Executive Committee

Philippa started her career as a dancer but after a brief spell making classic public information films at the Central Office of Information, she switched one type of performance for another; promoting education and training as Director of Marketing and Strategic Planning for the Central London Training and Enterprise Council. As a freelance consultant she continued to work with key international promotion organisations in London on high-profile projects promoting key sectors and bringing major stakeholders together, including the London Universities International Partnership. As BUILA Executive Director, Philippa leads on all aspects of BUILA’s work including lobbying, international promotion and partnership activities. 

Andrew is an international student recruitment expert and has supported higher education internationalisation activities around the world for over 15 years. He has facilitated trans-national education opportunities at all levels of study and been involved in policy dialogue workshops in a number of countries.

Andrew is a staunch supporter of the globalisation of education, understanding the benefits it brings to both the UK economy and its role in tackling global issues. He has experience providing commentary for international television, radio and press.

Nancy Cooke is the Director of International Development at the University of Salford. In this role, sheis responsible for various aspects of international education, including international recruitment,forming partnerships with otherinstitutions, and facilitating student mobility programs.Nancy has accumulated over 15 years of experience in the field of international education and herexpertise includes setting up and managing regional hubs in India, China, and the UAE.Nancy has held leadership positions within international education. She is currently Vice Chair ofBUILA (British Universities' International Liaison Association) working to ensure that the interests ofBUILA members are well-considered and supported by government agencies and policy makers.She has previously served as the Chair of the BUTEX (British Universities Transnational ExchangeAssociation) representing the members interests in exchange and study abroad.Nancy is also a member of the Study UK HEI Advisory group, and serves on the Greater ManchesterBangladesh Board, where she plays a role in fostering connections between the two regions.

Karen Blackney has 25 years of experience of international education with a career spanning three UK universities; Middlesex University, Brunel University and the University of East Anglia.  She is currently Associate Director of UEA Global, responsible for student recruitment, study abroad and exchange programmes, short-stay in-bound programmes, and global partnership development.  She manages a team of 40 staff based in the UK, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, North America and Nigeria.  Karen set up one of the UK’s first summer schools, at Middlesex University, and led on the development of international foundation programmes, in the UK and Dubai.  She previously acted as Chair of the Sub-Committee for India, part of the London University International Partnership (LUIP), a collaboration of London Universities and is currently an active member of the Aurora network, a recent collaboration of European universities and UEA’s University of Sanctuary. She is also the Professional Services Lead for UEA’s Ukraine Working Group and Co-lead for BUILA’s Employability Group (as a Co-opt to the Group).  Karen holds an undergraduate degree in Theatre with English and a Masters in Human Resource Management from Middlesex University. 

George Hunt joined Teesside University in 2015, taking on the role of Director of International Development a year later.

Committed to the view that internationalisation should be at the heart of the university experience, George and his team have led Teesside’s transformation into a leading global student destination, increasing international student numbers significantly over a 5-year period. A believer in the value of partnerships, George oversees relationships between the University and public, private, EdTech and government organisations all over the world and as a member of UniQuest’s Advisory Board, George has also been able to build upon his longstanding dedication to innovation in HE.

George has worked in HE for over a decade, with previous roles at Newcastle University and the University of Sunderland. He has a passion for promoting the UK on the global stage and supporting the interests of HEIs within the sector and beyond. Based in the Tees Valley, he is proud to call the North-East home.

Stuart is the Director of Student Recruitment and International at Edinburgh Napier University, where is a member of the university Senior Leadership Team and leads a team of over 50 staff in 7 countries with responsibility for all student recruitment, widening participation and international partnership development. Stuart has worked in higher education for over 15 years and has gained experience living and working in China as well as spending time at 3 Scottish universities in various internationalisation, recruitment and partnership development functions. Stuart has previously served on Chevening scholarship reading committees as well as being a member of the Scottish Universities International Group committee and the Universities Scotland International Committee. Stuart was elected to the BUILA Executive in 2021 andleads on liaison with the wider Scottish sectorfor BUILA in addition to training and TNE portfolios.

