International Higher Education Forum 2025

Mehvish is Director of Global Engagement at Ulster University, Northern Ireland. She is passionate about fostering inclusive, impactful global experiences for students and staff. The Office for Global Engagement drives the University’s international student recruitment, international partnerships and study abroad activities and leads initiatives to support the international student experience. Prior to joining Ulster, Mehvish held internationally focused roles at UCL, Goldsmiths, and Cardiff University.

Prof.dr.ir. Hester Bijl (1971) is rector magnificus of Leiden University, since 2021, and member of the Executive Board. In this capacity she is, amongst others, responsible for: education, research, full Professor appointments, knowledge security, partnerships LERU and UNA Europa, and development of Leiden Science Park.

Hester Bijl is full Professor of Numerical Mathematics at the Mathematical Institute of the Faculty of Science. She is also a member of the Supervisory Board of TNO (Dutch Organisation for Applied Scientific Research) and member of the board of directors of Impuls Zeeland, the Regional Development Agency of the province Zeeland. Bijl is also a board member of the Leiden Bio Science Park Foundation. 

Hester Bijl studied Applied Mathematics at Delft University of Technology, where she obtained a PhD in numerical mathematics in 1999. She also obtained a master's degree in English Language and Literature from Leiden University. For her research on applications of computational fluid dynamics in aerospace and wind energy technology, she received, various grants. 

Before coming to Leiden in 2016, where she was appointed vice-rector magnificus, Bijl spent 17 years at Delft University of Technology's Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, where she held various positions. Hester Bijl was appointed full professor in 2006 and held the position of dean of the faculty from 2013 until the end of 2016. 

She was a member of the first cohort of the Young Academy of the KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts & Sciences) and also served on its board. From 1999 to 2003, she was a visiting researcher at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virgina for several periods.

 Dr Alexis Brown is Head of Global Insights at the British Council. Prior to that she was Director of Policy at HEPI, where she published on research security and overseas R&D investment, and a Policy Manager at the Russell Group, where she managed a portfolio of policy issues related to higher education and financial sustainability. 

 Chris is responsible for the security compliance, risk and governance architectures operating across Cranfield University.  With 18 years’ experience of managing and implementing effective security frameworks Chris also Chairs a number of national sector initiatives in collaboration with government and industry, including the Higher Education Export Control Association (HEECA) and the Universities Forum which compromises the top 40 STEM intensive UK HE institutions.  In addition, Chris is responsible for various commercial frameworks delivering effective routes to market and technology exploitation pathways for various industry and government organisations.  

 Erica trained as a chartered accountant with a small firm in Chester and worked for C&L and then PwC for 15 years, in audit and advisory roles across a variety of sectors and jurisdictions. She joined the University of Birmingham in 2010 and in 2018 was appointed as Finance Director and member of Executive board. Now CFO, she has led on a number of University wide initiatives and is involved in much beyond Finance. She is currently Chair of BUFDG and engages within and across the sector on Finance and related matters, promoting the opportunities and risks of its members. 

Associate Professor Dr. Mohd Hanafi Ahmad Damanhuri is the Director of Education Malaysia London, an entity under the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia responsible for overseeing educational matters at the Malaysian High Commission in London. Dr. Hanafi completed his Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences (Hons.) at UKM in 2006 and later earned a PhD in Molecular Neuroscience from Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia, in 2012. In his role as Director of Education Malaysia London, Dr. Hanafi has engaged in various initiatives to promote Malaysian higher education and foster collaborations, highlighting his active involvement in strengthening educational ties between the two countries. 

Martin is the CEO of AGCAS (Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services), the membership organisation and professional body for university careers and employability professionals across the UK and Ireland. Prior to AGCAS Martin was founder and Managing Director of Gradcore, and has 20+ years’ experience working across graduate recruitment and Higher Education, His work has included leading global graduate schemes for employers, delivering employability performance improvement in universities, and working with local and national governments on graduate employment initiatives and policy. Martin served as a Director of the Institute for Student Employers, and is a Fellow of the National Institute of Career Education and Counselling, and the RSA.

