Charles Cormack
Founder & Chairman UK
“In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is King”
Charles started working with universities on the development of international projects over 20 years ago. Over the past two decades, Charles has been involved in the development of university partnerships in over 30 countries.
He has developed the business into a specialist consultancy working exclusively in higher and further education. He works in supporting universities, government ministries and agencies, and private operators in the development of innovative and profitable international projects across many international markets.
Charles’s background is from the private sector, allowing him to bring a different perspective to the Higher Education sector. His background helps him develops new and innovative models for TNE and partnership development.
His focus is on the opportunities in Europe, with particular expertise in Eastern and Central Europe, and has an excellent understanding of the Higher Education market across these regions. As well as Chairing CCG, Charles is also the founder of Retinent, a specialist consultancy working with universities in the UK and Europe on Student retention and engagement.
Charles’ hobbies are diverse. He bought a cheap and slow (and handsome) racehorse, who keeps his winter weekends busy. He is a slightly obsessive runner, and he gets creative as he is woodcarving.
Dr Barbara McCrory
Associate Director
“You make plans and Life happens”
Barbara has an outstanding career as a professional working with different markets, over 25 years in the field of buying and selling at the Director level. She currently holds several roles including Associate Director with Cormack Consultancy Group.
She holds a Doctorate in Customer Retention, an MBA in Retailing, and a Degree in Marketing. She is a lecturer in International Sales Management, Entrepreneurial Leadership and Professional Selling with Napier University, and is currently writing a new bachelor’s degree “The Science of Selling”. Barbara is an Associate with Teesside University working across the SME agenda focused on local business growth, entrepreneurial leadership and MBA programmes, and a visiting lecturer with the Stockholm School of Economics delivering lectures on Consumer Behaviour, and International Selling.
Her career expanded into other areas such as General Manager, Commercial and Sales Director for many different companies and within different industries.
Barbara is also a mentor with the Scottish Chamber of Commerce.
For Barbara, there are no other hobbies more important than Golf and Walking.
Dr Aziz Boussofiane
Director
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”
Aziz has wide-ranging experience in international education including responsibilities for business development, partnership development, transnational education, quality assurance, developing monitoring mechanisms.
Over the years, he acquired extensive experience in senior leadership roles in a large multidisciplinary UK University. Has impressive experience in setting up and managing partnerships in Malaysia, Singapore, Canada, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, Greece, and Cyprus.
His work showed a successful track record of developing and validating new products and delivering continued partnership growth and in-depth knowledge of international education markets and wide-ranging experience of working with overseas institutions and regulatory bodies.
Hobbies include knitting and crochet.
Kevin Spensley
Director USA
“Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd”
Kevin Spensley has spent over 25 years in international education in higher-ed, non-profit, government, and consulting environments.
Before joining CCG, Kevin was Senior International Officer and Director of International Enrolment at a US liberal arts college responsible for international admission, partnerships, and internationalization strategies. For 12 years, he worked as Business Development Manager and was on the leadership team of an American organization specializing in international education, training, and government assistance programs. Kevin served in the US Department of State (Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs) where he oversaw institutional partnerships and student exchanges such as the Fulbright and Freedom Support Act programs.
He also founded a company that promoted US and Canadian independent schools in Russian-speaking countries. In addition to the U.S., Kevin has lived or studied in several countries including Ukraine, Canada, Russia, and Poland.
Living in a region with four proper seasons, Kevin likes to enjoy each one to the utmost and his favorite pastimes often involve outside activities: swimming, biking, skiing, ice hockey, hiking, etc. Less voluntary hobbies include grass cutting, gardening, snow-shoveling, and home maintenance. Also, sometimes Kevin enjoys just sitting on his porch and observing the nature.
Gintaras Steponavicius
Director (CEE+)
“Carpe Diem”
Gintaras studied Law at Vilnius University and the University of Birmingham and the University of Copenhagen and became actively involved in Lithuanian politics during the campaign for independence from the Soviet Union. He started his professional life as an academic at the University of Vilnius, before entering Parliament in 2000.
