Rose Stephenson is the Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Higher Education Policy Institute. Rose directs HEPI’s work on policy, including research, policy analysis and the development of policy recommendations. Rose is an experienced educator, having worked in outdoor education and as a teacher and Head of Science in secondary education before moving to the higher education sector. Rose worked at the University of Bath, overseeing policies and projects to improve to the student experience. She is driven to support the development of considered, evidence-based policy and has an interest in social mobility and equity. Rose is a Governor of Hartpury University.

Gemma is the OIA’s Provider Liaison Officer, working within the Outreach & Insight Team. The Team focuses on the OIA’s good practice dissemination strategy and engagement with providers, students and student representative bodies, ensuring the learning from this engagement informs continuous improvement within the OIA and the wider sector. Gemma previously worked as a Case-handler and before joining the OIA worked in a range of student services positions within a university, an international language school and an FE college.

Dr Omar Khan joined TASO in June 2020.

Omar has led TASO’s transition into an independent charity, developing its team and strategy to widen participation in higher education and eliminate equality gaps between students. His research and professional background has focused on equality and social mobility, particularly in education and the labour market, and he regularly speaks on these topics in the UK and globally.

Omar holds several board advisory positions, including chair of the board of trustees of Trust for London, trustee of the Political Studies Association and the Barrow Cadbury Trust. Omar has previously been a board or advisory group member at the University of East London, the Financial Inclusion Commission, the Department for Work and Pensions, the 2021 REF and 2014 REF assessments, and a 2012 Clore Social Leadership Fellow.

Omar joined TASO from race equality think tank the Runnymede Trust, where he had been Director since 2014, growing the organisation and increasing its profile. He completed a doctorate in political science from the University of Oxford in 2008.

Ben has been at UCAS for over a decade and has been described as a ‘leading figure of higher education admissions policy’, with his knowledge in this area ‘second to none’. During his time at UCAS, Ben has led the response and engagement around every major political event that could impact on student progression, including Brexit, admissions reform, qualification reform, Scottish independence, general elections, and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic, which involved forming part of three separate ministerial taskforces.

Ben has also overseen the delivery of UCAS’ key policy outputs, including Unpacking Qualification Reform, the first major report on schools’ response to qualification reform, Where Next?, a leading piece on student decision making, What happened to the COVID cohort?, the definitive assessment of the impact of the pandemic on student progression, Starting the Conversation, UCAS’ landmark piece on student mental health, and most recently, Next Steps, a first of its kind report looking at the sentiment of LGBT+ students as they progress to university or college.

Outside of work, Ben is a trustee for two charities, and can often be found searching for his ball on the golf course.

Jack has over 10 years experience working in higher education in a diverse range of target driven roles covering student recruitment,  partnerships, widening participation, marketing, digital & creative and events management. Jack’s current role oversees student recruitment activity at the university from initial enquiry through to enrolment, UK partnerships delivery and access and widening participation at the University of Wolverhampton.

I studied a teaching degree at University, after I came out of teaching I spent some time working for Hampshire Police within their vetting department. I then moved back to Cornwall and started working at Falmouth University where I have been for 14 years within the remit of Admissions, 7 of which have been within a management role. My team sits within the Recruitment team so I also work very closely with both the UK and International Recruitment Teams. I am passionate about education and especially access to education, believing everyone should have access to the right education to fulfil their potential regardless of background and circumstance. I am also a qualified workplace coach and an active member of Falmouth’s Coaching Network.

Dr. Pranjol is Deputy Head of the School for Education in the School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex. A strategic leader with a flair for financial control and staff planning, he navigates the School in alignment with the University’s mission on Student and Education Experience. Previously, as Director of Student Experience, Dr. Pranjol championed inclusivity, decolonising the curriculum and tackling institutional barriers. As academic, his interests delve into the BAME attainment gap, student retention, internationalisation and pedagogical innovation. Beyond academia, Dr. Pranjol spearheads mentoring schemes, involves students in activities to boost confidence and enhance employability skills. Adept in EDI implementation and an award-winning educator, Dr. Pranjol blends innovation with a commitment to enhancing the student and staff experience.

Jon has 20 years of experience in developing successful student marketing strategies across dozens of brands. He is also adept at managing strategic projects such as brand development and awareness/perception research, propensity modelling, student journey mapping and persona development.

