Speakers

Meet the speakers

Abhilasha Singh

Principal
Shining Star International School
UAE

Adhishree Parasnis

Director of Communications
Global Schools Leader
India

Ashwin Assomull

Partner
LEK Consulting Global Education Practice
UAE

H.E. Aisha Abdulla Miran

Director General
Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA)
UAE

Alex Gray

Leader & Founder
D.E.E.P Professional
UAE

Alex Crossman

Headmaster
London Academy of Excellence
UK

Ana Ligia Scachetti

Executive Director
The Nova Escola Association
Brazil

Andreas Schleicher

Director for Education and Skills
OECD
France

Asheesh Advani

President and CEO
Junior Achievement Worldwide
USA

Asma Siddiki

Education & Research Executive Director
Diriyah Gate Development Authority
Saudi Arabia

Ayla Bajwa

Senior Vice President – Sustainability
DP World
UAE

Carmen Pellicer

Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Fundación Trilema
Spain

Dr. Athar Osama

Founder & CEO
INNOVentures Global & World Science Collaborative
Pakistan

Dr. Jesús Jara

Practice Leader, K-12 Global
Prometric
USA

Dr. Moustafa Moharrem

Senior Educational Inspector and Quality Assurance Evaluator
KHDA
UAE

Duriya Aziz

Senior Vice President (International, Education)
Scholastic Inc
Singapore

Emma Hannon

Secondary Deputy Headteacher
Deira International School
UAE

Farah Sarraj

Chief Corporate Officer
Al-Futtaim School Management Company
UAE

Fiona Cottam

School Principal
Hartland International School
UAE

Funke Baffour‑Awuah

Corporate Head of Wellbeing
GEMS Education
UAE

H.E. Rossieli Soares da Silva

Minister of Education
State of Pará
Brazil

Jan Stipek

School Principal
Regent International School
UAE

Kavita Sanghvi

School Principal
Chatrabhuj Narsee Memorial School
India

Leisa Grace Wilson

Editorial Director
Teach Middle East and schoolfinder.ae
UAE

Leticia Lyle

Founder and School Principal
Camino School
Brazil

Luis Arocha

School Principal
Colegio Maria de Guadalupe
Argentina

Maggie MacDonnell

Canadian Educator and Winner of the $1,000,000 Global Teacher Prize
Canada

Mark Leppard MBE

Headmaster
The British School Al Khubairat
UAE

Nabila Bashir

Director of Business Development
Queen Rania Teacher Academy
Jordan

Nadim Saad

Founder and Chief Happiness Officer
The Happy Confident Company
UK

Naghma Mulla

CEO and Board Director
EdelGive Foundation
India

Nankunda Hope Mwijuka

Executive Director
Raising Teenagers-Uganda
Uganda

Nkazimulo Moyo-Zitha

Head of Primary Schools
SPARK Schools
South Africa

Olli-Pekka Heinonen

Director General
International Baccalaureate Organization (IB)
Finland

Omar A. Al Futtaim

Vice Chairman & CEO
Al-Futtaim Group
UAE

Parvathy Nair

Student
Hartland International School
UAE

Paul Skidmore

Executive Chairman
Rising Academies
Ghana

Paul West

Chief Executive Officer
Spencer Academies Trust
UK

Rashid Al Nuami

Student
Hartland International School
UAE

Sandra Ospina

Head of Learning and Innovation
SEK International School
Saudi Arabia

Shahnaz Al-Sadat

Chairperson
LeapEd Services Sdn Bhd
Malaysia

Shiny Wang

Vice Principal
Beijing No.4 High School International Campus
China

Sarah K Benson

Associate Professor
University of Birmingham
UAE

Tamara Philip

Director of Networks
and Programs
Global School Leaders
UK

Tania Daniel

Vice President of Entrepreneurship Initiatives
Junior Achievement of
Southeast Texas
USA

Viktoriia Osadcha

President
Unbreakable Ukraine Foundation
Poland

William Campbell

Founding Head of School
Franklin School
USA

1000+

Participants

500+

School Leaders

78

Countries

80+

Speakers

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Sahar Cooper

CEO, Aldar Education, UAE

Sahar brings 25 years of extensive experience in global education management, with the last 19 years spent in the UAE in senior leadership roles. She has served as the Chief Schools Operations Officer at GEMS Education and the Associate Director of Operations at the American University of Sharjah, where she has gained extensive management experience.

Throughout her career, Sahar has excelled in handling large, complex, and multi-site educational projects, and is known for her ability to improve business performance in education through various means. These include operational delivery, supply chain management, risk and governance, health and safety, strategy development and execution, project management, M&A integration, facilities and asset management, talent development, succession planning, and change leadership.

Rashid Al Nuami

Student, Hartland International School, UAE

Rashed Alnuaimi is a dedicated Emirati A-Level student at Hartland International School, specialising in History, English Literature, and Politics. He is also pursuing an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) in which he explores the rise of right-wing populism within the European Union. An aspiring student of politics at university, Rashed has demonstrated his deep interest in sociopolitical issues by delivering a TEDx talk on racial gerrymandering in North Carolina. In addition to his academic pursuits, Rashed is completing his Grade 8 LAMDA qualification in public speaking, showcasing his dedication to developing strong communication skills. He is the founder of Hartland’s first student-led political society, where he fosters debate and discussion on contemporary political issues, and actively contributes to the school’s newspaper, reflecting his keen interest in current events and geopolitical affairs. He is also a member of the school’s debate club, having won two intra-school competitions, giving him a plethora of opportunities to explore various opinions relating to hot-topic socioeconomic issues in the modern day.

Pratham Mittal

Founder, Masters’ Union, India

Pratham Mittal is the founder of Tetr & Masters’ Union, two disruptive, new-age institutions that champion practitioner-driven and fully hands-on teaching.

He earlier co-founded the New York-based Outgrow, the world’s largest interactive content platform behind companies like Nike, Tesla & Salesforce.

A Penn and Doon School alum, Pratham is also a Partner at 606 Ventures, a venture fund that invests in early-stage companies.

Poonam Bhojani

CEO, Innoventures Education, UAE

As the founding CEO of Innoventures Education, a leading pre-K-12 international private education company based in Dubai, UAE, Poonam has played a pivotal role in the establishment and leadership of some of Dubai's leading schools and nurseries. These include Dubai’s first IB continuum school - Dubai International Academy at Emirates Hills and at Al Barsha, Collegiate International School, Raffles World Academy, Raffles International School and the Raffles Early Childhood Centres. Today, Innoventures Education educates over 9,200 students from more than 100 countries and has over 1,700 teaching and support staff from around the globe.

Prior to her career as an educationist, Poonam worked in international technology specialising in the Financial Services Industry across India, USA, the Benelux, Hong Kong, Oman, Sweden and the UAE with global organisations such Tata Consultancy Services, Philips and ABN AMRO Bank.

Poonam has had the honour of being recognised as ‘Education CEO of the Year’ as well as 'Indian Female Entrepreneur of the Year' by ITP. Poonam has featured in the Forbes Middle East 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen 2024 and was awarded the Gulf News Being She's Excellence Award for Education in 2024.

Odong Charles Kigundi

Headmaster, Wakadogo School, Uganda

Charles graduated from Ndejje University in Kampala, Uganda, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Guidance and Counselling and a Diploma in Primary Education. He also holds a certificate in HIV/AIDS counselling from The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO), Uganda. With twenty-three years of experience in educational management and implementation within Uganda, Charles has been dedicated to teaching and providing counselling in schools since 2001. His work has focused on offering psychosocial support to children affected by conflict and career guidance to learners in northern Uganda during the Lord's Resistance Army insurgency.

Since 2013, he has served as the Head of Wakadogo School, where his responsibilities include managing teaching staff, overseeing student progress, ensuring high standards of learning, and expanding partnerships with education stakeholders worldwide. He is also an active member of the Rotary Club of Gulu, committed to making a positive impact in underserved communities across northern Uganda, particularly through coordinating educational programmes. Under his leadership, Wakadogo School was honoured as the winner of the World’s Best School Prize in 2022 for Overcoming Adversity

Eyad Darawsheh

General Manager, Miqyas Al Dhad, UAE

Eyad Darawsheh is a seasoned expert with over 20 years of international experience in education strategy, technology solutions, and growth management across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States.

As General Manager of Miqyas Al Dhad, Eyad leverages his expertise in strategic planning, innovative solution design, and implementation to drive impactful change in educational systems. His nuanced understanding of diverse cultures and commitment to academic advancement uniquely position him to create tailored, transformative solutions for diverse educational landscapes. Eyad’s commitment to impactful, sustainable growth makes him an invaluable force for positive change and a key strategic partner to decision-makers in the Arab world and beyond

Carmen Pellicer

President and director at Fundación Trilema @carmenpellicer_

Carmen Pellicer, theologian, educator, and president of the Trilema Foundation, has been a prominent social entrepreneur recognized by Ashoka in the educational field since 2016. Currently, she leads 'Cuadernos de Pedagogía' and has held teaching roles in various institutions, including Fitharry's School in Oxford and the CC Religiosas Institute in Valencia. Carmen has participated in Project Zero programs at Harvard, emphasizing her focus on Multiple Intelligences. She directs teacher training programs and serves as the president of AECOPE. Her work includes the establishment of the Executive Intelligence Chair and the direction of the Learning Leaders Master's program. Carmen has authored numerous books, co-authoring works such as 'The White Paper on the Teaching Profession' and 'Agile Pedagogies for Entrepreneurship.' Additionally, she presides over AECOPE and collaborates on educational film productions, including 'Profes' and 'The Other Education.

Sangita Chima

School Principal, Amity School, UAE

Sangita Chima is an esteemed educational practitioner with over 30 years of experience, including 18 years as a school leader. Her contributions to the field of education are vast, having led prestigious institutions across India and the Middle East. Notably, she was the first female Head of The Lawrence School, Lovedale, a renowned residential school with a 159-year legacy, where she served from 2012 to 2017 under the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Ms. Chima's leadership extends beyond school administration. She has founded and led new-age, progressive schools such as Greater Valley School, Billabong High International School, and GEMS New Our Own Private High School in Sharjah. Her expertise lies in integrating professional development and quality assurance programs, particularly in the National Capital Region. As an empanelled Principal Assessor with the National Accreditation Board for Education and Training (NABET), she contributes to the continuous improvement of school governance.

Ms. Chima's passion for education is reflected in her work as a trainer for the CBSE's Adolescent Education Programme, as well as her role in curriculum development, staff training, and school accreditation. Her commitment to participative democracy, collaborative leadership, and lifelong learning makes her a transformative figure in modern education.

Luis Arocha

School Principal, Colegio Maria de Guadalupe, Argentina

Luis currently serves as Executive Director of the María de Guadalupe Foundation and is a faculty member at the Catholic University of Argentina's School of Education. He is also an advisory board member for the NGO Dale Tu Mano.

