The UK’s international education industry has been mourning the passing of Charlene Allen, an inspirational woman who was the first female chair of BUILA and later set up The IC Global Partnership and grew The IC Café community.
Allen’s passing due to breast cancer has shocked many in the sector and social media has been full of former colleagues and peers remembering her passion for the industry and her sense of mission and fun.
Allen dedicated her whole professional career to internationalisation and global engagement within higher education, something she was completely focused on and passionate about, touching many hearts and making many friends who today are suffering the loss of someone who contributed to creating and shaping a strong and supportive professional network of colleagues.
Allen’s love for and commitment to internationalisation kept her focused and motivated through a prolonged illness that only a few knew about.
Starting her career as international marketing manager at the University of Portsmouth, Allen moved to the University of Southampton, where she was country development manager.
She was promoted to international deputy director at the University of Reading and returned to the University of Southampton as head of international recruitment and in 2016 became director of student recruitment and international relations.
But it was her role as Chair of BUILA from 2013 to 2019 that meant she was so widely known and respected.
As chair, she sat on several advisory boards in the sector including the British Council, UUKi and UKCISA, and worked with government departments. Allen was committed to giving a voice to the community of internationalisation professionals and to advance the profession, providing expertise, insight, development and networking opportunities.
Gary Davies, deputy vice chancellor at London Metropolitan University, commented, “Charlene re-invigorated BUILA to be a voice at the national level of debate on international education and provided leadership to the Director class where it hadn’t existed before.”
Charlene re-invigorated BUILA to be a voice at the national level of debate on international education and provided leadership to the Director class where it hadn’t existed before
Gary Davies, London Metropolitan University
He continued, “Her legacy is evident in the continued voice that BUILA gives on behalf of the sector to our government and others around the world. She will be so very much missed.”
Catriona McCarthy, director for global engagement at Ulster University described Allen as “a much respected colleague, friend and leader who played a pivotal role in re-shaping BUILA and laying the foundations for the proactive organisation it is today”.
“Charlene served as BUILA’s first female Chair, leading on a new Manifesto, forging what are now enduring sector partnerships and bringing a new model of professionalisation to our work,” she continued.
“We all owe a great deal to Charlene and will remember not only her professional accomplishments but her incredible personality and warmth.”
Following on from her role at BUILA, Allen, along with Sirin Myles, set up The IC Global Partnership Ltd and its IC Café, which became well-known to many as a consultancy and training company that helped connect the sector through regular webinars. As co-founder and director, Allen continued to collaborate with many universities and organisations within UK higher education throughout her illness.
“We miss Charlene dearly. Charlene did not do things half-heartedly, she would always give 120% of herself,” said Myles.
“She was resilient, robust and would never give up. She used to say that many years of travelling for international officer roles and working in different time zones helped her build her resilience, even through her battle in illness.
“She continued to work and would always be there, supporting and cheering us on at The IC; her legacy. She was wholeheartedly committed to making a positive impact in international education and truly cared for her international education community.”
Myles commented, “We know that Charlene touched many hearts throughout her personal and professional life. Therefore, we will be organising a celebration of life event for her online community around the world to pay their respects and remember her life with a smile. Details of the event will be shared in due course.”
Allen’s interest in global diversity of cultures, languages and people was sparked by her father’s work in the Navy. Working in higher education internationally took her to Japan, Korea, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and many other countries where she combined her natural skills for networking and leadership, first-hand experience of the international context and its complexity, as well as a background in marketing.
Committed to empower women in leadership roles, Allen was recognised as one of EducationInvestor’s “Women to Watch” in 2022, a list that features women empowering, inspiring and supporting others in the global education sector.
Allen’s generosity through her voluntary roles, mentoring of junior colleagues and the IC Global Cafés, and her dream of advancing the profession, will continue in everyone’s memories as her company, The IC Global Partnership, continues to make her vision possible.
Friends and colleagues can share their memories, thoughts and photos of Charlene Allen as well as make a donation to her chosen charities on charleneallen.muchloved.com
