This Year's Speakers and Chairpersons Include:

Dr. Ibraheem Adedayo Adediran is a Counselling Psychologist and a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Educational Foundations, Faculty of Education at the National Open University of Nigeria, Nigeria. He holds Bachelor of Education, Masters Degree and Ph.D in Counselling Psychology from the Prestigious University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He was the immediate past overall coordinator of Guidance and Counselling Programme across over 120 Study Centres all over Nigeria and presently coordinates Post Graduate Diploma in Education programme in the same Capacity. He has passion for knowledge acquisition, impartation and behaviour modification for human emancipation. He is an accomplished Author, Teacher, Counsellor and Mentor of note. He has successfully mentored Millions of Youths into Career success and happy home formation .He is a Senior Researcher: Center for Research ,Innovation, Development and Entrepreneurship(CRIDE,U.K).

Gül Akcaova is the lead futurist at SURF - the cooperative for ICT in (higher) education and research in the Netherlands, and the National Education & Research Network. With a keen fascination for IT innovation in education and research, she explores in her role the potential impact of new technologies and emerging concepts on education and research. Her background in management studies provides her with the ability to approach developments from various angles.

Ali Alam — a founder-turned-venture-builder and investor on a mission to make innovation human-centric, impact-driven, and radically inclusive. With experience building award-winning university-based incubators, designing startup acceleration programs with 21st-century skills needed to thrive in volatility and advising venture funds deploying capital in human growth. Ali has worked across Africa, Europe, and emerging markets to create sustainable learning & innovation ecosystems.

Elsa is a passionate educator with a background in physics and a Masters in Education. Since 2016, she has collaborated with the European Space Agency’s Education Office, where she manages international school projects and develops innovative, space-themed learning resources.
She believes education has the power to transform lives and advocates for dynamic, learner-centered approaches that spark curiosity and foster critical thinking. Her mission is to make high-quality education accessible, inspiring, and empowering for every learner.

Richard Anderson has over 14 years' experience working with and leading teams in the eLearning industry.

He passionately believes in building successful learning strategies around compliance training that puts people at the heart of learning design, ensuring that off-the-shelf learning can not only be engaging, but highly relevant to the everyday needs of workers.

This approach has been recognised with High Speed Training winning Learning Technologies organisation of the year in 2023, and ROSPA Large ELearning Provider of the Year in 2023 and 2024.

Kristien Andrianatos is a dedicated online educator and researcher at the North-West University in South Africa. She teaches Academic Literacy Development, a cross-faculty, fully asynchronous course designed for distance learning students. Her work centers on equipping students across disciplines with the academic skills they need to succeed in higher education. She is an active member of a community of practice focused on innovative teaching and learning with technology. Kristien's research interests include reading comprehension, mixed methods research, digital competencies, and the effective integration of online tools in higher education contexts. Driven by a commitment to accessible, high-impact learning, she continuously explores new ways to enhance teaching through technology and foster meaningful academic engagement in online environments.

Rod Angood, BA, MBA. is MD & Principal Visioning Director at Educational Alchemists (UK). Previously he held senior roles as Executive Director of Information Technology & Information Systems at two UK universities. His first career was as a Royal Naval Officer in the Submarine Service. He brings extensive experience of leadership development, strategy & organisation.

Rod is now an established Graphic Artist providing ‘Artist in Residence’ services to Carpe Diem & Futuring workshops, supporting keynote speeches with real time artistic images,and educators with pictures & diagrams that explore concepts, ideas & models.

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.

Manuella Arulnayagam is the Learning Innovation Director at IESE Business School, where she leads the creation of transformative learning experiences for MBA, MiM, and executive audiences. With a career spanning over a decade, including roles at L’Oréal in Europe and China, and at IESE since 2016, she brings a unique combination of engineering precision, emotional intelligence, and a global mindset.
At IESE, Manuella oversees Action Learning and Immersive Learning, collaborating with faculty and interdisciplinary teams to design high-impact, real-world educational journeys. She is deeply passionate about harnessing AI, technology, and strategic partnerships to elevate experiential learning, driving mindset shifts, fostering career ownership, and enhancing participants’ ability to manage their energy and potential.

Frank Ategeka is the Director of programs and impact at Asante Africa Foundation where he also previously served as the director for monitoring, evaluation and learning. He previously worked as a senior monitoring and evaluation officer at the Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) in Uganda . Frank holds a master’s degree in public health (Global Health) from the University of Manchester, UK; a post graduate certificate in monitoring and evaluation from the University of Washington; a post graduate diploma in monitoring and evaluation from Uganda Management Institute graduate certificate in Research by World Bank and a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Makerere University in Uganda. Frank also holds a post graduate certificate in project planning and management. He was a Global Health Corps fellow in Uganda between 2018 and 2019 and served as the Global Health Corps alumni vice president in 2020. He has previously worked in various capacities in the field of monitoring and evaluation and program management for several national and international organizations such as Baylor Uganda, Global Health Corps, Windle Trust International and Action Africa Help in areas of health, technology and education and livelihoods. Frank was also and open internet for Democracy fellow in 2021 where he undertook research and advocacy on technology and democracy with a focus on the impact of internet shutdown on democracy and refugees in Uganda.

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Paul Bacsich is a consultant in online learning (e-learning, including distance learning) with 30 years experience. He covers both post-secondary and schools-level sectors with a focus on virtual universities, with particular current interest in open educational resources (OER) and public-private business models for providers – and also virtual schools and virtual colleges. Full details here: https://bacsich.org/about/

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My name is Rien Bakker and I have been a teacher since 1990. In addition to my teaching career, I have worked in healthcare, specializing in the automation of care processes. For the past three years, I have combined my experience in education and healthcare IT, which has led to the development of a Didactic Electronic Patient Record (EPR). This project has been successfully implemented in the Netherlands, and we are currently exploring the possibilities of introducing this concept in other European countries as well.

David Banes is Director of David Banes Access and Inclusion Services and co-founder of Global symbols, having worked in assistive technology for the past 35 years leading assistive technology services in Europe and the Middle East, including Mada in Qatar from 2010-2016. He now works across the globe, including projects with low and medium-income countries in Eastern Europe, Africa and South Asia to support implementation of access and inclusion from policy to practice through capacity building.
He has a special interest in both emerging and low-cost technologies and their impact upon people with a disability, including the use of AI to augment communication, emerging technologies and mobility, technology and self-management of mental health, addressing hidden disabilities including communication needs and autism and the use of innovation to build resilient AT and AAC services during the pandemic.
David writes regularly on the tools and techniques. Recent publications include emerging technologies and the impact on universal design for learning, economic return on investment in AT, and the potential impact of frugal innovation on the provision of assistive products. He is a founder and director of DATEurope, the Digital Assistive Technology association for Europe.
He speaks widely as a keynote and workshop facilitator on assistive and accessible technology, including at the Zero Project, ICCHP-AAATE, ATIA, ATAAC, and a range of bespoke events online and in person. He is on the editorial board of Assistive Technology Outcomes and Benefits, Journal of Assistive Technologies and the Journal of Rehabilitation and the Journal of Disability and Rehabilitation, Assistive Technology. He is an adjunct Fellow o the University of Southampton.

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Dr. Amanda Baranski is a clinical social worker, educator, and grief and loss specialist committed to equity-centered practice. She teaches graduate social work courses and develops continuing education programs for clinicians. Known for her engaging, forward-thinking approach, Amanda integrates psychodynamic theory, neuroscience, and anti-oppressive frameworks into her work. She is also exploring the potential of psychedelic-assisted therapy and ethical applications of AI in social work. Amanda is passionate about mentoring future social workers, advocating for systemic change, and creating spaces where people feel seen, heard, and empowered. She currently serves as President of the NASW Colorado Chapter.

Tina Basner works at the CHE Centre for Higher Education Development as a project manager at the "Hochschulforum Digitalisierung" in Germany. Since 2021, the sociologist has led various think tanks, focusing particularly on issues of equity & participation and more recently on well-being and mental health in digital learning environments. Additionally, she works in the area of internationalization and regularly reports on digital teaching and learning innovations at international universities. Tina Basner is a trained agile coach and team trainer. She studied adult education at the Humboldt University in Berlin and education & sociology at the University of Kiel.

Catherine is a seasoned and passionate Learning and Development Leader and certified HR professional with over thirty years of experience developing innovative approaches to workplace learning. She is currently in charge of the Research and Innovation Centre at Quebec Order of Human Resources & Industrial Relations Counsellors (CRHA) and is the editor-in-chief of the recognized HR publication - Revue RH (https://carrefourrh.org/ressources/revue-rh), driving leading-edge topics in this digital new world. Catherine's mission is to bridge the gap that may arise between academic research and practical application, ensuring that evidence-based practices lead to contemporary HR & L&D strategies and professional development across various industries and sectors.
She was responsible for the larger-scale deployment of Codevelopment Action Learning at the CHRA and is the co-author of the related case study in the book "Codevelopment Action Learning for Business: Co-create. Accelerate. Grow" (Routledge, 2024). She is also co-author of the award-winning practical guide in hiring: "Le candidat viscéral - . She holds a Master's degree in Training Management.

Dr. Sunday Ade Bello (SAB) is a seasoned academic, consultant, and entrepreneur with over 24 years of experience in management education and leadership development. He holds multiple doctorates and has taught and supervised extensively across universities in Africa and beyond. As CEO of WorkLife Training Professionals and Visiting Professor at institutions in Nigeria, Armenia and the West Indies, Dr. Bello champions entrepreneurship and organizational transformation. He serves on editorial and advisory boards, including the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council, and has delivered over 300 presentations. His research and publications span poverty reduction, leadership, and MSME development across emerging economies.

Uri Ben Ari – President and Founder of Athena Fund

Uri Ben Ari is an Israeli entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in global tech and telecommunications, having held senior positions and led business development in multiple countries. In 2006, he founded the Athena Fund, a nonprofit empowering teachers with digital tools. The fund has provided tens of thousands of laptops and iPads to teachers in Israel. Today, his focus is the ImagineBox project, implementing immersive interactive classrooms in K-12 schools, with 120 already established. Ben Ari holds a Bachelor’s in Economics and an MBA from Tel Aviv University.

Rasmus is Team Lead of the European Digital Education Hub (EDEH) for the German NGO Stifterverband. In this role he works together with the European Commission to implement EDEH and to build up a community of practitioners of digital education in Europe.

Rasmus has previously been the Director of the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), Secretary General of OBESSU and Vice-President of the Lifelong Learning Platform. He has a Master’s Degree in European and International Relations from Linköping University.

Dr. Kelvin Bentley has over 25 years of experience serving in various roles as a faculty member, administrator, and consultant within the field of higher education, supporting online learning and other types of academic innovation initiatives. These initiatives have included leading online learning offices and teams and piloting and scaling online tutoring and proctoring in support of online learning programs at 2- and 4-year colleges and universities.

Dr. Bentley currently serves as the University of Texas System's first project manager for Texas Credentials for the Future, a new initiative funded in part by a $1.5 million grant from the Strada Education Foundation, designed to grow and scale access to technical skills for students and alumni across 14 universities and health research institutions. He engages in strategic planning and collaboration with UT System faculty, staff, and administrators across the UT System and partners including Google, Coursera, WorkCred, and Skyepack.

In addition, Dr. Bentley is collaborating with the National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH) and Google to support a new community of practice that includes faculty, staff, and administrators across 11 community college and university systems designed to help grow and scale their use of Google Career Certificates and AI courses within academic courses and co-curricular pathways.

Bettina Benzinger advises national and European public sector clients on their digital transformation at Deloitte Consulting. Her work centers on concept and strategy development and implementation, with a focus on digital education to prepare educational actors for the future. Prior to this, she worked in international relations, gaining experience in navigating complex multilateral environments.

PhD on Interfaces for Generative Audiovisuals in the Network Information Technologies program at Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Barcelona). Master in Graphical Interface Design at the University of Lincoln (UK). Graduated in audiovisuals and multimedia at ERAM – University of Girona (Spain).
Assistant professor at UOC and BAU where he teaches Creativity, Inclusive Signage, Interactive Design and Interface Criticism.
His artistic works have been shown in Spain, France, Serbia, Helsinki, Singapore and Canada.
In his research he is concerned with the power of interfaces as means to build up ways to interact, observing the poetical and the political implications of each proposal.

I am an technology specialist with an extensive range of experience in the design and implementation of digital solutions and the impact they can have.

Having both a commercial and education background, I have a unique perspective on technology’s potential to transform the world around us.

Bart is researcher, lecturer and coach in educational technology at UC Leuven Limburg, Belgium. He supports colleagues and teams in the development of hybrid courses. He is also involved in research projects in the broad field of hybrid learning and educational technology. Currently the field of XR and AI in learning!
In the past he was the driving force behind educational innovation at the T2-campus in Genk, implementing mobile learning and VR/AR in technical training.

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Gerdinand Bosch is the program director at Npuls. In his role as program director, Gerdinand is responsible for the central organization of the program and is responsible for the quality of the results of the Npuls.

