Collaboration and Innovation Abound at Our UK Partner Appreciation Event
In January, Boundless Learning hosted a two-day Partner Appreciation Event for our UK-based academic partners. The goal was to connect and create a sense of community while discussing the future pathways of online learning might take, and how we might work together to best support students. The event brought together key representatives from UK institutions to celebrate achievements, explore new solutions, and build excitement around what’s possible with Boundless Learning.
Chris Barley and Darlene Pittman speak to attendees.
Expert insights that sparked conversations about themes in online education
A highlight of the event was the conversations led by industry leaders who shared their perspective on the evolution of education.
First, Neil Mosley, a recognized thought leader in the online learning space, and his discussion on the six elements of his online education capability framework helped set the scene for discussions that continued throughout the two-day event.
Next, Amy Baker, the CEO and Founder of People in International Education (PIE) News, spoke. Her session included many helpful insights from the data provided by HESA, JISC, Statista, Institute for International Education (IIE), and other essential reference organisations.
Finally, on day two, participants enjoyed a deep dive with Bas Ten Holter, SVP of Education (EMEA) at Salesforce, which looked at the challenge of continuous student engagement, especially through the lens of welcoming new learners and helping them through their entire programme.
Thought leadership and connecting with senior experts within Boundless Learning
Several members of the Boundless Learning team also took the stage, including:
Joshua Richards, newly appointed Chief Executive Officer
Liz Wildes, Senior Vice President for Portfolio Management and Growth
Heidi Diedrich, Senior Vice President for Acquisition and Retention
Chris Barley, Vice President of Global Enrolment Services
Darlene Pittman, Senior Director of Global Student Success and Retention
Willem Boom, Senior Director of Global Enterprise Sales
Jacob Farmer, Director of Forecasting and Planning
Cathy Thomas-Varcoe, Senior Manager of Learning Design Solutions
These sessions showcased impressive thought leadership and enabled attendees from UK academic partners to connect more personally with the Boundless Learning team.
From left: Heidi Diedrich, Andrea Marcinkus, Jacob Farmer, and Gareth Pivacic
Joël McConnell, Senior Director of Portfolio Management and Growth (United Kingdom), shared that connecting the community of partners and Boundless Learning leaders helped ensure that our UK partners had a clear idea of what the key areas of focus are for Boundless Learning from an innovation and digital delivery perspective. In addition, he unveiled the services Boundless Learning offers to new partners in the corporate learning and associations space so that our existing academic partners understood where our complementary growth will come from in the future.
Strengthening partnerships and building community
The event was much more than a platform for sharing knowledge in vibrant spaces, such as St. Martin’s Court, Fora in Shoreditch, and Salesforce Tower London, it was an opportunity to spend quality time reviewing goals with existing partners and encouraging academic partners to connect with each other as well. By bringing everyone together, we opened avenues for meaningful conversations and reflected on the successes we’ve shared over decades of strategic collaboration.
From left: Georgia Mercer, Chloe Ray, Charlie Mercer, Mark Bennett, and Ellie Zimmer
Looking ahead
We’re excited to keep the conversations started at this event going, in the weeks and months ahead. Our UK Partner Appreciation Event reinforced the alignment we have with our partners and built more energy around how important it is to make personalized online learning opportunities available to learners at various points in their careers.
Now that the UK edition of the Partner Appreciation Event has come to a close, the Boundless Learning team is hard at work organizing a similar event for its US academic partners, which will take place in mid-2025.