Poonam Kochitty

Poonam Kochitty holds a Master's degree in Psychology and a B.Ed, and has been part of the school education sector for over 45 years. She has served as Founder Principal of some of the most prestigious schools in Lucknow, building institutions from the ground up and shaping their culture, curriculum and reputation over decades of leadership.

Mrs Kochitty's journey as a school leader began at City Montessori School, where she served as Founder Principal for seventeen years, from 1981 to 1997. She went on to head St Mary's High School from 1998 to 2002, followed by Lucknow Public School, Sahara States, from 2002 to 2005. She then led Shri Ramswaroop Memorial Public School for nearly a decade, from 2005 to 2014.  During her time at CMS Rajajipuram, she additionally took on the roles of Sports Convenor and Pre Primary Convenor across all branches of the school.  In 2014, she also worked as a CBSE certified trainer, conducting training programmes in schools across India, in addition to the in-service training she has consistently led for the staff of every school she has headed.

In November 2015, she took over as Founder Principal of Seth Anandram Jaipuria School at Ansal Sushant Golf City, Lucknow, a position she continues to hold. Under Mrs Kochitty's leadership, Seth Anandram Jaipuria School has earned a series of national and international honours. Most recently, the school was shortlisted among the Top 10 in the World's Best School Prizes by T4 Education in the category Supporting Healthy Lives.  It's work has also been featured as a case study by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network for Education for Sustainable Development.

The school's other achievements under her leadership include the International School Award for Best School Using Technology, Dubai, 2018; the SchoolStars National Leadership Award for Leadership in Co-Curricular Education, 2018; Microsoft School status in 2017-18 and 2018-19; Microsoft Aspire School, 2019-20;   the National School Award for Most Technically Advanced School, 2019;   Lego Build the Change, 2023; Excellence in Digital Transformation by FICCI Arise 2023,  a Diamond Rating by QS I-Gauge, 2025; and a Platinum Rating by T4 Education for Best School to Work, 2025.

A keen and lifelong learner, Mrs Kochitty has attended numerous seminars, conferences and training programmes in India and abroad. Among the most significant was a ten day training on Effective Educational Management at XLRI Jamshedpur, along with training programmes for school heads at NUEPA New Delhi and IIT Delhi. She has also been invited as a panelist at several conferences over the years.

Her international engagements include an International Conference in Svendborg, Denmark 1987 an IGCSE training in Penang, Malaysia 1996, and a month long school exchange programme with Upwey South School, Melbourne, Australia 1993. More recently, she attended the Round Square Heads Symposium in London in 2025 and the World Schools Summit in Abu Dhabi in November 2025.