Roland has been teaching Strategic Management, Leadership, and Introduction to Business Administration since 2004, bringing over two decades of academic experience to this field. In 2021, he assumed leadership of the Institute for Digital Management, where he spearheads initiatives focused on integrating digital technologies into educational pratice at his University. His pedagogical approach emphasizes the development of self-learning courses, reflecting his commitment to innovative teaching methodologies that empower students to take ownership of their learning journey.

Jane Bozarth, the Director of Research for The Learning Guild, is a veteran classroom trainer who transitioned to digital learning in the late 1990s and has never looked back. In her previous job as leader of the State of North Carolina’s award-winning eLearning program, Jane specialized in finding low-cost ways of providing online training solutions. She is the author of several books, among them "eLearning Solutions on a Shoestring", "Social Media for Trainers", and "Show Your Work: The Payoffs and How-To’s of Working Out Loud". A popular international conference presenter, Jane holds a doctorate in training and development. She lives in Durham, NC, USA with her husband and Thomas the corgi.

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Amy has been named a 2025 HR Most Influential Thinker and is the founder of Synaptic Potential, a consultancy that supports sustainable high performance enabling people to contribute more to their organisation by working smarter not harder. She is an author and a global speaker who’s ‘Fact not Fluff’ approach is a welcome authority in a world awash with questionable theories. She passionately believes that a great way to achieve your full potential in life and work is by knowing more about how your brain works so you can work with it. Her combination of scientific expertise and practical real-world experience give audiences easy-to-implement frameworks that uplift brain performance.

Tracie Cantu is Chief Learning Strategist at Your CLO and a recognized authority in learning operations and technology. With two decades of experience leading L&D transformation at organizations such as Meta, Atlassian, and Whole Foods Market, she helps companies modernize their learning functions, scale their impact, and align with business priorities. Tracie brings a sharp focus on strategy, systems, and execution. She helps L&D teams scale their impact, deliver business value, and operate like a strategic business function.

Jaime Cará Junior, PhD, has been a post-graduation professor of Didactics & Methodology, a member of the research council in the major university in Latin America (USP), a digital product designer and manager, and Training & Development manager, responsible for over 2 thousand trainees a year, an (co-)author of books, papers, coursebooks and educational applications, and a speaker in international events. Jaime is currently responsible for the e-learning project for the European Space Agency Academy, developing online programmes for university students, from BS to PhD.

Roxana Caragea has been a learning and development manager for GEA Group AG since 2020. As a learning professional and a wearer of many hats within her role, she is generally responsible for topics related to stakeholder management, knowledge development strategies and strives to practically answer the question: ‘How do you make learning matter?’

With a professional background in both corporate and non-profit organizations, she is excited about building digital learning journeys which can support learners in all stages of their professional development.

In her free time she enjoys picking up new books, hobbies and spending too much time thinking about new ways to tell old stories.

Responsible for all Technology related initiatives, agile program management and vendor relationships

Oversees all technically biased initiatives, including EdOps, custom development and other technically focused activities.
Leads the spnsors relationship, its growth and compliance with requirements. Also responsible for third-party tech providers to the firm.
Oversees all agile program management activities, including best practices, effective methodology deployment and project/program management activity.

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.

Reagan Chesnut (she/her) is the Assistant Director of Service and Process at Hope College, where she leads a team focused on building user confidence, promoting digital accessibility, and advancing service strategy across campus. She has presented nationally on human-centered technology support and brings a creative, people-first approach, shaped by her background in theatre and arts administration. Reagan serves on Hope’s Digital Accessibility Audit team and as the mentor for Hope Advocates for Invisible Conditions. She is trained in audio description and has led two NEA-funded grants focused on access for Deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences. She holds a BA from Hope and an M.Phil from Trinity College Dublin.

Joy Christensen is an Associate Professor (Lektor) in Product Development and Integrated Technology at UCL University College, in Odense, Denmark. She holds a Master’s degree in Digital Education from the University of Edinburgh and brings a multidisciplinary lens to the integration of emerging technologies in education. Her current research focuses on XAI in education, human-centered design, AI competency training, and the ethical application of digital tools in teaching and learning. She is committed to developing accessible, practice-based frameworks that empower educators to engage with AI confidently and critically.

When he’s not training for his next Taekwon-Do match, Callum spends his time working on WildFire, an AI driven learning content creation system. He has a background in Natural Language Processing and has a degree in Data Science and Knowledge Engineering for Maastricht University in the Netherlands. Callum is also a member of the ITF England Taekwon-Do Team, where he currently preparing to compete in the upcoming European Championships.

Donald Clark is a Learning Tech Entrepreneur, CEO, Investor, Author, Podcaster, Blogger and Speaker. He was CEO and one of the original founders of Epic Group plc, which established itself as the leading company in the UK online learning market, floated on the Stock Market in 1996 and sold in 2005. He has been involved at all levels of investment – angel, VC, growth, PE and IPO. As well as being the CEO of Wildfire, an AI learning company, he also invests in, and advises, EdTech companies.
An investor and board member of learning companies Cogbooks (sold in 2021 to Cambridge University) and Learning Pool (sold 2021 for $200 million), he was also on the Boards of City & Guilds, Learn Direct, University for Industry and the Brighton Dome and Festival. Wildfire delivers AI products and consultancy. He has published 3 books, on ‘AI for Learning’, ‘Learning Experience Design’ and ‘Learning Technology’. His fourth book on Learning in the Metaverse has just been commissioned.
Donald has over 37 years experience in online learning, video, games, simulations, semantic, adaptive, chatbot, social media, mobile learning, virtual reality, AI and Metaverse projects. He has designed, delivered and advised on online learning for many global, public and private organisations. An evangelist for the use of technology in learning, he has won many awards, including the first ‘Outstanding Achievement in E-learning Award’ and ‘Best AIM Stock Market Company’, ‘Most Innovative Online Product’, ‘Best Online Learning Project and ‘JISC EdTech Award’.
An award winning speaker at national and international conferences, he has delivered keynotes in the UK, Europe, US, Africa, Australia, Middle and Far East.
His podcast series ‘Great Minds on Learning’ and 200+ articles on learning theorists are all online…… also a regular blogger (15 years+) on learning technology.
Books
AI for learning (2020) https://amzn.to/3HmAcIN
Learning Experience Design (2021) https://amzn.to/3zDMdYk
Learning Technologies (to be published Jan 2023)
Metaverse and learning (to be published late 2023)
Blogs
Series on 200 learning theorists, from the Greeks to the Geeks https://bit.ly/3OdrPBs
Podcasts
Great Minds in Learning
GREEKS https://bit.ly/3HpowVy
ENLIGHTENMENT http://bit.ly/3oy80ec
BEHAVIOURISTS http://bit.ly/3iUnINE
COGNITIVISTS http://bit.ly/3oUxOBK
PRACTICE http://bit.ly/3aAK5mk
INSTRUCTIONALISTS http://bit.ly/3FEdYk8
MORALISTS http://bit.ly/3qgdQC8
SOCIAL https://bit.ly/3MTLGEw
ASSESSORS bit.ly/3IX2A3C
AFFECTIVE https://bit.ly/3HsDDhe
INFORMAL https://bit.ly/3zym8Km
WORKFLOW https://bit.ly/3xU4Q9n
ONLINE LEARNING https://bit.ly/3Qn1Vgw

The Learning & Development Podcast with David James https://bit.ly/3zzCGSd
Reimagining Education with James Manion bit.ly/32D2LSf
AI, Data, and Optimism with Leading Learning https://bit.ly/3tEyQUa
AI is the New UI with John Helmer apple.co/3qF8oas
Enhancing learning experiences using AI with Learning Science bit.ly/3FJGdNR
The History of Learning and the Learning of History apple.co/3sMjXQ2

Videos
Don't lecture me! bit.ly/3HmLOtT
TEDx Talk More pedagogic change in 10 years than last 1000 years bit.ly/3quRxqU

Jo Cook is Director of her company Lightbulb Moment, which specialises in developing, facilitating and training others to deliver great live online training sessions, virtual classrooms, webinars and blended, digital programmes. Jo has a background in teaching, technology and journalism. She facilitates, speaks, writes, blogs and tweets on L&D topics and part-time is the Deputy Editor of Training Journal magazine and website. Jo’s background includes further and higher education, the charity sector, small and large organisations, including CNN News and Bupa International.

Ashley Cooks is an award-winning instructional designer and the founder of EmpowerHer Strategies LLC, a learning and development consulting firm focused on inclusive, scalable learning. She specializes in designing training experiences that blend technology, accessibility, and equity-centered design to support diverse learners in corporate and community settings.

With 20 years experience in online and digital education, Matt specialises in the design and development of fully online programmes and short courses, with a particular interest in the intersection of higher education and professional learning. As a senior leader at the University of Leeds, UK, he coordinates activity across professional services and drives forward the growth and quality of online education. He has led award-winning teams, is a trustee of the Association for Learning Technology and is a champion for bringing together online and subject-discipline pedagogies. Matt brings a passion for collaboration, learning design and creating accessible online courses that enable learners to succeed and continue their learning journeys.

Erin Czerwinski, is the Manager, Learning Engineering and Technology Enhanced Learning Product, for The Simon Initiative and The Open Learning Initiative at Carnegie Mellon University. Erin also serves on the steering committee of the International Consortium for Innovation and Collaboration in Learning Engineering (ICICLE), has authored several chapters in The Learning Engineering Toolkit (Goodell & Kolodner 2023), and was the Chair for the 2023 ICICLE Conference. Erin has deep expertise defining and using learning science methodologies, best practices, and product quality guidelines to deliver impactful learning experiences. She has over twenty years of experience effectively designing, implementing, evaluating, and improving online courses, curricula, and platforms. Erin has provided curriculum leadership at Western Governors University, and was the Director of Learning Engineering at Acrobatiq, Inc. after serving in a Learning Engineering position with CMU’s OLI. She holds an MS in Education from Duquesne University, specializing in instructional technologies.

Delphine Dall’Agata currently acts as Learning Innovation Officer at the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITCILO), a United Nations agency that provides professional training for the world of work. Over the past 6 years, her work has focused on designing and facilitating innovative online and in-person learning events in over 10 countries. As a UN Innovation Fellow, she actively advocates for forward-thinking experimentation and co-creative solutions at the crossroads of innovation and inclusion. In 2023, she was nominated as one of the 30 Under 30 members of the Learning Technologies Exhibition & Conference, which spotlights the next generation of global leaders in the learning and development field. Previously, she was a Fulbright Scholar for the USA-Italy Fulbright Commission. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Dickinson College (USA) and a Master’s Degree from the Turin School of Development (Italy).

As secretary of the board for L'Université Numérique, the French digital university, and AUNEGe, the French OER repository for management & economics, Jacques leads collaborative initiatives in technological R&D, in cooperation with French universities, high-tech companies and academic partners around the globe. The projects involve next-generation networks, open and distance learning as well as evaluation and learning analytics. Jacques also chairs, together with the ICDE Secretary General, the francophone working group for the implementation of the UNESCO Recommendation on OER; this working group includes representatives from UNESCO, national UNESCO commissions, virtual universities or ministries for Higher Education from various francophone countries in West & Central Africa. He represents L'Université Numérique for participation in the UNESCO dynamic coalition for OER. Jacques currently leads open education initiatives in various French-speaking and Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa.

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Bert’s professional life is all about competent people. He thinks, publishes, consults, designs and sets up learning and development projects for corporations. His areas of expertise include technology enhanced learning, leadership development and innovation.

Bert has been active in the field of corporate learning and e-learning for the last 25 years, first as instructor and course designer, later as project manager, consultant and business development manager. He worked at IBM Learning Development Europe where he was responsible for commercial e-learning development projects across Europe, and the management of the learning innovation initiatives. Thirteen years ago he joined the Center for Creative Leadership where he is now part of the global innovation team.

Sara is an international expert in digital and immersive education. Over three decades, she has held executive education and research directorial roles in schools, colleges and universities, along the way helping to establish three research institutes and attract over 80 projects including 19 EU projects including scientific coordination of a network of excellence. Along the way she has set up three companies, in addition to consulting with national and international government agencies and departments. Her work is captured in 40 books, over 100 scientific peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers, and in over 10 software applications and 3 platforms developed and tested. Selling her last AIM-listed PLC company for over £70M in 2022, she is currently a University Governor, CEO of EdTech start up Weypoint, and holds visiting Professorships at Open University and University of South Wales. She is also an Honorary Research Fellow at Birkbeck University of London, in the same Computer Science department she started her academic career at in central London. Having held 8 Professorships (UK/Australia), and executive roles up to Deputy Vice Chancellor, her awards include fellowships from the Royal Society of Arts and the Business Excellence Institute, and she is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

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Originally from Mexico City, I hold both an MA and a PhD from Stanford University, where I began shaping my passion for the intersection of education, technology, and innovation. My work focuses on advancing instructional design and driving technical skills development to prepare learners for the workforce of the future. Over the years, my career has taken me from California and Washington, D.C. to the Philippines, Nepal, and Myanmar, before landing in Berlin, where I now call home. When I’m not experimenting with new EdTech tools or designing role-based learning strategies, you’ll likely find me with a book in hand or on a yoga mat.

