The PIEoneer Awards 2025: winners revealed

Winners across 21 categories were announced at a glamorous gala hosted at the historic Guildhall in London, with many more entrants recognised as highly commended for their outstanding achievements and contributions to global education over the past year.

“It feels as though the quality of The PIEoneer Award entries improves every year, and 2025 has been no exception,” commented The PIE’s editor, Beth Kennedy.

A distinguished judging panel – representing a wide range of expertise and international backgrounds – sought out individuals and organisations redefining excellence and driving progress in global education.

“We, and our panel of judges, were truly blown away by this year’s finalists. It’s been another challenging year for the international education sector, but their hard work, innovation and drive to make life better for international students has been truly inspiring – a sign that our community is set to thrive for many years to come,” continued Kennedy.

In keeping with its commitment to sustainability, The PIE once again rolled out the green carpet, encouraging attendees to wear pre-loved outfits and showcase eco-friendly glamour.

This year, the Sustainability international impact award went to the International Education Sustainability Group (IESG) with QS Quacquarelli Symonds and the University of Exeter highly commended for their Future17 SDG Challenge.

The coveted PIEoneer of the year award recognised EasyTransfer for its efforts in simplifying global tuition payments for over 800,000 students inmore than 170 countries.

Each year, The PIE recognises an individual for their Outstanding contribution to the industry and this year Keith Segal, president and CEO at Guard.me, was recognised for his work in international education over the last three decades.

It’s been another challenging year for the international education sector, but their hard work, innovation and drive to make life better for international students has been truly inspiringBeth Kennedy, The PIE

The full list of winners and highly commended for the 2024 PIEoneer Awards are:

Business school of the year: UC Business School, New ZealandHighly commended: Leicester Castle Business School (LCBS), De Montfort University, United Kingdom

Championing diversity, equity and inclusion award: Jusoor, GlobalHighly commended: Edward Consulting, Nigeria

Digital innovation of the year – learning: Seenaryo, United KingdomHighly commended: My Speaking Score – Real-Time TOEFL® Speaking Insights, Canada

Digital innovation of the year – student recruitment: VisaMonk – AI Powered Visa Interview Prep Platform, IndiaHighly commended: Platty – Innovative Online Government Student Management Platform, Australia & Gyanberry – AI Powered Medical Admissions Platform, United Arab Emirates

Emerging leader of the year: Bimpe Femi-Oyewo, NigeriaHighly commended: Ricardo Tavares, United Kingdom

Employability international impact award: Virtual Internships, United KingdomHighly commended: Wayble, Canada & PeopleCert / PeopleCert Accredited Academic Partner Program, United Kingdom

Excellence in data and insight: Beyond enrolment: Tracking international graduate outcome data, NetherlandsHighly commended: Voyage’s Social Source, Australia

International alum of the year: Adityakumar Shrimali, India, London College of Fashion, University of the Arts, London and International Students House, London, United KingdomHighly commended: Chenai Dunduru, Zimbabwe, Torrens University, Australia

International student recruitment organisation of the year: Keystone Education Group, GlobalHighly commended: NCUK, United Kingdom

Language training provider of the year: Discover English, AustraliaHighly commended: International House Yangon-Mandalay, Myanmar

Marketing campaign of the year: FPT University, Vietnam, STEM education in the age AIHighly commended: Queen’s University Belfast & PingPong Digital, United Kingdom, Bridging Research & Reputation: Queen’s Inspiring Experts Campaign in China

Membership organisation of the year: AIRC: The Association of International Enrollment Management, United StatesHighly commended: AIEA, United States

Outstanding contribution to the industry: Keith Segal, Guard.me, Canada

PIEoneer of the year: EasyTransfer, United KingdomHighly commended: Global Seal of Biliteracy, United States

Progressive education delivery award: Kruu Edutech Private Limited, India & Global Cities, Inc., a Program of Bloomberg Philanthropies, United StatesHighly commended: Real Madrid Global Sports Management, Summer Discovery, United States

Public / Private partnership of the year: ISDC, Jain University, GOAL Guyana and SQA, ISDC, United Kingdom, GOAL – Guyana Online Academy of Learning, GuyanaHighly commended: International student higher education recruitment, marketing and admissions support, Kaplan International, United Kingdom, Arizona State University, United States & University of Greenwich and Studiosity – A multi-year partnership, Studiosity, United Kingdom, University of Greenwich, United Kingdom

Secondary school international innovation: USAP Community School, ZimbabweHighly commended: German European School Singapore (GESS), Singapore

Student support award: IES Abroad, United StatesHighly commended: KI Student Grief Network and Mindfulness-based Resilience, United Kingdom & Shorelight – The Shorelight Center for Academic Success (CAS), United States

Study abroad and exchange experience of the year: Coventry University Immersive Telepresence In Theatre (Romeo and Juliet Online), United KingdomHighly commended: Think Pacific, United Kingdom

Sustainability international impact award: International Education Sustainability Group (IESG), GlobalHighly commended: Future17 SDG Challenge by QS Quacquarelli Symonds and the University of Exeter, Global

The Charlene Allen award for inspirational leadership: Kris Holloway, United States & Sonya Singh, IndiaHighly commended: Miri Firth, United Kingdom

The PIEoneer Awards will return to the Guildhall in September 2026 for its 10th anniversary.