Expertise

Executive Search in
Higher Education

Perrett Laver is the market-leading higher education executive search practice globally. We’re trusted by clients across the globe to identify world-class leaders and have supported over half of the top 200 universities in the world.

 

Arrange a Callback

At a time of considerable change, higher education is facing multiple complex challenges. To mitigate against the various risks, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) must build resilience by ensuring impactful leadership in every area of the institution.

Using a unique, cross-sectoral approach, we support the full range of global HEIs in securing best-in-class, diverse and visionary talent for a competitive edge. We’ve successfully worked with leading research-intensive and teaching-orientated universities, ground-breaking technology and design institutions, and world-leading conservatoires and artistic centres.

With an unrivalled network, we operate in more countries than any other firm, and bring deep knowledge and expertise, connectivity, and reach in every major higher education market.

Recent Clients

University of Cambridge
TUDelft
University of Liverpool
National University of Singapore
University of Melbourne
University of Alberta
Nazarbayve University
University of the Pacific
Trinity College Dublin
Technical University of Munich

Where We Can Help

Senior higher education leaders must be adaptable, bold and forward-thinking, leading the university through strategic transitions and innovations to stay relevant and effective in an increasingly competitive global market.

We have a proven track record in identifying diverse, impactful leaders across higher education. We’ve advised on over 400 Vice-Chancellor/President/Rector searches worldwide – including at 7 of the top 20 universities in the world, and a third of the top 100.

We’re the only firm in the world that has advised on top 40 university presidencies across Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. We’ve developed extremely strong networks and deep relationships with candidates in all global markets and have extensive expertise in moving candidates internationally.

Securing world-leading, diverse talent is a major strategic priority for every higher education institution. The strongest possible appointments must be secured across teaching, research, and revenue-raising activities. But competition for such exceptional talent is high, presenting a key challenge for the sector.

We’ve advised on the appointment of over 3,000 senior academic leaders including Provosts, Vice-Presidents, Rectors, Deputy and Pro-Vice-Chancellors, Deans of Faculty, Heads of Schools and Directors of Institutes.

We partner with HEIs on professional service and senior administration roles for higher education institutions across all functions including Fundraising, Communications, Marketing, Student Recruitment, Finance, Human Resources, Information, Estates, and Operations. Our vast global network means we have access to an unrivalled talent pool to draw upon.

A key feature of our work is introducing candidates from other sectors. These leaders bring a fresh approach, modern and innovative models of organisational culture, and administration that helps the institution adapt to an increasingly corporate, fast-paced, and digital environment.

Our depth of understanding of the nuances of the higher education landscape means we are well-positioned to support the organisations that regulate, fund and support HEIs. We work with international HE associations, mission groups, leading global charitable funders for research, national and governmental funding bodies, learned societies, policy organisations, and other leading bodies within the sector.

We work on appointments where higher education, and educational agendas more broadly, meet wider government policy and priorities. This gives us a genuine breadth of experience and understanding of the wider strategic issues within and across the sector.

Our rigorous and robust methodology identifies, engages and secures exceptional research talent for universities all over the world. We’ve advised on over 1,000 professorial appointments across all disciplines. Our rigorous and robust methodology identifies, engages and secures exceptional research talent for universities all over the world.  

We support global research-intensive and research-ambitious universities, as well as leading research institutes. Over half of those appointed through our processes relocate internationally, and the global nature of our work is intrinsic to our success.

We work across the full range of disciplines and our methodology can be adapted to the particular nuances of each specialism. Our proprietary analytics model for finding and screening candidates has been developed by our in-house team, many of whom have previously held research posts in academia.

We support higher education institutions in the appointment of Trustees and Chairs to their Non-Executive Board, Council, Governing Body or Supervisory Board. Our Governance Apprenticeship Programme helps develop talent for future members of Governing Bodies.

We work across all areas of expertise to identify candidates with the requisite skills, experience, and values that align with our client organisations. We act as trusted advisors, challenging clients to achieve representation goals and build supportive and inclusive environments.