Inge de Waard is the learning strategist at EIT InnoEnergy, she is a longtime researcher, activist, award-winning learning innovator and (e)Learning coordinator. She developed multiple online & hybrid courses, co-designed AI tools, and embedded learning innovations. Inge coaches and co-creates international, blended curricula with engineers and teachers, and explores innovative learning formats. Her expertise is recognized by peers, resulting in additional co-authored papers, invited talks and keynotes in both academic and professional conferences, workshops and seminars. She recently founded the Power Elders initiative to spotlight role models who changed their lives at any age beyond 50. Most of all, she likes to connect with people and share stories.

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Katrien Dewaele is a lecturer French at the Faculty of Teacher Education of UCLeuven-Limburg (UCLL, Belgium). She is also a researcher at the Centre of Expertise ‘Education & Development’ of UCLL. Her research focuses on how to facilitate learning processes in an evidence-informed way and enhanced by technology. In her teaching practice and research work, she bridges the gap between insights from educational research and classroom practice. Katrien is an expert within the field of foreign language didactics and has already shared this expertise in several publications, at (inter)national conferences, and in teacher training programs with Teacher Design Teams.

Lisa Drevsholt is an associate professor and educational developer at University College Copenhagen. She has played a central role in projects exploring the intersection of pedagogy, technology, and professional identity in education.

She is also the author of textbook materials used in healthcare education, contributing to bridging academic theory with professional practice. Her publications focus on topics such as healthcare administration, communication, ethics, and the role of technology in patient-centered care and the healthcare system in general.

She has contributed to initiatives on interprofessional learning, simulation-based training, and the ethical integration of AI in teaching practices. With more than 20 years of experience in education, facilitating workshops, and working as a trainer in adult pedagogy, she brings a strong didactic perspective and a passion for creating meaningful, reflective learning experiences.

Antoine Dubost est la co-fondateur d’E-Charlemagne depuis 2001. Passionné par les nouvelles technologies et leur impact sur l’apprentissage, Ingénieur Télécom, il a créé E-Charlemagne pour offrir aux formateurs des outils performants et adaptés aux besoins de chaque apprenant. Grâce à son expertise en intelligence artificielle et en pédagogie digitale, co-créateur de la solution K2R2 basée sur l’IA , Antoine accompagne les établissements de formation ou service formation/ ressources humaines des entreprises dans l’intégration de solutions d’intelligence artificielle. Sa vision : faire de la technologie un levier de réussite pour tous les acteurs de l’éducation, de la formation et des ressources humaines.

Jana Duchateau's academic background is in Spanish and French Linguistics and Literature, with a Master of Arts degree. Her professional career commenced in an international company, where she specialised in enhancing client relations, communication, and internship coaching. Subsequently, she embarked on her academic journey at UCLL University of Applied Sciences, initially as a Coordinating Admissions Officer. In this role, she contributed to efficiency-improving projects. Additionally, Jana held the positions of lecturer and student tutor for the Advanced Bachelor Global Citizenship & Development programme. She continues in this capacity until the present day, while also combining it with her research position as junior researcher since September 2024. She has demonstrated her expertise in her inaugural national research project, which focused on Global Citizenship Education in VET (BeGlobel). She is currently working on the European funded D-Paideia project, which is now in the dissemination phase and will be presented in the OEB Learning Café.

Patti Dyjur, PhD, is an Educational Development Consultant with the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, University of Calgary. She works on curriculum review and development, as well as collaborating with others to design courses and programs that incorporate intentional, meaningful student learning experiences. Her research interests include curriculum development and review in higher education, micro-credentialing, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in higher education.

Merve Emiroğlu is a Computer Science Educator at Private ALEV Schools in Istanbul. She specializes in digital literacy, AI-supported learning activities, and ICT integration in primary education. With a background in Educational Technologies, she designs interactive and age-appropriate tech-based materials for young learners. Merve is also the author of digital activity guides and children’s books focusing on internet safety and digital literacy. She is passionate about supporting teachers through professional development in emerging technologies. She actively participates in international conferences and collaborations to promote innovation in education.

Hasan Esen is an educational technology expert and curriculum designer dedicated to enhancing teacher professional development. With a background in Computer Education and Instructional Technology, he has worked as a teacher and academic coordinator in leading schools, including AP and IB programs. Currently, he serves as the Operations Manager at TeacherX, where he leads projects on AI integration in education, asynchronous training content development, and digital learning solutions. Hasan is passionate about improving educational systems through innovative tools and data-driven strategies. He also supports schools in building AI literacy and reimagining teaching roles for the future of learning.

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Carlotta Esser is a Programme Manager at the Hochschulforum Digitalisierung’s Innovation Hub, responsible for the DigitalChangeMaker initiative. She joined the Stifterverband in 2023 in the “Lernarchitekturen” programme and previously worked at Grüner Wirtschaftsdialog. She holds a B.Sc. in Social Sciences from the University of Cologne and an M.A. in Sociology – European Societies from Freie Universität Berlin.

Andrea Feddersen is Head of the APOLLON Akademie in Bremen, a distance learning institute focused on professional development in health and social sectors. With a career dedicated to e-learning and digital education, she emphasizes enhancing learners' experiences through advanced media solutions and online learning environments. Currently, she is exploring the integration of artificial intelligence into the learning process, particularly in relation to exams and assessments. Her current approach aims to optimize educational outcomes, supporting students throughout their learning journey.

Mahreen supports Ufi funded projects and cohorts across different verticals. She has supported organisations including The Princes’ Trust, CodeYourFuture, RSA and Beam among others. Mahreen is also responsible for implementing the evaluation of Ufi's grant funding.

Laurie Forcier is a senior education strategist, writer, and connector working at the intersection of learning, technology, and systems change. She is Vice President for Strategy at EDT&Partners, a global education consultancy that helps governments, companies, and institutions design and scale solutions that improve learning outcomes and ecosystems. Laurie specialises in helping innovative education organisations articulate their purpose, translate complex ideas into accessible narratives, and build relationships that drive meaningful collaboration. She is a co-author of Intelligence Unleashed: An Argument for AI in Education and has held leadership roles at Harvard University, Pearson, and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Her work spans go-to-market strategy, digital transformation, and event-led engagement, with a focus on creating the conditions for partnerships and progress across diverse education systems.

Kristen Franklin, Director of Product, Credentials,

Kristen Franklin brings over 25 years of adult education experience, ranging from informal learning spaces to undergraduate seminars on rhetoric and communication at Stanford University. At Digital Promise, she is the competency-based assessment framework expert, and directs all Digital Promise Credentialling products, including the robust Micro-credential Platform and open-source badging technology, Badge Engine. Previously, she drove publishing growth at George Lucas Educational Foundation: Edutopia to reach 20+ million readers annually as Managing Editor, and led capacity building and digital communication initiatives at numerous San Francisco Bay Area nonprofits. Kristen holds a Master's from John F. Kennedy University and Bachelors from University of California, Davis. Kristen holds several digital certifications, micro-credentials, and badges that center learner needs and experiences.

Dr. Eran Gal is a digital learning and learning innovation expert with over 25 years of experience in applying cross-company technology-based learning solutions.
Dr. Gal heads the graduate program at the Instructional Technologies Faculty, HIT.

Dr. Gal teaches learning design an innovation. He also oversees the research initiatives of the program focusing on empirical research of organisational and technological enhanced learning. Sine January 2023 Dr. Gal's research and studies are focused on successful implementation of GenAI services in academic and organisational learning.

Laura Geringer helps leaders make ideas visible, collaboration engaging, and learning fun. As a multi-passionate creative, she combines visual thinking, experiential learning, and community engagement to create unique experiences that change makers want to be part of. She's known for her combination of ingenuity and organization: designing highly creative solutions and the processes to make them reality. With her M.Ed. in International Higher Education and 13+ years combining value-centric project design with visual media, Laura partners with learning & development leaders to engage communities, facilitate innovation, and produce resources that move the needle. At the heart of her work is the belief that we can create better, more human futures through collaboration, learning, and value-centric leadership. With this priority in mind, Laura founded PumpkinBerry Consulting, a creative design studio specializing in learning experience design and graphic facilitation.

As an HR Development Expert at urban.brussels, I lead key HR initiatives: Training, Competence Management, Integration, Performance Management, and HR Digitalisation; within the public service that is shaping the territorial development of the Brussels capital region. With a background in labour sociology, Belgian social law, and sustainable AI, I am passionate to shape the future of work by integrating human-centered innovation (XAI) into public sector transformation, building dynamic learning ecosystems that empower both people and cities. My mission is to enhance AI literacy, promote responsible innovation, and align HR practices with technological change; while also strengthening overall workforce capabilities, including managerial and strategic competences.

Francesco Giacalone drives innovation in executive education at IESE Business School, where he leads the design and implementation of next-generation learning experiences. His work focuses on applying AI and immersive technologies to enhance how leaders learn, collaborate, and make decisions in a rapidly evolving world. At the intersection of technology, and pedagogy, Francesco explores how AI can elevate—not replace—human judgment in learning.

Peter is an experienced team lead, skilled in the practices of: innovation (JTBD, Lean Startup, Design Thinking), digital strategy, and strategy and corporate company management. Peter is also a researcher with a demonstrated history of working in the EdTech research industry. He lectures on the psychology of learning on several masters programmes. Peter holds a first-class honours degree in Psychology, the focus of his research was cognitive theory of multimedia learning. In 2012, he completed an MSc in Technology Enhanced Learning at Trinity College Dublin. His research interest is the interaction between motivation and technology-enhanced learning. Peter developed his research on motivation and learning through the PhD programme at TCD. Peter has over two decades commercial experience in the digital design and communications industry. He was Managing Director of one of the first multimedia agencies in Ireland working with blue-chip clients in Ireland and the US.

Prof. Dr. Maja Göpel has been working for more than 25 years as a political economist, transformation expert, and sustainability scientist at the intersection of science, politics, and society. A policy advisor, bestselling author (Rethinking Our World, We Can Do Better, Ullstein Verlag, translated into ten languages, and Values, Brandstätter Verlag), and sought-after speaker, she is Professor of Sustainability Transformation at Leuphana University Lüneburg and founder of Mission Wertvoll.

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Wolf Lux

Jens Greefe is the Director of Studies at Klett OWB, Klett Online Weiterbildung GmbH & Co. KG in Hamburg. Klett OWB, together with its subsidiaries ILS, SGD, Fernakademie für Erwachsenenbildung, and Schule des Schreibens, teaches approximately 90,000 participants annually in more than 300 distance learning courses. He holds a diploma in Economics and is responsible for the development, organization, and quality management of the course programs.
From 2012 to 2020, Jens Greefe served as Vice President, and from 2022 to 2025 he was a member of the board of the German Association for Distance Learning (“Bundesverband der Fernstudienanbieter,” formerly “Forum Distance Learning”).
Since 2021, he has been a member of the Global Advisory Board of OEB Online Educa Berlin.
Jens Greefe has chaired the Research & Development Committee since 2014 and has been a member of the board of EADL since 2025.

I have extensive experience in digital learning and education, particularly within the healthcare sector. I currently serve as Medewerker Centrum Digitaal Leren (Digital Learning Center Employee) at Hogeschool PXL, a role I've held since September 2021. I am also involved in the "e-Hospital4Future" project, which aims to enhance the education of healthcare professionals by integrating training modules covering social, technical, and digital competencies. For over 15 years, I have been the ICT Verantwoordelijke Opleiding Verpleegkunde (ICT Manager for Nursing Education) at Hogeschool PXL. In this capacity, I have been involved in the development of E-Learning within the nursing program. My expertise includes Nursing Education and Lecturing. I also have a long history as an Instructional Designer, developing practice-oriented digital didactic materials for hospitals and home care from November 2007 to November 2021. I am also a seasoned trainer, providing training for Office 365, Onenote, Prezi, Moovly and Canva for both beginners and advanced users, a role I've had since November 2009.

Ellen Gunning created Irish Academy of Public Relations in 1992. The college provides internationally recognised online professional diploma courses, modular self-learning CPD courses and corporate training in communications disciplines. Ellen is author of three books, including the global third-level core text “Public Relations – A Practical Approach”. She specialises in Crisis PR training and consultancy. Her other business, Mettacomms, is an AI powered platform offering sight of future trends in multiple disciplines. A member of the board of EADL, the European Association for Distance Learning, Ellen’s panel contribution spans both communications and future-vision inputs.

