Bettshow Asia - Bett Asia | SPEAKER LINE UP, October 2022, Thailand

Abhishek Ballabh

Co-Founder ExtraaEdge

A former MindTickle & HSBC talent, with 13+ years of experience in Data Architecture, Business Intelligence & Software Development. Abhishek runs all aspects related to business development and investment relationships at ExtraaEdge.

Florence Lai

Chief of Staff, Strategy & Planning HP Inc (Country Cluster of Indonesia, Philippines, Pakistan)

Florence Lai is Chief of Staff to VP of Indonesia, Philippines, Pakistan for HP Inc. She pro-actively supports the VP to drive HP’s vision and go-to-market (GTM) strategy to achieve growth and profitability for HP in Indonesia, and country strategies and vision for Philippines and Pakistan. She also supports Indonesia day-to-day operations, ranging from driving Business & Sales Operations, Business Reviews, Finance & Legal, Government Relations, Strategic Communications and Messaging, Leadership Training, HR/Employee wellness, Community Outreach to Crisis Management and Planning.

Florence leads the vision, strategy and execution on HP Indonesia’s end-to-end Education framework, enabling HP’s Sustainable Impact and Accelerating Digital Equity Goal. She leads collaboration with partners in government and industry in a powerful eco-system to disrupt and enable learning and digital transformation across Indonesia that is instrumental to drive better learning outcomes for over 3.5 million to-date.

Florence brings more than 28 years of diverse experience in the technology and other industries. Her most recent role was Head of Omnichannel(E-Commerce) for Indonesia and Singapore at HP Inc., where she managed game-changing go-to-market strategies, sales and marketing.

Prior to that, Florence also worked in various management, consulting, marketing and sales roles and successfully built brands, developed new B2B, B2C, D2C businesses in diverse industries and multiple countries. She is a strong advocate for Education, DEI and believe in contributing to make an impactful, positive difference.

Florence holds a Bachelors’ degree in Economics from the National University of Singapore.

Mr. Aliuddin bin Haji Abdul Rahman

Deputy Permanent Secretary (Core Education) Ministry of Education Brunei Darussalam

Mr Aliuddin bin Haji Abdul Rahman is the Deputy Permanent Secretary (Core Education), Ministry of Education Brunei Darussalam starting 3rd January 2019.

Prior to his current position, he was appointed as Acting Special Duties Office on October 2018. In May 2018, he was promoted as an Assistant Director and was put in charge of Academic Section, Department of Schools. He was a member of the Governing Board of SEAMEO INNOTECH [2016-2019].

In 2016, he was entrusted by the Ministry to lead a project, ‘The Recruitment and Management of Specialised Teachers and Head of Specialised Teachers for English and Mathematics’. As a project leader, he was invited to co-present the Brunei Darussalam Literacy and Numeracy Coaching Programme (LNCP), an Embedded Practice at UKFIET Conference, Oxford University, United Kingdom in 2017.

Mr Aliuddin was selected to join the professional development programme - Brunei Top 100 Leaders Program (B100) from March 2015 - April 2016. He was appointed as Head of Cluster 5, Department of Schools in 2015 and was responsible for overseeing 29 schools in Cluster 5.

He also held various positions in schools earlier. He began his career as an Education Officer (Science Teacher) in 1996 and later appointed as a Principal in 2010.

Mr Aliuddin graduated from Universiti Brunei Darussalam with Bachelor in Science Education (Honours), majoring in Chemistry. He is married with four children.

Andrew Khaw

Regional Director Samsung Electronics

Andrew Khaw is presently Regional Director, Samsung Electronics for Corporate Affairs in Southeast Asia and Oceania. The role focuses on cooperating with Government and multi-lateral development organizations for country development objectives in exciting areas of digital policy and transformation of public services.

Prior to joining Samsung, Andrew worked for 21 years in the Singapore government with experience in International Investment Marketing, International Market Development, country development programs for the ICT industry, start-ups and manpower. He also led initiatives for SME Digital Transformation, policy for Industrial Infrastructure competitiveness and Organizational Business Process Re-engineering. Andrew took a short Business Development stint with a Government-owned industrial parks company in late 2000s.

Andrew has a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering from National University of Singapore and participated in the INSEAD Advanced Management Programme in 2013.

Annabel Lawday

Strategic Lead – Stakeholder Engagement Pearson

Annabel has over fifteen years of experience, in international education. She now works as the Strategic lead for stakeholder engagement, within Pearson’s workforce skills division. Her role is supporting Pearson colleagues globally in the growth of subjects focusing on work skills of the future. Working with key employers and universities across the globe to build strong pathways for students into employment. Esports has been specifically important for Pearson over the last few years, as it grows into a key subject area in education at every level. Pearson continues to recognise esports, as being at the forefront of a changing landscape of subjects demanded by students

Prior to this, Annabel worked in a variety of roles in education , with a background in business development of corporate education, and edtech internationally.

Benjamin Carter

Chief Operations Officer ELT Songs (Planet Pop)

Ben manages the daily business operations of the ELT Songs. He works closely with the CEO, Jake Carter, on global business development and negotiations. Ben is responsible for managing the day-to-day activities of the Planet Pop workforce, including technology development, content production, and strategic partnerships.

Ben began his career for ELT Songs in 2018 as a Project Manager and Video Presenter, performing in pronunciation guides, including British Sign Language, as DJ Daniel, to form part of the Planet Pop curriculum.

Ben is also the founder of Learning British English, a social media brand with more than 20,000 subscribers on Instagram, that helps English Language learners improve their language skills by providing helpful tips in the form of video, audio, and written materials.

Brajesh Panth

Chief of Education Sector Group Asian Development Bank

Brajesh Panth is the Chief of Education Sector Group at the Asian Development Bank (ADB). He provides technical leadership to the education sector group (EdSG) in ADB, leads the preparation of the EdSG work plan, and facilitates collaboration across sector and thematic groups in ADB and with external partners. He has over 25 years of progressive experience as project team leader, head of project administration unit, lead education specialist, and chief of education sector group, in the education sector including sector assessment, project processing, implementation, evaluation, and policy dialogue, covering all levels—primary, secondary, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), and higher education. Besides coordinating and contributing to several publications, Mr. Panth has made several presentations in different fora and contributed to policy analysis, policy dialogue, and analytical work pertaining to different aspects of education reform. He holds a doctorate in education administration, planning and social policy from Harvard University, USA.

Caroline Wright

Director General BESA

After an early career in journalism Caroline lead communications in a number of UK Government Departments including the DfE and the Schools Inspectorate Ofsted before joining the British Educational Suppliers Association in 2012.

Caroline champions the UK education suppliers industry internationally and in the UK, representing BESA on a range of Government and sector advisory boards including the Department for International Trade and Department for Education.

She is a Trustee of the Education Media Centre, and judge of a number of prestigious industry awards.

Caroline has been a recipient of the Education Investor’s prestigious ‘Outstanding Contribution to Education’ award and is a frequent contributor to charitable educational activities including roles as a school governor, and educational and careers speaker for schools and young people.

Chandran Nair

Founder & CEO Global Institute For Tomorrow

Chandran Nair has a very diverse professional career that spans over 30 years of work across the world, from Europe to Africa and throughout Asia including China and India. During this time he has developed a unique set of skills and experiences that covers business, development issues, environmental and sustainability challenges, teaching (MBA), leadership development and becoming an author.

Mr Nair is the Founder and CEO of the Global Institute For Tomorrow (GIFT), an independent pan-Asian think tank. He was Chairman of Environmental Resources Management (ERM) in Asia Pacific for over a decade until 2004, establishing the company as Asia’s leading environmental consultancy.

He is a member of WEF’s Global Agenda Council on Governance for Sustainability and Experts Forum. He sits on the Executive Committee of the Club of Rome, the world’s premier scientific think tank and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He is also an Advisor to the Royal Government of Cambodia on development issues. As GIFT’s Founder and CEO, Mr Nair has focused on advancing a deeper understanding of global issues, including the shift of economic and political influence from the West to Asia, the dynamic relationship between business and society, and the reshaping of the rules of global capitalism. In response to the pandemic Mr Nair has written and spoken extensively on the need for a complete overhaul of how societies are governed and managed in the 21st century.

Mr Nair has a wealth of experience in development issues, from grassroots to the boardroom. He has lived and worked in Africa as a volunteer in the field of water supply, sanitation and public health. In his consulting work he was involved in setting up the first environmental consulting firm in China in the mid-nineties and opened offices in all the major Asian capitals from Tokyo to Singapore.

In addition to his work with GIFT, Mr Nair continues to provide strategic management advice to business leaders and policy makers. In this regard he has been invited to speak to and advise global management teams at companies including HSBC, BASF, Bosch and PwC among others, as well as policy forums hosted by the ADB, OECD and ESCAP. Mr Nair is also a regular presenter at the World Economic Forum (WEF), APEC Summits, OECD events and various UN conferences.

Mr Nair has served as Adjunct Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore. He is often invited by some of the leading global business schools as a guest lecturer, including INSEAD, Duke CE and London Business School. He is currently a guest faculty member at the University of Cambridge for their Master’s in Sustainability Leadership course.

