such as Mexico, Brazil and Peru to Asian countries such as China, Korea, Singapore, and Vietnam, as well as a presence in Europe, India, Africa, and locations in Australia in the near future, Maple Bear is experienced in effectively applying its immersion language program in numerous cultures, with the second, or third language depending on the needs of that particular location and cultural geography.
Maple Bear has taken its successful Canadian methodology and bilingual education model, used in its other countries, and applied it to its Early Learning Centers in the U.S. Rather than simply memorizing vocabulary in the selected second language of Spanish, students experience full immersion blocks of time in the Spanish language while playing, singing, and learning about different subjects. Maple Bear sets itself apart from other schools through this proven bilingual education methodology.
About Maple Bear Global Schools
Maple Bear Global Schools was founded in 2003 in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, by Rodney Briggs, who recently retired as founding CEO. Rodney remains active with the company as Chairman and shareholder. Today, the Maple Bear network includes more than 580 schools, 380 schools are open and another 200 will be opening soon, in 30 countries, Maple Bear Global Schools is a world leader in bilingual education, offering high quality Infant care, Preschool, Kindergarten, Elementary and Secondary education, based on practices that place Canadian education among the best on the planet. Delivered in a safe and stimulating environment and with a multicultural and student-centered approach, the Maple Bear methodology develops curiosity, imagination, experimentation and discovery, sparking a true passion for lifelong learning.
About Arno Krug
An experienced leader, Arno Krug has served in many executive roles throughout numerous companies, including ALL Logistics, AB InBev, Pearson PLC, Wall Street English and now as CEO of Maple Bear Global Schools. Arno is responsible for all aspects of the Maple Bear operations, overseeing company structures, budgets, KPI management and financial sustainability. He also supports the growth of the number of global schools and students by working closely with existing joint venture partners and new partners to come, as well as building strategic relationships to foster Maple Bear’s continued expansion.
Arno holds a BSc in Law, a Post Grad in Administration, two Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in Logistics and in Franchising, as well as many certificates such as Disruptive Strategies, Global Business and Leading Management in Education from Harvard Business School.
About Grupo SEB
With more than 50 years of experience, Grupo SEB Educação is recognized as one of the leading education brands globally, providing innovative methodologies and cutting-edge digital solutions. Grupo SEB has more than 6,000 employees who are focused on delivering an excellent, student-centered education to 250,000 students in over 650 schools, operating in over 30 countries, around the world. Grupo SEB is a majority shareholder in Maple Bear Global Schools.