Here's a concise biography based on your CV: **Patrik Hambraeus** is a lecturer in communication, storytelling, and professional development at Berghs School of Communication, where he has been a board member since 2015. With over 15 years of experience teaching storytelling, he has developed innovative frameworks including the Story Canvas methodology that transforms personal experiences into compelling narratives for learning and professional development. As a learning designer and transformative educationalist, Patrik has created groundbreaking programs including the Content Engineering program (2024) and the Cannes Lions CMBA online course. His work bridges neuroscience research with practical storytelling applications, demonstrating how narrative activates unique neural pathways that enhance memory, empathy, and human connection. Patrik brings 30 years of television production experience to his educational practice, having produced award-winning documentaries, entertainment shows, and international formats. His recent projects include developing the IDG (Inner Development Goals) Micro Training, which was nominated at the Swedish Learning Awards 2023, and organizing AI-focused unconferences that explore technology's impact on creative industries. He holds an MA in Television Drama from Goldsmiths College, University of London, and has completed advanced certifications in generative coaching and leadership development. Currently, he is researching storytelling's cross-disciplinary impact on society and developing AI tools for learning and development professionals.

Cleopatra Hammad is a Global Product Training Manager at ABB, where she designs and delivers learning experiences for the global sales audience. She has previously worked as an instructional designer for universities across the UK, Europe, and Australia, creating online courses in areas such as data analytics, digital marketing, and programming languages. Cleopatra is currently pursuing a PhD in Educational Sciences at the University of Oulu in Finland, where her research explores how collaboration is triggered in technology-driven learning environments. Her passion lies in bridging academic and corporate learning to make training more meaningful, collaborative, and relevant across sectors.

John Helmer is a writer, podcaster and communications strategy expert specialising in the fields of learning, training and education, with a particular focus on digital technology innovation. He runs two highly successful podcasts, The Learning Hack and Great Minds on Learning. He has led many programmes bringing together thought leaders and practitioners for knowledge sharing and debate, and writes for and edits numerous blogs, as well as producing many white papers and research reports (including articles for peer-reviewed journals).

His career in strategic communications consultancy includes many years working with and for organisations including Learning Pool, Go1, Ocean Technologies Group, Lumesse, Saba, Powtoon, Epic, LINE, Semantico, Towards Maturity, Ufi/learndirect, Kineo, Willow DNA, Learning Light and Capita Learning Solutions. Sector experience spans corporates, start-ups, scale-ups, not-for-profits and public bodies.

A pioneer in digital marketing, he co-created and promoted more than thirty training courses on using the internet for marketing and business. He is also a published novelist, lyricist for the group Marillion, has been on Top of Pops, and won a Perrier Award.

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Markus Herkersdorf ist Mitgründer und Geschäftsführer der TriCAT GmbH. Der Dipl. Ing. Luft- und Raumfahrttechnik, ehemalige Offizier und Berufspilot, gilt als ausgewiesener Experte für virtuell-immersive 3D Lern- und Arbeitswelten. Er berät Unternehmen und Entscheider zu allen Aspekten von virtueller Transformation. Mit seinem Unternehmen setzt er seit Jahren eine starke und zukunftsgerichtete Vision zu neuen, hybriden und technologiegestützten Formen der Begegnung, des Lernens und der Zusammenarbeit von Menschen um. Sein besonderes Interesse gilt der Zukunft des Lernens und der verteilten Zusammenarbeit von Menschen auf Basis der Möglichkeiten, die virtuell-immersive Umgebungen sowie KI heute und zukünftig eröffnen. Markus ist eines der ZP Faces und langjähriger Akteur im ZP Think Tank Learning & Developement.

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Dr Velislava Hillman is a Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics, associate lecturer at Goldsmiths, and founder of Education Data Digital Safeguards (EDDS) which researchers and evaluates educational technologies. The research work broadly lies in education, policy, and governance with focus on the impact of advancing digital systems on children’s learning and fundamental human rights. Dr Hillman is partner at Etoile Partners where she also leads research on education data with EU-Horizon consortium TRUSTEE.

Philipp Höllermann is an expert in digital transformation, e-learning, and higher education. His work focuses on digitizing (learning) processes, mobile, social and blended learning, open innovation, and artificial intelligence. Mr. Höllermann is a member of several digital learning initiatives, such as the German Forum for Higher Education in the Digital Age, the Network for Digital Education, and Bitkom, and regularly appears as a speaker on topics related to online learning and digital transformation. He currently works as Chief Transformation Officer (CTO) at DWG, one of the largest education holdings in Germany.

David leads Jigsaw Education, an independent education research organisation focused on low-income countries with specialisms in EdTech, climate education and refugee education. He is also the Research Director at EdTech Hub, a global movement working for an evidence-driven future in EdTech. He has worked in over 25 countries, helping governments, donors and NGOs to use evidence to bring about lasting change in education. David holds a PhD from the University of London (2010) and serves on various boards, including for Refugee Education UK.

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Armin Hopp is co-founder and president of Speexx, the world’s leading digital language skills testing and learning platform. He is also president of the International Council on Badges and Credentials (ICoBC) He´s passionate about family, digital learning, EdTech, HR tech, learning transformation, guitars – and Speexx.

Empowering People in large organizations worldwide through Speexx Coaching™, digital language training, and skills assessment for all team members.

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Judith is the general secretary of Npuls - the national cooperation program for transforming tertiary education in the Netherlands. As such, she is involved in fostering a culture of inter-institutional cooperation in the Netherlands and the new questions this poses to national and institutional policy.

She has worked as a policy advisor on innovation and (practice-oriented) research in higher education on a national level since 2016. She was involved in the Npuls program since it was a drafted proposal for a grant from the Dutch National Growth Fund. She strongly believes in the power of cooperating and peer-learning, in order to improve the learning experience for (life long) learners.

Rick Jacobs is the principal of Jacobs, et al,, LLC, in College Station, Texas. He has been in the learning industry for over thirty years as an instructor, adjunct faculty, instructional designer, training manager, and learning strategist. He has worked in a wide breadth of industries to include higher education, the military, public safety, finance, technology, and sales. He currently consults internationally on learning projects and learning organizational development for organizations and law enforcement agencies, and provides training to transitioning teachers, corporate trainers, and law enforcement instructors. He has a BS in Philosophy and an MS in Criminal Justice.

Christian Janke is an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator for the Bachelor of Science in Uncrewed and Autonomous Systems at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide Campus. Following his assignments as a helicopter pilot in the German Armed Forces, he moved into research where he coordinated national and international research projects in the aerospace field. His current research focus is the safe and secure integration of drones into the airspace, the use of small drones and robotics in education and the prevention of drone misuse.
In his research he assesses the performance and suitability of several technologies as hardware element in upcoming UTM solutions.

Oliver Janoschka has served as managing director of the Hochschulforum Digitalisierung (German Forum for Higher Education in the Digital Age, abbreviated: HFD) since its inception in 2014.

Before founding HFD, Janoschka worked in the field of higher education in various European Member States for more than seven years. He has a proven track record of facilitating international policy projects, serving for example as director of projects for the European Association on Lifelong Learning in Higher Education (EUCEN) in Barcelona and Brussels and as lecturer and project coordinator for the Bosch Foundation in the Western Balkans. He holds a master’s degree in educational management, sociology and psychology from the University of Hamburg.

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Max Bankole Jarrett has over 35 years of professional experience in the fields of broadcast media and communication, and international policy affairs. He is a respected provider of strategic advisory services at the highest levels, including to senior political leaders and private sector CEOs. In 2017 he served as the final Director-in-charge of the Geneva-based Africa Progress Panel, chaired by the Nobel Laureate and former UN Secretary - General, Kofi Annan. From 2014 to 2016, he served as the Deputy Director of the APP. He began his career as a current affairs broadcaster with the BBC World Service in London in 1990 working on the BBC's flagship programmes for its African audience: Focus on Africa and Network Africa. In 2001 he transitioned to the policy world to work as a speechwriter, communication team leader and senior programme management officer in the United Nations system (for 17 years). After serving as Director of Strategy and Delivery in the Office of the President of the African Development Bank from July 2023 to July. 2025 he was appointed Divisional Manager, Editorial, Media Relations of the African Development Bank Group effective 1 August 2025. Max received his BSc. (Hons) in Economics in 1990 from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and his M.A in African Studies (Specialism: The Political Economy of Africa) in 1996, from London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies.

Christian Johnsen is a forward-thinking educational leader from Norway, shaping the future of learning as Head of Department at Sotra Upper Secondary School. Blending hands-on leadership with academic research, he champions trust-based leadership, organisational learning, and the meaningful integration of AI in education. Currently completing his Master’s in Practical Educational Science, Christian is driven by a vision of schools as dynamic communities where teachers thrive, students are empowered, and innovation meets purpose. His mission: to prepare the next generation for a rapidly changing world with courage, curiosity, and collaboration.

I am a psychologist by training (Dr. rer. nat.), with a special interest in informatics and human-centered technology. My research focuses on virtual reality and the experiences and perceptions achievable with this technology. Since 2023, I have also been involved in teachers' training. My interests include topics such as media literacy acquisition and digitalization, which therefore interlink very well with my research.

As a Lecturer at UCL Erhvervsakademi og Professionshøjskole, Henrik Juul Larsen specializes in business economics, financial accounting, management accounting, ESG reporting, and IT economics. With a decade of experience in the auditing sector and a degree in Auditing from the University of Southern Denmark, he brings a robust practical foundation to his teaching. Henrik is deeply committed to integrating Generative AI across all facets of education, from curriculum development and lesson planning to designing innovative assignments and interactive learning experiences, aiming to enhance student engagement and future-readiness.

Ihor Katernyak is affiliated with Ivan Franko National University of Lviv in Ukraine. He holds a PhD in Physics and Mathematics and serves as an Associate Professor in the Electronics & Computer Technology Department. His research interests encompass e-learning, knowledge management, digital transformation in education, entrepreneurship, tech startups, technology transfer, and open innovation. He has been published in reputable journals such as Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning, Universal Journal of Education Research, and Interactive Technology and Smart Education, among others.
Furthermore, he initiated a series of events including the "Idea Marathon" (held annually from March to May), "Innovation Spring" as a brokerage event (held annually in April), and "Startup Jam" (held from November to December). These events are designed to inspire young researchers and students to explore their ideas in the contexts of value innovation and tech startups. In addition, he is an expert in Innovation policy and ICT4Dev.
Ihor Katernyak is also the founder and CEO of the Ukrainian Distance Learning (UDL) System NGO.

Dan Be Kim is a startup founder turned educational technologist focused on reimagining teaching and learning in the age of AI. A startup enthusiast with an extensive background in product management, she has conceptualized and launched several marketplaces, including a venture-backed PropTech startup in the Bay Area. After arriving at Harvard determined to build evidence-based, AI-powered tools for education, she quickly discovered how overwhelmed and under-supported many educators and learners felt when engaging with this rapidly advancing technology.

Today, Dan Be’s work explores how AI can truly enhance and augment — not replace — human intelligence. Through PromptED, she helps educators and learners develop the intuition, fluency, confidence, and critical judgment needed to collaborate with AI in thoughtful, creative, and human-centered ways.

She currently contributes to research on Inspiring Moral AI Guidance in Education (IMAGINE) at the Harvard Center for Digital Thriving. In her role as an AI Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, she is helping to onboard ~700 incoming students by equipping them with the skills needed to leverage AI responsibly in their academic work and professional pursuits. As a Learning Design Fellow, she co-designed an AI literacy tutorial for all incoming students, a mandatory requirement before starting any coursework. The module introduces what responsible and effective AI use looks like in higher education, explores the nuance between school-wide and course-specific AI policies, and features diverse faculty perspectives to highlight how expectations vary across disciplines.

As an educational technologist, she is an active member of both the UNESCO Global Science of Learning Alliance and the Global Science of Learning Education Network (GSoLEN) hosted at UC San Diego, where she advocates for the conscious design of educational technologies grounded in evidence-based Science of Learning principles.

Henriette Kloots is an Organisational psychologist and Sr. Learning & Development consultant. After spending years on both the vendor and corporate side of L&D, she became independent in 2015. Interlocked is focuses on connecting the business and learning. When the business and L&D cooperate within the context of the organization they create real organizational change through impactful learning interventions. Henriette is a very energetic professional with a lot of passion for the industry and she is “here to challenge”.

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Laura Knight is Founder and CEO of Sapio Ltd, specialising in digital strategy and innovation for education. An international keynote speaker, author, strategist, and positive disruptor, Laura supports schools, universities, leadership associations, governments, and edtech companies to adopt an ambitious, ethical, and human-centric approach to AI and digital innovation. Her work spans digital pedagogy, holistic digital wellbeing, online safeguarding, leadership, and change management. She serves on multiple advisory boards across the education sector, including the Independent Schools Council Digital Advisory Group and the Good Future Foundation, and is a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching, published on their research hub.

