Marketing and communications in higher education conference 2025

As Chief Marketing Officer at Northumbria University, Helen leads the Global Marketing and Business (GMB) division in driving the long-term financial sustainability of the university. Her team is dedicated to increasing revenue and enhancing the university’s reputation by developing innovative marketing, recruitment and communication strategies that attract students from local, national, and global markets and attract commercial income. Helen plays a crucial role in shaping the university’s brand, reputation, and strategic partnerships, ensuring value for stakeholders, and contributing to Northumbria’s growth and success. 

Helen's leadership and expertise extend across three core strategic ambitions: showcasing Northumbria’s world-leading research, driving student recruitment and retention, and advancing the university’s social mobility goals. Under her guidance, marketing, communications, and recruitment efforts are aligned to create impactful outreach, with a strong focus on widening access to education. 

Seb has a long background working in communications roles in the public sector and regulated industries, including the London Fire Brigade and the Local Government Association. He joined Universities UK after spending a decade in senior communications roles in the rail industry. This included as Director of Communications for the Great British Railways Transition Team, where he influenced the policy of successive governments towards the biggest reforms to rail in a generation. Before this, he worked in a membership organisation acting as the voice of the railway on a range of operational and policy issues ranging from rail fares to train punctuality and reform of the sector.

Seb has acted as a spokesperson in national broadcast media, led the industry-wide introduction of a life-saving partnership between the railway and Women’s Aid, and managed the production of various research and policy reports. He was also part of the team that devised a first-of-its kind strategy to reposition the reputation of the rail sector.  

Tom Williams is deputy news editor at Times Higher Education, also covering politics and policy issues for the title. He joined Times Higher Education in March 2022 as a reporter covering teaching and employment issues. He was previously a news reporter at Metro.co.uk and worked as a journalist for the Oxford Mail and BBC Radio Oxford. Tom holds a BA in politics from the University of Nottingham and an MA in journalism and media studies from the University of Sussex.

Ross Hawkins is a former BBC political correspondent who reported extensively on stories spanning higher education, further education and schools. In almost twenty years at the BBC, he covered the work of many different education secretaries, shadow ministers and sector lobbyists. Now a partner at Hawthorn Advisors, Ross provides strategic communications advice to leaders in education, alongside supporting businesses working in the UK and around the world.

Tania Rhodes-Taylor is a seasoned professional in marketing, communications and external relations, currently serving as the Executive Director of Communications and External Affairs at King’s College London.

Her career in Higher Education began in 2007, encompassing significant roles such as Vice Principle of External Relations at the University of Sydney and Director of Marketing and Communications at Queen Mary University of London. Before this she had gained valuable experience in the corporate and non-profit sectors including positions at the National Literacy Trust and Unisys.

In 2022 Tania founded Otus Advisory, an endeavour aimed at enhancing the strategic capabilities of higher education institutions through tailored consultancy and coaching.

Tania is an active contributor to both social and traditional media, sharing insights related to higher education and other interests.

Her extensive experience across various sectors and international settings positions her as a key figure in shaping reputation and engagement strategies within higher education.

Milly is the Social Media Manager at the University of Westminster, where she’s all about making higher education social media feel genuinely social.

With a background in HE, she’s passionate about organic growth, storytelling, and collaborating with students to create authentic content. The university’s TikTok now ranks #10 among UK universities on TikTok (as ranked by Nonsensical Agency).

Milly believes the best social strategies are built on authenticity, creativity, and a little bit of nonsense. Whether it’s jumping on trends, perfecting a lip sync, or sending students off with a tripod and an idea, she’s always looking for ways to make content more fun.

When she’s not scrolling TikTok, you’ll find her listening to pop culture podcasts with a flat white in hand.

Elizabeth is a graduate of the University of Leeds.  She began her career as a desk officer for Europe and the Former Soviet Union at the British Council. She has worked on a range of scholarship programmes including Chevening Scholarships and Commonwealth Scholarships.

Elizabeth is now Study UK Director and enjoys seeing the benefits of a UK education and watching the growth of talented and ambitious people from across the globe throughout their academic and professional careers.

Sophie O'Neill leads the communications and insights functions at UUKi, working across content and campaigns, media engagement, communications, stakeholder engagement and publications activity.

Sophie has held several HE marketing and communications roles in institutions, including public engagement, public affairs, research communications, student experience marketing and recruitment marketing. 

