Jacqui Jenkins is the global program lead for international student mobility at the British Council. In a career that has spanned 20 years, she has worked tirelessly to improve the quality of international education.

The Charlene Allen award for inspirational leadership was created to honour the memory and enduring legacy of Charlene Allen, a remarkable individual who had an incredible impact on many in the international education sector, and who tragically passed away this year.

On September 13, as the sector gathered at London’s Guildhall for the 2024 PIEoneer Awards to celebrate the achievement and innovation in international education, Jenkins was announced as the recipient of the special award in its inaugural year.

Over the years, Jenkins has established herself as a respected and integral figure, with a significant network around the world and a passion for promoting partnership at policy and practitioner level.

Her deep understanding of the industry has positively influenced the community she serves. Jenkins was instrumental in setting up and delivering the British Council’s Going Global conference in her early career – an endeavour she credits as being pivotal in building her network across the sector.

These connections then allowed Jenkins to shape the design and launch of Study UK Alumni Awards, which was first known as the Education UK Alumni Awards when it launched in 2013.

According to Jenkins, part of her success is down to Allen, who acted as a guide and a mentor to Jenkins after the pair first met in 2004, at the first Going Global conference.

Jenkins credits research co-authored by Allen as being integral to helping the British Council make the case to the FCDO that investing in agents and counsellors can support international student mobility to the UK, and therefore the UK’s soft power objectives.

In recent years, Jenkins’ efforts to roll out a national platform that offers training for professionals advising international students about studying in the UK resulted in the launch of the UK Agent and Counsellor training and engagement hub. She consulted extensively with the sector during development and there are now over 11,000 counsellors on the platform that are certified for their knowledge of the UK as a study destination.

This dovetailed with the inception of the Agent Quality Framework – a joint initiative by British Council, BUILA, UKCISA and UUKI designed to enhance the partnership between the UK education sector and agents and counsellors and to recognise and share best practice. All universities in the UK have now signed the AQF Framework Pledge.