Brian Greenwood is currently the Associate Director of International Student Recruitment at the University of Exeter and member of the BUILA Executive. Brian has worked within higher education for more than a decade including roles in admissions, student welfare, immigration, conversion, and recruitment. Brian has a breadth of knowledge from working at institutions in Scotland, the North of England, the South East and the South West. For the last two years, Brian has worked with the BUILA executive focussing on the training schedule, working with the AQF and the conference team.

Ula Tang-Plowman is currently the Director of International Recruitment at the University ofCentral Lancashire (UCLan), where she focuses on delivery sustainability and diversity ofinternational student recruitment for the university. With a richbackground as aninternational student and as the first university graduate in her family, Ula remains apassionate advocate for the transformative potential of UK higher education. Beyond herprofessional role, Ula is the founder of the British Universities’China Association (BUCA)[https://www.buca.uk/], an initiative she established from scratch, demonstrating hercommitment to fostering international educational connections. She also activelyparticipates as a member of the BUILA Executive and chairs the China Regional InterestGroup.

Jake DuffinHead of International Student RecruitmentQueen Mary University of LondonJake has been based in the Global Engagement Office at Queen Mary University of Londonsince 2012. Prior to joining Queen Mary, he worked at the University ofWestminster andThe British Counciland has nearly 20 yearsof experience in HE.Jake is currently Head of International Student Recruitment, a role which involves a widescope of strategic responsibility and management of a team of staff based in London,Beijing, Delhi, Kuala Lumpur, Lahore and Wisconsin. A key part of Jake’s role is to developand review strategy, taking into accountinternational, sector and government policydevelopments.Jake works closely with overseas staff in regions such East and SouthAsia andplayedaleading role in establishingthe Universitiespresence in Malaysia and the US.He has aparticular interest in how universities work with agentsand how UK HEI’s can betterleverage their alumni.

Francis Glover is Director of Global Recruitment at Oxford Brookes University, where he is responsible for the development and implementation of global recruitment, and international student experience strategies. He has also led international recruitment activities at De Montfort University, and University of Greenwich. Prior to this, he held various positions including working in student experience, study abroad and partnerships, and held market recruitment responsibility in multiple markets whilst working at London South Bank University. 

Alongside his work, he completed a master’s at Kings College London in Education Policy, which focussed on how government policy has impacted international student recruitment to the UK between 1997 and 2019. He has been an elected member of the BUILA since 2023.

Shonagh has worked with international students since 2008 in a variety of roles across Admissions. Student Services. Accommodation, International Recruitment and Partnerships. She is currently Head of International Stakeholder Engagement at the University of Glasgow where she leads a team of staff across Glasgow, India, Singapore and Indonesia to grow student enrolments and supports a diverse network of partners from the region. She also leads on the university’s overall agent engagement and management. Shonagh joined Glasgow in 2018 and previously worked at the University of Stirling and INTO Newcastle University. She is the Vice Chair of the Scottish Universities International Group (SUIG) and supports the BUILA executive as Co-Opt, Agent Quality Framework Lead and Chair of the South Asia RIG.

Edward is an international education professional with over 10 years of experience working with and supporting international students and young people. At BUILA, he is the Projects and Events lead, focusing on the sector-wide implementation of the UK Agent Quality Framework and BUILA’s flagship event, the annual conference. 

Edward previously worked as a regional manager at the University of Salford and at INTO as a student services manager in China. Earlier in his career, he had student-facing roles at the Prince’s Trust, the National Citizen Service and on the British Council Active Citizen’s programme. 

Paulina worked as Regional Manager of North American student recruitment and Summer Programmes before setting up a US focused digital marketing consultancy, Friesland Collective. In her role as Managing Director, Paulina consults universities on entry to market, UG and PG lead generation, staff training and development. As BUILA's Head of Marketing and Communications, Paulina leads on CRM Communications, Web Development, Brand Design, Live and Virtual Events, Member Engagement, External Stakeholder Engagement, Regional Strategic Marketing & Communications Groups, Annual Conference Planning, Study UK Digital Steering Group, and our International Marketing Regional Interest Group.

Following 29 years at the University of Portsmouth encompassing international student recruitment, event management and running a successful summer schools programme, Kim joined the BUILA Support Team in 2023. She is responsible for membership maintenance, administration improvements, and assisting with the conference logistics.