English UK boards and advisory groups

Chair

Steve Phillips is a managing director of the British Study Centres Group looking after Transnational Education and University Pathways. Steve has worked in the ELT industry for over 25 years as a school owner, in private higher education, and in the not-for-profit sector. He is TEFLQ (Cambridge Delta) and is a Fellow at the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).

Vice Chair

Jose Brinkmann is managing director and owner of Country Cousins, the school he studied at for many years as a child. He studied at university in York whist working as an activity leader. After eight years working for Ford Motor Company in London he decided he liked Country Cousins so much he bought it!

Jane Dancaster is the principal and managing director of Wimbledon School of English and has been in ELT first as a teacher, then a manager, since 1983. She has been a director of English UK since it was formed in 2004, and was a member of Arels General Council before that.

Fraser Davis is senior operations director of EF International Language Centres, UK and Ireland. He has 20 years' industry experience in large and small institutions throughout the UK including as academic director at EF London. He also spent time as an EFL teacher in Germany and modern languages teacher in a state secondary.  

Shoko Doherty is CEO of Celtic English Academy. She has worked in the industry for 13 years, having first come to the UK as an international student. She has been an active committee member of English UK Wales for the past two years.

Sarah Etchells taught in Greece for five years before setting up her own summer language school for children and teenagers, English Country Schools. She is the joint chair of Young Learners English UK and has special responsibility for welfare.

Ella Tyler is managing director and owner of Hello! Exmouth. She studied French and Politics and started her career in PR and marketing in the corporate world. She bought Mountlands as a failing business and took the school from 60 students a year to over 2000 student weeks in 2016.

Chris Moonie founded the Mackenzie School of English in Edinburgh in 2008, and is now its director. Mackenzie ran young learners' programmes only until 2018, when it moved into larger premises and expanded to include adult classes. Chris began his career in youth work before moving into ELT and used his specialist knowledge to create innovative young learners' programmes.

Spencer Fordham worked in marketing and advertising in national newspapers for a decade before moving into ELT. He founded the Capital School of English in Bournemouth in 2003 with his wife Paulina, and is now managing director. He has recently created Future Success, a pioneering two-week programme during which English students collaborate with local businesses and school students on real-world projects.

Chair

Hannah Alexander-Wright has worked in private and public sector ELT for 17 years as a teacher, manager, marketer and business development leader. She has recently started her own business, offering coaching, marketing and business expertise  to clients of state universities, education start-ups, accommodation providers and agents.

Jay Buckham is head of business development at Fettes Enterprises Limited, Fettes College in Edinburgh, where he has worked for the last 14 years. Jay is a committee member of English UK Scotland and in his spare time works as a business development consultant, specialising in company re-branding.

Mick Davies is the director of Mick Davies Education, which provides education and training to Higher Education institutions around the world. Mick specialises in English for Academic Purposes programmes, teacher training and development, and specialist language courses for global companies.

Janette Donjon set up her own company, Global TVET Solutions Ltd., after 30 years in the FE Sector. She has been a teacher, ELT Manager, Director of a 6th Form College and International Director in an FE College.

Paul Murray is the director of Foyle International which he founded in 1990. He has been in the EFL industry for the past 27 years and is currently the vice chairman of English UK Northern Ireland.

Michael Quinn has been working in the ELT business now for over 15 years with Centre of English Studies. He is an owner and director of CES and has worked in nearly every role involved in the running of a school.

Michael Fullarton is the head of schools at Eurocentres Foundation.

Charles Harrison is the former chief executive of The English Language Centre Brighton, which he joined in 1973. He is a past chairman of Arels and formed a major role in the formation of English UK.

Gareth Mainwaring is director of operations and development for the Birmingham International Academy (BIA) at the University of Birmingham. Following 12 years in government, including the Department for Education, he joined the HE sector. He has operational responsibility for the growth and delivery of Foundation Pathway, Presessional English and Insessional programmes at the university. He also worked with the university to open its first international branch campus in Dubai and continues to work on other TNE initiatives.

Stewart Watkins 

Head of UK operations at Eurocentres