The Brand Education Podcast
The Brand Education 22 episodes Sep 27, 2026
The Brand Education Podcast explores branding in higher education. It aims to break down barriers to brand in the sector and features expert guests discussing trends, insights, and big ideas. The series is designed to inspire change and share practical perspectives for higher education professionals.
Episodes
The trust deficit: what went wrong with America's universities
In this new series of The Brand Education Podcast, Zeenat Fayaz is joined by five-time university president Gordon Gee and returning guest David Rosowsky, Senior Advisor to the President at Arizona State University, to examine why confidence in higher education has collapsed over the past few decades. From a damning Congressional hearing to institutions that have lost touch with the very communiti
Building cultural bridges in HE branding with Alanood Aldhaher
From growing up in Houston to leading communications at American University of Sharjah, Alanood Aldhaher shares how AUS has turned cultural authenticity into competitive advantage. Drawing from her experience at global PR agencies and UAE government institutions, she discusses breaking down silos between academia and industry, building research credibility, and creating an ecosystem that attracts
Working for Ideas with Kevin Lynch
Meet Kevin Lynch, the creative mind who believes the best marketing doesn't feel like marketing. In this episode, he shares why authenticity trumps awards, how creative freedom transformed campaigns from Chicago's Art Institute to Oatly, and why breaking conventional rules leads to deeper audience connections.
From placing mysterious red cubes around Chicago to founding The Wrong Agency, Kevin cha
Uncompromising collaboration: a disruptive force for global and local brand impact with Rachel Sandison
In this episode, we dive into a ground breaking approach to collaborative brand management with Rachel
Sandison, Vice Principal and Deputy Vice Chancellor for External Engagement at the University of Glasgow.
Discover how Rachel is pushing boundaries to embed
marketing at the heart of strategic decision-making and turn collaboration into a disruptive force for both global and local impact.
Rachel
Beyond the degree: Metaskills that will fuel 21st century success with Marty Neumeier
In our latest episode, we explore 'Metaskills', the thought-provoking book by Marty Neumeier, a visionary thinker, brand expert, and best selling author of 'THE BRAND GAP'.
As we grapple with complex, interconnected challenges of the 21st century, Marty reveals our problem-solving approach is outdated. He introduces five crucial metaskills - feeling, seeing, dreaming, making, and
How MIT builds an authentic online community of over 6 million
The former award-winning journalist turned Social Media Director at MIT, Jenny Li Fowler, spoke to us about how she cultivates an online community of over 6 million…and counting.
In this episode, we explore what building an iconic higher education brand, like MIT, takes, and how Jenny and her team engages with such a large audience. Jenny highlighted the importance of not only speaking, but liste
Paul LeBlanc - Universities say they prioritise students but they really don’t
Paul LeBlanc is best known for his 21 years as President of Southern New Hampshire University. However, he recently made the decision to step down and focus on a new venture - Human Systems.
We spoke about everything from AI in education, to how universities can reimagine their future and become relevant in this ever-changing environment. Paul was honest in his predictions for the sector, and ho
EP15. Challenging Our Assumptions for Greater Innovation with Francisco Marmolejo
Francisco Marmolejo is a visionary leader and President of Higher Education at Qatar Foundation (QF), overseeing coordination and support for eight prestigious universities within a unique ecosystem. With a background in education management and specialisation in International Higher Education, he brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the sector.
In this enlightening episode, Zeenat delves
EP14. How to Drive Student Recruitment by Building a High-Performing Team with Isobelle Panton
Isobelle Panton is the Director of student recruitment and international at University Academy 92. She had a successful commercial career working across digital organisations scaling up sales and recruitment teams. She is a keen equality, diversity and inclusion champion, and has made a deliberate move into Higher Education in a bid to couple her commercial skillset with her passion for helping pe
EP13. Keys To Living Your University Brand Promise With Bill Faust
Bill Faust is the managing partner and Chief Strategy Officer of Ologie, a national branding and marketing agency based in Ohio, United States. Bill's primary role is to help make brands more clear, compelling, and consistent through market research, brand strategy and integrated marketing.
