Introduce yourself in three words or phrases.
- Always out in the field: listening to what people would like
- Innovative: how can EasyTransfer improve?
- Problem-solver: especially for our students and universities.
What do you like most about your job?
As a former international student myself, I love being able to make an impact on students’ international education journeys. At EasyTransfer, we are helping everyone “pay like a local”, and the positive experiences and comments we receive make it incredibly rewarding.
Every day, we’re simplifying something that can otherwise be very expensive, complex and stressful for students and families. And as proof of that, we were so proud and thrilled to have received the PIEoneer of the year award this year!
Best work trip/worst work trip?
Best: I’d say attending British Council East Asia Education Week in Hong Kong where I was able to combine meeting many passionate people focused on providing a high-quality student experience with leading innovators in the financial technology sector. These two aspects came together strongly during this trip and provided more impetus to our objectives of improvement of the user experience and bringing payment choice to students and their families.
Worst: Work trips of any description are always full of challenges, glitches and changes. I think that sometimes if we successfully deal with them, we don’t really focus on these ‘challenges’ or indeed celebrate the fact that we overcame them. Where we don’t manage to do this, we might go on to describe the trip as bad. So perhaps instead of saying a bad trip it might be better to say a less good one. Besides, should I be delayed somewhere, working in an international service provider, there is always somebody in EasyTransfer to speak with!
If you could learn a language instantly, which would you pick and why?
Working across borders with many nationalities with their own languages and cultures, I would very much like to speak the language of understanding. This is very important to me and the team as we are focused on improvements and innovation, and this involves real engagement and collaboration.
What makes you get up in the morning?
The opportunity to help shape the future of a borderless and seamless global education experience for students and universities around the world. Every day presents new challenges, new ideas, a chance to innovate and improve how students access education around the world, and that’s a big motivator for me.
Champion/cheerleader we should all follow and why?
Sam Walton is an amazing entrepreneur whom I respect and learn from. And it’s not just about his legendary story building and scaling a global organisation like Walmart. I deeply resonate with his relentless focus on customers, the operational innovations, frugality, and building a culture of ownership among employees.
His hands-on approach, passion for learning from competitors, and unwavering belief in serving everyday people translates very much to what we are doing at EasyTransfer for our international students.
Best international education conference and why?
As I am the founder and chair, I have to say it is Providence Academy. Every year, we bring together 300+ young leaders who are current students and leaders of international student associations or groups on campus at universities around the world, including the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and so on.
Our summer and winter conferences are free of charge to these emerging global change-makers. We take them to visit Fortune 500 companies as well as invite experienced former international students – now Nobel Laureates, chief executives, founders and investors, to share their experiences and journey with our current students.
They are so young, full of energy and passion, and ready to do big things. I see students as really the ultimate fruit of cultivating the international education industry, without them there is no purpose in doing what we do everyday.
Worst conference food/beverage experience?
I have huge respect for everybody involved in organising conferences, particularly those attracting an international audience, where attendees may have a range of expectations and requirements.
Therefore, I would prefer to say that I have had a diverse set of experiences and that perhaps where, for example the coffee/tea/whatever, might not be the way I would have liked it, I concentrate upon the fact that I am there for the purpose of learning and engaging with people and ideas.
Book or podcast recommendation for others in the sector?
I would highly recommend following our latest podcast series, ETalks where we interview current international students from all around the world for their university experiences.
Describe a project or initiative you’re currently working on that excites you.
We’re constantly out on the market exploring new fintech innovations, products and partnerships that can help international students pay like a local, and not just in tuition payments but in all of their life abroad in a new environment.
We’re looking to set up more local teams in the various international student source markets to help support our university partners better serve the families there. It’s a challenging project, but it has the potential to further significantly transform the student payment experience.
