If you're at the English UK Annual General Meeting and AGM in Manchester this May and you see Steve Phillips, do take the time to say hello. 

Steve, recently appointed vice chair of the English UK Board of Trustees, is keen to meet as many members as possible. "I'm always ready to talk about everything and anything about our industry," he says. 

After more than 20 years in the industry, Steve, head of UK schools at the Eurocentres Foundation, is a well-known figure. He has also been active within English UK for some time as Chair of the Enterprises Board, and as a member of the main board.

He is passionate about the benefits of getting involved.

"When you are one person or one institution you have much less power or ability to get the message across than when you are a member of English UK. Being on the board, for me, is getting the big picture of the way things are done at the very top of the ELT industry in the UK. I find some of the discussions we have on the main board very interesting, and some of the high-level discussions we've had at various events around the world. It's all got a lot more political in the past few years, and we've been coming into contact with lots of lobbying groups. 

"I am proud of representing the sector and the UK when I am wearing my English UK hat. When you're talking to people who aren't sure what English UK is, it's a wonderful opportunity to talk about the ELT in the UK and the benefits for students to come here and get the best quality study experience rather than other countries."

Steve is interested to hear the views and opinions of members, and says: "If people come up and talk I might be trying to get them involved. We're always looking for more people to actively engage: it doesn't mean having to join the main board which is time-consuming, but there are sub boards, working groups, or we sometimes get people to work on something smaller which they might have an idea about. We always want to receive suggestions from members."

View all the English UK trustees, boards and committees.

Find out more about and book your place at the English UK Annual General Meeting and AGM.