RHETORIC OR REALITY?
TNE, International Student Recruitment
& European Partnerships
Location | The University of Glasgow, 11 Chapel Lane, Glasgow G11 6EW
Date | Thursday 7 November 2024
Time | 9:30 – 16:30 (UK time)
About this event
The IC Collective is an opportunity for senior managers in internationalisation and global engagement at UK universities to share knowledge and test ideas with peers in a supportive and friendly environment. Discuss and reflect on the theme of ‘Rhetoric or Reality? TNE, International Student Recruitment and European Partnerships’.
Learn best practice, sector-leading insights and debate the key topics impacting the international education sector now, including:
- Rhetoric or reality? Lessons learnt from real TNE examples
- Update on the international student recruitment scenario
- The future of European partnerships and student recruitment
Kindly hosted by
In collaboration with our Gold Sponsor


Speakers will cover topics of interest for all of the UK university sector, with special emphasis on providing an opportunity for colleagues inside and outside of Scotland to hear and learn from what is happening at Scottish higher education institutions.
Benefit from ‘The IC way’ which includes a focus on networking, collaboration, professional development, reflection and fun.
We would like to create a safe and supportive environment for colleagues to be open and share best practice, thoughts and ideas, which is why the event is only open to senior management at UK universities.
We will be planting an Olive tree for this event as part of our Sustainability Pledge.
Event details
Join The IC Global’s third, exclusive in-person IC Collective on Thursday 7th November 2024 from 09:30 – 16:30 (GMT) at Advanced Research Centre (ARC), The University of Glasgow, 11 Chapel Lane, Glasgow G11 6EW.
Time (UK) | Topic | Speakers |
Wednesday 6th November 2024 | ||
18:30 – 20:30 | An informal drinks and canape reception for an opportunity to network with IC Collective attendees, speakers and sponsors; expand your network; initiate meaningful conversations; and enjoy a beautiful and historic venue. | |
Thursday 7th November 2024 | ||
9:30 – 10:00 | Arrival, registration & refreshments | |
10:00 – 10:30 | Welcome by The IC Global, the University of Glasgow and Scotland’s Universities’ International Group (SUIG) | |
10:30 – 12:00 | 10:30 – 12:00: Rhetoric or reality? Lessons learnt from real TNE examples.
10:30 -11:15 Panel debate |
Rachel Sandison, Deputy Vice Chancellor – External Engagement and Vice Principal External Relations, University of Glasgow Dawn Anderson, Pro Vice-Chancellor International, Glasgow Caledonian University Ben Matthews, Associate Director of Global Engagement, Lancaster University and UK-ICAN member Alexis Brown, Head of Global Education Insights, British Council |
12:00 – 12:30 | Break | |
12:30 – 13:30 | 12:30 – 13:30: Update on the international student recruitment scene.
12:30 – 13:00 Presentation |
Rachel MacSween, Director of Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement, UK and Europe, IDP Connect James Inzani, Client Director, IDP Connect |
13:30 – 14:30 | Lunch | |
14:30 – 16:00 | 14:30 – 16:00: The future of European partnerships and student recruitment.
14:30 – 15:15 Panel debate |
Jenny Fernandes, Director, Recruitment and International Relations, University of Glasgow Helen McMillan, Regional Director Europe, University of Edinburg Julie Ramsay, Director of Admissions, University of St Andrews |
16:00 – 16:30 | Event close and final remarks |
The IC Collective event benefits senior leaders, directors, academic colleagues and other professionals with strategic responsibility for internationalisation and global engagement at UK institutions. The event is not open to commercial organisations, except those involved as sponsors.
The event will be of interest to all, working in the UK university sector and of particular interest to those working in the Scottish higher education sector. Colleagues from outside of Scotland will benefit from attending, to gather insights and learn best practice at Scottish universities, and to network with peers from the sector.
Attendees from the last IC Collective said that it was “an excellent event”, that it provided them with “thought-provoking content on most pressing topics“ and they “enjoyed networking with my peer group“. More testimonials can be found here.

