2023 Speakers | Hear From Leading EdTech Experts

Pov Pheung

Managing Director SeeBeyondBorders

Pov joined SeeBeyondBorders in 2013 and is a passionate educator with over 20 years of experience in the field. Having recently completed a Master's Degree in Education in Ireland, Pov is responsible for leading the organisation in Cambodia as Managing Director.

Pov believes that education is the key to sustainable change, and he is committed to working with educators to ensure every child can learn and succeed. He is a strong advocate for differentiated learning and believes that teachers play a vital role in making learning happen for every child.

Pov has a wealth of experience in education, having worked as a teacher, school director, and district education officer. He has also worked with several educational NGOs in Cambodia and is familiar with rural schools' challenges and opportunities.

Pov is a valuable asset to SeeBeyondBorders and has much to offer from practitioner and education leadership perspectives.

Asst Prof Dr Worajit Setthapun

Lecturer – the Asian Development College for Community Economy and Technology (adiCET) Chiang Mai Rajabhat University

Asst Prof Dr Worajit Setthapun is the lecturer at the Asian Development College for Community Economy and Technology (adiCET), Chiang Mai Rajabhat University, Thailand. She was the former Dean of adiCET and the former Deputy Director for Global Partnership for the Program Management Unit for Human Resources & Institutional Development, Research and Innovation (PMU-B).

Dr. Setthapun received the Fulbright Scholarship with her MS and PhD in Chemical Engineering from University of Michigan and Postdoc at Argonne National Laboratory. She established the Chiang Mai World Green City as the living laboratory with 100% renewable energy-based Smart Community. She was recipient of the 2016 ASEAN-US Women in Science Prize for sustainable energy.

Asst Prof Poolsak Koseeyaporn

Vice President Office of National Higher Education Science Research and Innovation Policy Council (NXPO)

Asst. Prof. Poolsak Koseeyaporn is a distinguished academic holding a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University, USA, and a B.S.Tech.Ed. in Electrical Engineering from King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok, Thailand. Presently, he serves as Vice President in the Directorate of Innovation Strategy in Higher Education and High-skilled Workforce at the Office of National Higher Education Science Research and Innovation Policy Council (NXPO).

Dr. Koseeyaporn's expertise in policy development is apparent through his significant contributions to various initiatives. Notably, he has played a pivotal role in shaping the Work-Integrated Learning Research, Competency and Qualification Framework, National Talent Pool (Talent Thailand Platform), and STEM Tax Incentives (STEM Plus Platform for STEM job hiring and training incentives).

His dedication to fostering university-industry linkage and nurturing talent continues to have a profound impact on higher education and research in Thailand. Dr. Poolsak Koseeyaporn's remarkable accomplishments reflect his commitment to advancing the realms of education, innovation, and high-skilled workforce development.

Dr Thapanut Udomsree

Deputy Director of Learning Organization Research and Development Unit Bureau of Educational Innovation Development, Office of the Basic Education Commission, Ministry of Education

Dr Thapanut Udomsree is an academic expert with specialization in research and educational management, particularly in the realms of educational policy and organizational development in the realm of learning. He holds degrees in pedagogy at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels from prestigious universities in Thailand.

Following his highest level of education, he has evolved into a researcher and expert in educational research, particularly in areas linking educational policies and innovations in education. His expertise extends to providing recommendations and fostering organizational growth for learning development.

Currently, he serves as the Deputy Director of the Research and Organizational Development Group at the Office of Educational Innovation Development, Basic Education Commission, Ministry of Education. In this role, he plays a pivotal part in supporting and developing the educational system at the foundational level.

Dr Thapanut Udomsree's diverse work experience spans roles such as educational researcher, adjunct professor, educational specialist, and government schoolteacher. He has emphasized research and organizational development to promote innovation in education and learning. Additionally, he plays a vital role in supporting learners to develop essential skills and knowledge for their growth in society and the job market in the future.

Ha Linh To

Co-founder Outsider

Ha Linh is the Co-founder/ CEO of Outsider, a Singapore - Vietnam Edtech startup, as an open work simulation hosting platform that aims to bridge the skill gap between universities and actual workplaces. Aside from that, she also teaches Design Thinking for university students.

Linh was awarded the Outstanding Leadership Award at Education 2.0 Conference in Dubai 2022. Before that, she founded Future Females Singapore - the debut community chapter in Asia of a global movement that advocates female entrepreneurship, and was able to expand its activities in South East Asia.

