The World 100 Reputation Network Committee

The World 100 Reputation Network is overseen by a committee of professionals from eligible leading universities. They are involved in growing the membership, promoting World 100 events and research, and share their experiences and insights at our networking at our industry events.

Find out more about our committee members below:

Andrea leads a team at McMaster that is responsible for strategic reputational management, marketing and media relations, digital media communications, fundraising communications and the alumni magazine, government and community relations, and internal communications.  McMaster is a research-intensive institution with 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students.  The University is internationally respected for founding evidence-based medicine and creating problem-based learning, which has been adopted at universities around the world.

Andrea has been at McMaster for the past 20 years but her first career was in media.  After graduating from the University of Toronto with a degree in English and history, she became a radio news reporter.  When she finished her eight-year radio career, she was reading the news on CFRB, Canada’s most listened to news station.

Jo is Deputy Director of External Relations at the University of Birmingham and leads on the University’s reputation and engagement activities.  She is responsible for three directorates within the External Relations Division: Birmingham Global;  Public and Cultural Engagement; and Communications and Reputation.  She was previously Director of Communications and Reputation at Birmingham and has also held communications and marketing roles in the public and private sector.

As well as being a member of the World 100 Committee, she is active in other senior communications and engagement networks and has previously been Co-Chair of the Russell Group Communications Directors network.

University of Birmingham has been a member of the World 100 Reputation Network since 2016

Jo joined the University of Sydney in 2013 to lead the newly centralised marketing function and a refresh of the brand strategy.

A comprehensive research institution, Sydney is ranked in the top 50 universities globally and has over 65,000 students and 8,000 staff. Jo leads a talented and creative marketing and communications team responsible for building reputation and advocacy with current and future students, parents, alumni, donors, industry, and staff.

Before joining higher education, Jo held brand and marketing roles in the not-for-profit and corporate sectors and has led highly effective teams large and small.

Alan Ferns is a communications and marketing professional with a proven track record of building winning teams and translating strategies and goals into distinctive brands and campaigns which produce results.

He is an experienced leader and qualified executive coach who led communications during a successful higher education merger and built the brand that has transformed the global reputation of The University of Manchester.

He is now working as a reputation and communications consultant and leadership coach is a trustee with Citizens Advice and is also a community volunteer in Salford.

Santiago is the Chief Reputation Officer at the University of Navarra and the Executive Director of the Center for University Governance and Reputation. The center is dedicated to training, research, and consultancy in university governance and reputation projects. Additionally, he is a member of the academic committee and organizer of the reputation conferences and strategic management courses for leaders in higher education hosted by the University of Navarra.

Santiago holds a PhD cum laude in Communication, with a thesis entitled “Conceptual Framework of Reputation. Implications for university governance”, and author of the book “A memorable experience. How to cultivate the reputation of universities” (Eunsa, 2023). He is a professor of Reputation and Communication in the Masters in Managing People in Organizations and Management of Communication Companies.

Santiago delivers lectures at international conferences on corporate communication and reputation management in the field of universities: conceptual framework of reputation, operational model for professional praxis, stakeholder management, organizational listening, etc. Among the latest conferences, he has participated in the annual conferences of World 100, CASE, High School of Economics of St. Petersburg and Building Universities Reputation.

He has developed consulting activities in the field of strategic management and corporate communication in universities such as the Polytechnic University of Valencia, the Catholic University of Valencia, the University of Piura (Peru), the Pan-American University (Mexico) and the Bio-Medical Campus of Rome (Italy).

Shirley Chong joined City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) in 2016 and currently serves as the Director of Communications and Institutional Research (DCIRO). In this role, she plays a pivotal part in shaping the university’s communication and ranking strategies to ensure alignment with its strategic objectives.
Ms. Chong holds a Master of Science in Marketing Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences with a major in Communications. She possesses extensive expertise in rankings strategy, both local and international marketing, promoting internationalization, and enhancing the reputations of universities in various contexts.
In recognition of her achievements, Ms. Chong was elected as a Visiting Fellow at Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge, in September, 2024. This honor acknowledges her as an accomplished leader who brings a wealth of experience in public relations and marketing to the higher education sector.
With her extensive background in public relations and marketing, along with a robust professional network, Ms. Chong significantly contributes to the university’s efforts to promote research excellence and build a strong academic reputation.
Ms. Chong has served as a member of the QS International Academic Advisory Committee for five years. She is currently an active speaker for the Times Higher Education (THE) conferences, sharing professional advice on public relations and marketing experience to higher education audiences globally. Her strong relationships with QS and the Times Higher Education knowledge and marketing teams greatly enhance the university’s performance evaluation processes.