The MADness Podcast

Tackling the new Rugby ft. Anne Dickinson

Team MADness — Thu, 30 May 2024 04:22:00 GMT

We chat with Anne Dickinson (Director of Marketing and Admissions, Rugby School Japan) about building MAD processes at a start-up international school, how you explain that Rugby School is more than a school for rugby, and the changing expat demographics in Japan.

[MAD LABZ] Using visual content to enhance your school's image and reputation ft. Noodle Photography

Team MADness — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 09:00:00 GMT

James and Nik are joined by Paul Chapman from Noodle photography, as they discuss what makes a winning school photo & video, being 'brave' when taking pictures, and tips to improve the way you capture images around your campus. If you know you need to level up your school's imagery then this one is for you.

The aFISHionado ft. Piers Matthews

Team MADness — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 10:17:00 GMT

Piers Matthews, Director of Marketing and Admissions at Dulwich College Singapore, speaks with James and Nik about his time in China, striking the right balance when working with academic staff, and the best fishing spot on the island.

Not VAT old thing ft. Remco Weeda

Team MADness — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 22:59:00 GMT

Remco Weeda, Director of Marketing and Admissions at Scarborough College talks with Nik and James about the looming VAT on school fees, how to put your school at the centre of its community, and why brisket is his favourite meat to smoke.

A story about War(saw) ft. Nikita Vasyliev

Team MADness — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 09:00:00 GMT

Nikita Vasyliev, Communications & Marketing Manager at Pechersk School International, speaks to James and Nik about his experience of the war in Ukraine, how you relocate a school in the middle of a conflict, and the springs of hope that come the warmth of an international school community.

Getting Downe(house) with influencers in KSA ft. Sowmiya Muralidharan

Team MADness — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 20:58:00 GMT

Sowmiya Muralidharan, Director of Admissions and Marketing at Downe Hose Riyadh chats with James and Nik about relocating from Qatar to Saudi Arabia, how to work with social media influencers, and her campaign to boost awareness of their early years provision.

CXey and I Know It ft. Jason Hoppner

Team MADness — Thu, 16 May 2024 05:00:00 GMT

We chat with Jason Hoppner (Director of Operations, German European School Singapore) about his journey into the international school sector, and get his take on everything from CX strategies to the current market dynamics in Singapore.

MAD Community Update: July 2024

Team MADness — Sat, 27 Jul 2024 16:28:00 GMT

Nik brings you a short update on what's new with the podcast, including a new episode format for Season 2 and our upcoming collaboration with The PIE.

The Preview - Introducing our guests - and ourselves

Team MADness — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 17:10:00 GMT

James and Nik take to the virtual studio for the preview edition of The MADness Podcast. With a full roster of guests already lined up for Season One, they discuss who's who and some of the key themes already emerging as excitement builds for Episode One.

Keithing it real ft. Julian Keith

Team MADness — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 08:43:46 GMT

Julian Keith, Director of Admissions and School Communications at XCL World Academy (and previously Director of Admissions and Marketing at GESS), chats with James & Nik about personalising admissions comms with Hubspot automations, the competitive landscape in Singapore, and his journey from Newcastle to Surabaya.

Whatsapp-ening at Sedbergh ft. Davild Milner

Team MADness — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 09:00:00 GMT

David Milner, Director of Marketing and International Relations at Sedbergh School and Board Chair of AMCIS, speaks to James and Nik about 500 years of Sedbergh history, the challenges facing the UK Independent School sector, and his vibes on Whatsapp and Linkedin,

An interesting Korea path ft. Cyrielle Bazin

Team MADness — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 20:38:25 GMT

Cyrielle Bazin, Director of Strategic Communication at Seoul Foreign School, chats with James & Nik about her path to SFS, how she keeps the school community engaged over the Summer break, and the surge in prominence of Korea in pop culture - from Squid Game to XO Kitty.

Seeking a slapshot in South Korea - Ft Adriana Mourgelas

Team MADness — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 07:00:00 GMT

The uniquely competitive international school scene on the South Korean island of Jeju is the focus of this episode with Adriana Mourgelas, the Director of Enrollment Management at Branksome Hall Asia. Adriana breaks down the challenges she faces in her role at one of three government-backed schools on the same block as they battle it out for pupils. Hot chocolate, ice hockey and Gangnam Style also receive honorary mentions.

[MAD LABZ] Experience Strategy - The Ikea hotdog effect ft. Yellow Car

Team MADness — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 07:29:00 GMT

James and Nik are joined by Dr David Willows and Suzette Parlevliet of Yellow Car, as they discuss experience strategy and it's emerging importance/influence in the world of education. Expect authoritative insights and some great parallels from the expert duo.

Forstering success in BKK ft. Jane Forster

Team MADness — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 09:00:00 GMT

Jane Forster, Director of Marketing and Admissions at Wellington College International Bangkok, talks about standing out in a competitive marketplace, why the perfect photo is the most powerful marketing asset, and the key differences between the marketing and admissions functions in an international school as she joins James and Nik in the studio.

(Shang)hai and hello from China ft. Angelo Noviello

Team MADness — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 10:00:00 GMT

Angelo Noviello, Director of Admissions and Marketing, at The British International School Shanghai, Puxi, chats to James and Nick about his journey from Geology to Admissions, the Chinese Heritage movement, and his love of all things dogs and coffee.

The A-merry-go-round ft. Elizabeth Drake

Team MADness — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 10:42:00 GMT

Elizabeth Drake, VP Global Marketing at Amerigo Education, chats to James and Nik about the secondary system in the USA, selling the American dream, and why a bit of good old hustle is ingredient in the recipe for success.