Mr Nair is the author of Consumptionomics: Asia's Role in Reshaping Capitalism and Saving the Planet, which was ranked as one of the top-fifty breakout capitalism books by The Guardian and has been translated into Chinese, German and Bahasa. His second book, The Sustainable State: The Future of Government, Economy and Society was published in early 2019. His latest book Dismantling Global White Privilege: Equity for a Post-Western World was published in early 2022 and listed by the Financial Times as one of the best Summer 2022 books for politics. He is also the creator of The Other Hundred, a non-profit book project which serves as a counterpoint to the Forbes 100 and other media rich lists.

Taken together, his various expertise leads to frequent publishing of his articles, on topics ranging from economic policy to education. His work has appeared in leading publications such as the Financial Times, TIME, The Guardian, Huffington Post, The New York Times, China Daily and The Edge. He has also been interviewed on many leading global media networks including BBC (including being interviewed on Hard Talk), CNN, Al Jazeera, NHK, Bloomberg, CNBC, CCTV, Channel News Asia and Deutsche Welle.

A keen sportsman, Mr Nair managed the Hong Kong hockey team for seven years, taking it to the 2002 Asian Games in South Korea. He plays the saxophone and used to head a band in Africa.

Dr. Christopher J. Garnier, EdD

Executive Director AIT Extension, Affiliated Professor Asian Institute of Technology

Assuming the role of Executive Director of AIT Extension, the Executive Education and Corporate Training Division of the Asian Institute of Technology, on January 1^st, 2021, Dr. Garnier has a track record of delivering innovative, transformative and results-focused initiatives to multiple international entities. As a progress-driven educator, motivational leader and tireless student advocate with a passion for empowering and supporting academic communities around the world, Dr. Garnier has extensive and unparalleled leadership experience that spans roles in the military, government, business, higher education and nonprofit sectors covering the United States, Middle East, Asia Pacific and Europe.

Dr. Garnier’s additional roles for the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) include Affiliated Staff Instructor for the university’s School of Management where he teaches graduate students the course he created entitled, “Developing Leadership Skills”, he also was elected and serves as the staff representative to AIT’s Board of Trustees.

Dr. Garnier is the former Dean of Ace International Business School in Kathmandu, Nepal. He is currently a Managing Partner for EdXecutives, an international education advocacy and consulting firm based in the United States, and an Ambassador of HundrEd, an international education think tank, established in Helsinki, Finland. Dr. Garnier also served as the CEO of a leadership training company for adolescents throughout Southern California.

Prior to his work in education, Dr. Garnier rose to the rank of Captain in the US Marine Corps earning 6 Air Medals and multiple other honors

as a combat helicopter pilot flying numerous missions throughout the Middle East to include both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dr. Garnier earned his Doctorate in Global Education from the prestigious University of Southern California. He also holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from USC and a Master of Science equivalency in Aeronautical Engineering from the United States Navy; his undergraduate work was completed at the University of Hawaii – Manoa, where he attended on a full athletic American football scholarship and was elected the President of the university’s student body representing nearly 20,000 undergraduates.

As a globally astute, innovative and results-focused pedagogue, consultant, international lecturer and parent/student rights advocate, Dr. Garnier has traveled and lectured around the world in order to educate, examine and enhance his knowledge of global educational ingenuity and its impact and relationship to bold and transformational leadership.

Chuencheewan Ananthothai

Co-founder Globish Academia (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

Chuencheewan Ananthothai, co-founder of Globish: She had been having a regular life until one day she realized she lacked the courage to speak English despite having passed all of the English tests with good scores. When she realized the importance of equipping every local for global chances, she established Globish Academia.

More than 50,000 Thai and Vietnamese students as well as 300 top Thai organizations have been trained and certified by her company. She is one of the most influential women in the fields of education, ed-tech, and social impact, and she has been honored for this with six awards over the previous several years, including Founder of the Year and Prime Minister Award for Digital Startup.

Furthermore, she is constantly sharing information and ideas for improving our society through innovation, and she believes that the exchange of knowledge will make us able to work together and help each other to help our society.

Craig Kemp

CEO EduSpark

Craig is the Co-Founder of EduSpark - a revolutionary EducationProfessional Learning Ecosystem for Schools. Using his years ofexperience as an educator, leader and consultant, he haspartnered with a powerhouse of educators and leaders from allover the world to bring you a learning experience like you havenever seen before! It is truly professional learning redefined.Craig is a passionate educator with 15+ years of experienceteaching, leading and now consulting in public and private schoolsas well as with EdTech Companies all over the world. Craig is aglobal speaker, workshop host and consultant(www.igniteedtech.com) - he is a digital learningtransformationleader whose work is highly sought over by schools, institutionsand EdTech companies wanting to scale and grow. Craig currentlyworks with multiple EdTech companies, helping them build, grow,scale and sustain their development in APAC. Follow him onTwitter, Facebook and Instagram (@mrkempnz) and listen to hisFREE weekly Ignite EdTech Podcast —> linktr.ee/mrkempnz

David Hollands

Global Education Strategist HP

David is passionate believer that education is the building block for transforming people, communities, and our planet for the better. Focused on the role education has to build foundations of lasting social and economic change, David uses his background and decades of experience in technology ,megatrends , innovation and strategy to help engage transformation for education.

David is a Global Education Strategist, driving HP’s education strategy and solution development. Engaging with Governments , NGO's , UN entities, institutions , educators and students to help realise the goal of improving education outcomes for 100 million learners by 2025.

Outside of his role at HP , David volunteers his own time in a range of global education engagements, most recently as a judge for the world’s best school prize , as well as mentoring organisations, individuals and acting as an industry advisor for Australian Digital Technologies curriculum.

Mr. Eang Pisey

Science Education Team Leader New Generation School Program

My name is Eang Pisey and I am a Science Education Team Leader for the New Generation School Program, a reform in Cambodian Education, for over 6 years with 10 special selected schools. Below are my key responsibilities for my current career:

Train all the teachers in the program about STEM, methods of teaching, ICT in teaching etc.
Facilitate all the Science Education to all targeted schools of NGS
Design of Science Curricular materials to promote intensive science education at a Science Theme School.
Conduct teacher orientation in the use of the Science Lab and its equipment as well as safety hazards.
Carry out workshops with teachers on a regular basis with specific topics relating to the science curricula.
Lab installation in NGS Scholls, this entails the procurement and organization of materials to equip the labs, and overall monitoring.
Provide support to Science teachers inside and outside the classroom.
Observe Science classes and provide constructive feedback to teachers.
Create a resource list that cross-references available educational online resources in Khmer and English that apply to relevant lessons in the curriculum.
Track those teachers who are making the best progress in their teaching and those that are making the least progress.
Technical support to Science Clubs and STEM Education.

In my free time, I like doing research on the web and reading books.

Elizabete Kalnozola

Managing Director (Girls in Tech Kuala Lumpur), Program Director (iTrain Asia) Girls in Tech (Kuala Lumpur), iTrain Asia

Elizabete is the Managing Director of Girls in Tech Kuala Lumpur, non-profit organization devoted to empowering, educating and engaging women in the tech industry. It is Girls in Tech’s mission to support women with the access and community they need to succeed in tech.

No stranger to work in the Tech Industry, Elizabete is the Program Director for iTrain Asia an IT Education company based in Singapore. Where she has organized trainings in collaboration with Microsoft’s initiative Code; Without Barriers to bring free Artificial Intelligence and Data Science trainings to more than 1000 women in the Asia Pacific region.

Elizabete holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Economics from the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga and a Master in Business Administration from Universiti Putra Malaysia.

Emily Konstantas

Chief Executive Officer The Safeguarding Alliance

Emily Konstantas LLM, LPC, LLB (Hons) N.Grad, NALP (PhD Candidate) PTLLS: is founder of The Safeguarding Alliance, an advisor, governor and trustee to many organisations and schools. She has studied both a Bachelor and Masters in Law and is currently working towards her PhD in International Child Protection Law. Often a keynote speaker Emily is an experienced trainer working both in the United Kingdom, Europe, United States, and MENA and ASEAN regions. Emily is an expert school improvement partner, and experienced change manager in the preparation for ISI, Ofsted and BSO inspections. Emily has contributed to the Education Select Committee in the United Kingdom during COVID-19, has featured on the BBC, Sky News and many National Newspapers. Emily continues to campaign for changes to safeguarding legislation in the United Kingdom.

Fook Yen Chong

Senior social sector specialist Asian Development Bank

Fook Yen, Chong is a senior social sector specialist (skill development) working in the Asian Development Bank. He has more than 25 years of work experience in Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET). In ADB, he manages and supports TVET/Higher Education projects in India, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Cambodia, and Indonesia.

Prior to joining ADB, he worked in various multilateral and bi-lateral organizations such as GIZ (German Corporation for International Cooperation), the World Bank Group, Institute of Technical Education-Singapore, and Rwanda Workforce Development Authority. He contributed extensively to improving TVET in different part of the world in countries such as Mozambique, Uganda, Rwanda, Mongolia, Pakistan, Malawi, Tanzania, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, China, and India.