Meet our Experts

Birgit-Brandt
Regional Managing Partner, Asia Pacific

Dr Birgit Brandt

Sarah John - Regional Managing Partner - UK, Africa & Middle East
Regional Managing Partner, UK and Africa & Middle East

Sarah John

Gordon Lobay - Regional Managing Partner - Americas
Regional Managing Partner, Americas

Dr Gordon Lobay

Jospehine Scholten - Regional Managing Partner, Europe
Regional Managing Partner, Europe

Josephine Scholten

Global Senior Partner

Dr Sinéad Gibney

Thomas Weinberg Joint Managing Partner for the UK and Global Head for Knowledge and Innovation Economies
Global Managing Partner

Thomas Weinberg

Country Managing Partner, United States & Chair, Employee Ownership Trust

Erik Jackson

Country Managing Partner, Australia

Janelle Entwistle

Partner & Sector Lead, Schools & Education Organisations, Australia & New Zealand

James Boyd

Bing Han, Country Managing Partner, China
Country Managing Partner, China

Bing Han

Country Managing Partner, Hong Kong

Katharine Poundstone

Partner & Sector Lead, Research, Technology & Innovation, Europe

Dr Emi Saliasi

Country Managing Partner, Ireland

Michelle Scanlon

Country Managing Partner, Germany

Dr Nicole Shea

Country Managing Partner, The Netherlands & Head of Research, Europe

Dr Lisbeth Van Cauwenberghe

Country Managing Partner, Scotland & Co-Sector Lead, Higher Education, UK

Jill Cloke

Partner & Co-Sector Lead, Higher Education, UK

Kate Hunter

Partner, Higher Education, UK

Fiona Carruthers

Country Managing Partner, United Arab Emirates

Emma Stone

Consultant, Americas

Ben Crase

Consultant, Americas

Will Riggs

Consultant, Americas

Maria Rivas-Rivero

Associate Consultant and Interim Head of Research, Americas

Cora Hui

Consultant, Singapore

Zoe Huang

Senior Consultant, Hong Kong & China

Dr Jesse Sloane

Consultant, Hong Kong & China

Gary Tang

Consultant, Australia

Jason Murdoch

Senior Consultant, Australia

Arturo Uriostegui

Consultant, Europe

Camilla Henry

Senior Consultant, Europe

Anne-May Janssen

Consultant, Europe

Sarah Silbert

Senior Consultant, UK

James McSean

Senior Consultant, UK

Sukhpal Uppal

Senior Consultant, UK

James Whitehead

Associate Consultant, UK

Trinity Willett

Dr Birgit Brandt

Regional Managing Partner, Asia Pacific

Birgit Brandt is Regional Managing Partner, Asia Pacific.

Her experience includes Chief Executive and Senior Academic and Administrative appointments in Higher Education and Research, Schools and Global Non-Profit Practices with Asia-Pacific.

Birgit holds a PhD from the University of Warwick in Sociology and MAs in Race and Ethnic Studies and Political Science from Warwick and the Freie Universitat Berlin, respectively. Birgit began her career as a Research Fellow in Berlin moving to the University of Warwick to work in the Centre for Research in Ethnic Relations and the Department of Politics and International Studies.

She moved on to join a novel research grants programme that sought to support partnerships between UK universities and charities and was appointed Head of Grants at the Royal Society and Director of Programmes at the British Academy.

She has travelled extensively, including six months in PRC learning Mandarin.

Sarah John

Regional Managing Partner, UK and Africa & Middle East

Sarah is a Regional Managing Partner, UK and Africa & Middle East, working with colleagues across our different sectors to serve clients as they pursue new leadership.

She has worked for the firm for over a decade and has a particular breadth of expertise and experience in leading senior level executive search for Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, senior academic and professional services leaders, and non-executive governance appointments globally within the Higher Education and related sectors. Her clients include universities in both research-intensive and teaching focused environments, as well as specialist HEIs. She is always keen to support the sector more broadly, working with organisations such as Advance HE and the Women in Higher Education Network in pursuit of better diversity and inclusion in universities.

