Dr. Ingeborg Kroese is an internationally recognised expert on inclusive learning and development (L&D). She is a scholar-practitioner, and combines more than 15 years of corporate experience in sales, management, and leadership with 20 years as an L&D professional and over a decade of research and practice in inclusive L&D. Ingeborg is a Visiting Fellow at The Open University (UK) and her academic research on inclusiveness in workplace learning has been published in leading journals, including Gender, Work & Organization, Human Resource Development Review, and Management Learning. Bridging research and practice, Ingeborg supports L&D professionals in developing more inclusive learning experiences through consulting, workshops, webinars, conferences, podcasts, and publications. Having worked across the globe and lived in Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Austria, and the Netherlands, she brings a global perspective to advancing inclusive learning in both research and practice.

Jaime Cará Junior is an education and learning leader with more than 25 years of experience across higher education, EdTech, corporate learning, cybersecurity and the space sector. He has led international educational programmes for ESA Academy, managed large-scale digital learning initiatives reaching nearly 500,000 learners, led the companies' organisational renewal at critical times, and advanced the strategic development of a cybersecurity training academy. Jaime holds a PhD and is a former Research Councillor at the University of São Paulo, with 18 publications and extensive experience in educational research, instructional design and learning strategy. His work focuses on the intersection of learning, technology, organisational performance and the future of education.

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.

Claudia Lasagna is a Project Manager and Instructional Designer in the Digital Learning team at IE University’s Lifelong Learning department. She specializes in designing innovative, learner-centered educational experiences and managing complex digital learning projects from concept to delivery.

Her work brings together instructional design, educational technology, artificial intelligence, and cross-functional collaboration. She is particularly interested in how AI can enhance assessment, provide meaningful personalized feedback, and create scalable learning experiences without losing the human dimension of education. Known for bringing clarity to complex challenges and helping diverse stakeholders move projects forward.

At OEB, she will showcase practical tools and methodologies for redefining assessment in the age of AI, drawing on her experience developing innovative learning solutions within a global higher-education environment.

Arzu is a doctoral researcher in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at Woolf University. After 22 years as a mathematics teacher, she transitioned into academia to bridge classroom experience with educational research. As a third-generation educator, Arzu believes that meaningful educational transformation begins with a deep understanding of classroom realities. She believes that sustainable educational innovation must be informed by the lived experiences of classroom practitioners and that teachers' practical knowledge should play a central role in shaping educational research and policy. Her professional experience has inspired her commitment to contributing to the future of education through evidence-based research and innovative approaches to teaching and learning.

Her doctoral research, Examining Artificial Intelligence Integration in Teacher Education Toward a Sustainable Framework for Teacher Competence and Readiness in Turkey, explores how artificial intelligence can be integrated into teacher education to develop a sustainable framework for teacher competence and readiness. Her research interests include artificial intelligence in education, teacher education, educational innovation, digital transformation, and sustainable educational development.

Ingjerd Thon Hagaseth is Associate Professor in Organization, Leadership and Innovation at NTNU – Norwegian University of Science and Technology. She describes herself as a pracademic, combining extensive leadership experience from education and public services with teaching, research and educational development in higher education. She leads development work on flexible and online study programmes at NTNU, with a particular interest in student engagement, progression, learning design and the balance between flexibility and structure in online education.

A well-known and recognized e-Learning expert, Prof. Richard Powers is currently a Professor, Trainer and Learning Designer with Stuttgart University in Germany, where he designs blended learning courses to develop competences in digitalization and diversity for pre-service teachers across five universities. He is an eTwinning Ambassador for Germany, training other teacher educators throughout the EU.. He teaches Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Project-Based Learning with eTwinning & Erasmus+ for Interculturality, and Instructional Design for Digital Accessibility. Prof. Powers won the 2022 Teaching Award for Excellence at Stuttgart University, and the 2023 European Union Award for best Teacher Training Institute for eTwinning Virtual Exchanges. He routinely teaches and trains faculty in Stuttgart and remotely at City Colleges of Chicago how to teach online with Moodle, ILIAS and Brightspace in webinars via Webex and Zoom. In 2025, Prof. Powers co-facilitated UDL, AI and instructional design training with universities in Ukraine, Malta, Lebanon and Namibia, partnerships he continues to support.