As a practitioner in TVET, his expertise includes TVET strategic planning, training facility infrastructure planning and design, TVET curriculum design and development, TVET training equipment requirement, and TVET teachers’ training. He has co-authored two publications on Training Facility Norms and Standard Training Equipment Lists for Precision Engineering and Mechatronic Technology trades. His latest pursue is in developing and deploying Mixed Reality (MR) training content for skill training, and accelerating TVET institutions capability in developing fourth industrial revolution expertise. He also has a strong interest in exploring how investing in innovations and technologies can drive economic growth in developing countries.

Gary Tibbett

Global Esports Academy Manager - Global Esports Federation and Education Advisor - British Esports Federation Global Esports Federation

Gary Tibbett is the Manager for the Global Esports Academy which is an arm of The Global Esports Federation and Education Advisor to the the British Esports Federation. Gary leads the BEA partnership with Pearson, the global learning company, and has developed the BTEC in Esports: the first esports qualifications of their kind in the world for 14-19 year olds. He is also leading ground breaking work in esports education with a number of educational institutes and international organisations.

Gary has a degree in Games Design, Animation and VFX, starting his journey in the esports ecosystem in 2016 whilst working in the games industry. Transferring his skills and knowledge into education to become a lecturer specialising in Games Design, Animation and VFX.

Gi Soon Song

Director Human and Social Development Division (SAHS) South Asia Department, ADB

Ms. Gi Soon Song is currently the Director of South Asia Human and Social Development Division (SAHS). Prior to her current role she was in charge of the overall portfolio management of SAHS as well as worked on various education, skills development, and health projects in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka since 2011, after spending 2 years in the Pacific Department of ADB. Prior to joining ADB, Ms. Song had been with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Jakarta, Indonesia from 2003 to 2009 and was the Program Management Support Manager responsible for assisting the Governance Unit in developing, planning, monitoring, and evaluating governance programs/projects in line with UNDP policy and strategy. Ms. Song, a national of the Republic of Korea, obtained her Doctoral degree in Agricultural Science from Bonn University in Germany (2002) and her Master in International Commerce from Korea University in Seoul, Korea (1999).

Dr. Ir. Sri Gunani Partiwi M.T

Director of Learning and Student Affairs The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology Indonesia

Dr. Ir. Sri Gunanni Partiwi M.T, born in Semarang, May 31st, 1966. She graduated with her bachelor's degree in 1988, majoring in Agricultural Industrial Engineering from Institut Pertanian Bandung. By 1995, she graduated with her Master's degree, majoring in Industrial Engineering, from Institut Teknologi Bandung and her Doctoral degree in 2007 in Agricultural Industrial Engineering from Institut Pertanian Bogor.

Before serving as Director of Learning and Student Affairs, Directorate General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology, Dr. Ir Sri Gunani served as director of Human Resources and Organization at Institute Technology of Sepuluh November Surabaya. She is also one of the outstanding lecturers, and one of her achievements achieved is as Best Paper Award, International Seminar on Industrial Engineering Management (ISIEM 7th), 2014.

Heather Gilmore

Director, Corporate Affairs Pearson Asia Pacific

Heather is a strategic communications professional with over 20 years experience in education, professional and financial services, government, and media. She have advised CEOs and government leaders on media relations, crisis communications, issues management, stakeholder relations and public policy.

For over a decade Heather was a journalist working at the Daily Telegraph in Sydney, and the New York Post in New York.

In Government, Heather was a senior media adviser to two State Premiers, a Treasurer and Minister and worked on a winning election campaign.

Following corporate affairs roles at Westpac and PwC, Heather now heads up Corporate Affairs at Pearson, Asia Pacific, overseeing internal and external communications, corporate social responsibility and government relations in the region for the world's largest education company.

She holds a MA, Strategic Communications, from Columbia University, and a BA from the University of Sydney. She lives in Sydney with her family, and sometimes makes an attempt at running.

Helga Stellmacher

Country Director British Council Thailand

Helga has had a wide spanning career with British Council having held a number of senior roles within the organization over the last 23 years.

She has extensive international experience having lived and worked in South America, Europe, Central and South Asia and the Middle East. Immediately before moving to Thailand, she held the role of Regional Director for our grant funded and commercial activity in Education and English across South Asia and previous to that, was Regional Director for our work in Assessment across our Europe regions covering a span of 35 countries.

Having trained and worked as a teacher early in her career, she is passionate about the transformational change that education and cultural exchange can bring about and in her British Council career has worked on major programmes and research at all levels of the education sector, always striving to ensure that the impact they create is as systemic and sustainable as possible.

She holds an undergraduate degree in Modern Languages, a PGCE, Cambridge DELTA and an MBA.

Hester Spiegel-van den Steenhoven

Founder Skills Nation; Venture Partner Kaizenvest Skills Nation; Kaizenvest

Hester an investor and education entrepreneur. Previous to becoming an entrepreneur, she had a 15+ year international career with PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Deutsche Bank. She pivoted career and became Germany’s country head for a global EdTech company, bringing modern education system and coding school “42” to Germany. Since 2020 she lives in Singapore where she is a venture partner at Kaizenvest, a VC-firm focusing on future of learning and work, and co-founder of Epic Angels, an all-female angel investment network that aims to give more women the confidence to invest. She is start-up mentor for several (EdTech) accelerators, Enterprise Singapore and the National University of Singapore, and is an active investor in early stage EdTech companies. She recently published the report “Singapore: State of EdTech Report 2022” providing an overview of the EdTech landscape and key developments affecting Southeast Asia.

Mr. Jacqueline Jamillah J. Ali

Supervising Technical Education and Skills Development (TESD) Specialist National Institute for Technical Education and Skills Development (NITESD), eTESDA Division

Jacqueline Ali is the Supervising Technical Education and Skills Development Specialist of the eTESDA Division under the National Institute for Technical Education and Skills Development
(NITESD). She supervises the in-house development of online technical vocational education and training (TVET) courseware and the management of the TESDA Online Program (TOP),
TESDA’s platform for massive open online courses (MOOCs) for TVET.

With focus on research and development and partnerships and linkages, Jacqueline develops program and policy recommendations for TVET implementation and fosters collaborations and
networking for the sector. Working in the development sector, she leverages her Art Studies background in developing people-centered interventions for social equity, diversity, and
sustainability towards the creation of a community of practice for TVET.

Email address: jjali@tesda.gov.ph

Dr Janson Yap

Chief Risk Officer National University of Singapore

Dr. Janson Yap is the Chief Risk Officer of NUS. He joined the University in January 2020 and was tasked to help transform the risk function. Besides his role in leading and shaping the risk agenda for the future at NUS, he assisted the President and Futures Office in documenting the NUS Strategy and cascading that strategy into the work-plans of major faculties and schools. More recently the NUS Business School has appointed him as an Adjunct Professor for its Executive Education programmes.

His career of over 35 years spans the globe and has covered both corporate organisations and professional services. Prior to joining NUS, he helmed several key positions within the Deloitte network, including that of Managing Director of Deloitte Consulting in Thailand, before taking on the role of Regional Managing Partner of the Risk Advisory business in Southeast Asia, a position he held for 10 years, based in Singapore. He was also the Asia Pacific Risk Leader and Executive at the Global Risk Advisory function as well as a member of Deloitte’s Global Risk Management Team for several years while concurrently managing the business in Southeast Asia. Besides his contributions in the risk advisory business, he was also the Southeast Asia’s firm Innovation & Transformation Leader and part of the Global Innovation Executive Council.

Over his 38 years in corporate organisations and professional services, his work has been cross-disciplinary in nature, often entailing complex problem-solving. In recognition of his achievements in the field, he has received numerous awards in the course of his career. His corporate career began as IT Department Manager with Avon Cosmetics in 1983 after completing his undergraduate studies and a post-graduate Diploma in Education. He subsequently assumed the role of Senior Director of Technology at the Building Materials Division of Colonial Sugar Refineries (CSR), where he was instrumental in real time visualization of building materials on home exteriors before embarking on his professional services career with the Big Four Accounting firms.

Academically, Janson’s tertiary education is from Australian Universities. Janson completed his doctorate (Doctor of Professional Studies) at the University of Southern Queensland while working fulltime as the Regional Managing Partner at Deloitte Risk Advisory responsible for a billion-dollar business in Asia Pacific. The doctoral study involved a workplace-based study that generated new knowledge and application of knowledge in practice and resulted in a thesis on ‘Improving Success in Strategy Implementations’. Additionally, Janson has a Master of Business Administration (eMBA) from the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM), University of New South Wales, a post-graduate diploma in education (Dip. Ed) and Bachelor of Science, both from Monash University. Consistent with his belief in life-long learning, he also earned a Diploma in Biblical Studies at Moores College, and as with the other graduate degrees, this was undertaken while holding fulltime jobs of considerable responsibility such as that of Regional Managing Partner at Deloitte Risk Advisory.