Sarah holds a BA (Hons) in English and Related Literature from the University of York. Prior to joining Perrett Laver, she worked for an HR consultancy in the account management function and also trained as a career coach.

Dr Gordon Lobay

Regional Managing Partner, Americas

Gordon is the Regional Managing Partner, Americas. He leads our Canadian operations and delivers senior-level searches across all of the sectors in which we operate.

He began with the firm in our London office and subsequently opened the Vancouver office in 2013 and the Toronto office a few years later.

Gordon holds a B.A. in Classics and Anthropology from Alberta, an MPhil in Archaeology from Glasgow, PhD (on the looting and illegal trading of antiquities) from Cambridge (Homerton College) and a Corporate Executive Certificate from the Alberta, School of Business.

Before joining Perrett Laver Gordon held junior research positions at Texas (Institute of Classical Archaeology) and Westminster (ESRC Project on the UK’s Dealing in Cultural Objects Offences Act 2003) and he was Collections Management Advisor at Alberta (Museums and Collections Services). He was also an Associate Scholar on the Intellectual Property in Cultural Heritage Project and continues to write book reviews for a few academic journals.

He also brings government experience from the UK (Parliamentary Ombudsman) and Canada (Government of Alberta), where he managed a socioeconomic program evaluation team and received a Premier’s Award for outstanding client services.

Josephine Scholten

Regional Managing Partner, Europe

Josephine is a Regional Managing Partner, Europe.

Her experience of senior level executive search includes Board, Chief Executive, Senior Academic and Administrative appointments throughout Europe, within the Higher Education, Research and Innovation, Social Impact and Environment and Arts and Culture Practice.

Prior to joining Perrett Laver, Josephine gained extensive experience in the Higher Education sector having served as the Executive Director of the Universities of the Netherlands (VSNU) for over 7 years. In addition, she was an active member of the European University Association (EUA).

Acting as an Adviser to University Presidents, she was responsible for the national lobbying strategy towards the Dutch Government. Under her responsibility, important strategic projects such as the open access strategy and the national research programme ‘digital society’ were initiated.

As Senior Vice President HR Josephine spent 3 years living in Geneva working for an international trading firm. She brings over 10 years of experience as interim manager in the public- private domain.

Josephine holds a Masters in Political Science from the University of Amsterdam and is an IMD alumna.

Dr Sinéad Gibney

Global Senior Partner

As Global Senior Partner, Sinéad is responsible for the long-term strategic development of Perrett Laver alongside the acceleration of its commercial growth.

During her ten years at Perrett Laver, Sinéad established and led the firm’s operations in Amsterdam and Dublin, while continuing to grow Perrett Laver’s Research, Technology and Innovation, and Higher Education practices across Europe.

Sinéad’s experience at Perrett Laver includes advising on senior executive and non-executive appointments for universities, public and privately funded research institutes, as well as research-oriented charities and non-profits.

Sinéad holds an honours degree in Natural Science from Trinity College Dublin and a PhD in Neuroscience from University College Cork.

Thomas Weinberg

Global Managing Partner

Tom has been with Perrett Laver for twelve years, having served as Joint Managing Partner for the UK and Global Head for Knowledge and Innovation Economies.

Tom has grown Perrett Laver’s work across Latin America and the Middle East, co-led Perrett Laver’s largest region through a significant period of growth and spent two years in the US opening the company’s first office there.

Tom has advised upon senior executive and board appointments for institutions in over twenty countries, for institutions including the University of Oxford, NYU, Monterrey Tec, the University of Cape Town, Imperial, INSEAD, HKUST and Nanyang Technological University and at organizations such as the Chatham House, NEOM and the Africa Health Research Institute.

Prior to joining Perrett Laver he worked in the communications industry. He holds an MA (hons) from the University of Edinburgh.