[MAD LABZ] Understanding parent satisfaction

Team MADness — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 08:49:00 GMT

Michael Kewley from Magnetic Communications shares his top tips on how to monitor and analyse parent satisfaction, and how school leaders can make practical use of these insights to support MAD strategies.

From Dublin to Vancouver ft. Kelsey Hayre

Team MADness — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 09:24:00 GMT

Kelsey Hayre, Assistant Director of Advancement at Stratford Hall School in Vancouver explains exactly what advancement means - and talks about the power of alumni, authentic storytelling and word-of-mouth marketing when she hits the studio with hosts James and Nik.

[MAD LABZ] The doris 101 ft. Nik Higgins

Team MADness — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 15:24:00 GMT

In this special episode Nik chats with James about doris, a new marketplace that matches families and international schools. He covers the 'why', how it works, and how MAD leaders can use it to connect with highly qualified prospective families, access data insights, and save their admissions team time.

TASIS a lot of travelling ft. Sarah Travis

Team MADness — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 03:55:00 GMT

Sarah Travis, Senior Associate Director at TASIS England, chats with James & Nik about the change from Higher Ed to K12, what it's like to promote an American school in the UK, and how she engages with families from the Middle East to Asia.

Dubai or not Dubai, that is the question ft. Nikki Holman

Team MADness — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 18:19:00 GMT

Nikki Holman, Head of Admissions for UK Curriculum Schools at Taaleem UAE, chats with Nik about her journey from Singapore to Dubai, how she's raised the bar for admissions operations, and where she looks beyond the k12 sector for best practice.

[MAD LABZ] Revenue Optimisation for international schools: using pricing and scholarship strategies ft. Edified

Team MADness — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:28:55 GMT

James and Nik are joined by pricing experts Sharyn Martin and Dr. Len Coote from Edified. They discuss how schools can remove the guesswork from their pricing strategy by applying a scientific approach which draws on microeconomics and econometrics.

Taking Centre Stage ft. Abi Evans

Team MADness — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 21:06:00 GMT

Abi Evans, Director of Admissions, Marketing and Communications at Bancroft's School, Essex, UK, discusses her decision to ditch print marketing collateral, the power of data-driven decisions - and her life treading the boards.

XCL-ing in the MADness game ft. Irene Chung

Team MADness — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Irene Chung, Group Chief Commercial Officer at XCL Education, talks about MAD strategies, the power of authentic storytelling, working in a strategic role across 19 schools and the value of CRM (amongst many other things) as she joins James and Nik in the studio.

MAD Community Update: February 2025

Team MADness — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 19:03:50 GMT

Nik and James take a break from the normal recording schedule to bring you a short community update, covering upcoming guests, future LABZ episodes, and a bulletin on doris.

The problem of plenty in New Delhi ft Navneet Kaur

Team MADness — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Navneet Kaur, Head of Communications at The British School in New Delhi, explains how she created a comms team from scratch, discusses brand positioning, and explains why her school is 'media shy by design'.

Cope(enhagen)ing with the MADness ft. Catalina Gardescu

Team MADness — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 09:00:00 GMT

Catalina Gardescu, Director of Communications, Marketing and Admissions at Copenhagen International School, speaks to James and Nik about the Scandinavian school market, working with UN agencies, and moving from Romania to Denmark.

A Hall lot of love (for Marketing and Admissions) ft. Matt Hall

Team MADness — Thu, 21 May 2026 04:53:28 GMT

Matt Hall, Director of Marketing and Admissions @ Nexus International School (Singapore), chats to James and Nik about: How changing EP thresholds, living costs, and and expat packages are impacting demand for international school places in Singapore; How Matt and his team launched a 'transfer window' campaign, ft. Nexus footie shirts; Why pies create a unique culture nexus (see what we did there!) between the UK <> New Zealand.

Break(danc)ing the mould ft. Kyle Aldous

Team MADness — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 08:11:00 GMT

Kyle Aldous, Executive Director of Communications at Singapore American School, chats with James and Nik about his experience being part of an expat family, the importance of organic social, and his journey from the candy business to the world of marketing and admissions.

[MAD LABZ] Commercial sales techniques for independent and international schools ft. Nicola Lutz

Team MADness — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 05:33:09 GMT

Nik chats to Nicola Lutz from No Fluff about how schools can implement more rigorous and effective sales techniques, and how her No Fluff Fest is the event she wished she'd been able to attend earlier in her career.

[MAD LABZ] The big things schools are getting wrong with paid social ft. Kerwyn Salmons

Team MADness — Sun, 31 May 2026 16:45:00 GMT

Most schools are leaving high-value leads on the table in paid social - and don't know it. In this MAD LABZ episode, James and Nik chat to digital marketing expert Kerwyn Salmons from 15th Media as he breaks down the three costliest mistakes schools make with paid campaigns: bland ad copy, misunderstood retargeting, and over-trusting AI ad enhancements without oversight.

Drawing on work with schools across the UK, Malaysia, and the US, Kerwyn shares what actually moves the needle: tailored messaging for each stage of the parent decision journey, smarter use of first-party data, testing new channels, and building personalised funnels that turn clicks into enrolments.

A perfect listen for admissions teams, marketers, and school leaders ready to sharpen their digital game - with practical, low-lift tips you can put to work this week.

[MAD LABZ] How to harness PR activations and deliver memorable brand experiences ft. Dux Studio

Team MADness — Sun, 22 Dec 2024 18:07:00 GMT

Lucy and Gianna from Dux Studio chat to James and Nik about PR 'activations' and how to harness them to create memorable brand experiences that make your school shout out. You'll hear about #nostalgia, the hamburglar, and the resurgence of the pep rally.