Limassol, Cyprus, June 2026 — Yael Schools Network has appointed Galia Ellinsky as its Chief People and Culture Officer, strengthening its leadership team as the organization builds a growing ecosystem of Jewish international schools focused on academic excellence, global citizenship, Jewish identity, and educational innovation.
In her new role, Ellinsky will lead the people and culture agenda across the network, with a primary focus on recruiting, developing, supporting, and empowering exceptional educators and staff who will shape Yael Schools’ future learning communities. Her appointment comes as the network prepares to launch its first schools in Limassol, Cyprus, in September 2027 and Sintra, Portugal, in September 2028, with additional locations planned in the years ahead.
Yael Schools Network is developing a distinctive educational model anchored in the International Baccalaureate (IB) framework while integrating Jewish values, culture, and community life. The network’s educational philosophy is guided by eight pillars—Agency, Belonging, Creativity & Curiosity, Delight, Entrepreneurship, Future, Identity, and Tradition—designed to help students flourish academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually.
Sharing the news of her appointment, Ellinsky highlighted the alignment between her new role and one of the organization’s core values, Inspirational Staff.
“We are building a growing ecosystem of Jewish international schools committed to academic excellence, global citizenship, Jewish identity, and educational innovation. As Chief People and Culture Officer, my primary focus directly intersects with one of our core organizational values: Inspirational Staff. I am incredibly energized by the mission to recruit, nurture, support, and empower outstanding educators and staff members who will inspire and lead our school communities,” she said.
She added that the network is guided by the SPIRE framework, developed by Tal Ben-Shahar, which focuses on ensuring students thrive Spiritually, Physically, Intellectually, Relationally, and Emotionally, a vision that requires an exceptional, mission-driven workforce.
Ellinsky brings more than two decades of global leadership experience spanning human resources, people strategy, organizational development, business operations, workforce mobility, and executive leadership across technology, media, consulting, and global services organizations.
Prior to joining Yael Schools Network, she served as Chief of People and Israel Country Manager at SGF Global, where she led enterprise-wide HR strategy, workforce planning, talent acquisition, leadership development, and people governance across EMEA, North America, and Latin America. Earlier, she held the position of Israel Country Manager & Global HR Director at the company.
Before SGF Global, Ellinsky served as VP Business Operations at OpenWeb, overseeing global business operations and supporting organizational scaling across international markets.
Previously, she spent more than four years with Minute Media, where she held several senior leadership positions including VP, Global Operations, VP, Employee Experience and Global Operations, and Head of Global Operations, leading global HR operations, employee experience initiatives, employer branding, inclusion programs, and operational transformation across multiple regions.
Earlier in her career, she served as Chief Executive Officer of Relocation Source, advising multinational organizations on workforce mobility, relocation services, and HR operations. She also spent over 14 years at Intel Corporation, where she held a series of progressively senior roles including Relocation Program Office Manager of Global Workforce Mobility, Israel Mobility Manager, and Relocation Consultant, gaining extensive expertise in global HR operations, organizational change, employee services, and workforce mobility programs.
Her broad international experience in people leadership, organizational transformation, and talent development is expected to play a key role as Yael Schools Network builds a world-class educational ecosystem across multiple countries.
About Yael Schools Network
Yael Schools Network empowers Jewish children to flourish through academic excellence, Jewish values, strong community life, and an entrepreneurial mindset. The network combines rigorous academics with innovation, global perspectives, Jewish learning, culture, and tradition, creating environments where students feel empowered, safe, and supported. With new campuses planned across Europe and beyond, Yael Schools aims to prepare future generations through personalized education, community engagement, and purpose-driven learning experiences.
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