Meet our Leadership Team
Our Bright Horizons UK Leadership Team inspires a culture of excellence and enthusiasm within an inclusive work environment. Their vision and strategic direction help to enrich the lives of children in our care and supports families, businesses and employees with practical solutions in our nurseries, and through our work and family services.
To learn more about each member of the team and how they contribute to our company mission, read below:
Ros Marshall, OBE
Managing Director International
Ros is responsible for our services outside North America, including the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Australia and India.
Prior to joining Bright Horizons as UK Managing Director in 2020, Ros was the CEO of Taaleem, one of the leading groups of private international schools in the UAE.
Phil Smith
UK Managing Director
Phil joined Bright Horizons as the UK Managing Director in September 2024, bringing with him a wealth of experience from his impressive career in people-led services. Before becoming part of our family, Phil spent 16 years at Sodexo, a global leader in food services and facilities management. During his time there, he was a key member of the Regional Leadership Team and served as the CEO of Schools and Universities for the UK and Ireland for three years.
Iain Colledge
Executive Director of Operations
Iain leads and oversees our Divisional and Regional Operations teams to ensure operational excellence and best practice in care and education throughout our nurseries.
He also works closely with our specialist support functions to achieve a positive difference in the lives of our children, families, clients, and staff.
Caroline Wright
Director of Early Childhood
Caroline is our Director of Early Childhood and leads Bright Horizons' Early Childhood team.
Her team is responsible for developing and leading best practice in teaching and learning across all of our nurseries. They are continually making a positive contribution to national policy, representing Bright Horizons in discussions around Early Childhood development in the UK.
Janine Leightley
HR Director
Janine joined Bright Horizons in 2021 and has made a significant impact. She has driven a people-first culture and helped us win multiple awards, including the full suite of Great Place to Work accolades and a listing in the inaugural Financial Times Best UK Workplaces.
Janine is an advocate of strong core principles and shared values. Her expertise centers on building relationships between corporate culture, employee experience, and performance.
With a well-established background in operations and HR management, Janine has a successful record of leadership, focusing on determining and delivering organizational change. She has also driven business transformation and growth as an executive consultant.
Janine has previously held several board-level positions at Arcadia, BHS, and T.M.Lewin
John Butler
Director of Finance (UK)
John has extensive expertise within a range of finance, operational and sales roles in the education sector, both nationally and globally.
He is passionate about delivering results which will make a difference in the lives of children and families.
Harvey Lay
Property Director
Harvey is the Property Director at Bright Horizons and is responsible for the team that manages all property and health and safety-related aspects of the nursery portfolio.
These include: facilities; health and safety audits; asset/lease management; and refurbishments/project work. He also leads on the acquisition of new nurseries, from site identification, be it a green field site or the conversion of a historic building, to full fit out.