Erik Jackson

Country Managing Partner, United States & Chair, Employee Ownership Trust

Erik is Managing Partner for Perrett Laver’s work in the US and is based in Raleigh, North Carolina.

His experience in senior level executive search includes Board, Chief Executive and other senior leadership appointments our Social Impact & Environment, Higher Education, and Research, Technology & Innovation sectors.

Erik holds BA in History from Menlo College in California, where he was class Valedictorian and an MSt in History from the University of Oxford. Before joining the firm, he held the position of Business Development Manager for the geopolitical consulting firm Oxford Analytica.

Janelle Entwistle

Country Managing Partner, Australia

Janelle is Managing Partner of our Australian operations and leads our office in Sydney.

Her senior level executive search experience includes Senior Academic and Administrative appointments globally in higher education and research and for organisations across the cultural and sports sectors.

She holds a Bachelor degree in Social Science and a Master degree in Marketing from The University of Newcastle, and a Master degree in Management from The Australian National University.  Janelle has significant experience in strategic marketing and communications, student recruitment, relationship management, events, business development and international relations. Prior to joining Perrett Laver, Janelle held senior management roles at the Australian National University and the University of Newcastle and is experienced in sports administration having held the position of General Manager for Netball Tasmania, and has also held senior marketing and communications positions in the mining and not-for-profit sectors. Janelle has travelled extensively, particularly across Asia.

James Boyd

Partner & Sector Lead, Schools & Education Organisations, Australia & New Zealand

James is a Partner & Sector Lead, Schools & Education Organisations, Australia.

James has an MBA with Excellence from the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) at the UNSW Business School and undertook exchanges at the Moscow School of Management, SKOLKOVO, and Fudan University, Shanghai as part of his studies. James holds a BA in History from the University of Durham.

Prior to joining Perrett Laver, James worked in education for over 20 years where he held senior leadership positions in independent schools in Australia and the United Kingdom. James has also coached rugby at an elite level with the Scottish Rugby Union and Oxford University RFC.

Bing Han

Country Managing Partner, China

Bing is a Partner at Perrett Laver and is now leading Perrett Laver’s new Hong Kong office, opened in January 2015.

His experience includes Chief Executive and Senior Academic and Administrative appointments in Higher Education and Research within Asia-Pacific.

A native of Beijing, Bing was most recently Director for China Programmes at the Alliance for Global Education, where he led the design of all Alliance for Global Education academic programmes in China, developed and maintained institutional relationships with more than 200 universities in both the U.S. and China and oversaw the Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi’an centers of operations.

Bing has many years of experience at senior management in global higher education and prior to that has taught in China and in the US at Asian Studies Department at Vassar College and Williams College.

He has been central in building scholarly exchanges and joint programmes between US and Chinese Universities and brings a deep understanding of Mainland China and Hong Kong higher education and research sectors.

Bing Han earned a BA in Electrical Engineering in 1996, a BA in International Business in 1997, and an MA in Communications Technology in 2000 from the Harbin Institute of Technology and the Beijing Institute of Microwave Metrology & Measurement respectively.

Katharine Poundstone

Country Managing Partner, Hong Kong

Katharine is a Partner at Perrett Laver and co-lead of our Hong Kong operation.

Her experience includes Chief Executive and Senior Academic and Administrative appointments in Higher Education and Research within Asia-Pacific.

Katharine has until recently been the Resident Director for the Alliance for Global Education in Beijing. A native of Kentucky, Katharine, has lived and worked in mainland China for many years, beginning with a study abroad experience in Beijing in 1992-93.

After graduating from Reed College (BA in Chinese Language & Literature; Biochemistry & Molecular Biology) she spent a year in China as a Thomas J. Watson fellow and then completed her M.H.S. at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In 2000 Katharine returned to China, where she has worked as epidemiologist on various public health projects, including projects focussing on AIDS/STD prevention and control, with the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the World Health Organization, and the Chinese government. She also received a fellowship from the Blakemore Foundation to study advanced Mandarin Chinese at Tsinghua University in 2008-09.

