International student recruitment conference 2026

Freya Allison is currently the Senior Manager, Scholarships and Partnership in Recruitment and Admissions at London Business School. With 10 years of experience working within Recruitment, Admissions and Engagement in the higher education space in Australia and the UK. 

Sanam is Chair of NISAU and Commissioner on the UK’s International Higher Education Commission. She is a Governor at London Metropolitan University and convenes flagship global platforms including Achievers Honours, India Global Education Summit and India UK Education Conference, bringing together governments, universities and industry to shape the future of education and mobility. In parallel, she is a senior strategist to the investment sector, having led Product Strategy & Innovation at a leading global consultancy. Her work sits at the intersection of policy, education and talent, focusing on student outcomes. She has received an Outstanding Contribution Award for her impact on the HE sector.

David Booth is the Director of Test Development for Pearson Tests of English. He is responsible for the development of specific Pearson tests ensuring that all tests are developed to the highest standards. He is an experienced teacher, teacher trainer and assessment professional.

Before joining Pearson, David worked for 10 years at Cambridge ESOL, a part of Cambridge Assessment. David also has extensive academic management, teaching and teacher training experience working for the British Council in South Korea, Hong Kong and Malaysia.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement and Student Life) at the University of Portsmouth leading key areas including global engagement, recruitment, marketing, academic services, sport, recreation and student support. 
 

Provides strategic leadership for student wellbeing, safeguarding, equality, diversity and inclusion, and the University's global engagement strategy. 
 

Joined the University of Portsmouth in 2016, having previously served as Pro Vice-Chancellor at Anglia Ruskin University. 
 

Brings over 30 years of higher education experience and serves as a trustee of UKCISA. 
 

Trained as a barrister and began his career as an Advocate and Solicitor in Malaysia, advising major corporate clients.

Andy Cook is an experienced higher education leader who served as Vice-Chancellor of Ravensbourne University London from 2018 to 2025. During his tenure, he led the strategic development of the specialist creative and digital institution, overseeing a period in which the University more than doubled in size. With a career spanning higher education leadership, digital strategy, technology and media, Andy brings a distinctive perspective on institutional growth and the importance of developing a compelling, differentiated university offer. His previous senior roles at the Universities of East London and Southampton gave him extensive experience of strategic management and institutional transformation. 

At the University of Law, I manage team assessing international applicants to ensure they have the required level of Academic English to succeed in their studies. This includes benchmarking international English language qualifications and tests and striking a balance between the commercial needs of the institution and the compliance risk of these decisions. I also oversee the administration of our internal English language test and closely work with other departments to review ways of supporting students once they start their studies here. I have a Trinity CELTA, DELTA from UCL, and an MA in Applied Linguistics and EFL from KCL.

Dr Mihnea Cuibus is a Senior Researcher at The Migration Observatory. His work focuses on issues related to unauthorised migration, asylum, and border enforcement in the UK.

Professor Elwen Evans, KC, was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) in 2023.  Professor Evans read Law at Girton College, Cambridge, was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 1980, and appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2002. Professor Evans was appointed as Head of the College of Law and Criminology at Swansea University in 2015, then as Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean in 2020.  She is a Bencher of her Inn, is Chair of Universities Wales, and is a Board Member of Advance HE.

Richard leads the development and delivery of the University’s Global Strategy and has oversight of the University’s global activities, including student recruitment, global experiences for staff and students, establishing and leading the University’s relationships with key global partners, and engaging alumni around the world.
The Global Strategy lays out Exeter’s vision to be a truly global institution by extending our presence, reach and impact around the world. It seeks to realise Exeter’s ambitions to be an internationally recognised leader in human health and wellbeing, sustainability, and social justice; to grow our mutually beneficial partnerships; to diversify our international student community; and to provide an inclusive and world-class staff and student experience.

Aatreyee leads the British Council’s education work in mobility and internationalisation across India. Her portfolio spans student recruitment, alumni engagement, agent and counsellor engagement, scholarships, and outward mobility, with a focus on strengthening international education opportunities. She also works on transnational education (TNE) and supports outreach and engagement for the UK Education Hub at the British Council in India. Aatreyee joined the British Council 15 years ago and has held roles across marketing, communications, and education. Drawing on extensive experience across these areas, she works at the intersection of international education, mobility, and stakeholder engagement to advance collaboration between India and the UK.

Melanie Jarman is Acting Director of International Experience at the University of Worcester. With a background in language teaching and academic literacies, she has spent her career exploring the relationship between language proficiency, academic success and the international student experience. Her work spans the student journey from admissions to graduation, with a particular focus on how language evidence is interpreted and how students navigate the academic and communicative demands of university study and professional practice. 

