Speakers

With over a decade of experience in international student recruitment and strategic partnership development. Paul has successfully led regional initiatives across Africa, the Americas, and Asia, launched in-country offices, and managed multi-national teams. Paul has represented institutions at major global conferences and collaborated with government and private sector partners to expand funding and engagement. Known for his adaptability and stakeholder-focused approach, he plays a key role in driving internationalisation strategies. Paul holds an MA in History & Politics from the University of Aberdeen.

With extensive experience in international education recruitment, partnerships, and relationship marketing, she brings a strategic and student-focused approach to her work. A former international student herself, she offers first-hand insight into the student journey, shaping her approach to marketing, engagement, and partnership development. She leads global campaigns, develops impactful brand materials, and is highly skilled in agent management, face-to-face recruitment, and creative storytelling. She has delivered conference presentations across a variety of platforms and enjoys sharing practical insights to inspire innovation in the sector. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Advertising from The University of Georgia.

A results-driven leader in international education, Hassan currently manages operations for Robert Gordon University in Pakistan. With a strong background in student recruitment, agent partnerships, and regional market strategy, he excels at delivering sustainable growth and innovative solutions. Hassan has successfully expanded institutional presence by building trusted networks and driving campaigns that resonate with students and partners. His expertise combines strategic marketing with cross-cultural understanding, ensuring effective engagement in competitive education markets. Passionate about empowering students through global opportunities, Hassan is committed to advancing international higher education and driving impactful collaborations. 

I am an International Student Recruitment Officer here at RGU. Having worked in Higher Education for three years, I’m passionate about international education and the benefits it provides to both students and their institutions. I have a wide range of experience in managing relationships and advising applicants and stakeholders. With a BA in History and Italian from the University of Strathclyde academic, I spent a few years teaching English in Italy. Outside of work, I like to get into the country, hiking, reading, and learning languages.  

Megha Malhotra is the India Representative for Robert Gordon University, responsible for driving the university’s recruitment, outreach, and strategic engagement across India. With extensive experience in international student recruitment, market development, and partnership management, Megha plays a key role in enhancing RGU’s visibility and strengthening stakeholder relationships in the region. 

She has led successful in-country initiatives, supported academic collaborations, and worked closely with schools, agents, and counsellors to connect Indian students with career-focused opportunities in Scotland. Known for her student-first approach and strong regional insight, Megha is a key contributor to RGU’s South Asia strategy. 

She holds a master’s from Leeds Beckett University and brings a deep understanding of both the UK education system and the evolving needs of students in emerging markets. 

Currently serving as In-Country Manager for Robert Gordon University, Miranda leads overseas recruitment strategies for Indonesia. Her role focuses on implementing operational plans, conducting market research, and providing competitor and market analysis. Previously, Specialist Consultant for Education in Ireland, fostering partnerships and supporting Indonesian students pursuing studies in Ireland through agent training and targeted digital engagement. Earlier, as Commercial Officer at the Embassy of Ireland to Indonesia, she promoted Irish education, trade, and tourism, strengthening Ireland’s commercial presence through market research and public diplomacy.

Trang Nguyen serves as the In-Country Representative for Vietnam and Thailand at Robert Gordon University, where she oversees student recruitment and agent engagement strategies across both markets. With nearly 10 years of experience in international education, she offers strong expertise in student counselling, partner management, and market development. Prior to joining RGU, Trang worked as an Account Manager at Adventus.io for North Vietnam and Malaysia, where she successfully expanded recruitment pipelines and delivered targeted campaigns for multiple destinations. Her responsibilities included market analysis, event planning, and the expansion of strategic partnerships. Trang’s career began in education consultancy, where she developed a solid foundation in student advising and cross-cultural communication. Passionate about UK education, she is committed to connecting students with transformative opportunities and fostering impactful collaborations in Southeast Asia. 