Margaret Korosec is a forward-thinking and strategic leader in open, online, and professional learning, known for her human-centred approach and ability to scale bringing creativity, intentionality, and systems perspective to her leadership in scaling open, online and professional education. As Dean of Online and Digital Education at the University of Leeds in the UK, Margaret holds academic and strategic responsibility for advancing the institution’s online degrees and flexible learning portfolio. She has championed scalable, inclusive models for online course design and led efforts to build resilient and sustainable in-house capabilities ensuring a seamless end-to-end student experience from application through to graduation. Prior to her current role, Margaret made significant contributions to the expansion of online degree portfolios at the University of Derby Online Learning and Western Governors University (WGU). Witnessing the transformative power of inclusive, accessible and flexible education on individuals’ lives and communities solidified her dedication to advancing online and flexible learning initiatives.

A philologist in English and German with a teaching specialization and an andragogist by training, she has over 15 years of experience as an e-learning expert. Her career began with designing language courses and has since expanded to include e-learning, classroom, hybrid, and VR training solutions for many Forbes 500 companies. She has co-authored a book, contributing a chapter on practical tips and tricks for using AI in foreign language learning. She also conducts workshops on AI, introducing companies and their employees to the effective use of artificial intelligence.

Dr. Ingeborg Kroese worked 15 years in commercial and management roles in Consumer Goods companies in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East/North Africa. After her corporate career, Ingeborg has been designing and facilitating employee learning programs around the world for over 20 years. In addition, since 2018, Ingeborg conducts academic research and publishes her findings on the inclusiveness of learning. Ingeborg holds a MSc in Economics from the University of Groningen (cum laude) and a MA and Doctorate in Education from the Open University, UK. Ingeborg’s doctoral research focused on the equity and inclusiveness of corporate training and development. She supports learning professionals in the public, education, and corporate sectors, helping them improve the inclusivity and equity of their learning policies, programs, and tools. Ingeborg frequently speaks at international academic and professional learning conferences about her research and insights. Ingeborg lived in Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Austria, and the Netherlands. Ingeborg is currently director/owner of Enhance Facilitation BV (www.enhance-facilitation.eu), Affiliate Researcher at the Open University, UK, and Tilburg University, the Netherlands.

Maria Kuchina is the Product Training Manager at ABB, where she designs and delivers product training initiatives for a diverse global audience, ranging from technicians to sales teams. With a Master’s in Industrial Management and a background in the industrial sector in various engineering roles, Maria brings both technical depth and a learner-centric mindset to her work. She is passionate about reimagining technical training—making it more engaging, interactive, and far from boring. At ABB, she works to transform traditional learning formats into dynamic experiences that drive real impact. Maria is committed to shaping the future of digital learning through innovation and learner-centric approaches.

Gila Kurtz is the Dean of the Instructional Technologies Faculty at Holon Institute of Technology (HIT) in Israel. For serval years she was the Academic VP of a company that provided e-Learning solutions for the corporate industry. Gila has been a visiting scholar at the University of Maryland University College, University of California Berkeley, Syracuse University and University Roma, TRE.

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Thorsten Lammers is a dedicated higher education leader with over 15 years of experience across teaching, research, and industry collaboration. Passionate about improving the student learning journey, he currently oversees the on-campus and blended learning experience at Europe’s largest university, ensuring innovative and scalable opportunities for success.

Petra Lammers is TransformationDramaturg, communications consultant and storyteller. She effectively drives transformations with strategic and collaborative storytelling.

In 2010, she founded onliveline GmbH as an office for transformation & storytelling. With onliveline, she organized interactive productions as well as accompanying transformations through live, digital and virtual formats. Since 2025, Petra Lammers has been focusing even more intensively on the “story-driven transformation process” with her new company onto[story] GmbH - office for transformation & storytelling, thus effectively strengthening companies in their transformations through strategic and collaborative storytelling.

Petra Lammers was previously Creative Director and Concept Designer at Panroyal and was responsible for artistic productions with complex technologies for comprehensive communication strategies.
As a freelance theater director, she combined the art of storytelling and dramaturgy for over 12 years at various locations, such as Container City Jeruville, Volksbühne Berlin, Hungary, Switzerland, Vienna, New York or Puerto Rico, where she transformed walk-in spaces into unique stage worlds.
Petra Lammers holds an MBA from Murray State University and an MFA in Dramaturgy & Directing from the State University of New York and she is right now working on her PhD on transformation & storytelling. She innovatively implements strategic transformations through storytelling for companies in industry, research, SMEs, pharmaceuticals and society.

Pablo is the Founder & Managing Partner of EDT&Partners, a global consulting firm dedicated to advancing education through innovation and the effective use of technology. When not traveling, Pablo is based in Valencia, where he enjoys learning from his 40+ teammates and consultants, who are spread across 16 countries. He is passionate about scaling established business operations and launching new initiatives, especially projects related to education technology that impact individuals, communities, and organizations. As one of Blackboard’s early international hires, Pablo led the Mobile Learning division globally. More recently, as Vice President of Business Development at The Financial Times & IE Business School Corporate Learning Alliance (Headspring), he was responsible for building long-term value through strategic relationships, new market development, and customer success. Pablo brings a unique blend of experience working with well-established education leaders and early-stage ventures. He has also founded and helped grow impactful platforms such as ZeroAcoso.org, the first dedicated technology solution for bullying prevention and support.

Yolanda Larner is a strategic Learning & Development leader with over 15 years of experience creating high-impact learning solutions that blend creativity with business outcomes. As Director of Operations at her company, she leads cross-functional teams spanning instructional design, development, QA, and graphics to streamline workflows, elevate quality, and scale learning programs. A recognized innovator in AI-powered learning, Yolanda uses generative AI and data-informed processes to build immersive scenarios, automate routine tasks, and drive measurable impact. She holds a BA in Business Information Systems and is known for her collaborative, learner-first mindset that empowers individuals and organizations to grow—even when the path ahead isn’t clear.

Else holds a master’s degree in information technology and a PhD in digital learning. With this background, she enjoys exploring the intersection between humans and technology. In her work, Else focuses on how IT influences our interactions and lives, as well as how it can enhance and challenge our work and learning. Else is involved in research and development projects within areas such as online learning, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.

Dr. Jeanne Beatrix Law is a professor of English and coordinator of the new graduate certificate in AI Writing Technologies at Kennesaw State University. Her research specialties including multimodal languaging, custom GPTs for creative and applied writing use cases, and generative AI technologies for professional communication. Her public scholarship includes scaling oral histories into large language models, transforming open educational resources into interactive GPT textbooks, and teaching generative AI for grant writing and everyday use to multiple industry audiences. Jeanne is the co-author of The Writer’s Loop: A Guide to College Writing (Macmillan) and is a founding author for MacMillan Education’s Multimodal Mondays and Bits on Bots blog series, to which she regularly contributes. She has authored chapters on generative AI in edited collections from The University of Illinois Press and Computers & Composition. Her work is also regularly featured in print and digital public media, including The Chronicle of Higher Education and Government Technology Magazine. She writes for The Conversation and is the lead researcher for the nationally recognized #ATLStudentMovement digital oral history project. She has authored eight courses on Coursera on generative AI use, with more than 8,000 enrolled learners, featuring her Rhetorical Prompting Method (RPM). She is the lead researcher on both external and internal grants to pilot this method as prompt-first AI literacy. Jeanne also serves as a faculty mentor for the AAC&U’s AI Pedagogy Institute and is on the educator leadership council for Boodle Box and the educator leadership community for OpenAI. She has been called on as an AI use case expert by private industry and the University System of Georgia on numerous occasions, including serving on a plenary panel and conducting two prompt engineering workshops for the inaugural USG AI Summit. She delivered the opening plenary for the AAC&U’s 2025 Digital Innovations Forum. Jeanne has presented and published numerous times since 2022 for professional, public, and academic audience on the ethical uses of generative AI, including leading prompt engineering workshops in 2023 and 2024 at Open Educa Berlin (OEB). Her digital and f2f audiences total more than 10,000. Her educational passion is making sure that generative AI use cases are accessible to everyone. Her personal passion is her service Dog, Henck. Visit her Kennesaw State University faculty page for current information: https://facultyweb.kennesaw.edu/jlaw29/index.php and on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanne-beatrix-law-phd-a05b2391/

Dr. Mélissa Lemaire holds a PhD in Educational Measurement and Evaluation from the Université de Montréal, completed in collaboration with HEC Montréal. She also holds an MBA from Université Laval and a Master’s degree in Educational Measurement and Evaluation from the Université de Montréal. Her research focuses on the impact of informal learning on the maintenance of professional competencies. She has extensive experience in program evaluation, impact studies, and the development of competency assessment tools. Dr. Lemaire also collaborates on multiple projects with various professional regulatory bodies across Quebec and Canada.

Stephanie is the CEO of the 42 Wolfsburg and 42 Berlin Schools. She is dedicated to providing international students with access to top level tech education and professional development opportunities while increasing diversity in the tech industry. Her professional experience includes expanding business development as the General Manager DACH at Inspera AS, and developing new virtual internship programs as the Senior Director of Operations, Global Internships at CIEE, the Council on International Educational Exchange. Stephanie’s focus is on intercultural collaboration, innovation, sustainability, and the future of work. Her goal is to support the 42 Wolfsburg and 42 Berlin teams and students, and facilitate the growth of the 42 partnerships and network.

Shih-Wei Lo has been working at Ottobock, the world market leader in prosthetics, for over 8 years in various positions on the topic of digital learning. Before that, he worked for several years as a special needs teacher and trainer for a subsidiary company of the city of Göttingen.

Shih-Wei Lo business economist (IHK) degree and, while working, completed his B.A. in Business Management and his M.A. in Economics online. He has always continued his education and has taken other certificates/continuing education such as Certified European E-Learning Manager (CELM), Train-the-e-trainer, learn coach, etc.

Lifelong learning is not a phrase for him, he lives it and likes to share his knowledge and experiences to discuss, learn and develop.

Juan Pablo is a seasoned Product Manager with over 15 years of experience at the intersection of technology, design, and strategy. With an engineering background and a strong track record in building and scaling SaaS products, he has led cross-functional teams in both startup and enterprise settings across Europe and the U.S.
Currently, at EDT&Partners, he leads product development for Lecture, the first open-source GenAI framework designed specifically for education. Passionate about user-centered design and digital transformation, he thrives in remote-first, collaborative environments where complex challenges are translated into intuitive, impactful solutions.

Fabio started working in higher education in the early days of online learning, first in enrolment and then moving to operations. He later specialized in project management and gained experience in consulting and coaching in the private sector. He now works for TU Delft on projects to improve lecturer centered services and other education projects.
In his spare time when he is not spending time with his family and cats, he plays D&D and teaches medieval longsword at Steelbound in The Hague.

Caroline has worked as a learning and development consultant at Alrijne Hospital/Academy for over 25 years.
Her expertise and ambition focus on workplace learning, learning while working based on the 5 Moments of Need methodology. She collaborates and contributes to innovations in learning, particularly recently with AI applications.

Dr. Ann Marcus-Quinn is the Course Director for the MA in Technical Communication and E-Learning at the University of Limerick, Ireland. In a previous role Ann worked with the National Digital Learning Resources service (NDLR) as a national advocate for Open Educational Resources. Ann has been awarded both national and international funding for her research. She has a wide range of publications to date reflecting her specialist teaching and research interests, including, eLearning Open Educational Resources (OERs), usability, instructional design and the use of ICT at post-primary level. Ann is also a Research Affiliate of the Economic and Social Research Institute, Ireland. See https://www.ul.ie/research/dr-ann-marcus-quinn

Paul Matthews is one of the leading Learning & Development experts, with three best-selling books to his name. An accomplished keynote speaker, he speaks around the world on a diverse range of topics. He brings L&D to life with stories from his extensive travels that fascinate and inspire. He is known for reducing complex theory down to practical tools and sharing them in a way that everyone can use to get better results. As well as being a sought-after speaker, Paul provides consultancy services, training workshops and webinars for blue-chip clients in the UK and beyond.

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Dr. Andrew Maynard is Director of the Arizona State University Future of Being Human initiative and a professor in the Arizona State University School for the Future of Innovation in Society. His research focuses on successfully navigating transitions at the nexus of emerging technologies, society, and the future, including the intersection of technologies such as AI with education and learning. He is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a member of the Research Council of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), and currently serves on the selection committee for the World Economic Forum annual list of top ten emerging technologies. As well as publishing in the academic press, Andrew writes for a number of platforms, including the Substack The Future of Being Human. He is also the author of the books Future Rising: A Journey from the Past to the Edge of Tomorrow, and Films from the Future: The Technology and Morality of Sci-Fi Movies, and co-host of the podcast Modem Futura. Andrew originally trained and worked for many years as a physicist, and received his PhD in physics from Cambridge University, UK.