Rita Floyd is Professor of International Security and Ethics and the University of Birmingham and co-editor in chief of International Affairs, a Chatham House journal. Dr Floyd is the author of four books, including Teaching Security Studies published by Edward Elgar Publishers in April 2025.

Jon is a stem cell biologist, graduating with BA and PhD degrees from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, respectively.  After postdoctoral and fellowship positions in Glasgow, Heidelberg, and Oxford, he moved to Birmingham in 2003. In addition to being Professor of Stem Cell Biology, Jon has performed a number of senior leadership roles, including Director of Research in the College of Medicine and Health, and Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor (China) and Director of the China Institute. In performing these latter roles over the last decade, Jon has helped shape and manage all of the University’s engagements with China.

Nick is a political geography and long-standing member of the Universities of Sanctuary national steering group. He is also a member of the UK HE humanitarian working group. 

Jazreel joined the British Council in 2004 where she led on the UK’s largest education marketing and partnership initiatives in China. She set up the British Council’s Education Intelligence Unit – the first e-marketing platform dedicated to international education research for the industry globally. In 2013, she launched the UK’s flagship outward mobility programme - Generation UK which led to a 104% growth in British students to China. The UK became one of the largest providers of transnational education in China and the first country to initiate a multi-lateral education collaboration platform bringing together institutional partners from UK, China, Sub-Saharan Africa and ASEAN countries on co-funded projects during her tenure. She is currently Director Malaysia for the British Council.  

Professor Adam Habib is the Vice-Chancellor of SOAS University of London, former Principal and Vice-Chancellor of University of the Witwatersrand, former Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research at the University of Johannesburg and former Professor of Development at the University of Natal. A Professor of Political Science, Habib has over 30 years of academic, research and administration expertise in institutions distinctively defined by engagements in the contest of ideas, their translation into actionable initiatives and the building of institutions. Habib co-founded the African Research Universities Alliance, is an American Academy of Arts and Sciences member, and fellow of the African Academy of Science and Academy of Science of South Africa.  

Amy Ho serves as the Assistant Admissions Director in the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), where she oversees international undergraduate admissions. With over 15 years of experience in higher education administration, she specializes in admissions processes, student recruitment, and programme administration.   

Amy’s expertise encompasses undergraduate and postgraduate admissions, recruitment strategies, and support for international students. She holds a BA in English Language and Literature and an MA in Communications from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), and an MSocSc in Counselling from The University of Hong Kong (HKU).   

Dr. Jun Hyun Hong is Professor of School of Public Service, Chung-Ang University in Seoul, Korea. Besides university positions, he has served as members of Presidential Committees including National Education Commission and policy advisors to various central government ministries including Ministry of Education and Ministry of Interior & Safety as well as various local governments. He was awarded Presidents Service Merit Medal, Prime Ministers Citation, and Minister of the Interior & Safety Citation. He was also selected one of the Outstanding Research Performance Awardees by Ministry of Education and by Korea Research Foundation and is one of the research member who drafted the 300K policy. 

Simon has a deep understanding of the challenges clients face having joined IDP from his role as the Head of Insight and CRM at the University of Hertfordshire. Simon has over 15 years’ experience in research consultancy and is expert in translating data into meaningful strategic recommendations. As Senior IQ Consultant, he leads the overall management of consultancy projects for institutions within the UK and North. America 

Janet Ilieva is the founder and director of Education Insight, a research consultancy specialising in international higher education. Her expertise focuses on global student mobility, university partnerships, national policies for global engagement and sustainable development. 

Janet began her career as a university lecturer in economics. In 2004, she joined the British Council to lead its higher education research and market intelligence. In 2013, she became Head of the HEFCE Observatory at the Higher Education Funding Council for England. 

Since founding Education Insight in 2015, she has provided strategic research and consultancy to universities, government departments, and international organisations across Europe and Asia. 