Shahla is a passionate advocate for international students in the UK and widening participation in Higher Education. Originally from Finland, she moved to the UK in 2020 to pursue a degree in Biological Sciences, navigating the challenges of living alone abroad while embracing the amazing opportunities that came with it. Throughout her time at University of Leicester, Shahla gained work experience in student recruitment, careers & employability, and marketing, where she engaged with diverse student communities, delivered outreach initiatives, and had the opportunity to meet incredible people. As a proud participant in the #WeAreInternational campaign, Shahla has spoken at HE conferences and UCAS events, sharing her story and experience to highlight the importance of international access to education.

Nicole is an award-nominated social media professional currently serving at London Metropolitan University. Nicole is passionate about connecting brands to diverse and under-represented audiences by championing inclusive storytelling through content that reflects diverse voices and perspectives.

With a background in HE, Nicole specialises in working with student influencers and ambassadors and identifying key moments to create authentic and relatable content that invites conversation and drives real impact.

Nicole has successfully launched a TikTok strategy that led to 12 million views and manages London’s most-liked higher education TikTok account, showcasing her ability to harness social platforms for maximum impact.

John is Director of Marketing, Communications and International at the University of Suffolk.
 

He has over 25 years’ experience in higher education marketing across the UK and Australia. He began his career at Glasgow Caledonian University, before becoming Head of Marketing at the University of Edinburgh. He continued his career in Australia as Director of Marketing & Planning for Charles Darwin University, before returning to the UK in 2017 as Director of Marketing & External Relations for Cardiff Metropolitan University.

In his current role, John is a member of the University Executive and is responsible for providing strategic leadership across the key areas of communications, marketing, international, brand, student recruitment, development, admissions and external engagement.

John is a Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute (AMI) and is an AMI Certified Practising Marketer.

He is also the UK National Representative for EUPRIO, the European higher education communications network, and sits on the EUPRIO Steering Committee.

Nuzhat Jabinh FRSA has worked for The University of the Arts London and King's College London. Her short post grad is in Neuroethics from the University of Oxford. She has a long standing interest in AI safety and consults in AI ethics and applied AI.

Sofia is the Senior Content Producer in Universities UK's in-house digital team. She works on digital content production across Universities UK's digital channels and is particularly interested in user-centred, accessible design and storytelling.

Sofia is also a trustee of Thurrock and Brentwood Mind, where she chairs the Board's marketing sub-committee to support the development of the charity's marketing strategy.

Xenia is a Director at Pink Orange, a higher education-focused marketing agency established in 2019. With over a decade of experience in the education sector, Xenia specialises in international student recruitment and generational marketing, particularly Gen Z’s online behaviour and communication preferences. Having developed her career within the EF Education First ecosystem, she has worked across more than 100 markets, delivering over 300 successful campaigns for leading institutions such as Newcastle University, Webster University, Bournemouth University and many more. Xenia and the team at Pink Orange are committed to creating transparent, research-driven strategies that amplify the voices and needs of students across the globe.

Dr Adom is in charge of the fulfilment of the University's strategic international objectives currently for Africa. This includes International Student Recruitment, alumni engagement, innovation, business development, developing connections and opportunities  for advancing the University’s activities across the region and Global Opportunities. Nana has a particular interest in the prioritisation of markets, recruitment and business development, the management of channels, as well as the delivery of enquiry and conversion operations. Dr Adom was successful in enroling the former Vice President of Nigeria (His Excellency Atiku Atiku Abubakar) in a full-time, fee-paying programme at Anglia Ruskin during the academic year 2020/21. In addition to being a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Nana possesses a diverse and helpful global network of corporate and higher education contacts.

Anney is Head of Partnership Relations at the University of Nottingham, leading global teaching partnership strategy, and the Chair of BUCA (British Universities China Association). With 17 years in UK higher education, she blends her experience as a former international student with expertise in recruitment, marketing, and partnerships. Anney champions transformative education through sustainable collaborations and strategies to attract global talent. Her work focuses on partnerships that elevate the international student experience and amplify UK universities’ global standing. Anney’s professional rigor with lived insight positions her as a dynamic voice in shaping the future of international recruitment, marketing and partnership-building.

Kelly is an experienced marketing and communications leader and currently serving as the Internal Communications Manager at the University of Southampton, a Russell Group University. Ranked among the top 100 universities worldwide, UoS has five campuses and is renowned for its cutting-edge research.

Kelly has worked in marketing and communications for 15 years, both in agencies and in-house, and has experience in both further education and higher education.

She believes in the importance of looking after your people and that it is not only the right thing to do but also contributes to enhanced productivity and performance.

Rachel Wheeley brings a creative and flexible approach to strategic communications, with a focus on delivering clear and impactful messages. Her experience spans directing live radio news programmes, podcasting, stand-up comedy, and communications, where she has built a reputation for raising profiles, engaging stakeholders, and leading high-performing teams.

