Partner case studyCardiff University
“I want to keep Alumnify a secret.”
Luis Ananguren · Regional Manager, Americas, Cardiff University
He was joking. The serious version is underneath: six markets across two continents, run from Cardiff's existing regional team, with graduates already living in every one of them.
Two regions, run in parallel
Brazil, Mexico, Colombia
Latin America
Exhibitions and an explore session in Brazil, webinars in Curitiba and Mexico City, and pre-departure support in Bogotá. Looked after by Luis.
Vietnam, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand
East and Southeast Asia
Exhibitions, school talks and alumni one-to-ones in Vietnam and Taiwan, with Seoul and Bangkok opening now. Looked after by Sian.
What Cardiff actually bought
The remainder is an explore session, a pre-departure event in Colombia and an alumni video content series filmed in Brazil. Cardiff is one of our partners using graduates for content as well as for presence.
The part that makes six markets possible
Six markets on two continents would normally mean a regional team, a travel budget and a calendar built around flights. Cardiff runs it from its existing regional team, because the people delivering the work already live where the students are and the operation around them sits with us.
Recruitment, vetting, training, supervision, reporting and payment are ours. What Cardiff spends is money, not management time, and that is the difference between adding a sixth market and being told there is no capacity for a second.
It is a very light-touch service to manage and has actually freed up the team to focus on additional recruitment activity.Sian Keepin, Regional Manager China and Far East, Cardiff University
How it works in Asia
Cardiff is fully supported across East and Southeast Asia through lead generation: exhibitions, school talks and alumni one-to-ones, each delivered by a Cardiff graduate who lives in the market. Nobody flies out from Cardiff, which is what lets one regional team cover the region without building the year around flights.
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Vietnam
Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh CityLoc covers both cities, at exhibitions and in school halls, and follows up with students one to one.
ExhibitionsSchool talksAlumni one-to-ones -
Taiwan
TaipeiExhibitions in Taipei, with one-to-one conversations alongside.
ExhibitionsAlumni one-to-ones -
South Korea and Thailand
Seoul and BangkokThe next two markets. A Seoul graduate is trained and booked for exhibitions, and a Bangkok graduate has completed training.
Seoul, exhibitions bookedBangkok, onboarding
Seoul and Bangkok were opened the same way: one graduate in each city, with no extra travel and no change to how the regional team works.
In their own words
Luis looks after Cardiff in the Americas. We asked him four questions and left the answers as he gave them.
What made you decide to work with us rather than the more familiar options?
“Alumnify was offering something that, at the time, no one else in the market was offering, combined with a level of care and attention that was genuinely impressive. It felt innovative, but also very personal and well thought through.”
How much of your team’s time did it actually take once it was running?
“Very little. The whole operation is extremely well thought out and organised, and the training provided is excellent. Once everything was up and running, it required minimal input from our team, which has been a real advantage.”
What did you make of the alumni themselves, and how they came across to students?
“They surpassed my expectations. I have been particularly impressed by the quality of the training, the Alumnifiers’ enthusiasm and their willingness to engage and cooperate with us. They come across as genuine and relatable, which is exactly what you want when prospective students are speaking to alumni.”
If a colleague at another university asked you about it, what would you say?
“I would say nothing. I want to keep Alumnify a secret. Joking aside, I would absolutely recommend them. The experience has been very positive, the model works extremely well, and the level of support and engagement from the team and the alumni has been excellent.”
“They surpassed my expectations.”
Six markets, two continents, twenty-seven activities, and minimal input from the university’s own team.
Sian looks after Cardiff in China and the Far East. Her answers, also as she gave them.
Why did you start working with Alumnify?
“Our alumni have always been incredibly supportive of Cardiff University, but they are busy people with busy lives and it can be difficult to coordinate activity, particularly at short notice. We are also very conscious that we are often relying on goodwill, so naturally want to be mindful about how much we ask of them. Alumnify gave us a way to overcome those logistical and resourcing challenges while still retaining what is so valuable about alumni engagement.”
“It has also helped us bridge language barriers in markets where our international team members may not speak the local language. Prospective students often really value hearing directly from someone who has studied at Cardiff and understands both the university and their local context.”
What has it changed about how you plan Southeast Asia and East Asia?
“It has given us much more flexibility in how we plan activity across such a large and diverse region. We can participate in more events, use experienced alumni who understand the local market and can communicate in the local language, and respond much more quickly when opportunities arise. Being able to cover activity without always having to travel from the UK has allowed us to do considerably more and make our recruitment budget go further.”
What would you say to a colleague at another university who is weighing it up?
“I would absolutely recommend it. For us, Alumnify has extended the reach of our team, allowed us to be present in more markets and at more events, and given prospective students access to authentic, localised support from people who genuinely understand the Cardiff experience. It has helped us use our budget and staff time more effectively without compromising the quality of our student engagement. In fact, in many cases it has strengthened it.”
“For an international recruitment team trying to cover large and diverse regions, I think it is an incredibly valuable model and one I would be very reluctant to be without now.”
“One I would be very reluctant to be without now.”
Sian Keepin, on covering a large and diverse region without the travel.
Who is actually doing the work
Twelve Cardiff graduates are on the books, eight of them currently active across the six markets, with two more onboarding in Seoul and Bangkok. Every one of them completed a Cardiff degree and lives in the country where they represent it. Three are below.
Jonas Manabu Okawara
São Paulo · BrazilData Science
Senior Data ScientistElo Group
Loc Duong
Hanoi · VietnamInternational Relations and Affairs, MScEcon
News EditorVietnam Television (VTV)
Francisco José Díaz Pinelo
Mexico City · MexicoDigital Media and Society
Communications and Media Relations LeadCentro de los Derechos del Migrante
Cardiff has two graduates in Colombia and two in Brazil, in different cities, because a single representative in a capital city is not national coverage in countries this size.
Tell us your two hardest markets.
We will come back with the alumni we can already reach there, what activity would look like, and how many credits it would take. No obligation either way.