IAS Adjudication Board

Alexandre Argenta is the CEO and founder of Travelmate Intercâmbio Franchising, one of the leading international education agency networks in Brazil. He is also the founder of Classmate Language School, a private English institute for children and teenagers, where he currently lives in Curitiba, in the south of Brazil. His entrepreneurial career also includes product import and export projects with Europe, Asia and North America. Over 40,000 students and professionals have travelled abroad through his company. Alexandre is a former international high school student in the USA and has an academic background in International Business from UFPR (Universidade Federal do Parana) and MBAs in Business Management and Marketing from FGV (Fundação Getulio Vargas) and International Trade and Law from UNIVALI, all in Brazil.

Alexandre is the President of BELTA (Brazilian Education and Language Travel Association, with over 50 member agencies all over Brazil), initially for a first term from 2021-2024 and re-elected for a second term from 2024-2027.

Andrew Mangion is Executive Chairman & CEO and a major shareholder of the EC Group. He acquired equity in the fledgling company in 1997 and grew the organization into one of the leading international players. Andrew was CEO of EC from 1997 until 2009 and moved into the Executive Chairman role from 2009 until 2019.  He took over the CEO role once again in 2019. Prior to joining EC he worked for an international trading company with offices in Russia, India, Dubai, the Baltics and Malta, running their Indian and later Baltic operations.

He graduated from Luther College (USA) in 1992 having double majored in Business Management and French. He is also a graduate of the OPM programme at Harvard Business School. Andrew is a director of Chiswick House School and St Martins College, two of the leading K-12 Schools in Malta and served on the board of the Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations in Malta (FELTOM) both as a board member as well as serving two years as President of the Board. Andrew was also a member of the board of the Association of Language Travel Organisations (ALTO) between 2010 and 2015.

In 2005 he championed the startup of the first YPO Chapter in Malta and was Chapter Chair between 2005 and 2008. He also served as a member of the YPO European Board.

Bobby was appointed at the University in April 2017 to lead on the strategic direction and management of the University’s Global Office. This includes global marketing and recruitment, international student support, student mobility, partnership and global business development.

Bobby has worked in higher education since August 1999 when he began working in the Access and Admission Department at the University of Luton (now University of Bedfordshire). He moved to the International Office at Luton in December 2000 and remained there until August 2002 when he moved to Wales as an International Recruitment Officer at the University of Glamorgan, now the University of South Wales. He held a number of positions including Deputy Head of International Recruitment, Head of International & Business Development in the Faculty of Business and Society, Acting Director of the International Office, Head of Student Recruitment and Head of Enquiries & Admissions.

Chris Broadhurst is the Global Director of Recruitment Director for Nord Anglia Education’s European boarding schools.  He has over 20 years of experience in international education recruitment. He is a dedicated and passionate advocate of the K-12 sector and the international agent community. 

Chris has previously held senior management positions at Bell Educational Trust, Cambridge Education Group, Astrum Education and Oxford International Education Group. He has a tremendous track record for delivering growth in the quantity and quality of students for K-12 schools. 

Throughout his career, Chris has partnered with agents and fully appreciates the significance of their contribution to the success of the international boarding school sector. The professionalism and integrity of agent partners has enabled the Nord Anglia family of schools to welcome thousands of students who have achieved exceptional outcomes and progressed onto world leading universities. Agent collaborations support Nord Anglia’s vision of shaping a generation of creative and resilient global citizens that will change the world for the better.

Eddie serves as California State University Fresno’s Senior International Officer. In this role he oversees international student outreach, admissions and support, and the development of Fresno State’s forthcoming international strategic plan.

Previously Eddie served as Assistant Dean at San Diego State University Global Campus, and Berkeley Extension. He’s also led international programs and initiatives at the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), and the Ohlone Community College District. Eddie is co-editor of Student Recruitment Agencies in International Higher Education: A Multi-Stakeholder Perspective on Challenges and Best Practices, published last year as part of Routledge’s Internationalization in Higher Education series.

Gabriela Ardito is Founder & CEO at VCE INTERNATIONAL (1993) and also the current president of ARSAA Argentine Study Abroad Association (2016).

Passionate about progress, development and constant evolution, Gabriela started up as a very young ESL tutor to become a university lecturer & researcher and then create her own Language Travel & HE consultancy business.

