About us
QS Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) offers unrivalled data, expertise and solutions for the global higher education sector.
Our purpose and values
At QS, we work with universities and business schools to identify, shape and deliver higher education strategies that help each institution accomplish its goals and aspirations.
Universities change lives every day – and each year brings us more opportunities to connect with learners and leaders who are changing the face of higher education around the world.
Our unrivalled insights and expertise enable our university partners to take a data-driven approach, underpinning their strategic thinking with the billions of data points generated through our global network of employers, academics and prospective students.
Our founder and president
As the higher education sector has grown and evolved, QS has done the same. We share the passion and mission of our university partners to ensure their students fulfil their potential, year after year.
QS in numbers
58m
Unique visitors
Our flagship student website, topuniversities.com, receives almost 60 million unique visitors every year.
290k
International partnerships
Almost 300,000 global mobilities are managed effectively by the 400 institutions that use our software solutions.
240k
Student registrations
The number of students who register to attend one or more of our world-leading student recruitment events each year.
54
Staff nationalities
QS staff hail from all corners of the globe, supporting our clients with cultural expertise in a wide variety of languages.
Our impact
QS has been involved in philanthropic activities since 2005, when we established the QS Education Trust to fund scholarships.
QS ImpACT Charity
Since 2020 QS has been supporting a charity currently known as QS ImpACT. QS ImpACT is a global charity recognizing a community of young leaders positively impacting their society. We believe in supporting young people to build talent defined by values, skills, capacity and knowledge so they can lead through ImpACT. Pictured is Riya Sharma – our Undergraduate Scholarship winner in 2022.
Future17
Future17 SDG Challenge is a multi-institutional interdisciplinary global experiential learning programme for students, focused on developing 21st century skills and tackling the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals through the real-life projects.
Senior leadership team
A University of Cambridge and Wharton School alumnus, Nunzio is the founder of QS and the visionary behind the QS World University Rankings – now the most cited global rankings worldwide.
Nunzio Quacquarelli , Founder and President 
Jessica assumed the position of CEO in September 2022, after serving as Group Managing Director from 2019. Jessica leads a diverse global team focused on nurturing and amplifying the trust QS has earned over three decades from the worldwide higher education community, students, employers and policymakers.
Jessica Turner , Chief Executive Officer
Ben is one of the founding thinkers behind the QS World University Rankings and a veteran in the field of comparative institutional performance in global higher education. As Senior Vice President at QS, Ben heads the institutional performance unit, dedicated to bringing together policy makers and HE leaders through the power of data and insights.
Ben Sowter , Senior Vice President
Edward Harcourt, Ph.D., is a seasoned higher education leader with a career deeply rooted in international relations and strategy. Edward leverages his diverse experience to improve student enrollment processes and leads a talented and diverse global team who spearheads innovations such as the deployment of AI-assisted machine learning to enhance student conversion.
Dr Edward Harcourt , Senior Vice President & Managing Director of Enrolment Solutions
Patrick Brothers is an Executive Director at QS Quacquarelli Symonds and a member of its Executive Leadership Team (ELT), joining after QS’ acquisition of HolonIQ in October 2024. Before joining QS, Patrick co-founded and served as co-CEO of HolonIQ, the world’s leading research and analytics platform for the global impact economy. At HolonIQ, he led data and deep technology teams, advising governments, institutions, foundations, and investors worldwide on strategies that drive impact and investment for a more inclusive and sustainable future.
Patrick has had a significant impact on global impact investment and strategy through his work with HolonIQ. His career is marked by his dedication to fostering co-operation and collaboration between the public and private sectors to address global challenges.
Patrick hosted HolonIQ’s global leadership summits in more than 30 countries around the world, gathering senior leaders to discuss and collaborate on pressing global issues, including economic development, environmental sustainability, education and healthcare innovation.
Prior to HolonIQ, Patrick served as Chairman, CEO and senior executive roles in strategy, technology and corporate development in energy, infrastructure and education. He served as a senior advisor at Deloitte in M&A and Corporate Finance working with sovereign wealth funds and private equity clients around the world after starting his career as an Australian Army Officer leading paratroopers in reconnaissance and humanitarian assistance operations.
Patrick holds an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management, a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of New South Wales and graduated first prize in field leadership and military skills from the Royal Military College Duntroon.
Patrick Brothers , Executive Director
Dr. Maria Spies is the Chief Innovation Officer at QS Quacquarelli Symonds and a member of its Executive Leadership Team, joining after QS’ acquisition of HolonIQ in October 2024. Maria is Co-Founder of HolonIQ and served as Co-CEO before joining QS. HolonIQ is recognized as a world leading research and analytics platform for the global impact economy, providing data and insights for growth, innovation, and risk intelligence for forward-thinking governments, institutions, organizations, and investors across sectors such as climate, education, and health.
With over 20 years of experience in both public and private education, Maria has specialized in transforming education through technology. She has built and led global teams, driving innovation in curriculum development, teaching practices, and student experiences in more than 50 countries. As Co-CEO of HolonIQ, Maria led the Education Intelligence Unit, delivering data-rich insights on the global education sector and overseeing tools and frameworks like the Global Learning Landscape, Scenarios for the Future of Education, and Digital Transformation Frameworks.
Maria advises institutions, policymakers, intergovernmental organizations, and NGOs on critical education issues. She holds both a Master’s and a Doctorate in Higher Education and was awarded “Thesis of the Year” for her research on public-private partnerships in higher education. Additionally, she serves as Adjunct Faculty at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.
Dr Maria Spies , Chief Innovation Officer
Alisha Bartl is a graduate of Monash University and has an MBA from Melbourne Business School. She is an experienced leader in people, project and change management.
Alisha Bartl , Chief People Officer
Matteo Quacquarelli is Director of Strategy & Analytics at QS.
Matteo Quacquarelli , Director of Strategy & Analytics
Jason Newman has more than 20 years of experience leading higher education sales and marketing teams across the globe. He joined QS in 2011 and became our Chief Commercial Officer in 2020.
Jason Newman , Chief Commercial Officer
Chris Martin has more than 30 years’ experience working as a leader in technology. His career has included roles at IBM and Ask Jeeves. He joined QS in 2021.
Chris Martin , Chief Technology Officer
Matthew Wait is a highly experienced leader with previous roles at organisations including Siemens, and KPMG. He joined QS as Chief Financial Officer in 2016.
Matthew Wait , Chief Financial Officer
Daniel Cunningham is an experienced senior leader in higher education, specialising in international student admissions and recruitment.
Daniel Cunningham , Managing Director, QS Apply
We help you solve your challenges
Our success is defined by the ever-evolving ambitions and achievements of the institutions we work with. As their needs have changed, so has our innovation and commitment to bringing those goals to life.
Find, convert and enrol students
We support you at all stages of the student recruitment journey – from engagement through to enrolment.
Manage and improve your performance
We analyse your institution’s strengths and weaknesses – developing effective strategies to improve its performance in key areas.
Understand and enhance your reputation
We develop a bespoke plan for your institution to help refine and amplify its brand – leveraging our expertise to achieve results.
Achieve your internationalisation goals
Our global network and reach enable us to build the most effective strategies to enhance your institution’s presence around the world.
Get in touch
Have a question or require our support? Send us a message and our team will get back to you.