Introduction to leadership, strategy and policy

Marina Casals Sala

ISEP Study Abroad, Spain

Marina Casals is the Director of Member Relations for Europe and the UK at ISEP Study Abroad, a non-profit organisation with the mission to break down financial and academic barriers to make study abroad accessible for all. She has more than 25 years of experience in higher education internationalisation, spanning roles in Spain, Finland and Morocco.  

She has served as a member of the EAIE Leadership and as a Board member of CHEI. In her most recent position, she managed international strategy and operations as the Director of International Relations at Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona-Spain. Marina also created the SUCTI (Systemic University Change Towards Internationalisation) Project, an award-winning training course designed to empower university administrative staff on internationalisation.  

She holds a PhD in internationalisation of higher education from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Italy. She is a senior EAIE trainer and she trains and presents at conferences internationally. She has been recognised with the EAIE Rising Star Award and the SGroup IMPACT Award. Since 2024, Marina has been a member of the EAIE Thematic Committee Leadership, Strategy and Policy.

Twitter:

@MarinaCasalSala

LinkedIn:

https://linkedin.com/in/marinacasalssala/

Hans-Georg van Liempd

Tilburg University, the Netherlands

Hans-Georg has been the Secretary of the University at Tilburg University since February 2021. In this role, he has the  

responsibility in preparing and implementing decisions made by the Executive Board of the university, in constant consultation with the Deans, Schools and Divisions to optimally equip students and staff for their important work in research, education and society. He is also the Director of University Services, to foster, coordinate and safeguard integrated collaboration among the Service Divisions of the university. 

From 2010 to 2014, Hans-Georg served as Vice-President and then President of the EAIE. In the past, he served as Director of the International Office from 2006 until mid-2010, when he was elected as Vice President of the EAIE. During his Vice Presidency for the EAIE he worked as Senior Programme Manager at Tilburg on university-wide programmes such as Internationalising the Campus and Corporate Social Responsibility. He also served as senior EAIE Trainer for International Strategy Implementation. 

Furthermore, he is a member of the Management Board of the Centre for Higher Education Internationalisation at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, and member and chair of Supervisory Boards in the area of culture, health and education in the Netherlands. He is also an IAU Senior Fellow, and he received the 2023 EAIE Award for Outstanding Contribution in recognition of all his valuable contributions to the EAIE and the higher education sector.

Wessel Meijer

Tilburg University, the Netherlands

Wessel Meijer is currently the Senior Policy Advisor for Internationalisation at Leiden University, The Netherlands, responsible for strategic internationalisation issues.  He is an all-around international relations manager with 30 years of experience in the internationalisation of higher education, both as a manager and as a specialist.  

Recently, Wessel was Director of Strategy and Academic Affairs at Radboud University Nijmegen, responsible for the university’s strategic issues, institutional research and education policies. Before that, he led the International Office of the same university, which had 30 staff members responsible for European projects, scholarship programmes, international admissions and corporate partnerships. As Head of the international office of Fontys University of Applied Sciences, he managed a team of 15 staff at three locations. At Utrecht University, his responsibilities were the Erasmus programme and the development and implementation of the international marketing strategy.  

Wessel is involved in several other international project activities as a trainer, speaker and expert in assessing projects at the EACEA in Brussels and auditing international courses. 

Sabine Pendl

University of Graz, Austria

Sabine serves as the Director of the Office of International Relations at the University of Graz, where she oversees internationalisation initiatives, project management, and strategic collaborations. With over 30 years in the field of international higher education, Sabine has built a distinguished career in advancing global engagement and fostering cross-border partnerships. 

Sabine is a past President of the EAIE (2018–2020), during which she guided the organisation through key initiatives to enhance international education. She has extensive experience managing international projects and summer schools, training professionals in joint degree development, and authoring articles on benchmarking, teaching in English, and international office management. 

Sabine currently serves her third term as President of the Utrecht Network and works as an auditor for internationalisation projects with the German Rectors’ Conference. Her career reflects a lifelong dedication to promoting innovation and collaboration in international education.