LIFE DESIGN
Founder & CEO | Lead Consultant
Nichola de Montaigne is the Founder & CEO | Lead Consultant of DeMontaigne Life Design, leading the full breadth of DeMontaigne Education across Family Services and School Consultancy. With a background in psychology and more than 20 years of international experience across Europe, Asia, and South America, she has taught across K–12, developed inclusive and future-ready frameworks spanning IB, Cambridge, and national systems, and directed start-up schools through design, accreditation, and growth. Her work is grounded in deep cross-cultural expertise and a clear understanding of how different systems shape children, families, and communities over time.
As CEO and Lead Consultant, Nichola works directly with families on school placement, boarding decisions, transitions, and lifelong learning, while also guiding schools in curriculum, pedagogy, culture, and inclusion. She designs each journey as a bespoke ecosystem rather than a one-off service, using her Purpose • People • Place • Practice (PPPP) framework and WEITS pillars (Wellbeing, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Technology, Sustainability) to read each situation with precision.
She is actively building a human-centred AI layer to support this work, using technology to help scout patterns, match needs, and anticipate change, while keeping human judgement, ethics, and care firmly at the centre. Nichola also leads Partnerships and Ecosystem Development, curating a global, verified network of aligned professionals and organisations – including schools, relocation firms, wellbeing providers, cultural institutions, and employers – so that families, schools, and partners can draw on the best expertise when it is most needed. In addition, she steers content and storytelling across DeMontaigne Life Design, ensuring that the PPPP and WEITS frameworks move beyond ideas into a clear mission-to-action mindset – aligning learning, living, and purpose as families, schools, and partners turn vision into concrete, future-ready decisions.
Michael D. Raffaele
Lead Consultant | Educational Rights
Michael is an experienced education lawyer who is licensed to practice, and currently practicing, in the United States. His legal work focuses on supporting and protecting children at risk. With DeMontaigne Education, Michael consults with a specialist focus on inclusion, safeguarding, and compliance, and has advised schools, boards, and families on rights and governance. He has also worked alongside social services to ensure that contracts and policies translate into meaningful protection for learners.
As Lead Consultant at DeMontaigne Education, Michael provides strategic clarity for schools navigating governance, regulation, and accreditation, while working closely with families with complex and diverse inclusion needs. He ensures that Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) are effectively managed and implemented—with each child’s rights at the very core of everything we do.
Mark Whitefield
COO | Lead Consultant
Mark directs the operational and strategic delivery of DeMontaigne’s School Consultancy. With over 30 years of international experience, he has led multi-million-euro education and business projects through finance, governance, and operational growth, strengthened organisations across global markets, and guided institutions through complex transformations.
As COO and Lead Consultant, he works exclusively with schools, focusing on governance, finance, operations, and build development. Known for embedding a culture of excellence, he ensures vision is matched with strong systems, sustainable growth, and accountability — turning strategy into action and building environments where schools thrive.
Emmeline Barnes
Advisor & Consultant | Wellbeing & Neuroinclusion
Emmeline Barnes is a globally experienced psychotherapist and neuroinclusion advisor with more than 30 years across schools, social services, and international organisations. As founder of Untangling Minds, she has shaped inclusive mental health strategies, advised on rights and responsibilities, and delivered systemic change across diverse and multicultural contexts.
As Lead Consultant and advisor at DeMontaigne Education, Emmeline supports schools in embedding wellbeing and inclusion frameworks, guides parents through transitions, and empowers students to thrive with resilience and belonging. She ensures that excellence is achieved alongside equity, justice, and care.
Advisor & Consultant | Sustainability & Futures
João Dinis is an international sustainability leader with expertise spanning climate action, urban planning, and education for sustainable development. As Climate Action Director at Cascais Ambiente, he has represented Portugal at COP28, contributed to the EU Green Deal, and advised European cities on resilience, energy transition, and nature-based solutions.
At DeMontaigne Education, João leads on embedding sustainability across curriculum, culture, and campus design—aligning people, place, and purpose. He also supports the growth of our global ecosystem, connecting schools, communities, and organisations committed to shaping a more sustainable and regenerative future. His work ensures that sustainability is not only taught but lived, empowering learners and schools to lead meaningful change.
Charlotte Caetano
Marketing & Social Media Intern
Charlotte has completed her A Levels in English Language and Media Studies and is completing her A Level in Business. Having studied in A Level and IB schools worldwide, she brings a global outlook and a strong interest in social media and marketing.
As our Marketing and Social Media Intern, Charlotte creates content, tracks digital trends, and reports weekly on SEO and platform performance to ensure our communications stay current and effective. Alongside this, she is building her own business, gaining first-hand experience in entrepreneurship while exploring her professional pathway
Our Philosophy
Our work is shaped by our
Purpose • People • Place • Practice framework.
We ensure that everything we do is grounded, human, and actionable.
Your Purpose. Your Path. Our Mission-to-Action Mindset.
We turn educational vision into clear, confident pathways—so families and schools can move forward with clarity, strategy, and care.
DeMontaigne Life Design
At DeMontaigne Life Design, we guide families, schools, and partners through meaningful life and learning journeys with clarity, care, and global expertise. Founded by Nichola de Montaigne, an internationally experienced school leader and consultant, DeMontaigne exists to cut through the complexity of today’s education and life landscape. We offer tailored support that turns uncertainty into coherent pathways and long-term growth. We work across three interconnected strands: Family Pathways For families seeking the right school fit, curriculum, programme, or wider life design, we offer personalised, expert-led guidance built on decades of global insight. Whether relocating, transitioning between systems, navigating neurodivergent needs, or planning future pathways, we simplify the options and stand beside you from first conversation to implementation. School Consultancy For schools launching, growing, or evolving, we provide strategic consultancy grounded in research, design thinking, and lived leadership. From full school creation to curriculum development, values alignment, culture, and staff wellbeing, we help build environments that are purposeful, future-ready, and deeply human. Ecosystems & Ventures For partners and investors, we design and advise on ecosystems and ventures that align education, wellbeing, innovation, technology, and sustainability. We connect people, projects, and places to build impact-driven initiatives that are rooted in purpose and built for the future. Wherever you are in your journey – parent or principal, learner or leader, family or faculty – we are here to walk with you. Calm in our presence. Expert in our work. Human in everything we do.