At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United Kingdom based Director operating in the Higher Education space. If you think a Director is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Carlo Ratti
Director of the Senseable City Lab of Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Carlo Ratti is an Italian architect and engineer who directs the SENSEable City Laboratory, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology research group that explores the “real-time city” by studying the deployment of sensors and hand-held electronics, and their relationship to the built environment. A graduate in engineering at the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris, France, and at the Politecnico di Torino in Italy, Ratti later earned his MPhil and PhD degrees in architecture from the University of Cambridge, UK. In 2000 he moved to MIT as a Fulbright postdoctoral fellow, working with Hiroshi Ishii at the MIT Media Lab. In February 2008 the SENSEable City Lab presented an installation at MoMA in New York as part of the exhibition “Design and the Elastic Mind.” The New York Talk Exchange illustrates the global exchange of information in real-time by visualizing volumes of long-distance telephone and Internet data flowing between New York and cities around the world.
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About Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT is a research university that conducts research and offers educational courses in science, technology, and engineering.
Fatuma Mahad
Director of IT Transformation of Queen Mary University of London
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About Queen Mary University of London: Queen Mary University of London is an educational institution offering under graduate, graduate, post graduate and research studies.
Joanne Martin
Director of Blizard Institute of Queen Mary University of London
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About BioMoti, Queen Mary University of London: Queen Mary University of London is an educational institution offering under graduate, graduate, post graduate and research studies.
Victoria Rusnac
Marketing Director of Nexford University
Victoria Rusnac is Marketing Director at Nexford University. She is a marketing expert with proven expertise in corporate and start-up growth marketing strategies, including branding, performance and product marketing.
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About Nexford University: A next generation online university providing students with access to quality, affordable, dynamic education.
Sucheta Nadkarni
Director of Cambridge Judge Business School
Professor Sucheta Nadkarni is Director of the Wo+Men’s Leadership Centre, Sinyi Professory of Chinese Management and Head of Strategy & International Business Subject Group at Cambridge Judge Business School. Sucheta’s primary research interests include strategic leadership with a special focus on female rise to corporate boards and executive leadership positions. She has published extensively in leading academic journals in management. She is an associate editor of Academy of Management Journal and Journal of Management. She also sits on the editorial of four other leading academic journals. She has worked on research projects and grants with companies such as Boeing, Booz Allen Hamilton, Newton Asset Management, BNY Mellon and 30% club. Her research on female rise to boardrooms has been featured in global media outlets including New York Times, Forbes, CNBC, Huffington Post, Reuters, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Scotsman, Economic Times, Times of India, Herald Tribune, Borsen, O Globo, The Times (Kuwait), Business Standard and Folha De Sao Paulo.
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About Cambridge Judge Business School: Cambridge Judge Business School is a business school of University of Cambridge located in the United Kingdom.
Simon Bond
Innovation Director of SETsquared
Simon is Innovation Director of SETsquared, the award-winning enterprise partnership of the universities of Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Southampton and Surrey. He is also Director of the University of Bath Innovation Centre (www.ubic.org.uk) which helps accelerate the growth of technology-based companies both from the University’s research base and from the private sector and has founded a portfolio of networks to support business innovation – these include Silicon South West, Low Carbon South West, the open Mobile Innovation Camp, and the Assisted Living Action Network. He is a Director of the UK Electronics Alliance, ESCO. Simon leads the Bath Entrepreneurship Programme business plan training course which is based on the practical experience and track record of SETsquared and the Innovation Centre.
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About SETsquared: SETsquared is a collaborative partnership that supports enterprise activities, spin-outs, licensing, and incubation.
Alex Melia
Director of Swoosh English
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About Swoosh English: Swoosh English is a premier English eLearning service with a team of fully qualified and experienced UK native English teachers.
Jennifer Parsons
Director of Marketing and Insights of UniQuest
Jenni leads UniQuest’s Behavioural Insights Division and the Email Marketing team that designs and delivers our partners email nurturing journeys. UniQuest has data from over 10 million communications with students which Jenni leads the Behavioural Insights Division in analysing for impactful, actionable insights to ensure that our partners remain at the forefront of student recruitment and engagement innovation. She joins UniQuest with 20 years’ experience of working in international education, which has included roles as Director of Internationalisation at LSBU and Head of Global Client relations at i-Graduate. For the past two years Jenni has been running her own consultancy, delivering research and strategic development to the UK HE sector. Jenni has traveled extensively through her work in international education and just for fun. One of her favourite experiences abroad has been skydiving in New Zealand.
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About UniQuest: UniQuest helps streamline and improve student conversion and delivers great higher education student experiences.
Daniel Collis
Product Director of UniQuest
Dan manages the continuing development of UniQuest’s custom platform to ensure we stay ahead of client needs. Previously, Dan spent some years as a Salesforce Consultant, helping organisations implement and make the most of Salesforce. Before he discovered his passion for CRM development and management, Dan enjoyed studying physics at University of Nottingham. When he’s not architecting the future of our platform, Dan loves tinkering with Lego and anything to do with hockey.
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About UniQuest: UniQuest helps streamline and improve student conversion and delivers great higher education student experiences.
James Sheppard
Operations Director of UniQuest
James leads our operations team, ensuring they have the coaching and development they need to exceed the demands and expectations of our clients. Delivering excellent service to both students and clients alike is principal on James’ agenda, so you’ll find him consistently reviewing and optimising the process that underpins UniQuest’s service. Prior to joining UniQuest, James managed the customer service operation for a national housing company. He has also held different management roles in local government, leisure and hospitality and had a career in the military. Complimenting his wealth of experience, James has a Level 4 Certificate in Leadership and Management from ILM. Around the office, James is affectionately known as Bill due to a more than passing resemblance to comedian and actor Bill Bailey. But, he doesn’t quite see it. We’ll let you decide.
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About UniQuest: UniQuest helps streamline and improve student conversion and delivers great higher education student experiences.
Vagn Berthelsen
Board of Directors of IBIS Global
Vagn Berthelsen is Board of Directors at IBIS.
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About : IBIS Global, a non-profit organization, working to make a world where all people have equal access to education, influence, and resources.
Dr Liz Durden-Myers
CEO / Managing Director of PE Scholar
Education Consultant, Physical Educator and International Speaker. Co-Founder & Managing Director at Scholary Ltd and PE Scholar Ltd. Senior Lecturer in Physical Education at Bath Spa University, UK and University of Gloucestershire, UK. Chair of the International Physical Literacy Association (IPLA).
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About PE Scholar: PE Scholar is an international publisher of high quality physical education resources, curated research, and sector-wide insight.
Carl Benedikt Frey
Director, Future of Work of Oxford Martin School
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About Oxford Martin School: Oxford Martin School brings together a vibrant community of scholars, drawn from across the University of Oxford.
Carl Benedikt Frey
Director, Future of Work of Oxford Martin School
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About Oxford Martin School: Oxford Martin School brings together a vibrant community of scholars, drawn from across the University of Oxford.
