Conference Highlights
Serena Gonsalves-Fersch
Global Talent and Learning Leader/ Advisory Board Member, Shape the Future Consortium
I am Dr. Serena Gonsalves-Fersch, Global Talent and Learning Leader, and the 2024 Colin Steed Award winner for Outstanding Contribution to Learning.
With a doctorate from Middlesex University on the future of learning and talent development in hyper-growth organizations, I have built and led key Talent functions and initiatives including L&D, performance management, succession planning, leadership development, talent identification, DEIB, and corporate universities.
Having been both a client-facing management consultant, and an internal head of Talent functions, I see myself as a consultative problem solver. I have extensive experience in creating, building, transforming, restructuring, managing, and leading Talent, Learning and Engagement strategies that are technology enhanced, business-value driven, and commercially minded. I build and thrive in dynamic environments where creativity and leadership drive impact, and ensure I take teams and organisations along on the journey.
As a Fellow of the Learning and Performance Institute, an advisory board member to start-ups and think-tanks in L&D, a co-founder of Women in Learning & Leadership (WILL) and an industry speaker, I am passionate in both research and giveback to contribute to addressing the global skills gap, studying the relationships between humans and technology in future organisations, creating skills frameworks, and advancing learning and talent innovation.
My expertise also spans impactful and measurable organizational design and development, change management, and implementing talent and learning systems to future-proof workforces.
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Masterclass
Learning Myths in Corporate Learning: What Really Works and What Just Sounds Good
Masterclass
Learning Myths in Corporate Learning: What Really Works and What Just Sounds Good
This masterclass takes a critical look at some of the most persistent myths, trends and buzzwords in corporate learning. From personalised and self-directed learning to microlearning, learning styles and AI, participants will explore which approaches are supported by evidence, which are often misunderstood, and what actually helps people learn and improve their performance at work. With a particular focus on self-directed learning, the session examines the conditions employees need to learn effectively, including clear goals, relevance, guidance, feedback, time and opportunities for application. Participants will learn how to question popular learning trends, separate hype from evidence and make better-informed decisions when designing learning that leads to sustainable transfer into everyday work.
Yvonne Konstanze Behnke
Strategy, Training, Consulting for Corporate Learning, E-Learning Professional
Dr Yvonne Konstanze Behnke, an L&D strategist, scientist, designer and e-teaching expert, has developed learning and development solutions for two decades, integrating strategy, didactics, science, design, and AI for companies and institutions.
She spent eight years researching and teaching psychological, didactic and instructional design foundations of multimedia learning at Humboldt University zu Berlin. Dr Behnke has published over 20 papers and book chapters, sharing her expertise at conferences, corporate events, and workshops. Her book on debunking learning myths is set for release by Haufe in early 2025.
Patrik Hedljung
AI Catalyst, Scania
Patrik Hedljung is an AI Catalyst at Scania, where he drives the adoption of generative AI across the organisation. With a background in learning, development and leadership, he focuses on the human and organisational conditions needed to turn AI from an individual productivity tool into a shared capability and organisational change. His work explores how organisations can build agency, responsible experimentation and new ways of working in an AI-enabled future.
How To
Generative AI for Personalised and Inclusive Learning
How To
Generative AI for Personalised and Inclusive Learning
This hands-on How To explores the new opportunities generative AI creates for personalised and inclusive learning. Participants will discover how AI can expand the ways learners access content, practise, create and take greater agency over their own learning. Using learner personas, we will explore and experiment with AI tools and functionalities that can support different learners and learning situations. Participants will work with prompting and personalised chatbots and experience how vibe-coding makes it possible to rapidly prototype tailored learning tools without traditional programming skills. Throughout the session, we will maintain an explorer mindset: testing what becomes possible while critically considering the human role, AI literacy, privacy, bias, accessibility and over-reliance. Participants will leave with concrete ideas, practical examples and starting points they can adapt to their own educational practice.
Eric Steffann
Educational Developer, Trainer & Consultant, Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands
Eric Steffann is an educational developer, trainer and teacher at Fontys University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. His work focuses on blended learning, educational innovation and the meaningful integration of emerging technologies in education. With a multidisciplinary background in engineering and teacher education, he combines a practical, design-oriented mindset with pedagogical expertise. At Fontys, Eric develops and delivers professional learning for educators and explores how generative AI can create new opportunities for learning, teaching and educational design. His current interests include personalised and inclusive learning, learner agency, AI literacy and the use of generative AI to create new learning tools and experiences.
