Building the reputation of universities, worldwide.
I work with universities around the world on how they perform, how they're perceived, and how to close the gap between the two. I host Marketing Greats in Higher Education and speak at conferences on reputation, AI and marketing leadership.
- QS
Principal Consultant, working with universities worldwide since February 2026
- 110th
Newcastle University's highest-ever QS World University Rankings placement (2024), as Director of Marketing & Communications
- 24
Russell Group universities convened as former Chair of the Marketing & Student Recruitment Forum
- Europe
Former Chair of the QS Global Advisory Board (Europe)
Latest episodes.
Short, honest conversations about how universities are seen, chosen and trusted. A new episode every week.
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Reputation Belongs to Everyone in a University
Reputation is shaped by a lecturer's keynote, a call on results day and a student's first-week post, far more than by any campaign.
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The Best University Reputation Ideas Come From Outside the Sector
Higher education is very good at learning from itself, which is also why so many strategies look alike.
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Reputation Is a Performance Metric: Manage It Like One
Most universities can quote their application numbers to the unit, but not how their reputation has moved.
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Policy Is Now a Reputation Event for Universities
A visa rule change now reaches a family WhatsApp group on the other side of the world before it reaches your website.
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Why I'm Bringing Marketing Greats Back to Higher Education
Season 2 of Marketing Greats in Higher Education starts here, built entirely around how universities are seen, chosen and trusted.
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Marketing Greats in Higher Education
The podcast is back, rebuilt around the people shaping how universities are seen, chosen and trusted. Each week I talk to marketing, communications and institutional leaders from leading universities worldwide about what's working, what isn't, and what they'd do differently.
Global voices
CMOs, comms directors and vice-chancellors from every major study destination.
AI in practice
How teams are actually using AI, with the results and the mistakes.
Reputation & rankings
What really moves perception, and how leaders measure it.
Weekly, in your inbox
Every new episode and article, sent by email each week.
Season 1, 2023
Six conversations with marketing leaders from Sage, Sodexo, Kwalee and beyond. Still worth a listen alongside Season 2.
Navigating the future of marketing with Sage CMO Cath Keers
AI, personalisation and why brand values still decide who wins.
02Will ChatGPT replace your partner? With Dr Amani Alabed
New research from Newcastle University on the evolving relationship between humans and AI.
03Staying ahead of the curve in HE marketing with Kyle Campbell
The trends, platforms and personalisation techniques worth your team's time.
04One billion downloads and counting with Harry Lang, Kwalee
What games marketing can teach every sector about growth at scale.
05Building a £3.5 billion brand: Heike O'Leary's masterclass
Luxury and lifestyle marketing, digitally savvy consumers and re-thinking brand strategy.
06Empowering 36 million consumers with Viktoria Otero del Val, Sodexo
Strategy, product and customer experience across 31 countries.
Latest thinking.
Why I'm bringing Marketing Greats back
Season 2 of Marketing Greats in Higher Education launches in November 2026. Here's what's changed, who you'll hear from, and why now.
16 October 2026 · 2 min read
Policy is now a reputation event
Visa rules, enrolment caps and funding settlements used to be a matter for the planning office. Today they shape how universities are seen around the world, often before the institution has said a word.
15 October 2026 · 3 min read
Reputation is a performance metric. Manage it like one.
Universities track applications, income and research output to the decimal point. Reputation, which shapes all three, is still too often treated as a matter of opinion.
14 October 2026 · 2 min read
A keynote should leave the room with something to do on Monday.
I speak the way I lead: with real data, candid stories from inside the institutions I've worked with, and practical ideas teams can use straight away. Audiences tell me they leave with energy and a plan.
The AI-enabled marketing team
How to redesign roles, workflows and reporting around AI, so people spend their time on the work only people can do.
Reputation is a performance metric
What rankings, perception and institutional data really tell you, and how to build a strategy that moves them.
From data to decisions
Analytics and visualisation that leadership teams actually use, with lessons from Newcastle and universities worldwide.
What Hilton taught me about higher education
Hospitality thinking applied to the student journey, brand consistency and conversion across the full recruitment cycle.
Collaboration as a competitive advantage
Lessons from chairing the Russell Group forum on what universities achieve when they stop working alone.
A marketer who believes reputation is earned in the data.
I'm Jonathan Sabarre. I help universities around the world understand how they perform, how they're perceived, and how to close the gap between the two.
I learned that gap from the inside. As Director of Marketing and Communications at Newcastle University I led a team of 120, and the global brand, research and reputation strategy we built took Newcastle to its highest-ever QS World University Rankings placement: 110th in 2024. Our data-led marketing strategy beat international recruitment targets along the way.
My career started a long way from campus. At the Cairn Hotel Group I ran marketing across 33 hotels operating Hilton, Marriott and IHG brands, and revenue grew from £60M to £110M. Hospitality taught me that every interaction is the brand. Since February 2026 I've brought all of that to QS Quacquarelli Symonds as Principal Consultant.
Sector leadership
- Former Chair, Russell Group Marketing & Student Recruitment Forum. Five years convening 24 universities, working with UCAS.
- Former Chair, QS Global Advisory Board (Europe)
- Former member, CASE Global Thought Leadership Team, Framework for Brand and Reputation Metrics
- Former Board Executive, IHG Commercial Marketing Board EMEA
- Fellow, and former Vice-Chair North East, Chartered Institute of Marketing
Community
- Parish Councillor, Woolsington Parish Council Current
- Former Chair, Joint Governing Board, SMART Multi Academy Trust
- Former trustee, Healthworks Newcastle, Citizens Advice Gateshead and Newcastle Community Asset Trust
Planning a conference? Let's talk.
Invite me to speak
Tell me about your event and I'll come back to you personally within a few working days.
The weekly email
New episodes of Marketing Greats in Higher Education and my latest thought leadership, in one short email each week.
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