Holding a bachelor’s degree in Finance and an MBA from the University of Florida, Yvette Montero Salvatico has over 15 years of corporate experience with large, multi-national firms such as Kimberly-Clark and The Walt Disney Company. Before co-founding TFSX, she led the effort to establish the Future Workforce Insights division at the Walt Disney Company, identifying future workforce trends and leveraging foresight models and techniques to assess potential threats and impacts, emerging ideas, and exciting opportunities for the organization. With membership in organizations such as Society For Human Resource Management (SHRM), Association for Talent Development (ATD), Association for Professional Futurists (APF), and World Futures Society (WFS), Yvette is an experienced and polished speaker, leadership coach, and consultant, addressing large audiences and organizations on topics such as business policy, talent, work, diversity, career management, strategy, innovation, foresight, and Futures Thinking.

Glenda Morgan is a Market Analyst at Phil Hill & Associates and the lead analyst at Morgan EdTech Strategies, helping higher education institutions, vendors and investors navigate the edtech landscape. She brings more than 30 years of experience in higher education, including roles as a faculty member, IT administrator and education analyst at Gartner and Director of Academic Technology Services at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Morgan holds a PhD in political science from the University of Minnesota.

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Kirsten Kirsten is Head of Learning & Development at MSIG Europe SE, shaping Learning, Change, Culture, DE&I, Wellbeing and Social Responsibility for over 1,300 employees across eight countries. Her focus is on building modern, skill-based structures and international learning networks that connect strategy with practice. With many years of HR experience and a CIPD background, she brings perspectives that drive sustainable transformation and make learning culture tangible.

Re-an Müller is an Associate Professor in Marketing Management and Deputy Director of the School of Management Sciences at North-West University (NWU), South Africa. With over 15 years in higher education, including seven in academic leadership, he has received both institutional and faculty-level Teaching Excellence Awards. Passionate about innovative learning, he leads Project ELEVATE, a Virtual Reality-based initiative enhancing safety training through immersive, scenario-driven experiences. His research focuses on strategic brand management, which he also applies in supporting entrepreneurs through customised training and consulting. He serves on the Executive Committee of the International Advertising Association South Africa.

Brian Mulligan is a leading expert in learning technologies, with a career spanning three decades in shaping digital education in Ireland. As the founder of the Irish Learning Technology Association in 2002, he has played a pivotal role in advancing the field. At Atlantic Technological University, he spearheaded the development of online distance learning, driving innovation in accessible education. Now a consultant with Universal Learning Systems (ulsystems.com), Brian specialises in the strategic application of learning technologies to transform education and expand opportunities for learners worldwide.

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Oliver Nahm leads the project “Learning Analytics – Distance Learning” at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), which aims to assess the importance of Learning Analytics for vocational distance learning courses, as well as further its implementation.

He has worked as a teacher and trainer for many years, designing and teaching courses both on- and offline. His focus is on a holistic and flexible approach to education, utilizing data, while keeping the focus on the human element.

Dr. Revati has over two decades of experience at the intersection of technology and education, with a Ph.D. in Education on Work-based Learning. She has led the design and deployment of eLearning and assessment frameworks reaching millions of learners, while pioneering school transformation initiatives, Olympiads, and higher education innovation. Her leadership focuses on building industry–academia collaboration, livelihood-oriented degree programs, and inclusive technology adoption for teachers and students. She works extensively on higher education transformation, enabling institutions with innovative methodologies, digital frameworks, and sustainable models that empower large-scale educational change and future-ready learning ecosystems.

Fabio Nascimbeni, PhD in Information and Knowledge Society, works as a Human Capital Development Expert at the European Training Foundation (ETF), an EU agency providing support to EU neighbouring countries for the reform of education, training and employment systems, where he mainly focuses on digitalisation and learning innovation.

He has been active in the field of learning innovation and digital education for 25 years, working with organisations such as the European Commission, the ILO and UNICEF, and has designed and coordinated more than 50 research and innovation projects across Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the South Mediterranean and South East Asia.

His main research interests are open education, digital literacy and digital inclusion. He is a Senior Fellow of the European Distance and eLearning Network (EDEN) and a Fellow of the CEST centre of the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and of the Nexa Centre of the Politecnico di Torino in Italy.

Dr. Ona Newton is a global education innovator, CEO of Tobams Group, and Founder of Recycled Learning, an AI-powered adaptive platform transforming talent development across generations. With a footprint in over 14 countries, she has authored 150+ educational books and designed scalable learning systems for underserved and urban communities alike. Her initiatives empower learners through technology, Leadership, strategy, sustainability, and entrepreneurship, impacting over 100,000 individuals globally. A Fellow of BCS, RSA, and SIP, Dr. Newton is recognised for reshaping education through bold, inclusive innovation and future-ready learning pathways.

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Lori is a senior learning strategist with over 20 years of L&D experience across many industries, including international banking, management consulting, and marketing. She specialises in large-scale digital learning transformations and is passionate about helping companies navigate through the ambiguity of change.
After leading and completing numerous EdTech implementations, Lori has developed data-based methodologies and frameworks to empower L&D teams to move from business support function to strategic business driver.
Lori serves on several EdTech and HRTech boards and has published two courses on LinkedIn Learning with 100K completions. She is also the author of the recently released book "The Eight Levers of EdTech Transformation".

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Mihaela Nyyssönen, MA (Education), is a specialist in E-learning design and a doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki. Mihaela's expertise includes among other, designing Massive Open Online Courses and experimenting with emerging technologies in higher education. She has an academic background in education development and she is currently researching how the use of Generative AI in teaching and learning is aligned with the higher education core values.

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.

Frank has expertise in corporate learning and development, project management and business analysis. He has worked for over twenty years in a range of industries both in Ireland and France for companies as diverse as Arjo Wiggins Teape, Pizza Hut and Burberry. Most recently, he worked on learning and development projects for Detica, an IT software company, and the Health Research Board, the state body that oversees health research in Ireland. He brings to the Learnovate Centre a passion for helping organisations achieve their goals by implementing innovative learning and development solutions. In 2011, Frank completed a MSc in Knowledge Management.

Ms Olstad has over 25 years of experience in education and technology. In the organisation Flexible Education Norway, she is responsible for the committee on quality in flexible education, and advises on innovation and digital learning design. She has contributed to several international projects, and promotes openness and sharing in flexible and distance education.

Michael Onyango is the founder of Africa’s Forgotten Bottom Millions (4BM), a transformative WhatsApp platform that reaches over 500,000 people weekly, providing young Africans across several countries with access to career opportunities through digital technology. Since 2016, 4BM has shared over 500,000 verified opportunities, including scholarships, fellowships, grants, and job offers, helping young people gain skills and build successful careers.
Michael has been at the forefront of economic empowerment, chanmpioning the use of frontier technoolgies, leading initiatives across interdisciplinary sectors within governments, NGOs, and the private sector in Africa and globally. He served as a key member of the Distributed Ledgers and Artificial Intelligence Taskforce under the Ministry of ICT, Kenya, and was formerly the Minister responsible for Communication, Information, and Technology in the County Government of Kisumu.
Currently, Michael is a Senior Skoll Foundation Fellow, an alumni Fellow in Social Innovation from the Rockefeller Foundation, and serves on the Advisory Board of the African Blockchain Institute. He actively works with young Africans, leveraging technology to drive impactful change. Michael has also played a significant role in shaping Kenya’s creative industries, including co-developing the roadmap for the sector in collaboration with IBM, positioning it as a catalyst for economic growth and outlining strategies to double its contribution to Kenya’s GDP.

Laurie Oskam is a project lead with expertise in digital learning environments and educational technology in higher education. She currently leads an initiative focused on assessing and improving the digital literacy of teaching staff. With a strong background in strategic implementation and educational technology, Laurie supports teams in navigating digital transformation. Her passion lies in empowering educators to thrive in an increasingly digital landscape.

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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Alfonso Pacheco possesses over 17 years of professional experience across the globe supporting Learning and Development organizations by focusing on performance improvement in multinational corporate and start-up environments. Expertise in digitalizing, scaling, reshaping and disrupting traditional models through a data oriented approach in order to create measurable impactful learning solutions that address business needs.

Passionate Talent Development Professional driving sustainable change through learning and human capital strategies.
M.S. in Learning Technologies and Instructional Design
Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD)
Currently responsible for translating fast-paced business and people needs within Western Europe and Middle East into appropriate and relevant talent development solutions, and driving continuous learning culture across the regions (14 locations, 7000+ employees)

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.

Dom Pates is a Senior Educational Technologist at City St George’s, University of London, where he manages the digital education relationship with three schools – Bayes Business School, The City Law School and the School of Science & Technology. Specialising in learning design, uses of multimedia in teaching and the development of learning spaces, he has more recently moved into immersive learning and sustainability education. Dom is the founder of a new interdisciplinary module at the university on sustainability and climate change.

A well-known and recognized e-Learning expert, Prof. Richard Powers is currently a Professor, Trainer and Learning Designer with the Professional School of Education Stuttgart Ludwigsburg in Germany, where he designs blended learning courses to develop competences in digitalization and diversity for pre-service teachers across five universities. He is a German eTwinning Ambassador, training other teacher trainers in Germany. 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 training with universities in Ukraine, Malta, Lebanon and Namibia.

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Dr. Pratt joined Cleveland State University in May 2018 as the Division's inaugural executive director. She oversees all continuing education, professional development, workforce development, and lifelong learning throughout the University. Before joining CSU, she worked as Executive Director of Continuing Legal Education and Master's Degree Programs at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where she held multiple positions during her seventeen years of service there.

Dr. Pratt's first Ph.D. is in Interdisciplinary Studies, specializing in organizational leadership during conflict and crisis. Dr. Pratt is completing her second Ph.D. in Urban Education at Cleveland State University, specializing in Adult, Continuing, and Higher Education. Her current research interests include crisis leadership for higher education institutions, the future of credentialing systems, and education as meaning-making for mature adult learners.

Pratt is an alumna of Union Institute and University (Ph.D.), Hiram College (M.A.), and Case Western Reserve University (B.A.).

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Anne Prill has been project manager for the Higher Education Forum on Digitalization at the CHE Center for Higher Education Development since 2017. As a transformation designer, she is primarily responsible for the topics of “future-oriented learning spaces” and “new work at universities.” She publishes HFD working papers and articles and gives keynote speeches at various events. She also initiated the HFDlead tandem program, in which she brings together university management teams from across Germany to exchange ideas and experiences.
She studied business administration at the University of Sunderland and economics, European politics, and law at the Technical University of Applied Sciences in Wildau. While working, she also completed her master's degree in adult education at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern. Since September 2024, she has been a certified systemic transformation coach.

Professor and President at Shenkar: Engineering, Design, Art. Researcher, Creator and Teacher in Computer Mediated Communication. Leader in academic innovation, scientific journalism and teaching. Author of hundreds of scientific articles and several books and software packages. Held positions, tenure and visiting appointments at IBM, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Technion Institute of Technology, University of Haifa, University of Michigan, Stanford University and more. Director of the Center for the Study of the Internet. Founding editor of the Journal of Computer Mediated Communication. See http://rafaeli.net

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Evgeniia Rashchupkina is a Lead Project & Content Manager at Group Moovs and Founder of LXD hero. She has over 15 years of experience in people development, including roles in corporate education management, learning experience design, and EdTech program management. She designed, launched, and evaluated learning products for the IT, banking, and education industries.
Evgeniia is an author of a blog about product management and learning experience design LX notes and the founder of the online school for learning experience designers LXD hero focusing on implementing product management approaches and new technologies in learning and development.

Dr. Herwig Rehatschek studied Computer Science and Electronics and received his M.Sc. and his Ph.D. from the University of Technology, Graz. From 1997 until 2008 he worked at the non-profit research company JOANNEUM RESEARCH. His main emphasis was on eLearning and digital media analysis. He participated in many international EC projects and also managed and co-ordinated some of them. In 1999 Dr. Rehatschek won the Austrian state price in the category learning, knowledge and culture. In 2008 he joined the Medical University of Graz with the main responsibility for the development of the eLearning platform of the university. Since then he was actively involved in the set-up and implementation of the LMS, the development of eLectures, the introduction of a new virtual microscope and the design of a teacher training course (eDidactics – http://www.edidactics.at). He won in 2012 the Dr. Michael Hasiba price for innovative teaching and in 2017 the Austrian state price „Ars Docendi“ for innovative teaching in the category “innovative teaching models having a huge number of students” by implementing a non-linear-story telling concept within first aid and emergency medicine. In 2017 he started a pilot trial with a new lecture recording system. Until begin of 2018 one hundred recordings were online and available to all students of the university. In 2019 a new software platform for the lecture recording system was introduced which also offered a video portal functionality. In 2020 subtitles were added. In 2021 the system was extended by livestreaming including a chat backchannel. By begin of 2023 more than 1600 recordings were available. In 2022 he started with the project "Virtual Anatomy", which combines classical anatomy teaching with 3D representations of anatomical structures. The project is a cross collaboration between two universities in Austria. Implementation was finalized in Sep.2024, sincen virtual 3D teaching is integrated into anatomy teaching.

