HEI Schools, leading Finnish early education company, launches HEI India

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:

• Localized curriculum aligned with Indian standards
• Market studies and location search for new preschool projects
• School setup services, including design, furniture, learning materials  and child kits
• Teacher training and strong pedagogical support 
• Marketing and business development support
  

To celebrate the launch, Inkeri Aimonen and Ritesh Handa will be meeting current and prospective partners in:

• Bangalore: October 27–29
  
• Hyderabad: October 30–November 1
  
• Delhi: November 3–4
  

Education entrepreneurs and investors interested in partnership opportunities are invited to schedule meetings during this visit.