Chair

Rebecca Ward

Rebecca Ward is a British diplomat who arrived in Ankara in August 2022. Rebecca has been a diplomat for the last 20 years and has had previous postings in Pakistan, Colombia and Cyprus. Before becoming a diplomat, Rebecca was a corporate finance lawyer based in London and Tokyo. She has a son and a daughter both at school in BESA.

Embassy Representative

Gary Benham

Gary Benham is a career diplomat that joined the British Embassy Ankara in July 2023. Previously Gary (and his wife, Amanda) has served diplomatic postings in Chile, Tunisia, Cambodia, South Africa and the Cayman Islands. With a passion for excellence in education, Gary was, until December 2022, the Chairman of the Board of Governors for the John Hanson Community School in Hampshire, England.

Gary and Amanda have two adult children (Luke and Amber), both of whom enjoyed their education in the overseas school sector.

 Yudum Kaya

Yudum Kaya was elected a Parent Governor in September 2020. He has two children attending BESA.

Scott Kofmehl

Scott Kofmehl is a U.S. diplomat and arrived in Summer 2022 to Ankara. Scott has worked for the U.S. Department of State since 2006, including assignments in Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, and Myanmar, as well as postings in Washington, D.C. Scott and his spouse have two children studying at BESA. 

Staff Governor

Sarah Tutal                    

Sarah Tutal is the Reception class teacher at BESA. She has been a member of the Governing Body since September 2019.

Community Governors

Marianne Young 

Marianne Young is a career diplomat and arrived in Ankara to take over as Deputy UK Ambassador in January 2020. She was previously British High Commissioner in Namibia. She has also served in South Africa on a diplomatic posting, and in Asia in the private sector as a trade journalist. She has teenage daughters and a son in boarding school in the UK. Marianne is a member of the P & SP Sub-Committee.

Arda Yakici  

Arda Yakici is a British and Turkish Citizen and owner of a commercial consultancy company based in the UK, UAE and Ankara. Arda joined the Board as a community governor in September 2023. He is also a member of the Finance Sub-committee and treasurer in BESA FPTA. Arda has a daughter in the school.

Emrah Yaykiran             

Emrah Yaykiran is a business development executive and consultant for firms targeting the MENA region in the field of construction. He is a Turkish citizen who was elected as a member of the Finance Committee in September 2023. He has two sons attending the Primary and Middle Years in BESA.

Roohi Malik

Roohi Malik is a British diplomat with over 15 years of working in development in overseas contexts and is currently the Development Director of British Embassy Ankara. She has worked exclusively in the Middle East for the last 10 years and is an Arabic speaker, previously posted to Jordan and Lebanon. She has a BA from Goldsmiths College in London and a MA from UCL in International Development and Education. She has two children currently at the school in Reception and Year 2.

Babylonia Aziz

Babylonia Aziz is a humanitarian aid worker who arrived in Ankara in July 2021 with her husband, an American diplomat, and two children. Together they previously served in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Abu Dhabi. She currently works for Save the Children's Middle East & Eastern Europe Regional Office and is a troop leader for the Ankara Girl Scouts. Babylonia has two daughters attending the school.

Co-Opted Governors

Gökçe Matthijssen

Gökçe Matthijssen is a Turkish citizen. She is a founder and executive specializing in emerging technologies internationally. Gökçe joined the Board of Governors in November 2023. She has a son attending BESA. 

Headteacher

Andrew Ryan                      Aryan@besaturkey.org

Andy Ryan joined the school in September 2017.  Andy has worked in schools since 1996 and has held two deputy headships and a headship at other International Schools before joining BESA. He has also served on the leadership teams of schools in the UK and is the current Middle East District Representative for IAPs. Andy has three children at the school.