Callista Punch, Acting Head
UK HE International and Europe Unit

Callista Punch is Acting Head of the UK Higher Education International and Europe Unit. Prior to this, she was the Director of Communications and Government Relations at Universities Australia. Callista has also worked in the healthcare sector as Manager of Public Relations and Policy at the Australian Medical Association QLD. Callista received a BA in Business Communications from Queensland University of Technology and an MA in Communications from the University of Canberra, Australia.

 

Dr William Lawton, Policy Adviser

Bill Lawton hails from St John’s, Newfoundland, and has lived and worked in the UK for two decades. He has been Policy Adviser at the International Unit since its inception in summer 2007. Prior to this, he worked at the Canadian High Commission in London, first as a political analyst on UK devolution and latterly as Head of Academic Relations. In the 1990s he was a lecturer in politics at the University of Hull in England, where his main specialisms were Canadian and American domestic politics and political economy. Bill has a BSc from Memorial University in Newfoundland and a Master in Environmental Studies from York University in Toronto. His PhD, from Edinburgh University, was an analysis and critique of economic development policies in Newfoundland. Bill’s wife, Neena, is from Haryana, near Delhi, and they have two children.

 

Elizabeth Farnell, Communications and Public Affairs Officer

Elizabeth Farnell is Communications and Public Affairs Officer for the UK Higher Education International Unit. Prior to this, Elizabeth worked as a Press and PR Officer for the social networking website, Friends Reunited. Her time there involved working on the PR during the company’s sale to ITV. She has also worked on a freelance basis for Legal Week magazine. Elizabeth received a BA (Hons) in Politics from the University of Nottingham and a PGDip (Print Journalism) from the University of Westminster. She is a qualified TEFL teacher and has taught English in Nicaragua and the UK.