During his 20 years in Parliament, he focused much of his energy on the reform of the Lithuanian educational system, and became Minister of Education in 2008, and steered through some of the most significant Higher Education reforms Lithuania has seen, including the introduction of a student voucher system, allowing students to take their funding to their preferred university. He also instigated and completed several University mergers aimed at strengthening the sector. During his time in office, he was also passionate about the internationalisation of Lithuanian Universities and provided government support to universities that wanted to develop dual degree and joint faculty partnerships with UK Universities. He was also a Deputy Speaker of the Seimas (Lithuanian Parliament).
Gintaras has become active in the past few years in working with governments in the wider region who are keen to reform their education systems. He stood down from Parliament in 2020 and has joined CCG to help us develop our activity across Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.
Gintaras’s first love is basketball, both watching and playing (despite his advancing years!) as well as watching films and reading.
Professor Mark Edwards
Regional Director Australasia
“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.”
Emeritus Professor Mark Edwards has 20+ years of higher education leadership experience in Australia and the UK, including more than 15 years working in the international sector.
Prior to joining CCG, he worked in the roles of Associate Dean International at an Australian university and, most recently, as Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic & International) at a medium-sized, progressive university in the UK.
Mark has experience of developing internationalisation strategies and for setting and achieving ambitious student recruitment, study abroad and exchange, and TNE and partnership targets.
Mark has a strong global network and has sustained productive partnerships with institutions across China, South East Asia, Southern Asia, Europe, and the US. He has an astute understanding of the global higher education landscape, and of the challenges and opportunities facing the sector. He holds a PhD in Psychological Science from the University of Queensland, and a number of honorary professorships from universities world-wide.
His interests also include cricket, Australian rules football, home renovating, and 4WD adventuring.
John Bunter
Associate Director India
“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible”
John has an extensive knowledge of the education sector in India, especially in the Western region; he has worked with and has contacts with senior management of most of the leading education institutes there. He is based in Pune, and has been working on the Education sector in the Western region of India for over 12 years.
John was a Trade & Investment Adviser with the British Deputy High Commission, Mumbai, India. He had led several delegations of Indian Education Institutes to UK where they met with a large number of UK universities. He has also organised a number of delegations of UK Universities to India. Numerous MOUs have been signed between the UK and Indian HE institutes as a result of these delegations.
John also has contacts with many of the leading UK universities with whom he has interacted over the years. John has an excellent rapport with other Ex DIT colleagues pan India and hence has reach to education institutes across the country.
John is fond of travelling as well as western music, both classical and modern.
Phill Gray
Director of Partners
“The sky isn’t more beautiful if you have perfect skin. Music doesn’t sound more interesting if you have a six-pack. Dogs aren’t better company if you’re famous. Pizza tastes good regardless of your status. The best of life exists beyond everything we are meant to feel bad about lacking.”
Phill has worked within UK higher education for almost 20 years being responsible for UK, EU and global student recruitment, and has held senior leadership and director roles at UK universities. Within these he was responsible for developing a number of multifaceted partnerships, developing processes to ensure quality, compliance and growth in the number of partnerships for research, student recruitment, mobility and exchange and study abroad.
His market knowledge covers the UK, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, China, the US, and South and South-East Asia. Prior to joining CCG, Phill has worked with several consortia of universities, governmental, NGO, charity and volunteering sector organisations to support not only institutional strategies and growth, but also ensuring best fit and support for students.
Phill is a fan of rugby. He took up rugby union in 2019, years after last playing at school, and helped to co-establish the inclusive rugby team in York, UK. As a big advocate for inclusive rugby, Phill works with his teammates, his club and other inclusive teams to promote the spirit and ethos of inclusive rugby in the city, the region, across the UK and globally. Phill loves nothing more than good company and good conversation, so makes sure he catches up with friends over dinner, drinks, boardgames and putting the world to rights.
