Meet the team
Amanda Walton , Development Director - Education
Amanda joined Barkers from the University of Warwick, where she was Head of Student Recruitment, responsible for the development of marketing strategy and communications plans for all undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
Amanda has worked on market research projects for universities including Reading, King’s College London and Bournemouth. She led the syndicated Relevance of Reputation project, which looked at the relevance of academic reputation and brand for student recruitment. She also developed and led the Postgraduate Priorities project, which looked at motivations and the value of the PG qualification for students. She has also provided account support for all of our university clients, particularly Coventry, Aberdeen, Bournemouth, Southampton Solent and King’s College London.
Amanda is a graduate of University College London, with an Institute of Direct Marketing Diploma in Direct Marketing and Chartered Institute of Marketing Diploma. Amanda has a national overview of Barkers’ education accounts and provides advice, support and knowledge about the higher education sector, HR and marketing communications internally to staff and directly to clients.
amanda.walton@barkers.co.uk
Mobile: 07715 690 420
Jeff Marshall – Head of Education Research
Jeff joined Barkers over six years ago. He has led various market research accounts in the FHE sectors, including South Thames College, Bournemouth University, the University of the Highlands and Islands Millennium Institute, and Trinity College of Music. He has considerable experience of branding research, having carried out projects for the Royal Veterinary College, the University of Reading, the University of Northampton and the University of Stirling.
Jeff has also conducted research for Edge Hill University, Oxford University, Greenwich Community College, Southampton Solent University, Birkbeck College and London University Institute of Education. He has conducted research for the mergers that produced Harrow, Guildford and Central Sussex Colleges. He has published a major research project – The Binary Line Revisited – which examines the impact of institutional status on student decision-making. His study The Recruitment and Retention of Academics was well received in the educational press and at university HR conferences. He has also led a range of market research projects looking at the viability of foundation degrees, the impact of tuition fees and employer branding.
Jeff has degrees from London University, is a member of the Market Research Society and the Academy of Marketing and was previously a senior college manager.
jeff.marshall@barkers.co.uk
020 7634 1370
Geoff Coates, Senior Researcher
Geoff has been a consultant to Barkers for over three years. He has conceived, conducted and led numerous research projects for HE and FE institutions throughout the country, including the Universities of Wolverhampton, Coventry and Westminster. A leading researcher in the Further Education Omnibus Perceptions Survey, Geoff has also played a leading role in Barkers’ market research for the UHI Millennium Institute.
Geoff’s particular areas of expertise are discussion-based research and the analysis of qualitative data. He completed a major research project into perceptions of diversity at a land-based FE college.
Geoff was formerly a governor of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and has taught and examined in FHE.
geoff.coates@barkers.co.uk
020 7634 1348
Neeta Barot, Senior Associate Researcher
Neeta has 16 years’ experience working within HE including 10 years at Nottingham Trent University. As Manager of International Student Support Services, she gained first hand experience of managing support services to ensure customer care excellence. As Deputy Director of the International Office, she developed and implemented an International Marketing Strategy involving both institutional change and international promotion.
For the last six years Neeta has been Senior Associate Researcher at Barkers and has been involved in projects that include Durham University, Bournemouth University, University of Wolverhampton and Kings College London. Her consultancy projects include competitor analysis, brand audit, staff training and international strategic development.
Robert Hawker, Senior Associate Researcher
A graduate with CAM and CIM Diplomas and currently studying for an MBA in Higher Education Management, Robert has been working with Barkers since 2006. His background was originally in advertising and subsequently in the marketing departments of the institutions which eventually formed London Metropolitan University. At Roehampton University he was Director of Marketing and Communications. At Barkers he has worked on various projects in FHE, including market research for the UHI Millennium Institute and a joint venture in educational conferencing, ‘Discovering Futures’.
robert.hawker@barkers.co.uk
020 7634 1174
Gamiel Yafai , Head of Diversity
Gamiel’s credentials include an ongoing partnership with the Commission for Racial Equality to ensure that public sector organisations are aware of changes in legislation and the implications for their recruitment processes. He has worked with the Department of Health’s equality unit ‘Positively Diverse’ to compile a Good Diversity Practice Reference Guide that is being used to promote good practice across the NHS in England. He also currently sits on the Diversity Taskforce for Scotland and the short life taskforce on developing a Champions network across all Health Boards in Scotland.
Gamiel specialises in finding ways to attract and encourage people from hard to reach communities into public sector organisations and improving community cohesion in line with their race relations action plans. A qualified Teacher and NVQ Assessor, Gamiel utilises this experience to promote the benefits of diversity and equality at seminars and conferences across the country. He has run many diversity workshops at both UPA and HEERA conferences.
Education clients that Gamiel is working with include UCE, Leeds Met University, HEFCE, Oxford University, University of Derby and the Learning Skills Council.
gamiel.yafai@barkers.co.uk
07738 394118
John Taylor , Associate Consultant
John Taylor has worked as a Barkers Senior Associate Researcher for five years. He has over 25 years’ experience in the education world, first as a teacher and then seventeen years with the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. These were chiefly spent in education development roles, both in headquarters and operationally - though with six years teaching within his own discipline of International Relations and Politics at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. His last job in the services was as director of junior officer education and development for the Royal Marines. This was followed by six years with the Royal Veterinary College, University of London - firstly heading a national CPD and online learning initiative for the veterinary profession and subsequently as Assistant Principal with responsibility for development, marketing and external relations.
At Barkers, John has been involved in market research for the merger of two large specialist HE institutes, in rebranding research for the University of Northampton and various projects for the University of Wolverhampton. He has also conducted desk research in the form of data analysis for the University of the Highlands and Islands Millennium Institute. Finally, he has facilitated focus groups of staff and students for several colleges which are part of Barkers’ Further Education Omnibus Perceptions Survey.
Jacqueline Thompson, Senior Researcher
Jacqueline is a graduate of Bristol University who worked in publishing for some time, then became first a lecturer and eventually Marketing Manager for Hackney College. In her two years with Barkers, she has worked on market research projects for the UHI Millennium Institute, the University of Oxford, University of Stirling and West Kent and Joseph Priestley Colleges.
Based in mid-Wales, Jacqui frequently deploys to the Midlands and North for projects in these areas.
jacqueline.thompson@barkers.co.uk
07917 156743
Nikki Lee, Associate Consultant
Having completed a postgraduate diploma in International Public Relations, Nikki began her career in PR consultancy working on a variety of blue-chip accounts. She has specialised in education since 1996, implementing local, regional and national public relations strategies for clients that include Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College, West Nottinghamshire College and Coventry University.
As Marketing Communications Manager for Barkers’ Education Marketing Team, Nikki handles PR and marketing support across FE, HE and Business Schools. Projects have included the PR launch of the London office of IDP Education Australia and work on behalf of the British Council to recruit graduates to teach overseas on the English Language Assistants Programme.
During the last six years she has also provided project support for education market research initiatives for a wide variety of HE and FE institutions, particularly rebranding programmes requiring in-depth qualitative interviews with key stakeholders, staff or employers. This has included carrying out street interviews and desk research.