Meet the Founder
After university, I was living at home and doing various jobs to fund travel - spending time in South East Asia, Europe and North Africa. It was an exciting period, but when it came to thinking seriously about a career, I felt a little lost. That changed when my mum, no doubt keen to get me out of the house, showed me a job advert for an International Office Assistant role at Newcastle University way back in 2005. One of the requirements was an interest in different cultures. That was one box I could tick. I applied, got the job, and I have never looked back!
That first role introduced me to the breadth of international higher education and set me on a path that would go on to shape my working life. It gave me an early sense of how varied and rewarding the sector could be, and how much I enjoyed work that connected people, institutions and ideas across borders.
Travel remained an important part of my life and perspective. A work trip to India deepened my interest in the region and later led me to take a 15-month sabbatical, during which I volunteered as a teacher with the Himalayan Education Lifeline Programme in Ladakh, India, and the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. It was a life-changing experience and strengthened my desire to build a career with an international dimension.
On my return to the UK, I went on to work at the University of East London and SOAS University of London, where my focus was more directly on international student recruitment, market development and partnership work with a particular focus on South Asia, as well as wider experience across East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. Those roles gave me a strong understanding of the international student journey, from first enquiry through to application and decision-making, while also deepening my insight into how universities present themselves internationally, develop relationships overseas and navigate different markets. They were formative years that helped me understand both the practical and strategic sides of international engagement.
It was time to take another sabbatical, travelling with my now wife across the Americas, from Patagonia in Argentina to Vancouver in Canada. As with my earlier travels, it was a reminder of how much perspective comes from seeing different places, meeting different people and stepping outside familiar settings.
My most recent role, as Global Projects & Policy Manager at Queen Mary University of London, was different again and an important next step in broadening my experience. It brought me closer to the strategic centre of a university, providing operational support to the Vice-Principal International and senior colleagues within the Office of the Principal. Through that role, I worked across a wide portfolio connected to international strategy, policy, governance, partnerships and major institutional initiatives. It gave me a broader view of how priorities are shaped at senior level, how decisions are made, and how international work connects to the wider direction of a university.
Looking back across these roles, what they gave me was not simply experience in different jobs, but a rounded understanding of the sector from several angles. I have seen UK higher education from the student-facing side, the outward-facing international side, and the more strategic institutional side. I have worked across different types of universities and with students, families, academics, professional services colleagues, consultants, partners and senior leaders. That breadth of experience has given me a practical understanding of how universities differ, how admissions and decision-making work, and why finding the right fit matters so much.
I founded Apply UK to bring that experience together in a way that is personal, focused and independent.
For many international students and families, navigating UK higher education can feel complicated. There is a huge amount of information available, but not always enough clarity. Understanding how the system works, how institutions differ, and how to make well-informed choices from overseas is not always straightforward.
Apply UK was created to make that process clearer and more manageable. It is an independent advisory service designed to help students and families understand their options, make informed decisions, and approach the admissions process with greater clarity and confidence.
If you would like personalised guidance on choosing universities and preparing your application, you can find out more about Apply UK’s advisory services here.
