Better Data, Better Higher Education: Inside Times Higher Education's Obsession with Data Quality for Global Impact.

Thank you for joining us at EdTech Mentor. We really appreciate it. Let's start by having you tell us a bit about yourself and your journey into the EdTech world.

Thanks so much, Laureano. It's a pleasure to be here. I'm the Global Commercial Director for the Corporate division at Times Higher Education. My journey into EdTech has been an interesting one. I've been working in higher education for about 10 years now and have been closely involved with the EdTech market globally for the past five or six years, helping develop Times Higher Education’s proposition and the support it provides to the community.

For those who may not be familiar, can you explain what Times Higher Education is all about?

How long do you have? Essentially, Times Higher Education (THE) is a data business at its core. Our mission is to empower higher education globally. We collect data from more than 8,500 universities worldwide and combine it with the editorial insight we’ve been known for over the past 50 years. We offer a wide range of services and support to institutions, governments, and corporates, including consulting, strategic direction, data benchmarking, events, and content. Our goal is to support the higher education sector through data, insights, and independent editorial content.

That’s THE today, but can you tell us about its origins and your role over the years?

Of course. People often associate Times Higher Education with the World University Rankings, which is a major part of our story, but THE as an organization is over 50 years old. We started as a supplement to The Times newspaper, originally called The Times Higher Education Supplement, focusing on the latest developments in higher education, primarily in the UK but with some global coverage. The big turning point came when we pioneered the World University Rankings—the first global ranking of its kind. That was over 10 years ago, and it’s grown into a major part of what we do.

Since then, we’ve continued to evolve, with over 8,500 universities engaging with us in some capacity. We’ve expanded beyond just rankings, launching initiatives like the Impact Rankings, which assess universities on their contributions to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. We’re also exploring new areas like interdisciplinary science and online learning, always with the aim of using globally equitable data to support institutions, governments, and corporations.

Through it all, we’ve maintained our editorial independence, which has been crucial to our reputation. Our editorial team has the freedom to write what they like, and while that can be challenging from a commercial perspective, it’s essential to our integrity.

In my own journey at THE, I’ve moved from a junior sales role—selling print job ads in the classified section—to developing our corporate partnerships. Over the past six years, I’ve helped grow our corporate division from a small team in London to a global operation that works with hundreds of corporate clients, from large tech firms to startups. We’ve expanded our services to support corporate partners with insights, thought leadership, and strategy, leveraging THE’s unique position in the higher education market.

There are several topics to explore, and we'll dive into them. But I want to start with data. You described THE as a primarily data-driven business. Can you talk more about the depth and breadth of your data, its quality, and the dynamics behind it, so people can understand the true value of this institutional benchmark and why they should care?

That's a big question, and we'll need more than an hour for that! But when it comes to the data we gather and speak about with credibility, it’s interesting. We collect data across several key areas, mainly through our rankings, which serve as the primary vehicle for data submission from universities. One of THE’s core commitments is global equitability. We ensure that institutions in North America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia submit consistent data. This allows institutions to benchmark effectively without skewing the results toward data-rich regions like the global north.

We hold rich data on university research, including output, quality, quantity, and levels of internationalization. We believe international institutions—those with diverse students and staff—are stronger, and the evidence supports that. We also gather data on teaching, teaching outputs, and reputation. For example, we conduct the largest survey on academic reputation globally, which is sent to tens of thousands of verified, practicing academics each year.

That’s fascinating, especially since it parallels brand perception in other industries. It’s like a reputation metric for universities.

Exactly. But there’s really one tried-and-true solution for reputation: existing for about 500 years! Institutions like Oxford have a long legacy, and that does correlate strongly with reputation. But we do see exceptions, like Tsinghua University or the National University of Singapore, which have built stellar reputations much faster.

We’re also seeing growth in our Impact Rankings, which focus on universities’ contributions to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These are important because sustainability is now one of the top three factors students consider when choosing where to study. We're even collaborating with the UN and other bodies to launch initiatives like the Green Skills Accelerator, aiming to drive growth in green careers.

Beyond that, we’re starting to measure interdisciplinarity in research and will soon release the world’s first ranking of online degrees. Our work spans a wide array of areas, but our commitment to global equitability, rigor, and accuracy is consistent. Every piece of data we work with is verified, and our goal is to provide the most reliable insights to support students, universities, and governments.

You’ve touched on data quality and robustness, but can you also speak about THE’s editorial independence?

Of course. Editorial independence is like the glue that holds THE together. It’s part of our identity and values, and it’s been there since we started over 50 years ago. Our editorial team can write about anything, even if it involves our largest clients, and that can be challenging on the commercial side. But it's this independence that earns us respect. The same principle applies to Inside Higher Ed, which we acquired a few years ago. They’re the leading editorial outlet in North America, and we were thrilled to welcome them into THE family.

