English UK appoints Jodie Gray as new chief executive

Jodie Gray has been appointed chief executive of English UK after taking over as interim leader in February 2020.

She said: "I'm humbled and honoured to be the Chief Executive of English UK. This is an endorsement of the English UK staff and the work that we have done together in support of the members and UK ELT and I want to acknowledge and thank every member of the team."

Announcing her appointment, Steve Phillips, Chair of the English UK Board of Trustees, said that one bright spot in a challenging year has been the performance of the English UK team which has provided "support at every step of the journey" for members and the industry. "Jodie has been steering the association through the coronavirus pandemic with great aplomb and I am very pleased to be able to announce this appointment on behalf of the board of trustees."

"Jodie and the team have focused on members' changing needs, providing the latest information through the website, social media and webinars, organising events such as the English UK Summit, lobbying government at all levels and responding to individual members with kindness and professionalism.

We are fortunate to have them, and incredibly fortunate to have had the leadership of Jodie Gray, who became interim chief executive just six weeks before lockdown… her performance has been exceptionally impressive under difficult circumstances."

He noted that innovation and agility have been the association's trademarks since March and that would continue. "For instance, we have not one but two StudyWorld events early next year, StudyWorld Online in January and StudyWorld Summer in March, enabling members to meet partners and work around a likely later booking window for the year."

Before being appointed interim chief executive in February, Jodie was English UK's Director of Strategic Development. She has held several roles at the association since 2007, primarily focusing on market development and undertaking a 15-month secondment at the Department for International Trade