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Your professional journey
My career in international education started on the front lines of student recruitment, working closely with universities, counsellors and students across Asia. Over time, I became increasingly interested in how regional strategy, local market insight and strong teams come together to drive sustainable international growth.
As my responsibilities expanded across markets and partnerships, I found myself drawn more towards leadership and team development. I became increasingly focused on how to build high-performing regional teams, create stronger collaboration across countries and help universities navigate increasingly complex recruitment landscapes with greater agility.
What drew me to the RRS model is that university representation today is far more than simply placing a person in-market — that is only the beginning. Real impact comes from combining local presence with strategic alignment, market intelligence. Performance governance and long-term partnership building. The opportunity to help universities grow in a more scalable and insight-led way is what made this model especially meaningful to me.
What do you see as the biggest opportunity and the biggest challenge in international student recruitment right now?
The biggest opportunity is that universities are becoming more strategic in how they approach internationalisation, with greater focus on diversification, long-term engagement and student outcomes rather than just recruitment volume.
At the same time, institutions now have access to significantly more data, technology and regional insight than before. Universities that can combine these tools with strong in-market understanding will be better positioned to build sustainable international strategies and respond more quickly to changing student behaviour.
The biggest challenge is that students and parents today are far more informed before they even speak to a university representative. In many markets, studying abroad itself is no longer the main differentiator, especially for students who already have strong international exposure growing up. Institutions now need to communicate value much more clearly — from employability and outcomes to student experience and long-term opportunities — while remaining agile in an increasingly fast-changing global environment.
How do you help your team build expertise, stay motivated and deliver results? What does effective management look like in a geographically distributed model?
Effective management in a distributed regional model starts with clarity, trust and strong communication. I believe teams perform best when they understand not just what they are doing, but why it matters within the broader institutional and regional strategy.
I also place strong emphasis on collaboration and knowledge sharing across markets. Some of the best insights come from connecting perspectives across different countries and experiences. Creating a culture where teams openly share challenges, market observations and successful practices is extremely important in a regional structure.
At the same time, giving team members ownership and opportunities to grow helps build long-term motivation and sustainable performance. I believe strong leadership is about creating an environment where people feel supported, trusted and empowered to contribute beyond their immediate responsibilities.
What do you find most rewarding about leading a regional recruitment team?
One of the most rewarding aspects is seeing individuals and teams grow in confidence, capability and strategic thinking over time. Regional recruitment is highly dynamic and helping teams navigate different markets successfully is incredibly fulfilling.
I also enjoy the collaborative nature of the work. Bringing together perspectives across countries, institutions and stakeholders often leads to stronger ideas and more effective regional strategies. Seeing teams work together towards a shared objective while supporting one another across markets is something I value greatly.
At the same time, I enjoy being closely involved in identifying and developing the right talent. Recruitment is not just about CVs or interview questions — it is about finding people with the right mindset, energy and potential to thrive within the team and build trust from the very beginning.
How do you leverage QS data’s rankings insights, event platforms and global network to strengthen the solutions you bring to universities?
One of QS’s greatest strengths is the combination of global reach, market intelligence and direct student engagement. The value comes from turning those insights into practical regional strategies for universities.
Through rankings insights, event platforms and our global network, we can help institutions better understand market trends, student behaviour and regional opportunities. These insights help universities make more informed decisions around positioning, engagement strategies and market prioritisation.
Equally important is the ability to connect universities with real-time feedback from the region. Because we work closely across multiple markets and institutional partnerships, we are often able to identify emerging trends and evolving student expectations early, allowing institutions to respond more proactively.
How does the RRS model move beyond transactional recruitment support to become a strategic extension of a university’s international team? What does that look like in practice?
The RRS model is built around long-term partnership rather than short-term recruitment activity. We work closely with universities to understand their broader international goals, market priorities and operational needs, allowing us to act as an embedded extension of their international team within the region.
In practice, this means providing consistent in-market representation, local intelligence, stakeholder engagement and faster feedback loops between the market and the institution. The close integration between regional teams and university stakeholders creates stronger alignment and more responsive decision-making.
What makes the model especially valuable is the combination of local presence and regional coordination. Universities gain access not just to individual market support, but also to cross-market insights, strategic consistency and a more scalable approach to international engagement and growth.