Dawn Anderson, Pro Vice-Chancellor International, Glasgow-Caledonian University
Dawn Anderson is responsible for leading Glasgow Caledonian University’s strategic internationalisation goals, including leadership of the International Partnerships Office.
Dawn has worked at the university for over 20 years, following an early career in industry as a commercial insurance underwriter and broker. As a senior academic she drove forward development of the risk management discipline at Glasgow Caledonian in collaboration with employers and professional bodies. Her areas of risk specialisation include business continuity, crisis management, societal risk and insurance.
Dawn has always maintained a strong interest in international education, supporting a range of international activities and partnership projects alongside her academic roles. Several years ago she took up the Associate Dean International role within the Glasgow School for Business and Society and after a brief spell as International Director was more recently appointed as Pro Vice-Chancellor.

Alexis Brown, Head of Global Education Insights, British Council
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.

Jenny Fernandes, Director, Recruitment and International Relations, University of Glasgow
Jenny is the Director of Recruitment and International Relations at the University of Glasgow, where she has overarching responsibility for student recruitment (domestic and international), international partnerships, study abroad and international networks.
She has over 20 years’ experience in the field of international education and student recruitment.
Prior to joining the University of Glasgow, Jenny spent 19 years at the University of Aberdeen where latterly she was the Director of External Relations with responsibility for marketing and brand development, student recruitment, conversion, communications, public affairs and stakeholder engagement. An alumna of the University of Aberdeen, she had previously worked as Head of its International Office. She has also worked at Queen Margaret university.
Between 2006 and 2010 she served as Vice Chair and subsequently Chair of the Scottish Universities International Group and between 2018 and 2021 she served on the Executive Board of BUILA (British Universities International Liaison Association). She was a University Governor, as an elected staff member, on the University of Aberdeen’s Court (2017-2020). She was a member of the CASE (The Council of Advancement and Support for Education) UK and Ireland Cabinet (2021-2023) and is currently a member of the CEAC Planning Committee. She studied in the United States and has worked as a teacher in Japan.

James Inzani, Client Director, IDP Connect
James is a Client Director at IDP Connect. He has over 10 years of experience consulting university partners and has been the lead for Scotland as a destination for the last 5 years at IDP Connect.

Rachel MacSween, Director of Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement, UK and Europe, IDP Connect
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 IDP’s partners, 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.

Ben Matthews, Associate Director of Global Engagement, Lancaster University and UK-ICAN member
Ben is the Associate Director of Global Engagement at Lancaster University, where he oversees international collaborations, global reputation and mobility. Under his leadership, Lancaster University has Transnational Education (TNE) programs in Germany, Malaysia, China, and Ghana, enabling one-third of the student population to study overseas. Today, Lancaster is the largest UK provider of TNE in Malaysia and is a member of the UK International Campus Alliance Network (UK-ICAN).
With a focus on widening participation, diversity, and inclusion, Ben is passionate about creating opportunities that empower students to become global citizens – fostering cross-cultural understanding and enabling their future leadership. Having led institutional sustainability programmes, Ben’s focus is to harness the power of digital and promote sustainable practices in student mobility, foster meaningful education, and contribute to a more sustainable approach.
Through practical actions, Ben leads efforts to enhance the university’s reputation within global league tables. With his deep understanding of the factors that shape institutional reputation, he has played a key role in elevating Lancaster University’s standing on the international stage.

Helen McMillan, Regional Director Europe, University of Edinburgh
Helen McMillan joined the Edinburgh Global team at the University of Edinburgh in March 2017 following roles at both Heriot-Watt University and the University of Stirling where she worked on postgraduate student recruitment with a focus on the East Mediterranean. More recently, she worked at Edinburgh Napier University where she managed the European Recruitment & Exchanges team before becoming the Global Mobility Manager.
As Regional Director for Europe at the University of Edinburgh, Helen is responsible for devising the University’s regional plan for Europe and plays a key role in fostering research, innovation, and mobility links between the University of Edinburgh and European institutions. She works with colleagues across the University to co-ordinate European activities and engagement including the University’s membership of one of the leading European University Alliances, Una Europa.

