Meet the Team
The team of dedicated professionals who run Independent HE
Alexander Proudfoot
Chief ExecutiveAlex oversees the association’s strategic development, manages its day-to-day activities and represents members at external meetings and committees. He is also a Trustee of UKCISA, the UK Council for International Student Affairs. Alex worked previously in IT before five years as Communications Manager for the British Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher Education. He holds a Bachelor’s in Music and a Master’s in Philosophy.
Joy Elliott-Bowman
Director of Policy & DevelopmentJoy leads our policy development and public affairs activity as well as facilitating good practice across the independent sector. She has over 10 years of experience in the British and Canadian education sectors, working from within universities, students’ unions, QAA and national student organisations on academic quality, the student voice and international education policy.
Natalie Kubicki
Head of OperationsNatalie manages our finance, HR and internal governance processes. She has Masters’ in Psychology and Occupational Psychology from the Universities of Edinburgh and Nottingham and has previously specialised in human resources in the charity and education sectors.
Penny Tzivitzi
Membership & Development OfficerPenny is the first point of contact for all membership queries and ensures the smooth running of all our member events and meetings. She has educational and extensive professional experience in hospitality management and customer service, running large teams as a Front of House Manager in the hotel industry and the corporate world.
Angela Halston
Policy and Engagement OfficerAngela works on specific areas of policy, engaging with members and helping them to keep up to date with sector news. She has worked in Higher Education for more than 15 years, in both UK Universities and small, specialist H.E. providers. Her experience has focused on high quality provision of innovative, flexible, industry engaged learning.
Anna Mathews
Policy and Engagement OfficerAnna works on a variety of policy areas, helping to interpret policy proposals for the membership and gaining member feedback. She has an extensive background in higher education where her focus has been on digital technologies. Anna is also interested in communities of practice, especially those for professional services staff.