Clare Thirlway joined ICSU in 2009, as PA to the Executive Director. She has had a varied career to date, both in the UK and in France. After obtaining her first degree in History (Bristol University, UK), she worked in arts administration, looking after international artists, first at Glyndebourne Festival Opera and then at Welsh National Opera. She then moved to France, where she initially taught English as a foreign language. She later embarked on full-time study again, obtaining an MBA in International Business from EAP, Paris (European School of Management) in 1998. Before joining ICSU, she worked as a human resources consultant for 7 years, for SHL France (Saville & Holdsworth), a company specialised in objective assessment and development, using psychometric tools.