Claire Axel-Berg
Head of Study Abroad and Recruitment
“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
With over two decades of experience in international higher education Claire brings exceptional insight in the development of internationalisation in the state and for profit sectors. She directed international development at a leading UK Russell Group university, where she delivered innovative and successful multi-million pound recruitment partnerships and transformed mobility and student support teams.
Claire has worked in many markets and political environments and held strategic responsibility for global student recruitment campaigns for almost 20 years. She is skilled in determining and providing solutions to internal and external impediments that challenge successful recruitment, and brings operational as well as strategic experience in this area. In addition to providing education marketing consultancy Claire is also retained as European adviser to a major Chinese education agency.
On her sparetime, Claire enjoys taking care of her garden (regardless of the weather) with the not-so-useful assistance of her dogs.
Justin Hugo Axel-Berg
Head of Research
“If education alone cannot transform society, neither can society change without it.”
Justin is a researcher in higher education policy and governance and scientometrics at the Faculty of Economics and Administration at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. He is an associate researcher on the Métricas public policy project. The project is financed by FAPESP and supported by USP, Unicamp and UNESP, focused on data management, creation and deployment of research indicators for strategic planning and social impact mapping. The project works with 25 universities across Brazil in capacity building, and has two books published on the subject.
He is a member of the International Triple Helix Association, a main researcher on the Global Entrepreneurial University Metrics initiative, and designed the methodology for the Entrepreneurial University Ranking.
As head of research at Sherlock Communications, he has delivered strategy for engagement across Latin America for numerous higher education institutions, governments and education service providers.
Justin has lived in São Paulo for 13 years, with three rescued dogs and three rescued cats. In his spare time he enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu and writes subtitles for independent Latin American films.
Roger Horam
EU Funding Expert
“Je dis ce que je pense et je vis comme je veux”
With over 20 years in economic development and a project manager to trade, Roger works alone or as part of a group of social innovators committed to delivering sustainable social, environmental and economic development and innovation. Roger works with organisations and partnerships, across sectors and borders, to develop ideas and address pressing and emerging issues working together for a fairer world and greater prosperity for us all and with 100% of surpluses re-invested in supporting the further growth and development of voluntary and community organisations.
Roger helps clients to identify, shape and implement major changes that improve their business performance delivering project development, project management, investment and Funding and social innovation development. With offices in Edinburgh and Prague, Roger has become a leading expert on income generation and fundraising:
• Proven track record in successful proposals and tenders that meet customer needs and demonstrate economic, human and social value.
• Identifying funding sources and tenders, and managing all stages of the submission, or facilitating the in-house process and bringing external knowledge and perspective.
• Helping find delivery partners, local or throughout the UK and EU, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Eurasia and Transcaucasia.
• Research and development of potential new income streams.
When not working Roger enjoys food, cooking and eating, listening to music, playing the drums and watching sport.
Priyanka Kalapahad
Partner Manager India
“यत् भावो तत् भवति ( You become what you believe) ”
Priyanka was born and raised in India, where she attended the MBA at MIT World Peace University in Pune. At CCG, Priyanka works as a Partner Manager for the Indian market.
Prior to working at CCG, Priyanka worked as a Manager for Runanubandh Private Media, an Indian Newspaper. Now, she is keen to learn more about higher education to enhance the experiences of the next generations.
Priyanka is a sports and arts enthusiast, and she enjoys trying new things and experiences. She also loves helping others, so she lends a hand to her community whenever she can. Indeed, she works as a freelance counsellor for Remand Home (Children Observation Homes), looking after youths in need of care and protection.
Dr Anzhela Stashchak
Director for Projects
“Forever forward. If you don’t try, you will stay where you are.”
Anzhela’s pathway has always been linked to internationalisation, one way or another. She started her career as a volunteer at the international relations office at her Alma Mater, Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs (Ukraine), while pursuing her bachelor’s degree in International Law Enforcement, which with time turned into a full-time role that Anzhela was successfully combining with gaining her master’s degree in Law (Hons).
Anzhela can’t imagine her life without constant development and upskilling, so after some time she also opted for the PhD journey, after obtaining which she was offered a position of the Head of the International Relations Office at Kharkiv National Medical University.
