Stephen Bradford

I am the father of Saminda, who finished upper primary at BMS (Amanzi) in 2023, and Sonali (Amanzi), and I am the husband of Madi. I'm passionate about Montessori education and the principles of how a prepared environment facilitates the realisation of full human potential. I believe our teachers are our greatest asset, and I have been fortunate to learn from (as a parent) and be inspired by some exceptional Montessori teachers over the years. As a board member, I have focused on how we can encourage, support, and extend the school's efforts to keep and nurture this precious resource and am the chair of the Montessori Excellence Sub-committee.

Professionally, I have over 15 years of experience in medical research (Aust and O/S) and 10 years in commercialisation of early-stage technologies from research organisations and SME’s working with universities, government and small businesses to enable transformational projects. As BMS investigates big projects such as the senior school, I hope my experience in conducting due diligence, governance, contracts, project planning, and assessing if and how a solution may effectively provide the desired outcome will continue to be of use.

My “Montessori education” started from conversations with my mother-in-law (40+ years as a Montessori teacher/principal) and my investigation of some of Dr. Montessori’s writings over 15 years ago. As a family, our children have attended multiple Montessori schools in Sydney -ISMS and Cameragal and investigated a number of others, including Forestville and Bondi, before being fortunate enough to move to BMS. This journey means I now have a network of Montessorians in my life. I have degrees in Economics and Psychology and PhD in Developmental Biology. I am a graduate of the Australian Institute for Company Directors and have been a director on the BMS board for three years. I have experience on several committees, including co-chairing the CSIRO animal ethics committee (North Ryde), and am currently on a number of steering committees involving universities and corporate partners.