Dr Emi Saliasi

Partner & Sector Lead, Research, Technology & Innovation, Europe

Her senior level executive search experience includes Executive and Senior Academic and Administrative appointments in the Higher Education, Research and Innovation, Social Impact and Environment and Arts and Culture sectors. In addition, she has worked on multiple senior appointments in the intersection between academic organisations, arts and culture, and industry.

Emi holds a BSc in Psychology, an MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience from Utrecht University and a PhD in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging from the University of Groningen. Before joining Perrett Laver, Emi worked as a postdoc in Social Medicine at the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam. Besides her academic commitments, she also represented the PhD community in Groningen and helped manage the communication platforms for a large conference.

Emi is fluent in English, Dutch & Albanian and speaks conversational Italian.

Michelle Scanlon

Country Managing Partner, Ireland

Michelle is a Managing Partner.

Michelle works in Perrett Laver’s Dublin office. She is a Partner, former Head of the Project Management team and has worked across a number of Perrett Laver’s global Offices including London, Chicago and Hong Kong. She works with organisations across our Global Higher Education, Sport, Social Impact and Health sectors.

Dr Nicole Shea

Country Managing Partner, Germany

Nicole is Managing Partner, Germany.

Her experience of senior level executive search includes Board, Chief Executive, Senior Academic and Administrative appointments throughout Europe, within the Higher Education, Research, Technology and Innovation, Social Impact and Environment sectors.

Prior to joining Perrett Laver, Nicole was Executive Director of the Council for European Studies at Columbia University (CES) and the Executive Editor and Founder of the journal EuropeNow. She oversaw the renowned annual International Conference of Europeanists, the prestigious World Society Foundation Global Fellowships as well as the Mellon-Dissertation Completion Fellowships, among others, and supported 17 Research Networks, including those addressing the Environment, European Culture, Immigration and Social Movements.

She is the author of The Politics of Prostitution in ‘Berlin Alexanderplatz’ and the editor of The Many Voices of Europe: Mobility and Migration in Contemporary Europe. She holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from Binghamton University.

Dr Lisbeth Van Cauwenberghe

Country Managing Partner, The Netherlands & Head of Research, Europe

Lisbeth is the Managing Partner, Netherlands & Head of Research Europe.

Her experience of senior level executive search includes Senior Academic, Chair and Professorial appointments globally across all disciplines in higher education.

Lisbeth holds an MSc in Biology, a subsequent MSc in Environmental Management and Sanitation, and a PhD in Environmental Toxicology, all from Ghent University, Belgium. Her doctoral research focussed on the occurrence, effects and risks of marine microplastics. Lisbeth is fluent in Dutch and English, and speaks basic French and German.

Jill Cloke

Country Managing Partner, Scotland & Co-Sector Lead, Higher Education, UK

Jill is Managing Partner, Scotland & Joint Sector Lead, Higher Education, UK

Her experience of senior level executive search includes advising on Chair, Trustee, Chief Executive and executive team searches across the Non Profit and Social sector and Senior Academic and Administrative appointments in the Higher Education and Research and Global Non-Profit sectors.

Jill holds an MA in International Relations from the University of St Andrews. She has lived and worked in Japan and spent her early career in the UK charity sector.

Kate Hunter

Partner & Co-Sector Lead, Higher Education, UK

Kate is a Partner & Joint Sector Lead, Higher Education, UK.

Her experience of senior level executive search includes Board, Chief Executive, Senior Academic and Administrative appointments globally within the Higher Education, Health and Social Care, and the Arts and Culture sector practices.