When she was a university student in Singapore, Linh started her first startup, and also competed and won multiple hackathons, including World Blockchain Hackathon 2020, and HyperHack 2019 by Temasek, while she had a chance to sit down and discuss about the future of business with former Temasek CTO - Jon Allaway. She also judged and organised the first-ever all female regional hackathon, Build To Last 2021, that impacted more than 200 aspiring female entrepreneurs in South East Asia. She also was awarded by SIM (Singapore Institute of Management) the Impetus Award in 2018.

Henry Motte-Munoz

Founder & CEO EDGE Tutor International

Henry Motte-Muñoz is the founder of Edukasyon.ph, the Philippines' leading EdTech platform, boasting over 10 million visitors. He also serves as the Founder and CEO of EDGE Tutor.

Born in Paris, France, to a Filipina mother and a French father, Henry's upbringing across international cities instilled in him a deep desire to contribute to his homeland, the Philippines.

Henry's educational journey began at Sainte Ursule – Louise de Bettignies in France, followed by high school at the Southbank International School. He pursued a bachelor's degree in Economics and Economic History at the London School of Economics in 2007. Eager for further knowledge and experience, he obtained his MBA at Harvard Business School through a scholarship from Bain Capital, graduating with distinction in 2013.

Acknowledged for his societal contributions as a social entrepreneur, Henry has received numerous prestigious awards, including the 2017 ASEAN Social Entrepreneurship Award, Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Social Entrepreneurs, 2015 Asia Society 21 Young Leaders, and the 2012 Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Institute – Summer Fellow. His dedication to creating positive change through education and technology is shaping the future of learning in the Philippines and beyond.

Mr Charlton Lim

International Relations Expert Mahidol University

Charlton Lim is a seasoned professional in the field of international education and student mobility. He holds an honours degree in Global Studies with a specialization in international communications from the National University of Singapore.

After completing his education, Charlton began his career in international relations as a civil servant in the energy sector, contributing to international cooperation efforts. He later transitioned to the education sector, where he held a key position overseeing strategic partnerships and student mobility in Southeast Asia at the National University of Singapore for nearly four years.

In February 2023, Charlton moved to Thailand to join the international relations division at Mahidol University. In his current role, he is actively involved in developing strategic partnerships, leading student mobility programs, and promoting capacity-building initiatives.

Charlton currently speaks 6 languages, including English, Mandarin, French, Thai, Japanese, and Sign Language and he hopes to hit at least 10 in his lifetime.

Outside of his professional engagements, Charlton enjoys teaching English online, practicing yoga and bouldering.

Dave Smith

Head of Partnerships and Events British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA)

Dave Smith has oversight for the content of BESA’s partnerships and events, as well as leading on BESA’s EdTech Exchange and Bett Futures programmes. Formerly a teacher and local authority senior inspector in London, Dave has spent over twenty years specialising in computing, education technology and online safety support for schools in the United Kingdom and overseas. He is a former Bett and ERA Awards Judge and also served as a member of the Bett Advisory Group. He recently worked with Naace (the Education Technology Association) on the EdTech Leadership Briefing Paper for school leaders. He is currently a member and governor of two primary/secondary Multi Academy Trusts in England, has been a governor of four primary and secondary schools and was previously a teacher/senior leader in 3 London schools and a UK university.

Dr Ayesha Khanna

Co-Founder & CEO of ADDO AI and Futurist

Dr Ayesha Khanna is Co-Founder and CEO of ADDO AI, an artificial intelligence (AI) advisory firm and incubator. She has been a strategic advisor on artificial intelligence and smart cities to leading corporations and governments. Khanna also serves on the Board of Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), the Singapore government’s agency that develops and regulates its world class technology sector. She has also advised clients such as SMRT, Singapore’s largest public transport company, SOMPO, Japan’s largest insurance firm, and Smart Dubai, the government agency tasked to transform Dubai into a leading smart city. She is the co-author of Hybrid Reality: Thriving in the Emerging Human- Technology Civilization.

In 2017, ADDO AI was featured in Forbes magazine as one of four leading artificial intelligence companies in Asia and Ayesha Khanna was named one of Southeast Asia’s groundbreaking female entrepreneurs by Forbes magazine in 2018. More recently, in 2019, Khanna was invited to become a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Councils.

Khanna spent more than a decade on Wall Street developing large scale trading, risk management and data analytics systems. She was co-founder of the Hybrid Reality Institute, a research and advisory group established to analyse the social and economic impact of accelerating technologies. She directed the Future Cities Group at the London School of Economics, and has been a Faculty Advisor at Singularity University.

