Meet the Global Partnerships Unit team

Lawrence D'Souza, Director of International                             

Lawrence D'Souza is a Director of International at De Montfort University. He leads the International Directorate with responsibility for the Global Partnership Unit and the International Office. The Global Partnership Unit is responsible for the development and management of Transnational Education (TNE) activity within DMU.

Lawrence joined DMU in May 2018 and is responsible for International Strategy at De Montfort University. He previously held various roles at Coventry University including Lecturer, Internationalisation Manager and Deputy Director for Academic Partnerships.

He is an experienced strategic and results driven leader with over 16 years’ experience in developing academic partnerships across the world and leading international student recruitment strategies.

Lawrence holds a Bachelor of Commerce, MBA in International Business and is currently pursuing a DBA. 

T: 0116 257 7500
E: lawrence.dsouza@dmu.ac.uk

Neil Hart, Associate Director of Transnational Education

Neil Hart is the Associate Director of Transnational Education (TNE) within the Global Partnerships Unit (GPU). He has oversight of the university’s TNE activities, ensuring smooth transition of new partnership developments into mainstream GPU and faculty-based workstreams.

Neil joined DMU in 2021 and has worked in Higher Education since 1996 with more than a decade in TNE roles setting up and managing international and UK based partnerships for Staffordshire University and Coventry University.

He has lived and worked in a number of Sub-Saharan African countries including Zimbabwe, South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo and began his career in education working as a voluntary Physics teacher under the auspices of Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) in the Western Region of Ghana.

Neil has a PhD in Engineering and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

E: neil.hart@dmu.ac.uk

Anna K. Róg, Head of Partnership Operations

Responsible for leading the TNE Operating Model, Anna specialises in complex operations within Higher Education. Before joining the Global Partnerships Unit (GPU), she was responsible for Operations and Compliance at the International Directorate since November 2019 and prior to that, worked within governance, compliance and operations at Governance and Legal at DMU since January 2017.

Her previous experience includes corporate governance, policy implementation and research, and major transformation programmes having previously worked in and with public sector, including in sport research and public policy areas.

Holding first class BA (Hons) in Public Policy and MSc (Distinction) in Project Management she won multiple awards, including for her work using critical discourse analysis in the context of everyday business practices, such as project management. She uses her passion for linguistics and experience in sport coaching to lead teams and resolve day-to-day business challenges. Alongside her role within GPU Anna is also a member of the Senior Leadership Team and retains the lead for compliance function for the International Directorate. 

 E: anna.rog@dmu.ac.uk 

Kerry Harrison, Collaborative Partnerships Manager

Kerry Harrison is Collaborative Partnerships Manager within the Global Partnership Unit at DMU. Kerry has responsibility for the management and operation of the university’s transnational education partnerships.

Kerry joined DMU in 2009 and is a former DMU student having graduated with a first class honours degree in BA (Hons) Government, Management and Public Policy. 

T: 0116 207 8303
E: k.harrison@dmu.ac.uk

Holly Everley, Global Partnerships Officer

Holly Everley is a Global Partnerships Officer within the Global Partnership Unit at DMU. Helping to co-ordinating the university’s engagement with transnational education (TNE) and overseas recruitment partnerships, her key areas include franchise arrangements and progression agreements. 

Holly joined DMU in June 2020 and has previously been working with the Partnerships Team within Social Impact and Engagement here at DMU.

Holly graduated from York St John University where she studied BSc (Hons) Psychology. Holly is also a Lean Competency Systems (LCS) practitioner at Level 1b and is certified Carbon Literate by the Carbon Literacy Project. 

T: 0116 366 4700

E: holly.everley@dmu.ac.uk

Inderjit Mann, Global Partnerships Officer

Inderjit Mann is a Global Partnerships Officer within the Global Partnership Unit at DMU. Helping to co-ordinating the university’s engagement with transnational education (TNE) and overseas recruitment partnerships, her key areas include franchise arrangements and progression agreements. 