He has also served in various capacities in numerous organisations. He is currently the Advisor on the Board of Tan Hiep Phat (THP), Vietnam’s largest fast-moving Consumer Goods business. His role includes guiding the Technology Department, steering Real-Estate Business & Strategy, and serving as advisor and coach to the founding family members. He was on the IT Steering Committee of the Government’s SkillsFuture Program and an advisory member of the NUS Asia Pacific Accounting Research Centre (AARC).

Janson has authored/co-authored several books such as Foresight and Strategy in the Asia Pacific Region, Wow! How Did You Know That? and Average to ACES. His latest publications are an article written for the World Economic Forum on Challenges and Opportunities in the Post-Covid-19 World, and a book on motivations and expectations of workers in a wicked world, titled Why ME? Janson is a man of many parts; not only is he thoroughly competent in his work and studies, he is also an adroit badminton player, accomplished lyricist and talented singer. He brings a broad spectrum of experiences and skills to all he does.

Jantanarak Tuekaew

Managing Director Disrupt Technology Venture

In 2012 Yui Co-founded Disrupt with Krating Poonpol to build a startup ecosystem, with an intention to play a supportive role to her life partner. However, in 2018, Yui had to step up to become the face and the sole leader of Disrupt. Despite the initial challenges and doubts, she finally found her true superpower as a female leader. 

Drawing from her educational background as a Thai traditional medicine doctor and her caring and empathetic nature, Yui stepped up to lead Disrupt in her own way.  She believes in leading with empathy and empowers the team to reach their best potential.  As a Managing Director, she co-founded StormBreaker Venture as the first Education Technology Accelerator in Thailand. She has also deepened her passion for education through her work with the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) to incubate social entrepreneurs to tackle education inequality. Yui’s energy and motivation comes from the realization that she can tangibly impact hundreds of thousands of people through entrepreneurship, education, and innovation, and she constantly inspires and energizes her team and startup founders with those beliefs. As she leads Disrupt to the next stage of growth, she is determined to serve as a mentor, a guide, and inspiration for potential female leaders of Thailand.  

Yui's next big goal is to expand the impact that Disrupt has already created. Currently, Disrupt has builded hundreds of corporate innovators as well as invested in and incubated 17 Edtech startups and other education social ventures. Next, Yui envisioned Disrupt to expand impact to other areas, especially in health, wellbeing, and holistic human development.

Javier Arguello

Executive Director COGx

Javier is the Founder and Executive Director of COGx, a research and development firm in applied cognitive science. In partnership with global experts on human learning, COGx translates learning science into evidence-based programs that improve teaching and learning. COGx works with school systems and organizations that strive to make learning success a priority and are interested in improving traditional schooling through science-based approaches that foster equity, digital inclusion, and student wellbeing. Javier leads product development the organization’s global strategic partnerships.

COGx has been recognized as a leading company innovating to improve learning outcomes by the US Government (TEDCO), and Ministry of Education in United Arab Emirates (Dubai Future Accelerator) and Stanford University (SLEI). Javier is a frequent speaker on the topic of modernizing education, addressing the needs of marginalized communities, cognition and learning and translating cognitive science research to improve learning outcomes. Javier has published over 40 articles and essays and presented at the numerous global conferences and been interviewed by CNN and other global news outlets. Javier holds master’s degrees from Yale University as well as Harvard University and was a graduate research fellow at MIT.

Jeffrey Jian Xu

Sr Education Specialist – Education Technology Asian Development Bank

Mr. Xu serves in the ADB education sector group as a member of expert pool in the area of Education Technology, Jeffrey covers ADB’s engagement in education related projects with DMCs, particularly using ICT and education technology to promote education equity, improve efficiency and efficacy in teaching and learning. Jeffrey is an information technology professional with over 22 years of experiences enabling business strategies through effective technology solutions, across multiple industries including education, real estate, financial services, health care, bio-pharmaceutical, and telecom. Prior to joining ADB Jeffrey was the CTO of one of the largest education technology companies in the world transforming the education industry using digital technology and led several educational support projects to rural poverty provinces to solve educational inequity in China. Jeffrey worked in US for 12 years first with Hughes Network Systems as software engineer, and then with Freddie Mac as IT Director, Jeffrey then spent the last 10 years in China working as CIO of Novartis Greater China Region, CIO of CapitaLand China and CTO of New Oriental Education Technology Group.

Prof Dr Jintavee Khlaisang

Lecturer, Faculty of Education / Deputy Director, Thai MOOC Chulalongkorn University / Thailand Cyber University Project, Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation

Jintavee Khlaisang is a full professor at the Department of Educational Technology and Communications (2021-present), a deputy head of Educational Intervention and Innovation research unit, Faculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, and a deputy director, Thailand Cyber University Project, Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, Thailand (2018-present). Her research interests including E-learning, Flipped classroom, Blended Learning Environment, Virtual Learning Environment, Ubiquitous Learning, Disruptive Technology and MOOCs.

Her latest innovation award was a gold medal from the Kaohsiung International Invention and Design EXPO” (KIDE) 2020, the project entitled MALLIE: Chatbot-Based Challenging Game as a New Normal Way to Learn English Language, which was a research-based innovation. Her recent research grants are entitled Scenario-based Learning Innovation in Disruptive Technology Era for Enhancing Medical Students’ Professional Competencies and Digital Intelligence (2020-Present), Innovation Based Deep Learning: Prototype Development Mobile Application with Smart Technology tools to Enhance Thinking Skills for Primary School Students (2018-2020), Development of Gamified Self-Regulated Learning (GSRL) System in Ubiquitous Learning Environment to enhance Achievement Motivation for ThaiMOOC (2018-2020), Development of Online Testing and Rubric Scoring System for Information, Media, and ICT Literacies for Higher Education Learners (2017), and Smart Technology for the Flipped Classroom to Enhance 21st Century Life and Career Skills for Higher Education Learners (2016). Her recent publications were Ubiquitous Technology Enhanced Learning: The Outcome-based Learning Design for 21st Century Learners (2018), and TCU-OBL: TCU Outcome Based Learning Plugin System (2017).

In addition to the teaching and research responsibilities, she was appointed to be an assistant dean for academic affairs (2014-2015), and assistant dean for Information Communication Technology and Network (2008-2010). Prior to this role, she was a lecturer, and assistance dean for an international affair at Faculty of Education, Assumption University, Bangkok, Thailand (2006).

Jintavee has a doctoral degree in Supervision, Curriculum, and Instruction -- higher education with the specific focus in Educational Technology from Texas A&M University-Commerce, USA. (2005) and two master degrees -- one is a Master of Science degree in Learning Technology Information Systems-Media and Technology and another is a Master of Science in Higher Education Teaching -- both from Texas A&M University-Commerce, USA. (2002, and 2004 respectively). While working toward the degrees, she began working at the university as a graduate assistant in the education computer lab (2001-2002) and as a teaching assistant teaching an introduction to computer course for undergraduate students (2002-2005).

Julia Garvey

Deputy Director General BESA

Deputy Director General of British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA)

Julia looks after operational issues and supports the Director General, Caroline Wright, to promote the work of BESA and our members within the UK and internationally.

Julia has worked in education publishing and EdTech for over 20 years, both in-house and as an external marketing consultant. She has worked for a number of BESA members over the years such as Rising Stars and GL Assessment, and alongside EdTech Exchange founder George Burgess as Marketing Lead at Gojimo. As poacher turned gamekeeper, Julia understands the needs of our suppliers and is passionate about ensuring that every company takes full advantage of the benefits of their membership.

In her spare time she runs (a lot!) and is Vice Chair of Governors at Langley Park School for Boys.

Jyoti Arora

Principal Mount Abu Public School

Ms Jyoti Arora is heading Mount Abu Public School Delhi as Principal for last 20 years. She has been awarded India’s highest award in the field of teaching- the National Teachers Award by the Hon’ble President of India in 2020. She has been Governing Body Member of the Central Board of Secondary Education for almost a decade. She is also serving as National Commissioner (Guides) at Hindustan Scouts & Guides. She is heading Indraprastha Schools Sahodaya as President and Delhi Sahodaya Schools Complex as Vice President (Clusters of around 100 CBSE affiliated schools). She is also an active member of the Action Committee of Unaided Private Schools - one of India’s largest private school bodies. She has been advocating Global Citizenship through various innovative practices in her school and education community. She has been a speaker at various prestigious platforms, including UNESCO World Youth Conference for Kindness etc.  

Khoo Hung Chuan

Director of Education Transform and Development, Lenovo Central Asia Pacific Lenovo

Khoo joined Lenovo in 2005 as the Country General Manager for Commercial Business.

Khoo is currently the Director – Education Transform and Development for Lenovo Central Asia Pacific cluster of countries. In this new mission, he is tasked to game change the education landscape across the Central Asia Pacific region (ASEAN, Hong Kong, Taiwan & Korea); implementing strategies for profitable growth and increasing stakeholders value.

Holding on to Lenovo’s guiding principle, namely “Different is Better”, Khoo continues to inspire regional teams in delivering unique Lenovo values to all clients and partners in education transform initiatives. He is passionately building the Lenovo education transform framework and playbook to showcase Lenovo’s capabilities and solutions suite as the thought and market leader in the education space.