Ayesha Khanna has been named one of Singapore’s leading female entrepreneurs and a leading Asian fintech influencer by Fintech Asia. She also served on the Singapore Ministry of Education’s Steering Committee on future skills and applied learning for emerging industries.

Khanna is author of Straight Through Processing and co-author of Hybrid Reality: Thriving in the Emerging Human-Technology Civilization. She is the Founder of 21st Century Girls, a charity that delivers free coding and artificial intelligence classes to girls in Singapore.

Dr HC Aslam Khan

Academic Director & Vice Chairman and Member of NAPEI Erican Education Group Malaysia and National Association of Private Education Institutions (NAPEI, Malaysia)

Dr.HC Aslam Khan Bin Samahs Khan obtained his academic and professional qualifications in Malaysia and the United Kingdom. He has also been awarded the Doctor of Exellence (Dr. Honoris Causa) in English Language Education and 21st Century Education. He started his professional career as an English language teacher in a secondary school in Kuala Lumpur.In 1992 He received the National Excellent Teacher Award on Teacher’s Day. Since 1994 he had been a Senior Lecturer, Master Trainer and Consultant in the English Studies Department at the Institute of Teacher Education Malaysia, Ministry of Education Malaysia. He was also the Head of International and Corporate Department at the Institute of Teacher Education International Language Campus (IPGKBA), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for ten years. In 2008 he was awarded with the title, “Excellent Senior Lecturer”. He has received four National Excellent Service Award and one International Excellent Service Award from Ministry of Education Malaysia. In December 2022, he received The Global CSR Excellence and Leadership Awards for Best Education Sector/Community Award. He has vast experience in planning, implementing, coordinating and managing national and international Teacher Education and Professional Training Programmes. He was a member of the National Steering Committee for Teacher Training Twinning Programmes between Malaysia and the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. He also conducts consultation and advisory work for governmental and corporate organisations and academic institutions, both at national and international level. He was the Vice-Chair and Coordinator of the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP) for 15 years, a Government to Government programme for the training of teachers, lecturers and educators from more than ninety countries. He was the Project Manager of the Malaysia Australia Education Project for Afghanistan (MAEPA), a project to train Master Trainers in Teacher Education from Afghanistan under the Malaysian Government in collaboration with Australia and Afghanistan. He is frequently invited as a featured speaker at various national and international English Language and Education conferences and also as a reviewer for journal articles. He has contributed quite substantially in seminars, conferences, trainings, journal articles reviewing and programmes development in Indonesia for the past 13 years. He has also served as an Executive Committee and Vice-President of MELTA (Malaysian English Language Teaching Association) for 23 years. He served the Ministry of Education Malaysia for 39 years prior to his retirement. Currently, he is the Academic Director and Executive Vice Chairman of Erican Education Group,Malaysia, an Executive Council Member of NAPEI (National Association of Private Education Institutions),Malaysia, the Vice President 2 of MAE (Malaysian Association for Education), and also an Advisor and Committee Member of AsiaTEFL ProfNet. For your information, Dr. HC Aslam Khan is also a multilingual educationist. He is well-known for his inspirational tagline, “Let’s Change Lives And Make A Difference Through Education.

Dr Sampan Silapanad

Vice President, Chief Thailand Business Strategist Western Digital Storage Technologies (Thailand) Ltd.

Dr Sampan joined Western Digital since 2007. His expertise and experience have been in the field of Electronics and HDD manufacturing for 40 years.

During this period, he has initiated several projects related to linking the industry with skill development for Thailand’s manpower and has been actively involved in such projects, connecting with the government, the societies and all stakeholders as a representative of Western Digital.

Presently, Dr Sampan is a board member in 9 ministries covering works in the areas of education, society, health, science and technology and environment. He is also President of Thailand’s Electronics and Computer Employers Association (ECEA), and Co-chair of the World Association for Cooperative Education (WACE). With effective implementation of Cooperative Education in industry for 14 years, almost 2,000 students joined the program including several hundred of foreign students from more than a hundred oversea universities, he received many awards from both domestic and international organizations on his effort and achievement in raising quality of education system and addressing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Ilja Riekki

Project Officer, Education UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office in Bangkok

Ilja Riekki serves as a project officer at UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office, Educational Innovation and Skills Development (EISD) unit in Bangkok. He is working on projects on flexible and blended learning, enhancing equitable access to education and development of lifelong learning systems as a member of Literacy and Lifelong Learning team. Prior to United Nations, Ilja Riekki held a position as head of innovation and partnerships at Aalto Ventures Program, the entrepreneurship program of Aalto University, the leading innovation university of Finland. He has also worked consulting in Shanghai and in education startup in Finland catering Chinese market. He holds a Master`s degree in education and has studied economics Lingnan College, Sun Yat-Sen University in China and done visiting studies Yonsei University in South Korea and School of Transnational Governance at European University Institute in Italy.

