Founding Director of insendi Dr David Lefevre appointed trustee of the British Council

Founding Director of insendi Dr David Lefevre appointed trustee of the British Council

Warm congratulations to Dr David Lefevre - founding Director of EdTech specialists Insendi, a Study Group company - on his appointment as a trustee of the British Council from this month.

The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. The charity works with over 100 countries in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society, directly employs over 11,500 people globally and has an annual expenditure of over £1,290,000,000. Trustees are responsible for controlling the work, management and administration of the charity on behalf of its beneficiaries.

Dr Lefevre has a career-long commitment to digital technologies within education and is the Founder and Director of the EdTech Lab at Imperial College in London. He was also the co-founder and president of the Imperial College spin-out Epigeum (now a successful part of the Oxford University Press), which publishes high-quality online courseware used by 250 universities globally.

David co-founded Insendi in 2018 and the company became part of Study Group at the beginning of 2020. Insendi was also a spin-out firm from the Imperial EdTech Lab focused on online learning platforms, now working with higher education institutions across the world including Executive Education at The University of Oxford, ETH Zurich and Johns Hopkins University.

Congratulating David on his appointment, the CEO of Study Group Emma Lancaster said:

“I am delighted to congratulate David on his appointment to this important role with significant global reach for the UK. David personally has outstanding international experience and has worked across continents and cultures with a long-standing focus on how new technologies can support and transform educational access. He will bring to the British Council a deep commitment to education, an understanding of the challenges and potential of rich online delivery and a thoughtful, strategic approach.”

The appointment of Dr Lefevre to the British Council Board of Trustees follows a number of appointments of senior Study Group colleagues to sector bodies impacting on international students, including:

• Managing Director James Pitman is a member of the British Council’s newly established Higher Education Sector Group. The Group is Chaired by the UK International Education Champion Sir Steve Smith. James Pitman is also the Chair of Exporting Education UK and Vice-Chair of Independent Higher Education and was a founding advisor to the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on International Students.
• Senior Advisor Ruth Arnold is a member of the UK Student Futures Commission endorsed by the UK Department of Education and chaired by the former CEO of UCAS Mary Curnock Cook. Ruth was a co-founder of the #WeAreInternational campaign and received the PIE Outstanding Industry Contribution award in 2020. 
• Director for Australia and New Zealand Alex Chevrolle is a member of the Australian education sector body working with the government to support the return of international students after COVID-19.
• Director - Governance, Risk, Assurance and Compliance Peter Skillen is a member of UK government and sector specialist working groups on international student visas and how these relate to International Education Strategy.