Zeenat Fayaz

Director of Brand Strategy @The Brand Education

Jon Coe

Head of Student Recruitment & Events @The University of Sheffield

Harriet Sims

Customer Success Director @UCAS

Harriet Sims is a Customer Success Director with six years’ experience at UCAS, partnering with universities to strengthen their strategic marketing. She specialises in using data and insight to shape effective recruitment plans, improve performance, and deliver measurable results.

Emily Bennett

Head of Strategic Partnerships @ Education Cubed

Emily is Head of Strategic Partnerships at Cubed, where she leads the insights and consultancy team, supporting universities to navigate a wide range of challenges and identify new opportunities.

With over 15 years’ experience helping people and organisations define and achieve their goals, Emily brings a broad and distinctive perspective from a career spanning private FTSE 100 tech, the public sector as International Exhibitions Manager at The British Museum, and then significant tenure and responsibility at The Student Room where she developed her expertise in student insight, engagement and strategy. 

She helps universities in three key ways: harnessing research to provide a deep understanding of their audience, articulating what makes their institution distinctive, and translating insight into messaging that genuinely resonates.

Emily also represents Cubed creative support – producing high-quality, visually compelling creative that engages students.

Richelle Quinn

Director of Marketing at @Sheffield Hallam University

Joe Marzano

Account Director @IDP Education

Joe Marzano is an Account Director at IDP, working with UK universities to strengthen their domestic recruitment strategies through data informed planning, digital engagement, and market insights. Prior to joining IDP, Joe was Head of Partnerships at The Ambassador Platform, leading institutional partnerships across the UK and EMEA while supporting universities in North America and APAC with peer-to-peer engagement and applicant experience. He has a background in education technology and student recruitment, and is focused on helping institutions build effective, student-centred journeys in an increasingly competitive landscape.

ELLIOT NEWSTEAD

Associate Director of Future Students @De Montfort University

Elliot’s role at De Montfort University (DMU) is to lead the Future Students department, created in 2024, which oversees the UK and International Admissions, Schools Liaison, Widening Access and Enquiries functions at the University. Prior this role, Elliot worked at the University of Leicester for 11 years in student recruitment and outreach positions. Elliot, up until recently, also chaired the Education theme within the Universities Partnership, the civic university agreement between DMU, University of Leicester and Loughborough University.

For his sins, he’s also running the London Marathon in April 2026 so if anyone wants a leisurely run around Liverpool during the Conference, reach out!

Georgia Hart

Senior Client Partner and Team Lead @Education Cubed

Georgia leads in delivering strategic marketing and media campaigns for UK universities. Her work focuses on helping institutions make better decisions, align marketing with wider goals and improve campaign performance across recruitment and brand activity.

She works closely with senior stakeholders on strategy, evaluation and ways of working, with a particular interest in how clear thinking and good judgement shape better outcomes.

Georgia brings many years of experience in higher education and a strong track record of delivering results for clients.

Owen O’Neill

CEO, Founder @Uni Compare

Owen is the CEO and Founder of Uni Compare, a student-first platform reshaping how young people choose their future. Today, Uni Compare reaches over 15million sessions a year, has welcomed 600,000+ registered students through their platform, and has apps approaching one million downloads — making it one of the UK’s most influential destinations for prospective student.

VIC LITTLER

Chief Commercial Officer @Vepple

Vic has spent over a decade working in Higher Education marketing, where she’s developed a real passion for how universities connect with prospective students. Over the years, she’s worked closely with hundreds of universities, colleges and Students’ Unions, giving her a first-hand understanding of the pressures, trade-offs and realities marketing teams face.
As Vepple’s Chief Commercial Officer, Vic focuses on shaping products and partnerships that genuinely help student recruitment teams do their best work. Vic is especially interested in the role that experience and emotion play in student decision-making, and enjoys sharing honest, practical insights drawn from her time working alongside the sector.

Emma Tronson

Deputy Director Marketing & Recruitment @Aston University

Emma Tronson is Deputy Director of Marketing and Student Recruitment at Aston University, where she leads the department’s AI taskforce and strategy implementation. She also holds the role of Aston’s Alan Turing Institute Liaison and is passionate about innovative technologies in higher education marketing and recruitment.

With a background in the hospitality sector, Emma brings a unique perspective to HE, combining customer-centric thinking with innovative technology adoption. Her work in developing and implementing AI strategy has been recognised with award shortlisting, and her trailblazing entrance into the HE sector earned her the HEIST Rising Star Award in 2025.

Beyond spreadsheets and strategy documents, Emma’s life is filled with giggles and glitter thanks to her two young daughters, who keep her grounded in what really matters while she navigates the rapidly evolving world of AI in higher education.