This independence also carries over to our events, like our World Academic Summit, where hundreds of university leaders, including vice chancellors and Nobel Laureates, come together. The editorial team’s voice of authority and commitment to quality content is core to who we are, and it influences every aspect of THE, from our rankings to our events.

Let’s shift gears and focus on your experience. This is the EdTech Mentor, and I want to offer lessons to our community of practice. From a commercial perspective, what’s your biggest challenge in your role today?

Of course. Being a newer part of the Times Higher family, with our corporate offering really scaling in the past five or six years, realizing the potential is the main challenge. We have great conversations with partners, and I hesitate to call them suppliers. They provide invaluable support to institutions. The challenge is having enough of these conversations. When we knock on doors, people are happy to speak with us, but it’s about knocking on enough doors—that’s the first hurdle.

That challenge is common in many B2B go-to-market strategies. In your commercial role, what marketing efforts have you found most effective when moving the needle? What do you expect from a marketing team?

Well, fundamentally, my team works in sales, so we’re often seen as the enemy of marketing, but we work very collaboratively at Times Higher. For me, it’s all about content. We’re blessed with rich content, unparalleled data, and unique insights. Having marketing help shape that content into opportunities to engage with our audience is incredibly powerful. For example, we recently ran webinars around our Digital Maturity Index, gathering responses from nearly 4,000 institutions. This provides valuable insights for both universities and corporate partners, helping guide their go-to-market strategies.

For THE, content is key to both marketing efforts and delivering value. The same applies to higher education institutions as they contribute to society.

Exactly. It’s a core part of what we do—helping institutions tell their stories and showcase their research. Not all academics are natural communicators, so we support universities in highlighting their best work. Some of the things we see and the tours we get to take are truly spectacular.

It translates to content marketing, thought leadership, and other similar efforts. Drawing from your experience, what should someone keep in mind when selling to the higher education community? What values or considerations are key?

There are two sides here—selling to corporates within higher education and selling directly to institutions. Speaking to the corporate side, it’s a cliché, but higher education truly is unique. The sector isn’t driven by financial success but by societal betterment. While there’s money in the sector, the real focus is on student outcomes, employability, and impactful research. Anyone selling to this space needs to remember they aren’t just selling products or services; they’re supporting young people’s futures and the knowledge that will shape the world.

Is there anything in the industry that you find particularly challenging or something you’d change?

Speed is a challenge, and I’m sure many in the sector would agree, no matter which side they’re on. It’s frustrating when you see a fantastic opportunity and everyone agrees, but it takes a while to mobilize and get things moving. That can definitely be frustrating.

Okay, let me ask a question that might involve competitors. What are the major global events for EdTech vendors? Let's say you're an LMS or SIS provider—what are the top five events in the world you should be sponsoring, participating in, or attending, keeping in mind the global market, not just Europe or North America?

It's funny, it depends so much on your sector and where you are in your journey as an organization. If you're a young startup, attending a 10,000-person trade show might not be the best use of funds. You might get lost in the crowd and not see the returns you'd hope for. In that case, you might be better off prioritizing high-quality outreach or advertising. But for large organizations, you sometimes need to be visible. If you're not there, it's noticeable, and that matters.

So for EdTech, particularly in K-12, you have to be at Bett in the UK. It’s huge and has strong representation from the K-12 community. If you're focusing on the US, ISTE is a great option for growing in that market. For higher education, I’d recommend THE’s Digital University series, which is particularly powerful because it brings together tech leaders from institutions along with those responsible for teaching, learning, research, and strategy—really covering the full ecosystem of how tech intersects with education.

The Education World Forum is another must—it brought together 122 education ministers last year. It’s the best event for government and educational leadership that I’ve seen, and you can witness conversations that will transform the future of education in real-time.

And finally, THE’s World Academic Summit. It’s the top event for university leaders globally, moving around the world each year. Last year, it was in Sydney, this year in Manchester. It’s an incredible gathering of university presidents, Nobel laureates, and top minds in education, providing a unique platform to meet and collaborate with global leaders.

As a side note, is there a higher education leader you find particularly inspiring?

There are so many. Brian Schmidt is always great to talk to, and Tony Chan as well. Rachel Sanderson from Glasgow is one of the most impressive people you could ever meet. It’s amazing how many leaders I meet and think, "That's how you got there”. It’s a room full of some of the most hyper-qualified people you’ll ever encounter.

What about the corporate EdTech space? Any specific leaders in sales or marketing that stand out?

Definitely. Rochelle Vincent at Anthology is a force of nature. She knows how to motivate a team like no one else. Ishan Kolhatkar at Inspera is another one—he’s passionate about changing the narrative around online assessment and proctoring. Diego from UniBuddy has done amazing things, and Andy Holliday and Andy Pritchard at Find a University are always leading from the front. There are so many talented individuals who are doing incredible work in the space.

Okay, one of our trademark questions: what career advice would you give to your 20-year-old self?

Have an opinion. It’s okay to be part of the conversation, especially when you’re innovating or working on new ideas. Your voice has value.