Stephen was appointed Chief Executive of the ISE in June 2013 following seven years as Head of Graduate Recruitment UK & Ireland at EY. At the ISE he is now responsible for market intelligence and thought leadership.

Stephen has extensive experience in the recruitment and development of students in both the private and public sectors.

In addition to his current position, Stephen undertakes a number of roles related to higher education and employment and regularly comments on sector issues to national and local media.

Adam Jackson is Director – International Research and Innovation in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). He is a development economist by background, having in his 20s worked as an economic adviser to the Ministry of Finance in Sierra Leone, and for the UK’s Department for International Development in Bangladesh. He subsequently worked in HM Treasury, the Department for Exiting the European Union and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Currently, he leads the Directorate that develops our international science partnerships, research establishments and infrastructures, research security, research talent, and the government’s work with the National Academies.  

Jennifer is Director of the Research and Innovation Office at Loughborough University with responsibility for a wide range of research & innovation strategy, policy and operational functions including research security. 

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Jennifer was Chair of the Association for Research Managers and Administrators (ARMA) in the UK from 2020-23 and continues to work with ARMA on matters of research security. Jennifer regularly presents at international events and works with international groups on projects relating to research security.  She has been Principal Investigator on two Research England and two FCDO funded projects regarding trusted research and due diligence including ‘Complex Collaborations’ – a project which made recommendations for UK academia regarding how to operatlionalise our response to research security threats. 

Jennifer is committed to the professionalisation and recognition of the research management and administration sector, and to improving the way in which we work together across the sector, locally, nationally and globally. Jennifer is Chair of the International Network of Research Management Societies (INORMS) Working Group and a member of INORMS Council.​ 

 Leo leads the HSBC UK Education, Charity and Not for Profit Sector teams working with the HSBC network and externally to support strategy, insight, finance and sustainability. The international footprint of HSBC UK Bank plc means Leo and his team are often involved in serving the international banking requirements of the Education sector.  

British diplomat and Senior Responsible Officer for Soft Power at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Catriona’s early career was as a development economist with the UK government. She served as the UK alternate director at the European Investment Bank and as one of two deputies in Tony Blair’s Strategy Unit.

At the Foreign Office, Catriona led the Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan and then served as British Ambassador to Zimbabwe. She was the British High Commissioner to Nigeria until 2023.  

After her tenure in Nigeria, Catriona took a leave of absence to run the United Nations Mission in Somalia, one of the UN’s most complex and largest missions,

Currently, she is leading a project for the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, focusing on harnessing the UK’s soft power assets supporting foreign policy objectives. 

Professor Lamie is Pro-Vice-Chancellor International at Swansea University. Professor Lamie has spent over 30 years in HE and held several senior executive positions at UK universities. Professor Lamie has published and presented widely in the fields of applied linguistics, change management and TNE. Professor Lamie’s latest book, with Chris Hill, ‘The Evolving Nature of Universities: What Shapes and Influences Identity in International Higher Education’, is now available. The book explores the very nature of a university – where does it sit at home and abroad – and uses international case studies to discuss growth, sustainability and risk as universities navigate their role, value and purpose.

Ailsa Lamont is Co-Founder and CEO of IESG, the International Education Sustainability Group which provides comparative data, insights and emissions tracking for the international education sector. She has been at the forefront of promoting climate action in the field of international education for almost a decade.  

Prior to that, Ailsa had a long career in international leadership roles at Australian universities and in capacity building work in eastern Europe. She has served as a NAFSA Senior Fellow for Sustainability, and her work was recognised in 2023 with the International Education Association of Australia’s Award for Distinguished Contribution to International Education. 

Maria Leptin is the President of the European Research Council. 

After receiving a PhD at the University of Heidelberg, postdoctoral research in the UK and leading a research group in Germany, Maria Leptin became a professor at the Institute of Genetics, University of Cologne and Director of EMBO. 