Founder of Providencia School in Montevideo, Uruguay, he holds a Master’s degree in Education from the Catholic University of Uruguay and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of the Republic, Uruguay. His expertise lies in Educational Leadership and Innovation.

He is also a Fellow of the International Visitor Leadership Program, organised by the U.S. Department of State.

Jan Stipek

School Principal, Regent International School, UAE

A renowned international transformational education leader with almost three decades of experience driving innovation and change in the education sector, Mr. Jan Stipek is the Principal of Regent International School, Dubai. He has held a number of teaching and leadership positions at schools in Europe and Asia.

After a decade of teaching and leadership posts in the Czech Republic, China, Singapore and Italy, Jan was appointed a Curriculum Manager and eventually Head of Global Professional Development for the IB Diploma Programme and Career-related Programme at the International Baccalaureate (IB) Global Center in The Hague in 2011. Jan returned to senior leadership roles in a school setting in 2016, serving as Secondary Principal and Deputy Head of School in international schools in Singapore and Italy.

Jan is an active accreditation and evaluation school visit team leader, drawing on his extensive experience in international education in both IB and UK curricula settings. Jan holds an MSc (Curriculum and pedagogy) from SUNY Buffalo (USA) and an MEd (Leadership and policy making) from Monash University (Australia). Jan’s approach to leadership is to balance people first with systems thinking where a school’s success is seen holistically as a combination of carefully analyzed smaller elements choreographed into a meaningful whole. Dubai expertise spans real-world learning, future-ready skills, education technology, and strategic partnerships.

With a passion for reimagining education for the 21st century, Jan joins our panel today to share valuable insights on shaping the future of learning

Glen Radojkovich

Director, Taleem Education Dubai, UAE

A renowned education leader and innovator with over 25 years of experience transforming educational institutions, Mr. Glen Radojkovich is Director of Taleem Education Dubai. He has a deep understanding and expertise on implementation of a variety of curricula across primary and secondary levels across multiple geographies including New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and currently the UAE.

His early commitment to excellence was demonstrated as the Headmaster of Pinehurst School in New Zealand where he spent 10 years. The school received recognition as Cambridge University International Examinations’ ‘Top School Award’ for the last nine consecutive years of his tenure. 

Glen was former Chairman of the IB Heads Association and Chairman of the Cambridge University International Examinations, giving him familiarity for both the curriculums. In recognition, he was a recipient of a bursary from Cambridge University for his commitment to leadership and curriculum development.

Glen has also been an advisor to Ministries of Education in five countries and has been invited to speak at numerous international conferences. 

With expertise in education policy, strategic leadership, and innovative practice, Glen brings valuable insights to our panel on real world learning to empower educators and reimagining education for the 21st century.

Dr. Moustafa Moharrem

Senior Educational Inspector and Quality Assurance Evaluator, Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), UAE

Dr. Moustafa Moharrem is a distinguished educator with over 25 years of extensive experience in both domestic and international education. His multifaceted career encompasses roles as a teacher, senior leader, principal, university lecturer, and educational consultant. Dr. Moharrem holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics, an MA in Education, and another MA in Literature, complemented by a university degree in Arabic language combined with Oriental cultures and Islamic studies.

Dr. Moharrem has demonstrated his expertise in educational quality through various prestigious roles, including serving as an educational improvement consultant and lead/inspector, NEASC international evaluator, BSME accreditor and BSO assessor. He is also a fully qualified EFQM assessor, TAFL consultant and an international assessment and qualification senior advisor for renowned examination boards such as CIE, Pearson, and Edexcel.

Dr. Moharrem has held senior/lecturer positions at esteemed institutions and world-class universities, including London, Manchester, and SOAS. Throughout his career, which spans Egypt, the UK, the Europe, UAE and the Middle East, he has significantly contributed to the establishment, implementation, and maintenance of high educational standards, effective strategies, and progressive policies across both government and private sectors.

Currently, Dr. Moharrem serves as a senior educational inspector at the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) in Dubai, where he continues to influence and enhance the educational landscape.

Sarah K Benson

Associate Professor, University of Birmingham, UAE

Dr Sarah Benson is an associate professor of inclusion and disabilities in the Department of Disability, Inclusion and Special Needs. She is the programme lead for the Inclusion and Special Education Needs PGCert and Masters’ in the UK and Dubai.

Dr. Benson has published articles and book chapters on inclusive policy in the Middle East. Her interests lie in inclusive policy, new teacher development, and creating opportunities for students with disabilities in post-secondary environments. She has spent time writing and researching inclusive science curricula for primary-grade students.

Her current research interests lie in the Middle East and Gulf, where she is inspired to see the rapid growth opportunities for more inclusive communities. In addition, she works closely with the developing action research community to support teachers in creating change in their schools.

Parvathy Nair

Year 12 student, Hartland International School

Parvathy Nair is a Year 12 student at Hartland International School, pursuing her A levels in Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Psychology. Deeply passionate about the sciences, she is an aspiring medic. Parvathy enjoys writing and has channelled this passion through her newly found initiative – Health Narrative – a website dedicated to raising awareness about the latest advancements in medicine. She is also the co-founder of the medical society at Hartland International School, where she enjoys leading sessions on medical topics. Alongside her academic interests, Parvathy is an avid public speaker, actively participating in her school’s debate team. She enjoys trekking and is currently pursuing her Gold International Award certification. Parvathy has a strong admiration for the arts and has completed her Grade 5 Bharatanatyam ISTD examination with a merit.

Nabila Bashir

Director of Business Development, Queen Rania Teacher Academy (QRTA), Jordan

Nabila Bashir is the Director of Business Development and Growth at Queen Rania Teacher Academy (QRTA) in Jordan, with more than 20 years of experience in leading and implementing projects in education, leadership, teaching, accreditation, and EdTech. She is an evaluator for The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) from the USA and an international examiner from Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) for Computer Science.

Deploys corporate strategies and tactics to external partners via the development of proposals, promotional planning and implementation, program development based on customer-centric requirements. Brings voices of partners, customers, and educators to cross-functional teams/projects and provides key input into program development. A member of the Senior Leadership Team and the Chair of the Technology, eLearning and Innovation in Teaching and Learning Committee.

Out of 3,500 nominees, she was chosen as a Techwomen fellow to represent Jordan in Silicon Valley as one of the leading women in STEM in 2018. Due to her work in education and technology, she was awarded the “Queen Rania Outstanding Teacher Cambridge Award” in 2012. She was a member of the team to design the National Framework for the computer science K-12 curriculum in Jordan in 2019.

In 2022, she completed the Certificate in Advanced Education Leadership (CAEL) from Harvard Graduate School Education. She has Master’s degree in Multidisciplinary Studies in Education from the State University of New York (SUNY) and has a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Jordan. She is a Middle East Professional Learning (MEPLI) fellow from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

In 2020, she was featured by the Women in Business Arabia Group among 365 women leaders in the Arab World #WIBA365. She enjoys voluntary work with the youth and led many initiatives with students such as Habitat for Humanity, Tekyat Em Ali- Food packaging & distribution, and King Hussein Cancer Centre– Run for Life Initiatives.

Leticia Lyle

Founder and School Principal, Camino School, Brazil

Leticia Lyle is the Founder and Head of Camino School, one of the shortlisted Most Innovative Schools in 2023 by the World’s Best School Prizes. Leticia

holds a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College where she received the 2017 Early Career Award for her work with social-emotional learning programs for low-income students in Brazil. She has worked as Director of Curriculum at Somos Educação, President of the Instituto Somos and as an entrepreneur started CLOE EdTech Platform, Mindset Education and Hiboo Childhood Education Center. She serves as a board member at VagaLume (Amazon literacy awareness), Instituto Ame Sua Mente (mental health prevention) and at Charles Fadel’s Center for Curriculum Redesign, discussing the influence of AI in education.

Kuzey Karci

Student , Deira International School, UAE

I am an IB2 student and aspiring engineer, proud to lead as the founder and head of my school’s Design and Engineering Council, as well as serve as deputy head of the Engineering Society. Committed to academic excellence and passionate about fostering innovation, I work to create opportunities that inspire my peers to think critically, solve creatively, and push the frontiers of STEM. I thus believe it is necessary to discuss forward-thinking strategies which may elevate educational standards on a global scale and inspire the next generation of leaders.

Paul West

Chief Executive ,Officer,Spencer Academies Trust. UK

Paul is the Chief Executive Officer of Spencer Academies Trust, an educational charity and one of the UK leading Academy Trusts operating 26 primary and secondary academies and a designated Teaching School Hub. Paul’s career covers significant experience in school and system leadership as a Principal, Executive Principal and Director in a range of schools in the UK and internationally. Paul was registered as an OFSTED Inspector and in 2011 was recognised as an outstanding system leader through his designation as a National Leader of Education. In 2012 Paul was invited to participate in the National College for Teaching and Leadership’s flagship Fellowship Programme, working with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to look at curriculum driven solutions to enable all children young people to access learning and progression to drive social mobility. Paul has spoken at national conferences on the impact of System Leadership and improving education outcomes and standards through multi-school collaboration. Paul is a Member of the DfE Advisory Board and holds an MBA in Education Leadership as well as being a fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching.

Asma Siddiki

Education & Research Executive Director, Diriyah Gate Development Authority, Saudi Arabia

Dr. Asma Siddiki is the Education & Research Executive Director at Diriyah Gate Development Authority. She has contributed to initiatives across the MENA region as a higher education management consultant and has held several leadership roles across the spectrum of the education sector, most recently as Interim Dean at the MBS College of Business & Entrepreneurship and previously at institutions such as Effat University, MBR School of Government, and, in collaboration with top-ranked global institutions.

With almost thirty years of experience, she is a globally networked Saudi female leader focused on thought leadership in education, entrepreneurship, youth, the third sector and women in Saudi Arabia. Since 2002, she has been a frequent participant and representative of the education sector and women leaders at Saudi delegations, most notably to the United Kingdom, the United States of America, India, China and Germany.

Dr. Siddiki is a proponent of transformative educational experiences for global youth immersed in interdisciplinary learning. She is also a strong supporter of entrepreneurial innovation as an angel investor and advisor to global startups. Dr. Asma Siddiki is a proponent of the importance of diverse life-long learning, twenty-first century skills, and the role of women in leadership towards the development of national human capital.

Ayla Bajwa

Senior Vice President – Sustainability, DP World

Ayla has over 20 years of experience as an international sustainability expert, recognized for her work in corporate sustainability and sustainable development working with UN entities, governments, and multinational companies. Ayla is currently Group Senior Vice President for Group Sustainability at DP World, spearheading the global delivery of DP World’s sustainability strategy “Our World Our Future.” She leads the coordination of DP World’s key responsible business practices and 3 legacy areas: Education, Water and Women, unifying DP World's commitment to working sustainably across all its worldwide business functions with a multistakeholder lens.

