Helsinki, Finland – October 2025 – HEI Schools, a leading Finnish early education company, co-founded by the University of Helsinki, proudly announces the launch of HEI India, a new entity dedicated to supporting its Indian customers.
The establishment of HEI India marks an important milestone in HEI Schools’ mission to make high-quality, research-based early education accessible globally — now with a stronger presence and deeper understanding of the Indian education landscape.
Ritesh Handa, the CEO, leads HEI India as our exclusive Master License Partner, responsible for developing HEI Schools’ presence in the Indian market. With over two decades of leadership experience, Ritesh brings extensive expertise from his previous roles as CEO of Kidzee and Dibber India. His background as a Chartered Accountant and MBA equips him with a strong blend of business and educational acumen to lead HEI Schools’ growth in the region.
Photo: from left to right: Heikki Vartia, Director of Global Partnerships; Inkeri Aimonen, CEO of HEI Schools; Ritesh Handa, CEO of HEI India; and Aditi Katara, Partnerships Specialist.
“India’s early education sector is vibrant and full of potential,” said Ritesh Handa. “By combining HEI’s globally acclaimed Finnish pedagogy and curriculum with Indian cultural knowledge and skilled team, we can help Indian preschools offer truly holistic, child-centered learning experiences, aligned with the National Education Policy.”
“This milestone demonstrates our mission to make high-quality education as widely available as possible and to enable Indian children to benefit from future-driven learning,” said Inkeri Aimonen, CEO of HEI Schools. “HEI India allows us to provide locally relevant support and services — from finding the right location to marketing and educator development — ensuring that every HEI Schools® and Lillipods® preschool reflects both Finnish pedagogical excellence and the Indian context.
What makes HEI Schools truly special is the distinctive curriculum and training programs developed over our decade-long journey. You cannot simply copy and paste the Finnish education system into another country — it takes deep expertise to extract Finland’s best practices and adapt them thoughtfully to a new educational culture,” Inkeri Aimonen added.
HEI India’s local team will consist of Academic Directors, Project Managers, and Marketing Specialists, ensuring full-service support to partners. The team will offer end-to-end solutions including:
To celebrate the launch, Inkeri Aimonen and Ritesh Handa will be meeting current and prospective partners in:
Education entrepreneurs and investors interested in partnership opportunities are invited to schedule meetings during this visit.
About HEI Schools
Co-founded with the University of Helsinki in 2015, HEI Schools (Helsinki International Schools Group) is an award-winning early education company that provides globally scalable education solutions inspired by Finland’s renowned school system. With its child-focused approach and scientifically-backed curriculum, HEI Schools equips educators and parents with the tools they need to foster inspiring learning environments. Today, HEI Schools has customers in over 50+ countries and continues to expand its mission of bringing joyful learning to children around the world. For more information, visit www.heischools.com