Rafael Fernández Qundez is a seasoned HR professional with an extensive career in Human Resources Management, having worked for leading multinational companies across various industries, including automotive (PSA Peugeot-Citroën), retail banking (Caja Madrid Group), corporate and investment banking (Société Générale), and the oil and gas sector (CEPSA). Currently, he serves as Head of Talent at CEPSA, a major Spanish energy company, where he drives corporate-level talent initiatives.

With a strong belief in HR as a key driver for business success, he has led significant organisational change and talent management projects. His expertise spans Talent Management, Change Management, Learning & Development, and People Management, where he has designed and implemented impactful HR strategies that align with business goals across diverse cultural and geographical settings.

In addition to his corporate role, he has been a professor at IE Business School in Spain since 2007, teaching HR in Executive MBA programs, Executive Education, and other senior-level courses. His passion lies in developing creative, business-aligned HR initiatives and helping organisations foster talent and leadership development.

Derek Bruce is a globally recognized HR thought leader and Chartered FCIPD professional with deep expertise in Learning, Leadership, and Talent Development. As Head of Learning, Leadership & Talent Development at Tesco, he brings a strategic approach to empowering teams and organisations. An MBTI Type II and NLP Master Practitioner, Derek combines psychological insight with practical skills to foster impactful growth. A passionate mentorship advocate, he also founded Derek Bruce Associates to champion personal and professional development. Known for his dedication to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Derek is as committed to creating inclusive workplaces as he is to expanding his impressive collection of Adidas Stan Smith and Superstars sneakers.

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Oya Torum, Head of Global PM/EPC Training at Nordex Energy SE & Co. KG, brings over ten years of experience in Learning and Development to the wind energy sector. Known for her ability to connect learning programs to real business impact, she leads teams and projects with a strategic mindset that makes a difference.

In 2013 she established the first Technical Academy for Turkey and the Middle East, helping transform the region into a key area of strength with a highly skilled workforce. Building on that success, she led the development of a global training department for the Project Management and EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) business unit.
Recognized for her leadership and vision, Oya was selected for her company’s Top Management Leadership Development Program. She also led a company-wide initiative to boost the efficiency of L&D departments, sponsored by higher management.

Currently, she is taking on a new challenge: managing a new project to design a learning program to enhance at improving “first-time-right” results in production of wind turbine components.

Passionate about digitalization and efficiency, Oya stays at the forefront of trends and tools, implementing technology that drives real improvements in daily work. Outside of work, she enjoys the same energy and commitment on the tennis court, and, of course, the windsurf board.

Donald H Taylor has worked in learning and technology since the mid-1980s.

He has chaired the Learning Technologies Conference in London since 2000 and writes and speaks world-wide. His annual L&D Global Sentiment Survey, started in 2014, provides a unique perspective on L&D trends from over 100 countries. From 2010 to 2021, he chaired the Learning and Performance Institute.

He chairs the Workforce Development board for VC firm Emerge Education, and advises several EdTech start-ups.

The author of Learning Technologies in the Workplace, Donald is a graduate of Oxford University and the recipience of an honorary doctorate from London’s Middlesex University.

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Professor Subic joined Aston University in August 2022 as Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive. He is a recognised global leader in technology and innovation in higher education, leading on Industry 4.0 strategy and digital transformations across the university sector and with industry and governments both in Australia and internationally. He has received a number of prestigious awards for his work, including the Australian Business Innovation Award and the Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Award.

He is a passionate and lifelong advocate for multiculturalism, equity, diversity and inclusion, leading through clear actions and strategic initiatives at enterprise level. These include creating and appointing the first Dean of STEMM Diversity & Inclusion in Australia, establishing Women in STEMM Fellowships and mentoring scheme, Indigenous Research Fellowships, scholarships and internships programs, and creating an innovation precinct with start-up accelerators and industry incubators focused on founders from diverse backgrounds and access.

Kyle Bowen is Enterprise Deputy CIO at Arizona State University where he is responsible for enabling how the ASU community experiences technology to learn, work and thrive. A self-described storyteller, Kyle is passionate about transforming education with a learner and student-centered approach. He was previously the director of innovation for teaching and learning with technology at Penn State University. By collaborating across the institution, he advanced faculty professional development, space design, learner creativity, and data science efforts. Kyle also formerly served as the director of learning informatics at Purdue University, a role that shaped the university’s strategy to improve student attainment through award winning emerging technologies. Kyle is an entrepreneur, teacher, and regular speaker on innovations in higher education. Co-author and editor of more than 20 books on design, development, and usability, his past work has appeared in the New York Times, USA Today, and the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Dr. Maribell Reyes-Millán serves as the Director of Digital Education at Tecnológico de Monterrey, and thus, is responsible for the strategy, definition, and delivery of the educational offerings of courses taught in digital modalities (online and blended). She is also accountable for the learning enhancement through the use of technology in face-to-face courses. Her areas of expertise are the different educational models and frameworks for quality digital education, the incorporation of educational technology in the teaching-learning processes, and the implementation of digital education programs on international platforms. Her thorough knowledge and experience have led her to be a judge in the QS Reimagine Education competition and she has also published several articles in innovation and technology journals.

During times of crises such as the 2017 earthquake in México City, and the 2020 Pandemic, she led efforts to transform the institution from in-person to digital education.
A speaker in international conferences, she has also participated as an expert in educational innovation committees such as ECIU, Consortium for Benchmarking Framework for Online, Open, Smart, and Technology-enhanced Higher Education, ICDE, EDUTIC, among others.

She holds a PhD in Educational Innovation (2014) and an MBA (1998) from Tecnológico de Monterrey México, and a master's degree in information science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (1993).

Professor Salmon is the founder and CEO of Education Alchemists Ltd - formed around her life's work including Carpe Diem learning design, pedagogical transformation, online education, technology-enhanced teaching, the 5 stage model, e-tivities, and Education 4.0. Until recently Professor of Learning Transformation and pro-vice-chancellor at universities in the UK and Australia, she is now based in London with all workshops offered fully digitally and worldwide. She is a well-known keynote speaker and workshop leader. Her books E-moderating and E-tivities are considered seminal texts

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