Panoba IN DETAIL
British education consultants and Co-founders, Debbie Gispan and Nicky Sakpoba, recognise that each child is unique and ensure that the final choice of education is centred around an understanding of the student and what will suit them best.
Panoba are a certified agent of the prestigious BSA (Boarding Schools Association). Boasting a strong and extensive database of personal and professional contacts and services which enables them to provide their clients with a level of service unattainable elsewhere. Discretion, trustworthiness and professionalism are what makes Panoba the lifestyle service choice for our overseas and high-end clientele
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PANOBA UK
NICKY SAKPOBA
CO-FOUNDER & DIRECTOR
+44 203 633 3101 | +44 7956 963022
NICKY@PANOBA.CO.UK
Nicky was educated at an independent girls’ day school in West London, and continued on to study for her Bachelor’s degree in European Languages at Royal Holloway College, University of London.
Nicky’s career started in the luxury hotel industry, where she spent the initial 10 years of her career in management roles in a number of London’s most prestigious five-star hotels. She went on to spend the following 12 years of her career in senior marketing roles within the London commercial property sector.
As a mother of two teenage children, Nicky has been through the school search and selection process herself from prep schools through to sixth form, and co-founding Panoba in 2014 was a natural extension of her personal experiences.
Nicky has a passion for offering overseas families sound and honest advice, together with a handholding service to navigate the complexities of the UK education system and the school admissions process.
Nicky lives in North London with her family and runs the Panoba UK office.
PANOBA NIGERIA
DEBBIE GISPAN
CO-FOUNDER & DIRECTOR
+234 813 555 3377 | +44 7956 910459
debbie@panoba.co.uk
Debbie was educated within the independent sector and attended a UK boarding school during her teenage years. She studied for her bachelor’s degree at UCL and later completed an MSc in International Business from the University of London.
Having graduated, Debbie spent several years working in investment banking. During her time in the City and armed with an already extensive skill set, she developed strong logistical and management tools which enabled her to support her discerning clientele who had high expectations in all areas.
Taking a break from the city at the end of 2010, Debbie spent several years living in West Africa. While there, Debbie began to notice a distinct lack of quality of independent educational advice for families who were considering sending their children to the UK for their education.
Determined to improve on the quality of advice available and driven by a passion for education forged from her own experience of school admissions, Debbie and her partner Nicky set about co-founding an educational lifestyle service company, with education as its principal focus.
Panoba Ltd was established in 2014 when Debbie returned to the UK to settle her own children into their secondary schools. In 2019 Debbie returned to Nigeria to set up a West Africa office located in Abuja.
PANOBA NIGERIA
OLUWATOBI RUTH OJO
EDUCATION CONSULTANT
+234 (0) 816 725 5225 | +44 (0)203 633 3101
tobiojo@panoba.co.uk
Tobi received her education at a Federal Government Girls’ Boarding School in Nigeria before continuing her studies at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife to earn a bachelor’s degree in English Language.
Her career began in the information technology sector, where she worked as a customer-focused Customer Support Officer for the first five years of her career before moving on to become a Customer Retention Manager for the same business.
She is a skilled phone etiquette expert who concentrates on sales, client acquisition and retention, as well as the resolving of complaints. She is skilled at establishing corporate goals and developing strategies with team members and organizational executives to promote revenue generation and business expansion.
Tobi has now found her niche within the education sector where she began work for Panoba Ltd. She enjoys assisting numerous local and international families in locating their ideal schools, ensuring that their educational journey gets off to the best start possible, helping them choose the colleges or universities that are best for them and/or their children, conducting testing, and providing educational advice.
She is there to support and assist families who require assistance with making those critical decisions at every stage of the road, from boarding schools through university admissions.
Tobi has a demonstrated track record in developing scalable customer service infrastructures to nurture relationships with clients. She is currently utilizing her experiences and communication skills to resolve, improve, and transform the face of PanobaNG Ltd in Nigeria.
PANOBA FORCES
STACEY HEARTFORD
EDUCATION CONSULTANT
+44 203 633 3101
stacey@panoba.co.uk
Stacey was educated at the University of Wales Aberystwyth and Nottingham Trent University, graduating with a BA Hons Degree in Film and Television Studies and a PGC in Social Science Research Methods. She went on to follow her dream of working in the television industry, quickly progressing to the role of senior researcher for the Clear Picture Company and Carlton Television.
During her years at Carlton she worked on several documentaries about the military. It was whilst filming that she met her husband and started on an exciting new journey as an Armed Forces wife. Since joining the amazing Forces Family Stacey has had a diverse career history, following her husband around the globe. She’s worked in a plethora of roles for the MOD civil service, in addition to selling and planning in-house weddings and special events for a corporate hotel chain.
Stacey has now found her niche within the education sector where she began work for MOD schools overseas. She most recently worked in a pupil support role in a UK state school assisting children with special educational needs (SEN). Stacey also has a passion for children’s literature and is a published children’s author.
As a mother of two, Stacey is acutely aware of the struggle faced by forces families daily. She has lived in 8 locations world-wide and her young children have lived in 3 different countries and changed schools 4 times in the last 5 years. She understands the quirks of military life, postings, detachments and the reality of constantly moving children. She says “this can lead to awful gaps in education and disrupt the harmony of close childhood friendship ties. Taking children away from everything that is comfortable and familiar can be heart-breaking”. Having recently worked in a rights respecting school, Stacey feels passionate about the right of the child to feel settled and happy in an educational environment, believing that education must be child-centred and empowering.
As Panoba’s Forces and FCDO specialist, Stacey is excited to continue her positive impact on children’s lives helping provide them the ability to flourish in a place they feel they belong. She’s extremely focused on fitting the child to the right educational environment enabling them to reach their full potential, achieving their aspirations and dreams. She also feels it is extremely important to connect the children with the school that will make them feel most at home whilst their family home keeps on moving, providing the chance for children of the Forces and FCDO family to have roots to grow and wings to fly.