Cathy Gilbert

Cathy has an Economics degree and an MBA from Warwick Business School. Her early career was spent with GKN on their graduate training scheme specialising in sales and marketing. She then spent 15 years in the health sector with a range of senior roles with a particular focus on business development and marketing both in the UK and internationally and also held a non-executive director post for a Strategic Health Authority. She gained extensive experience of managing strategic change and transformation projects including business acquisition and alliances. Cathy joined the university sector nine years ago initially as Director of Sales and Student recruitment at Staffordshire University using her private sector experience to grow UK and international student numbers and partnerships through innovative developments. She then spent two years at UCAS, the UK’s central university admissions centre as Director of Customer Strategy focusing on redefining the student application process including a significant review of the product and service offerings and entering new markets including the schools market for admissions systems. Cathy joined the University of Birmingham five years ago as Director of External Relations. Her remit requires a customer focus and covers: • UK and international student recruitment (undergraduate and postgraduate) • International Partnerships • Marketing and communications (including Brand and reputational management, press and PR and external stakeholder engagement) • Student admissions • Educational Enterprise – developing online programme delivery In addition to her substantive post as Director of External Relations Cathy is also Project Director for the Dubai campus. She has been leading the project for the last 18 months and leads the multi disciplinary project team who have responsibility for the delivery of the first phase of the campus to open in September 2018 and the full campus in Dubai which is planned to open in 2021/2. In addition the Professional Services team in Dubai, led by the Director of Operations Dubai will report to Cathy in the UK. Cathy is a Governor at Solihull School and at the University of Birmingham School.