Asad Raza

Student , Deira International School, Dubai UAE

As an aspiring entrepreneur, I am dedicated to problem-solving and sustainable innovation. I am proud to be the current Head Boy of Deira International School, leading with integrity and inspiring collaboration, championing a culture of progress amongst my community. My commitment to environmental stewardship is underscored by my role as a Guinness World Record contributor in sustainability, reflecting my vision for a triumphant future. Hungry and driven by the ambition to create ventures that harmonize success with positive change, I aim to integrate these values into all my entrepreneurial pursuits to foster growth and leave a lasting impact.

Advik Shukla

9th grade student, GEMS Legacy School, Dubai, UAE

Advik Shukla is a dynamic Grade 9 student who served as Head Boy in the 2022-23 academic year and currently holds the position of Vice President of Education at the DSO Toastmasters Club (Gavels Club). His passion for innovation is evident in his participation in numerous AI conferences and workshops, as well as his victory in the First Lego League Competition in the UAE. Advik's academic achievements include coming first in the NASO Olympiad for Astronomical Studies. A dedicated public speaker, believer in the scientific method, and Wellbeing Ambassador for GLS, he is always eager to learn and embrace new opportunities. Additionally, he has participated in various plays, showcasing his versatility.

Ajay Shukla

General Manager, IIT Delhi Abu Dhabi, UAE

Ajay Shukla, has recently been appointed as the campus general manager at IIT Delhi – Abu Dhabi which is a UAE and Indian government supported venture to bring the world’s finest STEM education and research to the UAE and the region.

Previously he was the Director, Middle East and North Africa – Leap Scholar which is the world’s largest study abroad edtech platform and Chief Strategy Officer of Higher Education UAE. He has helped many elite institutions in the UAE through his well-regarded research and business planning consulting work.

Ajay also served as the CEO of UAE's leading education investment holding company – part of GEMS/Varkey Group.

Before relocating to the UAE, he was the VP and MD of McGraw-Hill Education Asia/Pacific where he was awarded the company’s highest individual honour – Excellence in Leadership Award.

He has worked at CXO level at the world’s leading brands like Reader’s Digest as CEO, American Express as head of business development, and as the founder and Vice President of ABN AMRO Bank Credit Cards.

Ajay is passionate about education and the impact this sector has on society and economies.

He is an Engineering graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), an MBA from FMS, Delhi University and is a National Talent Scholarship awardee.

Orlagh Traynor

Student, British School Al Khubairat, UAE

Orlagh Traynor has been a student at the British School Al Khubairat, Abu Dhabi, for the past 13 years and currently represents the school as Head Girl. She has held the role of a mental health ambassador at BSAK, which has encouraged her to study Psychology and Neuroscience at university next year. Her extracurricular activities include performing in school drama productions and partaking in BSME dance competitions.

H.E. Rossieli Soares da Silva

Minister of Education, Pará, Brazil

Rossieli Soares has a master's degree in Educational Management and Assessment from the Federal University of Juiz de Fora. Lawyer, he holds a degree in Law from the Lutheran University of Brazil (Ulbra). He was Secretary of Education of the State of São Paulo (January/2019 to March/2022) and Minister of Education (April to December/2018). He was secretary of Basic Education at the Ministry of Education and advisor to the National Education Council (May/2016 to April/2018). He was Secretary of Education of the State of Amazonas and President of the State Education Council of Amazonas (August/2012 to May/2016). He was vice-president of the National Council of State Education Secretaries (Consed). He was Executive Secretary of Management at the Department of Education of the State of Amazonas. He actively participated in the reformulation of the New Secondary Education, sanctioned in February 2017. As Minister of Education, he approved the Secondary Education stage of the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC) in December 2018 and was executive secretary of the management committee for the stages of Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education, approved in December 2017. Specialist in Education, with an emphasis on Assessment of Educational Systems, Institutions, Plans and Programs, working mainly on the following topics: education, public management and evaluation.

Ashwin Assomull

Partner at LEK Consulting Global Education Practice UAE

Ashwin Assomull is a Partner at L.E.K. Consulting, and Head of the firm’s Global Education Practice. He has led more than 500 education-specific cases in the education sector, across all verticals including K-12, Higher and Vocational Education, Transnational Education, English Language Training and Education Technology.

Ashwin frequently advises CEOs of top education companies and investors on buy- and sell-side diligences, market-entry strategy, and pricing strategy, and full potential assessments. He is also frequently invited to speak at industry-leading conferences, including IPSEF, Pie Live, EdEx MENA, EdEx Qatar, and Abu Dhabi Ideas Weekend.

Stephen Ritz

Founder Green Bronx Machine

Stephen Ritz is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning educator, author of best-selling book, The Power Of A Plant and Founder of Green Bronx Machine. Known as the Child-Whisperer, America's favorite teacher, and 2015 Top Ten Finalist for the Global Teacher Prize, Stephen is responsible for creating the first edible classroom in the world. He and his students have grown more than 300,000 pounds of vegetables in the South Bronx, were celebrated at the Obama White House three times, have been featured on the cover of TIME for KIDS, and are the subject of a new, full-feature, award-winning documentary, GENERATION GROWTH. Stephen serves as a Senior Fellow in Social Innovation at Babson College, a Senior Teaching Fellow for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and as a Board Member for the NYC Nutrition Education Network. Stephen is now appearing in the new educational television series, Let's Learn with Mister Ritz, was named the 2020 Change-Maker Award by NYC Food Policy Center and CNN Food Hero for his response to COVID, named a 2021 Food Hero by TMZ Live, testified for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ending Hunger in America, and was awarded the 2021 Artemis CEA Disruptor Award for his work, advocacy, and impact in public schools across NYC and America. Stephen was awarded 2022 and 2023 Best of Bronx and is a member of the Food Transition Team and the Urban Agriculture Advisory Board for NYC Mayor, Eric Adams. Stephen was named 2023 Global Food Hero and celebrated by Anthem Awards for his non-profit leadership. Green Bronx Machine was named by Fast Company as Most Innovative Company 2024. Recently honored as 2024 Food Waste Warrior by Food Tank, Stephen was invited to meet personally with USDA Secretary Tom Visac at the first-ever Agrifood Innovation Symposium: Cultivating Scientific Solutions that Nourish People & Planet to highlight the work and impact of Green Bronx Machine.

Shahnaz Al-Sadat

Chairperson, LeapEd Services Sdn Bhd, Malaysia

Shahnaz Al-Sadat is Chairperson of LeapEd Services Sdn Bhd in Malaysia, an award-winning social enterprise and Malaysia’s first homegrown Education Service Provider, which undertakes education transformation programmes and projects that support the system, school leaders, teachers, students, parents, and the wider community. She left a high-powered career in the corporate sector to embark on nation-building projects and work to transform education.

At LeapEd Services, Shahnaz Al-Sadat has championed the flagship Trust Schools Programme, which has seen LeapEd partner with the Malaysian government and CSR Foundations to enhance schools across multiple contexts: rural, urban, religious, vernacular, and indigenous education. LeapEd's emphasis on holistic development has led to the cultivation of essential life skills among students, enabling them to excel not only academically, but with the critical skills needed for success in the 21st century.

LeapEd has reached more than 1,000 public schools and 200,000 students, representing 10% of the Malaysian school system which in turn, presents an opportunity to influence student outcomes throughout the whole system. For example, the Ministry of Education’s TS25 initiative covering all 10,000 schools, was shaped by LeapEd’s knowledge-sharing programme (PreSTasi), based on the Trust School model.

Shahnaz Al-Sadat’s organisation has also been instrumental in empowering educators and school leaders. Through professional development programmes and mentoring initiatives, LeapEd equips educators with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to deliver high-quality teaching and leadership, fostering a culture of authentic continuous improvement. School Leadership and Teaching competencies have improved by more than 60% from their baseline over the 3–5-year period of intervention, bringing schools to an enhanced level that can be benchmarked against global standards. For example, a Trust School (SK Kempadang) became a Top 3 finalist for the World’s Best School Prize for Innovation in 2022.

LeapEd's influence extends beyond individual schools to the education system as a whole. Through advocacy efforts and strategic partnerships, LeapEd advocates for policy reforms that promote innovation, equity, and inclusivity in education.

Shahnaz Al-Sadat also co-founded Arise Asia, a social enterprise that has helped various projects to implement solutions addressing social disparities, and is a Founding Trustee of Teach for Malaysia, affiliated with the Teach for All network. Her most recent initiative is the ground-breaking launch of Malaysia's first digital school, Sekolah Anak Malaysia (SAM Education). SAM aims to provide quality education beyond boundaries to empower every child with personalised digital learningembedded in Malaysian values with global perspectives.

Josiah Olusegun Ajiboye

Registrar and Chief Executive, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria and President of the Africa Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authorities, Nigeria

Josiah Olusegun Ajiboye is Registrar and Chief Executive of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) - the regulatory body committed to the
professional development and registration of qualified and competent educators
across Nigeria.

Ajiboye first worked as a secondary school teacher, before going on to become a
lecturer and then Professor of Curriculum Studies: Social Studies/Civics Education at the University of Ibadan. He was appointed to the TRCN by the country’s President in 2016. He also serves as the President of the Africa Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authorities (AFTRA).

The TRCN seeks to assure excellence and professionalism among teachers at all levels of the nation’s education system, using effective registration, licensing,
accreditation, monitoring and supervision of teacher education programmes,
promoting continuing professional development and maintenance of discipline as paradigms for the overall renaissance of the teaching profession in Nigeria.

At the TRCN, Ajiboye introduced the Professional Qualifying Examination for Nigerian teachers in 2017. It is now compulsory for anyone who intends to teach in the country to pass this key examination and obtain a teacher's license and certificate. This has led to marked improvements in teaching and learning in Nigeria.

Today TRCN enjoys global recognition as a leading teacher regulatory body in Africa, and Nigerian teachers now enjoy mobility to all parts of the globe with a letter of professional standing issued by TRCN. Ajiboye proudly advocates for the status of teachers in the country and around the world, supporting teacher welfare andprofessionalism.

Pranav Kothari

CEO, Educational Initiatives, India

Pranav Kothari is CEO of Educational Initiatives (Ei) in India, an organisation that
employs the twin levers of cutting-edge pedagogical research and technology-based solutions to help students across different socio-economic backgrounds learn with understanding.

Through his work, Kothari has sought to address the challenge that while school
enrollment has expanded in India with the broadening of the country’s education
infrastructure, schooling has not translated into learning. Rote learning, a ‘one-size-fits-all’ teaching approach, low-quality assessments, and weak accountability are among the issues he seeks to tackle, pointing out that children reach young adulthood without having acquired basic skills like calculating the correct change from a transaction, reading a doctor’s instructions, or understanding a bus schedule.

Ei works to confront these problems through large-scale assessments and Ei
Mindspark - a Personalised Adaptive Learning tool that identifies individual student learning levels and misconceptions in Mathematics, their vernacular language, and English at a nuanced level through diagnostic tests based on product research from over 20 million+ assessments. It then creates an individualised learning path for each student, providing targeted instruction to enable teaching at the right level. It employs a gamified interface, using questions, activities and challenges to engage learners.

