The IC Collective

Charlene Allen, Co-Founder and Director, The IC Global Partnership

Charlene has over 20 years’ experience in higher education. She has held senior roles across several universities in the UK, held a national sector leading role as Chair of British Universities International Liaison Association (BUILA) and sat on strategic international advisory boards for the British Council, Universities UK International and the UK Council for International Students Association. Her work has included the development and implementation of various internationalisation projects, lobbying on internationalisation matters and working with the Department of Education and the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy International Team on the UK International Education Strategy.

Anne-Marie Graham, Chief Executive, UKCISA

Anne-Marie Graham is the Chief Executive of the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA). Anne-Marie joined UKCISA in 2019, before that she was the Chevening Scholarships Director for just over two years and worked in the area of outward student mobility for Universities UK International.

Professor Abigail Gregory MBE

Professor Abigail Gregory MBE is Director of Academic Strategy at Pagoda Projects, a socially engaged company specialising in global internships and sustainable global experiences. She is also an HE Consultant (Internationalisation and DEI), Executive Coach and Mentor.

Professor Gregory has more than thirty years’ experience as an academic and is a Professor of Comparative Sociology, specialising in gender equality and work-life balance. She has a strong senior leadership track record, most recently in the roles of Faculty Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor, Faculty Head of International, Associate Dean International and Associate Head Marketing and Recruitment for multi-disciplinary academic units at Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Salford. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.

A linguist by background, Professor Gregory has particular experience of and passion for internationalisation. Skilled at working with diverse stakeholders across cultures and disciplines, she has developed and led internationalisation strategy at home and overseas, creating enterprising and impactful student-focussed and income generating activities globally, and notably in East and Southeast Asia and North America. She has been a Department of International Trade Export Champion and was awarded an MBE for services to export in November 2019.

Dr Janet Ilieva, Founder and Director at Education Insight

Janet is the Founder and Director of Education Insights and the creator of the Global Engagement Index. Janet is an Economist whose work has informed national and international level HE strategies here in the UK and overseas. Janet regularly undertakes research in higher education engagement for government departments, international organisations and universities.

Jacqui Jenkins, Global Relationship Manager (Education), British Council

Jacqui is the British Council’s global lead for international student mobility and marketing at the British Council.  Jacqui leads the British Council’s work with those that influence international students (agents and counsellor) in countries that send more than a 1000 new international students to the UK annually. Jacqui has had an extensive career at the British Council, she was the original producer of the Going Global conference series in 2004, she founded the global Study UK Alumni Awards in 2013, she was the education adviser to the UK’s Government GREAT Britain Campaign Study UK in 2016 and in 2022 she launched the Agents and Counsellor Hub.

Dr Anthony Manning, Dean for Global and Lifelong Learning at the University of Kent, UK

Dr Anthony Manning is Dean for Global and Lifelong Learning at the University of Kent, UK. Through his role at Kent, Anthony is responsible for the development, implementation and review of International and Lifelong Learning activity which includes international programmes, international pathways to higher education, online learning and higher and degree apprenticeships. Anthony is a Principal Fellow of AdvanceHE and a National Teaching Fellow. He has published widely in fields linked to international education, assessment and internationalisation at Home and has worked as an external examiner for more than 10 Universities in the Uk and overseas. Anthony has lived as and worked in five countries and has led educational development activities in more than 50 nations around the world. Anthony is also the founder of various networks and fora including Innovations in Internationalisation at Home. As well as being an IC Global Fellow Anthony is a trustee for the British Accreditation Council (BAC) and is also the current Chair of BAC’s Accreditation Committee.

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.

Professor Bill Russell, Deputy Dean, School of Business, University of Dundee

Dr Bill Russell is Professor of International Business at the University of Dundee School of Business.  He graduated from the University of Western Australia in 1985 with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics (Honours) before undertaking an M.Phil. and D.Phil. in Economics at the University of Oxford which were conferred in 1996. Prior to arriving at the University of Dundee in August 1996, he had worked for ten years in the Research Department of the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Details about his research and publications are available at www.billrussell.info

Over the past ten years Professor Russell has been closely involved in the building of high-quality programmes for the School of Business and the University of Dundee that focus on employability, content, and with engaging and innovative methods of delivery.  He has also been engaged in developing innovative agreements with universities that deliver important benefits to the students and institutions involved.

Andrew Wright, Associate Director (Employer Engagement & Work-based Learning); AGCAS Employer Engagement Task Group (Chair), King’s College London

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 stakeholders, including employers, suppliers, alumni and donors.

He leads the planning, development and oversight of King’s entire Employer Engagement function including employer relations and business development, events and work-based learning initiatives including internships, industry placements, work-related projects, experiential and skills learning both in the UK and internationally. Working with a variety of organisations, industry bodies and stakeholders he ensures our partners are kept abreast of news and developments about graduate recruitment, labour market insight and international student policy and that King’s remains a top target for employers around the world.

He has extensive knowledge of key international markets including China and Europe, with a specialist interest in careers and entry-level recruitment in North America, where he has worked in numerous cities including New York City and Washington D.C. Alongside working with employers, he regularly delivers student workshops for students from China, India, the United States and Europe.