Our Senior Management Team – Kaplan Pathways

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Kaplan’s Senior Team is committed to your success.

By choosing to partner with us, you’ll benefit from the guidance and counsel of leaders who have decades of international education experience. Each individual, and the collective team, has a well-earned reputation for innovative thinking, industry expertise, and a commitment to supporting the unique needs of our partner universities.

As an organisation, it gives us great satisfaction to deliver sustainable revenue to our education partners, and exceptional education opportunities to thousands of students each year.

Andrew Thick

Senior Vice President Based at our Head Office in London, Andrew leads Kaplan International Pathways, the higher education division of Kaplan International. Andrew has more than 30 years’ experience in international education, as a teacher, academic leader, college head and managing director. Before joining Kaplan, Andrew served as Chairman of the ISIS Group and was the Chief Executive Officer of Study Group for 9 years, overseeing its rapid expansion. Prior to that, he fulfilled a number of senior management roles at Education First (EF). Andrew studied English and Philosophy at the University of Durham (UK)

Linda Cowan

Senior Vice President, UK and Middle East Linda is responsible for all pathway colleges in the UK and for projects in the Middle East. She has been working in international education since 1992 across a wide range of markets on several continents. Linda has over 10 years’ experience working for UK universities, plus expertise in partnership work with universities in a number of countries. Linda studied Modern and Scottish History at the University of Glasgow (UK), and Public Relations at the University of Stirling (UK)

Clare Rawlins

Vice President, Recruitment and Enrolment Clare’s role at Kaplan is truly international, leading a recruitment and enrolment team that spans 10 countries. The team prides itself on its world-class customer service and in-depth market knowledge. Clare has worked in over 30 countries and holds particular expertise in Africa and the Indian subcontinent. She also has a wealth of experience in supporting and shaping university internationalisation strategies. Previously, Clare spent many years in the English language and higher education industries. Clare studied History at the University of Manchester (UK)

Wen Lu

Vice President, China and Hong Kong SAR Based in Hong Kong SAR, Wen heads up market intelligence, performance enhancement and project development. Her exceptional analytical and financial modelling skills are essential to the commercial viability of Kaplan Pathways partnerships. Previously, Wen was a key member of the Education Practice of the Parthenon Group in Asia, a global strategic advisory firm. Wen studied Mathematics at the University of Oxford (UK); she speaks English and Mandarin

Ricard Giner

Vice President, Partnership Development After 5 years of successfully leading Kaplan Pathways' global online and offline marketing initiatives on behalf of our university partners, Ricard now directs Kaplan’s higher education development strategy. Ricard has almost 20 years of experience leading marketing for international education and travel organisations. He studied Philosophy and Social Anthropology at the University of Kent (UK), and Philosophy at graduate level at the University of Edinburgh and King’s College London (UK). Ricard speaks English, Spanish and Catalan

Kevin Rose

Chief Financial Officer Kevin has 20 years of senior management experience in commerce, working in Europe, the US and Asia. As well as being our Chief Financial Officer, he is Chief Operating Officer for our higher education operations in Asia Pacific. Kevin is involved in strategic and operational matters across Asia Pacific, and he also oversees the financial management of Kaplan's global higher education and professional education businesses. In addition, he is involved in the management and strategy of Kaplan Singapore. Previously, Kevin worked with Christies International PLC as International Finance Director, overseeing financial operations in London, New York and Hong Kong, before heading up the Post-War and Contemporary department in New York. Now based in Singapore, he has lived and worked in Vienna, Brussels, Atlanta, New York and London, giving him a truly global perspective. Kevin studied Modern History at the University of London (UK); he speaks English and German

