Dr Phuntsho Wangdi is the President, bringing extensive experience in education, public policy, institutional leadership and international education consultancy. His career spans classroom teaching, school leadership, district education administration, national policy development and higher education, combining practical leadership with research on educational transformation.

He holds a PhD in Public Policy from Chiang Mai University, Thailand, a Master of Public Administration from the National University of Singapore, a Master of Education Studies from the University of Canberra, Australia, and a Master of Education from the Royal University of Bhutan. He also holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Education and a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in English from the University of Delhi, India. His academic achievements include the Presidential Scholarship from Chiang Mai University and the Chang Yung Fa Foundation Scholarship for his studies in Singapore.

Dr Wangdi previously served as Chief Programme Officer in Bhutan’s Ministry of Education; Project Manager on special assignment at the Education Review Office; and District Education Officer and Principal. His international experience includes working as a consultant in education consultancy in Australia and Singapore and as a Researcher at the University of New South Wales, Canberra.

His major contributions to national education reform include developing the Bhutan Education Blueprint 2014–2024 and leading consultancy assignments supporting Bhutan’s participation in PISA-D, the nationwide rollout of transformative pedagogy training, immersion programmes and the National Curriculum Conference. He has also contributed to operational guidelines for central, autonomous and private schools, alongside school disaster preparedness and education in emergencies initiatives.

Dr Wangdi’s scholarship examines education policy design, equity, sustainability, Gross National Happiness and the relationship between global educational approaches and Bhutanese cultural values. His publications include a chapter in the Handbook of Public Policy in Asia and articles in national and international journals. He has presented his research at conferences in Bhutan, Australia, Canada, Singapore, Thailand and South Korea.