Jennifer Lim

IB Design Educator, Esports Teacher, Service and Personal Project Coordinator XCL World Academy

Despite facing vertigo, Jennifer discovered Esports when her teenage daughter became a CODm tournament player. Her enthusiasm and the vibrant Esports community ignited Jennifer’s love for this dynamic field. Jennifer is a NASEF Scholastic Fellow and a Design educator. She’s also a Service and Personal Project Coordinator, instilling values of open mindedness, and global citizenship in her students. Beyond the classroom, she’s a softball and Muay Thai buff, eager to embrace physical challenges. At home, her cats add a dose of feline whimsy to her life. While her experiences educate her on the importance of slowing down and appreciating the journey, her passion for Esports and education is boundless, and she’s continually inspired by the limitless potential of young minds.

Jo Malone

FED Executive Team/ Education Consultant The Foundation for Education Development

Jo is passionate about the transformative power of education and combatting inequalities across the system. Following 17 years in the classroom as teacher, AST, and leader, Jo worked as Senior Education Adviser at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change for ten years working across their global education programmes.

For the FED Jo led on the 2021 and 2022 national consultations and co-authored the subsequent reports. In addition, she leads the FED’s work on climate change & sustainability and its work with the OECD on Education for Human Flourishing.

Jo is co-founder of WECAN, a women consultant and advisers group, an adviser for a Life Skills Ed-tech company Persona Life Skills and a global co-creation education organisation, Curriculum for Life. She is a primary school governor. Jo loves the company of young people and feels that teachers and school leaders are her natural tribe.

John Arnold Siena

Deputy Director, Programme and Development Southeast Asia Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Secretariat

John Arnold Siena served nearly seven years as Director IV of the National Educators Academy of the Philippines, which is tasked to ensure that the teaching and non-teaching personnel of the Philippine Department of Education receive relevant professional development to improve the delivery of basic education services. In this capacity, he led the implementation of the Learning Delivery Modalities Courses to safeguard learning continuity within the basic education system during the 2020 pandemic.

As the current Deputy Director for Programme and Development of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Secretariat, Mr. Siena oversees the development and implementation of initiatives to capacitate the SEAMEO Member Countries in promoting education, science, and culture.

Kate Barton

Renaissance Trainer Renaissance Learning

Passionate to empower both children and adults to unlock barriers to achieving their potential, Kate qualified as an Information Professional and focussed on helping learners develop skills fit for a technologically-enhanced future.

She worked in UK Secondary Education for 12 years, introducing and then leading Star and Accelerated Reader implementation, learning step by step how to help embed it within school culture while developing and celebrating student potential. Having observed the impact on students’ attainment and self-expectation, Kate trained as an Associate Renaissance Consultant to pass on guidance in ways to accelerate learning for every student.

Now a member of the Renaissance Training Team, Kate is delighted to be supporting schools around the world through a period of exciting technological development.

Mirza Salman Hossain Beg

Cofounder & COO 10 Minute School

Salman is a dreamer and practitioner of innovation. He is a passionate digital product and technology expert with a proven track in building solutions and getting bottom-line results. He co-founded the largest Digital Farming App in Thailand, with over 500K registered farmers, while being the VP and Head of Innovation at dtac (Telenor Thailand). Before moving to Thailand, Salman led a team and bootstrapped the largest digital app in Bangladesh) among a few other eCommerce and mobile apps, managing an annual P&L of $100M+ for Grameenphone during his 3+ years working as Deputy Director, Head of Digital Channels, and Distribution. He's one of the key drivers behind the acquisition of G&R Ad Network (2014), the largest local Ad Tech startup in Bangladesh. His sales and marketing leadership led to a 20x revenue growth of the AdTech in less than two years. He is often the social glue, mentor, and connector of the rest of the entrepreneurial geniuses and skilled professionals around him. He was the co-founder of Google Business Group Dhaka. He is the co-organizer and curator of TEDxDhaka, while he is also the Founding Vice-Curator and first Global Shaper in Bangladesh of the World Economic Forum. Salman has more than 15 years of community service experience and feels passionate about developing the skills and competencies of the youth of Bangladesh and Thailand. He advises early-stage startups and invests as an Angel Investor.