Leptin is an elected member of EMBO, the Academia Europaea and the German National Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina), Honorary Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, Foreign Member of the Royal Society and international member of the US National Academy of Sciences.  

Drew Linforth is Interim Director of Student Employability at the University of Birmingham. With over 15 years of leadership experience across higher and further education, he has a strong background in vocational study and has led a broad range of student support services, including outreach, wellbeing, accommodation, and student experience. Drew’s work focuses on improving employability outcomes through inclusive, student-focused strategies, with particular attention to the needs of international and underrepresented students. He is committed to creating practical, meaningful opportunities that help students succeed during and beyond their time at university.

Rachel is the Director of Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement at IDP in the UK. Her role is to work with university partners on their student recruitment ambitions, as well as leading on government and sector stakeholder management, B2B Marketing and Global Communications. Prior to her joining IDP in early 2022,  Rachel held roles as Director of International at the University of York in the UK, Head of Recruitment at University of Strathclyde in Glasgow and roles with Navitas for seven years in both Edinburgh and Melbourne. Rachel is passionate about ensuring successful outcomes for her clients, sharing IDP’s unique data sets to help improve the policy environment in the UK and working with a wider group of colleagues in the sector to constantly improve the applicant experience.  

Mr Christopher Jibreel Maiyaki is the Deputy Executive Secretary (Administration) of Nigeria’s National Universities Commission (NUC). He holds a B.Sc. in International Relations from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and an M.A. in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Jos. With over three decades in public service, he has played a key role in higher education management, international collaborations, and policy development. Rising through the ranks at NUC, he has championed initiatives on quality assurance, open distance learning, and academic standards. A seasoned administrator, Mr. Maiyaki is widely travelled, multilingual, and passionate about Nigeria's education reform and institutional development. 

Zoe is responsible for bringing the University of Southampton’s international campus agenda to life, the first one opening in Delhi in August 2025. 

Zoë holds an MSc in Charity Marketing and Fundraising from Bayes Business School, London and has lived or worked extensively in Sub Saharan Africa (Senegal, Nigeria), South Asia (India, Pakistan) and Europe (France, Sweden). 

 Professor Robin Mason has been Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (International) at the University of Birmingham since March 2016. A member of the University’s executive, he has responsibility for all aspects of the University’s global engagement. He moved to Birmingham after seven years at the University of Exeter, where he was Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean of the Business School. He had previously been the Eric Roll Professor of Economics and Head of Economics at the University of Southampton. He graduated from the University of Cambridge in Natural Sciences; he returned to Cambridge to complete his PhD in Economics. He is the Chair of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK; a Governor of the British Institute of Florence; and a decision-making Member of the Competition Appeal Tribunal. 

Haleema has been a Policy Adviser at UCAS since 2022. In this role, she has produced research and insights to shape the understanding of international students in the UK, including her latest report, ‘Global Insights: what are the experiences of Chinese students in the UK’. As a former international student herself, Haleema has experienced the full spectrum of benefits international study offers. She is also a strong advocate of the individuality of international students and hopes to continue demonstrating that through her work. 

 Ben Matthews is the Associate Director of Global Engagement at Lancaster University, where he leads international partnerships, global reputation initiatives, and student mobility programs. Under his leadership, Lancaster has expanded its Transnational Education (TNE) programs to Germany, Malaysia, China, Indonesia, and Ghana. Today, one-third of Lancaster’s student population completes their studies overseas. 

Committed to widening participation, diversity, and inclusion, Ben is passionate about empowering students to become global citizens through transformative education. His work prioritises sustainability, leveraging digital tools, and promoting cross-cultural understanding to foster equitable and impactful partnerships. 

Ben’s strategic and hands-on approach has significantly enhanced Lancaster’s global reach and reputation through TNE, online education, and innovative engagement initiatives. 

Catriona is the British Council's Global Head of Student Mobility and Internationalisation of UK Education, leading on three of the British Council's six global programmes within Education. She joined the British Council in November 2024, having spent more than two decades leading on global strategies, engagement, and operations within the HE sector.   
During that time, she also served as Vice Chair and then Chair of the British Universities International Liaison Association, and was the organisation's first Chair to come from one of the devolved nations.  

