The member‑elected body guiding our future
Comprising 15 members and chaired by the President of the Board, the General Council provides essential oversight that supports the EAIE’s mission, values and long‑term sustainability. It focuses on the big‑picture direction of the Association, with responsibility for the overall vision, annual budget and financial accounts. The General Council appoints the members of the Board and holds the Board accountable, ensuring that the EAIE remains transparent, responsible and aligned with the needs of its community.
Why volunteer?
Champion member interests
Help guide the Association’s strategy and direction, contributing directly to its goals and mission.
Advance the sector
Create a lasting impact and champion international education, making a significant contribution to the wider field.
Enjoy additional volunteer perks
Benefit from reduced Annual Conference fees and form a supportive network of colleagues who often grow into lasting friendships.
Meet the General Council
Elected every three years through a member ballot, the General Council represents the collective voice of the EAIE membership, safeguarding the organisation’s integrity and future. The next call for General Council nominations will take place in 2027.
Adriana Perez Encinas
Adriana Perez Encinas completed her MBA and PhD on strategies for welcoming international students, with a special focus on services provided and volunteer associations. She is lecturer and researcher on business organisations and internationalisation of higher education. Adriana was formerly head of the International Relations Office in the Faculty of Business and Economics at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) in Spain, and is currently an evaluator for Spain’s Erasmus+ national agency. Since 2005 she has volunteered for the Erasmus Student Network, serving as a national representative, president of the UAM chapter, project coordinator and researcher.
She has been involved in different roles within the EAIE, including winning the EAIE Rising Star Award in 2017, and is currently a member of the EAIE General Council.
Alfonso Díaz Segura
Alfonso Díaz Segura is Corporate Director for Business Operations, Marketing and Internationalisation at the Fundación Universitaria San Pablo CEU, Spain. Before that, he was Vice Chancellor for Internationalisation at the University CEU Cardenal Herrera in Spain. He was responsible for international policies at the University and has implemented the Global Classroom, a framework of initiatives that allow students to acquire soft skills in internationalisation, regardless of where they come from and which degree they are studying. Therefore, the international experience permeates all the layers of the institution, from teachers to staff, focusing on the students. Alfonso studied Architecture and has a PhD in Architectural Projects, combining professional and academic activities for years. He also has an MBA.
Since 2024, Alfonso has been a member of the EAIE General Council.
Anna Grönlund
Anna Grönlund is the Head of Higher Education Policy at the Division of Policy & Strategic Planning at the University of Jyväskylä (JYU), Finland. She serves as a policy adviser to the university leadership in strategic planning, development and management of higher education and research, with a special focus on internationalisation and societal interaction and impact. As the previous Head of Internationalisation at JYU and with her strong professional background in international communications and marketing, she continues to contribute to the development of the university’s internationalisation through several projects related to quality assurance, education and research evaluation, international university rankings, international student recruitment, global responsibility and sustainable development in higher education. Anna holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Communications and Public Relations from the University of Jyväskylä, Finland and also serves as the Chair of the Universities Finland UNIFI’s Strategic Advisory Group for Internationalization.
Anna was part of the EAIE Board from 2020 to 2024 and is currently a member of the EAIE General Council.
Caspar de Bok
Caspar de Bok is Head of International Affairs at the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance of Utrecht University, the Netherlands. His main tasks are strategic advice and policy concerning internationalisation (in education, research, support and international relations management) and implementing the Faculty Work Programme for Internationalisation. He is Chair of the Internationalisation team and Coordinator for the Diversity Programme at the Faculty. Caspar oversees and coordinates various internationalisation initiatives and advises the Board of the Faculty on strategies to improve its internationalisation ambition in its broader sense, both internally and externally. He worked for 10 years as a Senior Policy Adviser, Internationalisation at Utrecht University Corporate Offices in the Netherlands. Caspar has a great deal of experience in international networking in higher education at various levels, including as Utrecht University’s Senior Officer in The League of European Research Universities (LERU), as Secretariat of Utrecht Network and as a Coordinator of various EC-funded projects. He holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Biology from Utrecht University, the Netherlands.