Known for her collaborative style and aptitude for managing change, Rachel recently led communications at St George's, University of London as the university embarked on one of the largest higher education mergers in 20 years to create the 'health powerhouse', City St George's, University of London. This involved successfully managing media narratives, designing engagement strategies, and laying the foundations for diverse cultural integration and a unified team.

Lauren Harper is the Senior Campaigns Producer at Universities UK. She has a wide-range of digital communications and campaigning experience from her work in the the public sector. Most recently she led the 100 faces campaign, showcasing the impact of first-generation university students and lobbying for further maintenance support for them.

Dylan Parkes is Head of Strategic Engagement (Climate & Environmental Sustainability) at the University of Reading.

Dylan plays a key role in driving the implementation and engagement in UoR’s Environmental Sustainability strategy, ensuring cross-institutional and external buy-in and collaboration.  He develops integrated, strategic campaigns, communications and partnerships and co-chairs the Reading Climate Change Partnership, which leads Reading’s strategy towards being a net-zero, climate resilient town.

Previously he worked for 15 years for several leading environmental NGOs, leading communications and fundraising teams.

Jessica Darcy is an experienced marketing manager at the University of Sheffield, where she focuses on advertising. Her 15-year career includes more than 10 years in education marketing, at a number of leading institutions across Yorkshire. 

In her current role, she leads on student recruitment campaigns that drive results. 

John Bates, a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, is a communications practitioner and advisor to public and private sector managers. His crisis management and media handling experience is primarily focused on high-profile topics and hard news stories.

EPiCC operates with a team of specialists—appropriately qualified experts with extensive knowledge and relevant experience—who support clients across various sectors, including local government, transport, and academia. This work involves coaching teams and senior leaders in effective communication, messaging, and media skills, particularly during periods of high tension and intense scrutiny.

Mike Bond is a founding partner of Bond & Coyne, the mission-led brand agency providing creative, strategic, and digital services to education, tech, youth, media, and science-based clients. Their award-winning work has garnered numerous accolades for innovation, including world firsts in higher education marketing.Through Bond & Coyne, he has collaborated with institutions such as Royal Holloway University of London, Manchester Metropolitan University, and Canterbury Christ Church University, leading brand initiatives that drive transformative change. With over 20 years in higher education, Mike now serves as a lecturer at the Royal College of Art, teaching design and creative thinking.He believes in the power of creativity to empower young people in forging purposeful careers. To support this, he co-founded the creative careers platform WonderWhat.co.uk and developed educational tools like the Periodic Table for Creative Confidence to enhance staff development. Additionally, he created TheMagic8.co.uk, a card-based toolkit inspired by magicians, designed to help individuals shape and share their ideas.Mike also runs Masterclasses for the National Saturday Club and is a member of the education thought leadership community, Oppi Global.

Felicia is the marketing director for event marketing and management solutions at Cvent Europe. She has 19 years of sales and marketing experience in fast-moving technology organisations and is an experienced CIM-qualified marketing professional. She has run events both personally and professionally throughout her career and is instrumental in delivering Cvent’s annual flagship European event, Cvent CONNECT Europe, among 70 other events across the year.

Felicia has a background in content and marketing management and is currently responsible for the strategic direction of the Cvent’s marketing team in Europe including expansion planning, brand management and strategy, digital experiences, campaign planning and execution, demand generation, lead management and event management. She regularly speaks on topics including marketing, events, technology, self-belief and DE&I at conferences, exhibitions, roundtables, awards, and other business events.

She is one of the FastForward15 Diversity Ambassadors and sits on the Diversity and Inclusion Council within Cvent. Felicia is passionate about marketers pushing the boundaries of technology to enhance creativity, increase flexibility and reduce waste (of time, money, effort, and materials) whilst personalising experiences for customers, prospects and brand advocates through both digital and offline channels. 

Sam Jackson-Royle has worked in the international higher education sector for more than a decade and currently leads global partnerships across GEDU as Vice-President International Partnerships. Prior to this, he worked at Bangor University, Wales, as Director of Global Engagement, leading global activities across one of Wales’s most established research-intensive higher education institutions. During his career, he has worked at several UK universities, specialising in large-scale transnational education projects and establishing international student recruitment and mobility strategies globally. He has an MBA from Leicester Castle Business School and a postgraduate Diploma in Public Sector Management from Bayes Business School, London. He was awarded a fellowship by the Institute of Leadership and Management in 2022. He has served on the executive committee of the British Universities International Liaison Associate (BUILA) and been a sector advocate for the Department of Business and Trade.