Dr. Nicole Bien

Chief Schools Officer - International Baccalaureate

Dr Nicole Bien joined the IB in 2016 after spending over 15 years advocating for holistic and equitable education as Head of Ventana School, non-profit Board officer and curriculum advisory roles in international school, youth legal education and affordable teacher resources. Her experience led to her doctoral research on high-stake assessment policy and its impact on marginalized students and her professional focus on curriculum and pedagogy at the IB.

Having served as Head of PYP and MYP and Director of Learning and Teaching, Nicole has contributed to the launch of the Enhanced PYP, bespoke early years resource, evaluation of the MYP Next Chapter, and the review of the Diploma Programme. Combining this cross-programme perspective and her corporate experience, Nicole has been instrumental in supporting the IB 2030 strategy development to reimagine how the organization and its wider community can transform education to meet social, environmental, and technological opportunities and challenges of our time.

Nicole holds a PhD and MA in education, both from the University of Sydney, an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA from Yale University.