6 years in the position of the Head of the Office have become a highly valuable and irreplaceable experience for Anzhela as there was no functioning international office at the university when she started, so she had to start from scratch. As a result of hard work and exceptional organisational skills of the team, the university has become one of the most internationalised medical schools in Ukraine.
Anzhela has also recently gained her Doctor of Science in Law.
Anzhela’s work and self-development is just a scenary to her family life. She has a beloved husband and 3 bright kids - all sons, so she likes activities that allow her to spend more time with the family: kayaking, hiking, cycling, football, picknicks and games. Anzhela also plays piano and loves to sing.
Lorena Naftanalia
Schedule Manager
“Success in life comes when you simply refuse to give up, with goals so strong that obstacles, failure and loss only act as motivation.”
Born and bred in the real realm of mythical vampires, Transylvania, Lorena spent the first 19 years of her life only a 20 minutes’ drive away from the mysterious Castle of Vlad the Impaler.
Her novelty-seeking and openness to experience, pushed Lorena to travel to the United Kingdom in 2016 for a chance to build knowledge. Before embarking on the CCG yacht, starting as a part-time project assistant, whilst also studying Forensic Science and Criminal Investigation at UCLan, before following her passion for the subject, to complete a Masters in Forensic Information Technology and Cyber Security at Portsmouth.
There are many things that Lorena enjoys in this life; the moments with the family being most cherished. On most occasions, she prefers to invest her free time into learning and developing more by doing cyber-security challenges and projects, writing, or even studying a new programming language. However, as much as Lorena loves being productive, she also has lazy days when a cop TV show or even a computer game is highly needed.
Katie Cormack
Schedule Manager
“Be yourself; everybody else is already taken”
Growing up in a small town near the magical Scottish Borders, Katie could not help falling in love with history and archaeology.
Katie’s passion for history encouraged her to do her Bachelors in Archaelogy at Durham University, followed by a Master’s in Conservation of Archaeological and Museum Objects. After her studies, Katie moved to Devon where she is currently doing a fascinating internship at an historic house.
Katie enjoys reading and walking to take her mind off work. She also likes discovering and visiting historic sites when she has some free time.
Diana Brad
Operations Director
“In all things God works for the good of those who love Him”
Diana worked for CCG during the first year of her undergraduate degree in Law at Lancaster University, editing documents and later leading the firm’s small Marketing team. She left to take a job in the university’s Careers and Recruitment Service, and after Diana graduated, she worked in the Commercial Litigations Department of a law firm in Leeds and later for an insolvency firm in London.
Diana returned to CCG in 2018 as the first Client Manager, looking after CCG’s clients and setting up CCG’s project management system. A few years later, Diana took on Operations Management for the client + partner work of the company and in 2023 she began reviewing, streamlining and monitoring processes across the entire company.
Dr Ligia Andrei
Senior Client Manager
“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness”
Ligia was born and raised in Oradea, a city rich in art nouveau, Viennese and Hungarian Secession architecture dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She have always found joy in environments with cultural diversity, and she learned that she has an unquenchable thirst for exploration, and the fact that travelling rekindles the thirst for learning that she once had as a child.
Ligia moved for university studies closer to the heart of Transylvania, and for ten years, Cluj-Napoca became her home. She studied Advertising and Communication Sciences at bachelor’s and master’s level. Ligia has published her first science book early in her academic evolution, and now is working on her PhD thesis in Neuromarketing.
Previously, Ligia worked as a Project Manager and Creative Copywriter in one of the most important advertising agencies in Transylvania. She is a co-founder and Marketing Director of the first student’s consultancy NGO in Romania that provides socially conscious organizations around the world with very high quality, extremely affordable consulting service. Ligia has now been working for CCG since spring 2020, a beautiful place to be and the best environment to grow as a professional.
At the end of a busy day, Ligia finds herself relaxing with a good book, or cooking with a piece of good background music. Her mood improvers are travelling and running.
