Meet the team

We're a team of 22 staff and freelancers, working with nearly 400 members including UK universities, further education colleges, students' unions and organisations.

Senior management

Heather Oct 2024

Heather Knight, Interim Chief Executive

Heather brings expertise in student immigration law, policy and international student welfare. She has spent nearly a decade at UKCISA, most recently as Head of Advice and Training, managing the organisation's analysis of legislation and guidance impacting international students, steering UKCISA's policy and advocacy work, and ensuring members have the clarity and support they need to support international students effectively via the organisation's advice and training services. She is registered with the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) to provide immigration advice. 

Prior to joining UKCISA in 2016, Heather worked in Higher Education advising international students, their families and university staff on immigration and welfare, ensuring students had the best possible study experience in the UK. She has first-hand experience of living and working internationally, having studied at Chiang Mai University in Thailand, and worked in education in Thailand and Japan. 

Email: chiefexec@ukcisa.org.uk

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    Yinbo Yu, Head of Engagement and Partnerships

    Yinbo joined UKCISA in 2019 where he leads the non-member engagement function, including stakeholder communications, international student engagement, UKCISA’s strategic partnerships function, the award-winning #WeAreInternational campaign and its student ambassador programme.  

    Prior to that, Yinbo was elected as the International Students’ Officer at the National Union of Students UK (NUS) for two terms, representing around half a million international students in the UK. Yinbo was educated at Nanjing Foreign Language School in China before coming to the UK to study for a BSc in economics at the University of East Anglia and an MSc in urban economic development at University College London. 

    Yinbo was a joint winner of the inaugural PIEoneer Awards Emerging Leader award in 2023.

     

     

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    Shreena Dholakia, Head of Finance and Resources

    Shreena joined UKCISA in 2024. As Head of Finance & Resources, she leads on financial planning and management, human resources and operations for the organisation, and acts as Company Secretary for UKCISA.  

    Shreena is an FCCA qualified accountant with nearly 20 years of finance experience, including more than a decade in the not-for-profit and charity sector. 

    As well as a wealth of expertise in financial management and strategic planning, Shreena brings her experience of studying as an international student in the UK.

Our team

  1. Advice and Training

    • Christopher Benjamin, Advice and Training Officer
    • Deepa Chadha, Policy Adviser (Interim Head of Advice)
    • Leontine Gnaly, Policy Coordinator
    • Kate Handforth, Advice and Training Officer
    • Andrew Humphrey, Adviser (freelance)
    • Yasmin Khan, Adviser (freelance)
    • Ros Martin, Adviser (freelance)
    • Tema Nwulu, Advice and Training Officer
    • Robert Young, Advice Officer and Training Lead

  2. Engagement and Partnerships

    • Yinbo Yu, Head of Engagement and Partnerships
    • Riyad Ali, Events Assistant
    • Will Burton, Events and Training Manager
    • Jane McCarthy, Communications Consultant (freelance)
    • Anne Salter, Communications Manager
    • Carolyn Sowa, Programme Officer (Student Ambassadors)

  3. Finance and Resources

    • Shreena Dholakia, Head of Finance and Resources
    • So-Ha Au, Membership and Web Assistant
    • Anushka Gunawardena, Senior Finance and Resources Officer
    • Jody O’Brien, Office Administrator
    • Ben Miller Williams, Finance and Resources Officer (freelance)

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