Cato Rolea

Senior Leader | International Education & Digital Transformation

Summary

A senior leader at the intersection of international education and digital transformation. Combines 10+ years of deep sector expertise in UK Higher Education, building and managing 200+ partnerships across the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East, with a proven track record of leading complex technology initiatives. Spearheaded the end-to-end digitization of student mobility for 40,000+ students and, in a subsequent role, led AI and data strategy for critical Home Office and DfE contracts. A recognised innovator in applying AI to solve challenges in recruitment, student experience, and operational efficiency.

Relevant Work Experience

Assistant Director for Digital Transformation

ECCTIS | Cheltenham, UK

February 2024 - Present
  • Rebuilt the delivery model in 15 months: stood up Agile, Data Operations and Product Management from zero, with clear ownership and measurable outcomes aligned to Cyber Essentials Plus and ISO 27001.
  • Led the strategy and roadmap for Digital and AI change aligned with contract delivery and compliance.
  • Authored and implemented a responsible use policy for generative AI; created a strategic steering group and a practitioner community.
  • Delivered Agentic AI pilots and an AI-assisted customer chat that reduced routine demand.
  • Co-authored the AI and digital case for two successful multi-million-pound government retenders with the Home Office and DfE.

Founder and Trustee

AI For Global Education | UK Registered CIO

February 2025 - Present
  • Leading a charity dedicated to advancing AI literacy and ethical AI adoption in global education.
  • Collaborating with academics at Nottingham Trent University, CASIO (UAE), and Harvard Business School.
  • Developing AI literacy programs and advocating for fair and transparent AI policy frameworks in education.

Founder and Product Director

UniGlobal Technologies

November 2022 - Present
  • Driving product development of an AI-powered Career Toolkit for the International Education field.
  • Led initiatives to prototype and test emerging technologies, including AI-LMS and intelligent voice assistants.

Senior Global Partnerships Manager / Acting Associate Director

Nottingham Trent University | Nottingham, UK

March 2022 - February 2024
  • Developed and managed a portfolio of 200+ partnerships across the Americas, Africa and the Middle East.
  • Commended by the British Ambassador to Mexico, UK Secretary of State for Education, and Ministries in Peru and Cuba for partnership outcomes.
  • As Acting Associate Director, implemented the "Connecting Globally" strategy and provided university-wide direction on AI implementation.

Mobility Online Project Coordinator/ Product Manager

Nottingham Trent University | Nottingham, UK

January 2018 - March 2022
  • Steered the end-to-end implementation of the Mobility Online platform, digitalizing the global exchange process for 40,000+ students.
  • Convened and presided over the Mobility Online UK Forum for 11 UK universities to share best practices.

Project Innovation & Research

  • AI for Learning & Policy: Developed app experiments that convert papers into interactive AI web apps.
  • AI Job Board: Created an AI job board with aggregation, salary analytics, and matching.
  • Agentic AI Pilots: Delivered pilots in operations and research and an AI-assisted chat for 7000+ daily enquiries.
  • Sector Chatbots: Built chatbots, voice agents, and a no-code agent builder for web and social media.
  • Rapid Prototyping: Used Gemini, ChatGPT, Elevenlabs, Midjourney, Suno, and Runway ML.

Publications

500 Ways to engage with Generative AI in International Higher Education

Co-authored with Professor Vangelis Tsiligkiris. View on Amazon

A.I. and the Changing Face of Higher Education

Published by QS - Quacquarelli Symonds. Read Article

Useful applications of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education

Published by Times Higher Education. Read Article

Bridging the Gap: Revising UNESCO’s AI Competency Framework

Published by Nottingham Institute of Education. Read PDF

Education

MSCI International Relations and Global Issues

University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK | Grade: Distinction