Advance HE Membership Team

Director of Membership

Nick has over 25 years of rich experience in understanding institutional needs and leading the development of solutions that drive enhancement in practice, systems, culture change and high-performing teams. Nick leads the work supporting member institutions in addressing their contemporary challenges relating to teaching practice, student experience, leadership in all its forms and creating inclusive places to work and study.

Prior to the formation of Advance HE, Nick was with the HEA following a varied career in the civil service and sector skills arena as a Director leading large-scale professional development programmes and work delivering organisation or system-wide HR, OD and change management projects. Currently, Nick is leading work to enhance the relevance, value, accessibility and demonstrable impact of Advance HE member benefit activity delivered throughout the year.

Assistant Director of Membership (Engagement and Impact)

Kate joined Advance HE as Assistant Director of Membership (Engagement and Impact) in 2023 where she oversees the management of university relationships in England. Kate also develops and implements an approach to how we engage with member institutions and measures the impact of the charity's products and services on individuals, institutions and the sector in order to articulate the value of working with Advance HE.

Prior to joining Advance HE, Kate has over 20 years of experience in the education sector in New Zealand. From working in the vocational sector in Industry Training Organisations, to setting up and running a Private Training Establishment, and leading marketing, communications and domestic student recruitments at one of the largest Polytechnics. Most recently, Kate worked as the Executive Director of Student Engagement and Experience for Lincoln University in Christchurch, which involved leading domestic and international student recruitment, marketing, strategic communications, Student Experience, Alumni and Development, Food and Beverage and Catering, Accommodation Services and Sports and Recreation Centre. 

Head of Membership - International 

Ian joined Advance HE (as the HEA) in April 2016 and is Head of International Membership. Ian supports higher education providers across the world to engage with Advance HE’s membership, with particular experience in learning and teaching enhancement, Fellowship and accreditation.

Ian also works with national governments, ministries and other agencies across the world to support developmental projects across a range of Advance HE’s activity. Ian has a keen interest in digital learning, having previously worked for an e-Learning provider and supported a range of online and mobile learning projects. Before joining Advance HE, Ian worked for a higher education institution in a professional services role. Ian is an Advance HE Associate Fellow.

Head of Membership - Global

As Head of Membership (Global), Kristian’s role involves managing and supporting members in the UK and globally. Kristian has extensive experience of working internationally, having previously worked for Advance HE as International Partnerships Manager, working with governments, organisations, institutions and individuals from around the world, helping them to enhance performance and achieve their goals. With a deep knowledge and understanding of global HE, Kristian has worked collaboratively to expand Advance HE’s reach across the Middle East and North Africa, Europe and parts of Asia.

Prior to joining Advance HE in 2019, Kristian spent 10 years at a UK university as the Assistant Director of Careers & Enterprise where he oversaw the expansion of the careers service and was instrumental in both the development and implementation of the institution’s employability strategy. This led to a renewed focus on teaching and learning and the embedding of employability and enterprise into the curriculum (co-curricular and extra-curricular activities). Kristian also played a leading role in the development of the institution’s graduate attributes framework whilst simultaneously supporting the rapid expansion the institution's local, regional and global employer partnerships.

Head of Membership (Wales) & Interim Assistant Director of Membership (National Development and Tertiary)

As Head of Membership (Wales) & Interim Assistant Director of Membership (National Development and Tertiary), Joni supports universities and colleges to shape the future of tertiary education. Most recently, Joni led NUS Wales and NUS-USI (Northern Ireland) as director. Originally from Oklahoma, she worked as a journalist in the USA and then the UK after studying at Cardiff University (MA International Journalism, 2009).  

Head of Membership - England

Lucy is a Head of Membership at Advance HE, managing business and member relationships with universities throughout England, in order to develop insight into universities’ needs and challenges and to propose solutions which enable HE members deliver their strategies and priorities.

Lucy has worked in a number of university-business roles for over 29 years, delivering nationally and internationally acclaimed sector-leading and award winning services in relation to careers and employability, mentoring and coaching services, inclusion and wellbeing, curriculum development, web-based/virtual learning environments, stakeholder engagement, personal and professional development and business development. Lucy has extensive experience of delivering complex educational provision to students and staff within a continually evolving UK higher education sector.