Dr Elena Bozdog
Club Orizont Manager
“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow know what you truly want to become”
Elena was born in the northern part of Romania and raised in a small city in the beautiful heart of Transylvania, only to become a happy-go-lucky ray of sunshine.
Elena studied the master’s programme in European Affairs and Programme Management at Babeș-Bolyai University, the best ranked Romanian university. Just before finishing the MA, she discovered the wonders of grant writing. That determined her to start working with a consultancy firm focused on writing projects for SMEs that wanted to access European funds.
After several years, her path guided her back to the Babeș-Bolyai University, within the Department of Public Health, where she focused on grant writing and implementing the awarded projects.
Elena was no longer working for external beneficiaries of the projects but submitting and implementing the projects her team and she wrote together. For the past ten years, Elena was involved in 20+ grants in the field of Public Health, holding different positions: project manager, financial manager, research assistant, institutional coordinator, lecturer, teaching assistant. During this time, she learned many valuable skills and worked in multidisciplinary teams with great colleagues and partners. Elena has worked in projects funded by different institutions and had the opportunity to work with different partners from different countries in the EU (Spain, Italy, UK, Denmark, Slovakia, Germany, Austria, France, Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece, etc.) and outside the EU (Tunisia, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, USA, Canada, Tunisia, Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Australia) offered me the opportunity to get familiar with different cultures and different ways of working.
As her quote advises, Elena’s heart and intuition made her turn back to the consultancy field with CCG, where she now could support higher education institutions in the enhancement of their bid writing skills.
Elena always put a great value on the peace of my mind, and after a busy day, she enjoys running, yoga, or gardening.
Bora Dimitrov
Director of Engagement and Growth (US)
“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often”
Bora is a passionate advocate for the transformative impact of higher education to inspire learning, drive discovery and enterprise, and cultivate leaders who shape the world.
He has 6 years of higher education experience across four key strategic areas, Athletics, Enrollment Management, Internationalization, and Advancement. Some of Bora’s leadership responsibilities include work with NCAA Division I athletic teams, international and domestic student recruitment, international student services, international academic partnerships, study abroad, alumni engagement, and annual giving programs. Bora brings a panoramic Higher Education and Business Leadership perspective.
As a former water polo player and a coach, Bora enjoys playing water polo recreationally. He is a big fan of long walks with his wife and daughters, as well as watching Disney movies with
Oksana Vavrenchuk
Assistant Director of the Twinning project
“Dreams are maps”
Oksana has always been inquisitive and has been interested in exploring uncharted waters. This interest in the wider world led to obtaining a degree in International Relations. It happened to be the perfect opportunity to get acquainted with the world’s diversity.
As a student, she worked as a freelance writer which allowed her to satisfy the lust for knowledge and become financially independent at an early age.
Oksana strongly believes in the power of education as she is reassured this is the only type of weapon that can be used, and the only one that can make an actual change.
In her free time, Oksana adores reading. Apart from that, she is an indomitable spirit of nature seeker, a great fan of mountains, and recently discovered she could not imagine her life without hiking.
Vladyslav Hannushchenko
Assistant Manager of the Twinning project
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do”
Vladyslav has always been an active and open-minded person seeking new experiences. While studying for his bachelor's degree at Poltava V.G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University, he took part in an exchange program at University College Copenhagen, where he gained new knowledge and skills, but most importantly, a desire to build his professional career as part of the international educational community.
The first step in his professional career was his participation in the university's student self-government as the Head of the Student Council Press Center. This position helped him to develop leadership skills and gain first experience working with students in higher education.
In 2022, Vladyslav got the opportunity to do an internship at the Department of Innovation and International Relations at his home university where he took on the role of Student Coordinator and helped students to participate in international exchange programs.
In his spare time, Vladyslav enjoys volleyball and cycling. He is also an active traveler who loves exploring new places and immersing himself in different cultures.
Emily Cormack
Partner Support Specialist
“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”
Emily has recently discovered an interest for internationalisation of higher education, which is what brought her to join the CCG family in April 2022 to work with the partnership team.