Kate began her career in the arts, working in communications roles, culminating as Head of Communications at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Kate has around 15 years’ experience of working in global higher education, both from within an institution and externally, as an advancement practitioner and an advisor to government, institutions and other stakeholders. Prior to joining Perrett Laver, Kate was Executive Director for CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) Europe. CASE is a global membership association with a focus on advocacy, training, research and data to support advancement – fundraising, marketing, communications, alumni relations. Kate worked closely with HEFCE, Universities UK and Arts & Business on sector-wide initiatives to build advancement capacity, including launching a fundraising graduate trainee programme. Kate holds a BA Hons in French with Spanish.

Fiona Carruthers

Partner, Higher Education, UK

Her experience in senior level executive search includes Board, Chief Executive and Senior Academic and Administrative appointments globally in higher education.

Fiona has spent the majority of her career in executive search, working with a variety of organisations in both the public and private sectors. For the last decade, she has focused on Higher Education, helping to establish the Practice for Heidrick and Struggles and more recently working at Odgers Berndtson. She holds a Joint BA (Hons) in History & American Studies from Keele University.

Emma Stone

Country Managing Partner, United Arab Emirates

Emma Stone is a strategic and results orientated leader and trusted advisor with extensive governance, human resources, and organisational development experience in the higher education sector. Prior to joining Perrett Laver she was Director of OD and Institutional Effectiveness at Mohammad Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi.

Before commencing her international career she gained over 20 years experience at the University of Cambridge where she held the role of Director of Human Resources. Her career then led her to an international move joining the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), as Adviser to the Vice Chancellor and subsequently to MBZUAI in Abu Dhabi as Director of OD and Institutional Effectiveness working with the President to establish this new highly specialised graduate school.

Emma is accustomed to operating at board level, leading organizational change, and resolving complex employment relations issues. She specializes in the development and interpretation of policy, leadership of multidisciplinary teams and projects, provision of operational advice, recruitment, and resourcing, learning and development, and employee relations.

Emma hold a bachelors degree in Psychology, MA (Cantab) and is an Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Ben Crase

Consultant, Americas

His experience of senior level executive search includes Senior Academic and Administrative appointments in higher education and research globally, with a particular focus on the Canadian market.

Ben holds a BA (Hons) in History from Trinity College, University of Toronto and is currently completing his MA in Higher Education at the University of Toronto. Ben’s academic interests centre on institutional theory and organizational behaviour more broadly. Prior to joining Perrett Laver, Ben worked as an advancement associate at a top Canadian independent school.

Will Riggs

Consultant, Americas

Will has 4 years of executive search experience and is a Consultant within Perrett Laver’s Social Impact Practice, supporting the practice’s work across North America.

His search experience includes Board, Chief Executive and C-Suite appointments across a range of  nonprofit and private sector clients. Some notable clients include the Gates Foundation, San Francisco AIDS Foundation, FEED and The Claremont Colleges. Before joining Perrett Laver, Will held Consultant and Research roles with other global executive search firms, and led Customer Success for a SaaS startup in local grocery delivery.

Will is based in Asheville, North Carolina. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Northeastern University.

Maria Rivas-Rivero

Consultant, Americas

Maria is a Consultant at Perrett Laver.

She has a diverse educational background, including a BA in International Studies from UCV in Venezuela, an MBA from EADA Business School in Spain, a Graduate Diploma in American Studies from Sciences Po Paris, and a MA in Geopolitics from Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne.

Prior joining Perrett Laver, Maria gained experience in Alumni Relations and Development at McGill University and served as Business Development and Marketing Manager for a major engineering firm in Canada.

Cora Hui

Associate Consultant and Interim Head of Research, Americas

Cora is a Associate Consultant at Perrett Laver.

Her level of senior level executive search includes schools, academic and administrative appointments in higher education globally, and in the global non-profit sector.

Cora holds a BA (Hons) from the University of Toronto, MPhil in Criminology from the University of Cambridge, MA in Forensic Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, and PhD from City University of Hong Kong. Prior to joining Perrett Laver, Cora worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at City University of Hong Kong where she led government funded projects, organized international academic conferences, and wrote a book on the Umbrella Movement.

