MARIKAATO

Overview
For three years, I served as the Head of Marketing and Communications for CIA FIRST International School in Cambodia, a WASC-accredited private international school. My primary responsibility was to establish the marketing department, systematize operations, and clarify the school’s brand identity. I managed both internal and external communications, working to unify the fractured systems within a rapidly expanding institution that had never had a dedicated marketing role before.

Objective
The primary goal was to position the school as the leading educational institution for upper-class local families and expat communities, ensuring the school’s growth as both a business and an educational entity. This required creating a strong and consistent brand presence, streamlining communication strategies, and developing comprehensive marketing strategies that could bridge the gap between the academic and administrative departments.

Challenges and Solutions
One of the biggest challenges was that the school had grown faster than its internal processes, leading to a lack of unified procedures. I had to operate between two worlds: the academic team (primarily Western staff) and the administrative team (mainly local Cambodian staff). With my unique background—private school education in Kazakhstan, and international living experience in New Zealand and the UK—I often acted as a cultural bridge to facilitate communication and cooperation between these teams.

To address these challenges, I worked to establish a fully staffed marketing department that included teams responsible for communications, graphic design/visual support, and enrollment. Each team had clear responsibilities:

• Communications handled social media, web updates, newsletters, and school-wide parent communications.
• Graphic design/visual support maintained brand consistency, created branded materials, and supported the academic departments in their visual needs.
• Enrollment worked closely with finance and academic departments to manage student enrollments, payments, and prospective parent engagement.

I also spearheaded the creation of a branded store that sold clothing and stationery to enhance school spirit and reinforce the brand identity.

Key Accomplishments

• Developed a fully functional marketing department with clear roles and responsibilities.
• Opened a branded store to enhance school spirit and support brand identity.
• Successfully participated in 5 educational trade shows, expanding the school’s presence.
• Hosted 10 community events with over 7,000 participants each, strengthening local and expat engagement.
• Created multiple external partnerships with companies to support the school’s growth.
• Launched an internal magazine to share school news, featuring contributions from both staff and students to highlight the student experience.
• Managed and designed all event branding, from educational expos to school events, while also creating guidelines and policies for future marketing efforts.

Results
The result of my efforts was the creation of a cohesive brand identity that is now well recognized within the local and expat communities. The marketing department became an essential part of the school’s operations, contributing directly to its growth in enrollment, event success, and partnership opportunities.

By the end of my tenure, the school had a solid marketing foundation that allowed it to continue expanding while maintaining a strong brand and community presence.