Appointment of industry veteran builds on international education leader’s ambitious global expansion strategy

Sannam S4, a leading international education services provider, today announced that Marnie Watson has been named Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand. Ms. Watson, in her newly-created role, will lead Sannam S4’s expansion in these two markets and be responsible for building a robust, high-performance strategy across this broad geographic region, supporting clients and partners in reaching their goals. Ms. Watson will establish Sannam S4’s new office in Sydney, Australia.

Ms. Watson, with more than 25 years’ experience in the international education sector, served most recently as CEO University Partnerships at private equity-owned UP Education, living and working in and across Asia. A versatile and results-driven senior executive, Ms. Watson has a proven track record of delivering strong outcomes in education management environments.

“Marnie is a highly positive and strategic leader in international education, with a wealth of experience in the commercial and education sectors,” said Michael Bartlett, Global Managing Director, Education at Sannam S4. “We see significant opportunity in the Australia-New Zealand region and, with Marnie at the helm, feel well-positioned under her guidance to thrive for years to come.”

Watson’s hiring comes as Sannam S4 builds upon a plan of ambitious strategic growth globally. In February, the education company opened an office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and acquired Alumno, a Singapore-based education consultancy. Ms. Watson, who has worked for Study Group based in Vietnam and Singapore, as well as the University of New South Wales in Sydney and Indonesia, has deep experience managing university partnerships and recruiting students from global sources markets into Australia, NZ, the UK and the USA.

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to become part of such a reputable and innovative organization,” said Watson. “Sannam S4 is poised to achieve its global goals and I look forward to helping take the company to the next level.”

In her new capacity, Ms. Watson will work closely with Global Managing Director Michael Bartlett and the Sannam S4 board to ensure the organization continues to comprehensively serve its partners through the ongoing pandemic and beyond. She is a graduate of the University of New South Wales and speaks Vietnamese and Indonesian.