Catriona has served on several sector-specific advisory boards and is also a Non-Exec Director at Ireland’s largest overseas aid charity.

Dr (Mrs) Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) is the second women Secretary General of the Association in its 100 years of existence. She has been serving the higher education sector for more than 03 decades at senior positions at the University Grants Commission of India. She is also the Chief Commissioner of Guides of Bharat Scouts and Guides. Dr. (Mrs) Pankaj Mittal is a Fulbright Scholar and has been a topper in MSc and PhD in Agricultural Statistics from IARI, New Delhi. Dr Mittal has also served as the first regular Vice Chancellor of Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya, Haryana, the first rural women university of North India for two terms. Dr Mittal is also the recipient of many Awards and Honours. 

Ben leads the Russell Group’s advocacy work relating to students and staff mobility, research security, and international research collaboration. He has also worked across the Russell Group’s innovation policy brief. Prior to joining the Russell Group, he worked on policy campaigns for Cancer Research UK. Ben has an undergraduate degree in politics from the University of Manchester and a master’s in international politics from the London School of Economics.

Tabetha has led Timmus Research for 20+ years. A specialist in social research and digital capabilities at both an individual and organisational level, she’s driven Jisc’s research on international student digital experience and authored their recent report on digital transformation in higher education. She has worked as part of a EU team to design a tool to assess school digital maturity, which to date has been used by over five million people in 80+ countries. She is currently working with Jisc and 21 UK HE providers to investigate the digital experiences and expectations of transnational education students and staff. 

Lord Jonny Oates is Chief Executive of United Against Malnutrition and Hunger, which campaigns on global malnutrition and hunger. Jonny is a member of the House of Lords and is Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Africa. During the Coalition Government (2010-2015), he was Chief of Staff to the Deputy Prime Minister, and Deputy Director of Communications in 10 Downing Street. From 1999-2001 he worked in the South African Parliament and in the late 1980s taught in a rural secondary school in Zimbabwe. His memoir, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, was published in October 2020. 

Aleks Palanac is Head of Sanctuary at the University of Leicester. She has been heavily involved in developing University of Sanctuary work at her institution and across the UK HE sector, particularly by widening participation to HE for refugee-background students through trauma-informed English language provision (such as via the innovative RefugEAP Programme and trauma training for ELT practitioners). She also convenes the RefugEAP Network, and, more recently, has been exploring ways in which the UK HE sector can best provide support to students, academics and universities from Gaza. 

David was previously Deputy Vice Chancellor, International at Coventry University - responsible for all international activities including joint ventures, recruitment, collaborative delivery, curriculum internationalization, mobility and enhancement. 
He implemented an ambitious agenda involving a more than 6-fold increase in recruitment; establishing the UK’s largest overseas collaborative delivery programme ~20,000 students in 27 countries; and developing the world’s largest international enhancement programme which has ranked No.1 for overseas mobility since records began.

Andy worked at 3 UK universities in international student recruitment and partnership roles for 16 years before joining QS in 2021. He leads the UK & Ireland client facing team with particular expertise on optimising the student journey on behalf of QS's partners and believes that every student deserves personalised and premium support during their daunting admissions journey. He often presents at international conferences about “Admissues” (admissions issues) and other topical subjects facing international higher education.

Oliver Quinn Palmer is Head of Client Partnerships at IDP UK and works across intelligence, data consultancy, marketing and student recruitment. Ollie leads IDP UK’s Client Partnership team to work closely with UK and Irish universities to develop and implement sustainable recruitment strategies. Ollie has been at IDP for nine years, having previously worked for The Independent and The Guardian. 

Enzo helps universities spot the gap between what their international strategies say and what they actually want. Then he helps them build plans that reflect reality, not just ambition. Fond of clarity, impact, and the occasional unpopular truth.  

