Crimson Education names Sir John Key chair amid expansion

Crimson Education Group has appointed former New Zealand Prime Minister Rt Hon Sir John Key as chair and named technology executive Sundeep Jain as a board director. Jain will lead the board's technology and product committee.

Sir John joined the group's board as an advisory member in 2019 and has since taken on broader governance roles across business, including board positions in aviation, banking and technology.

His previous roles include serving on the board of Air New Zealand, chairing ANZ Bank New Zealand, and sitting on the ANZ Banking Group Australia board. He is currently a director of Palo Alto Networks and Fortera USA, and chair of Dunedin-based international business Oritain Global Limited.

Jain is president of AI hiring startup Mercor. His past roles include Chief Product Officer and SVP Engineering at Uber, and Vice President of Products at Google.

Growth plans

The board changes follow a period of expansion across delivery models and assets in New Zealand. In 2025, the group acquired the physical Takapuna AGE School campus and the online school Mount Hobson Academy. It also established what it described as New Zealand's first comprehensive hybrid educational model.

Crimson has also moved into the charter school model with the founding of Aotearoa Infinite Academy, positioning the move as part of a broader effort to widen its footprint in schooling alongside its established presence in university admissions support.

In late 2024, the group completed a NZD $67.6 million Series D funding round at a NZD $1 billion valuation. Investors included Movac, HEAL Partners, Icehouse Ventures, US News, Five Sigma and HighSage Ventures.

Track record

Crimson Education began in New Zealand and has expanded into more than 30 geographies, including the US, Singapore, Japan, the UK, Hong Kong, Australia, the UAE and South Korea. It employs more than 850 full-time staff, including what it describes as the world's largest team of full-time college counsellors.

The company operates in the elite college admissions market and cites results across the US and UK, including 1,490 offers to the Ivy League, 4,003 offers to the UK Top 10 and 3,254 offers to the US Top 20 schools.

Crimson also runs Crimson Global Academy, an online high school it describes as New Zealand's first private online high school. The school has grown from 20 students to more than 2,500 globally and offers international curriculum options including A-levels, the US Diploma and Advanced Placement courses.

Co-founder and CEO Jamie Beaton linked the appointments to the group's next stage of development and its international focus.

"We are thrilled to appoint Sir John as chair and Sundeep Jain as independent director of the Group board. Sir John will bring his extensive knowledge of business, including global high-growth companies like Palo Alto Networks, which is one of Silicon Valley's top cyber security firms with a market cap of more than US$100 billion. His role is to help lead Crimson into the next phase of growth," said Beaton.

Beaton also highlighted Sir John's dealmaking background and policy interests.

"Sir John's deep experience in finance, acquisitions, listings, capital raisings, and other key transactions will be a tremendous asset to the board, and he will help with our intention to support more countries with their education policies," Beaton said.

On Jain's appointment, Beaton emphasised his product and engineering background and his exposure to large-scale AI deployments.

"Sundeep has proven he can scale marketplaces globally, navigate complex product portfolios, leverage AI at massive scale, and guide companies through fundraising and strategic growth - exactly what Crimson needs as it expands internationally. His guidance will be instrumental to the board and his expertise will complement Crimson's AI- and platform-driven strategy," Beaton said.

Governance focus

Sir John framed his new role as a continuation of his involvement with the business and pointed to profitability and student outcomes as key features of Crimson's development.

"I've enjoyed watching Jamie Beaton and the team at Crimson go from strength to strength for a number of years and I believe their time is now. What exhilarates me is the combination of proven execution and genuine ambition. They've built something substantial in a tough market, and they've done it profitably whilst staying focused on outcomes for students. That's rare," Key said.

He also linked the group's prospects to his experience with technology companies.

"I've spent many years now working with some of Silicon Valley's biggest tech companies, and I can see Crimson has the same ingredients you need for serious global scale - the right technology, the right team, and a model that actually works across different markets. When you add in what they're doing to expand educational access throughout the world, you've got a business that's both commercially smart and making a real difference," he said.

Jain said his role will cover international expansion, technology priorities and investor engagement.

"As a board member I am interested in a number of elements, including guiding Crimson as it expands and adapts its offering to each new market, furthering Crimson's tech strategy as AI continues to transform education, and cultivating investor relationships and strategic options that work for the Group at each stage of growth. Under Jamie's leadership Crimson has established a remarkable footprint and high degree of influence for a young company, and I am looking forward to bringing my global perspective to its governance," Jain said.