N. Arda Aygül is the Learning and Development Manager at İşbank, Turkey’s largest private bank. With over 20 years of experience in HR and corporate learning, he has designed innovative learning solutions, reskilling/upskilling programs and led pioneering projects in gamification, learning experience platforms (LXP), and virtual reality (VR) for learning. At İşbank, he leads a team of learning professionals dedicated to creating engaging and impactful development opportunities for more than 20,000 employees.

Kerri O’Neill is an award-winning senior executive with 20 years of experience in human resources, change, cultural transformation and organisational effectiveness. She is a qualified Executive Coach.
Kerri is Chief People Officer at Ipsos UK and Ireland. Ipsos in one of the worlds leading polling and public opinion organisations and listed on the stock exchange in Paris. Here she leads the human resources and talent agenda for over 2,000 employees.
Prior to this, Kerri was Chief People and Transformation Officer at the UK tech and media regulator Ofcom for 5 years where she has played a pivotal role as the organisation has become one the first bodies globally to regulate online safety and telecom security capabilities. She has pushed the boundaries at Ofcom, bringing in top tech talent and making the organisation the most diverse it has ever been. Under her leadership, Ofcom has been listed as a ‘Times Top 50 Employer for Women' on three occasions. She has also made great strides in strengthening the capabilities and reputation of the HR function.
Previously, Kerri spent 2 years at national retailer House of Fraser Group and 12 years with financial services organisation Aviva working in UK and Asia Pacific, latterly driving the ‘Employee Insight’ and ‘Future of Work’ agenda.
Alongside this she is Trustee and Non Executive Director of Oxfam GB, a leading international charity focused on fighting poverty and injustice and is Vice-Chair of a UK National Portfolio Arts and Culture organisation, Farnham Maltings and Ambassador for a girls empowerment charity, Global Girl Project. She is regularly fundraising for causes through her virtual book circles done with podcaster Lulu Minns.
Kerri is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD and read History at University of Durham.

Having joined mci group in 1998 as Director of Talent and Development for MCI Brussels, Avinash has played a central role in shaping the organisation’s talent strategy over the years. His journey from a local leadership role to Global Learning and Development Director reflects both deep organisational knowledge and a broader strategic vision for learning as a driver of business value.

With a career spanning three decades and three continents, including leadership roles in Europe, North America, and Asia, he brings a unique blend of global business expertise, cultural fluency, and insight into the evolving needs of today’s and tomorrow’s workforce.
At the core, Avinash leads the design and deployment of a high-impact learning ecosystem that serves as the engine for talent development across mci group. By creating the right conditions; programmes, tools, platforms, and cultural levers, he ensures learning is not just accessible, but embedded, purposeful, and performance-driven. His approach integrates the latest in AI-enabled technology, neuroscience-informed design, and deep business alignment to drive capability building that delivers measurable results.

Beyond his formal role and drawing on a broad set of strengths across business, he actively contributes to client projects, speaking engagements, and workshops, bringing thought leadership and translating his diverse experience into practical, high-value contributions across client challenges and opportunities.

Dr. Anja Schmitz is Professor of Human Resource Management at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Germany. Her academic and practical work focuses on workplace learning, organizational development, and the impact of AI on Human Resource Management. With a background in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, she bridges the gap between research and practice by advising organizations on fostering learning cultures and implementing effective learning strategies through aligning them with business needs during periods of growth, transformation, and uncertainty. Dr. Schmitz is a sought-after speaker at national and international conferences, where she shares evidence-based insights on Learning & Development, the future of work, and AI-driven HR transformation. She serves on the advisory board of the “Zukunft Personal” Expo and facilitates its Think Tank Learning and Development. Prior to her current position, she was a professor at Pforzheim University and held several roles in personnel and organizational development in corporate settings. She has been recognized by Personalmagazin as one of the leading voices shaping the future of Human Resource Management (“40 führende Köpfe im HR 2025”).
Further information on New Work & New Learning: https://learningdevelopment.institute/home/learning-development-institu…

I am an experienced international speaker, author and facilitator with a passion for exploring, challenging and sharing. I believe that the role of learning leaders in the changing workplace is to unlock the potential of business and people. My goal has always been to help learning leaders ensure that their organisations are equipped and ready through outcome-led and evidence informed practice.

