Work · Selected projects
Selected work
Four case studies from five years inside UK universities — partnerships opened, networks rebuilt, conversion lifted, and budgets managed for return. Ask me about any of them.
Case study · International partnerships
First to recognise
During the pandemic recruiting season, a major Chinese school network of 1,000+ students moved to a self-developed curriculum — strong for US and Canadian applications, but unrecognised for UK admission, which worried students and parents across seven branches.
I treated it as a major untapped market. Partnering with the school’s counsellors and our internal academic and accreditation teams, I built the business case and encouraged the school to engage UK bodies like Ecctis — making us the very first UK university to officially recognise the new curriculum in mainland China.
“A precedent other Russell Group universities soon followed — and a 130% rise in applications and 50% more enrolments from the group that same year.”
Case study · Channel partners
From 20 to 60 partners
When our London campus aligned with its Boston headquarters, there was no shared process for managing agents and a tangle of cross-office handovers. I ran review meetings with in-country staff, audited every existing agent, and selected the high-potential partners most likely to thrive under a clear tier structure.
I drafted a simple workflow and easy forms, handled the contracts, commission letters and compliance personally, and empowered local staff to set the commission tiers that genuinely motivated performance — strict data-protection discipline throughout.
“Hands-on training and a simpler process grew the active network from 20 to 60 partners in a year, lifting total applications by nearly 20%.”
Case study · Conversion & events
The Taster Lecture series
To drive student conversion, I led a high-impact taster-lecture programme — coordinating academic faculty, marketing, enrolment management and student ambassadors. A traditional linear workflow was creating bottlenecks, so I switched to a flat approach: one centralised, real-time tracker every department could update at once.
With clear timelines and responsibilities, academics could focus on teaching instead of logistics. I also ran the live online sessions end to end — virtual logistics, seamless delivery, and real-time troubleshooting for staff and attendees alike.
“Around 40 sessions across the year, 100+ registrations each — and a closing data review shared with the wider team.”
Case study · Budget & ROI
£20k, managed for return
I managed an annual international recruitment budget of around £20,000 to grow undergraduate applications from mainland China — on three pillars: data-driven allocation, logistical synergy, and financial flexibility. Tiered market segmentation kept core markets front-of-mind while emerging regions grew through cost-effective digital outreach.
By clustering itineraries months in advance, I ran 7–8 high-quality school visits in a single 3–5 day trip, and held a 10–15% contingency to seize last-minute summits and flash events — across business trips of up to 15 weeks and 100+ events worldwide.
More work · Events, alumni & the journal
Alumni gatherings
Events · Community
1:1 consultations
Recruitment
Summits & panels
Speaking
Soup England
Lifestyle · Writing
Documentary partnerships
Bilibili
Want the full story?
Happy to walk you through any of it.
Interviewers and collaborators: I can talk through the decisions, the numbers, and what I’d do differently — over a call or a coffee.