Eric Paquin leads the research and technology agenda at Learnovate, driving innovation for the future of learning and work. With over 20 years in technology, he has held leadership roles at Microsoft, Fexco, ADAPT Centre, and CLEAR Global, specialising in product innovation, digital transformation, and human-centred design. An active contributor to Ireland’s innovation ecosystem and the NSAI ISO 56000 standards group, Eric has co-founded a start-up, advised on AI strategies, and developed innovation training. Holding an MSc in Product Management, he is passionate about turning complex challenges into opportunities through collaborative innovation and inclusive, impactful design.

Dr Yvonne Konstanze Behnke is an L&D strategist, learning scientist and keynote speaker known as the "learning myth detective". For over two decades she has developed learning and development solutions for companies and institutions, integrating strategy, didactics, science, design and AI.
She brings ten years of research experience, eight of them researching and teaching the psychological, didactic and instructional design foundations of multimedia learning at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. She has published more than 20 papers and book chapters.
Her book "Lernmythen aufgedeckt" (Haufe) received the getAbstract International Book Award 2025 for Business Impact. The second volume, "Neue Lernmythen aufgedeckt. Wirksames Lernen braucht Fakten statt Buzzwords", followed in 2026.
In her OEB masterclass she puts popular ideas such as personalised learning, microlearning and self-directed learning to the evidence test, and gives participants clear criteria for designing learning that improves performance instead of chasing trends.

Ines Springael is Programme Lead CTL/AI at Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas) in the Netherlands, where she leads the institution's AI strategy and coordinates the Centre for Teaching and Learning & AI . She developed the AI Strategy Compass, a framework now used across BUas to guide institutional AI implementation, and led the university's institution-wide AI programme, reaching approximately 7,500 staff and students.

Ines is a co-founder of TLWAI Europe and active in international networks including AIEOU Oxford, where she contributes to work on governance, policy, and systems design in AI and education. She is also part of the IEEE P7023 working group, contributing to the development of the IRIS standard for human-AI interaction readiness.

Rutger Thielen is AI Curriculum Coordinator at the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL-AI), Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas), in the Netherlands. He leads a training team and safeguards an institution wide AI curriculum for teachers, researchers and operational staff, working on curriculum governance, learning outcomes and AI competency frameworks.

His work is grounded in the idea that lasting change in education starts with the conditions people learn and work in, not with the content itself. Drawing on systems thinking and organisational learning theory, he positions CTL-AI as a driver of organisational change rather than a purely training focused unit.

Rutger brings over two decades of experience in logistics education, facilitation and lean methodology. He combines this practical grounding with an ongoing academic interest in cognitive modifiability, andragogy and complexity theory, applied to how organisations adopt and adapt to AI.

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.

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.

Marti Grimminck is Founder and CEO of International Connector and has spent 20 years studying emerging talent and the future of work. Her work spans employers, universities, governments, and young people, drawing on engagement across 190 countries and programs operating on 300+ university campuses. Working with organizations including Microsoft, Google and IBM, she focuses on how changing talent expectations, AI, and employer needs are reshaping workforce readiness. Marti is the visionary behind Your Big Year® and CareerReady Connect, initiatives designed to help young people build the skills, experiences, and connections needed for a rapidly changing world of work.

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.

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.

Sarah Snep is an education innovator within the Blended Learning team and an AI specialist at Fontys University of Applied Sciences. With more than 20 years of experience in education, she focuses on translating developments in AI into practical and meaningful applications for teachers and students.

Her expertise includes personalised and inclusive learning, AI literacy, generative AI and vibe coding. A key mission in her work is to help educators take ownership of AI: making conscious choices, remaining critical and using AI purposefully. In her training sessions, she shows how AI can not only enrich education, but also enable educators to design and build their own digital learning activities and applications.