Available for grades 1-10 in eight Indian languages and English, Ei Mindspark has been able to reach over 500,000 students across five different countries. Regular use of the tool has been shown to lead to a twofold increase in Mathematics scores and 2.5 increase in Hindi test scores for those using Mindspark over four and a half months relative to those who do not. Ei Mindspark empowers teachers by allowing them to both control the activation of topics and use student data to understand progress and learning gaps.

Kothari’s company also recognises the importance of high-quality competency-based assessments and deep insights into misconceptions. These not only help in identifying knowledge gaps in student learning levels but also promise a solution to the prevalent rote-learning crisis in the country. Ei has tested more than 10 million students in India since 2001. This spans primary and secondary levels and every state and urban, rural and tribal parts of India. Another important aspect of EI’s work is to build systemic capacity within state and governmental institutions like Educational Boards on creating, using and understanding assessments and assessment data.

Kothari is a TEDx speaker and an INK Fellow. In 2019, The World Economic Forum's Schwab Foundation named him the Corporate Social Intrapreneur of the Year, a recognition that reflects his commitment to driving social impact through business. He studied Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School. Prior to joining Ei, he worked at GTI Capitaland the Boston Consulting Group in five countries.

Nankunda Hope Mwijuka

Executive Director, Raising Teenagers-Uganda

Nankunda Hope Mwijuka is Founder and Executive Director of Raising Teenagers-Uganda, a non-profit organisation that creates safe spaces for young people. It focuses on menstrual hygiene management for girls and provides guidance and counselling services in schools and communities. Her life’s mission revolves around empowering the girls by advocating for their right to education and good health.

Through her work, Nankunda Hope Mwijuka is tackling systemic barriers to education for girls, particularly in regions where cultural norms, economic constraints, and gender biases prevent girls from attending school. By addressing the issue of menstrual hygiene management, which often leads to girls missing school due to inadequate facilities and resources, she ensures that girls can attend school regularly without facing discomfort or stigma.

Nankunda Hope Mwijuka's work also focuses on improving the quality of education by providing guidance and counselling services for both students and parents. This addresses issues such as low academic performance, lack of motivation, and psychosocial challenges that may hinder students' learning experiences.

Through her active involvement in Brave Movement Global and campaigns like
#EndSex4Marks, Nankunda has brought attention to the issue of child sexual
violence, leading to stronger enforcement of laws, and better support systems for victims, resulting in a decrease in instances of child sexual violence in communities where she operates.

She co-founded Wezasha Girls Network Uganda, whose work has led to improved access to education for girls and boys. By providing support, resources, and advocacy, she has empowered more children, especially girls, to enrol and stay in school, leading to higher literacy rates, increased opportunities, and improved socio-economic outcomes for individuals and communities.

Nankunda Hope Mwijuka coordinates the Central Region in Uganda for Girls Not
Brides Uganda, a global coalition of over 100 civil society organisations working to end child marriage. Her leadership has contributed to a reduction in child marriage rates in the Central Region, ensuring that more girls can stay in school, pursue their education, and avoid early marriages.

She also serves as a member of the National Steering Committee for Parenting
Agenda for Uganda, hosted by the Ministry of Gender Labour and SocialDevelopment, which aims to promote positive parenting.

Baela Jamil

CEO, Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi, Pakistan

Baela Jamil is CEO of Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (Centre for Education and Consciousness) in Pakistan, whose mission is to build a nationwide social movement for progressive education, learning and life skills for all children, adolescents and youth inclusively through evidence, innovations, digital solutions and partnerships. A public policy specialist and activist, Jamil has led social movements for early childhood education, girls' education, and education in emergencies. Her contributions to education saw her nominated for the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, one of Pakistan's highest civilian honours.

She is the founder of the Children's and Teachers' Literature Festival, now called the Pakistan Learning Festival, a social movement that promotes reading and creative learning among all children. Promoting active libraries, children’s books and reading hour in schools, her organisation has distributed over 1.2 million books in more than 10,000 schools/libraries nationwide reaching over 2 million children. She is the global Champion for the Learning Generation Initiative. Jamil serves on the IBE Council UNESCO, the People’s Action for Learning (PAL) Network and is on the Advisory Committee for the Yidan Prize Foundation.

Jamil leads the influential national assessment and learning initiatives of ASER Pakistan and the foundational learning programme Chalo Parho Barho (CPB)/Teaching at the Right Level (TARL) by ITA, promoting accelerated pedagogies for foundational learning. Through her work, she has advocated for making the invisible visible, promoting education for children with disabilities and advocating for policies, programmes and assessments that support inclusive education for the most marginalised. Jamil successfully spearheaded advocacy for inclusion of Foundational Learning in SDGs 2030 as SDG 4.1.1a, or the lower primary indicator (SDG 4).

Jamil spearheaded Pakistan's first Education Parliamentarians Caucus (EPC), launched on the International Day of Education in 2022 with 20 parliamentarians.

She has served as Technical Adviser to the federal government on education and currently is a member of the Punjab Chief Minister’s Advisory Committee on Education, advising on education sector reforms and sector-wide approaches from early childhood development to post-secondary education, inclusion, workforce initiatives, public-private partnerships, innovations and financing.

Her evidence-based advocacy work has led to a steady increase in learning outcomes with a 15% increase in reading and mathematics skills among grade 5 students between 2014 and 2020, an increase in enrollment of adolescent girls. Her organisation, ITA has reached more than 17 million beneficiaries and has spearheaded the training of over 25000 teachers.

Jamil's advocacy has led to the establishment of new schools and large programmes at post-primary level especially for girls, providing access to quality education and active learning for thousands of children in underserved communities. She has empowered more than 60,000 adolescent girls to become changemakers in their communities, ending child marriages with many pursuing higher education, and 11,000+ provided with skills with entrepreneurial and tech-based leadership becoming role models for others.

Dr. Athar Osama

Founder & Managing Partner of Partner of INNOVentures Global Founder/CEO of Pakistan Innovation Foundation

Dr. Athar Osama is a science and innovation policy advisor and the Founder /Managing Partner of INNOVentures Global (Pvt.) Ltd and the Founder/CEO of Pakistan Innovation Foundation. Prior to this, Dr Osama has served as Programme Chair of the Grand Challenge Fund at HEC and as Member (S&T, ICT and Higher Education) of the Planning Commission, Government of Pakistan. At the Planning Commission, he spearheaded the creation of 6 National Centers in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Automation, Big Data and Cloud Computing, Cyber Security, Applied Mathematics, and Animal Genomics. Athar is also a champion of STEM Education and the use of AI in Education. Athar is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and a Fellow of the World Technology Network. He holds a PhD in Public Policy from Pardee RAND Graduate School and a Bachelor's in Aeronautical Engineering from College of Aeronautical Engineering at Pakistan Airforce Academy.

Angeline Murimirwa

CEO, CAMFED Zimbabwe

Angeline Murimirwa is CEO of CAMFED, a pan-African, grassroots-led NGO
that tackles poverty, inequality and injustice through girls’ education and women’s leadership. Murimirwa herself was one of the first girls supported by CAMFED to go to secondary school in Zimbabwe, and understands from first-hand experience the hurdles girls face in accessing education. Now CAMFED’s CEO, she is uniquely positioned to bring the expertise of girls and women once excluded from education to inform policy and strategy at every level.

The vast majority of girls in rural Africa never complete secondary school. Their
exclusion from education plays out at every stage of a young woman’s life and is
passed on to future generations. Murimirwa is leading CAMFED in the delivery of a proven solution that enables marginalised girls to enrol and thrive in secondary
school, then graduate into secure livelihoods and positions of leadership. CAMFED’s model operates at three levels: First, in engaging with school communities to implement a comprehensive support system targeted at the most marginalised girls, tackling impediments to their school attendance and learning. Second, as girls graduate from secondary school, enabling their transition to vocational training and work, and providing a platform for them to step up as leaders and support younger generations of girls. Third, in partnering with governments to embed what works in national school systems, to ensure these better serve the needs of girls.

CAMFED currently operates at scale in five countries: Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Ghana, working with 7,044 partner schools in under-served rural communities. Its model has proven highly successful. For instance, in Zimbabwe, marginalised girls supported by CAMFED were nearly three times less likely to drop out of school relative to peers in comparison schools. In Tanzania, literacy gains for marginalised girls were twice as high and maths gains were five times higher in CAMFED partner schools. Young women who graduate from secondary school with CAMFED’s support marry and have children later than their peers – between two to four years later than national averages.

Murimirwa was a founding member and first elected Chair of the CAMFED Association — the pan-African network of 279,000 women leaders educated with CAMFED support, and united in their determination to secure every girl's right to quality education. Each member of the Association is financially supporting at least three other girls in their community to help them stay in school - a huge multiplier.

Murimirwa has represented CAMFED on Zimbabwe’s Education Coordination
Group. She has served on the Board of the Zimbabwe National Youth Council and on the UNAIDS Gender Task Force. In 2006, she was awarded the Prize for Women's Creativity by the Women's World Summit Foundation and in 2017, she was presented with the Diamond Ball Honours Award by Rihanna’s Clara Lionel
Foundation. In 2020, she was awarded the Yidan Prize for Education Development alongside Lucy Lake. She has also been recognised as one of 100 most influential women by the BBC, in tribute to her role in supporting young women to step forwardas leaders to drive support for girls’ education.

Yamama Al Oraibi,

Youth & Employability Expert, UAE

A graduate of the University of Cambridge, Yamama has over fifteen years of experience in youth employability, education and entrepreneurship in the Middle East within the non-profit sector, in both operational and senior management roles. She was previously the CEO of Generation UAE, supporting job seekers into life-changing careers. Yamama also worked at Teach For All, where she supported network members across MENA and South Asia in expanding access to quality education for all children

Yamama began her career as a private banker at Coutts, a private bank in the UK, managing a portfolio of high-net-worth international clients. She transitioned into the non-profit sector by co-founding SHABAB, an NGO focusing on youth employability and entrepreneurship, in Syria. Within four years, it had trained 100,000 young people with a network of 450 business volunteers.

Having lived in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, UAE with extensive travel throughout the Middle East, Yamama has strong knowledge of the region. She has experience in public policy development and mobilising public sector support, whilst also having designed and implemented social impact projects with companies and multilateral organisations including the World Bank, UNICEF and the ILO. Throughout her career, Yamama has been a strong advocate of hiring local talent and young people.

Emma Hannon

Secondary Deputy Headteacher at Deira International School UAE

Emma is the Secondary Deputy Headteacher at Deira International School. Her main responsibilities are teaching and learning and professional development. She has been teaching for 23 years and in senior leadership roles for 13 years, in London, Abu Dhabi and now Dubai. She studied for a degree in Politics at the University of Cardiff and qualified with a PGCE in History from the University of York in 2001. She has undertaken a variety of senior leadership positions in the UK, including Director of Sixth Form and Deputy Principal. Most recently she was the Director of Digital and Innovative Learning across two schools in Abu Dhabi.