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Rolf Reinhardt is a Commissioner on the UK's Digital Badging Commission, bringing together leading experts from across higher and further education, commerce and technology to broaden the understanding, development and adoption of digital badges by accrediting organisations and employers. He is also a member of the executive committee of the International Council on Badges and Credentials (ICoBC), a global network of education, business, association and government organizations with the common goal of developing and promoting best practices for open badges and (digital) credentials both regionally and globally.

Nimrod Rotem is a veteran expert in AI-driven learning design and digital education, with over 20 years of experience leading large-scale projects for K‑12 systems and global corporations.

At Methodica Effective Learning, he spearheads the development of AI-integrated platforms for learning, assessment, and organizational training.

Nimrod lectures and consults worldwide, translating complex educational technologies into practical, impactful solutions and sharing insights on the future of education in the age of AI.

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Since the end of 1995, Wilfred Rubens has been professionally engaged in the use of digital technology to facilitate and enhance learning, training, development and education. Since 1 March 2015 he works as an independent consultant and project leader. He is project leader of the implementation of learning technologies. Wilfred Rubens is involved in designing online and blended learning programs (various formats). He consults on the pedagogical use of learning technologies. Furthermore, he supports strategy development and he facilitates professional development and technology enhanced learning. In addition, Wilfred blogs almost daily about 'technology enhanced learning' . He is the (co-)author of three books and various articles/chapters in this field. Wilfred is also a member of the advisory board of the OEB (in Berlin) and of Next Learning. He is a voluntary editorial board member of e-learning.nl

Nathalie Sabourin partners with teams and leaders to spread their wings and thrive in a rapidly changing world. A seasoned certified coach and facilitator known for her strengths-based approach, she is a thought leader in Codevelopment Action Learning (CAL). She empowers leaders across North America, Asia, and Europe to build collaborative, high-performing teams. Clients appreciate her rare ability to blend strategic clarity with deep insight into human dynamics, creating the conditions for lasting transformation. Nathalie brings expertise in co-leadership, collective intelligence, and learning cultures—topics she explores through books, podcasts, articles, and keynotes. She holds an M.Sc. from HEC Montréal and is the co-author of the influential book Codevelopment Action Learning for Business: Co-create. Accelerate. Grow (Routledge).

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. https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillysalmon/

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Als systemische Organisations-Entwicklerin und Coach unterstütze ich Menschen und Organisationen, um in Veränderungs-Bewegung zu kommen. Denn nur da, wo Bewegung ist, kann Veränderung auch wirklich gelingen.
Ich weiß aus eigener Erfahrung: Ohne eine Bewegung gibt es keine Veränderung. Sie ist der erste Schritt. Um Change- und Transformationsprozesse erfolgreich zu gestalten und in neues Handeln zu kommen. Sich auf den Weg der Veränderung zu machen heißt, sich weiterzuentwickeln. Denn Menschen und Organisationen brauchen dafür einen Raum, um
- innere Beweggründe und Emotionen zu verstehen und als Ressource für Veränderung zu nutzen.
- mit Lösungen zu experimentieren und Handlungsmöglichkeiten zu erproben, die die Dinge dann in Bewegung bringen.
- Methoden, Techniken und Erfahrungen zu erlernen, die Ihre Stärken und Lösungskompetenzen verbessern, so dass Sie die notwendige Beweglichkeit für agiles Handeln erlangen.

Bernd Schenk is a senior lecturer for Business Administration and Information Systems and the Academic Director of the BSc programme in Business Administration at University of Liechtenstein.

Bernd has worked as a consultant with different companies in the field of ERP systems and E-commerce and served as a trainer for SAP SE in the ASG region. He was a guest lecturer at different universities, including the University of Barcelona, Tongji University, Shanghai, and University Nettuno, Rome. Furthermore, he is a certified facilitator for Design Thinking and a TLS alumni of D.School at Stanford University.

Johannes Schleiss is Program Manager for AI and Education at SURF, the IT cooperative of education and research in the Netherlands and works on Insight and Strategy around AI and Data at Npuls. Prior to that, he completed his PhD in AI and education at the Artificial Intelligence Lab at Magdeburg University, where he coordinated the development of the new cooperative study program AI Engineering and worked on transformative future scenarios for education.

Dr. Anja Schmitz is Professor of Human Resource Management at Karlsruhe University of Applied Science, 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…

Esther Schut is an educational advisor and trainer at Risbo, Erasmus University Rotterdam, with a strong focus on impact evaluation in education. She sees evaluation as more than measuring outcomes - it is a collaborative process that reveals why and how innovations work, engages stakeholders, and drives sustainable, evidence-informed improvements. Alongside this work, Esther coordinates the University Delivery Qualification (UDQ) programme and designs creative, interactive learning experiences that make complex ideas accessible and inspire lasting change in teaching and learning.

Neil Selwyn is a professor in the Faculty of Education, Monash University, Melbourne – having previously worked in the Institute of Education, London and the Cardiff School of Social Sciences. He has spent the past 30 years researching the integration of digital technology into schools, universities and adult learning.

Neil is recognised as a leading international researcher in the area of digital education – with particular expertise in the ‘real-life’ constraints and problems faced when technology-based education is implemented. He is currently working on nationally-funded projects examining the roll-out of educational data and learning analytics, AI technologies, and the changing nature of teachers’ digital work.

Neil has carried out funded research on digital technology, society and education for national research agencies and funders in the UK, Australia, US, Sweden and Uruguay, alongside projects for the BBC, Gates Foundation, Microsoft Partners in Learning, Save The Children, National Assembly of Wales and UNESCO.

Neil is a regular keynote speaker at international conferences and he also produces the ‘Meet The Education Researcher‘ and ‘Education Technology Society‘ podcasts.

Sven Semet ist in der HR Szene als Diplom-Informatiker ein Exote, der jedoch schon seit 2006 mit innovativen Technologien wie Künstliche Intelligenz, Big Data, ChatBots, AR/VR, Cloning, Digitale Assistenten, uva. die Personalmanagement-Prozesse in vielen Unternehmen optimiert. Seit 2019 ist Sven Semet bei der Firma ASSIMA für das Business Development verantwortlich und revolutioniert mit den patentierten Technologien von ASSIMA die Learning & Development Lösungen vieler Unternehmen. Gerne teilt Sven Semet seine Erfahrungen im persönlichen Austausch als Speaker, Workshop-Host, Interviewpartner oder Unternehmensexperte.

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For over 15 years, Madeline has centered her work around learning and development. She's known for her dedication to inventive and impactful community engagement approaches, personalized learning pathways, experiential learning, and globally informed models for both leadership development and relationship management. And she deeply believes that learning can be fun. Madeline's expertise spans learning theory and experience design, online learning theory, design thinking, and universal design for learning theory. Her doctoral work explored "The Rhetorics of Asynchronous Digital Learning Environments," with her dissertation itself designed as an educator professional development experience. She combines this deep understanding of learning theory, practice, and narrative to create unique learning experiences that are both effective and human. Madeline serves as Director of Outreach and Development at Online Learning Consortium.

Shir Shwartz is the Global Head of Learning and Development at Amdocs, where she leads strategic transformation initiatives such as Learning 3.0, AI powered learning agents, and the transition toward a skills driven organization. With over a decade of experience in EdTech and corporate learning, Shir has successfully built and led large L&D teams, designed innovative learning ecosystems, and driven organizational impact through creativity, technology, and forward thinking practices. Shir holds a Master’s degree in Educational Technology and a Bachelor’s degree in Education and Sociology.

Dora Šimunović has been active within the European Council for Steiner Waldorf Education for 5 years, and is responsible for its EU and UN level advocacy in the field of digitalisation of education. She is consecutively participating in the coordination of the HERMMES project dedicated to creating guidelines and resources for schools, teachers, and parents on holistic digitalisation practices in education settings. She holds the Political Science Master’s degree from the University of Zagreb and is on the board of the Secondary Waldorf School of Rijeka.

Simon Skårhøj is a capacity development advisor and doctoral researcher at the Danida Fellowship Center (DFC), a Danish government organization responsible for 30–40 large-scale learning programs supporting partners in growth and developing countries under the Danish Development Cooperation. With extensive experience in international development and learning innovation, he has worked with the United Nations and spent a decade at a major Danish NGO, where he founded and directed a learning innovation unit and global learning network. His work focuses on enhancing capacity-building strategies, fostering cross-sectoral collaboration, and advancing innovative approaches to knowledge transfer and professional learning.

Dr. Erik-Jan Smits conducted research on the logical reasoning abilities of children as part of his PhD. Since then, the question of how people can understand each other has remained a central theme in his work. After completing his PhD, he worked for 15 years as a "connector" in the healthcare field, serving as a consultant, process facilitator, team leader, and innovator. This allowed him to gain an in-depth understanding of numerous healthcare organizations from within. He firmly believes in the opportunities that human-centered IT (Information and Communication Technology) offers and the necessity of conducting research on its practical implementation in complex contexts, such as healthcare, welfare, and education. With this motivation, he has been leading research activities at CHE in precisely these intersections since May 1, 2022.

Christina is a long term senior lecturer at Business Academy Aarhus at the multimedia design program. Since 2017 she has been managing various research and innovation projects on digital learning and literacy. From 2025 to 2027 she is the project manager of the Danish Business Academy Sector initiative DIGIDAKT.
Christina's academic background in within cultural studies and journalism.

Jef Staes (1956, Belgium) is an authority on learning processes, innovation and culture change. With decennia of professional experience (Engineering Digital Telephony, Training Manager & Corporate Learning Officer), he currently assists CEO’s and Managers to find a comprehensive answer to the changing dynamics of today’s world. He is a passionate & inspirational author, keynote speaker & concept creator. His striking metaphors and stories are guaranteed eye-openers and his thoughts on the future of business and education inspire many. Google 'Jef Staes' or 'Red Monkey' and you know where he stands for.

Ms Nadia Starr is the Chief Executive Officer of SAQA. Prior to SAQA, Ms Starr spent 10 years in senior management and non-executive director roles in the public sector, working with education and training policy development, quality assurance, youth skills development, and funding mechanisms. She has previously served as Chief Executive Officer of a high-performing Sector Skills Council.

Ms Starr holds a Bachelor's and a Postgraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Cape Town (UCT) and a Master of Education from the University of Witwatersrand (Wits), along with several occupational certifications.

Ms Starr currently serves as an executive director on the Board of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and non-executive director on the National Boards of the Human Resource Development Council of South Africa (HRDC), National Skills Authority (NSA), Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO), Council on Higher Education (CHE), Quality Council for General and Further Education and Training (Umalusi) as well as non -executive director on the International Boards of the Groningen Declaration Network (GDN) and United States Qualifications Framework (USQF). Ms Starr was also elected to serve as Co-President of the African Continental Qualifications Framework (ACQF) Network.

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Wally Pruß

James Swift is Director of Talent Development at Leyton, a global consultancy firm accredited as an exceptional learning organization. Twice a finalist for Learning Leader of year, he leads the strategy that creates an environment that empowers performance across all levels of the organization. James is passionate about AI, skills, and data, and has been published as a leading case study for his work with AI. He is a proponent of using AI to support human capability, and has created the "swift Model" of organizational performance.

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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Margreeth Themmen (MEd) has worked for 25 years in different roles in higher education, she is now project leader of the Centre for Teaching & Learning. She has al lot of experience in education because of her work as an educational developer and consultant for faculty at NHL Stenden University. Her goal is to design inspiring, high-quality education.

She has a master’s degree in educational renewal and innovation and the last 10 years she has her focus on Blended Learning.

With a background in media design, a B.A. in Media & Interaction Design, and a current Master’s in Interdisciplinary Media Studies, Carolin combines expertise in media with a human-centered and societal perspective on technology. She has a particular interest in learning technologies, focusing on usability, inclusion, and digital sovereignty. As part of the 2024/25 DigitalChangeMaker cohort of Hochschulforum Digitalisierung, she explores questions of higher education development, digital transformation, and future skills.

“No one comes to work to fail”and Shannon Tipton is on a mission to make sure their training doesn’t set them up to. As the founder of Learning Rebels, Shannon helps organizations ditch outdated learning models in favor of practical, performance-driven solutions. With expertise in microlearning, learning reinforcement, strategy development and AI technologies, she equips organizations with the tools to make learning stick and drive measurable results. Known for her candid, no-fluff approach, Shannon brings energy, humor, and real-world insights to every project, empowering business leaders to think differently, act boldly, and provide learning that actually works in today’s workplace.

He is a Digital Learning Designer at the University of Helsinki with an M.A. in Finnish Language and Culture and a background in Folkloristics and Comparative Religions. He created and deployed the GenAI prompt for Ilpo Juudas in the Rikosoikeus MOOC to simulate solicitor interrogation for criminal law reasoning. He developed a modular “How to Create a Chatbot” kit to help faculty take advantage of this tool. He advises educators on ethical AI adoption, combining humanistic insight with practical design to bridge emerging technology and disciplinary understanding.

