meet the team

Kelvin Hornsby has held numerous education leadership positions in the public and private sectors internationally over the past 16 years. He has seen the development of individual schools as well as large portfolios catering for upwards of 18,000 students.

Kelvin joined GEMS Education in June 2016 as Principal/CEO of GEMS Cambridge International School – Abu Dhabi, where he oversaw the school’s successful first set of GCSE and A-level results and an ‘Outstanding in all Categories’ inspection result from British Schools Overseas (BSO). Today, Kelvin is at the helm of GEMS World Academy – Abu Dhabi, a growing school with big ambitions thanks to his leadership and vision and the school’s brand-new campus on Al Reem Island.

As GEMS Education’s Cambridge Brand Leader, Kelvin also supports standards across three Cambridge schools with a combined student body of over 8,000, while at the same time, in his capacity as Vice President – Education, supporting all GEMS schools in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, encompassing 10 schools and five different curricula.

Kelvin’s approach to school improvement is truly people-centred, ensuring every child thrives thanks to teaching and curriculum excellence. His strategic focus is always forward-thinking with an emphasis on developing close partnerships that support and lead to ever greater positive outcomes for the students in his care.

As part of this, Kelvin leads High Performance Learning (HPL) within GEMS, working alongside the existing nine World Class Fellowship Schools and Principals to develop HPL World Class learning experiences provided for over 50,000 learners by some 4,500 educators. July 2021, Kelvin was awarded the status of Honorary Fellow for his HPL work in a global context.

David Craggs joined GEMS World Academy – Abu Dhabi in 2022 with over 12 years’ senior leadership experience, including five years as Head of Secondary and two years as Vice Principal at his previous school, GEMS Cambridge International School – Abu Dhabi.

During his time at Cambridge International, David supported the school through its ‘Outstanding in all areas’ British Schools Overseas inspection, its ever-improving ADEK inspections, and its Optimus school awards for Excellence in Pupil Development, SEND Inclusion, Leading Parent Partnership, and Wellbeing. He also helped to drive the school’s record academic success year on year and the expansion of its sixth form provision, rising from 30 graduates to over 100 in just three years, with students going on to attend top Ivy League and Russell Group universities.

David is a passionate, committed and values-driven educator, focused on ensuring all learners achieve success no matter where their interests lie. He sees it as all educators’ duty to prepare the children in their care for the next phase of their education journey as well-rounded individuals who are fully equipped to thrive as global citizens.

David also firmly believes that a leadership team should have a visible presence and openly communicate with all school stakeholders, encompassing learners and their families, teachers, support staff and the wider community.

Vicky Martin joined GEMS World Academy – Abu Dhabi as Primary Principal in 2022. Her successful career in education spans over 23 years, 16 of which have been at senior leadership level within the GEMS Education group of schools. Vicky first joined GEMS in 2005, when she took up the position as one of the founding members of the senior leadership team at GEMS Royal Dubai School – a primary school that she later went on to lead as Principal.

During her time at GEMS Royal Dubai School, Vicky successfully supported the school’s growth from an initial 60 students to over 1,000. Under her leadership, the school went on to achieve a wealth of accolades, including ‘Outstanding’ KHDA inspection status (a rating the school has maintained for the last five consecutive inspections), COBIS Membership, High Performance Learning World Class Award and Optimus awards for Wellbeing and Leading Parental Partnership.

The High Performance Learning pedagogy, a focus on wellbeing and the development of strong parental links are very much at the centre of Vicky’s education philosophy and vision to ensure student success in their lifelong learning journeys. She believes in the importance of a holistic approach, where students develop webs of information rather than merely memorizing facts. Vicky is also an advocate of a ‘balance in education’, recognising the importance of teaching core skills alongside enabling student-led enquiry, creativity and innovation.

Vicky qualified with a BA (Hons) in Primary Education with subject specialism in English from University of Winchester, UK. In 2020, Vicky completed the UK-based Headteacher qualification (NPQH) and she now has ambitions to complete a Master’s in Education in the near future.