William Campbell

Founding Head of School, Franklin School

William Campbell is the Founding Head of a pioneering educational institution in the United States of America. He is recognized for his expertise in harmonizing the rich tapestry of historical teaching methodologies with the demands of contemporary, purpose-driven curricula.

With leadership experiences spanning multiple countries and curricula, he is adept at navigating the complexities of the educational landscape at International, National, and State levels. His leadership philosophy revolves around cultivating dynamic learning environments that nurture critical thinking, creativity, and adaptability among students and faculty alike.

Nadim Saad

Founder and Chief Happiness Officer The Happy Confident Company, UK

Nadim Saad is a best-selling author, parenting expert and education thought leader. He is the founder of the Happy Confident Company, where he works with renowned psychologists and teachers and draws from the latest research in child psychology and neuroscience, to develop cutting-edge personal development and mental wellness programmes for schools and families that have already changed the lives of over 100K families.

He is a regular speaker at leading conferences such as the Festival of Education, GESS, BSME, MESLC, COBIS and the Word Happiness Summit and he has been featured in leading media publications including Sky News, The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The Guardian and the BBC.

Vijita Patel

Principal of Swiss Cottage School, London, UK

Vijita Patel is the Principal of Swiss Cottage School, Development and Research Centre, a large special school for 260 pupils in London. Vijita is passionate about the role of education in developing an equal society, and its fundamental purpose in reducing the marginalisation of pupils with additional needs.

Vijita is an advocate of empowering educators as leaders of learning design, and the responsibility of school leaders in creating school cultures that cultivate teacher agency. She works with school leaders, governors, and Local Authorities as a National Leader of Education. She equally enjoys training early career teachers on the neuroscience of learning. Vijita is a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teachers, and a Trustee for Special Olympics Great Britain, Challenge Partners, and the Artists in Residence Charity.

Swiss Cottage School, DRC was designated as an Apple Distinguished School in September 2021 and has six consecutive Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ Inspection outcomes.

Tania Daniel

Vice President of Entrepreneurship Initiatives, Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas

Tania Daniel is the Vice President of Entrepreneurship Initiatives for Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas (Houston). and under her leadership the JA Company Program - a pioneering, entrepreneurship and workforce readiness program have witnessed record growth and national standing. Prior to joining JA, Tania worked in the areas of human rights advocacy, nation-building, peace and reconciliation. Tania has been celebrated by the Houston Business Journal as an Honoree of the 40 Under 40 Awards (2021) and the Women Who Mean Business Awards (2022) and was also recognized as an Outstanding Diversity Champion 2023 (Diversity in Business Awards) by them.

Simon O’Connor

Director of Deira International School, Dubai

Simon O’Connor is the Director of Deira International School – an outstanding rated all through UK/IB curriculum school based in Festival City, Dubai. Simon is also Chief of Education for the Al Futtaim Education Foundation, working across their portfolio of schools. Simon has over 25 years of experience in education and joined DIS in August of 2020. Prior to this he was Principal of Jumeirah College, an outstanding school in Dubai, since 2013.

Simon is passionate about learning and ensuring all students are challenged in lessons for them to achieve their full potential. He is also very interested in school leadership and is currently studying for Doctorate with the University of Buckingham, researching the impact of a focus on organisational culture in international schools.

Before moving to the UAE, Simon taught History and Politics for over 20 years in a variety of different school contexts. In his last role in the UK, Simon worked as a school leader in a very successful grammar school in Kent. His role there was curriculum lead and was also responsible for the management of a teaching school and working across an academy chain of schools which he helped to found.

As a student Simon studied for a BA in History and Philosophy at the University of Wales, College of Cardiff where he was a choral scholar at Llandaff Cathedral. He then studied for a PGCE at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was also a choral scholar. Simon also holds a Master’s Degree in Education Leadership, and a National Professional Qualification for Headship.

Simon Sommer

Co-CEO, Jacobs Foundation

Simon´s drive is to make the Jacobs Foundation the world's leading learning foundation by developing, selecting, and promoting the best programs and projects. And by finding and developing the best minds – inside and outside the Foundation.

Simon’s primary responsibilities at the Foundation are strategy, board governance, operational excellence, human resources, and research funding.

Before joining the Jacobs Foundation in 2006, he worked at the Volkswagen Foundation in Hannover, Germany’s largest private research funder, and as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company in Berlin, Germany.

Simon holds master’s degrees in Musicology (2001) and Cultural Studies (2000) from Leuphana University, Germany, and from the University of Maryland, College Park, where he graduated with a scholarship from the Fulbright Commission.

Sandra Ospina

Head of School, SEK International School, Saudi Arabia

Sandra has more than a decade of experience in education. She has taught from nursery to university level, has developed science curricula, and has held leadership roles in the past few years. Sandra's educational philosophy centers on nurturing the whole child, which in short means attending to a child's cognitive, social-emotional, physical, and ethical development while inspiring their curiosity, and creativity.

In her current role as Head of School at SEK Riyadh International School, she is working closely with all the faculty to ensure that the curriculum, teaching methodologies, and resources align with the IB philosophy to provide the children at the school with an exceptional educational experience.

Sandra has a BA in Chemistry, BS in Biology, and MA in Biology education from Brooklyn College(New York), an M.ed in International Educational Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and is currently completing an EMBA.

Saurabh Saxena

Founder & CEO Power Club, USA

Saurabh is a visionary entrepreneur, educator, and life design coach with 17+ years of experience in shaping the education landscape. After graduating from IIT Roorkee (2005), he founded Lakshya, a successful offline learning center chain. In 2012, he co-founded Vedantu, a unicorn impacting millions of learners. Shortly after becoming a parent himself, Saurabh realized that the education system needs to prepare our children with real-world life skills required to lead a happy and successful life. Now based in the US, he's building Power Club aimed at providing real-world learning experiences and preparing children for the future.

Paul Skidmore

Executive Chairman, Rising Academies

Paul is the founder and CEO of Rising Academies, one of the fastest-growing quality-focused education companies in Africa, and a Certified B Corp®. Launched in 2014. Rising provided emergency home schooling to children in Sierra Leone who were kept out of school during the Ebola Crisis, opened its first school in April 2015, and now works with more than 250,000 students across Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Rwanda. During the COVID-19 epidemic, Rising’s multi-award winning distance learning solution “Rising On Air” reached children in 25 countries and was translated into 12 languages. Before launching Rising Academies, Paul was a founding team member at the Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative in Rwanda and Sierra Leone, and later served as its Deputy CEO. He began his career as a think-tank researcher and government strategy advisor in the UK. He has a BA and MA from Manchester University and an MPA from Princeton University. He was named a UBS Global Visionary and a Mulago Foundation Rainer Arnhold Fellow in 2019.

Nkazimulo Moyo-Zitha

Head of Primary Schools, SPARK Schools

Nkazimulo is a dedicated education leader and Mathematics teacher with over 20 years of experience driving student achievement, shaping curriculum design, implementation, and evaluation, and fostering positive stakeholder experiences in educational communities. Nkazimulo is currently the Head of Schools at SPARK Schools, where she is responsible for the strategic direction and management of SPARK Primary Schools, as well as school leadership and teacher development. SPARK Schools is an award-winning group of independent primary and secondary schools in South Africa that serves over 16,000 students by providing high-quality education, which was previously a commodity for marginalised communities. Her responsibilities include ensuring the strategic direction and viability of current and future Primary Schools, as well as managing all aspects such as people, culture, relationships, systems, data, and budget that deliver on organisational purpose.

With a strong commitment to educational equity and innovation, Nkazimulo has led a number of initiatives aimed at improving the educational experience for students from diverse backgrounds. She brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her presentations, combining practical insights with research-based strategies to motivate educators and stakeholders to foster inclusive and empowering learning environments.

Join Nkazimulo at the upcoming conference as she shares her insights on unlocking the potential of the hidden curriculum to promote students' holistic development and create pathways for lifelong success.

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Naghma Mulla

CEO and Director on the Board at EdelGive Foundation

Over the last decade, Naghma has driven the vision of the EdelGive, strengthening its core principles of collaborative philanthropy; and transforming it from a grant-making foundation to a philanthropic asset management platform, today. Over the years, she has forged valuable partnerships with diverse stakeholders and has been the brainchild for innovative collaborations in Education, Migration, Women, Climate, and Capacity Building at EdelGive.

In addition to her role at EdelGive, she is also a General Board Member at Goonj, India Climate Collaborative. She also provides strategic guidance to the Migrants Resilience Collaborative, the largest migrant collective in the world.

Naghma is as well, a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

Mayank Dhingra

Senior Education Business Leader, HP

Mayank Dhingra leads the Education Business Vertical for the Worldwide Commercial Organization at HP Inc. His role is to provide strategic direction and thought leadership to the Education business line and he works with National Education Ministries to support country level education policy and to evangelize HP’s education proposition.

Mayank has spearheaded the development of HP’s EdTech Solutions for blended learning, Capacity Building Programs for educators and policymakers, and Future Skilling curricula for students. He is the architect and global owner of HP’s education portfolio stack consisting of the following programs – HP IDEA, HP Cambridge EdTech Fellowship, HP Classeasy, HP Futures, HP Gaming Garage, HP Innovation Garage, HP READ, HP School Improvement Coach, World Education Medals, and HP EdTech Incubator.

He was previously with GEMS Education where he headed the Commercial line for a network of 50 Schools in MENASA region. In addition, he sat on the board of two schools.

Prior to GEMS he was with the Emirates Group for nearly 15 years in two stints and his last role was Head of Global Technology Partnerships where he led a portfolio of over 450 vendor relations and portfolio managed large scale collaboration projects with tech partners. His preceding role was Head of Customer Experience for dnata (Emirates Group) where he set up the line and managed the business technology, product, pricing, marketing, and customer service functions across the network.

Mayank is a sought-after keynote speaker, author and moderator on EdTech subjects. He has spoken at prominent international conferences, including GITEX, COP28, G7 Summit, World Youth Forum, UNHCR Global Refugee Forum etc, and his articles have appeared in leading publications. He has also been an active mentor for several talent management pools.

Mayank is a certified Yoga teacher and the founder of a non-profit entity – Yogasmriti; which combines individual and community wellbeing. All proceeds from the initiative are directed to charitable causes supporting children in need. Mayank’s philanthropic work has been recognised at regional and international forums.

Mark Leppard MBE

Principal, The British School Al Khubairat

Mark is a successful and ambitious school leader of an outstanding British international school. In 2015 Mark was awarded an MBE for his services to education and has an M.Ed in Educational Leadership. In 2023 Mark won the SchoolsCompare.com Best Principal in the UAE Award. His focus is on team building, in terms of motivation, personnel and structure, ensuring that the students benefit from these developments. He has a lifelong passion for learning and ensures that the student is at the heart of all decisions that are made. Holistic education is fundamental to Mark's philosophy and he believes that learning should not be restricted just to the formal classroom. Mark has a track record of success, having led schools through 7 'Outstanding' school inspections and accreditations. He is a lead school inspector and has inspected a variety of schools around the globe.