Since 2024, Caspar has been a member of the EAIE General Council.
Celine Nygaard
Celine is an International Adviser at the University of Stavanger (UIS) in Norway and is in charge of implementing internationalisation across all departments of the Faculty of Social Science. She handles all international agreements at the faculty level and supports the academic staff in applying for and managing international programmes, projects and funding. Celine is also currently Norway’s representative in the Nordlys university network. Prior to her current position, Celine was an international coordinator at the Faculty of Arts and Education, where she was in charge of all mobility and international activities of the faculty. Celine holds a Master’s degree in Comparative Religion from the University of Tromsø – the Arctic University of Norway. Her formal education includes several study periods abroad and internships at the Norway Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Armed Forces.
Since 2024, Celine is a member of the EAIE General Council.
Claire O'Leary
Claire is the Academic Registrar at the Academy of Contemporary Music in the UK. She is a specialist in international student support, intercultural learning and international partnerships. She has worked at a number of leading UK universities and smaller specialist providers. Claire has a wealth of experience in international HE, specialising in internationalisation of the student lifecycle, embedding intercultural learning, visa and immigration management, and academic and commercial partnership development.
Since 2024, Claire has been a member of the EAIE General Council.
Dyane Koreman
Dyane Koreman is an international higher education professional with over 20 years of experience in different managerial positions, responsible for strategic policy development, international relations, international program management, curriculum development, student and staff mobility, admissions and marketing and recruitment. Dyane is currently a strategic Program Director at Fontys University, the Netherlands. She is always on top of innovative impactful growth, such as the current development of a European University, and a Center of Expertise for an Inclusive Society. Additionally, she is the Project Director of a cross-sectoral multi-stakeholder master for life long learning. She has a passion for coaching, training and team building, and she has been a lead trainer for workshops at many international conferences. She graduated from Tilburg University with a Master’s degree in Social Sciences and completed different international (leadership) programmes in Australia, Argentina, Denmark, the UK and the USA.
Dyane has been involved in the EAIE since 2015 as a session evaluator, mentor, associate and conference speaker. Since 2024, Dyane has been a member of the EAIE General Council.
Herwig Dämon
Herwig is Public Affairs and Communication Manager at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. In this role, he focuses on safeguarding and enhancing the university's reputation among its many stakeholders in a rapidly changing environment. Prior to this he was Head of Communications at the University of Liechtenstein, Principality of Liechtenstein. He holds a Master’s degree in German Philology, Psychology and Communications and a degree in Public Relations from the University of Vienna, Austria. Before joining the University of Liechtenstein in 2011, Herwig held positions as Head of Communications at an international medical foundation in Davos. He also worked as Chief Communications Officer at a globally active Swiss industrial company. In the higher education field, he has been advocating an experience-centred communications and marketing strategy with a focus on brand ambassadors. Herwig was a session speaker and workshop facilitator at multiple EAIE Conferences, and since 2024, he has been a member of the EAIE General Council.
- X:
- @herwigdaemon
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/herwigdaemon/
Jeroen Ouburg
Jeroen Ouburg is the Senior Advisor International at the Department for Corporate Strategy & Accounts at Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands. His focus area is in international institutes to institute relations in the domain of education and building relationships between our university and funding organizations. In this capacity, he advises the rector and the deans on developing the Euroleague of Life Sciences Network and the European BioEconomy University Alliance. He is a member of the Internationalisation platform of the Association of Universities of the Netherlands. Besides these, he is a board member of the Platform for International Education (PIE) and a member of different national advisory bodies relating to education and or collaboration with the global south.
He has been involved in the EAIE since 2013 in different roles and is currently a member of the EAIE General Council.
Michael Rosier
Michael works as Professor and Director of International Education at University of Hertfordshire in southeast England and was formerly Associate Dean (International and Accreditation) at Hertfordshire Business School.
