St Mary’s Appoints New Director of International Engagement, Student Recruitment and Admissions

St Mary’s University, Twickenham, (SMU) has appointed Kristen Pilbrow as its new Director of International Engagement, Student Recruitment and Admissions.

Kristen, who first joined St Mary’s in 2015, has 25 years’ experience working in higher education, having worked at five universities in the UK and US, including Imperial College London and Roehampton University.

St Mary’s Vice-Chancellor, Anthony McClaran said, “I would like to congratulate Kristen on her new appointment. She brings a breadth of experience, both from St Mary’s and other institutions, that I am sure will see her achieve great things with her directorate. I look forward to supporting the initiatives Kristen brings forward to drive our plans for growth and the development of new partnerships around the world.”

Kristen completed her undergraduate and postgraduate studies the University of Minnesota, spending two terms studying abroad at the University of Essex. She has worked in a range of roles in HE, including lecturing in Humanities, student academic and pastoral support, scholarship scheme management, estates, and research.

Kristen began specialising in study abroad and international student recruitment from 2007 and joined SMU in October 2015 as the International Student Experience Manager, later becoming Head of International in August 2021. At SMU she has served on a number of committees, including the Board of Governors from 2017-2020 and the Race Equality Charter Self-Assessment Team

Speaking of her appointment Kristen said, “I’m very happy to be working with a wonderful team at such an exciting time for St Mary’s. The University community has so much to offer students, whether they come from the local area or thousands of miles away. It’s a privilege to lead on initiatives enabling our aspirations for growth.”

St Mary’s Provost and Chief Academic Officer Prof Symeon Dagkas said, “I am delighted that we have appointed Kristen to this important role. We had a strong field of candidates apply for the role and I am confident that Kristen has the skills and experience to lead the department moving forward. The University has ambitious plans to grow our international partnerships and develop new programmes, I look forward to seeing how this develops under Kristen’s leadership.”