The book Beyond the Box: How Neuroscience-Based Design Can Transform the Learning Environment introduces the Enriched Environment Model, the world’s first framework integrating pedagogy, neuroarchitecture, and environmental psychology. Launched at the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture Conference, the model categorizes design through four measurable dimensions: Sensory, Motor, Cognitive, and Socio-Emotional. With new offices opening in Singapore and India, she is scaling this research-led approach globally, while the expansion of her manufacturing operations enables unprecedented speed and quality in reshaping education worldwide.

FROM START TO SUCCESS

Charlotte Borghesi began her entrepreneurial journey in 2017, when she and her husband, Paolo, purchased their children’s nursery along with a small furniture trading license. With no prior experience in education, architecture, or manufacturing—and starting out with just one employee and a hard drive—she focussed relentlessly on creating WOW experiences rather than chasing profit metrics. This vision led to the growth of Kidzink and KODA into vertically integrated global companies, now spanning the UAE, Saudi Arabia, UK, Spain, Singapore, and India, transforming how more than 850 schools worldwide approach learning environments.

THE ROAD AHEAD

Charlotte’s vision is for Kidzink and KODA to become the global reference for education design and manufacturing, not through fast growth or profit-chasing, but through lasting impact. She believes the future lies where design, neuroscience, sustainability, and wellbeing intersect. Under her leadership, a revolutionary culture—17% of the team made up of family members and a company bootstrapped with no investors—has scaled globally without professionalising away its disruptive spirit.

Leading with Impact

Her leadership philosophy is built on trust, ownership, and anti- corporate values. She has shaped a company with no hierarchy, no KPIs, and no formal reviews— just empowered people making bold decisions. Hiring for cultural fit and potential over credentials, she fosters a culture of integrity, innovation, and generosity. The result is a remarkable 99% employee retention rate over eight years. For Charlotte, leadership means daring to dream big while creating conditions where everyone acts like an owner, inspired by autonomy and rewarded for exceeding customer expectations rather than following rules.

PROJECTS

That Define Excellence In 2019, Charlotte Borghesi delivered her first full school project valued at over 6 million AED, proving that outsiders could successfully redefine education design. She then transformed the business model by establishing a 20,000sqm vertically integrated manufacturing facility—the region’s most advanced furniture operation— featuring prototyping labs and 3D printing. This shift eliminated reliance on slow, inflexible third- party suppliers and positioned the company at the forefront of innovation. Most transformative has been the Beyond the Box research, a 40-year literature review of 850+ projects, culminating in the Enriched Environment Model, which translates neuroscience into measurable design principles.