Join us as Zeenat chats with Bill to discuss the stepping stones to connecting with customers. Honesty
EP12. Building a Purposeful Brand With a Distinct Sense of Authority
Mark currently leads the Strategic Communications and Marketing at The Alan Turing Institute, where he also plays a crucial role in building the Institute's brand and reputation across the globe. Mark works closely with university partners and influential connections in industry, academia, research, and government highlighting the Institute’s research impact. Mark is also a key member of the I
EP11. Harnessing the power of an established 500-year heritage brand
Tamira Hamden is a Level C-certified brand strategist, currently Head of Brand and Digital Communications at Oxford University Press. Tamira has a background in community, content and digital marketing.
In this episode, Zeenat sits down with Tamira to discuss how heritage brands can harness the power of an established brand in order to find a place in the 'new world'.
EP10. The role strategy plays in brand and marketing at Durham University
John Pritchard, Chair of Russell Group Directors of Strategy and Planning, Director at Durham University, and Board Trustee for Groundwork.
Lucian Hudson, Director, Advancement, Marketing & Communications at Durham University.
In this episode, Zeenat sits down with John and Lucian to discuss the role strategy plays in brand & marketing at Durham University.
EP9. Online learning, brand and innovation with Dr Nick Mount
Dr Nick Mount, Academic Director of University of Nottingham Online. Nick is leading the design, development, and delivery of learning in the University's multi-million-pound online education investment.
UONO is taking a radical approach by framing all learning, from the point of learning design, within a competency framework so that students can directly map the competencies to the needs of emplo
EP8. Creating powerful brand campaigns that deliver meaningful impact
Johanna Lowe is Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at the University of Sydney and is well-versed in building brands that stretch beyond advertising. With a background in the corporate world, her experience in HE over the past 9 years has seen her deliver groundbreaking and effective campaigns that continually build upon a united, master brand strategy for the institution.
In this episode,
EP7. How inclusive feedback approaches can contribute to focussed brand strategies
Martyn Edwards is current Director of Marketing and Advancement at Loughborough University. Starting out in international student recruitment, he has worked across various marketing leadership roles, and holds other external advisory and committee positions. Martyn’s restless yet captivating energy makes him a marketing leader that can keep spinning many plates at once, while strategically managin
EP6. The importance and strength of distinctiveness in HE
Paul Baines is Professor of Political Marketing and the Deputy Dean for Strategic Projects at the University of Leicester. He is also a councillor for Charnwood Borough Council, lending local insight to a career that has seen him work in higher education institutions around the world. Paul’s interests lie in commercial income generation, and his viewpoints on institutional branding, stakeholder aw
EP5. Leadership with Emma Leech
Emma Leech is a strong performance and driven leader with an ability to build sustainable and high-performing teams. She has won a string of awards over more than two decades spanning PR, marketing, innovation, fundraising, digital, and web.
Currently, Emma is Director of Marketing and Communications at Nottingham Trent University where she oversees a team of circa 200 people. She is also a&n
EP4. Launching an award winning brand platform that transcends time
Ethan Braden serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Purdue University, reporting to President Mitch Daniels, the former two-term Governor of Indiana. Ethan and his team have developed a brand approach that has been recognised through a plethora of awards including American Marketing Association’s 2020 Marketer of the Year, Higher Education Team of the
EP3. Turning brand challengers into brand champions
Jane Chafer is director of marketing, recruitment and global at University of Exeter, following senior communication and marketing roles at both Sheffield and Plymouth Universities. A Chartered Marketer and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, in 2019, selected by the CASE Board of Trustees, Jane became a member of the CASE Commission on Communications and Marketing.
In this episo
EP2. Thinking beyond ‘business as usual’ to build your higher education brand
David Rosowsky is a 30-year veteran of higher ed, with 15 years of academic leadership experience, he is both passionate about and deeply committed to promoting the power and potential of public universities. Currently David is the Vice President for Research (VPR) at Kansas State University, the nation's first operational land-grant university.
In this episode David shares how he gained the trust
EP1. No university is an ivory tower: overcoming societal issues impacting higher education
Professor Guy Littlefair is an executive university leader. He has an exceptional 30+ year record in industry, research and academia. Currently Guy is Pro Vice-Chancellor International and Dean of the Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies at AUT in Auckland.
In this episode, Zeenat interviews Guy who discusses how he is overcoming common problems facing universities and the measures he
