Maria Clara Dinglasan-Arias

My career with GEMS started in June 2010, when I was immediately exposed to different aspects of the business, including new school launches, enrolment, retention and marketing.

The fact that GEMS is the largest education provider in the region is enticing in itself, as it provides stability. Newcomers to the group often do not know just how passionate the company is about giving back to the community, developing its people and enabling individuals to become outstanding professionals. As soon as I saw how dedicated GEMS is to its people, I knew this was the workplace for me.

I really love connecting with people and having the opportunity to solve customer problems, especially when I know that it will have a positive impact on a child’s education.

Having worked in Admissions and Enrolment for over 10 years, a highlight has been helping to open two new schools (GEMS Wellington Academy – Silicon Oasis and GEMS International School – Al Khail) that now have over 3,400 and 1,450 students respectively. I have also assisted with three other school openings.

I typically start my day by going over my schedule to confirm any calls or meetings I have and to I get any prep work done first thing. Then, I answer my emails. I like to make sure I am giving any warm leads my fullest attention, so I generally jump to those conversations first. Then I check our dashboard and start making follow-up calls and check if we have any voicemails that require a response. After that, I meet with prospective parents at the end of their school tours and spend any remaining time before lunch analysing our pipeline, as the data informs our approach to push conversion.
Afternoons, I usually have one or two scheduled virtual calls with leads. I also listen and review other calls two to three times a week to get a sense of how my team are handling enquiries in our pipeline. An important part of my role involves being a contact point between the GEMS School Support Centre and the school, and if I need any management input or advice for enrolments, I have meetings with my school’s dedicated enrolment manager. I update Salesforce throughout the day and always double check to make sure I have recorded everything. At the end of each day, the front of house team gathers and shares the new things we learned that day – it’s a small but important step in the process that truly helps our team to grow and learn together.

Excellence, inspiring and nurturing.

Definitely One Team. When you have a tight-knit team, the rest – Care, Excellence, Always Learning – will surely follow.

Having a sense of purpose and meaning in your life is essential to wellbeing. It is equally important to have a sense of purpose in your role at work. If your professional purpose is in balance with your personal purpose, you’ll naturally feel passionate, innovative and committed.