Kyle Campbell

Founder, Managing Director 
@ Education Marketer

Kyle Campbell is the Founder of Education Marketer, an insights and marketing strategy firm for higher ed, and author of the Education Marketer newsletter. He’s also the Founder of Nintendo Friends in HE, the sector’s largest cross-university society for HE staff.

Jon Coe

Head of Student Recruitment & Events
Marketing @The University of Sheffield

Jon Coe is an experienced higher education leader who’s passionate about creating great experiences for students and staff alike. As Head of Student Recruitment & Corporate Events at the University of Sheffield, he oversees everything from Lead Generation, Schools Liaison, Corporate Events, Recruitment Events, Enquiries, Customer Service, Student Ambassadors and Graduations.

Jon’s career spans leadership in Access, Widening participation, Admissions, Faculty Student Recruitment and Schools Liaison. Before joining higher education, he taught Business and Mathematics, bringing a grounded understanding of learner experience to his work.

Jo Redfern Evans

CEO @ Education Cubed

Jo Redfern Evans is the founder and CEO of Education Cubed. Her career began at The Independent newspaper, where she joined the advertising department as a bright-eyed graduate trainee. Within just eight years, she rose through the ranks to join the board, leading a high-performing team and driving commercial success across the business. From there, Jo took her expertise to UCAS, heading up UCAS Media as Commercial Director, steering the organisation’s commercial strategy and deepening its connections with students and universities nationwide. She later became Commercial Director at The Student Room, further cementing her influence in the education and youth media landscape. In 2018, Jo channelled her passion and insight into launching Education Cubed, building it from an ambitious start-up into one of the sector’s most respected marketing agencies. As the business expanded, she stepped into the CEO role in early 2023, guiding the company with creativity and purpose.
An award-winning leader, sector mentor, and outspoken advocate for workplace equality, Jo is driven by a belief in collaboration, innovation, and the power of education to transform lives.

Vivek Evjemo

Commercial Director @ Education Cubed

Vivek Evjemo is the Commercial Director of Education Cubed. Over twelve years ago, he began his journey in Higher Education and agency life as an Account Coordinator, and since then he has undertaken every possible role that there is within Account Management.
During this time, he has developed a deep insight into the sector and its bespoke recruitment requirements, which are constantly evolving. His commitment to the sector can be seen through his strong client relationships, strategic insight, and his competitive nature. His goal is always to deliver the best.
Now, Vivek plays a pivotal role in shaping the company’s commercial strategy, forging partnerships, and ensuring the agency remains at the forefront of the sector.
He is #AgencyLife through and through, with a strong passion for education that makes him a trusted partner to clients and a key contributor to the company’s continued success.

Emily Bennett

Head of Strategic Partnerships @ Education Cubed

Emily is Head of Strategic Partnerships at Cubed, where she leads the insights and consultancy team, supporting universities to navigate a wide range of challenges and identify new opportunities.

With over 15 years’ experience helping people and organisations define and achieve their goals, Emily brings a broad and distinctive perspective from a career spanning private FTSE 100 tech, the public sector as International Exhibitions Manager at The British Museum, and then significant tenure and responsibility at The Student Room where she developed her expertise in student insight, engagement and strategy. 

She helps universities in three key ways: harnessing research to provide a deep understanding of their audience, articulating what makes their institution distinctive, and translating insight into messaging that genuinely resonates.

Emily also represents Cubed creative support – producing high-quality, visually compelling creative that engages students.

Dan Barcroft

Director, Marketing Admissions Recruitment and Communications @The University of Sheffield

RICHELLE QUINN

Director of Marketing at @Sheffield Hallam University

AMANDEEP AULAKH

Associate Head of Client Partnerships, UK Domestic @IDP Eduaction

Amandeep Aulakh is Associate Head of Client Partnerships, working with UK universities to deliver strategic, insight-led marketing and recruitment campaigns. With over 11 years’ experience in the sector, she has worked with many different institutions, identifying solutions to their marketing and recruitment challenges and objectives, driving highly successful outcomes. Sharing unique insight and data that is forward looking, is a significant part of her day-to-day work, allowing for future planning for our partners. Amandeep also works closely with the Director of Client Partnerships, UK to lead the Domestic team at IDP Education by formulating and implementing our long-term strategy within the organisation.

JOE MARZANO

Account Director @IDP Eduaction

Joe Marzano is an Account Director at IDP, working with UK universities to strengthen their domestic recruitment strategies through data informed planning, digital engagement, and market insights. Prior to joining IDP, Joe was Head of Partnerships at The Ambassador Platform, leading institutional partnerships across the UK and EMEA while supporting universities in North America and APAC with peer-to-peer engagement and applicant experience. He has a background in education technology and student recruitment, and is focused on helping institutions build effective, student-centred journeys in an increasingly competitive landscape.