Antigona Uka is a PhD candidate at the Central European University (CEU) Doctoral School of Political Science, Public Policy, and International Relations. Her research interests include digital education policy, digital transformation in education, online teaching and learning, and ICT policy development. She is the founder and serves as executive director at the Kosova Center for Digital Education (KCDE), while occasionally serving as a digital education expert for the World Bank and UNICEF.

Martin Uradnicek is an AI Solution Specialist at NAY, a leading electronics retailer in Slovakia, where he leads internal AI initiatives. Alongside his professional role, he independently explores how AI can support neurodivergent minds, drawing from his personal experience with ADHD.

His focus is on making technology more inclusive, adaptive, and aligned with how different brains function - especially for those underserved by traditional systems. Martin regularly shares insights on responsible AI adoption and inclusive design. At OEB, he will present practical ways to use AI that respect cognitive diversity and challenge one-size-fits-all approaches to learning and productivity.

Patrick van Aalst (Mped) has worked at a university of applied science for the past 13 years; first teaching interaction design in a multimedia design bachelor’s program, later as an educational innovation trainer and consultant. He has a master’s degree in pedagogy and specialized in educational innovation and design thinking.

Prof Liandi van den Berg is a professor and director of the Technology Enhanced Learning and Innovative Training in South Africa (TELIT-SA) research entity in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the North-West University. Prof Liandi is a core member of the NWU institution’s Digital Business Strategy team, facilitating the digital transformation process within the university. She is actively involved in the institutional Artificial Intelligence Steering Committee, AI Hub, the institutional digital assessment task team and the NWU T&L Strategy task team to develop and review policies, procedures and guidelines as well as develop, implement and research AI and digital assessment practices. She was the leading developer of the novel training course for students and faculty on AI integration in teaching, learning and research and is currently researching various educational affordances of GenAI use for lecturers and students.

Frank van den Ende has broad experience in education as a teacher, innovation manager, designer, and educational scientist. Frank's mission is to find the right balance between the needs of learners, society, technology, and the professional field.

Frank is the author of the book "Redesign the school" and one of the founders of the Educational Design Expedition. Both focus on supporting teachers in taking ownership of their own educational design.

Channa van der Brug is programme manager international affairs at at Hochschulforum Digitalisierung (https://hochschulforumdigitalisierung.de/en, the German Forum for Higher Education in the Digital Age) for Stifterverband, where she is developing opportunities for international knowledge exchange on good practices for digital teaching and learning. She has more than 20 years’ of experience in the education sector and a passion for the role of technology in shaping the future of education, as well as for developing deeper understanding and connections between diverse people and institutions through engagement and dialogue.

Driven by the belief that education should be guided by evidence, Romy van Leeuwen helps to gain insight into what truly works, what doesn’t, and why. As a researcher and educational advisor at Risbo, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Romy leads and supports projects on impact evaluation of educational interventions, evaluation of bachelor and master programmes, and studies the effect of educational innovations. She develops qualitative and quantitative measurement tools, collects and analyses data, and delivers clear, tailored reports and presentations for policymakers and stakeholders. In addition to her research, she advises educators, provides teacher training, and designs visual materials to make knowledge sharing more effective. As both researcher and educational advisor, Romy strives to bridge the gap between research and (educational) practice, to eventually help create education that makes a proven difference.

Zeynep Varoglu is a Programme Specialist in the Digital Innovation and Transformation Section of the Communications and Information Sector at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. Ms. Varoglu is responsible for the implementation of the UNESCO OER Recommendation and related OER Dynamic Coalition and the UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT CFT) as well as initiatives in open, distance, flexible and online education. Ms Varoglu was Co-Responsible Officer for the publication ‘Learning for All: Guidelines for the Inclusion of Learners with Disabilities in Open and Distance Learning’ and the UNESCO Project Officer for the development of the UNESCO/COL Guidelines for Open Educational Resources (OER) in Higher Education.

Ms Varoglu holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from the University of Toronto and a Master of Education (M.Ed) from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (O.I.S.E.), University of Toronto

Paul V Venter is an IB Continuum Workshop Leader, IB Coordinator, and award-winning mathematics educator, recognised by the Ministry of Education in Norway for his contributions to mathematics and its teaching. With over 20 years of experience in teaching and learning across international schools in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, he is passionate about student-centred teaching and empowering educators to break free from misconceptions about visible learning. Paul focuses on fostering positive math cultures and exploring the role of AI in education. He is the author of Cutting Through the Clutter: A Teacher’s Guide to the Age of AI and is committed to helping educators create meaningful, future-ready learning experiences.

Manuela Verduci is a TEDx speaker and the CEO at Kiron Digital Learning Solutions, where she passionately drives the mission to expand educational access to underserved communities worldwide.

Currently pursuing a PhD at the Free University of Berlin, Manuela holds a Master’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Florence. She is a published author with multiple publications about philosophy, migration, and diversity.

Beyond her professional commitments, Manuela dedicates her time to educating tech entrepreneurs on philosophy of technology, fostering a deeper understanding of ethical implications in the digital age.

Anné H. Verhoef is a professor in Philosophy and Director of the North-West University (NWU) AI Hub. He holds a PhD from the University of Stellenbosch and from the Free University in Amsterdam. His research interests are, amongst others, ethics, artificial intelligence and academic integrity, and the philosophy of happiness. He published various academic articles on academic integrity in Higher Education. He is the co-founder and former associate editor of the academic journal Transformation in Higher Education. He is also the co-founder of AICSA – the Artificial Intelligence Circle in South Africa for Higher Education.

Abboy Verkuilen is a senior lecturer and educational innovator at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. He specializes in the integration of technology in education and the design of meaningful, future-oriented learning experiences. Abboy is actively involved in projects related to generative AI, student-centered learning, and digital transformation in higher education. His work bridges pedagogy and innovation, supporting both students and educators in navigating a rapidly changing educational landscape.

Karen Vignare, Ph.D., currently serves as Vice Provost, the Center for Innovation in Learning and Student Success at University of Maryland University College (UMUC) leading the search and evaluation for next generation learning models. The Center for Innovation in Learning serves as the research and development arm of UMUC’s academic organization. Dr. Vignare is responsible for identifying innovations and collaboratively implementing with core teams at UMUC. Areas of experimentation will include adaptive learning, onboarding, prior learning, course design, analytics, e-resources, open educational resources, instructional design changes, competency based models. She has been active in online learning for over 15 years. Karen has published research on online learning in areas such as business models, serving special populations, open education, blended learning, corporate training and data organization. She has a Ph.D. from Nova Southeastern University and a M.B.A from the University of Rochester’s William Simon School of Business.

Andreas is member of the presidium of Bundesverband Fernstudienanbieter eV Berlin. With more than 100 experts for media-supported and tutored learning, we are now the leading specialist association for digital (further) education including tutoring in German-speaking countries. Through our scientific and educational policy campaigns, we stimulate public discussion and strengthen the acceptance of digital, quality-assured learning methods. We provide impetus for innovative learning concepts that meet the requirements of today's society, the labor market and the demands of learning adults.

Media-supported and tutored learning is the unifying element of our members - they are all experienced experts in life- and work-related forms of learning. Thanks to our modern association structure, we are a powerful action platform with great design options for our members.

Andreas also Managing Director of Klett Corporate Education Services, part of the Stuttgart based Klett Group. He focuses on adult education and cooperation with employment agencies and job centers in the education voucher business.

Dr. Charlotte von Essen is the Pedagogical and Digital Development Lead at the Stockholm School of Economics, where she shapes the future of Business Education through strategic innovation in Faculty support, Edtech, and AI-enhanced pedagogy. With a background spanning Executive Education, Edtech leadership, and curriculum strategy, Charlotte brings a sharp, systems-level lens to how institutions can deliver education that is human-centred, intellectually rigorous, and technologically extended.

Geraldine Voost is an Organizational Learning & Development Strategist with over 20 years of experience helping organizations future-proof their people and performance. With a background in Cognitive Science and a career that includes roles in instructional design, learning technology, and global L&D leadership, she brings both strategic insight and hands-on experience. Geraldine focuses on aligning learning strategies with organizational goals and emerging developments such as AI integration, performance-based learning, and knowledge management. She works with L&D teams to build learning cultures that are practical, adaptive, and ready for change. A frequent speaker and moderator at international conferences, Geraldine is passionate about creating meaningful impact through learning, one decision, one habit, one conversation at a time.

JaapJan is a policy advisor at the MBO council in the field of data-enhanced education in secondary vocational education and training. He is also national leader of the pilot hub Educational Data and AI in the Dutch national growth fund programme Npuls.

Ellen Wagner is an accomplished learning technology professional with career experiences in academic, commercial, and non-profit organizations. She has worked as a tenured professor and university administrator, was a founding ed tech entrepreneur, a senior executive of publicly traded software companies, a journal editor, and a board member of a number of start-up ed tech companies. Her areas of expertise include ed tech, emerging tech, change management, instructional systems design and learning engineering, and digital learning (online and eLearning).

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Mark West works in UNESCO’s Education Sector in where he researches and writes about the future of education with a special focus on technology.

He develops projects and publications that help the international community identify opportunities and risks for education in an age of accelerating digital change.

Mark currently manages a team that seeks to clarify the educational implications of mainstream and frontier digital technologies, including AI. He looks at technological integrations in education through a broad and humanistic lens, considering their impacts on individual and community health and well-being, environmental and financial sustainability, and repercussions for the quality, equity, and accessibility of learning.

Mark coordinates the joint UNESCO-UNICEF Gateways to Public Digital Learning Initiative. It works directly with countries to help them ensure that education is supported online as well as offline. The Gateways Initiative facilitates international cooperation to strengthen digital learning opportunities that are free and open to learners, teachers and families.

Mark spent much of 2020 to 2023 researching the ed-tech experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic and exploring how practices and norms that emerged during this period are rippling into present and future of education. The culmination of this work is the UNESCO book 'An Ed-Tech Tragedy?'. The publication has been well received by education and technology experts as well as various news outlets, including the New York Times and the Financial Times.

Prior publications of note include 'I’d Blush if I Could' (2019); 'Reading in the Mobile Era' (2014); and 'UNESCO Guidelines for Mobile Learning' (2013).

'I'd Blush if I Could' prompted leading technology companies to make changes to the way AI voice assistants project gender. It clarified how education can help close digital gender divides and was praised by media organizations around the world.

'Reading in the Mobile Era' brought international attention to the ways governments, schools and families can leverage inexpensive mobile technologies to advance literacy.

The 'UNESCO Guidelines for Mobile Learning' helped governments understand how to leverage increasingly ubiquitous technology to expand learning opportunities and enrich the vital work that happens in schools and classrooms.

Mark West works in UNESCO’s Education Sector in where he researches and writes about the future of education with a special focus on technology.

He develops projects and publications that help the international community identify opportunities and risks for education in an age of accelerating digital change.

Ilse White is a Learning Researcher at the Learnovate Centre at Trinity College Dublin. She brings 20+ years of expertise in instructional design, organisational development, and digital learning design across the corporate and public sector. Most recently she has worked on applied research and innovation in digital competence development. Notably, this included co-development of the Tri-Skill project, an evidence-informed national digital skills platform that integrates behavioural science and learning design, aligned with the DigComp 2.2 framework. Ilse holds an MSc in Business Communication, a PGDip in Education & E-learning, and an HDip in Psychology. Her interdisciplinary background underpins her expertise and research interest at the intersections of behaviour, learning, and technology

Eline Wigdel has more than 18 years of experience in online and flexible learning, the pedagogical use of ICT, and innovative learning designs. She is passionate about the learner’s perspective and strongly believes that flexible learning extends beyond traditional online courses. Eline has played a key role in shaping the definition of flexible learning that is used across the Norwegian educational sector.

She currently serves as a Senior Adviser at the Directorate for Higher Education and Skills, in the Department of Innovation in Education. The department plays an significant role in shaping government policy on higher education and works closely with the education sector to promote high-quality education that is both accessible and relevant, through policy development, knowledge sharing, and innovation.

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.

Aneta Wróbel is a Business English Trainer and Learning Strategist, author of the proprietary UNICA learning method. With 14 years of experience and five languages learned herself, she focuses on corporate upskilling built on five pillars: Usefulness, Neatness, International Imperfection, Communication with Confidence, and Advantage. As a multicultural professional who has lived in several countries, she understands firsthand how to navigate everyday English in diverse settings. Passionate about integrating AI, neurolinguistics, and emotional intelligence, she designs personalized learning journeys that help professionals achieve real progress in just 30 days. Aneta combines language expertise, innovative technology, and a human-centered approach to unlock each learner’s potential and drive lasting career growth.

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.

Alison is an MYP Individuals and Societies teacher and digital learning lead at an international school in Norway. She designs classroom activities that help students use AI to support thinking, not replace it. Her work focuses on student learning that includes guided AI use in assessments and class tasks. She is developing and testing ways to build student skills in digital judgment, critical thinking, and reflection. Alison aims to support teachers in designing learning that uses AI with purpose and care, and to join the conversation about how education can respond to the changes AI brings.