Lucy has worked with a number of UK universities, each with their own culture and set of core values and has always been dedicated to improving social mobility, inclusivity, retention and achievement and empowering students to make informed choices regarding their on-going personal and professional development. Lucy holds degrees in psychology, human resource development and business administration and is a “Managing Successful Programmes” practitioner, as well as a qualified NLP Business Practitioner.

Head of Membership - England

Melvyn is a Head of Membership at Advance HE, supporting university members in England and our research institute members across the UK. He has worked as a teacher, senior manager and partnership manager in higher and further education for more than 35 years. His experience ranges from managing adult literacy provision, education opportunities for mental health service users and student services directorates to delivering pre-deployment training contracts for the British Army.

For the last 15 years Melvyn has worked in partnership development roles with the QAA, the Higher Education Academy and the British Computer Society. He has worked as a teacher in The Sudan and set up training centres in Libya, Iraq and Sri Lanka. The first in his family to attend university Melvyn has a degree in African Studies and a Masters in Education. He is committed to social mobility and social inclusion.

Head of Membership - England

Rachel is a Head of Membership at Advance HE, supporting a group of member institutions in England. Drawing on different strands of experience through her career, Rachel has particular interest in inclusive leadership in higher education.

Rachel joined Advance HE in September 2020 from Imperial College London, where she worked in the office of the Vice-Provost (Education). Prior to this, Rachel was a Partner at the search firm Perrett Laver, leading on searches at professorial level in the UK and the Nordics. Rachel began her career teaching languages in the UK and abroad, and in online learning for a development education charity. She holds a BA in French, German and Spanish, a PGCE in secondary languages, and an MA in global learning and development education.

Head of Membership - Scotland and Northern Ireland

Laura joined Advance HE in March 2022 as Head of Membership supporting member colleges and Universities in Scotland and Northern Ireland. In her previous role as Senior Director of University Partnerships with CEG Digital, she specialised in the implementation, launch and delivery of online programmes with a host of UK partner universities.

Prior to this, Laura spent more than a decade at the University of Stirling in a number of Registry roles including Student Records and Immigration and has particular interests in online learning, inclusivity, retention and the continuous improvement of the student experience.  Laura holds a BA (Hons) in History and an MPhil in Historical Research.

Head of Membership - Republic of Ireland

Tonya is Head of Membership for Ireland at Advance HE, working directly with institutions in Ireland to support them in their development and enhancement goals. She brings experience in the Irish sector having worked for over 7 years in Irish higher education. Prior to this role, she was an EDI Project Manager developing and embedding EDI initiatives including gender equality action plans, employee resource groups, and bespoke training. 

With experience working collaboratively across the Irish sector, Tonya is interested in helping institutions find solutions and pathways to improved governance, leadership, teaching and learning, and EDI. Tonya holds an MA in Ethics, Culture, and Global Change and various certificates in training, project management, and leadership. She currently lives on the west coast of Ireland.

Membership Manager - Affiliate Members

Karen is the Membership Manager for Advance HE's College Based HE, Small and Specialists and Independent providers in England, supporting across all aspects of Advance HE membership helping increase engagement and value.

Karen joined Advance HE in November 2018 as an Executive within the Commercial Support / Business Development Team. Having spent 3 years working with the Membership Team to support our members with bespoke programmes and consultancy, as well as leading on a series of consultative studies across our governance and Chief Operating Officer communities to improve Advance HE’s offer. Since becoming the Membership Manager in December 2011, Karen has prioritised increasing member engagement through driving forward initiatives such as the College Based HE Network and Pilot for Race Equality Charter for Small, Specialist and Independant Providers. 

Membership Executive 

Peace is the Membership Executive at Advance HE, a role through which she supports College-based and small and specialist Higher Education institutions in England. Working closely alongside Karen Taylor, the Membership Manager, Peace takes a proactive approach to providing valuable assistance and resources to affiliate members. With prior experience in the student movement sphere, Peace brings a wealth of knowledge in academic representation and fostering student engagement.

At Advance HE, Peace's enthusiasm lies in enhancing the benefits offered to affiliate members. Peace plays a pivotal role in refining member benefits, ensuring that each affiliate member derives meaningful value from their affiliation with the organisation.