Jo has over 13 years of higher education marketing and recruitment experience across home and international audiences and has developed successful student recruitment marketing strategies for the University of Central Lancashire, including new product launches across regions, developing large scales recruitment events, to developing and implementing large scale School and Colleges targeting strategies.

With over two decades of experience in higher education marketing and recruitment, Beth Pearson has become a leader in the field, known for innovative strategies and solutions that drive measurable results. As a Postgraduate Manager at the University of Lincoln, Beth’s expertise lies in developing integrated marketing campaigns that effectively engage prospective students, increase enrolment rates, and enhance brand reputation.

Throughout Beth’s career, she has successfully navigated the ever-evolving landscape of higher education marketing, staying ahead of industry best practices and emerging trends. By combining a deep understanding of the target audience and leveraging innovative recruitment techniques, Beth has consistently attracted high-quality applicants to the University of Lincoln, as well as to her previous employer, Durham University. Her ability to develop compelling content and implement multi-channel campaigns has resulted in increased brand awareness and remarkable conversion rates.

Beth’s strategic mindset is complemented by strong analytical skills, ensuring that marketing efforts are data-driven and optimized for maximum impact. Building on her expertise in market research and audience segmentation, Beth has successfully identified niche markets, tailoring messages and offerings to meet the unique needs and aspirations of different student populations.

Aside from her professional roles, Beth is an active contributor to the higher education marketing community. She has spoken at various national and international conferences, sharing her insights on student recruitment and admissions.

Beth holds a Master’s degree in Renaissance Literature from the University of Reading. Passionate about lifelong learning, Beth actively engages in professional development opportunities completing a Diploma in Marketing (CIM) in 2012, a Certificate in First Line Management (CMI) in 2017 and participated in Advance HE’s Aurora women’s leadership development initiative in 2023.

Dr Alex Blower has worked as a researcher and professional in widening access to Higher Education for the last decade. Following the completion of his PhD in 2020, Alex founded Boys Impact. The organisation is a UK wide network of educators working to close the gap in in GCSE outcomes for boys who are eligible for Free School Meals. Alongside his job as Access and Participation Development Manager at Arts University Bournemouth, he is a Research Fellow in Social Justice and Creative Research Methods and writes regularly for national and international publications.

Sam Jackson-Royle has worked in the international higher education sector for over a decade and leads all global activity for Bangor University, Wales. Before this, he worked at several UK universities, specialising in large-scale transnational education projects and establishing international student recruitment and mobility strategies across the globe. He has an MBA from Leicester Castle Business School and a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Sector Management from Bayes Business School, London. The Institute of Leadership and Management awarded him a fellowship in 2022, and he sits on the national executive committee of the British Universities’ International Liaison Association (BUILA)

Charlie Ogilvie is Senior Communications and Editorial Manager on the Study UK Campaign at the British Council. Her main focus is keeping the authentic international student voice at the centre of the campaign. Charlie is the commissioning editor for the Study UK blog which is the home of real-life, personal stories from current international students and alumni. She also runs the Study UK website and is dedicated to making all campaign content inspiring, useful and relatable for international students from all over the world. And, more recently she’s lead on commissioning podcasts for the team, most recently for audiences in the US and France.

Charlie began her career at the British Council as a participant of the Teaching England Thailand (TET) programme. Her award-winning blog ‘Thai-ary’ launched her writing career. She has since worked at the British Council across Education and Society, Cultural Engagement and Corporate programmes within the British Council internationally in Thailand, the UK and Jordan, as well as spending a few years working in in the legal sector in London.

Rachel is the Director of Partnerships and Stakeholder engagement at IDP Connect 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 Connect 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 her clients, 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.

Rose Stephenson is the Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Higher Education Policy Institute. Rose directs HEPI’s work on policy, including research, policy analysis and the development of policy recommendations. Rose is an experienced educator, having worked in outdoor education and as a teacher and Head of Science in secondary education before moving to the higher education sector. Rose worked at the University of Bath, overseeing policies and projects to improve to the student experience. She is driven to support the development of considered, evidence-based policy and has an interest in social mobility and equity. Rose is a Governor of Hartpury University.