Emily grew up in Scotland, but moved to York to do her Bachelors in Criminology. She also conducted a fascinating internship at a Scottish-based charity to reduce offenders’ community payback hours through arts-based workshops. After her undergraduate, Emily discovered her passion towards internationalisation and higher education which brought her to start a Masters in Marketing at York St John University. She hopes to work in international higher education once she graduates.
A good run or walk are Emily’s favourite hobbies when she is not working or studying. She has also recently taken up embroidery, which she is enjoys very much.
Maria Tristiu
Client Manager
“The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart”
Maria studied Communication and Public Relations at Bachelor's and Master's level in the capital city of Romania, Bucharest, but decided to return to her first love, her hometown, Sibiu.
Maria's core and main mission is to spread kindness and faith around her.
She was born in the heart of Romania, in Transylvania, and was raised surrounded by traditions and singing, where her family emphasized the sensitivity and the beauty of life.
Ever since she was a little girl, she was keen on exploring and feeding her curiosity with books, and movies and had many questions to be answered by the adults in her life. Thus, she has started experiencing a great number of activities, including volunteering in educational projects and music festivals, working as a Copywriter and Social Media specialist, singing in two choirs, and writing as daily therapy.
Daria Shliakhova
Executive Assistant to Chairman
“Nothing lasts forever”
Daria has always had a passion for languages and international experience, which led her to become Student Mobility Manager at Kharkiv National Medical University, where she was responsible for academic mobility, as well as the internationalisation of the institution.
Daria was born in Kharkiv where she also attended V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University to study Applied Linguistics. During her studies she worked as a Trademark Manager for a private company and this experience allowed her to improve her language and communication skills.
Daria also spent two years in Poland to get acquainted to a new country. She indeed loved exploring the cultural and linguistic aspects of Poland.
When she is not working, Daria loves practicing yoga because it helps her distressing. Her love for languages also encourages her to learn new ones, as the activity helps her relaxing.
Teneisha Ellis
US Client Manager and Study Abroad Coordinator
“Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be”
Teneisha is coming to CCG with over 12 years of professional experience in International Education. Studying abroad for the first time herself at the age of 17, she has continued to support the student experience on Education Abroad.
In her last position as Director of Education Abroad in a midsized university in the West of the United States, she was able to help her students and faculty secure funding and support, which was vital for their international programs to be successful. She cannot wait to help assist CCG partners with their collaboration efforts.
In her free time, Teneisha enjoys reading and traveling; even better when she can combine these two activities. Teneisha also loves music and sporting events but of course being from Wisconsin in the US, the Green Bay Packers are the best American football team to her.
Emily Dorso
Assistant Director, USA
“Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.”
Emily has over nine years of international education experience in the United States, Spain, and Thailand. Her professional background spans strategic areas such as international recruitment, enrollment management, student services, and internationalization.
Born and raised in New York, Emily has since traveled to over 35 countries, with international recruitment experience across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. She brings a wide range of experience to CCG, including her passions for authentic relationship building and operations and systems optimization, ensuring processes and procedures are streamlined to meet and exceed strategic goals.
Maryna Bilonozhko
EU Project Assistant
“If you can dream it, you can do it.”
Maryna joined CCG with over 10 years of experience in Higher Education sector. She earned her master’s degree in Economics from Kharkiv National University of Civil Engineering and Architecture and began her career as a teacher at her Alma Mater.
Driven by a passion for internationalising education, Maryna worked closely with international students, helping them to adapt and succeed in their new environments. As the Head of the International Relations Office at Kharkiv National Medical University, she developed a strong interest in project management. She has been actively involved in a variety of international projects as a co-grant writer, project manager, and financial manager, while also gaining insights into international activities through collaborations with partners in Greece, Lithuania, Poland, Turkey, Spain, Austria, and more.
In her free time, Maryna enjoys exploring new cities and countries, tasting local cuisines, cycling, and swimming.
Elizabeth George
Sponsored Students
“We will fail when we fail to try.”