Prior to joining Lenovo, Khoo was leading the Commercial Business in IBM Personal Computing Group. With his vast experience and knowledge of the ICT industry as well as solid track record in building winning partnerships, Khoo remains one of the region’s most consistent and successful leaders.

Khoo Hung Chuan | LinkedIn

Dr Kreng Heng

Director of Scientific Research Department, Directorate General of Higher Education Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport

Dr Kreng Heng was educated in both Cambodia and abroad. He got his bachelor’s degrees in English Language Teaching and Accounting in Cambodia before he received his master’s and doctoral degrees in Education, majoring in student assessment, from Hiroshima University, Japan. Since graduation in 2014, Dr. Heng has worked extensively as a university teacher, academic supervisor, researcher and consultant in the field of education and social policy. His academic and consulting experiences include student assessment, school effectiveness, curriculum development, education policy evaluation, social policy and skills development, and Programme for International Student Assessment for Development (PISA-D). He has written a number of research reports, including the highly-rated reports for OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) and UNICEF and other publications in peer-reviewed international journals. Currently, he is the Director of Department of Scientific Research (DSR) of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS). His research interest is in student assessment, school effectiveness, STEM education and R & D in higher education.

Dr Kritsachai Somsaman

Deputy Director (Administration and Communication) SEAMEO Secretariat

Dr Kritsachai is a deputy director of SEAMEO Secretariat. He manages the digital transformation of SEAMEO Secretariat and strengthens the organization of its crisis response capability. Prior to joining SEAMEO Secretariat, he was a Senior Officer at ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia and a Director of Science media Division at the National Science and Technology Development Agency in Bangkok, Thailand. His works on Science Communication helped bridging art and science together resulting in a significant enhancement of public awareness of science and technology in Thailand. His production of a science TV program, titled The Little Scientists’ House, brought his team a Mekhala award for best animation series where he also served as a music composer and sound engineer. He was a supporter of Maker Movement in Thailand where he brought a world-renowned event, Maker Faire, to be hosted in Thailand from 2015 and 2020.

Larry Nelson

Regional Business Leader, General Manager Asia Education Microsoft

As General Manager of Education for Microsoft Asia, Larry Nelson leads the education business unit for primary, secondary, and higher education institutions and drives digital transformation projects in educational organizations across India, China, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, and all other countries in Southeast Asia.

Before joining Microsoft in 2009, Nelson led strategic planning of telecom services at Stanford University. He was also the principal at Global Educational Technology Knowledge, LLC, where he provided strategic planning, marketing, operations, market research and business development expertise to corporations, schools, universities, and Ministries of Education.

With more than three decades of experience, Nelson has held a series of executive positions in multinational technology corporations, including Director of Global Citizenship and Acting Executive Director of the Global Education and Learning Community (GELC) at Sun Microsystems. Nelson converted the GELC to an independent non-profit corporation now known as Curriki.org.

Lim Chee Leong

Director, Learning Innovation and Development, Centre for Future Learning Taylor's University Lakeside Campus

Associate Professor Dr. Lim Chee Leong is the first notable individual from a private university in Malaysia to be awarded the prestigious National Academic Award in 2014 by the Ministry of Education Malaysia for his innovative teaching methodologies. His immense experience and capability have been most evidenced in his recent roles of Director of Learning Innovation and Development (LID) under Centre For Future Learning, Taylor’s University, where he successfully raised the profile of the University in the area of learning innovation and creativity in teaching, and made Taylor’s University emerged as National Champions in various Teaching and Learning related awards and competitions. He was the recipient of Higher Education Institution Award 2015 at Bett Asia Leadership Summit in Singapore.

Associate Professor Luu Bich Ngoc

Director National Council Office for Education and Human Resources Development – Ministry of Education and Training Vietnam

Associate Professor Luu Bich Ngoc, PhD is the Director of National Council Office for Education and Human Resource Development, Ministry of Education and Training since 2018. The Office of the National Council for Education and Human Resource Development is responsible for assisting the National Council and providing policy advice on education and training to the Minister of Education and Training. Ms Ngoc is a professional in Public Policy on Education, Training and Human Resources Development; Demography; Population and Development. She has worked in education field for 25 years as a lecturer at university and as a senior officer at Ministerial level. She was awarded a Masters in Education at Vietnam National University and a PhD degree at Paris Ouest Nanterre University, France.

Mahmoud Elgabry

Strategic Partnerships Director Classera Inc.

Mahmoud El Gabry is the strategic partnerships Director in Classera Inc. He has more than 25 years of experience in technology in general and EdTech industry in particular. In his current role, Mahmoud leads the activities of cultivating and maintaining different types of partnerships to support Classera vision to be the best globally in innovating smart, impactful, inspiring solutions to develop, simplify and enrich learning. As part of his job, Mahmoud works with industry leaders like Microsoft, HP, Udemy, McGraw Hill, Pearson and others to create the right level of collaboration and alignment on strategic planning and policy influencing, EdTech partners to extend the services being offered under Classera eLearning solutions umbrella to support the expanding needs of its customers in their digital transformation. Prior to joining Classera in 2019, Mahmoud spent more than 10 years in Intel Corporation as Education ecosystem enabling manager in different regions, including Middle East, Africa, CEE and RCIS. Mahmoud holds B.Sc. in computer science and automatic control from engineering faculty, Alexandria University.

Dr Maria Eliza Ruiz Aguila

Prof and Dean, College of Allied Medical Professions University of the Philippines Manila

Professor Aguila is a physiotherapist, educator, researcher, and is the Dean of the University of the Philippines College of Allied Medical Professions. Her clinical and academic interests include musculoskeletal health and chronic pain, physical activity in special populations, and professional issues. Her professional pursuits are driven by the need to minimize inequities in health care and to advance the health care professions. She has thus been engaged in long-term volunteer work for local and international communities, for example, related to fitness for youth with intellectual disabilities and the inclusion of at-risk populations. Professor Aguila is also the Project Leader of the University of the Philippines Manila Canvas Project Management Team. In this capacity, she leads the planning and implementation of Canvas at UP Manila.

Dr. Marc Mesich

Principal Uplands International School

Marc brings a wide range of experience spanning six countries including Canada, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, India, Japan and now Malaysia. He has recently completed his EdD in educational leadership from the University of Calgary. His studies focus on educational leadership, student engagement, and school development. Marc was the Principal of Osaka YMCA International School and founding director of their secondary school. He is transitioning to his new position as the Principal of Uplands International School in Penang Malaysia.

Marc is passionate about school development and has led numerous MYP / DP authorizations. He has held numerous positions within schools providing him with a wide scope and understanding of school leadership, teaching, and learning. He has taught extensively across the MYP / DP focused on MYP Individuals and Societies, DP Business Management, DP Geography, and MYP Health / Physical Education. He has held the position of Personal Project Coordinator, CAS Coordinator, DP Coordinator, Vice Principal, Principal, and Director.

Marc is a proud member of the International Baccalaureate educators network. He facilitates a wide range of workshops for the organization focused on school leadership, improvement, and authorization. He is also an evaluation leader and consultant for the Diploma and Middle Years Programmes. Marc is also an adjunct professor for the National Taiwan Normal University where he instructs courses training the next generation of IB educators.

Mark Steed

Principal and CEO Kellett School, the British International School in Hong Kong

Mark S. Steed has spent his career working in top independent schools both in the UK and Overseas and is now in his 22nd year of School Headship.

In the UK he worked as a Teacher, Head of Department, and Boarding Housemaster prior to his two senior leaderships roles as Headmaster of Kelly College in Devon; and then as Principal of the Berkhamsted Schools Group. He moved aboard in September 2015 to be Director of JESS, Dubai, before moving to Hong Kong in September 2019 to take up the reins as the Principal and CEO of Kellett School.

Mark has degrees from Cambridge and Nottingham Universities and from Ashridge-Hult Business School where he researched ‘Alternative Business models for Secondary Schooling’. He has a particular interest in how new technologies can be used in education and chaired the UK Independent Schools Council IT Strategy Group from 2007 to 2015.

Mark is a regular contributor to Tes writing about international education and a range of other educational and IT issues. He is active on twitter @independenthead and @Kellett_CEO and on his blog http://independenthead.blogspot.com.

Dr Melinda dela Peña Bandalaria

Chancellor and Professor University of the Philippines Open University

Dr Melinda dela Peña Bandalaria is a full professor at the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) and has been serving as its Chancellor since 2016. She is also an Ambassador for Open Educational Resources (OERs) (2021-2022) and member of the Executive Board (2022-2025) of the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE).

She served as the President of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) for the term 2017-2019 and continues to be an active member of the Association’s Executive Committee to date. She has been teaching and doing research and development works on technology-enabled education for more than 25 years and has assumed a leadership role in the articulation and implementation of open, flexible and distance elearning (OFDeL) in the Philippines for the last 10 years.