Professor Colin Riordan has served as ACU's Secretary General and Chief Executive since September 2023. Professor Riordan holds a PhD in German Literature and held academic positions at Swansea University (UK) and Newcastle University (UK), where he was appointed Head of the School of Modern Languages in 2001, Faculty Dean of Postgraduate Studies in 2004, and Pro Vice-Chancellor and Provost of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in 2005. In October 2007, he became Vice-Chancellor of the University of Essex (UK), before moving to Cardiff University (UK) in 2012, where he served as President and Vice Chancellor until August 2023.  

Cyril heads the Economic and Trade Section and is the Science Counsellor at the EU Delegation to the UK. 

Cyril previously worked on European R&I programmes and policies. He was inter alia a member of the private office of the Commissioner for Research (2002-2004); and lead for policy initiatives related to R&D investment, support to innovation and the European Research Area. He also headed the regional Representation of the European Commission in France (Marseilles) from 2011 to 2015. Cyril joined the European Commission in 1998 after graduating from the Institut d’Études Politiques (Paris) and working as parliamentary assistant to an MEP. 

Professor Rachel Sandison OBE is Deputy Vice-Chancellor (External Engagement) at the University of Glasgow, leading a broad portfolio including international, marcomms, brand and reputation, student recruitment and admissions, widening access, fundraising and alumni relations, and civic engagement. She is the Scottish Government’s Trade and Investment Envoy, and Fulbright Commissioner.  A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, she is Chair-Elect and Global Trustee of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Rachel serves on multiple sector advisory boards, and is the University’s Universitas 21 network Senior Leader, Treasurer of The Guild, and lead for the CIVIS European University Alliance.

Mr Luke Sheehy commenced as the CEO of Universities Australia in February 2024. He is a highly skilled leader with more than 20 years’ experience shaping the agenda of higher education. Prior to UA, Mr Sheehy led the Australian Technology Network of Universities for almost five years. He has also held key education roles in government, worked as an education strategy consultant for the Asian Development Bank and held senior management roles at Swinburne University.  

Leina is the Director Education for the British Council, China. Leina leads the development and implementation of UK-China Education portfolio across complex partnerships, programmes, and contracts across mixed funding streams and business models across China and East Asia.  

Leina has extensive experience in international higher education, strategy development and transnational education project development and management with a strong track record of full execution of large and complex projects and programmes globally. An experienced leader in the UK Higher Education, Leina has held senior roles as the institutional lead on developing, communicating, and implementing Universities’ International Strategy.  

International student success and employability consultant, currently leading cross-institutional initiatives at Queen Mary University of London (QM) that bridge alumni engagement, global partnerships, and student experience. With a background in intercultural pedagogy, higher education, global mobility, and international careers, I take a strategic and values-led approach to enhancing institutional reach and alumni impact. I am Co-Chair of the International Task Group where we lead a small team to advocate and lobby for equitable international student rights, and educate our membership on emerging themes, practical applications and best practice in the sector. 

Emma Skelton is currently Head of Client Success, UK and Europe at IDP Connect. Her team is responsible for ensuring UK and Ireland institutions achieve the best results across IDP’s products and services. Prior to her role at IDP, Emma worked at the British Council where she worked with the UK parliament and sector bodies on international education issues, including mobility and student recruitment.  

Minister Jacqui Smith is a British Labour politician and life peer. Before beginning her career in politics, Minister Smith was an Economics teacher. She has held several key government positions including Minister for Schools before becoming the first female Home Secretary under Gordon Brown. In 2024, she was made Minister of State for Skills and, in 2025, she was also made Minister of State for Women and Equalities.

Professor Sir Steve Smith is the UK Government International Education Champion. He was previously Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter from 2002-2020. In November 2020 he was also appointed as the UK Government’s Special Representative to Saudi Arabia for Education.  

Sir Steve served as President of the world academic body in his field (the International Studies Association) from 2003-2004.  