Zoe Huang

Consultant, Singapore

Zoe is a Consultant working across all of our sectors in Singapore with particular expertise in Schools & Education organisations.

She holds a Bachelor of Business Management from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Before joining Perrett Laver, she worked in the banking and financial services sector.

Zoe is also fluent in English and Mandarin.

Dr Jesse Sloane

Senior Consultant, Hong Kong & China

Jesse is a Senior Consultant in Perrett Laver’s Hong Kong office, where he advises on appointments in the Asia-Pacific Region.

He holds a PhD in East Asian Studies from Princeton University, with related research conducted as a Research Associate at Kyoto University. Prior to joining Perrett Laver he served as Associate Professor of East Asian Studies and Program Chair at Underwood International College at Yonsei University, South Korea. His work has included senior leadership and faculty roles for clients including the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Duke-NUS Medical School, Yale-NUS College, Georgia Tech Shenzhen Institute, New York University, and Nanyang Technological University.

Gary Tang

Consultant, Hong Kong & China

Gary is a Consultant in the Hong Kong office.

His executive search experience includes senior leadership appointments for universities, international schools, as well as arts and culture organizations in Hong Kong, Macao and Greater China. Prior to joining Perrett Laver, Gary had an early career in higher education, secondary education and public affairs.

An expert on the international relations of East Asia and Eurasia, Gary has contributed articles to the World Economic Forum, South China Morning Post, Geopolitics, among others. He has a BA in history and political science from the Australian National University, a MA in Comparative and Public History from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a PhD in Politics and International Studies from the University of Warwick.

Gary speaks Cantonese, Mandarin and English and continues to improve his Russian.

Jason Murdoch

Consultant, Australia

Jason is a Consultant based in our Melbourne office.

Prior to joining Perrett Laver he worked at several Australian Group of Eight universities, in both Student Experience and Scholarly Information Services, having most recently served twelve years at the Australian National University as a subject liaison librarian, collection manager, and information literacy trainer.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, and a Graduate Diploma in Information Management with Distinction from RMIT University.

Arturo Uriostegui

Senior Consultant, Australia

Arturo Uriostegui is a Consultant in the Sydney office.

He was previously Head of Research for Perrett Laver in Australia. His experience of senior level executive search includes Senior Academic, Administrative, Chair and Professorial appointments globally in higher education and research. In addition, Arturo works extensively across the Schools Practice in senior level executive appointments, with a particular focus on the Australian market.

Arturo holds a BA in International Studies from the University of California San Diego, a Master of International Business from the University of New South Wales and an MBA (Executive) from the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) at the UNSW Business School. Prior to joining Perrett Laver, he spent time as a tutor in universities in Hong Kong and private institutions in Latin America. Arturo is fluent in English, Spanish, & Portuguese and speaks conversational French.

Camilla Henry

Consultant, Europe

Camilla is an Associate Consultant.

Prior to joining Perrett Laver, Camilla worked in the world of recruitment whilst working for some of the largest tech companies in the world from Google to TikTok within leadership hiring. Prior, to the world of recruitment, she was working in frontline healthcare. Her passion to work for impactful sectors drew her to Perrett Laver and she is truly inspired by our clients and candidates.

Camilla holds a BSc from Trinity College Dublin; General Nursing and I have a diploma in Psychology from Dublin Business School and is also learning Spanish B1 level.

Anne-May Janssen

Senior Consultant, Europe

Anne-May brings extensive experience in the international higher education and research sectors. Before joining Perrett Laver, Anne-May was Secretary-General of the Aurora Universities Network, an international membership organisation of universities across Europe and beyond. As Secretary-General, Anne-May provided strategic supervision over the EU grant application under the prestigious European Universities Initiative. She managed the Aurora Central Office in Amsterdam and supported and advised the Aurora Board and General Council. She successfully increased the network’s visibility, and in Brussels represented Aurora members on developments in EU higher education and research policy – often in close cooperation with other organisations representing higher education, such as the European University Association (EUA), the Guild, YERUN and the Coimbra Group.