ELLIOT NEWSTEAD

Associate Director of Future Students @De Montfort University

Elliot’s role at De Montfort University (DMU) is to lead the Future Students department, created in 2024, which oversees the UK and International Admissions, Schools Liaison, Widening Access and Enquiries functions at the University. Prior this role, Elliot worked at the University of Leicester for 11 years in student recruitment and outreach positions. Elliot, up until recently, also chaired the Education theme within the Universities Partnership, the civic university agreement between DMU, University of Leicester and Loughborough University.

For his sins, he’s also running the London Marathon in April 2026 so if anyone wants a leisurely run around Liverpool during the Conference, reach out!

JO RICHARDS

Senior Insight Lead @UCAS

Jo is Senior Insight Lead at UCAS, establishing and overseeing UCAS’ approach to insight across it’s customer groups and markets. Previously Jo worked within universities, setting up and developing market research teams; previous roles included Associate Director Market Research and Insight at the University of Warwick, and Head of Market Intelligence and Strategy at the University of Liverpool.

Passionate about understanding students and applicants and placing them at the heart of decision making, Jo is an experienced multi- methods researcher, having worked on projects spanning customer and prospect behaviour, satisfaction, student experience, brand and portfolio evaluation.

Jo started her career in pharmaceutical marketing, before settling in higher education in 2004. An active member of the Market Research Society, she speaks regularly on marketing research and student experience insight.

WILL HARMAN

Senior Client Partner @Education Cubed

GEORGIA HART

Senior Client Partner and Team Lead @Education Cubed

Georgia leads in delivering strategic marketing and media campaigns for UK universities. Her work focuses on helping institutions make better decisions, align marketing with wider goals and improve campaign performance across recruitment and brand activity.

She works closely with senior stakeholders on strategy, evaluation and ways of working, with a particular interest in how clear thinking and good judgement shape better outcomes.

Georgia brings many years of experience in higher education and a strong track record of delivering results for clients.

AARON PORTER

Portfolio of non-executive board, trustee and advisory roles across a range of sectors.

Aaron Porter has a portfolio of Board and advisory roles. He is Chair of BPP University, Deputy Chair of Goldsmiths University and for Advance HE leads a national development programme for members of university boards and councils as well as having undertaken governance effectiveness reviews for over 50 UK universities. Beyond higher education he is a non-executive director of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, on the council of a statutory healthcare regulator and the trustee of a London theatre. Previously he was President of the National Union of Students during the high profile debate over tuition fees, and has served on the Council of the University of Leicester and on the Boards of Endsleigh Insurance, UCAS, the Higher Education Academy and the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.

OWEN O’NEILL

CEO, Founder @Uni Compare

Owen is the CEO and Founder of Uni Compare, a student-first platform reshaping how young people choose their future. Today, Uni Compare reaches over 15million sessions a year, has welcomed 600,000+ registered students through their platform, and has apps approaching one million downloads — making it one of the UK’s most influential destinations for prospective student.

DANICA HILL

Sales Director @Uni Compare

Danica is the Sales Director at Uni Compare and lead the commercial function across Sales, Client Success, and Campaigns ensuring outstanding service delivery and measurable results for the University partners. With over 20 years’ experience in the education sector, she brings deep expertise across third-party platforms and media agencies, combining strategic planning with hands-on execution. She is passionate about developing long-term partnerships and delivering data-led solutions that support institutional growth and student recruitment objectives.

VIC LITTLER

Chief Commercial Officer @Vepple

Vic has spent over a decade working in Higher Education marketing, where she’s developed a real passion for how universities connect with prospective students. Over the years, she’s worked closely with hundreds of universities, colleges and Students’ Unions, giving her a first-hand understanding of the pressures, trade-offs and realities marketing teams face.
As Vepple’s Chief Commercial Officer, Vic focuses on shaping products and partnerships that genuinely help student recruitment teams do their best work. Vic is especially interested in the role that experience and emotion play in student decision-making, and enjoys sharing honest, practical insights drawn from her time working alongside the sector.

Harriet Sims

Customer Success Director @UCAS

Harriet Sims is a Customer Success Director with six years’ experience at UCAS, partnering with universities to strengthen their strategic marketing. She specialises in using data and insight to shape effective recruitment plans, improve performance, and deliver measurable results.

Zeenat Fayaz

Director of Brand Strategy @The Brand Education

TBC