Sir Steve was President of Universities UK (UUK) from 2009-2011; Chair of the UCAS Board from 2013 – 2019 ; Board member of the Russell Group (2012-2020); Chair of UUK's International Policy Network and Chair of UUK's International Strategic Advisory Board (2015-2020); Member of the UUK Board (2006-2020). He is currently a Fulbright Commissioner, a Trustee of the Education and Employers Task Force, a Non-Executive Director of Unite Students, Chair of the Liveable Exeter Place Board, and a Patron of Exeter College. From 2007 until 2010, he led for higher education on the Prime Minister’s National Council of Excellence in Education.  Sir Steve was knighted in the 2011 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to higher education locally and nationally. 

I work in UAL’s central Global Engagement Office, leading on the university’s Transnational Education (TNE) and global experience programmes, with a focus on funding for short-term opportunities. I hold an MA in Intercultural Communication, have lived and worked across four countries, and have 14 years’ experience in higher and further education institutions developing a strong commitment to creating meaningful global opportunities for students. My expertise lies in designing and delivering international experiences, with a particular focus on widening participation and ensuring traditionally marginalised and underrepresented groups are meaningfully included in these initiatives. I have independently led 75 students abroad over 3 years to Bangalore, Saigon, and Hanoi and have seen first-hand the profound impact, benefits, and transformative power these short-term experiences have for young people.  

Guohao was a former international student and Chinese Student Association President. Dedicating his career to making the lives of international students easier, he is now a Partner at EasyTransfer, a student-centric international payment platform. As an engineer and product designer by training, Guohao believes that providing a quality experience for universities, international student families and all stakeholders is essential. He continues to use financial technology innovations to improve EasyTransfer’s products and service offerings. He is a strong advocate of  students always having a choice of payment methods.

Professor Tang has been the Secretary-General of the University Grants Committee since 2018.  He has extensive experience in academic leadership and management at local and overseas higher education institutions.  He was Dean and Professor of Political Science at the School of Social Sciences and Special Adviser to the President on Greater China affairs at Singapore Management University.  Before that, he served at the University of Hong Kong as Head of the Department of Politics and Public Administration, as well as Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences.  Over the years, he also held visiting appointments at renowned universities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and on the Mainland. 

Faye’s team is responsible for developing and delivering DfE’s international strategy, enhancing policy making in England working with governments overseas and across the Four Nations to build transformative education partnerships. Previously Faye worked in government relations advocating for Higher Education, research and innovation for University Alliance and the Association of Commonwealth Universities. Before that, she researched and taught medieval European History, completing her PhD at the University of Nottingham. She has a Masters’ in Public Policy from LSE and is a current Policy Fellow of the Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP) at the University of Cambridge. 

Adam is Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Birmingham. Prior to this he served as Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Knowledge Transfer), and then Provost, at Birmingham and has also worked in leadership roles at the University of Bristol and Royal Holloway, University of London. 

Adam trained as an economic geographer at the University of Manchester. 

He is on the board of Universities UK and USS, and has served on a wide range of public bodies and charity boards. He was appointed as a non-executive director at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in November 2024. 

Selma leads a dynamic team of higher education specialists at QS, partnering with universities across the UK and Europe on admissions, student recruitment, transnational education (TNE), and reputation strategy. With a background spanning UK and US institutions—and professional experience in Nigeria—Selma brings a truly global perspective to her work. As a former international student, she is passionate about making access to UK higher education more equitable and inclusive. Her mission is to help universities become more impactful and student-centered, while empowering learners to thrive and succeed across borders.

Jessica Turner is the Chief Executive Officer at QS Quacquarelli Symonds. Under her stewardship, QS – a global leader in higher education insights and solutions for over 30 years – has achieved strong organic growth augmented by strategic acquisitions. Jessica leads an 800+ global team focused on the QS mission: To empower motivated people anywhere in the world to fulfil their potential through educational achievement, international mobility, and career development. She is a graduate of the University of Sydney and has a master’s from the Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to QS, she served in senior roles at Clarivate Analytics and Thomson Reuters.