Inderjit Mann joined DMU in March 2022 and has over 25 years’ experience within the UK education sector.  She has held leadership positions in her previous roles at UK universities where she oversaw quality assurance compliance and management of the delivery of academic programmes in the UK and at international TNE partnerships in China, Hong Kong, Middle East, South Asia, Africa and the EU.

 Inderjit holds a BA (Hons) Business Management degree from Middlesex University London and a Masters in Management from Coventry University.

T: tba
E: inderjit.mann@dmu.ac.uk

Anna Rocha Silva, Global Partnerships Officer

Anna Rocha Silva is a Global Partnerships Officer within the Global Partnership Unit at DMU. The role involves co-ordinating the university’s engagement with Transnational Education (TNE) in different parts of the world and supporting ad hoc projects related to international collaboration. 

Anna has a vast experience in the HE sector including roles in Brazil and in the UK, where she has worked for the Warwick University and Coventry University before joining DMU in April 2021. She holds a first-class BA in Social Communication with a specialisation in Public Relations, and is studying towards an MSc in Intercultural Communication at the Warwick University.

Anna also holds a CIPD level 3 qualification in Human Resources, is a Lean Competency Systems (LCS) practitioner at Level 1b, and is a Fair Outcomes Champion for the Decolonising DMU Project a university-wide initiative to build an anti-racist university.

T: TBC

E: anna.rochasilva@dmu.ac.uk

Duncan Hepworth, Partnerships Development Manager

Duncan Hepworth works as Partnership Development Manager within the Global Partnership Unit and is responsible for identifying and developing new Transnational Education Partnerships. Duncan’s geographic area includes Africa, South East and East Asia and the Americas.

Duncan has over 20 years’ experience within the education sector both in the UK and overseas and has been with DMU since December 2017.

Before working at DMU, Duncan has worked in international higher and secondary education recruitment with education institutions and recruitment agents around the world for over five years.

T: 0116 207 8633
E: duncan.hepworth@dmu.ac.uk

Paul Overton, Partnerships Development Manager

Paul Overton is a Partnerships Development Manager in the Global Partnerships Unit (GPU) and is responsible for identifying and developing new Transnational Education Partnerships.

In his roles at DMU, Paul has worked closely with international partners, such as Oxford International Education Group and DMU China, completing several tours of China, West Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. In May 2020, Paul was a key-note speaker at a UKVI Home Office conference representing not just the position of DMU in the sector but also the wider network of post-1992 universities.

Paul is a graduate from Lancaster University where he studied Philosophy and International Politics.

T: 0116 207 8357
E: poverton@dmu.ac.uk 

Aamena Meidell, Senior Partnerships Officer      

Aamena Meidell is Senior Partnerships Officer within the Global Partnership Unit at DMU. She has responsibility for supporting the management and development of the University’s Transnational Education (TNE) partnerships and developing TNE student mobility.

Aamena joined DMU in September 2019 and previously worked in the Global Mobility Office, overseeing incoming and outgoing student exchange. Committed to diversity, equality and inclusion, Aamena has expertise in embedding this into the mobility sector and has presented on this topic both nationally and internationally. She also has experience of working and teaching in the public sector.

Aamena graduated from the University of Leicester with a first-class honours degree in BA European Studies with a distinction in spoken Spanish. She is certified Carbon Literate by the Carbon Literacy Project and has a Certificate in Intercultural Training for Developing Intercultural Training Skills.

T: +44 (0) 116 207 8407
E: aamena.meidell@dmu.ac.uk

Abeda Sheikh, International Administrator

Abeda Sheikh is our International Administrator within the Global Partnership Unit at DMU.

She provides support to the university’s International Strategy and Engagement with Overseas Academic Partnerships.

Abeda has over 20 years’ experience within Business and Administration, and a Level 4 Diploma in the same subject area.

Before joining DMU in June 2023, Abeda worked at Voluntary Action LeicesterShire (VAL)

T: 0116 257 7599
E: abeda.sheikh@dmu.ac.uk