Salman is the Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at 10 Minute School, the largest Edtech startup in Bangladesh, backed by Sequoia Capital India.

Amrita Burman

Deputy Director Sunbeam Group of Educational Institutions India

A passionate educator who believes that it is only through education that India's destiny can change, Mrs Amrita Burman has been associated with the Sunbeam Group of Educational Institutions for 3 decades now. She holds a master’s degree in political science and has done her MBA both from Kolkata. She has done her Certificate course in Advanced Educational Leadership from Harvard Graduate school of Education and Developing Strategies of Online Teaching and Learning from Harvard Graduate school of Education. She has received the ALBERT EINSTEIN AWARD in Delhi for research in education, India’s most IMPACTFUL SCHOOL LEADER AWARD, FUTURE 50 HIGH IMPACT LEADER AWARD among many more. She was a part of the first QS.I-GAUGE R.I.S.E. fellowship, the first cohort in the country organised by the Jindal Global University and the University of Southampton.

She, along with her team has researched and worked on the Sunbeam precept which guides the academic and co-curricular transactions at Sunbeam. She closely monitors the unpacking of the Precept across 25 Sunbeam Schools. Many of them are in 2 or 3-tier towns of Uttar Pradesh. She has travelled widely both in India and abroad as a speaker/Expert in a host of National and international conferences and is in complete sync with happenings in the field of education all around. She has authored books for schools in English. She is also one of the prominent authors/educators whose thoughts feature in a special compilation on Joy and Power of Reading brought out by Scholastic called WHY I LOVE TO READ which features many prominent writers.

Nalain Naidoo

CEO and Co-Founder Swiss Quality Events Swiss Quality Events

Nalain Naidoo – is an entrepreneur currently heading up business development for international clients, from Unilumin, CSM Live and AISTS, an International Olympic Committee (IOC) sports education partner. Nalain in her role as board member of IESF is responsible for global partnerships. She holds over 23 years of senior marketing experience such as her last role as Global Director Olympic Development at The Dow Chemical Company and earlier roles leading/overseeing key Global partnerships on behalf of McDonald’s and Coca-Cola with the International Olympic Committee; National Olympic Committees; UEFA and FIFA. Nalain is one of a select few who have worked directly for three of the major TOP’s (Top Olympic Partners) specializing in the international activation of both Olympic and World Cup Football events at the highest level. Nalain’s role at AISTS allowed her to benchmark traditional sport with Esports and shift her interest into the fast-developing world of Esports.

In these roles, Nalain was/is responsible for the development of key relationships and communications/marketing strategies essential to business development for the enterprises she represents.

Her focus was to optimize the associated contractual sponsorship rights and maximize ROI from these high-level partnerships.

Her experience spans working with various stakeholder groups from building relations with local host city governments, NGO’s, engaging youth, legal negotiations on contractual rights and internal stakeholders through the various contractual partnership agreements. eg UEFA, IOC, and International sports federations.

Nalain is based out of Switzerland & Singapore and has previously held senior marketing roles at Dow Chemicals; McDonald’s; Coca Cola; ABB and Virgin – and has worked in South Africa; the United Kingdom and Switzerland. She is a full member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) in London and has degrees in civil engineering and public relations.

Nalain is a citizen of Switzerland and South Africa, speaking English, German and French.

Pradeep Khanna

Executive Director Asia Pacific, CEO, Co-Founder VR AR Association, Global Mindset, INSquare

Pradeep Khanna has Multiple Global Roles and knows 10,000+ entities globally in the Metaverse / XR ecosystem.

He was invited by Secretary General of OECD to speak in Paris on Immersive Technologies at Inaugural Global Technology Forum (GTF) held along with the OECD Ministerial Meet in June 2023. GTF was attended was 300+ policy leaders from all over the world.

He is CEO of Global Mindset, Executive Director Asia Pacific & Global Co- Chair Education for Virtual Reality Augmented Reality Association. Pradeep is also Co-Founder of a social enterprise INSquare

Pradeep has 30+ years of executive experience and has been a leader for IBM Australia/NZ leveraging India, China, Philippines, Vietnam, Egypt, Romania, Brazil & Argentina.

