International Special Envoys

To support the ambitions of the University’s International Engagement and Impact Core Plan, which forms a key part of the University’s Strategy ‘Creating Better Futures. Together’, 11 International Special Envoys have been appointed.

Envoys will play a lead role in the delivery of University approaches related to student recruitment, academic partnerships, philanthropic development, EDI opportunities and sport-related partnerships.

Two Envoys have been allocated to the following six key regions, each of which has a supporting Regional Strategy Group:

  • South Asia (India)
  • Sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and South Africa)
  • North America (USA and Canada)
  • South-East Asia (Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia)
  • East Asia (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan)
  • Middle East/ North Africa (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and Turkey)

The Envoys, who are appointed on a two-year basis, report to the Director Global Engagement and will work closely with the Vice-Chancellor and the Global Engagement team to advance the University’s international strategies by building relationships with key stakeholders in their assigned region based on their expertise and experience.

South Asia (India)

Professor of Advanced Materials and Processing, Chair of School Industrial Placement (DIS) Committee

Kirti Ruikar

Dr Kirti Ruikar

2022 - 2024

Senior Lecturer, AEDM Programme Director

Regional Strategy Group (South Asia) Secretariat: Will Burns

Middle East & North Africa (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, and Turkey)

Ali Bilgic

Dr Ali Bilgic

2023 - 2025

Reader in International Relations and Security

Professor of Construction Informatics

Regional Strategy Group (Middle East and North Africa) Secretariat: Amr Fahhad

Sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and South Africa)

RAEng Engineering for Development Research Fellow, Senior Lecturer in Water and Environmental Engineering

Lecturer in Nutrition

Regional Strategy Group (Sub-Saharan Africa) Secretariat: Katy Friend

North America (USA and Canada)

Professor in Photovoltaics

Regional Strategy Group (North America) Secretariat: Charlotte Davison

South-East Asia (Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, and Indonesia)

Mey Goh

Dr Mey Goh

2023 - 2025

Reader in Transdisciplinary Digital Manufacturing

Professor of Psychology

Regional Strategy Group (South-East Asia) Secretariat: Katy Friend

East Asia (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan)

Professor of Disaster Studies

Professor of Chemical Engineering

Regional Strategy Group (East Asia) Secretariat: Lu Bai