Global mobility conference 2025

Lisa Beare is the Deputy Head of Global Opportunities at the University of Leeds, overseeing teams that manage the University’s incoming and outgoing study abroad programmes, shorter global opportunities, Leeds International Summer School, the Turing scheme, and exchange and study abroad partnerships. With over 14 years of experience at the University, Lisa has dedicated her career to global mobility, developing opportunities and enhancing international experiences for students.  

Claire Belkadi is Head of Global Partnerships at the University of Birmingham, part of the team leading the International Education strategy. Her current focus is the management of global education partners and the design of study abroad incoming programmes including summer schools. In the past, Claire was also involved in the management and design of outgoing programmes and assessing the power and impact of short-term and long-term mobility programmes. Claire holds a French ‘Grande Ecole’ business UG from GEM and a MSc in Marketing Management from the UK. 

Ellie is the Head of Policy, Programmes and Engagement at Taith, the Welsh Government funded international learning exchange programme for Wales. Taith funds life changing international opportunities for learners and staff across Wales.

Ellie has held a range of different roles in the schools, youth and Higher Education sectors. Early in her career she worked as an outdoor education instructor and youth worker, and has subsequently held roles overseeing international operations for an overseas volunteering charity, supporting students at Leeds University and managing the Reaching Wider team at Cardiff Metropolitan University.

Anna Dukes is Director Global Engagement at Cardiff Metropolitan University and is responsible for delivering across a range of strategic internationalisation priorities to include global partnerships, global civic mission, global student support, student and staff international mobility, and the University’s Transnational Education (TNE) provision. An experienced leader in international higher education, Anna has worked in the field for over 17 years, since graduating from the University of Exeter with a BA (Hons) Spanish with complementary Italian. 

Kirsten Förster is an Outbound Officer at Aberystwyth University, guiding students towards enriching global experiences. An alumna with a BA in European Languages, she possesses firsthand knowledge of the transformative power of international education.  Kirsten advises on diverse opportunities, including study abroad, internships, and volunteering, fostering intercultural understanding and student development. Her passion lies in empowering students to embrace global citizenship and broaden their horizons. 

Sarah Hosker is the Inbound Global Opportunities Officer at Aberystwyth University, where she oversees programs for study abroad, exchange, summer school, and research internship students. Starting her career just weeks before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sarah quickly adapted to the challenges of a rapidly changing global landscape and has since continued to navigate the complexities of student mobility. With a strong commitment to providing students with the best possible international experience, Sarah plays a key role in supporting and enhancing opportunities to ensure each student has a positive and enriching time abroad.

Rohit Kumar is the Director of the International Office at the University of York, overseeing international recruitment, partnerships, and mobility. With nearly two decades of experience across Higher Education and Investment Banking, he has managed projects advancing institutional strategies in the UK, US, Asia, and beyond. Previously, Rohit held leadership roles at the University of Bristol and the University of Liverpool, contributing to their global expansion. Before entering higher education, he worked in Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank across US and Asia offices. He holds an MBA from the University of Liverpool and is a Chartered Management Institute member. 

Dr Anthony Manning is Dean for Global and Lifelong Learning at the University of Kent, where he is responsible for leading international education and lifelong learning. Anthony has lived and worked in five countries and is also a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a National Teaching Fellow. Anthony is co-chair of the UUKi's working group for Internationalisation at Home and a passionate supporter of the internationalisation of the curriculum.  He is an experienced international external examiner, the Chair of the British Accreditation Council’s Accreditation Committee and an expert member of advisory groups for the British Council and AdvanceHE. 

Annette Mares-Duran serves as the Membership Services Manager with The Forum on Education Abroad. She develops and implements strategies for membership engagement and outreach related activities. 

Prior to joining The Forum, Annette was the Faculty-Led International Program Coordinator at the University of New Mexico and an elected Forum Council member. As a program leader herself, she facilitated group programs to Ecuador and Peru. As a student, she studied abroad in Spain and Nicaragua. Annette received her B.S. in Education and M.A. in Language, Literacy, & Sociocultural Studies at the University of New Mexico. 

Emma Marku is a Global Opportunities Manager at the University of Kent and has been involved in international education for the past 15 years.  In her current role Emma works closely with colleagues to identify, explore and develop new global opportunities for students that supports Internationalisation at Home initiatives.  These include the management and coordination of Kent’s Global Officer Leadership Development Programme, International Student Advisory Board and Virtual Mobility/Exchange activities.  Emma co-chairs the UUKi’s working group for Internationalisation at Home, is a staff sustainability champion at the University of Kent, and a member of the Association of Higher Education Professionals, participating in their Student Experience and Engagement, Partnerships, and International HE networks.    

Professor James Miller FRSE became Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West of Scotland in November 2022, the first nurse in Scotland to hold such a position. Starting as a clinical nurse in Edinburgh, he has held senior healthcare roles, including Deputy Director of Nursing and Divisional General Manager, and pursued advanced education at Abertay, Edinburgh Napier, and Edinburgh universities, as well as Harvard. 

Formerly Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University, he is a published scholar, educator, and reviewer.

 In 2023, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and serves on prominent academic and charitable boards.

Ben Oldham is the Head of Global Opportunities at the University of Leeds. He oversees a diverse portfolio of local, national and international experiences for students that empower them to become active global citizens and future leaders.  Ben is responsible for developing partnerships across a global network to create collaborations and experiential learning opportunities that support the curriculum at Leeds. These efforts equip students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary to contribute to positive change in the world.  

As a Project Officer in the Placements & International Programmes Office at the University of Manchester, Nanna is responsible for Monitoring & Evaluation and has developed an Evaluation Framework to define and measure the expected outcomes and impacts of the University’s mobility programmes. Nanna has over 20 years’ experience in higher education, having worked in roles across student mobility, international student recruitment, marketing and communications and international admissions. She currently also holds the position of Marketing & Communications Officer on the committee of Butex, the UK member association for student mobility professionals. 

Dr Jacqueline Priego is a social psychologist with a keen interest and experience in creative research methods and in research skills acquisition. Her most recent project is titled ‘TNE as capacity strengthening: Social research methods for sustainable development’, funded by the British Council and delivered in collaboration with FLACSO-Mexico. Jacqueline is a chartered member and associate fellow of the British Psychological Society, and a senior fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Having progressively attained leadership roles in international higher education, Jacqueline is the Associate Dean (Global Engagement) in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Portsmouth. 

Charley works in UUKI’s policy and global engagement team on our international student recruitment and outward student mobility policy and programmes. She has worked in universities in roles covering international student recruitment, partnerships, and outward mobility since 2007, most recently as Head of International at Goldsmiths University of London. She was previously on the British Universities International Liaison executive and chaired the China Regional Interest Group.   

Caroline has led the International Programmes portfolio for The University of Manchester since 2005 and worked in international education for over 25 years.  She has oversight for the planning/governance of all UK and international placements including the University’s International Exchanges, Overseas Summer Schools and International Research Placements. Caroline leads the University’s bids for external funding and co-ordinates risk and emergency response for overseas mobility.  She holds a BSc(Hons) in Geography and Psychology, a PhD in International Development (Geography), and Postgraduate Certificates in Teaching in Higher Education and Higher Education Marketing. She has studied/undertaken field research in both Canada and Nepal.