Catrillia Young

Director of International Pathways, Pace University (New York, USA) Catrillia is our key liaison with Pace University. She oversees support services for pathway students, and supervises the application process not only for Pace, but for other US partners too. Catrillia has worked in international education for more than a decade. Before joining Kaplan, she was Assistant Director of International Admissions at the State University of New York in Plattsburgh for nearly 8 years, with previous roles at Wentworth Institute of Technology and Education First (EF). Catrillia holds a master’s degree in French from Middlebury College in Vermont (USA), following her bachelor’s in French and Global Studies at Ripon College in Vermont. Read her story. Catrillia speaks English and French

Dr. Leslie O’Toole

Director of Student Experience, USA Dr. O'Toole oversees operations, manages the Student Life Coordinators, and monitors and updates student records for the Pathways program at Northeastern. Prior to joining Pathways, Dr. O'Toole was a Senior Global Ambassador at the University of Arizona. She was also a study abroad director in Spain and Costa Rica. Dr. O'Toole's other previous work includes teaching Spanish online and in-person at community colleges and universities, and tutoring English to adult refugee communities. BA Italian / BA Film and Television (University of Arizona), MA Education Administration (University of Arizona), PhD Spanish Literature and Cultural Studies (University of Arizona). Leslie speaks English, German, Spanish and Portuguese.

Dr Victoria Wilson-Crane

Director of Student Learning Victoria has 19 years’ experience in further and higher education, having worked in further education colleges and universities in the UK - both in teaching and widening participation. In Victoria’s current role, she directs the work of the Centre for Learning Innovation and Quality within our UK Pathways operations. The Centre comprises a team specialising in curriculum design, content writing and editing, quality and standards, assessment writing, and blended delivery, and supports new product development and the provision enhancement at eight pathway colleges across the UK, as well as a number of other projects in the UK and further afield. Previously within Kaplan, Victoria was Associate Director for Quality Management and Academic Operations, and spent two and a half years as Director of Nottingham Trent International College. Victoria studied a PhD in Lifelong Learning at The University of Nottingham (UK)

Kate Mishcon

Director of Content and Marketing Kate manages the Kaplan Pathways Content and Marketing team, guiding and shaping all forms of communication to help strengthen our engagement with all target audiences. She also acts as brand guardian for all products and services, ensuring consistency of design and messaging across all customer touch points. Kate has over 17 years’ experience in international marketing. She started her career at Education First (EF), after which she moved to Aspect Education, where she headed up the Publications team. She then spent 8 years as a Group Account Director for John Brown Media, a leading creative agency, where she oversaw the content marketing strategies for a wide portfolio of international brands such as Visit London, Orange, BDO and Waitrose. In 2007, Kate won the PPA (Professional Publishers Association) Customer Magazine of the Year award for one of her titles. Kate studied French and Italian at the University of Birmingham (UK)

Clare Cairns

Senior Director, Recruitment and Admissions

Clare heads up a global recruitment team who provide advice on higher education opportunities for students and parents in their home countries, and support Kaplan’s trusted partner agents.

She has worked in the international education industry since 2008. Previously, she worked in the international exchanges and educational travel industries in the USA. She has lived in 4 countries and worked in over 40. Clare studied Political Science at Glasgow Caledonian University (UK) and Stockholm University (Sweden)

Kirsten Tedder

Finance Director, UK and US Pathways Kirsten leads the Finance team looking after our UK and US Pathway colleges. The Finance team provides operational finance support to the UK and US businesses, working with students, sponsors and our University partners. Kirsten also works closely with Kaplan Partner Services, our Hong Kong-based agent support business. Kirsten is a UK-qualified Chartered Accountant and has held international finance roles for more than 15 years. Her experience helps to support initiatives that build and strengthen our relationships with our University Partners. Kirsten studied Classics and Modern Languages at University College, Oxford (UK)

Elizabeth Hess

Executive Director of Communications Elizabeth supports Kaplan’s English language, university pathways and professional training businesses in the UK. Previously, she was director of communications for telecommunications companies in the US and the Netherlands; head of communications for a UN organisation; and project director for a London-based business membership organisation.

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