Stefaan van Hooydonk
Founder, Global Curiosity Institute, Belgium
Stefaan van Hooydonk is the founder of the Global Curiosity Institute and the author of the bestselling books The Workplace Curiosity Manifesto (2022) and Curiosity (2025). With a career spanning executive roles as Chief Learning Officer at multinational corporations like Nokia, Philips, Cognizant, and Saudi Aramco, Stefaan has lived and worked across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. His mission is to help individuals and organizations build their "curiosity muscle" through research, inspirational talks, and transformative learning experiences. Stefaan’s work is rooted in the belief that curious individuals need curious environments to thrive - especially in times of uncertainty.
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Zihern Lee
Artistic Researcher, Indipendent
Zihern Lee is an artist, educator, and researcher working at the intersection of AI in education, embodied cognition, and artistic practice. Based in Berlin, she has investigated how technology mediates learning and literacy - most recently as a researcher at the Universität der Künste Berlin and Einstein Center Digital Future. She has presented at OEB, EDULEARN24, and the 0. Berliner Symposium on Reading Promotion in the Age of AI. Her practice resists the separation of human agency and technological systems - asking not how AI replaces learning, but how it can be designed to deepen it.
Learning Café
Adapting a Playful Mindset. Your Advantage to Greater Trust, Creativity, Safety and Retention in Learning
Learning Café
Adapting a Playful Mindset. Your Advantage to Greater Trust, Creativity, Safety and Retention in Learning
Kelsey Kates shares how to embed a playful mindset into work to drive engagement, safety, collaboration and creativity. Kelsey will share insights on: The five dimensions of playfulness and 8 play personalities – and what it means to be playful at work. Why playfulness is critical for engagement – the neuroscience findings on the benefits of playfulness. Practical ideas on how to infuse playfulness into your work. How to make playfulness authentic – from a little goes a long way to knowing your audience.
Kelsey Kates
Former Global Head of Live Learning Experiences and Faculty Enablement, Google
Kelsey's been awarded multiple Brandon Hall Awards for the design of marquee Google programs - Facilitation Academy, Deliver Like a Boss, and her team's delivery of Google Way of Coaching and Google Sales School. In 2018 she won the Rising Star Award for Analytical Academy, a new multi-course program at Google to train and develop the finest analytical thinkers. As the Global Head of Learning Experiences at Google Kelsey Kates looks after the activation and delivery of 15+ facilitated programs within the Global Business Org for more than 20,000 Googlers, as well as the team's marketing and communication and the enablement and management of their 150+ facilitators. Kelsey has her B.S from the University of Denver and her Masters from Northwestern. She's a marketer turned analyst and now in the corporate learning and development space with a ton of passion for re-imagining great learning and education. She's not afraid to challenge the status quo and believes deeply in changing the world through more impactful and delightful learning experiences that transform how we show up. As a lifelong learner, she's currently pursuing an Executive Certificate from MIT in Neuroscience. Today, Kelsey lives in Dublin with her husband, son and dog.
Ashwin Mehta
CEO & Founder, Mehtadology
Dr Ashwin Mehta is the founder and director of Mehtadology, a strategic consultancy firm for the AI revolution, a thought leader, Management Consultant, and a learning technology leader. He has worked for over 14 years at a senior level across transport, consulting, medical and the pharmaceutical sectors. Ashwin holds an MBA and PhD in learning technology adoption and his experience includes innovation strategy, data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence.
How To
The Six‑Block Sprint: Build Your Learning‑Organization Plan in 60 Minutes
How To
The Six‑Block Sprint: Build Your Learning‑Organization Plan in 60 Minutes
Most organisations recognise the importance of learning and adaptation, but struggle to translate these ambitions into practical action. This interactive session introduces a simple yet powerful framework based on CEF's Systems for Resilience: Public Institutions as Learning Organizations. Participants will work through a guided sprint using six building blocks of a learning organisation: Governance & Culture, Resources, Partnerships, Knowledge Sharing, Communication about Learning, and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL).