He has worked in international education for over 20 years, both nationally and internationally, and has substantial experience particularly in internationalisation, student mobility, partnership development and international business school accreditation. He is currently Chair of the Association of UK HE International Professionals (HEURO Global) and sits on the international academic advisory board of a Dutch business school. He also undertakes business school accreditation advisory work and has with schools in the UK, France, Italy and the Netherlands. He has previously held posts in undergraduate programme management at Hertfordshire and in Norway and was a visiting lecturer in France. He has also served on the UK Chartered Association of Business Schools International Committee.
Michael served as a member of the EAIE Board for two terms (2018-2022) and since 2022, he has been a member of the EAIE General Council.
Michelle Stewart
Michelle Stewart is Director Internationalisation (Humanities & Social Sciences) at the University of Strathclyde. She has worked in higher education for over twenty years. After graduating in Public Administration she worked for four years in Spain where she developed executive education courses. When she returned to Scotland she was an adviser to the Lord Provost, Glasgow City Council. Having worked in internationalisation for several years, Michelle has a strong commitment to partnership development and student mobility. At the University of Strathclyde she established many overseas links including the Mexico UK Study Abroad Consortium in partnership with a number of UK universities. Michelle has served on external boards including: Operating Board Education UK Partnership; Chair, Scottish Universities International Group (SUIG); Chair, BUTEX (British Universities Transatlantic Exchange Association). She has an extensive network of colleagues across the UK and overseas.
From 2020 to 2022, Michelle served as EAIE President, and since 2022 she has been a member of the EAIE General Council.
Nidhi Piplani Kapur
Nidhi Piplani Kapur is pursuing her PhD in Internationalisation at Home in Irish Higher Education Institutions at the South East Technological University, Ireland (Waterford Campus). She is the recipient of the prestigious Irish Research Council scholarship for her PhD project, which investigates how Irish HEIs can embed internationalisation into their curricula through Internationalisation at Home .Additionally, Nidhi is the Head of the Symbiosis Centre for European Studies (SCES) at Symbiosis International University (SIU) in India, where she leads the university’s international engagements and projects with its European partners.
Nidhi has over 13 years of experience in the international higher education sector, during which she has been an active volunteer with the EAIE for a decade. Starting in September 2024, she will begin a new term on the General Council of the EAIE, after having served two terms in the past.
René Teunissen
Rene Teunissen is a Senior Advisor of International Education and Acquisition at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Rene holds a Master's degree in Human Movement Science, an International Project Management Association C/D Project Management certification, and a Bachelor's degree in Educational Dance Teaching and Theatre, and in Social Work. He works on strategic policy development, creating an international and intercultural context and internationalisation at home.
Through partnerships and collaborating with other institutional and (inter)national departments and networks, he focuses on bringing together people to share, connect and gain awareness. Creating options for others, staff and students, to gain life experiences that allow them to become globally competent citizens understanding and enjoying diversity and intercultural awareness.
René has been involved in different roles within the EAIE and since 2022, he has been a member of the EAIE General Council.
Robert Buttery
Robert is Head of International Relations at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz – FHNW). His academic background includes graduate work in Spanish area studies and applied linguistics, postgraduate work in European law, politics and economics, a postgraduate certificate in education, and various professional business and management diplomas. Robert’s work portfolio includes international issue monitoring for key operational and strategic decisions in internationalisation and their implementation.
Robert lectures in management and international studies at FHNW and attends all major higher education international conferences and events, giving presentations and workshops on student and faculty mobility, the use of social media and the study of destination marketing. In 2008, Robert successfully launched an intensive and ground-breaking programme for faculty from business schools. He was awarded the BCCIE Award for Outstanding Programme in 2013 and the CBIE Panorama Award for Outstanding International Education Program (Capacity Building) in 2014. Robert is an expert on programme innovation, curriculum internationalisation and mobility.
Since 2024, Robert has been a member of the EAIE General Council.
Sabine Sainte-Rose
Sabine Sainte-Rose is Associate Director for Promotion and Internationalisation in the International and External Affairs of the Université Grenoble Alpes, France. She has worked in five different countries, being in leadership positions in the French diplomacy and cultural network, developing extensive skills in management, academic policy, marketing, public relations and curriculum development. Since 2002, she has enjoyed managing diverse teams of international professionals. Since 2022, Sabine has been a member of the EAIE General Council.