Maggie MacDonnell

Teacher, Feminist, Time Traveller and Winner of the $1,000,000 Global Teacher Prize.

Maggie MacDonnell, aka “The Million Dollar Teacher” stood out from a global pool of over 20,000 teachers nominated from 179 countries to win the Global Teacher Prize. Her teaching methods are literally life-saving. She was nominated for the prize by her Inuit students, who are currently engulfed in the world’s highest suicide crisis. They wrote nomination letters sharing that Maggie had actually saved their lives. To do this work, Maggie tears down traditional classroom walls and co-creates new ones – rooted in a pedagogy of community, and empowerment and woven together with strands of empathy, and love.

From palm trees to polar bears, Maggie has spent decades teaching with and learning from resilient populations across the globe – including East African refugees to Inuit in the Canadian Arctic. She unpacks these lessons with memorable real-life stories delivered in riveting keynotes to leadership and education audiences. But what Maggie loves to do most, is deliver hands-on training programs to teach educators on the actual how of building relationships both with our students and our colleagues. Relationships are the foundation of success in any domain, especially teaching. While it is often “talked about”, teachers and education leaders are rarely given tools, frameworks, practice and feedback on how to do this. Sharing this, is what Maggie does best.

Leisa Grace Wilson

Editorial Director of Teach Middle East and schoolfinder.ae

With her extensive experience spanning over two decades, Leisa Grace is a trailblazer and thought leader in the educational landscape of the Middle East. She has held various roles, from being an inspiring teacher to a Head of Department, a trusted Education Advisor, and a transformative School Leader. Her journey has seen her contribute to the education sectors in the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and the wider Middle East.

Her passion for education transcends the boundaries of the classroom and the school. As an accomplished speaker and writer, Leisa disseminates her innovative ideas and educational philosophies to a wide audience, inspiring educators and policymakers alike. Her insights have shaped discussions around teaching and learning and school leadership, reflecting her deep understanding of the unique dynamics and cultural nuances of education in the Middle East.

Leisa is the visionary behind the 'Teach Middle East Podcast,' a platform that encapsulates her commitment to fostering dialogue, sharing best practices, and spotlighting success stories in the region. She is also the founder of the 'Education Roundup Middle East,' a weekly newsletter that serves as an invaluable resource for educators, parents, and stakeholders. The newsletter curates the latest news, trends, and insights pertinent to the Middle Eastern education scenario.

With her relentless dedication and drive to elevate education in the Middle East, Leisa Grace continues to shape the future of learning, affirming her position as a leading light in the field."

Funke Baffour‑Awuah

Corporate Head of Wellbeing, GEMS education

Dr. Funke Baffour-Awuah is a passionate educator
and mental health advocate with a distinguished
career. Currently serving as the Corporate Head of
Wellbeing at GEMS Education, Dr. Funke has
developed a unique philosophy on education that
emphasises the importance of psychological
well-being in fostering a successful learning
environment.

Throughout her career, Dr. Funke has collaborated
with numerous schools to develop frameworks and
curricula that prioritise students' emotional and
psychological needs. Her expertise has led her to
speak at international conferences as a keynote
speaker, sharing her insights on educational
wellbeing and mental health.

Notably, Dr. Funke is the first clinical psychologist to
complete the International Society for Technology in
Education.(ISTE) training, where she received a
distinction for her performance. This
accomplishment underscores her commitment to
integrating technology and mental health practices in education.

Dr. Funke's dedication to educational wellbeing extends beyond the classroom. She is a
sought-after speaker and media personality, empowering individuals of all ages and
backgrounds to take charge of their mental health through her clear and compassionate
approach.

As a prolific author of eight books, Dr. Funke translates her expertise into practical guides like
"Improving Your Thinking" and "Love Your Authentic Self," which serve as valuable resources
for those seeking to develop self-awareness and navigate the path to well-being. By
encouraging self-improvement and embracing authenticity, her work inspires educators and
students alike.

Dr. Funke Baffour-Awuah is a true leader in educational well-being. Through her innovative
curriculum design, authored frameworks, and passionate advocacy, she empowers educators
and students to create nurturing learning environments that foster not just academic success,
but also personal growth and well-being.

Kiran Bir Sethi

Founder of Riverside School, India

Kiran Bir Sethi is an Indian designer, educationist, education reformer, and social entrepreneur. With a degree in visual communication from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, she ran a flourishing design practice, but it was when her children started going to school that Sethi recognised her true calling -putting design thinking into education.

She founded the award winning Riverside School in Ahmedabad that focuses on empowering children with the I CAN MINDSET. She then founded aProCh ( an initiative to make cities more child friendly ) and Design for Change, which is today the largest movement of change for and by the children where children use the simple framework of Feel/ Imagine /Do/Share to design solutions for some of their greatest challenges.

Her most recent venture is the Riverside Learning Center which offers training programmes to empower schools across the world to become ‘I CAN SCHOOLS’ by using the codified processes from Riverside.

Over the years, Kiran, Riverside and Design for Change have won several accolades and Awards, and some of the most recent ones are : Riverside wins the World’s Best School Prize for Innovation, HundrEd.org selects Design for Change into the Hall of Fame, The Earth Prize, the Rockefeller Innovation Award, The Lego Remagine Award, The Lexus prize, was The Top 10 Global Teacher nominee and the Light of Freedom Award. She is an Ashoka and Yidan Fellow.

Sethi is a published author, having written a book, ‘Every Child CAN’ for HarperCollins, which chronicles the journey and offers readers a glimpse into Riverside’s unique design-led approach to empowering children.
Born in Bangalore, India, Sethi comes from a family of designers. She lives in Ahmedabad with her 2 children, Raag and Jazz and her husband, Geet. She loves life, dark chocolate and Govinda movies!

Kavita Sanghvi

Principal, Chatrabhuj Narsee Memorial School

Kavita Sanghvi holds a Master's in Physics, Master's in Education, Master's in Philosophy of Education, and a CAEL [Certificate in Advanced Course in Educational Leadership] Diploma from Harvard University. She presently heads SVKM's CNM School, in Mumbai.

She is a National Awardee 2022 receiving an award from the President, Droupadi Murmu, Teach SDG’s Ambassador, Climate Action Ambassador, and Scientix Ambassador for India. In May 2023, she was inducted by the Ministry of India for the National Mission for Mentoring [NMM]. She is a Cambridge Trainer, British Council Trainer, and Ambassador.

She has created a STEM course, ‘’Build your STEM Competency’ available to educators across the world. She has created lesson plans for Scientix which are available in the resource section. She is a contributor to the teacher’s resource for Cambridge IGCSE Physics and the author of Cambridge IGCSE Physics Exam Preparation Practice.

Jeff Hittner

Founder, Ambitious Dads Project, USA

Jeff Hittner has 25 years of experience building better teams and people in an effort to improve the world. He designs and runs the global high potential leadership program for the Nobel Peace Prize nominated non-profit JA Worldwide. He was the Global Lead Facilitator at IVY, a community that serves more than 10,000 CEOs globally. He is an executive coach to CEOs and senior executives on three continents and to Yale MBA students in the USA. He was the MBA Professor of Leadership at Bard College, where he developed the curriculum for one of the first MBAs in Sustainability in the US. He also founded and led IBM’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) consulting practice globally. Recently, he launched the Ambitious Dads project, focused on supporting men and their families as they seek a deeper role in parenting and fatherhood with few historical examples of how to do so.

Harry Anthony Patrinos

Senior Adviser, Education, World Bank

Harry Anthony Patrinos is the Senior Adviser, Education, at the World Bank. He specializes in the economics of education, especially school-based management, demand-side financing, and public-private partnerships.

Previously, he worked in the Office of the Chief Economist for Europe and Central Asia. He managed education teams in Europe and Central Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, and the Global Unit. He led lending operations and analytical work programs in Latin America. He co-led the development of the Harmonized Learning Outcomes database, part of the Human Capital Index, published in Nature. He has studied and worked extensively on the socioeconomic status of Indigenous Peoples. He has many publications in the academic and policy literature, with more than 50 journal articles. He previously worked as an economist at the Economic Council of Canada. Mr. Patrinos received a doctorate from the University of Sussex.

Fiona Cottam

Principal of Hartland International School, Dubai

Joining Hartland International School in 2016 as Principal, following a successful tenure at GEMS Education and as a Headteacher in the UK, Fiona is a graduate of University College Dublin. She sits the COBIS Global Board, The Irish Business Network Dubai and the International Task Force on Child Protection.

Duriya Aziz

Senior Vice President (International, Education), Scholastic Inc

Duriya Aziz believes that education is the way to a better future for all. She considers herself fortunate to work as a learning ambassador focused on reading and math, bringing best practices and effective pedagogies to schools, educators, parents, and learners in more than 50 countries, through programs that use proven and emerging methods and technologies in ways that are culturally and contextually appropriate. She finds that there is nothing more satisfying than seeing usage, engagement, and efficacy numbers go up and up and up! She has had the privilege of introducing Singapore math around the world, including in the US, Australia, New Zealand, India, Turkey, Oman, Costa Rica, Chile, Colombia and the UK. The author of several math and literacy course materials and children’s books, she regularly leads professional development in curriculum and course design, math, literacy and creative and critical thinking. Passionate about community service, she participates in programs counselling young people on their education and career and helps women entrepreneurs start and build their businesses and careers.

Dr. Jesus Jara

Practice Leader, K-12 Global - Prometric

Dr. Jesus Jara is a distinguished education leader, deeply committed to enhancing educational opportunities for students. His tenure as Superintendent of the Clark County School District (CCSD), the nation's fifth-largest, and his roles in other districts have resulted in significant academic achievements. Having arrived in this country from Venezuela as a child and navigating the education system as an English-language learner, Dr. Jara has gained unique insights into the need for inclusive and high-standard educational environments. This background has profoundly influenced his leadership, driving his focus on ensuring equitable access to education and fostering environments that support the success of diverse student populations. During his five-year Superintendency at CCSD, Dr. Jara led the district to notable achievements, including improved graduation rates, increased participation in Advanced Placement (AP) and Dual Enrollment programs, and recognition as the National Magnet District of the Year by Magnet Schools of America. Under his guidance, the district also saw significant improvements in mathematics proficiency by introducing a standards-based curriculum. Amid these successes, he adeptly navigated the district through the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. For his efforts during his tenure, Dr. Jara was recognized as the 2024 State Superintendent of the Year by the Nevada Association of School Superintendents. Dr. Jara began his career as a bilingual biology teacher in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Moving to Springfield, Massachusetts, he then served as principal, where he notably enhanced Advanced Placement (AP) course offerings and improved graduation rates. As Superintendent and Chief Operations Officer in Monroe County Public Schools, Florida, Dr. Jara increased participation and performance in AP and Algebra I courses. In his role as Deputy Superintendent for Orange County Public Schools in Florida, he was pivotal in narrowing the achievement gap faster than 90 percent of major cities across the U.S. And, as Executive Director of the College Board’s Florida Partnership, he coordinated services to bolster equity and access for minority and underrepresented students statewide. Dr. Jara has also contributed to various community and educational organizations, including serving on the executive board of the Council of Great City Schools and the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance. Dr. Jara holds a Doctorate in Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Rashid Al Nuami

Student, Hartland International School, UAE

Alex Crossman

Headmaster, London Academy of Excellence

Alexander Crossman is Headmaster of The London Academy of Excellence, the highest ranked sixth form provider in England offering a full A Level curriculum.