He is Adjunct Professor in Australia and Asia, Strategic Advisor to IIT Jodhpur/i-Hub Drishti and on Academic Board of Astra Institute of Higher Education

He is global Leader in Emerging Technologies, Immersive Technologies, Metaverse and EdTech

Pradeep is on Advisory Boards of several companies including Metaverse Fashion Council. He is MBA from AGSM (UNSW), MSc (Computer Science) from UTS & B Tech from IIT Delhi

Elizabete Kalnozola

Managing Director, Program Director 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.

Prof Dr Ger Graus OBE

Director, Board Member, Global Education Adviser Member of Bett's Global Education Council

Professor Dr Ger Graus OBE is a renowned figure in the field of education. He was the first Global Director of Education at KidZania; and, prior to that, the founding CEO of the Children’s University. In 2019, Ger was invited to become a Visiting Professor at the National Research University in Moscow, Russia. He is a Board Director at Hello Genius, USA; advises Tata Consulting Services, chairs the Advisory Boards at Kabuni, UK, and Twin Science, Turkey. He also advises a number of start-ups, including CEO Kids, Malaysia; The Insights Family, UK; and Verofax, UAE.

Ger Graus moved to the United Kingdom in 1983 where he began his teaching career at Taverham High School, Norwich, and then moved to Winifred Holtby School, Hull, as Head of the Modern Foreign Languages Faculty. He later became an Education Adviser, a Senior Inspector, and Director of Education.

Dr Graus is a member of Bett’s Global Education Council; DIDAC India’s Advisory Board; Junior Achievement’s Worldwide Global Council; chairs the Beaconhouse School System’s Advisory Board, Pakistan; advises the Fondazione Reggio Children, Italy; and has been invited to help shape the future of education in Dubai as a member of the Dubai Future Councils.

Ger is also a frequent keynote speaker at some of the world’s leading education conferences, including Bett London, Asia, Brazil, LatAm, and Middle East; GESS Turkey, Indonesia and Middle East; CIIE, Mexico; EdCrunch, Russia and Kazakhstan; Innovate, USA; LEAP, Saudi Arabia; TEDx, USA; YGA, Turkey.

In the 2014 Queen’s Birthday Honours List Ger was made an Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to children. In 2018 he received the Global Education Leadership Award at the World Education Congress, India. In 2022, Ger was granted the award of Iconic Leader Creating A Better World For All by the Women Economic Forum (WEF).

In his book ‘Natural Born Learners’, author Alex Beard says: “In learning terms, Ger Graus is Jean-Jacques Rousseau meets Willy Wonka.

Ian Hunter

CEO & Founder Lime Education

Ian has a passion for Education and EdTech built over 25 years with some of the largest education companies in the world including Tes Global, Discovery Education and RM Education. As a commercial leader he has been responsible for driving growth across a range of EdTech products and services to schools and MoE’s globally.

Ian regularly speaks at EdTech events around the world on subjects ranging from teacher training, the impact of UK Education on International Schools worldwide and country specific commercial strategies. His experience and knowledge of delivering growth strategies is at the core of Lime Education. He can call upon his multiple successes in defining, executing, and embedding strategic change stretching across Asia, MENA and the rest of the world. His network of educators, leaders and influencers globally gives him a unique insight and opportunity to support the growth of other businesses.

Khoo Hung Chuan

Director, Education Transform and Development Lenovo Central Asia Pacific

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.

Larry Nelson

Regional Business Leader, Education, Asia, Microsoft 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.

Melati Wijsen

Founder Bye Bye Plastic Bags and YOUTHTOPIA and Full Time Changemaker

Melati is a 22 year old full time changemaker. She has founded Bye Bye Plastic Bags with her younger sister & has been leading the movement driven by youth since 2013 at the age of 12. She has also started the people movement One Island One Voice and the social enterprise, Mountain Mamas. Melati has given two global TED talks before she turned 21 and has spoken on world stages such as the UN & has also been selected as FORBES top ten most inspiring women in the country. She graduated from high school one year early & has since been honored by TIME as part of the annual list of most influential teens in the world along with CNN Heroes Young Wonders & FORBES 30 under 30. Recently, Melati has co-chaired the World Economic Forum GPAP committee, sat on the inaugural Expert Advisory Panel for the Earthshot Prize, & has had her film, Bigger Than Us, premiere at the 74th Cannes Film Festival 2021. Today, Melati has launched her new company, YOUTHTOPIA, which is all about youth empowerment through short & meaningful peer to peer programs & providing them the tools they need to be changemakers. Melati believes that young people can accelerate change & her vision is to make YOUTHTOPIA the go to platform for young people to learn about frontline skills.