She spearheaded the development of the model where OERs and MOOCs correspond to the content of credit courses offered by various higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Philippines and the “MOOCs as OERs Model” to contribute to the continuous improvement of the quality of education in the country. She started working on the integration of the basic features of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in 2017 in open online courses to make them more inclusive.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she developed the “Open Online Training Model” which provided an inclusive training opportunity to help the education sector immediately shift to remote instruction and continuously improve the practice from thereon. The model consists of Webinar+MOOC+Capstone Requirement. The webinar, which is open to all, provides the synchronous lecture session, the recording of which is uploaded in the MOOC site for those who want to review the discussions and those who were not able to listen to the actual webinar. The MOOC is where the participants do the learning activities and interact with fellow training participants; and the capstone requirement, usually in the form of Re-Entry Action Project (ReAPro) is for the assessment-driven certification of training completion to ensure the quality of the training program.

Eng. Mohammad Almadani

CEO Classera Inc

Founder & CEO of Classera Inc. Graduated from OSU in USA with an Industrial Systems Engineering Bachelor degree and International Business degree. He got the Endeavor World Certificate as one of the highest impact entrepreneurs in the world 2017. Member of the advisory board of several educational institutions. He got Executive Education certificate from Harvard Business School.  

His leadership led Classera to have 3 international awards for "Education Technologies" had honored by the largest worldwide educational organizations such as:  Bett Award 2017 in Innovation for K-12: Among 100s of companies worldwide, Classera was selected to be the best innovation solution for K-12 in 2017.  The Learning Award 2018: Among top 3 companies worldwide in Digital Learning Transformation, Classera awarded in the Learning Award 2018 in London.  Best Innovation E-Learning Software in 2018: Classera won the first place worldwide in the innovation track in GESS Education Awards 2018. 

Mo (Mohammed) S F Qureshi

VP of Global Growth BSD Education

Mo is an aeronautical engineer from University of Glasgow who found his calling in education & lifelong learning. At BSD Education he leads the growth of global educator communities, forging strategic partnerships with governments, institutes & education leaders, & scaling BSD’s impact globally.

As an entrepreneur Mo has founded two startups,an education events company(Intelaeon) & a social learning platform(Pleolabs)-acquired in 2015 by XSEED Education. He’s also worked with the Hong Kong School of Creativity teaching entrepreneurship & culinary art.

An experienced educator, he's worked with a wide range of curricula with customers ranging from UNESCO, UNICEF, governments and schools.

A keen traveller, hiker & foodie, Mo has lived and worked in India, United Kingdom, Hong Kong & Thailand.

Dr Nanthaporn Prae Seributra

CEO Starfish Education

Dr Nanthaporn Prae Seributra is CEO of Starfish Education, part of Firetree Trust, a philanthropic organisation in Asia. Starfish Education operates aschool, a professional development institute, an online learning platform and edtech products in Thailand.Prae firmly believes that everyone in this world has a right to access quality education. Since the age of 14, she was privileged to be educated in different learning contexts and cultures. With an educational background in various countries from Thailand to Australia, Switzerland and UK, Prae aims to use her global knowledge and expertise to elevate the quality of education for the younger generations.
Prae brings experience as an innovative educator, teacher, school principal and education leader, having worked as an Education Development Executive for Apple Inc. in Thailand and Singapore. She specialises in helping educators, educational organisations, and governments with education innovation, administration, technology integration, teachers' professional learning, early childhood, and accessibility.
Prae holds a BA in Business English from Assumption University Thailand, a MA in Early Childhood Studies from Roehampton University, UK and a PhD in Education Administration from the Institute of International Studies, Ramkhamhaeng University Thailand.

Neelam Aamir

E-Learning Advisor & Channel Manager - APAC Classera Inc.

Neelam is the E-Learning Advisor and APAC Channel Manager at Classera Inc. Neelam has over 15+ years of experience in Edtech, eLearning and immersive technology space. She has introduced and successfully implemented IoT and AI integrated solutions including products, professional services and platforms, embracing needs assessments, strategic planning, localization, and progress monitoring in institutions. Neelam has successfully conceptualised, launched, and delivered various digital-enabled business change projects; partnered with ISPs, education, and technology partners in APAC, MENA and Europe. At Classera Inc. Neelam focuses on digital transformation trends and centers on delivering value to customers by identifying customer desirability and technology-enabled business scalability.

Dr Neelam Parmar

Director of Digital Education AISL Harrow Schools

Dr. Neelam Parmar is Director of Digital Learning and Education for AISL. She is an awardwinning professional, international researcher, author, thought leader and speaker for the use of educational technology, digital pedagogy and innovative curriculum within education. A highly experienced leader in Digital Education, Neelam has engaged with the UK Department of Education (DfE) EdTech Leadership Group, national EdTech Impact workshops, The @womenEd_Tech movement and is also a judge for the global renowned Bett Awards Show. Prior to joining AISL, Neelam worked as Director of Digital Learning and Innovation at Ashford School and as Educational Technologist for The United Learning Group of schools. She draws on her research and practical experiences of working with technology with various groups of schools in education, whilst also holding responsibility for providing leadership in ICT operations and strategy. She is also the author of the Digital Literacy in the Primary series and Digital Parenting book, locally published and distributed globally. Neelam has supported groups of schools, ministries of government and developed large scale blended, hybrid and remote learning education solutions. She has a BA (Hons) in Linguistics and Philosophy, MSc in Information Systems and Management from the London School of Economics (LSE) and PhD in Educational Technology

Nguyen Van Hien

Vice President Hanoi National University of Education

Associate Professor, Doctor Nguyen Van Hien was born in 1975 in Lao Cai province. He works as a Vice President of the Hanoi National University of Education (HNUE) with more than twenty years of experience as a lecturer in the Biology Faculty at HNUE and more than ten years of working as HNUE's Chief Executive.

Dr Nguyen Van Hien graduated from HNUE in 1998 with a Bachelor of Agro–Biology (major in Genetics). He got a Master's Degree in Genetics at HNUE in 2001. In 2009, he successfully defended his doctoral thesis titled: "Developing ICT competencies for pre-service teachers of Biology".

Dr Hien has become a lecturer at the Faculty of Biology at HNUE since 1998. His teaching interest includes Biology Didactics; Using technologies in teaching; and STEM education.

Between 2003 and 2007, Dr Hien was a senior trainer of the Intel Teach Program in Vietnam. He also worked part-time as a master trainer of the Partners in Learning Program in Vietnam, a Microsoft's Education Program, from 2005 - 2008.

Currently, one of Dr Hien's responsibilities is building the development strategy of HNUE in the 4.0 era.

Dr Hien has published many publications: Journal papers, International Conference Papers, National Conference Papers, and Refereed Workshop Papers.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pasit Lorterapong

Deputy Permanent Secretary Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), Thailand

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pasit Lorterapong currently serves as the Deputy Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), Thailand. He founded the Graduate School of Management and Innovation, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi and served as Dean during 2008 – 2016. He also served as a senior advisor for the Eastern Economic Corridor Office of Thailand (EECO) before joining MHESI. Dr. Lorterapong received his Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering from Chiang Mai University, Master of Science in Civil Engineering at South Dakota State University, and PhD in Building Studies from Concordia University. Dr. Lorterapong is also a certified PMP® by the Project Management Institute (PMI).

Prof Peter Duffy

Director of the Teaching and Learning Centre Lingnan University

Professor Peter Duffy has a demonstrated record of exemplary leadership, management and outcomes in education, curriculum renewal, digital learning and academic/institutional transformation. He has been involved in the field of education for over 30 years across a variety of roles. At present, he is the Director of the Teaching and Learning Centre at Lingnan University. Prior to this, he has had a variety of roles in education, including Head of the Innovation Hub at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Associate Director (Curriculum Development) at Victoria University in Australia and, "Special Assistant E-Learning" to the Vice President (Academic Development) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Professor Duffy is an internationally recognised expert in his field and has been successful in obtaining ~75M HKD (~8M GBP) in Teaching and Learning grants. He has also been an invited presenter at many local and international events and has offered more than 75 Masterclasses across most areas of educational theory and practice, including Quality Assurance of Online Education, Learning Analytics, Blended Learning and Strategies for Organizational Transformation, to name a few.

Rafaelita M. Aldaba

Undersecretary Department of Trade and Industry-Competitiveness and Innovation Group (DTI-CIG)

Since 2019, Rafaelita has served as Undersecretary of the Department of Trade and Industry-Competitiveness and Innovation Group (DTI-CIG). She was Assistant Secretary of the DTI-Industry Development and Trade Policy Group from 2014 till early 2019. Prior to her DTI appointment, she worked as Senior Research Fellow and Vice-President of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). She has extensive research experience on development issues with focus on industrial policy, regional economic integration, international trade, foreign direct investment, competition policy, and small and medium enterprises. A researcher turned policymaker, she was highly instrumental in crafting the analytical framework for the Industry Roadmap Project and the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) Program of DTI-Board of Investments. She also led the formulation and implementation of the Comprehensive National Industrial Strategy, Inclusive Innovation Industrial strategy or i3S, and the new industrial policy known as the Science-,Technology-, and Innovation- based Industrial Strategy. She also initiated DTI’s innovation and Industry 4.0 activities such as Inclusive Filipinnovation and Entrepreneurship Roadmap, Startup Development Program, Smart Industry Readiness Index Assessment, Technology Utilization Survey in Manufacturing and Agribusiness, Industry 4.0 Pilot Factory, Regional Inclusive Innovation Centers, Artificial Intelligence Roadmap, Philippine Skills Framework, Creative Industry Development Program along with the crafting of the Strategic Investment Priority Plan.