Gabriela holds a Bachelor’s in English Language (1999), a PhD in Modern Languages (2012), a Bachelor´s in Tourism & Hospitality (2022), and has been involved in International Education for three decades – not only through her work as an agent but also in the Higher Education sector as Head of the Student Mobility Department at Universidad del Salvador in Buenos Aires and – most recently – as member of the ISEP Study Abroad Council of Advisors. She has signed collaboration agreements with renowned international educators, is an ICEF trained agent; QE, IALC & English UK partner agent; ALTO member, and FELCA board member.

Mother of two teenage sons, Gabriela sometimes finds it hard to strike a balance between career and family life. However, that has not deterred her from engaging in diverse education industry collaborative projects and events with the aim of exploring new destinations for Latin-American students, working towards the growth of Argentina as a study abroad market and generating worldwide academic opportunities with the firm belief in international education as a transformative, life-changing means to foster understanding and promote cooperation among the peoples of all nations.

Marie is an international strategic recruitment specialist, with 20+ years experience working in 50+ countries with agents, government, and educational partners. She has worked in the university and college sectors, and has a strong interest in market development.

Marie has served on various education related boards and advisory groups (e.g EduNova, Skills Canada, Techsploration) – and has spoken at conferences promoting ‘Institutional Accountability in Agent Management’.  Marie has a Master’s Degree in Conflict Analysis & Management, and significant experience in mediation and effectively resolving conflict.  She looks forward to serving ICEF through membership on the IAS Adjudication Board.

Richard Obeng Assuming is the founder and CEO of AstoLinks International, an overseas education advisory firm in Ghana, West Africa. Over the past 13 years, Richard and his team have recruited over 10,000 students to study in countries such as Australia, UK, USA, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and other top study destinations in Europe and Asia. Prior to founding Astolinks, Richard worked as a science teacher in a secondary school in London, UK. To ensure that agents understand their role within the student recruitment sector, he has campaigned in Ghana for agents to work with ethical values and integrity, which led to the formation of the Ghana Association of Education Consultants (GAIEC), whose aim is to ensure that all agents are mobilised and given the necessary training and support to promote their businesses with integrity. Richard is the current President of this noble organisation.

Robert Parsonson brings over 30 years of experience in education and education export, both in Australia and internationally. He spent 4.5 years in Japan, initially working as a corporate trainer and developing programs for corporate clients and vocational colleges. Upon returning to Australia, he worked with ALC Press, Japan’s largest study-abroad publisher.

In 1995, Robert began his marketing career with a vocational and English school in Sydney, eventually becoming the Marketing Director of Aspect Sydney (now KAPLAN), a multinational education provider, and NextEd, an ASX-listed education provider.

In 2003, he founded Education Export Services (EDEX), a consultancy supporting training organisations in Australia and abroad. EDEX specialises in developing international student markets and achieving recruitment targets. The company has partnered with numerous higher education and vocational education providers, state and federal government departments, and industry peak bodies like ITECA and English Australia.

Since 2017, EDEX has organized the Symposium on Leading Education Recruitment (SYMPLED), a forum that brings education agents, providers, government officials, and industry leaders together. In 2018, Robert and a group of education agents launched the International Student Education Agents Association (ISEAA), which serves as the voice of education agents in Australia.

In addition to currently being Vice President at Griffith University, Professor Todd has served on numerous boards and committees related to international education in New Zealand, Australia and globally. Current appointments include APAIE (Asia Pacific Association for International Education, of which she is immediate past president), IEAA (International Education Association of Australia), MSM’s global advisory board and Studyportals’ APAC advisory board. She is also on both Universities Australia’s and the Innovative Research Universities’ International Committees, Experience Gold Coast’s Education Advisory Committee, as well as Common Purpose’s Global Students’ Strategy Group and When in Culture’s advisory board.

William Herrera is the Executive Director for Grupo Estudiantes Embajadores. A distinguished serial entrepreneur, he has established companies spanning various sectors, including international education, travel, technology, human resources, corporate training, travel, insurance, healthcare, and investment funds. As Managing Partner of Grupo Estudiantes Embajadores, he has spearheaded consulting initiatives in international education and mobility, facilitating opportunities for over 25,000 students and professionals across more than 40 countries. With over 35 years of experience in multinational corporations, he serves as a mentor to emerging entrepreneurs, offering expertise in strategy, operations, and marketing.

An alumnus of ITESM, he graduated in 1994 with a degree in Electronic Systems Engineering and earned an MSc in Management from the London School of Economics in 2000. He has held key leadership positions, in different Chamber of Commerce and Associations, and was AMTE´s President from 2019-2024. He is currently the President of the Advisory Board for AMTE, the Mexican Association of Educational Travel, formed by some of the most important educational travel agencies, highly regarded schools, diplomatic missions and service providers in Mexico.