Dr Nanthaporn Prae Seributra

CEO Starfish Education

Dr Nanthaporn Prae Seributra is at the forefront of Starfish Education, an influential non-profit in Thailand enhancing the education and edtech sectors under the philanthropic umbrella of Firetree Trust. Prae's international educational experiences have shaped her commitment to high-quality education for all. Having worked as an education development executive for Apple Inc. in Thailand and Singapore and as an educator and school principal, she brings a wealth of experience to her role. Her specialty areas include educational innovation, administration, tech integration, professional teacher development, and early childhood education.

Under Prae's leadership, Starfish Education offers a meaningful impact in the education and edtech sectors through a school, a professional development institute, an online learning platform, and an assessment app. Prae is also an accomplished author in her field. She currently resides in Singapore.

Dr Romyen Kosaikanont

Centre Director Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development (SEAMEO RIHED)

Dr. Romyen Kosaikanont is the Centre Director of SEAMEO RIHED, or the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Regional Centre specialising in higher education and development. She has contributed greatly to the higher education harmonisation and internationalisation processes both in Thailand and the Southeast Asian region, serving as one of the pioneers in establishing the Asian International Mobility for Students (AIMS) Programme and as Regional Expert for regional courses and projects such as the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF) Capacity Building Project for the Greater Mekong Sub-Region University Consortium (GMS-UC), DAAD International Deans’ Course, and Regional Gender Expert for CIDA Sustainable Environmental Management Project.

Under Dr. Romyen’s leadership, SEAMEO RIHED has led regional transformations through efforts in redefining the Common Space in Southeast Asian Higher Education, working collaboratively with the national governments responsible for higher education in the region and partners such as the ASEAN Secretariat, Asia–Europe Foundation, the British Council, DAAD, the HEAD Foundation, and UNESCO.

With a PhD. in International Development and Economics, Bath University, and Master of Arts in Gender and Development, Sussex University, UK, Dr. Romyen is an advocate for equality, diversity and inclusivity in higher education. With sustainable development in mind, she is highly committed to fostering collective learning and co-creating the common space for higher education for the equitable and sustainable development of this region.

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

Shaun Wellbourne-Wood

Senior Applied Research Specialist Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Shaun Wellbourne-Wood has worked in international development for more than 20 years. He is currently the Dean (ASEAN) for Curtin University in Australia, although based permanently in Indonesia since 2013. Shaun is also a senior applied research specialist for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) contributing to the energy transition; research, development, and innovation; and higher education contexts. Shaun was formerly the ASEAN Representative for the Australian Technology Network of Universities (ATN) and the Director and Principal Investigator of Saksara Research (Indonesia). Shaun led numerous research projects related to maternal mortality throughout Eastern Indonesia, Vocational Education and Training (VET), tobacco control, and research related to technology and the future of work in Indonesia.

Shruti Sharma

Partnerships, Marketing, and Communications Lead Generation Global – Tony Blair Institute

Shruti leads partnerships and marketing and communications 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, and Ed-tech firms across sectors such as energy, operations, education, and skill development.

She has supported governments to design and implement large scale education solutions and improve efficiency of academic process. More recently, she is working with education stakeholders in Ghana, Burkina Faso, Indonesia, Armenia, and other regions to effectively implement global citizenship and skill building education programmes.

She holds a MBA from the Indian School of Business and a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign.

Siripan Choomnoom PhD

President, Institute of Vocational Education Bangkok Council Office of the Vocational Education Commission

Siripan Choomnoom received bachelor and master degrees from Oklahoma State University, U.S.A. and a doctorate degree in Occupational Education from Cornell University, U.S.A. She has a long experience in TVET system both in Thailand and at aninternational level.

She worked as a government officer for Office of the Vocational Education (OVEC), Ministry of Education, and her last position was Deputy-Secretary General of OVEC. After that, she served as a consultant of UNESCO, Regional Office, Bangkok, on Quality Improvement of TVET in Lao PDR, as a researcher, and as a resource person on TVET for UNESCO, GIZ, SEAMEO VOTECH, KENAN Foundation Asia and others.

