Michaela Hopkins

May 2025 - ongoing: Seasonal role, Rye Watersports 

Seasonal local role.

• Hired to work with customers and oversee running of new Aquapark. 
• Responsible for working closely with teenage lifeguards, overseeing reception and check in,  and point person for customer liaison. 
• First Aid responder.

June 2024 – May 2025: Head of Membership and Services, Independent Higher Education (full time)

Reason for leaving: Decision to resign was based on a desire to take some time to re-assess career aspirations and long-term personal objectives.

• Approached by IHE to rejoin as the full-time Head of Membership and Services – a newly revamped role.
• Devised long term recruitment strategy for the organisation which was designed to grow membership at regional and national levels (approved by the Board).
• Responsible for recruitment of new members to the institutional membership – double digit growth achieved.

July 2023 – May 2024: Membership Manager - British Acupuncture Council (BacC)

Leading professional body for traditional acupuncturists in the UK

• Oversight of strategic initiatives designed to improve membership recruitment and retention.
• Forged strong relationships with acupuncture colleges and their students, listening to feedback and rapidly implementing change. Culminated in 2023 BAcC graduate recruitment targets being met and student member recruitment surpassed.
• Independent Admissions route to membership re-opened, having been closed since 2020 for review - greatest potential for membership growth, alongside graduate recruitment. Activities included development of comprehensive policy for admissions and promotional content.
• Development of strategic plan for member retention and recruitment for 2024 and associated KPIs (agreed by Governing Board).
• Worked closely with and provided secretariat for the Member Services Committee (consists of practitioner members and external experts).

April 2023 –July 2023 (part-time role): Head of Membership, Independent Higher Education

UK membership organisation and national representative body for independent providers of higher education, professional training and pathways

• Brought in to oversee development of the membership strategy. Mapped leads, timings and recommendations for approach. Revamped member communication content (including prospective members pack and onboarding presentation for new members).

October 2014 – July 2023: Freelance Consultant, Middlesex University (Faculty of Arts & Creative Industries and Faculty of Professional & Social Sciences) – projects included:

• Industry Engagement (2019 onwards) – Recruited 400 industry professionals (many ‘repeat givers’) to participate in student-facing initiatives, modules, and input into design of degree/degree apprenticeship programmes.
• Event Management – Strategic oversight, design and delivery of 90+ (in-person and Zoom) events, including industry days, graduation showcases, alumni reunions, panel discussions, and mentoring events.
• Design and roll out of a professional and soft skills initiative for creative students (event series and digital presence) - working with team of 16 students from different degrees to ensure content was packaged to appeal to creative students (engagement often low if activities were non-craft/technical or extracurricular).
• Research/feasibility report into how the teaching of critical professional and soft skills was embedded into creative degree programmes. Recommendations for areas of cross-faculty learning, streamlining, and student engagement shared with Faculty of Arts & Creative Industries senior leadership team.
• Project Management – Launch of university crowdfunding platform; Advised on launch of Faculty of Arts & Creative Industries’ Avid short course offering and accompanying promotional content.
• Life Coach/Mentor – Life-coach to Business School students and also staff on the Staff MBA programme; Crowdfunding mentor to creative students looking to raise funds for degree projects.
• Lecturing - Short stint running a consultancy module for final year Marketing students and 2nd year Tourism students, which included recruiting clients for students to advise and guiding them through the consultancy process (from initial client brief through to end delivery of proposal/pitch). Module designed to help with development of employability skills.

September – December 2018: House Histree 

Free online educational resource that enables users to discover and record their connections to houses

• Short-term project to aid with launch – Advised on web content and business development.

January 2017 – June 2018: Islington and Clerkenwell Chiropractic Clinic and Clerkenwellbeing 

Complementary Health Clinic and Pilates/Yoga studio

• Advised on communications strategy, re-designed newsletter and created content for online marketing.

January 2013 – October 2014: Alumni Relations Manager, Middlesex University

A London-based university with overseas campuses in Dubai, Mauritius and Vietnam 

• Brought in to re-establish Alumni Relations department following a year of dormancy. Line Manager to UK-based and overseas alumni staff.
• Developed new strategy to engage alumni and harness their support for university initiatives. Main strategic emphasis placed on the development of an enhanced alumni aftercare service, more effective communication materials (print and online) and an increasing focus on stewardship.
• Significant progress made against KPIs: 1200+ alumni converted to active participants of Alumni Association; 200+ new alumni ambassadors recruited to take part in various university initiatives; 3,000+ new LinkedIn group members and a substantial increase in e-communication open rates.

July 2010 - December 2012: Membership Director, BritishAmerican Business (London)

A leading transatlantic business membership organisation 

• Part of senior management team and line manager to membership team and database manager.
• Oversaw strategy for membership retention and recruitment – largest revenue stream for London office.
• Responsible for day-to-day relationships with top tier of membership. 
• Restructured internal processes within membership division in order to maximise efficiency.
• Conducted review of all membership communication materials and implemented changes.
• Increased interaction with member companies to ensure benefits were tailored to meet individual member’s requirements.
• Worked with other departments (Events, Communications and Policy) on roll out of new benefits.
• Strategic approach resulted in better member retention, an increase in active members despite economic downturn (double digit growth at top tier of membership), in addition to more prompt payment of membership fees.

January 2007 - February 2010: Consultant, The Millbrook Partnership

Communication and crisis specialists

• Clients included Octopus Investments, Welsh Guards and Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander. 
• Advised on critical issues management and stakeholder engagement. 
• Oversaw development and delivery of strategic communication plans and accompanying communication materials (e.g., company brochures, investor pitches, press releases, government submissions).
• Part of family liaison team, working on behalf of corporate employer of five men taken hostage overseas.

January 2005 - December 2006 and February 2000 - August 2003: Associate, Brunswick Group LLP

Leading international financial and corporate communication agency - re-joined as an Associate (promotion) in January 2005

• Clients included Minerva plc, Tussauds, Marks and Spencer plc, Burberry Group plc, Marconi, Reed Elsevier plc and Rolls-Royce.
• Acquired substantial experience in the development and delivery of multi-stakeholder communication plans (employee, media, investors/analysts, customers and suppliers).
• Worked on a number of UK and international projects including UBS’s partnership with Tate Modern, a pan-European lobbying campaign for trade association EICTA and the re-branding of Lex Service plc to RAC plc.
• Substantial crisis management, financial and M&A experience, including: Dura’s Chapter 11 filing, BAA’s defence against Ferrovial, NTL's debt restructuring and the suspension of Marconi’s shares in 2001.
• Experience of working in-house at both Marconi and Marks & Spencer.

February 2004 - November 2004: Consultant, Asset Media Ltd

Assisted clients with development/implementation of strategies to maximise value from Intellectual Property Rights

• Project managed the development of an educational website for children on behalf of Kew Gardens and conducted a survey on film location and associated charges for the National Trust.

September 2003 - February 2004: Freelancer, VisitBritain freelance PR

Britain’s national tourism agency

• Co-ordinated ‘European Short Breaks' PR campaign, aimed at raising the profile of various UK cities in a number of European countries.

Conducted two extensive media surveys (qualitative and quantitative) and presented recommendations on how media engagement could be improved to the Head of PR.

University of Bristol - BA Honours: Classical Studies - 2:1

European School Culham, Oxfordshire - European Baccalaureate: Overall Average 70.2%.