Heins is the Chief of Staff at UWC International in London, supporting the Executive Director and the Board in advancing the organisation’s mission and strategic priorities across the UWC movement. His role centres on strengthening global stakeholder alignment, enabling collaboration, and translating goals into practical and equitable outcomes.

Heins brings extensive experience in strategy implementation and operations management within mission-driven organisations, having held senior advisory and executive support roles in both government and the non-profit sector. Prior to joining UWC, he was Business Operations Manager at Places for People Leisure, a UK-based social enterprise, where he led strategic business planning and operational improvement initiatives in support of the senior leadership team. 

Previously, Heins served as principal executive support to successive Directors-General at the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, overseeing integrated programme delivery and strategic relations with Parliament, Cabinet, and the executive authority. He also served as Director of Strategy and Operations at the Property Management Trading Entity, playing a central role in establishing the entity and designing its operating model. His work helped lay the foundation for commercialising the State’s immovable asset portfolio and improving sustainability and service delivery. 

Earlier in his career, Heins was Media Officer at South Africa’s Education Labour Relations Council, where he led national change initiatives on behalf of the Department of Education and teacher trade unions. His work contributed to improved employment conditions for teachers and broader education reform.

Heins holds qualifications and professional grounding in strategic business management, labour relations, project management, and information design. Guided by a passion for applying cross-sector insights, his professional interests centre on equity-focused systems change and collaborative approaches that strengthen collective impact.
 

Contact details

Email: heins.worst@uwcio.uwc.org