Working individually or in small groups, participants will identify a real organisational challenge, select high-leverage actions, and develop a practical one-page action plan they can take back to their organisation. By the end of the session, participants will have a structured roadmap for strengthening learning and adaptation in their own context, whether they work in the public sector, private sector, education, or international organisations.
Jaša Levstik
Facilitator, CEF, Slovenia
Jaša Levstik is a Project Manager and Facilitator at the Centre of Excellence in Finance (CEF), where he designs and delivers learning programmes for public sector institutions across South-East Europe and the EU neighbourhood. His work focuses on organisational learning, capacity development, peer learning, and institutional transformation. He has helped develop CEF's Training of Trainers methodology and supports governments and public institutions in strengthening their ability to learn, adapt, and implement reforms.
Boardroom
AI Governance in Education and Future Learning
Boardroom
AI Governance in Education and Future Learning
This session explores how educational institutions can move from ad hoc AI experimentation to responsible, scalable AI governance. Drawing on applied research and real-world examples, it examines the policies, risk frameworks and practical safeguards needed to address academic integrity, equity, privacy, transparency and learner agency. Looking ahead to AI tutors, learning companions, automated assessment and AI-mediated credentialing, the session considers how governance must evolve alongside increasingly autonomous systems. Participants will gain practical frameworks, lessons from early adopters and a governance maturity model to help benchmark their institution and identify the next steps towards intentional and ethical AI use.
Samir Aliyev
CEO & Founder, Swiss Cyber Institute
Samir Aliyev is the Founder and CEO of the Swiss Cyber Institute in Zurich which offers cyber security and AI education programs, training, and access to a global cyber security community while chairing the Global Cyber Conference that builds bridges between security professionals, business experts, and academics.
Since 2018, Samir Aliyev has developed the CAS Data Protection Officer and CAS Cyber Security for Executives (CSF-HSG) programmes. He is also programme director and lecturer in CAS Cyber Security for Executives at the Executive School of Management, Technology and Law at the University of St. Gallen.
Samir has been a member of the National Cyber Security Committee at digitalswitzerland since 2023. Previously, he was a cybersecurity training expert at expert group meetings in Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, and Latin America for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
According to BILANZ Wirtschaftsmagazin, Samir Aliyev is one of Switzerland’s leading trainers of cybersecurity executives and experts and was named a Digital Shaper 2023 and 2026. He is a doctoral researcher in AI Governance at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland.
Jennifer Mathes
CEO, Online Learning Consortium
Jennifer Mathes, Ph.D., serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Online Learning Consortium (OLC). In her role, she sets the strategic direction for the organization and spearheads the development of key projects and programs to benefit OLC members. With over 25 years of experience in both public and private sectors of education, Dr. Mathes has been a staunch advocate for digital learning initiatives. In addition, Dr. Mathes is the author of the ICDE Report Global Quality in Online, Open, Flexible and Technology Enhanced Education: An Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (2019) and co-editor of the OLC Quality Scorecard Handbook: Criteria for Excellence in Blended Learning Programs (2017). She continues to write and present on key topics in online, blended and digital learning. Dr. Mathes began her academic journey as a faculty member, eventually ascending to the role of Chief Academic Officer. She has also served as a consultant, advising educational institutions on implementing best practices in online education. Her recent work has involved collaborating with higher education associations and institutions internationally to support the global adoption of best practices in online learning. Dr. Mathes earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She also holds a Master of Science in Business Education and a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications, both from Illinois State University.
Presentation
Beyond the Illusion of Competence: Teaching and Assessing Critical Judgment in the AI-Enabled Classroom
Presentation
Beyond the Illusion of Competence: Teaching and Assessing Critical Judgment in the AI-Enabled Classroom
This session explores how generative AI is transforming translation education and why higher education must move beyond viewing AI as either a threat or a shortcut. Drawing on practical classroom experience, it presents an educational framework that helps students develop critical AI literacy, strengthen translation competence, and collaborate effectively with AI while maintaining academic integrity and human expertise.
Jasmina Nikolic
Associate Professor & Founder, University of Belgrade & Agile Humans
Jasmina Nikolić is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade, Serbia. Her research explores the intersection of Hispanic studies, oral tradition, translation studies, and artificial intelligence, with a particular interest in AI applications in the humanities and education.