Alex is a senior academic adviser to Lighthouse Education Group in Shenzen, China, a member of the Leadership Council of the World Schools Summit, and an advisory board member at the Centre for Innovation and Research in Learning (CIRL) at Eton College. He is a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Arts and The Chartered College of Teaching.

Alex is the author, most recently, with Ian Warwick, of 'Greater Expectations: Enabling Achievement for Disadvantaged Students' (Sage 2024).

Alex’s career in education has included being the founding Head of one of London’s most successful free schools and the Chief Executive of an education consulting firm based in the Middle East but operating worldwide. Teaching is Alex’s first calling but his second career. Previously, he was a managing director with global responsibility for strategy at one of the world’s leading investment banks.

Alan Williamson

Chief Executive Officer, Taaleem

Alan graduated from Glasgow University with an Honors degree in History and Russian Language and attended the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He has led several schools as Principal in the UK and international sector. Alan was previously CEO of a premium schools’ group in Dubai, and before that, CEO of a large multi–Academy Trust in the UK.

He brings with him a wealth of experience, as a teacher, headmaster and superintendent of schools. Alan is a strong communicator who fundamentally understands that the profitability and success of an education company is intrinsically linked to happy and flourishing schools where the welfare of students is the number one priority, and where staff are the most prized asset. As well as being passionate about teaching and learning, Alan has been actively involved in school leadership related to Special Educational Needs and Inclusion. In his current role as CEO at Taaleem, he supervises the strategic direction of the company.

Alan has a significant and impressive impact and evidenced based skillset in system wide improvement, incorporating skills, competency and knowledge.

Abhilasha Singh

Principal of Shining Star International School UAE

As the Principal of Shining Star International School in Abu Dhabi, I lead an institution focused on the Indian curriculum and drive a culture of growth and innovation among both staff and students. My expertise in educational leadership is recognized through various accolades and roles. I am a Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Expert for the 2020-21 cohort and serve as the UAE Country Ambassador for T4 Education. Additionally, I have facilitated the Climate Action Project since 2020 as the Climate Action Project UAE Ambassador.

I am certified in International Inspection Skills, having earned the School Inspection Competency Certificate from the Tribal Group in the UK. Recently, I was honored as a Global Schools Advocate for 2022 and a Mentor in 2023 by the Global Schools Program, affiliated with the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Under my leadership, our school was shortlisted among the Top 10 for the Best School Prize in the Innovation category by T4 Education. I am serving in the Teachers Committee for Ages of Globalization course curated by Prof Jeffery Sachs from Columbia University. I have also completed CXO Leadership course from Cornell University and Certificate in School Management and Leadership from Harvard School of Education in collaboration with Harvard School of Business.

My involvement extends to global initiatives; I am part of the GEP UNESCO Climate Action Curriculum Planning Working Group and serve as the Strategy and Outreach Coordinator for the UN Common Cluster NGO Major Group. I played a pivotal role in the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) Side event on global peace. I also presented a session on Youth in Climate Advocacy at COP28 and will also be taking the message of Youth Advocacy for Climate change and wellbeing at COP29 in Azerbaijan.

My leadership has been recognized with several awards: Most Inspiring Leader 2020 by P Square International, Innovative Leader Award 2021 by Ekk Updesh (supported by the Ministry of Ayush, Govt. of India, and FIT India), Top 10 Indian Women Leaders in UAE 2022 by Women Entrepreneur India, and Most Inspiring Principal Award 2022 by Yalla Schools, UAE. Recently, I received the Mentorship Maestro Award at the Learner Circles Education Excellence Award 2024 in Dubai.

I am a sportsperson having played Nationals in Handball and Basket for my state and the university. I have a love for running and am an avid cyclist. I train with Abu Dhabi Running Team and have completed 3 marathons, many half marathons and many other long distance open events.

My journey is defined by a commitment to excellence, global collaboration, and innovative educational practices.

Viktoriia Osadcha

President, Unbreakable Ukraine Foundation,Poland

Viktoriia Osadcha is the president of the "Unbreakable Ukraine" foundation and the founder of the First Ukrainian School in Poland and Kyiv. With her energy and commitment to education, she has established unique learning spaces in 12 Polish cities and Ukraine, helping Ukrainian children adapt while preserving their cultural roots.

Under her leadership, the foundation has supported nearly 100,000 Ukrainians, enabling over 5,000 children to study in safe environments. Viktoriia’s initiatives include creating schools, organizing summer camps, and providing access to integration activities for families. Her efforts have secured significant grants for psychological support and educational projects, in collaboration with organizations like UNICEF and Save the children.

Viktoriia is a transformative leader whose dedication inspires change and instills hope in the global Ukrainian community, creating pathways for education and a brighter future.

Adhishree Parasnis

Director of Communications, Global Schools Leader, India

Adhishree has spent over a decade in the education sector in India and brings wide-ranging experiences in design, research, facilitation and community building. Most recently Adhishree was the Senior Strategist at Subu and Rakshit, a design for social impact firm. In this role, she helped social impact organizations develop effective communication strategies to strengthen the impact of their interventions.

Adhishree previously worked as a Senior Manager for Alumni and Partnerships at Teach For India, as a Strategic Consultant for Teach For Bangladesh, and as a Curriculum Design Consultant with Generation — McKinsey’s social arm.

Adhishree was a 2011 Teach For India Fellow and holds a Masters in International Business & Emerging Markets from the University of Edinburgh.

Alex Gray

Leader & Founder, D.E.E.P Professional, UAE

Alex Gray is an experienced educator and thought leader with over 15 years in teaching and leadership. His MA in Education, where he explored performance enhancement, and his NPQLTD qualification demonstrate his deep knowledge of educational practices. Alex shares this expertise through his insightful podcast, The International Classroom, interviewing global leaders on cutting-edge educational topics. He also curates resources for performance enhancement on his website, deepprofessional.com, and his D.E.E.P Professional YouTube channel.

Ana Ligia Scachetti

CEO, Nova Escola, Brazil

Ana Ligia Scachetti is a journalist, educator and CEO of Nova Escola, a Brazilian nonprofit organization that supports public school teachers. With an average of 3 million visitors per month, this digital platform provides lesson plans, news reports, online courses, other educational materials and a community for teachers. Since 2023, the organization has been exploring the use of artificial intelligence to leverage its impact in public schools.

Andreas Schleicher

Director of Education, OECD, Germany

Andreas is the Director of Education and Skills and SpecialAdvisor on Education Policy to the Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris. He initiated and oversees the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and other international instruments that have created a global platform for policymakers, researchers, and educators from all nations and cultures to innovate and transform education policies and practices. For over 20 years, he has worked with ministers and education leaders worldwide to improve the quality and equity of education. Before joining the OECD, he was the Director of Analysis at the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). He studied Physics in Germany and completed his degree in Mathematics and Statistics in Australia. He has received numerous honors and awards, including the "Theodor Heuss" prize for exemplary democratic engagement. He is an honorary professor at the University of Heidelberg.

Asheesh Advani

President and CEO, Junior Achievement Worldwide, United States

Asheesh is the President and CEO of JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide, one of the largest youth-serving NGOs in the world focused on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and work readiness. During his tenure leading JA Worldwide since 2015, the organization has been recognized as one of the ten most impactful NGOs in the world in annual rankings. Asheesh is the co-author of Modern Achievement with celebrated leadership expert Marshall Goldsmith, a book that reconsiders the definition of achievement for aspiring leaders. He is a sought-after keynote speaker with experience speaking at Fortune 500 corporate gatherings, the Great Hall of the People in China, the United Nations, and at major universities. Prior to joining JA, Asheesh was a technology entrepreneur and led two businesses successfully from start-up to acquisition. He holds degrees from the Wharton School and Oxford University, where he was a Commonwealth Scholar.

Danielle West

Founder and CEO of Inicio Partners

Danielle is a hugely influential talent acquisition, management and HR specialist in the Global Education field, having spent the last decade working with one of the biggest K-12 private school providers in the world. Danielle has been responsible for hundreds of the key educational leadership appointments including C-suite, across all school price points and curricular and a wide range of countries including Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Far East, Africa and North America. Danielle has led multiple large scale change-management and organisational development projects for major providers in the for profit global and charitable education and skills sectors.

As the Founder and CEO of Inicio Partners, Danielle brings a wealth of experience and expertise to multiple stakeholders including Governments, Higher Education, Schools and Academies, Educational Foundations, Charitable Trusts across the international public and private sectors, including educational start-ups. Danielle has served extensively on Executive Boards in both the educational and international charitable sectors, and acts as trusted advisor to Proprietors and Chief Executives of educational groups at all phases of school leadership.

Dr Farah Sarraj

Chief Corporate Officer, Al-Futtaim School Management Company, Dubai, UAE

Dr Farah Sarraj currently holds the role of Chief Corporate Officer at Al Futtaim School Management Company; she also leads a dedicated centre for excellence in Arabic founded in 2018 by the Al Futtaim Education Foundation. Dr Sarraj’s advocacies include education for the 22nd Century, bilingualism, raising the profile of Arabic as a language for thought and life, and education for global citizenship.

Dr Sarraj held several senior school leadership roles in the UK before she moved to the UAE in 2011. In the UAE, Dr Sarraj served on the senior leadership team of a start-up school in the northern emirates before moving to Ajman University, where she lectured in the College of Education at undergraduate and post-graduate levels. Dr Sarraj holds an MA and PhD in English Literature/Early Women’s Writing from the University of Manchester, a PGCE/QTS from Brunel University, London and an MSc in Educational Leadership from the University of Portsmouth. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts and is currently pursuing a Master’s in the Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health at Kings College London.

Mike Fisher

COO and Insights Director, T4 Education, London UK

With over two decades of experience in the technology sector, Mike has a rich history of researching and consulting on trends for the world’s largest blue-chip technology providers, focusing recently on the education sector.
In his role at T4 Education, a digital media platform that aims to support teachers and schools, Mike directs a global team in delivering various initiatives, including the World's Best School Prizes, Best School to Work, and the World Education Medals. He is passionate about enhancing learning experiences and improving educational outcomes through cultivating a positive school culture.

Mosharraf Zaidi

Founder & CEO, Tabadlab, Pakistan

Mosharraf Zaidi has over two decades of experience in analysing and shaping policy in complex political environments. He has spearheaded research, analysis and delivery for a wide array of reform interventions in Pakistan and Afghanistan as well as in the South Asia region. His work intersects political economy, strategic communications and change management.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Zaidi has consistently demonstrated expertise in engaging with and persuading leaders to take decision that are informed by data and evidence. He blends a wide array of public engagements through regular speaking and social media engagements. He has worked on regional stability and security in South Asia, improved learning outcomes for children and universal enrolment, universal health coverage and universal basic income in Pakistan.