Anne-May holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, a BA in European Studies and an Msc in Public Policy and Human Development

Sarah Silbert

Consultant, Europe

Sarah is a Consultant in the European team working across a range of sectors including Global Higher Education, Research Leadership, Arts, Culture and Sport.

Sarah holds a BA in Linguistics from Macalester College and an MSc in Comparative Social Change from Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin. Her academic interests include diversity and inclusion in sport and language education in schools. Prior to joining Perrett Laver, Sarah worked as a English Language Teacher in the United States and Ireland.

Sarah speaks English and Japanese and is conversational in Spanish.

James McSean

Senior Consultant, UK

James McSean is a Senior Consultant in the Higher Education Practice

James joined Perrett Laver from Queen Mary University of London, where he was Head of the Principal’s Office, supporting the senior executive of the University and leading the executive support team. Prior to that James spent ten years at Imperial College London across a variety of roles, including five years providing high-level support and policy advice to the Provost.

James holds a BA degree in History from the University of Cambridge.

Sukhpal Uppal

Senior Consultant, UK

Sukhpal Uppal is a Consultant in the Higher Education sector.

His senior level executive search experience covers a range of appointments across governance, communications, marketing, human resources, and academic and research leadership. This includes a number of Vice-Chancellor appointments at, among others, Durham University, the University of Lincoln, and the University of Birmingham.

Sukhpal holds a First Class Honours degree in French and Spanish from University College London and speaks fluent French and Spanish.

James Whitehead

Senior Consultant, UK

James is a Consultant in the UK Higher Education sector.

Starting his career in teaching, his experience of senior level executive search includes appointing senior leaders across not-for-profit, public institutions, health and higher education environments within professional services, academic services and non-executive boards. His clients have included the University of Bristol, Queen Mary University of London, University of Essex, University of Law and cross-sector organisations such as Barts Life Sciences.

James holds a BA in Geography from the University of Birmingham and a PGCE from the University of Cambridge.

Trinity Willett

Associate Consultant, UK

Trinity Willett is a Consultant.

She is charged with providing support and advice to clients, candidates and colleagues throughout the executive search process, upholding the highest quality of care and delivery at all times.

Trinity attended Toronto’s Ryerson University for her bachelor’s degree in Arts and Contemporary Studies.

Prior to joining Perrett Laver, Trinity previously held positions in the medical sector.

Notable Appointments

Queen's University Belfast welcome Professor Geert Dewulf as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Engineering and Physical Sciences

14 Oct 2024

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology appoints Professor Sir Edward Byrne AC as new President

07 Aug 2024

Dr Alain Simard named Dean of Graduate Studies and International at Laurentian University

15 Jul 2024

University of Nottingham Ningbo China appoints Professor Xincheng Xie as new President

08 Mar 2024

CUHK appoints Professor Philip Chiu as Dean of Medicine

21 Dec 2023

University of Birmingham Dubai appoints new Provost, Professor Yusra Mouzughi

10 Nov 2023

Professor Deborah Prentice nominated for Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge

26 Sep 2022

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington Appoints Professor Nic Smith as next Vice-Chancellor

20 Jun 2022

Birmingham City University Appoints Anita Bhalla as Chair, Board of Governors

26 May 2022

Richard Harrison new Managing Director of Plant Sciences Group

19 May 2022

Let’s start your conversation today.

Arrange a callback

Please let us know your name.

Thanks, and your email?

Don’t worry, we won’t send you any junk.

Lastly, what would you like to talk about?

Work with Perrett Laver
Looking for a new role
Higher Education
Schools & Education Organisations
Social Impact
Research, Technology & Innovation
Environment & Sustainability
Health & Life Sciences
Government
Professional Services
Arts, Culture & Sport
Diversity
Campaigns

Thank you, we’ll be in touch soon.

In the meantime you may find this content relevant to your interests. Talk soon.