Raimund Klein

Founder and Chief Executive Officer International Centre for Industrial Transformation (INCIT)

Raimund Klein is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of INCIT— an independent Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) institution which champions Industry 4.0 adoption by global manufacturers and advocates the rise of smart manufacturing.

Skilled in business strategy, business planning, sales, business development, marketing strategy and operation development and more, Raimund is a staunch advocate for the digitalisation of manufacturing, firmly believing that digital transformation is a must for future success. In his current role, Raimund actively fosters collaboration between public and private sector manufacturing-related organisations to catalyse industrial transformation across geographies and industries. He also provides direction and guidance for the development and deployment of globally referenced frameworks, tools, concepts and programmes for the international manufacturing community. This enables INCIT to raise awareness about the latest transformation developments and manufacturing trends, provide benchmarks that are international, publicly available and quantitative, and facilitate the sharing of learning points, challenges and best practices for Industry 4.0 transformation

Previously, Raimund was Head of Digital Industries ASEAN at Siemens and was accountable for developing new business models for digitalisation and automation.

Rajnish Virmani

CIO Advisor, India Zoom Video Communications

Rajnish Virmani is CIO Advisor for Zoom in India. He leads digital and IT initiatives for business transformation and advises on creating disruptive business models. By leveraging technology and innovation to improve productivity, security and reliability he will support Zoom’s competitive growth in India. He listens to, understands and appreciates the needs of CIOs across verticals as well as the challenges that large and small enterprises face and hence brings forth an in-depth knowledge to help Zoom design the relevant innovations.

Rajnish is an industry veteran with over 30 years of experience in the areas of Strategic Consulting, Executive Coaching & Leadership Development and has worked with companies like Barclays, RBS (Natwest), Maruti, Red Bull, BT, American Express, AXA, Aviva MAX Life Insurance, HCL, Roche, Adani, Cadence, Sutherland and Qualcomm. He has held various C-level positions for over a decade and has worked in the US, UK and India markets.

Rajnish has a B.Tech degree from Delhi College of Engineering and an MBA degree from Delhi University.

Prof Dr Ricardo P Pama

Secretary General AUAP

Dr. Ricardo P. Pama is an engineer by training and profession. He holds a BS degree in Civil Engineering from Mapua Institute of Technology, a Master’s degree in Structural Engineering from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and a PhD in Structural Engineering from St. Andrews University, Scotland's oldest university.

His academic career started in 1965 when he accepted the position of Assistant Lecturer at the University of St Andrews while pursuing his doctoral studies which he completed in 1968. Little did he realize that he was the first Asian ever to teach at St Andrews since it was founded in 1411, over a century before the discovery of the Philippines.

In 1970, he moved to the Asian Institute of Technology, the first Post Graduate School of Engineering in Asia. For 26 years he went through various positions as Professor, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Vice President for Development, raising US $250M in grants for scholarships, faculty secondments and infrastructure development.

After 34 years abroad, he decided to return home. In 1999, he became President of the Baguio Colleges Foundation and took upon himself the challenge of turning it into a university, which is now called the University of the Cordilleras. In 2004, he transferred to Angeles University Foundation as President. In 2009, the University of the Cordilleras invited him back to lead the university for the second time. To his credit, he turned these two institutions to be among the top 12 universities in the country. He retired from academic life in 2014.

Dr. Pama published three textbooks in Engineering and over 100 technical papers in refereed International Journals. He served TPET as member and was Chairman from 2015 until his retirement in 2019. He also served as Trustee of the AIT for two terms until 2019. At present he is a Trustee of Angeles University Foundation, and Notre Dame College of Jolo. Currently, he is the Secretary General of the Association of Universities of Asia and the Pacific (AUAP), comprising of about 200 colleges and universities all over Asia and the Pacific Region with headquarters in Thailand.

Ravi Bhushan Singh

Senior General Manager – Industry and academic partnerships, Sustainable development, Global Strategy Schneider Electric

Ravi Bhushan Singh graduated as Electrical and Electronics engineer in 2007. He completed his Executive leadership and management program from Kenan-Flagler business school, University of North Carolina in 2012.

He has an experience of 15 years in the energy and automation industry. He started his career as a design engineer in the R&D at Schneider Electric. In 2012 he moved to manage the skill development initiative at Schneider Electric India under the access to energy initiative focused to provide electricity at the base of the pyramid. From 2015 he led the responsibility for access to energy business opportunities for India and managed the alternate channel strategy and tier 3 innovations at Schneider Electric. Since 2017 he leads the global Initiative of Industry academic partnership initiative at Schneider Electric.

He is very passionate about cause related marketing and social business modeling. He is a volunteer for a better world and human capital transformation.

Rebecca McDonald

Founder and CEO Library For All

Rebecca McDonald is an award-winning global authority on the nexus of technology and education for low-connectivity environments across the Global South. Rebecca leads a dynamic, diverse, and committed team of literacy advocates, authors, technologists, and change-makers focused on supplying digital books and educational products for millions of children largely disconnected from the traditional publishing and educational ecosystem. As Founder and CEO of the nonprofit Library For All Rebecca engages an international network of advocates, program offices, and strategic partners to deliver innovative multilingual ed-tech software and hardware to the world’s vulnerable youth. Rebecca’s expertise spans technology-based educational tools for remote communities, Software as a Service (SaaS) product development, digital-first publishing and distribution of illustrated children’s books. A humanitarian at heart, Rebecca dedicates her life to the belief that reading is a basic human right, disrupting industry and educational norms to move books, knowledge, and opportunity into the hands of today’s children and tomorrow’s leaders.

Redilyn C. Agub

Chief, eTESDA Division Technical Education and Skills Development Authority

Redilyn C. Agub, the Chief of the eTESDA Division of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, started her career as a Science and Math teacher. Her love of computers and its related technology allowed her to bloom into a TVET leader that continually influences TVET educators in the Philippines. Ms. Agub is the first trainer to be certified by TESDA for the Competency “Developing Learning Materials for eLearning” a course under Trainers Methodology Level II for Philippine TVET. She currently leads the development of courses and management of the TESDA Online Program, the TVET platform that offers FREE technical vocational courses in the Philippines.

She authored two modules and led the training of lead trainers on Trainer’s Methodology Level 1, a course required of all TVET trainers in the Philippines. She is also a certified trainer of the module Develop Learning Materials for e-Learning, a module of Trainers Methodology Level 2. In her previous assignment as the supervisor of the Curriculum and Training Aids Development Division (CTADD) of TESDA, she led her team in policy making activities on Curriculum and Learning Systems.

Among the projects she was involved in are the research in Philippine Credit Transfer System (PCTS) and the Evaluation of the Diploma Level Curriculum which lead to the “Manual for the Evaluation of PQF Level 5 (Diploma) Programs” which she wrote for TESDA.

Dr. Sharimila Ambrose

Assistant Professor University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNM)

Dr. Sharimila Ambrose is currently an Assistant Professor (Special & Inclusive Education) at the University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNM). She was a faculty member at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh for 5 years prior to relocating to Malaysia. Sharimila, is a trained Speech-Language Pathologist, CCC-SLP, with 25 years of clinical practice and teaching experience in various educational settings in the United States of America, New Zealand, Malaysia, and United Kingdom.

She is devoted to supporting individuals with special needs and their families. She has provided child- and family-centered interventions and has worked with teachers and academic specialists to maximize children's communication, language and learning skills in diverse settings. Her research areas include examining language and learning development and difficulties that impact individuals from multicultural/multilingual and diverse backgrounds. She is actively finding ways to foster student participation, inclusivity and cultural responsivity in classrooms and educational settings using pedagogy-based teaching and learning frameworks (e.g. ICF, UDL, etc.).

Sharimila has presented several research- and academic-based talks and community talks on various platforms in Malaysia and internationally and has held leadership positions in professional bodies. https://www.nottingham.edu.my/Education/People/sharimila.ambrose

Ms. Shanti Jagannathan

Principal Education Specialist Asian Development Bank

Shanti Jagannathan is Principal Education Specialist in Asian Development Bank and has over 25 years of experience in leading international cooperation programs in school education, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), and higher education. Her work engagements have been in over 30 countries in Asia and the Pacific, Europe, and North America. She has over 20 publications including books (‘Powering a Learning Society in an Age of Disruption’, ‘Skills Development for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth in Developing Asia-Pacific’, ‘Education and Skills for Inclusive Growth, Green Jobs and the Greening of Economies in Asia’ and ‘India and the European Union: Towards Corporate Synergy’). Her recent work includes ADB’s guidance note on COVID-19 and Education in Asia and the Pacific, studies on implications of the fourth industrial revolution on skills, and jobs and education for climate action.