His most recent work for Tabadlab, the think tank and policy advisory firm he founded in 2018, includes work on improved foreign direct investment, technology and digitalisation, housing and urban development.
Mr. Zaidi joined Albright Stonebridge as Senior Adviser in March 2021.

From 2013 through 2018, he lead the Alif Ailaan campaign for education in Pakistan.

He served as principal Policy Advisor at Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2011 to 2013, where he worked in crisis diplomacy and established the Public Diplomacy division.

Mr. Zaidi was Governance Adviser for the UK Government’s FCDO (formerly DFID) from 2004 through 2008, focusing on tax and revenue reform with the World Bank, and improved public financial management in the Punjab province, with the Asian Development Bank.

Prior to this, Mr. Zaidi worked on various civil service and public administration reform efforts, including disentangling the revenue function from local administration, for the World Bank, and for the National Reconstruction Bureau of the Government of Pakistan.

Mr. Zaidi was honoured by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader in 2014 and the Tribeca Film Festival and Disruptor Foundation Fellow in 2015. He writes a regular column for The News in Pakistan, and his writing appears frequently in a variety of other publications including Foreign Policy, the New York Times and the Indian Express. He frequently contributes to television, radio and podcasts.

Nik Kafka

Founder & CEO, Teach a Man to Fish, London, UK

Nik Kafka is Founder & CEO of Teach a Man to Fish, a non-profit organisation supporting schools across Africa, Asia and Latin America to empower their students, through entrepreneurship education, with the skills & mindset needed for success in education, work and life.

Rooted in 'real world' and experiential learning, this award-winning model provides students a practical way to learn vital business and 21st Century skills - as well as generating profits to fund school projects, equipment or community work. Teach A Man To Fish's education and enterprise initiatives have now benefited over 500,000 young people across more than 100 countries, principally through the School Enterprise Challenge awards program.

Following a successful banking career in London, Nik moved to Paraguay teaming up with the Fundacion Paraguaya where he helped develop the award-winning Financially Self-Sufficient School model. He has been recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader, a recipient of the Charles Bronfman Prize 2022 and jury member for the World's Best School prizes.

Olli-Pekka Heinonen

Director General, International Baccalaureate Organization (IB), Finland

Olli-Pekka Heinonen became the 8th Director General of the IB in 2021. Prior to this, he was Director General of the Finnish National Agency for Education where he worked from 2016.

Mr Heinonen had an active career in politics in Finland between 1994-2002: as Minister of Education and Science (1994-1999); Minister of Transport and Communication (1999-2002) and as a Member of Parliament (1995-2002).

From 2002-2012, Mr Heinonen was Director of Yle, the Finnish national public broadcasting company, before joining the Finnish Prime Minister’s Office in 2012 as State Secretary. He has also been responsible, as State Secretary, for the portfolios of the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Development and the Ministry of Finance of Finland.

He holds a Master of Laws from the University of Helsinki and has been awarded honorary doctorates by the University of Jyväskylä and the University of Turku in Finland.

Anne-Laure Malauzat

Partner, Bain & Company , UAE

Anne-Laure Malauzat is a Partner with Bain & Company in the Middle East. She leads Bain’s Social Impact practice in EMEA and she is the firm’s MENA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Lead. She has over 13 years of consulting experience.

Anne joined the firm in 2011 and, in 2020, became the youngest female Bain partner globally. She has led over 100 projects with senior stakeholders across the MENA region, advising government ministers, members of GCC royal families, philanthropists, and CEOs in several industries, focusing on education, socio-economic development, and innovation. She has led the launch of multiple successful human capital development programmes in 5 MENA countries.

In addition, Anne works with private sector leaders in the retail space, supporting them in their growth, digitalization, and customer strategies.

For the last decade she has served as an advisor to multiple organizations such as Endeavor, the Atlantic Council’s WIn fellows and is a frequent speaker on topics related to gender equity, human capital development, innovation, and social impact. In 2022, she was elected a Young Global Leader by the WEF.

Anne holds an MA from Georgetown University and a dual Bachelor from Mount Holyoke College.

Omar A. Al Futtaim

Vice Chairman & CEO Al-Futtaim Group

Omar A. Al Futtaim is the Vice Chairman & CEO of Al-Futtaim Group (AFG), one of the most progressive regional family business conglomerates, head-quartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

As Vice Chairman & CEO of this third generation privately owned business, Mr. Al Futtaim is responsible for leading and growing the business across five business verticals: automotive, financial services, real estate, retail and health. Today AFG is present in more than twenty different markets across the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Australia and employs in excess of 33,000 employees.

During a career that extends across three decades, Mr. Al Futtaim has served in a number of leadership positions. Prior to his career at Al-Futtaim Group, Mr. Al Futtaim worked in investment banking at Morgan Stanley in New York and the United Kingdom.

His entrepreneurship, rigorous customer focus and relentless drive for excellence have enabled AFG to successfully grow its business by responding to the changing needs of the customers and markets in which it operates.

Mr. Al Futtaim is a chairman and board member of a number of public organizations including the Commercial Bank of Dubai, Orient Insurance PJSC, Emirates Investment Bank PJSC and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Al Futtaim is also the Chairman of Al Futtaim Education Foundation, the non for profit education arm of the Group.

Mr. Al Futtaim holds a Bachelors Degree in Economics from McAlester College, Minnesota, USA.

Lizzie Hacking

Strategic Relations Lead at Yondr UK

As Yondr's Strategic Relations Lead, Lizzie works with political and education decision-makers to drive forward social and political change; ensuring children can learn in an environment where they can disconnect from their phones and connect with each other.

Yondr has been the pioneer of phone-free schools since 2014, and works across 35 countries, supporting them with a full-service programme of equipment, training, and support, which includes our unique, lockable pouches.

Shiny Wang

Vice Principal, Beijing No.4 High School International Campus, China

Wang, Shi (Shiny), Vice Principal of Beijing No.4 High School International Campus. ETS TOEFL Board Member, formerly served as the Assistant to Principal at Tsinghua University High School and Director of College Counseling, Vice Principal of Tsinghua Daoxiang School, Academic Consultant of Tsinglan School, former Vice Principal of Beijing Kaiwen Academy. Member of NACAC & InternationalACAC, Former member of International Advisory Committee of the College Board, Winner of “Outstanding Contribution Award” from United States Department of States(Education USA), Special Advisor of United States Department of States(Education USA), Secretary-General of Beijing Academy for College Counseling. Residential staff of College Board Summer Institute of College Counseling at NYU Shanghai. Founding member of ChinaICAC, member of international advisor board at IE University in Spain and University of St Andrew in UK. Chairman of Phoenix League Advisory Board of U Chicago. Initiator of CCABA. CCAJZ and CCAXN.

He is one of the first professional counselors at a Chinese public school offering college admission counseling for students and has more than 20 years of counseling experience as well as more than 20 years of teaching and school administration in China’s famous secondary schools.

Shiny has great experience working with leading schools both in China and all over the world. He is a respected expert in China on college counseling and international education. He has been invited to present at many professional conferences, events, forums , such as International ACAC annual conferences, Sina, Tencent and so on. Shiny has also published articles on China's international education in major media including the New York Times. Recently published a best seller on college counseling in Chinese, his teaching stories has been adopted in the book of Lessons in Life- What we can all learn from the world’s best teachers by Andria Zafirakou.

Tamara Philip

Director of Networks and Programs, Global School Leaders, UK

Tamara was a teacher and teacher leader for fifteen years before joining GSL. She taught at an international school and an affordable private school in India, and most recently was Director of Teaching and Learning at Avasara Academy, a non-profit school in Pune, India. In this role, she led all areas of teaching and learning, taught middle school science, coached and supported teachers and heads of department, and supported other non-profit organizations with their own teachers’ professional development.

Tamara holds an MA in Global Education and International Development from the University of Warwick and a PGCE in Secondary Education from Oxford Brookes University.

Vikas Pota

Founder & CEO, T4 Education, London, UK

Vikas is the Founder and CEO of T4 Education, a digital media platform he established as a response to the challenges posed by the pandemic to education globally. T4 Education is building the world’s largest community of teachers and schools and is providing opportunities for educators to network, collaborate, share best practices, and support each other’s efforts to improve learning and school culture.

T4 Education works to amplify teachers’ voices because the world in which every child receives a good education will only be built by listening to those at the heart of education. Vikas was previously CEO of a philanthropic foundation, has been recognised as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and as one of London’s 1,000 most influential persons. Vikas was named European regional honouree for the 2022 YPO Global Impact Award.

H.E. Aisha Abdulla Miran

Director General, Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), Dubai, UAE

Aisha Miran has more than 22 years of invaluable experience in the public sector, marked by a strategic focus on shaping governance and decision-making processes. Over the course of her career Aisha has demonstrated expertise in strategy management, strategic planning, performance management, policy making, and governance.

In her role as the new Director General of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, Aisha is spearheading efforts to enhance Dubai’s private education sector, aligning with emirate’s vision to solidify its position as a world-class hub for education.

Concurrently, she has been appointed to The Executive Council of Dubai, further cementing her influence in shaping policies and strategies for the emirate's socio-economic development.

In her previous role at The Executive Council, Aisha was instrumental in setting the strategic agenda for The Executive Council of Dubai and its Strategic Affairs Council. She was pivotal in establishing a world-class strategy execution system across the Government of Dubai, which was internationally recognised as a best practice by the Hall of Fame Award.

She also introduced Qarar, the Dubai Government’s integrated smart decision support system, endorsed by HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council. Through the system, information flows freely from information owners to government entities, to sector committees, to The Executive Council, and to the Ruler of Dubai, when required.

Under her leadership, Dubai also attained the ISO 37120 Platinum level certification, a pioneering recognition globally, alongside eight other cities in 2014. She also led the Dubai Government team in updating the emirate’s strategic plan for 2021 (Dubai Plan 2021), launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai in December 2014.

Under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and with close supervision of HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Supreme Committee for the Protection of Rights of People with Disabilities, Aisha led the emirate’s
efforts to transform Dubai into an accessible-friendly city by 2020.

Aisha holds an EMBA from the American University of Sharjah, an Executive Diploma in Public Administration from the National University of Singapore, and certifications in Balanced Scorecard Practice.

She is a graduate of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Programme for Leadership Development, showcasing her dedication to continuous learning and professional growth. Aisha is a member of the UAE Education and Human Resources Council. She is also a board member of the Digital School, one of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, and on the board of trustees of the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), and a member of the board of TECOM Group.

Aisha has represented Dubai Government in numerous international conferences and co-authored multiple cases on performance and strategy management. Her remarkable career began with The Executive Office, where she played a key role in projects such as the establishment of the Dubai Institute for Human Resource Development and the Dubai Government performance management system.