Gresham Global: Redefining University Representation in South Asia

South Asia sends more students abroad than almost anywhere else in the world. It is also one of the hardest markets to get right. Immigration policy can shift overnight. Visa guidance changes mid-cycle. A government policy announcement, a visa decision, even a social media post can alter student and parent sentiment across the region within hours.

In a market that moves this fast, you need someone on the ground who is ready to respond, reassure, and handle the situation before students start dropping their plans to study at the university. The difference between universities that grow here and those that do not rarely comes down to the institution. It comes down to who is representing them, and how effectively they are doing it.

South Asia is not one market. India alone has states as large as some countries, and even within a single state, the student profile, counsellor network, and appetite for international education can shift dramatically from one city to the next. What works in Mumbai does not always work in Pune. What works in Maharashtra does not automatically work in Karnataka. And what works in India does not work in Sri Lanka or Nepal. Yet most universities treat the entire region as a single stop on an annual tour, sending someone once or twice a year, sometimes not even that.

Gresham Global was founded to fill that gap, and is doing precisely that for its partner universities.

Established in Mumbai in 2021 by Jaspreet Singh and Jasminder Khanna, the firm works as a South Asia regional partner supporting universities from the UK, Switzerland, and Canada across the region. Five years in, with eight active university partnerships and a team of 40 professionals spanning Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru, the results have followed.

The People Behind It

Between them, Jaspreet and Jasminder bring over 40 years of professional experience, more than 30 of which have been spent in international education. They studied and worked in the UK before returning to India. They know this market from both sides, and they built Gresham Global because they saw a better way to serve it. Jasminder has represented Cranfield University and Jaspreet has worked with University College Birmingham, both for over a decade and counting. These relationships did not begin with Gresham Global. They helped build it.

How It Works

Every university partnership begins with a plan, built around the institution's goals and the realities of this market at that moment. From there, the university's dedicated on-ground representative takes it forward. Not a shared resource, not a rotating contact, but someone who supports that university exclusively in the region. Someone who is knowledgeable, accessible, and genuinely invested: understanding the institution and its programmes, guiding agents and counsellors through student queries, delivering meaningful training, and being the first call they make when they need anything.

The two co-founders remain closely involved across all partnerships, supported by a Head of Partner Success and a Head of Business Operations. Each brings a different layer of support to the university relationship, ensuring nothing is left to chance at any level.

Behind the scenes, the Gresham Hive keeps everything running. An internal support structure covering finance, marketing, operations, procurement, HR, and compliance, exists so the on-ground team is never pulled away from what matters. Representatives are not chasing invoices or sorting paperwork. They are in the market, doing the work.

The firm operates in full GDPR compliance, with regular team training built in as a matter of course. Learning and development runs alongside it, through knowledge sessions, external programmes, and industry resources.

The team gathers monthly for community lunches. Once a year, the Gresham Global Sports League brings everyone together for a day of cricket, badminton, pickleball, and more.

Partnerships Built on Fit

Gresham Global's portfolio spans eight institutions across the UK, Switzerland, and Canada - University College Birmingham, Cranfield University, Norwich University of the Arts, Leeds Arts University, Royal Agricultural University, University of Cumbria, EHL Hospitality Business School, and the University of Guelph.

The firm is selective about who it works with, but not for the reasons most would assume. The question is never about ranking or profile. It is about fit: whether the university is serious about this market, whether the collaboration will be genuine, and whether the students being recruited are well served.

Beyond Recruitment

Gresham Global has invested in developing the broader ecosystem it works within. The Gresham Annual Counsellors Conference (GACC) has grown across two editions in 2024 and 2025, covering seven cities and engaging over 350 school counsellors across India. These are professional platforms designed to raise the quality of guidance available to students considering international education.

Gresham Connect, the firm's institutional networking initiative, expanded this year with its inaugural event in Dhaka, a deliberate step toward serving the wider South Asian region.

What Comes Next

Gresham Global is not a firm that talks loudly about ambition. It tends to show it instead. Every partnership has been earned. Every step has been considered.

"We started this because we believed universities deserved better representation in this market, and students deserved better access to the people representing them. That has not changed. We still show up the same way we always have: with intent, honesty, and a genuine commitment to growing our partner universities," said Jaspreet Singh, Co-founder, Gresham Global.