Rachael Green has worked in the sector since 2009, working her way from a student caller at the University of Birmingham, to the University of Exeter in International Alumni Relations and as Acting Alumni Giving Manager, and since 2014 as the Head of Alumni Volunteering at the University of Nottingham. She has established the first volunteering programme at Nottingham, launching volunteering as part of the Impact Campaign. Rachael’s role has changed as the Alumni Volunteering Team has expanded at the University of Nottingham, now with 1400 volunteers a year and over 10,000 student beneficiaries. She manages a team of 6 and has established an integrated approach to alumni engagement/volunteering with philanthropic giving when working with schools and faculties at UoN. Since 2014, Nottingham has worked with over 4000 volunteers in a range of roles and is now looking at how volunteering can support student experience and strategic developments supported by a volunteer stewardship programme.

Nena brings over fifteen years of international experience in the higher education sector. At Hertie School, the University of Governance in Berlin, she is responsible for alumni engagement and the strategic growth of the School’s global alumni network in 110 countries. Prior to Hertie, Nena was in charge of alumni relations at the Central European University (CEU) in Vienna and Budapest. A number of successful initiatives were developed under her leadership, including the Thesis Buddy Project, which won a CASE Circle of Excellence Award 2022 in volunteer engagement category. Prior to CEU, Nena had managed programmes at leading global organisations, including CASE in London, the Institute of International Education (IIE) and Open Society Foundation (OSF) in Budapest. A firm believer in collaboration and the power of sharing best practice, Nena is active CASE volunteer and has served as speaker, editorial board member, conference co-chair and task force member. A North Macedonia native, Nena has lived and worked internationally for nearly two decades, is fluent in number of languages and considers herself a citizen of the world. 

Helen has over ten years experience in Alumni Relations in the Higher Education sector. Starting at the University of Exeter, she worked in several alumni roles, including within the Business School, supporting alumni networks and groups and in the Careers team. She then took her experience to the University of Oxford working for St Anne’s college and the Rhodes Trust, where she played a key role in the delivery of the 120th Anniversary of the Trust, an event which took place over three days and welcomed over 1300 alumni guests taking part in over 100 events. In 2024 she joined Bayes Business School at City St George’s University where she leads a team as Head of Bayes Alumni Relations. Responsible for alumni engagement of 50,000 graduates in 170 countries around the world, the team is establishing new engagement opportunities to further connect and add value to alumni’s experience and increase volunteering and support of the School.

Rachel is Head of Alumni and Supporter Relations at the University of Leicester, where she leads the Alumni and Supporter Engagement function within the Advancement Office. As a senior leader, she sets the strategic direction for engagement activity, working with her team to deliver across alumni relations, communications, events, volunteering, regular giving, and stewardship. 

With over 15 years’ experience in higher education advancement, Rachel has developed engagement strategies that connect alumni and supporters meaningfully with their institutions and with each other. She has led the delivery of large-scale, high-impact programmes, including the University’s centenary celebrations, which brought together more than 70 events and activities designed to strengthen engagement and support institutional priorities. 

Her work is rooted in creating thoughtful, well-designed supporter journeys that enhance the alumni experience while contributing to fundraising outcomes. She is particularly interested in the intersection between engagement and philanthropy, and how institutions can build sustainable pipelines through authentic relationships and excellent supporter care.

Rachel began her career at De Montfort University before joining Leicester in 2013, progressing through a range of roles spanning events, annual giving, alumni engagement, and stewardship. She is an active member of the CASE community and a graduate of the CASE Alumni Relations Institute.