With over 14 years in Higher Education, Elizabeth is passionate about funding for international students. Her experience spans across a number of Russell Group and post-92 Universities, as well as government bodies and the charity sector.
Throughout her career, Elizabeth has developed and managed scholarship programmes for both Universities and other organisations, and forged links between Ministries, Corporations and global charities looking to partner with institutions to create funding opportunities for students. She has successfully fundraised millions of pounds for international scholarships as well as spearheaded a multi-million pound sponsor portfolio for a UK University, nurturing and servicing high-level relationships with a large number of international sponsor organisations. A conference speaker and writer in the field of international funding, her work was shortlisted for the Student Support Award at the PIEoneer Awards 2023. Elizabeth holds an LLB Law from Cardiff University.
Muhammad Owais Rana
Pakistan Advisor
“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.”
Owais has 13 years of leadership and consulting experience in the higher education and development sector with universities, educational companies and cultural organizations in Pakistan, United Kingdom & United States.
He has strategized and executed scalable internationalization projects in Pakistan and has developed multifaceted partnerships for student and faculty mobility, student recruitment, joint research and transnational education with institutions in Europe, North America & Southeast Asia.
Based in Lahore, Owais has joined Cormack Consultancy Group as the Pakistan Consultant to develop sustainable TNE partnerships for international higher education institutions in the country.
He is engaged in several roles including the Consultant for Kinnaird College for Women, South Asia’s premier women’s institution and Consultant for Lahore Garrison University where he has established the university's Office of Internationalization. He has previously served as the Head of Partnerships at Infinitum Education, Consultant at Beyond the Classroom Education and Director at The Citizens Archive of Pakistan bringing a rich and diverse experience of strategy, institutional effectiveness, project management and partnership development.
Owais is an Acumen Fellow and an MBA alumnus of the Lahore School of Economics.
Beverley Orr-Ewing
Study Abroad, Turing
“It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.”
Beverley was Director of international mobility at a large Russell Group university, responsible for the leadership and development of international mobility and short-term programmes. She fostered a progressive and ambitious mobility strategy concentrating on the growth of both programmes and students.
Her experience of programme development includes pre-UG and UG global summer schools aimed at supporting international diversity, income generation and recruitment targets. She has a particular insight into how these programmes can be institutionally embedded to support wider strategic objectives.
She brings significant experience in the Turing programme with a successful track record of maximising application outcomes using funding to support summer and short outbound programmes and increasing the participation rates of those students traditionally underrepresented in mobility.
Spare time is spent with family and friends. In particular, she loves to travel and to plan the next adventure.
Karen Biazzo
Meeting summariser
“Dream on”
Karen has joined CCG part time as a meeting summariser. She is also a Global Criminology student at Utrecht University with a strong interest in writing, research and critical thinking.
She is originally from Sicily (Italy), where she grew up learning about Mafia and criminal cases which made her fond of criminal studies. In 2018, she moved to Scotland to study her Bachelor in Criminology at Abertay University.
In 2022, Karen moved to the Netherlands for her MA in Global Criminology to pursue a career as a financial crime analyst and/or an academic. In the meantime, she is interested in enhancing her writing and critical analysis skills which brought her to CCG.
Karen is an avid reader, she can devour a book in the span of a couple of days. Karen plays the guitar, mostly rock or folk/indie music which is a good way of distracting and using her creativity. She is also fond of yoga, which she practices whenever she has the time. Since going to the Netherlands, Karen has found a new love for canoeing (even better if under the rain!).
Yana Sydorenko
Twinning Assistant Manager
“Treat others the way you want them to treat you”
Yana was born and raised in Ukraine. Graduated from the State Tax University of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine and received a master's degree in law. She worked in the State Tax Service of Ukraine, where she represented the interests of the state in courts.
For several years, she worked in a state-owned company that developed a web portal for the use of public funds for the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, which was and is a key tool in the fight against corruption. She also has experience of working as a lawyer in the private sector.
Yana likes to travel and get to know local culture and traditions. She practices yoga, enjoys long-distance walks and is fond of drawing.