Johann Loh (JL) - Managing Director

Mr Johann Loh was a national top student, a Rafflesian who graduated magna cum laude (high honours) from Princeton University. Originally hailing from a neighbourhood primary school, he was selected to join the GEP at NYPS. An academic high-flyer who won multiple prizes in Literature at RI and RJC, he received a full scholarship from Princeton University and spent one year across the pond at Oxford. After completing some postgraduate work with renowned philosopher Peter Singer, he was about to begin his PhD at Cambridge when he had a change of heart and decided to pursue his love for language in the private educational sector. He has been a language consultant and writer for a portfolio of high-profile clients including Singapore Management University, Louis Vuitton, Citibank, and BNP Paribas, among others. He is also the co-founder of the independent publishing house Beard & Balloon. Learn more at johannloh.com.

Dr Neil Laurence Coomber (NLC) - Director of Pre-University Studies & Business English

Highly respected by his former students, Dr Neil Laurence Coomber spent five years teaching General Paper at Raffles Institution, where he set examination papers ranging from Prelims and Promos to Common Tests. He possesses exam setting, marking and standardisation expertise, having developed school curriculum and infopacks for a variety of themes. His teaching skills are highly regarded by those who have had the good fortune to study under him and his legendary General Paper notes are highly sought after. Prior to teaching in Singapore, he taught English to MBA, graduate and business students internationally. His impeccable credentials include a PhD from Oxford University supervised by the Pro-Vice Chancellor of Oxford University, Professor Dame Jessica Rawson, as well as a Certificate in Teaching Gifted and Talented Students from Purdue. He has trained at the Raffles Teaching Academy and NIE and many will remember him as the Master of Ceremony during the quintessential school rugby finals for several seasons running. He knows how to guide students with their UCAS applications and testimonials to top universities, ranging from Oxbridge to the Ivy League.

Teaching style: Highly Structured & Scaffolded, Consultative, Direct Feedback, Participation Required

Lena Emmanuel (LE) - Academic Head of the Foundation Programme

A stalwart of the Singaporean education scene, Ms Emmanuel has an astounding three decades of experience teaching English both in the MOE and the private enrichment sector. Her traditional Peranakan background is reflected in her classical approach to English and writing. The quintessential lifelong learner, Ms Emmanuel also has a diploma in Applied Linguistics from SEAMEO Regional Language Centre and a merit certificate in Speech and Drama from the London College of Music and Media. Having taught both primary and secondary students, her strength lies in being able to animate and energise the classroom while maintaining a rigorous and disciplined approach to classroom management. Her formidable technical expertise draws from her PGDE training at the NIE and her majors in Sociology and English Literature from NUS.

Teaching style: Kinaesthetic, Participation Required, Extroverted, Highly Guided

Azrael Tseng (AT) - Academic Head of O-Levels and International Baccalaureate

With 17 years of local and global teaching experience under his belt, Mr Azrael Tseng is a dynamic and motivational English and Literature teacher who brings an extraordinary amount of energy into his classroom. An RI Old Boy, his passion for the English language was honed with his BA in English Language and Literature at NUS. Having taught Secondary English and Literature with the MOE for 7 years upon receiving his PGDE from the NIE, he subsequently became a lecturer and examination board member at the Academy for English Language Teachers training professional educators around the world. He had a stint in Japan where he taught the International Baccalaureate (IB) at a prestigious IB-aligned international school in Okinawa, helping students to achieve numerous 45-pointers for the IB examination. In his free time, Mr Azrael is also an avid writer and poet. You can read his literary works at azraeltseng.com.

Teaching style: Participation Required, Consultative, Extroverted, Student-centric

Bryan Cheang (BC) - Curriculum Developer & Economist

Bryan Cheang is the intellectual and academic type, with a degree in Political Science from NUS and a Masters in Political Economy from King’s College London. He is the founder of the Adam Smith Center, a non-profit organisation dedicated to inspiring and building a new generation of free market humanitarians. He envisions a future where pressing global problems can be solved through bottom-up solutions and is a believer in the power of capitalism and the free market. He works hand-in-hand with the directors at Academia to develop rigorous and logical arguments in our General Paper curriculum, especially in topics relating to the humanities and social sciences. While completing his PhD in Political Economy, he brings precision and academic rigour to the work we do here.

Peggy Siao (PSO) - Senior Teacher

Ms Peggy Siao taught at a wide range of well-regarded primary schools with the MOE for 16 years before retiring from public service. We are thrilled to have her teaching our young minds at Academia! Ms Peggy is kind and nurturing, always treating her students with the utmost care and concern. Her approach to teaching her students involves gentle guiding them to the right technique or answer, through encouragement and reinforcement. We believe that her approach works very well for students who respond to positive reinforcement and have seen how she is able to inspire even the timidest or quietest student. With a gradual and careful approach, she helps her students to open up and develop a positive attitude towards English and learning in general. In her free time, Ms Peggy can be found volunteering at the MacPherson Wellness Centre or teaching Sunday School.

Teaching style: Teacher-led, Direct Feedback, Introspective, Highly Guided

Dennis Ng (DNG) - Rhetorical Arts Specialist & Teaching Associate

An ACS alumni, Dennis chose education as his career path because he has been blessed with an affinity for children. having taught Primary 5 and 6 students as a lecturer and subject matter coordinator at an international school, as well as a stint as a public speaking trainer at a famous speech training academy. With experience writing curriculum and creating lesson plans, Dennis is also working hand in hand with Sherman to develop a Rhetorical Arts Programme to enable our students to become confident and captivating public speakers. Dennis hopes to bring love, hope and joy to children through education – he was raised by awesome teachers and wants to do the same for the next generation!

Teaching style: Extroverted, Detailed & Deconstructed, Participation Required, Student-centric

Dhinesh Rajesh Mahbubani (DRM) - Senior Teacher & Curriculum Developer

Dhinesh is a truly dedicated and industrious teacher with a wide swathe of teaching experiences, having taught a range of Secondary students during his seven years with the MOE from the normal stream all the way to the high-ability students at schools ranging from O-level to IP schools. We are constantly impressed by his proactive and analytic nature, as he produced thematic information packs for his Secondary students on his own during his tenure as an MOE teacher and level coordinator for English and History, going above and beyond what was required of him for the sake of pushing his students forward. At Academia, Dhinesh continues to develop new curriculum for the O-levels and Integrated Programme and helps our team to cascade the thematic information packs from Level 5 General Paper down to Levels 3 and 4. As he continues to maintain his previous professional connections and relationships, we have asked him to conduct in-house training on school expectations and requirements, banding, rubrics and more for our own teachers – making him an important and invaluable member of our team.

Teaching style: Highly structured & scaffolded