Melanie works closely with academic and professional services colleagues to develop institution-wide approaches to international student success.

With over 12 years’ experience in international higher education, Alex Lock is the Head of Immigration Compliance at Anglia Ruskin University and co-chair of the national Immigration Compliance Network as well as the UCISA Immigration Compliance Working Group, having previously chaired the Midlands Compliance Network and the University Alliance Immigration Compliance Network.
His professional journey has been one where he has been able to work through all forms of roles within UKVI Compliance. In his working career he has worked across multiple areas of the wider regulatory governance ecosystem, including UKVI, SLC, OfS, Worker Route.

Iain Mansfield is Director of Research and Head of Education and Science at Policy Exchange. He is a former Special Adviser to three Education Secretaries, a former Senior Civil Servant at the Department for Education and has served as a University Governor.

With more than 15 years’ experience in international higher education, Mark Ovens has worked across admissions, partnerships, student recruitment and commercial business development. His expertise spans both the public and private sectors, giving him a broad perspective on the opportunities and challenges facing universities today. As Business Unit Director for EMEA & UKI at Studyportals, Mark leads a commercial team working with universities to strengthen and diversify international student recruitment. He specialises in building strategic partnerships, sharing insights into global student mobility, and helping institutions improve the quality, diversity and retention of their international cohorts.

Pilsbury is Chief Development Officer for Oxford International. He sits on the boards of JISC, CBBC, Times Higher Education, StudyPortals, EURIE, Emirates Aviation University and Macao Millenium College.  He is a member of the International Higher Education Commission (IHEC).  He led Coventry’s international transformation to become the third largest recruiter; largest provider of TNE programmes overseas; and host to the world’s largest global enhancement programme.  He has won a Queen’s Award, EAIE’s premiere award and is a VTC Honorary Fellow. Pilsbury was founding CEO of WUN, HEFCE Head of Research Policy and spent several years in the City after a D.Phil at Oxford.

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.

Oliver Rae was appointed as Head of Work, Study, Family & Ukraine Casework in June 2023. Prior to this, Ollie was the Head of Study Services, where he was responsible for all study operational activity including the delivery of student visas and the study sponsorship system. In 2022, Ollie successfully led the Study command through the largest student surge period on record. Ollie has been with the Home Office for 20 years and has previously led large operational teams in a variety of business areas, including Asylum and Family and Human Rights casework.

Charley works in UUKI’s policy and global engagement team leading up our work on our international student recruitment and outward student mobility programmes. Prior to joining UUKi she has worked extensively in the UK higher education sector, in roles heading up international student recruitment, partnerships, scholarships and outward student mobility teams.

Heather is Senior Research Fellow at British Future, a leading think tank on immigration, integration and social cohesion. She has carried out research on immigration since the 1990s, in particular on migration for work and study and on public attitudes. Before joining British Future in 2021 she led research on employment and social policy at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, and was Director of Research at Demos.
With the aim of influencing policy and debate, Heather has published research findings in a wide range of formats, including academic papers, research reports and opinion pieces.

Rebecca Sandford is International Student Policy Lead at the Department for Education, leading policy that supports the UK’s global education ambitions and strengthens its position as a leading destination for international students. She has more than ten years’ experience in the Civil Service across education, international policy and major cross-government programmes. Her previous roles include leading criminal court transformation projects at HMCTS and overseeing no-deal contingency planning for science and space programmes at the Department for Exiting the European Union. Rebecca has extensive experience advising ministers, building partnerships across organisations, and turning complex policy into effective delivery and outcomes.

Sophie Turnbull is Director of International Recruitment at UWE Bristol, leading the university's global recruitment strategy and international partnership development. With extensive experience in international student recruitment, admissions, compliance, and student mobility, she works closely with colleagues, agents, and sector partners to support sustainable international growth. Sophie has particular expertise in student decision-making, credibility assessment, sponsorship compliance, and the use of data and technology to enhance recruitment practices. She is also actively involved in sector leadership through BUILA, contributing to discussions on international education policy, market trends, and the future of student recruitment in the UK.

As Associate Director (Employer Engagement & Work-based Learning), Andrew has overall responsibility for the strategic and operational running of King's employer connectivity, its global employer reputation, and its relationship with all external stakeholders who engage with the University to recruit, develop and upskill our students and researchers or support our institutional employability aspirations. Internationally, he is also a member of the National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE) in the USA and has extensive knowledge of key international markets including East Asia, South Asia and Europe.