Andy Palmer appointed CEO of Academy Royale International

Andy Palmer has joined Academy Royale International as Chief Executive Officer. 

With more than 25 years’ experience across international pathways, corporate training, and educational leadership, Andy has held senior executive roles across some of the UK’s leading educational organisations, most recently serving as Managing Director – University Partnerships (UK & Europe) at Oxford International Education Group. 

Before joining Oxford International, Andy spent three years as Group Chief Executive Officer at learndirect Limited, where he was responsible for driving strategic growth, digital transformation, and educational delivery across the group. 

Prior to this, Andy spent more than two years leading 3aaa Apprenticeships as Managing Director, following his tenure as Managing Director at Skillnet Limited. He began his senior leadership career holding pivotal director-level and operational roles within sector skills councils and major corporates, including five years as Group Director of Education and Skills at BT Group. 

Andy brings extensive experience in educational transformation, commercial partnership development, and international scale-up strategy, and will now apply this expertise to his new role at Academy Royale International, leading the organisation through its next phase of global growth. 

Academy Royale International (formerly known as Oxford Royale Academy) is the market leader in premium international academic enrichment and pre-university summer education. Founded in 2004 by Oxford graduate William Humphreys, the organisation has grown from a specialised summer programme into the UK's oldest and largest provider of its type. Over the past two decades, the academy has welcomed more than 50,000 ambitious young learners representing over 175 nationalities to live, dine, and study within the historic colleges of the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge and other prestigious institutions.

Under the foundational framework built by Humphreys, the newly modernised Academy Royale International specialises in university-style teaching that bridges the gap between elite schooling and higher education. The institution delivers immersive learning across a cutting-edge curriculum of more than 55 subjects, ranging from traditional fields like Medicine and Law to future-focused tracks in Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Security.

Designed to foster academic confidence, independent thinking, and clear career direction, the academy continues to set the global benchmark for transformative summer programmes that shape the next generation of global talent.