Lord Vallance was appointed Minister of State (Minister for Science) on 5 July 2024. 

He was previously Government Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA) from April 2018 to April 2023. He was also National Technology Adviser (NTA) and Head of the Government Science and Engineering (GSE) Profession. 

Lord Vallance was President, R&D at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) from 2012 until 2017. During his period as head of R&D, many new medicines were approved for use worldwide, for diseases ranging from cancer and rare diseases in children, to asthma and HIV. 

Prior to joining GSK, he was a clinical academic, Professor of Medicine and led the Division of Medicine at UCL. His research spanned from work on medicinal chemistry and structural biology, through to cellular work, studies in humans and use of large electronic health record databases. 

Jude is President of ESN UK - a Scottish charity that supports international students across 14 institutions in the UK, and part of the Erasmus Student Network which spans 44 countries across Europe and beyond. As President, Jude leads on the Charity’s external representation, policy work, and oversees the broader work of their Board. Having been involved in the organisation for the last three years in a policy capacity, he co-wrote their International Student Perspective UK research project, has sat on Taith’s advisory committee, and worked closely with the EU Delegation to the UK on developing the future of youth mobility.

Richard is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) for the Coventry University Group. He overseas all the Group’s global activity including all aspects of student recruitment, transnational education and its network of global hubs. He has established major academic partnerships together with branch and branded campuses in several areas of the world including the Gulf, South East Asia, South and East Asia and China. He holds a number of advisory roles to both public and private organisations and is a long term advisor to the European Union.   

Esther joined the RAU in early 2023 after spending most of her 25 year career in sector agencies in higher education and research.

Esther spent nine years as Head of International at Jisc, the UK agency for digital, data and technology for higher and further education where she led international activities, partnerships and developed an international strategy.

Prior to this, Esther worked in various roles in higher education, previously as Assistant Director in the Universities UK International Unit delivering UK Government and overseas programmes. Esther also delivered a number of projects in the UK Research Councils for over 13 years; these included £multi-million Government longitudinal studies across the medical and social sciences, and as part of the team establishing the RCUK Strategy Unit (precursor to UK Research and Innovation). Other roles included working on the Beagle2 Mission to Mars at the Open University as ‘Planetary Protection Officer’ and a brief spell as a Police Officer in City of London Police. 

She has a First Class BSc (Hons), Diploma of Imperial College, and PhD in Chemistry from Imperial College.

As Director of Innovation and Learning, Esther leads professional services in core areas which support the academic endeavour at the University, including research, knowledge exchange, international and partnerships, laboratories, library and learning technology support.

Lorna is Managing Director of Research and Innovation Services at Durham University, and Chair of the Association of Research Managers and Administrators (ARMA) in the UK. Lorna joined Durham in 2017 as Head of Research Development, and in 2021 took on the role of Director of Research Development and Operations, becoming MD in January 2024. Previously to joining Durham she worked at Newcastle University in a number of roles. She is a member of DSIT’s Independent Advisory Board on Research Security, the Higher Education Security Forum, the Horizons Institute Advisory Board, was previously a member of UKRI’s Research Organisation Consultation Group, ROCG (2019-2023), and is co-founder and previous co-chair of Women@DU. She represents the ARMA community on a number of policy groups and sector organisations on key topics such as (for example) research security, reducing research bureaucracy, and co-production. She is also currently a member of Council for the International Network of Research Management Societies (INORMs).    

Thomas Wilson is the academic lead for the Turing Scheme at Rose Bruford College, and course leader of the college’s BA (Hons) European Theatre Arts degree. His teaching/research interests include Theatrical Biomechanics, devised/physical theatres, practical artistic research and performer training. In his role as course leader, he manages the integrated international mobilities to partner HEIs and theatre companies that all ETA students undertake in their second year. He is an Associate Editor (Training Grounds) at the Theatre, Dance and Performance Training Journal.