Michael Iannini
Michael is ACAMIS’s Leadership Development Facilitator, Search Associates Contracted HR PD Coordinator for China, and an affiliated Council of International School’s (CIS) consultant with the following areas of expertise:
Appraisal and professional development
Leadership training
School governance
Strategic planning
Michael’s expertise has contributed immensely to the building of an effective Board. He has been instrumental in the development of a sustainable HOS performance evaluation process, building upon the benchmark evaluators of his Success Profile Analysis and has facilitated our Board review and training, bringing governors together for an annual reflection and deep dive into the work for the year and driving strategic direction for the year ahead.
Edward Lau
Board Chair
Derek Pinchbeck
Head of School
International College Hong Kong
Michael Iannini is the founder of PD Academia and a leading voice in school leadership development across Asia. With over 20 years of experience, Michael’s journey began as a research assistant at Arizona State University’s Child Development Laboratory, where he was an Early Years Educator.
Since moving to China in 1999 as an Early Years Teacher, he has advised and trained hundreds of international schools, focusing on strategic alignment, leadership development, and holistic, impact-driven professional development.
As the author of Hidden in Plain Sight: Realising the Full Potential of Middle Leaders, Michael established the foundation of his leadership development approach. Through his platform, www.middleleader.com, he regularly shares insights, articles, and exclusive interviews with school leadership influencers, helping schools rethink the role and potential of their middle leadership teams.
PD Academia’s partnerships with ACAMIS and Search Associates are a testament to Michael’s deep understanding of the unique challenges facing China’s international schools and his commitment to sustainable school improvement.
Known for his genuine dedication to each project’s success, Michael is committed to:
Investing the time needed to create impactful, customised solutions tailored to each school’s unique context.
Engaging consistently with school leaders and stakeholders to align PD initiatives with strategic goals.
Navigating schools through complex, shifting environments with a hands-on, adaptive approach.
Championing for and prioritising holistic development and lasting impact of professional development.
Michael’s approach goes beyond quick fixes or generic workshops. He’s driven by a commitment to measurable success and helping schools realise the full potential of their teams.
“Michael’s work with our Board has empowered us to take positive, purposeful actions in the areas that are likely to generate the greatest return on investment in terms of improving Board performance. I would also like to commend Michael on being very accommodating and flexible throughout this process.”
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What People Are Saying
Listen to YCIS's experience in developing a mentoring culture at their schools.
“
The training has been very successful and has enabled our middle leaders, some of whom are fairly inexperienced, to develop a wider understanding of the leadership role and be provided with tools to scaffold their leadership journey.
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— DR. HELEN KELLY
Lower School Principal, Canadian International School of Hong Kong
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Michael helped us to understand each parties governing responsibilities and facilitated discussions to focus our work for the coming year. This led to the school contracting Michael to design and facilitate our international recruitment process for the new Head of School.
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— JOHN WILSON
Chairman of Board of Governor, International College Hong Kong – Hong Lok Yuen
“
Michael involved himself deeply in the project, spending several days a month in Shanghai over the course of 9 months to administer the needs analysis, train our managers and support them in the development of PD opportunities for their staff, and also develop such opportunities himself with his team at PDAcademia. His contribution to our school has been very beneficial.
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— EMMANUEL BONIN
Deputy Head, School Shanghai American School
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The consensus of our team was the successful outcome derived from Michael’s careful pre-analysis, including perceptive interviews of the participants before the program commenced, and an uncommon ability by anecdotal good humor to draw out everybody’s opinions, encouraging interactive discussion and create a sense of common ownership.
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— JOHN PATRICK BASKETT
The J.S.P. Schools Association
