Sam Younger CBE (Interim Chief Executive)

Formerly Chief Executive of Shelter, Director General of the British Red Cross and Managing Director of the BBC World Service, Sam has extensive experience of international not-for-profit organisations. With a keen interest in education, Sam was Chair of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education and Chair of the University of Sussex Council. Sam holds a degree in Philosophy Politics and Economics from Oxford University. Memberships and awards include: Companion, Chartered Management Institute; Fellow, Royal Society of Arts; Honorary Doctor of Social Sciences, Brunel University and Honorary Member, Association of European Election Officials.

Will Kinsman (Director of Sales and Marketing)

15 years’ Sales & Marketing experience in service industries (primarily financial services and employee benefits/HR consulting). Three years as Marketing Controller with Norwich Union, then four years as Head of Marketing for MGM Assurance, a specialist investment, pension and insurance provider and Britain’s longest registered company. Recruited to set up a greenfield marketing function for William M Mercer before joining Charles Schwab, NYSE-listed US financial services group as European Sales & Marketing Director. Took up his current post in March 2006. Professionally qualified with a degree in English from the University of Birmingham.

Lynda Connon (Director of Finance)

Lynda Connon and the finance team provide strategic financial and operational advice to the organisation. Lynda has extensive experience gained through working in both start-up and blue chip environments across a broad spectrum of industry sectors, latterly focusing on information technology and biotechnology. Her experiences include acquisition, integration and divestment projects, raising finance, developing and implementing business plans as well as building finance teams and managing the day to day finance and general operational functions.

Jim Kell (Director of Operations)

Jim is Director of Operations at Bell. He has an MA in Applied Linguistics and the DELTA, and has worked for more than 20 years in ELT in the UK, Portugal and China – as a teacher, teacher trainer, materials writer, consultant, and manager. He has presented at international conferences and exhibitions throughout the world, has published a wide variety of articles and materials, and regularly carries out overseas consultancy work for Bell.

Mike Foster (Commercial Director)

Mike is Commercial Director at Bell. He is responsible for developing our language and education provision outside the UK. Mike has had an impressive career of business development, sales leadership, and relationship management in international markets over the past 19 years. For most of that time, Mike has been based in the Middle East, specialising in that region but also covering European, Asian, and African markets in recent years. Mike worked in software and consumer industries before joining NCC Education, as Regional Director, and, more recently, Laureate Higher Education Group as Executive Director Business International.