Andrew Disbury

As Vice-Principal & Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement) at UWS, Andrew has specific executive responsibilities for the internationalisation of the University’s activities and reputation, as well as overall responsibility for the University’s International Centre. He also leads the development and delivery of the University’s Global Reach Plan, the development of organisational approaches that encourage global citizenship among the University’s students and staff, and establishing governance arrangements that secure appropriate control and protections for engaging in international activities, partnerships and collaborations.

Andrew has over 20 years’ experience of working in the higher education sector and prior to joining UWS was Director of the International Office at Leeds Beckett University where he led a strategic re-focusing towards Leeds-bound student recruitment to complement the University’s early successes in transnational education. Andrew is an elected leadership member of the European Association for International Education and has been a trustee in the Northern Consortium of 11 northern English universities.

Andrew’s career began as an academic at Sheffield Hallam University, where he held the post of Head of Student Recruitment for the Business School. He then worked for the British Council in China as Director of Education, where part of his remit was the marketing of the ‘Education UK’ brand. Andrew returned from China in 2007 to join the University of St Andrews as Director of Student Recruitment & Admissions, where he led pre-enrolment activities.