Dr Katie Bell has been appointed to the role of Chief Marketing Officer at UCAS.
Posted Thu 7 January 2021 - 08:00

Katie has an impressive track record in marketing and a passion for education, apprenticeships, and technical education. Katie joins UCAS from Middlesex University, where she was Chief Operating Officer, and builds upon 20 years of senior leadership roles in marketing, including with well-known companies such as Nestle and GlaxoSmithKline.

Katie is a Trustee for the Saracens Multi Academy Schools Trust, a Council member of the CBI, and is on the Skills & Employment Steering Group for the Mayor of London’s Skills for Londoners Taskforce.  

In her post as Chief Commercial Officer at Middlesex University over the past 12 years, Katie led on a whole university rebrand, the launch of a new website, the development of new digital admissions operations, and the introduction of higher and degree apprenticeships, as well as leading global teams in building reputation and growth, nationally and internationally.

As Chief Marketing Officer at UCAS, Katie will lead teams delivering and transforming our events, media sales, consultancy and insights services, business development and marketing, PR and content. She will work with the UCAS Executive, Board, customers, and stakeholders to deliver UCAS’ Discover Your Future strategy.

Clare Marchant, UCAS Chief Executive, said:

‘I am delighted to welcome Katie to UCAS, following a highly competitive recruitment process. Katie will drive forward our ambitious plans to deliver products and services that add value to all of our UCAS and UCAS Media customers.

‘UCAS is evolving from an organisation that has been focused solely on progressing students to three-year undergraduate degrees, to being the destination in the UK for providing advice, guidance, and support to students to help them make the right choice for them. Katie and her team will work with a broad range of partners to ensure UCAS can connect students to all of the choices available to them, ranging from degrees at our world-class universities, higher and degree apprenticeships, and increasingly more technical and vocational routes.’

Katie said:

‘From my experience of working with UCAS during my time at Middlesex, I know firsthand what an amazing organisation and team I am joining and how important UCAS is to the higher education sector as the UK’s shared admissions service.

‘My role spans both the charitable and commercial arms of UCAS, and my focus will be ensuring that we grow our commercial services to ensure we generate the funds to support the work UCAS does to inspire and empower people to make aspirational choices.

‘I see the important contribution UCAS can make to the post-COVID economic recovery. We have already seen an increase in mature students entering HE and there is likely to be a sharp upsurge in people looking to upskill and reskill. UCAS is well placed to help people navigate all of their options. I am very excited to be joining UCAS at this time.’

Katie joins UCAS in February.

Ends


UCAS Press Office

01242 545 469

[email protected]

@ucas_corporate

Notes for editors

UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, is an independent charity, and the UK's shared admissions service for higher education. We manage almost three million applications, from around 700,000 people each year, for full-time undergraduate courses at over 380 universities and colleges across the UK.

Related news