Oversees international student recruitment for RGU, with a focus on agent relations, scholarships, and understanding market requirements in Africa and the EU. Helps guide prospective international students through enquiry, application, and admissions processes

Craig is Principal Lecturer for Tourism, Hospitality & Events. He has worked at RGU for twelve years, having previously worked in various roles across the wider tourism industry sector in Australia, South East Asia and America as well as in Scotland. He teaches several modules at both UG and PG level, with a specific teaching and research interest in Tourism Futures. Craig is also a Link Co-ordinator for partner institution BHMS in Lucerne Switzerland, has taught at a university in China, and has a particular interest in supporting international students as they undertake courses at RGU. Craig is currently undertaking a PhD focused on solitude and social interaction within the solo tourism experience. Craig is a solo tourist at heart!

”Daniel is the Associate Dean for Economic, Social and Cultural Development at Gray’s School of Art, leading on commercial and community engagement projects across the school.

He is also a Lecturer in the Product, Ceramics and Jewellery Design Dept. The department houses a multi-disciplinary design and craft programme that brings together traditional materials and skills, with new technologies and practice.

Daniel is an experienced industrial designer with an interest in product lifecycle and circular economy. He has run a design practice since 2009 specialising in the development of consumer products in various industries and sectors including health, energy, toys, homewares, electricals and lighting. Daniel holds a number of granted patents and design registrations for product innovations.

With a focus and background in industrialised injection moulding for plastics, Daniel has keen interests in new product development using recycled materials and co-founded a recycled plastics design company in 2019 called Origin Plastics Ltd.

Daniel currently holds a membership to the British Industrial Design Association

Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

With over a decade experience in international and domestic marketing roles, currently managing student recruitment and agent engagement activities within Malaysia, Brunei and Thailand.

Simon is currently the International Engagement Lead for Aberdeen Business School at Robert Gordon University and a Principal Lecturer in Entrepreneurship. Simon graduated from the University of St. Andrews with a BSc (Hons) and completed his PhD at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Simon attained a PGCert in Higher Education Learning and Teaching from Robert Gordon University and has also attained Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. Over his career, Simon has been involved in enterprise and employability education in several different roles. He was a Regional Business Adviser for the Scottish Institute for Enterprise and was involved in coaching student businesses across Scotland and developing and managing programmes of enterprise activity. He also worked as an Enterprise Development Officer at Newcastle University’s Centre for Academic Development, and at Newcastle University Careers Service. Prior to becoming a lecturer, Simon worked as a Business Development officer in the Commercialisation department at Robert Gordon University where he assisted in the set-up of a University spin-out company, helped university staff with technology transfer and brokered University consultancy for SMEs. Simon joined the Aberdeen Business School in 2011 as a lecturer, with specific responsibility for delivering business training for the ‘Talent Scotland/ScotGRAD’ programme. Since then he has held a number of roles, including: Research degree co-ordinator; Course Leader for MSc Management; Senior Lecturer (Partnerships); and Programme Lead for Undergraduate Management.

He co-ordinates a number of Enterprise and Employability modules in Aberdeen Business School, namely Technology Innovation and Commercialisation for the Masters/MBA; and leads the Connect to Business route for the 3rd year undergraduate management programme with modules: Enterprise in Action; Enterprise in Action II; and Enterprise and Employability. He is also course leader for Business Ideas and Opportunities (BS2293) – delivered to 11 courses across the university. He also currently manages student exchange activities in Aberdeen Business School.

Each year Simon supervises a number of undergraduate and postgraduate theses on topics related to entrepreneurship, social enterprise, farm diversification and small business management more broadly. He encourages PhD or research applications in the field of small business management and entrepreneurship and has supervised four students to completion. He is an established PhD examiner and has assessed a number of PhD vivas as an internal examiner, and as an external examiner. Simon is also an external examiner at the University of Sunderland. Simon directed and

tutored on regional, national and international Grad Schools on behalf of Vitae and the Research Council UK, helping PhD students from all over the world to develop career management and enterprise skills and increase their employability levels. As International Engagement Lead, he is responsible for collaborative partnerships with global education institutions which leans into his love of opportunity spotting, networking and travel.

Based in Surabaya, Indonesia

Christianto Kurniawan is an experienced student recruitment, currently serving as Student Recruitment Manager at Navitas Indonesia. With over ten years’ experience in international education markets, he specialises in developing and executing recruitment strategies, managing agent partnerships, and driving student engagement across Indonesia and the Philippines. Christianto combines deep local insight with global best practices to help students access quality education opportunities.