Our Team

Maozi Chen
BSc MSc (Bristol) CMgr FCMI | Managing Director

Maozi is from Zhejiang, China, and has lived in the UK since 2002. She is well versed with the British Education system and is accredited by the British Council as an advanced education agent. She has guided thousands of international students on education options in the UK, and have inspired them to achieve their dreams.

Before founding TopCourses in 2018, Maozi worked as the Operations Director in a leading global education organization in London for 7 years, where she liaised extensively with UK schools and universities, and gained senior management and leadership experience. She holds the Chartered Fellowship at the Chartered Management Institute. She is currently studying a Master’s Degree at University of Cambridge Judge Business School. In her spare time, she enjoys voluntary and charity activities and being a public tour guide for the British Museum.

George Callaghan
BA MA (Oxon) LLB, CELTA, TEFL | Oxbridge and Public School Specialist

George graduated from Eton College and received Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in History from University of Oxford. George has been in the education sector since 2002, and has English teaching qualifications such as TEFL and CELTA. He is an examiner in English language GCSE. George’s personality is genial and buoyant. He has published a book on tuition. At Topcourses, George is preparing high calibre students applying to top boarding schools and universities.

Dr. Adrian Cheng
MBBS LLM MD FRCP (Imperial College London) | UK Public School and Medicine specialist

Dr. Cheng attended St. Paul’s School before studying Medicine at King’s College London, and then being awarded MD (Doctor of Medicine) from Imperial College London for his research at University of Oxford. He works for the NHS as a Consultant Cardiologist. In 2016, he received the prestigious Fellowship from Royal College of Physicians. At Topcourses®, he prepares high calibre candidates for entry into top boarding schools and medical schools.

Dr. Audrey Xue
BSc, MSc (Edinburgh), PhD (UBC, Canada) | Business Development Executive (North America)

Dr. Xue spent 6 years in the British post-secondary education system before pursuing her PhD in Canada. She has taught high school to university level students in a wide range of subjects from science, arts to economics and statistics (data science). She is addicted to learning and understands the benefit of global experience, personally and professionally. She’s been to over 15 countries, studied in China, U.K., Canada, conducted field trips in Belize, Peruvian Amazonia, England, Scotland and Canada. Audrey is an effective communicator, a good listener, and will work with you to design the best strategies for TopCourses to partner with your organization and school, So that we can offer the most exciting U.K. educational experience for students from North America.

Pornapa Ongrattanasenee
BA, MBA (De Montfort University, Leicester) CMI | Marketing Manager

Pornapa is a Thai national and a Global MBA graduate from De Montfort University, Leicester. She works with TopCourses® as a marketing manager to develop acquisition strategies, manage brand communications, manage all digital platforms and oversee a team of marketers across all regions. She also works with UK institutions on student recruitment activations and with TopCourses® business partners to promote UK study and work opportunities to the international audience. Previously, Pornapa has worked in the marketing and advertising field for five years at Unilever and Dentsu Aegis Network in Thailand.

Ruirui Zeng
MA (Newcastle University) | Leicester Office Manager

Ruirui has started to work with Topcourses since 2018 dealing with business development management and customer liaison. She has detailed knowledge of the American, Chinese and British educational systems, with experience of senior management in a Chinese education agent and a position as managing director of an American education consultancy company.

Ruirui has worked with people from many different backgrounds and nationalities, and has helped hundreds of students achieve their dream school offers. She edited and compiled a book on how to choose American universities which was published in 2016.

Yihan Yang
MSc (University of Manchester) | Senior Education Advisor 

Yihan Yang is from Guizhou, China. She started working in the education consulting industry in the UK after getting her master’s degree from the University of Manchester in 2020. She joined TopCourses as an Education Advisor in 2022. Yihan has 3 years experience of helping international students study and work in the UK and giving advice through professional consultations. She also has a passion for marketing and operates multiple channels to help international students in the UK.

Mingzhi Li
MA (University of Bath) | Senior Education Advisor

Mingzhi Li, from Shandong, China, joined TopCourses in 2023 after finishing his MA degree in Interpreting and Translation (Chinese/ English) at the University of Bath. He had been an English trainer for an online platform for 2 years before joining the team, where he honed his skills in communication and education. With a commitment to helping students achieve their full potential, he is dedicated to providing personalized guidance and support to all those who seek his assistance.