Together we will co-create the future of learning - one where learning leaders will become business critical as they uncover new ways to add value. As the founder of Towards Maturity- I led a global research programme for 15 years, bringing a community of practitioners, policy makers, experts and suppliers together to investigate how learning innovation delivers business value.
I continue to investigate, to explore , to communicate insights and facilitate collaborative change in the industry through workshops, coaching and sounding board work via #LearningChangemakers and as co-founder of Emerging Stronger.

Tracking the L&D learning innovation journey since 2003, I have authored/ co-authored of over 70 major research reports and, as a regular contributor to industry publications I have written over 300 articles. I continue to play an active role in research working with the CIPD and other significant industry bodies.

As an industry change maker, I regularly share good practice findings as a keynote presenter at conferences around the globe and through masterclasses, webinars and seminars. I have served on several advisory boards including the original LPI Capability Map, the CIPD Professional Map and Learning boards, the Online Educa Global Council and the original Distributed Electronic Learning Group for the UK government.

I am an academic fellow of the CIPD, a fellow of the RSA and the first female recipient of the Learning and Performance Institute’s Colin Corder Award for outstanding achievement. I was also the first recipient of the Learning Technology award for outstanding achievement and regularly appear in the top influencer lists for our industry.

I am always willing to work with LearningChangemakers across the industry so please contact me if you would like to find out more about my writing, facilitation, coaching or soundingboard work.

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Shafika Isaacs is Chief of Section for Technology and AI in Education at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. As an international specialist in digital learning, AI, and education, she has spent the past two and a half decades on building communities, coaching professionals, and leading global, regional and national digital learning initiatives. She also serves as Professor of Practice at the University of Johannesburg, has contributed to UNESCO’s AI Competency Framework for Teachers, advised UNICEF on AI and children, and led research on AI in African primary education systems with the LINK Centre at Wits University. She has supported national, local, and global organizations on digital learning policy and large-scale education programs. As the Founding Executive Director of SchoolNet Africa, she helped pioneer equitable, justice-driven integration of technology in African schools across 16 African countries. She has served on multiple governance boards, earned prestigious leadership awards, and published widely on digital education. Shafika holds a PhD in Education, an Executive MBA with distinction, and a Master’s degree in science and technology policy.

Professor Niall Winters is a practitioner-researcher concentrating on technological praxis for positive social change. He is the founder of Openstrand, a start-up focusing on widening access to global knowledges in the cultural sector, through the development of convivial technologies.

Niall was a Full Professor of Education and Technology at the University of Oxford, where he co-led the Critical Digital Education Research Group, directed the MSc Education (Digital and Social Change) and is a Visiting Fellow of Kellogg College. He has published widely on the equitable design and use of educational technologies, in particular for those at the periphery of society.

Dr. Yong Zhao is a Foundation Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas. He previously held leadership roles at the University of Oregon and Michigan State University, including as director of institutes focused on global education and educational technology. He has also worked in Australia and the UK, and is an elected member of the National Academy of Education.

An internationally recognized scholar, Zhao has published over 100 articles and nearly 40 books on globalization, technology, and education reform. His recent titles include Focused (2024), Duck and Cover (2023), and Learning for Uncertainty (2022). He has collaborated with schools worldwide to develop innovative education models.

Over his four-decade career, Zhao has led major research projects, developed software tools, and advised institutions across five continents. Born in Sichuan, China, he earned his Ph.D. in education from the University of Illinois in 1996 and began his U.S. academic career at Michigan State University.