For more than 20 years, he’s helped organisations in the UK and Australia untangle the complexities of international education and achieve significant gains, particularly in hyper-competitive markets and high-pressure situations.
Oliver’s a recognised expert in student acquisition, notably in enhancing recruitment, channel management and admissions strategies, business processes and organisational design. He’s an impressively sharp thinker who considers every angle. His critical thinking and problem-solving skills give rise to solutions frequently outside convention, yet always aligned to objectives and results.
He continues to advise sector bodies such as BUILA, Universities UK and the British Council on global approaches to agent quality assurance. He also speaks regularly at conferences and agent management masterclasses, and has forged a reputation as one of the leading authorities in the field of agent-facilitated student recruitment and quality assurance.
Oliver also leads Edified’s Corporate Social Responsibility work, moving towards a triple-bottom-line model for the business. It focuses on developing respectful relationships with First Nations peoples, repaying our carbon debt, and helping embed sustainable and socially progressive business practice.
Talk to me about
- Benchmarking International Recruitment Operations
- Agent Quality Framework (AQF)
- Admissions
- Edified’s Energiser grants
- Education agent management
Major projects
- Authored a syndicated report on digital agent networks and agent aggregators for institutions in Ireland, New Zealand and Australia.
- Co-developed the UK’s Agent Quality Framework (AQF) and conducted research in 2020 that led to the introduction of the National Code of Ethical Practice for UK Agents and a suite of good practice guides for institutions, agents and students.
- Researched the efficiency gains of system integration in the prospective student journey for a leading EdTech company.
- Reviewed New Zealand’s education agent engagement, including the Education New Zealand Recognised Agency program.
- Developed the inaugural Benchmarking International Recruitment Operations (BIRO) in the UK, allowing participating institutions to understand their return on investment, resource allocations, funnel efficiency, and market and channel performance.
Before Edified
Oliver was International Director at Central Queensland University, where he oversaw the re-engineering of their international operations, resulting in sustained growth. He was also a former chair and executive board member of the Australian Universities International Directors’ Forum (AUIDF). He has held senior roles at RMIT University, Melbourne, and the University of Westminster, London, and has worked in Japan on the Japanese Exchange & Teaching (JET) Programme, Okinawa, and the Programme of International Education Exchange (PIEE), Tokyo.
After hours
Oliver is a certified cricket nut. After relocating from the UK to Australia, he came out of retirement to unleash his superior cricketing knowledge and eye-opening on-field skills for the benefit of appreciative Australians. He also moonlights as a cricket coach, supporting the development of womens’ and youth cricket at his local club. As an Arsenal fan, he’s well-versed in managing loss and heartbreak with a stiff upper lip, although not to the same degree as Tottenham fans. Between seasons, you’ll find him (or more likely, you won’t) exploring the untrammelled tracks and ranges of Oz with his daughter, in his bright-orange VW camper.