Xiaolin (Liam) YANG
MSc (The University of Manchester) | Senior Education Advisor

With over four years of professional experience, Liam is a specialist advisor in UK undergraduate and postgraduate applications. He has a comprehensive understanding of the educational landscape, and provides students with tailored, strategic guidance to enhance their application success.
Liam has a proven track record of assisting students in securing offers from prestigious institutions such as Cambridge, the London School of Economics (LSE), Imperial College London, Cornell University, and Columbia University.

Rachel Tang
MA (University of Leeds) | Senior Education Advisor

Rachel has nearly five years of experience as an educational consultant, helping students from Thailand, Dubai, and China with language learning plans and providing professional guidance on their applications. Having lived in the UK for over three years, Rachel is highly familiar with the university system and the application processes for various levels, from secondary school to PhD programmes. She is creative, skilled at identifying students’ potential strengths, and adept at analysing programme structures in depth.

Yuan Zhong
MPhil (The University of Cambridge) | Education Advisor

From completing a degree at a Chinese university to graduating from Cambridge, Yuan understands the crucial role of personalized guidance in university applications. She firmly believes that every student has unique strengths waiting to be discovered. As a graduate of the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge, Yuan has successfully assisted several students in receiving offers from Cambridge. She joined TopCourses with the hope of helping more students broaden their horizons by studying abroad.

Xinxin Jiang
MSc (University of Liverpool) | Education Advisor

Before joining TopCourses as an Education Advisor. Xinxin I had two years of experience working as an educational consultant in China and worked for one year at a local highschool in the UK. This has provided her with a strong familiarity with the British high school education system. Additionally, she is adept at seeking out and helping students through social media and online platforms, providing professional advice.

Icey Pan
MA (Newcastle University) | Education Advisor

Originally from Anhui Province, China, Icey brings her existing knowledge and experience to the role of Education Advisor. After earning a Master’s degree in Interpreting and Translating from Newcastle University, Icey has applied these skills effectively in both educational and media contexts. With one year of dedicated service as an Education Advisor and another year as a Translator for a Western media outlet, Icey enhances our educational outreach and student support initiatives.

Jianghuang Liu
MSc (University of Huddersfield) | Marketing Executive

Jianghuang has six years of experience in offline marketing and has assisted thousands of students to secure offers to their desired university. She is well-versed in the application process and provides guidance throughout. Jianghuang is passionate about helping others succeed and is especially attuned to the needs of international students.

Harry Caine
MA (University of Edinburgh) | Document Editor & Personal Tutor

Based in Scotland, Harry is responsible for editing and reviewing applications at TopCourses. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh in Government, Policy and Society, Harry has worked in the fields of politics, public affairs, and the third sector. He also has several years of experience tutoring in social and political sciences up to degree level, specialising in aiding international students with English as a second language.

Sophie Lockley
BA International Business and Chinese, MA Translation (University of Bristol), TEFL | Document Editor

Sophie has completed a postgraduate degree in Translation, and is responsible for editing and proofreading application related documents at TopCourses. In an advisory capacity, she has supported international students in overcoming problems and developing their academic writing skills. Sophie has also taught English as a second language in both China and the UK.

Karina Thorne
BA MA (University of Nottingham) CELTA, COLT | IELTS & Academic English Tutor

Karina is from London, England, and with a strong interest in other cultures has spent time learning languages in France, Spain and China. Following ten years working in Finance at the beginning of her career, Karina then pivoted towards teaching and now has 10 years of English Language tutoring under her belt. She specialises in preparing students for English Language exams as well as university life in the UK through Academic Skills training. Her engaging lessons are tailored to individual student needs and integrate her passions for creativity, digital technology and diverse/inclusive learning

Bradly Kneisel
BSc MSc (Imperial College London) | Science Tutor

Bradly has a first-class Biochemistry degree from Imperial College London and ten years’ tutoring experience. He is an American who was educated at the prestigious Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, and later at Salem State University. While studying at Imperial College London, he tutored many science subjects. After graduation, he worked for two years as a full-time tutor in Warsaw, where he developed and delivered full IB and A-level courses in chemistry, biology, mathematics, and physics. At Topcourses®, Bradley tutors science subjects.