Celina Midelfart, Board Trustee
Oslo International School (OIS)
We engaged Jon and GSO to perform a complete operational review of the business operations of Oslo International School (OIS). He delivered a report to the School Board / Head of School on the full operational observations. He had and
recommended solutions from a Systems/Practices/ Personnel perspective that served as a longer-term roadmap to improve OIS Operations (discussed in board meetings attended). In short, this was an Operational Transformation.
Jon´s report proved to be a real eye-opener to all board members. It addressed a significant and far-reaching scope of relevant operational aspects, and not least revealed many areas in dire need of significant, and urgent improvement. His reporting provided us with much need in decision making, supporting documents on which to conclude, priorities, and budget for going forward. He showed incredible insight, competence, and comparative knowledge of great value in steering us to optimal solutions in an optimal cost and
efficiency optimal manner. Jon impressively managed to conclude the above-mentioned task by working in a most
collaborative and appreciated manner within all the different resource areas, bringing the organization together and creating a unified team.
In May of 2022, when the Head of Administration suddenly departed OIS, Jon was asked to fill the spot (de facto COO/CFO). He began to implement the recommended strategies (new Admissions system, new OIS website, critical friend/advisor to the Head of
School) and work with the Head of School in hiring a new Director of Finance and Operations (DFO), while coaching the leadership and management teams on aligning for better practices and communication.
He ensured the transition to the new DFO in the midst of a turbulent period with many changes and delivered it in a professional and orderly manner. Jon has impressive work capacity and work ethic and injects positive energy into any challenge and
task he is asked to look into. He created a very successful bridge between the financials and operations, providing our new DFO with a flying start.
Jon worked to train the new DFO on business operations leadership in international schools (he came from the corporate world), while also working with him to establish more mature financial practices within the school. Both continued to work on the financial analysis that Jon started and the DFO has continued to this day. While the DFO focused more heavily on financials, Jon primarily kept the daily operations moving forward.
Overall, we are now seeing the benefits of new systems that have been launched and some better resourcing, and we’re tangibly on our way to operational transformation, though still have a long way to go. OIS has been through a rather impressive, transformational journey in a short period of time. Jon did a tremendous job not only with his factual and knowledge-based
approach, but also in merging and combining the many different schools of thought represented at the onset, paving the way for a more uniform and correct perspective of the past and present status of the school.
We are most grateful to have had the pleasure of Jon´s positive, energetic, firm but collaborative spirit, unifying and improving all important areas of OIS´s operations. We are forever grateful to him and his excellent services, and I would sincerely recommend
him to whoever in similar needs.
Jon was at OIS for about 9 months on/offsite and has continued to support offsite to this day as the de facto Head of Admissions during OIS's most critical enrolment year in the school's recent history, using the system he designed to re-enroll and welcome 2023-24 students to OIS.
If you have any further questions regarding Jon's qualifications, please feel free to contact me.
Celina Midelfart, Board Member, Oslo International School (OIS)
Midelfart Capital AS, Tjumholven Alle 3, N-0252 Oslo, Norway (+47 24 11 02 00) cm@midelfartholding.com