Maddalaine Ansell is Director Education at the British Council.

Before joining the British Council, Maddalaine was Chief Executive of University Alliance. Prior to this she was at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills where she worked closely with Lord David Willetts, then Minister for Science and Universities.

She completed an undergraduate degree in Classics at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, trained and practiced as a lawyer in large international legal practices and after six years joined the civil service fast stream. She worked on the industrial strategy under Lord Mandelson and the Higher Education White Paper for Lord Willetts.