Sirin Myles, Co-Founder and Director, The IC Global Partnership
Sirin is a highly experienced International Leader and specialist in higher education. She has more than 20 years of international marketing and leadership experience in diplomatic and higher education organisations. Sirin’s career includes the British Council in Istanbul, marketing British education; Regional Director at the University of Southampton and Director of the International Office at the University of Reading. At Reading, Sirin had joint responsibility for all of the University’s Marketing, Communication and Engagement. Since 2016, Sirin has been providing a specialist independent consultancy, individual and leadership coaching to higher education institutions.

Julie Ramsay, Director of Admissions, University of St Andrews
Julie Ramsay is the Director of Admissions at the University of St Andrews, since 2011. With over 20 years’ experience (British Council in Mexico, representing 8 Russell Group universities, and leading internationalisation activities at the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde), Julie now leads a team of 50 at the University of St Andrews undergraduate and postgraduate admissions team. Julie serves on several strategic advisory boards including the UK’s Department for Education, Universities’ Scotland International Committee, and the USA College Board, and holds a national sector leading role as Chair of Scotland’s Universities International Group (SUIG).

Rachel Sandison, Deputy Vice Chancellor – External Engagement and Vice Principal External Relations, University of Glasgow
Rachel is responsible for leading the University of Glasgow’s strategy for external engagement covering an integrated portfolio of International Policy and Partnerships; Marketing and Communications; Brand and Reputation Management; Transnational Education; Student Recruitment and Admissions; Widening Access and Lifelong Learning; Development and Alumni Relations; and Civic Engagement. Rachel is also the University’s Sanctuary Champion.
Rachel is the University’s Universitas 21 network Senior Leader, a Board member of the University’s European network, The Guild, and the University lead for the CIVIS European University Alliance, thereby supporting the activity of a global group of research-intensive universities.
Rachel is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, a Global Trustee and chair-elect of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the Scottish Commissioner for Fulbright US-UK, whilst also contributing to several sector advisory boards both at home and overseas.
What is the cost of the event?
- The cost of the event is £185.
The price includes the drinks and canape reception, all sessions, refreshments and lunch.
How do I book a place for the event?
- You can book here
How do I pay for the event?
- You can pay via EventBrite which accepts credit or debit cards and PayPal.
Do you offer a group discount?
- We have kept the registration fee low to cover costs and therefore a group discount cannot be offered.
What is the location of the IC Collective event?
Room 237 A&B, Advanced Research Centre (ARC), The University of Glasgow, 11 Chapel Lane, Glasgow G11 6EW.
What is the location of the informal drinks and canape reception?
NEW VENUE: Principal’s Lodgings (12 The Square, Glasgow, G12 8QQ) https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/visit/attractions/tour/principalslodging/
How do I get to the venues?
IC Collective event
Drinks and canape reception
To access the building, go to the Main Gatehouse on University Avenue and walk across Professor Square to the Principal’s Lodgings.
Can you cater for different dietary requirements at lunch and the reception?
- We will provide a range of food to cater for different dietary requirements. If you wish to contact us for further information, please email [email protected].
What is your refund policy?
- If you are unable to attend the event, you can receive a full refund minus £30, to cover administration and catering costs.
Who can I contact if I have further questions?
You can email [email protected] and the team will be happy to answer your questions
Previous IC Collective


Find out more”The IC Collective event held in January 2024 was one of the most useful, insightful and timely events I have attended for quite some time. Re-engaging with HEI peers from across the sector, in a supportive space created by The IC Collective, enabled a sharing of current issues in the true spirit of collegiality.
James RichardsonDirector of Global Development and Partnerships, Sheffield Hallam University