At present (2023), Siripan is the President of the Institute of Vocational Education Bangkok Council, a Member of Vocational Education Commission, Ministry of Education, Chair of Public and Private Sub-Committee on International Cooperation at the Office of the Vocational Education Commission, Advisor and Chair of Policy and Plan Scrutinizing Sub-Committee of the Thailand Professional Qualification Institute(TPQI), Chair of the National Sub-Committee on Developing National System in Validation of Learning and Experiences for Continuing Education, and Senior Specialist of the Office of Education Council on the National Qualification Framework (NQF) of Thailand.

At present, she is working on a Green TVET concept and implementation plan for TVET institutes.

Sylvia A. Garde

Senior Program Manager Foundation for Information Technology Education and Development Inc. (FIT-ED)

Sylvia A. Garde is a Senior Program Manager of the Foundation for Information Technology Education and Development. Since 2005, she has been responsible for project development and management of Intel Philippines Education CSR projects for the foundation. She was the Teacher Professional Development Delivery Lead of the Technology-Supported Early Literacy TPD Project, which was in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) and USAID. The partnership produced and piloted the Early Language, Literacy, and Numeracy Digital program in selected DepEd schools in 2016-2017.

She currently works on Philippine initiatives as part of the TPD@Scale Coalition for the Global South that continues support to DepEd for the scale-up of technology-mediated blended learning delivery for TPD.

Thanapawat Thang-on

Project Analyst and Development Specialist (LORD OBEC Project) Learning Organization Research and Development, Office of the Basic Education Commission (LORD OBEC Project)

Thanapawat has demonstrated his expertise in developing sales promotions, brand activities, and marketing plans to drive trial, consideration, and sales of various brands. He has also been successful in delivering sales strategies, managing inventory forecasts, and adhering to brand standards. I’m skills in analyzing sales data, forecasting demand, and presenting brand performance have been highly valued by key stakeholders. He is known for his ability to build and maintain strong relationships with partners and negotiate contracts and terms of partnerships.

Overall, I’m a dedicated professional with a proven track record in marketing, sales, and brand management. He has consistently delivered exceptional results and contributed to the growth and success of the organizations he has worked with. I’m has demonstrated his expertise in developing sales promotions, brand activities, and marketing plans to drive trial, consideration, and sales of various brands. He has also been successful in delivering sales strategies, managing inventory forecasts, and adhering to brand standards.I’m skills in analyzing sales data, forecasting demand, and presenting brand performance have been highly valued by key stakeholders. He is known for his ability to build and maintain strong relationships with partners and negotiate contracts and terms of partnerships.

Overall, I’m is a dedicated professional with a proven track record in marketing, sales, and brand management. He has consistently delivered exceptional results and contributed to the growth and success of the organizations he has worked with.e D Commission, Ministry of Education. In this role, he plays a pivotal part in supporting and developing the educational system at the foundational level.

Thanbeer Kaur

Bett Asia Advisory Board Member and Pre-University Educator Desa Mahkota Form Six College Malaysia

Thanbeer serves as a Pre-University Educator at Desa Mahkota Form Six College in Kuala Lumpur and a member of the Bett Asia Advisory Board. She received the E-Teacher Icon 2020 award by NUTP (National Union of Teaching Profession, Malaysia) and UNITAR International University and Paul Harris Fellow title from Rotary Club in appreciation of her unwavering support as a teacher advisor.

With an extensive background encompassing various educational institutions, Thanbeer brings a distinctive outlook to her classroom approach placing significant emphasis on experiential learning. She held the roles of Master Trainer for CEFR and teacher trainer at the Institute of Teacher Education, International Languages, making significant contributions to language and teacher education in Malaysia.

Thanbeer's professional journey includes serving as an Assistant Director in the Language Assessment Unit at the Malaysian Examinations Syndicate,MOE, as well as hosting an English Language learning programme on Malaysian television. Her active involvement in educational entities at the state, national, and international levels, alongside her participation in webinars and conferences, demonstrates her remarkable adaptability and expertise within the realm of education.

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.

Victoria L. Tinio

Executive Director Foundation for Information Technology Education and Development Inc. (FIT-ED)

Victoria L. Tinio is the Executive Director of the Foundation for Information Technology Education and Development (FIT-ED). For the past 22 years, Vicki has been involved in the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of a wide range of digital learning programs and projects in schools and alternative learning environments in the Philippines and across the Global South. Since 2018, she has been Secretariat Director of the TPD@Scale Coalition for the Global South, a collaborative effort of education and technology stakeholders engaged in teacher professional development (TPD), with the aim of ensuring inclusive and quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all through quality, equitable, and sustainable large-scale, ICT-mediated TPD.

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Speakers at Bett Asia 2023

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