Mark Garratt's Career Across UK Higher Education Marketing

Mark Garratt, a long-standing figure in UK higher education marketing, recruitment and communications, has died. He passed away on 4 August, his 61st birthday, after a short illness. His death prompted tributes from former colleagues across universities, charities and professional bodies.

Garratt's career began in the private sector and included roles at British Airways, Barnardo's and City University London before he moved fully into higher education. From 2013 to 2020 he was director of external affairs at the University of Bradford, and later held positions at Luminate Education Group and Anglia Ruskin University. Most recently he co-founded Lattice Advisory, a higher education consultancy.

Colleagues said his influence went well beyond job titles. During his time in Bradford he helped connect the university with the Bradford Literature Festival, and he held voluntary leadership roles with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. The Universities Marketing Forum credited him with encouraging a more ambitious and future-focused approach.

Dozens of LinkedIn tributes described his generosity, humour and willingness to support other people's careers. Former colleagues said he treated people with respect and made time for advice and guidance.

Why Colleagues Are Remembering Garratt as a Connector and Mentor

The outpouring of tributes reflects a particular kind of role in university administration: the external-affairs leader who operates across marketing, recruitment, civic partnerships and internal culture.

From Private-Sector Marketing to Campus Leadership

Garratt's route from British Airways and Barnardo's into universities mirrored a wider trend in UK higher education, as institutions recruited senior marketers and communications professionals from outside academia to compete for students and public attention. His move to Bradford in 2013 came at a time when universities were under growing pressure to justify their civic and economic value, not only to applicants but to local communities.

Why the "Connector" Role Mattered

Colleagues repeatedly described Garratt as a connector who used his networks to benefit others. That description has a concrete institutional meaning: linking a university to festivals, charities and professional bodies such as CASE can raise an institution's visibility without a large paid campaign. It also helps staff build careers, which several former colleagues said he did deliberately.

His leadership in CASE and the Universities Marketing Forum is likely to be remembered as part of a broader professionalisation of UK higher-education marketing during the 2010s.