She has served as a member on advisory bodies on topics such as education, gender equality, elimination of child labor, democracy and human rights, and scholarships for underprivileged students. She has been a visiting lecturer at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, Japan, and the Education University of Hong Kong. She is on inter-organizational working groups on Youth Skills and Employment, TVET, SDGs and Just Transition. She is a member of the G20 Employment Working Group.

Shruti Sharma

Partnerships, Marketing, and Communications Lead Generation Global, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change

Shruti leads partnership and marketing and communication for Generation Global, the Tony Blair Institute’s global citizenship education programme. She has a decade of experience working as a management consultant advising governments, funding agencies, not for profit organizations, and corporates across sectors such as energy, power, operations, education, and skill development. She has managed a network of over 350+ secondary schools across Asia, and supported state governments in India to implement ICT solutions, streamline assessments, and improve student outcomes for PISA 2022. Her expertise lies in designing and implementing large scale education solutions, improving efficiency of academic processes, and developing new market expansion strategies. She holds a MBA from the Indian School of Business and a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign.

Soumaya Maghnouj

Secondee, Inclusive and Quality Education Section UNESCO Asia-Pacific

Soumaya Maghnouj is a Policy Analyst at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Soumaya is currently on secondment assignment at the UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education where she works with the Inclusive and Quality Education Section on topics related to the learning recovery post COVID-19 and teaching and learning policies. At UNESCO, Soumaya contributed to the development of the content of the 2nd Asia-Pacific Regional Education Ministers’ Conference (APREMC-II) held in Bangkok in June 2022. Prior to her secondment at UNESCO, Soumaya has been working for over eight years at the OECD’s Education Directorate where she led policy reviews and technical assistance projects to support partner countries develop capacity on evaluation and assessment, school governance and teacher policy. A French and Moroccan national, Soumaya has a Master’s degree in Economics and Public Policy from Sciences-Po Paris.

Stuart King

Global Head of Education Segment Lenovo

Stuart King leads the Education Solutions and Devices business at Lenovo across the globe. He is responsible for developing strategies to drive customer relationships and business growth in the diverse Global Education Sector.

Prior to joining Lenovo, Stuart spent two decades with Dell, where he started his IT career in the Enterprise Support team, and served in a variety of senior leadership roles in several core aspects of business strategy and management. He has a solid track record in managing teams across various geographies, spanning sales, services, enterprise solutions and product management.

Stuart holds a Master’s of Business Administration and Master’s of Management from the Macquarie Graduate School of Management in Sydney. He is currently based in Singapore, and is a health & nutrition enthusiast.

Supansa Kajavong

Director for Mobility and Linkages SEAMEO RIHED

Ms. Supansa Kajavong is the Director for Mobility and Linkages at the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development (SEAMEO RIHED). She is active in the field of higher educational development and cooperation and supports SEAMEO RIHED’s work in the harmonisation and internationalisation processes of higher education through student mobility. Her current responsibilities include coordinating the Asian International Mobility for Students (AIMS) Programme at the regional level with member countries and universities. She is adamant in supporting AIMS' future direction to be more flexible, inclusive, and agile for the learners and promoting efforts towards sustainable development.

She received her bachelor’s degree in History and Theory of Arts and Literature from the International University of Bremen, Germany and her master’s degree in European Studies from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.

Dr. Ton Quang Cuong

Dean of Edtech Faculty Vietnam National University

Dr. Ton Quang Cuong is Dean of Edtech Faculty, University of Education, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU-UEd). He is known as an Edtech thought leader and MOET’s Consulting Specialist on Edtech for K-12 education in Vietnam.

Ton Quang Cuong is a superior lecturer with extensive teaching experience on teacher education, educational technology and management skills and worked 16 years for a Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Education. The university provides new model of teacher training in Vietnam, develops research and service in educational management and leadership, collaboration with other institutions in Vietnam and oversea.

As a honor and prestige expert, Head of Department of Learning Theories and Instruction Technology and Dean of the Faculty, he is responsible for the development curricula, learning methodology and technology, leadership and management instruction at Faculty of Teacher Education, VNU-UEd.

Since February 2018 he leads the first one in Vietnam Faculty of Educational Technology which provides new educator generation – “EduTecher” and pursues new trends of educational technology, technology and society.

Vatsun Thirapatarapong

Country Manager AWS (Thailand)

Vatsun Thirapatarapong is the Country Manager at AWS (Thailand) and brings more than 25 years of experience in the digital and ICT industries across sales management, channel & operations, business & strategy planning, as well as business development.

His prior experience was in engineering and consulting positions at Schlumberger Overseas S.A., Esso Standard Thailand, and IBM Thailand; and country management positions at Hewlett-Packard (Thailand) and Cisco Systems (Thailand and Indochina). He also had participated in the NBTC sub-committee to shape the initial VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) landscape for the country, as well as actively involved in the consulting roles for various public and private digital transformation projects in Public Sector, Telecom, financial and service industries. He is now leading the teams at AWS Thailand as Country Manager, which he sets the strategic direction for the company in the development of cloud business in the country. Currently, he also serves as the Advisor to National Commission for Digital Economy and Society, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister.

Vatsun has a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, MBA in Marketing and MIS, and Certificate of Digital Transformation from MIT Sloan Management.

Venky Shankararaman

Vice Provost (Education) Professor of Information Systems (Education) Singapore Management University

Venky Shankararaman is a Professor of Information Systems (Education) and Vice Provost (Education) at Singapore Management University (SMU). He holds a PhD in Engineering from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK. His current areas of specialization include business process management and analytics, digital transformation, enterprise architecture and integration, and education pedagogy. He has around 30 years of experience in the IT industry in various capacities as a researcher, academic faculty member, IT professional and industry consultant. Professor Venky has contributed significantly to Computing and Information Systems education internationally. He was awarded the SAP Outstanding Academic Award for Southeast Asia; the award was presented by SAP to recognize his contributions to enterprise systems education. He was also awarded the Association of Information Systems (AIS) Award for Outstanding Contribution to IS Education for his outstanding contributions to information systems (IS) education. At SMU, he has won the Distinguished Teacher Award and the SMU-X Excellent Teacher Award. He is member of the AIS Education Committee, ACM Education Advisory Committee, and member of the executive committee for the Cloud Computing Chapter in Singapore Computer Society. He has published over 100 papers in academic journals and conferences.

Verna Lalbeharie

Executive Director EdTech Hub

Verna Lalbeharie is the executive director of the EdTech Hub, leading the Hub in advancing its mission to empower governments and people in using technology in education through rigorous evidence. Ms. Lalbeharie, a native of South Africa, now based in the US, has more than 25 years of experience in strategic leadership and business development in education technology, personalised learning, research, and technical assistance. She has focused her career on evidence and advancement of education technology to create a more equitable future for all students. Her early career was spent on initiatives and research efforts to advance student success with a focus on secondary and postsecondary education reform. In an R&D capacity in non-profits for 13 years, Ms. Lalbeharie worked on complex, large-scale, national, multi-component, multi-partner, and multi-year education initiatives. Also, she has led implementation of a state-wide digital learning initiative and the development of digital learning competencies for teachers and administrators in her pivotal role as the North Carolina state director of digital teaching and learning.

Previously to her role at the EdTech Hub, Ms. Lalbeharie served as the managing director for personalised learning at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) where she guided state and local departments of education in consideration and implementation of personalised learning and EdTech initiatives. She led business development for AIR’s portfolio of research, evaluation, and technical assistance projects. She also served as the co-chair of a national steering committee for the EdTech Genome project, a research network creating a framework for supporting informed EdTech purchasing decisions based on evidence.

Ms. Lalbeharie holds a BA from Smith College and a Master of Education from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

Dr. Worawarong Rakreungdet

Principal Mahidol Wittayanusorn School

Dr. Worawarong Rakreungdet is a strategist and a results-driven operations management executive with extensive experiences in proposal development, project planning and management, learning and curriculum development, organization management, strategic communication, international relations and team building with diverse agencies. Prior to appointment as a Principal at Mahidol Wittayanusorn School, Thailand’s top science high-school, he served as a Vice President of the Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology. He was a former lecturer in Physics Department, Faculty of Science, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Thailand. He was a recipient of a Thai government scholarship, awarded a Ph.D. in experimental quantum physics from University of Arizona, USA.

Yvonne Soh

Co-Founder and CEO Noodle Factory

Yvonne has been in the tech industry for over 24 years. She spent many years in her career as a Product Manager in Dell and F5 Networks. She is experienced in bringing enterprise technology solutions from concept to launch. She is a self-taught technologist who loves to create awesome user experiences using technology and innovation.

In 2009, she co-founded Jam Factory, a learning and development company that provides bespoke blended learning for multi-national corporations. It was through her engagements with the customers that she uncovered the need for a smarter and more time-effective way to engage learners, which led to the launch of Noodle Factory. In her current role leading Noodle Factory, she works closely with her team to leverage the power of AI to provide innovative approaches for learning and development.

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Speakers at Bett Asia 2022

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