British Council unveils global Alumni UK network at its Going Global Asia Pacific conference

Islamabad: The British Council Tuesday announced the official global launch of Alumni UK, a global network of international UK higher education alumni, at the opening reception of its Going Global Asia Pacific 2022 conference in Singapore.

The British Council is hosting the first regional edition of its flagship global higher education conference in Singapore while also commemorating 75 years of its presence in the city-state.

All international UK alumni who have spent at least one term studying at a UK higher education institution, including transnational education and online learning, are invited to join the global Alumni UK network where registration is free: https://alumniuk.britishcouncil.org/register.

By joining Alumni UK, individuals can grow their professional networks and connect with people living in every corner of the world who have studied at a UK university. In addition to building professional connections, the network aims to bring people together to collaborate on tackling global challenges. Being part of the free Alumni UK exclusive network also offers access to events and training hosted locally, regionally and globally. Alumni will regularly have opportunities to learn from senior leaders and industry experts. By being a part of the Alumni UK network, people can celebrate their mutual connection to the UK and also continue to improve their English language skills.

In the year ending June 2022, just under 23,500 students from Pakistan went to the UK to study. Pakistanis who have studied at UK universities have gone on to become leaders in their respective fields including in business, arts, academia, government, medicine, law and public policy.

The Alumni UK network was inaugurated by H.E. Kara Owen, British High Commissioner to Singapore, Maddalaine Ansell, Director of Education, British Council, and Lucy Watkins, Regional Director East Asia, British Council. The launch took place at Eden Hall, the official residence of the British High Commissioner to Singapore, and was attended by more than 300 invitees including Sir Steve Smith, the UK Government International Education Champion, prominent UK higher education alumni from across the Asia-Pacific region and senior higher education leaders who are attendees at this year’s Going Global Asia Pacific conference.

Maddalaine Ansell, Director of Education, British Council, said: “The British Council is proud of our long history of building relationships with international alumni of UK universities. Our Alumni UK network ensures that wherever in the world they are, they can remain connected to the UK and to other alumni. We are ambitious for Alumni UK to become a vibrant community offering alumni opportunities for professional development, networking and collaboration.”

Kara Owen, British High Commissioner to Singapore, added: “The UK is a top global study destination with more than 600,000 international students who choose to pursue their higher education qualifications in our excellent universities. I’m proud to say that UK alumni are among the most employable graduates globally. More than 1 in 4 countries in the world has a Head of State or of Government who was educated in the UK. The launch of this global network is a call for all UK alumni to join us as we build an international community to connect people who have gone through similar university experiences, and who can mentor, support and empower each other.”

Since its soft launch in February 2022, 8,000 international UK higher education alumni have expressed their interest in joining Alumni UK from over 100 countries.

In February 2023, the British Council will host its first Alumni UK online festival, bringing together thousands of international UK higher education alumni to take part in a series of professional development events and activities across a two-week period.

Throughout next year the British Council will also deliver exclusive alumni engagement events in countries around the world including Brazil, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE and Vietnam.