Client testimonials

What our clients say about us.

“I had the privilege of working with Thijs for over a decade at Studyportals, where he has been an invaluable force in shaping our growth and impact. Starting in university relations, he quickly proved his expertise and determination.

What made his journey truly exceptional, however, is how he went on to found and grow our Analytics & Consulting team. From the ground up, he established a team and insights solutions that help universities and governments across the world to make better decisions, shaping the future of the sector. His vision, dedication, and ability to translate data into actionable insights have had a lasting impact on Studyportals’ success.

As a leader, Thijs is straightforward, to the point, and deeply committed to his team’s development. He balances clarity and decisiveness with genuine care for the people he works with. He leads with integrity, always keeping the bigger picture and purpose in mind.
Anyone fortunate enough to work with Thijs will find in him a strategic thinker, a dedicated professional, and above all, a leader with his heart in the right place.”
Edwin van Rest, CEO Studyportals BV (2025)

“I have had the pleasure of working with Thijs over the past 15 years in his role as the EVP Analytics & Consulting. I am impressed by his exceptional leadership, strategic thinking, and his ability to bring out the best in the teams he leads. With his strategic mindset, Thijs creates a culture of trust and collaboration, while always keeping a sharp focus on results. Thijs leads with clarity, empathy, and purpose — qualities that make him a highly effective manager and an inspiring colleague. Any organization would benefit greatly from his leadership.”
Mathias Falkenstein, Director, Higher Education Management Group GmbH (2025)

“I had the pleasure of working with Thijs for about eight years at Studyportals, with four years as a colleague and another four years under his direct management in the Analytics and Consulting team. Thijs played a pivotal role in building this team from scratch, from just a few people to 15 today, setting a strong foundation for the future.

As a director, Thijs was responsible for guiding our strategy, business development, product development, consulting efforts and overall team results and success. His leadership was marked by his authentic approach, deep industry knowledge, and a commitment to openness and transparency. Thijs's leadership style is inclusive but also decisive, which fostered a collaborative and supportive environment.
One memorable moment for me was being invited to join the team and our first conferences together, where Thijs advised me on how to network and get out of my shell. His guidance was invaluable and helped me grow both professionally and personally. He will consider all ideas but is not afraid to make tough decisions when needed.

One of Thijs's significant achievements was growing and professionalizing our team, turning it from individual contributors to really a team atmosphere, despite the diverse geographies now in the team. He demonstrated great industry thought leadership and was instrumental in developing innovative products, transitioning from traditional reports to dynamic dashboards, adapting our consulting to keep up with the time and technological developments. His contributions have had a lasting impact on our team's success and the overall growth of the company.

Thijs is great to work with; he can set a solid foundation and inspiring direction. Thijs has a bird's-eye view of higher-ed and an impressive network of colleagues or clients who are always keen to work with him and learn from him. I highly recommend Thijs for any leadership role, as his skills, experience, and personal qualities make him an outstanding manager and a valuable asset to any organization. He has been instrumental in setting the direction of my own career, for which I will forever be very grateful.”
Dr Carmen Neghina, Strategy Manager, Accenture (2025)

 “I was very fortunate to work extensively with Thijs when DVCI at Coventry and, because that was such a great experience, I was delighted to be able to convince Oxford International to also become a client so that I could continue that relationship. In both roles the insight and analytical expertise he showed has been transformative - these are roles where it is crucial that we have a really deep understanding of what is happening in overseas markets at a really granular level - and Thijs and his team provided truly exemplary services, so that we have been able to meet the rapidly increasing requirements of internal and external customers. He is the thing that made the Studyportals service superior to anything else on offer in the sector - nothing was ever too much trouble, nothing was ever delivered other than to an extremely high standard, and the team he built around him very much functioned in his excellent image. It is a sad loss for Studyportals that he is pursuing new avenues, though he leaves a highly trained team behind him. Whoever has the good fortune to recruit him or work with him in the future will be sure to benefit enormously from the experience - I would not hesitate to employ him in a heartbeat as data and insight are absolutely going to be the key to the future success in HE markets - and we have only just begun to scratch the surface of what can be achieved by experience combined with seriously relevant expertise such as Thijs offers.”
David Pilsbury, Chief Development Officer, Oxford International Group

“Thijs has been instrumental in putting in Analytics and data science on the map at for example Studyportals. Great team builder and personality dedicated to making things happen.....and to celebrating life! Loved working with him.”
Francois Eijgelshoven, CEO/Co-Founder iSprout (2024)

“I have collaborated with Thijs professionally for several years and I would wholeheartedly recommend him. He is incredibly dedicated, thoughtful and knowledgeable, with great attention to detail and management skills, able to organise complex operations and ensure his team delivers intricate projects successfully on time and budget. He has well-developed interpersonal skills, and he is a very able negotiator.”
Professor Manuel Frutos Perez, Chief Academic Officer, Cambridge Education Group (2024)

"Vrije Universiteit hired Thijs for a sales training of its staff responsible for degree mobility. Thijs and his team performed well beyond expectations in realizing a sales-oriented spirit within the team in just three sessions. Thijs showed the best of real customer care by showing not just sincere interest in our sales activities but also by showing strong determination to make the sales-oriented approach work at Vrije Universiteit."
Frans Snijders, Director International Office, VU University Amsterdam (2014)

"Using Thijs at iE&D Solutions for strategic advice is possibly the best investment I ever made in my 20 years of marketing. Thijs knowledge of international student recruitment and marketing ranges from the nitty gritty details of how to make best use of student fairs up to the management level with funding, organization, and analysis. He is also a very pleasant person to deal with and I can warmly recommend him both as a speaker and a consultant."
Joachim Ekstrom, Communication Strategist, Uppsala University (2013)

"RNTC hired Thijs for his expertise and track record in increasing the number of self paying and scholarship applicants for its training courses. Based on his analysis of RNTC, Thijs created and implemented a completely new marketing and communication approach of potential customers. Although it is still early days, results have improved, and the prospects are promising. Thijs is knowledgeable, committed and flexible, and easy to work with."
Peter Veenendaal, General Manager RNTC (2012)

"The last few years Thijs set up the marketing, communication and applications department at IHS. He managed to develop a high quality, efficient team which covers a wide range of activities. I'm very satisfied with the work he delivered."
Kees van Rooijen, director IHS, Erasmus University Rotterdam (2011)

Please also see our workshop reviews. For more information, contact Thijs van Vugt.