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Speakers and panellists

Event host

Margaret Korosec headshotDr Margaret Korosec

Director of Online Education, University of Leeds

Margaret Korosec is the Director of Online Learning at the University of Leeds and a Fellow of the Centre for Online and Distance Education at the University of London. She is a strategic, human-centred leader known for her innovative and enterprising approach to expanding access to education through open, online, and digital education. She brings a deep understanding of the varied models and structures that support online learning. This breadth of experience informs her ability to provide both academic and strategic leadership to institutions seeking to grow and evolve their digital education portfolios. She convenes critical conversations that help individuals and institutions navigate threshold concepts and move toward transformative change.


 

Keynote

Martin BeanProfessor Martin Bean, OBE

Founder and CEO of The Bean Centre

Martin's career has focused on the intersection of education and technology. He previously served as president and vice-chancellor of RMIT University (2015–2021), founder and chair of FutureLearn (2012–2015), vice-chancellor of The Open University (2009–2014) and general manager of Microsoft's Education Products Group (2005–2009). He proudly remains part of the RMIT University community as emeritus professor of digital education. He has won numerous awards in the UK and US for his contribution to education including an honorary DJur from the University of London (2013) and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (2015), both for services to higher education. 


 

Plenary

Phil Hill

Founder of Phil Hill Associates

Phil Hill has been a market analyst and consultant in edtech for over two decades. He is most notably recognised for publishing the On EdTech blog and newsletter. Revered for his honest and upfront take on market trends for online/hybrid education, OPMs and learning platforms, Phil provides thoughtful and practical advice to his clients. His unique graphics and visuals have been widely used and shared in the education space.

 

 


Neil Mosley

Founder of Neil Mosley Consulting

Neil is a HE consultant specialising in online learning, distance learning and digital education. His clients include universities, colleges, companies, arts and cultural organisations, professional bodies and other education providers. Neil supports organisations at the early stages of developing digital, online or distance learning courses or programmes, developing strategies and the capabilities, infrastructure and approaches to suit their ambitions and context.

 

 


Glenda Morgan

Consultant, Phil Hill Associates

Prior to joining Phil Hill & Associates, Morgan (who goes by her last name) worked on the Education team at Gartner, covering teaching and learning including learning management systems, online learning, OPMS and online proctoring among other topics. Prior to joining Gartner she worked for over 15 years supporting teaching and learning technologies in higher education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, George Mason University, the California State University Office of the Chancellor and the University of Wisconsin System.

Speakers and panellists

Dr Mohammed Abdelmegid

Dr Mohammed Abdelmegid is a Lecturer and Programme Leader for MSc Engineering Management at the University of Leeds. With academic experience in the UK and New Zealand, he specialises in engineering and project management, drawing on a strong industry background in civil engineering.

His research applies operational research, lean production, and systems thinking to support decision-making in engineering projects. He is currently leading a curriculum refresh focused on flexible design, innovative assessment, and personalised teaching for professional learners. A Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and certified PMP, Dr Abdelmegid bridges practical insight with evidence-based teaching and research.

Professor Chie Adachi

Dean for Digital Education within the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary University of London.

At QMUL, Chie Adachi leads the new Digital Education Studio, a comprehensive multi-disciplinary team of academics and professionals to carry out both strategic and operational work of transforming digital education practices for the Faculty and beyond. Her research interests lie at the intersection of critical digital pedagogy, educational technology and interculturalism in re-thinking how they might enhance teaching and learning practice within the higher education sector.

Scott Anderberg

CEO at Moodle

Scott Anderberg has dedicated his career to supporting organisations around the world to develop and deliver better educational experiences online. He started this journey at eCollege in the USA, supporting educators and students, and played a key role in product, sales and account management.

After Pearson acquired eCollege, Scott spent 15 years in various roles including market development across EMEA, launching Pearson’s Online Program Management business in Australia and leading Online Learning Services outside North America. In 2024 Scott joined Moodle as CEO, succeeding founder Martin Dougiamas.

Dr Paul Bacsich

Managing Director, Matic Media Ltd

Paul Bacsich has over 40 years experience in online distance learning and blended learning. He has been working on the topic of costs of distance and online learning since a large EU project on this topic in the early 1990s, later leading several Jisc studies, a Jisc follow-up study and other studies including on time aspects of online learning. He is the Managing Director of Matic Media Ltd, established 1996, and has had a long university career covering academic, non-academic and research roles, mostly in UK with a focus on online learning. Among other roles he was Assistant Director at the Knowledge Media Institute at the Open University, Professor of Telematics and Head of the Virtual Campus project at Sheffield Hallam University, Director of Special Projects at UK e-University and most recently Professor of Practice at the University of West Indies Open Campus.

Sam Brenton

Sam is currently Director of Strategy Development at the University of London, where he is developing the strategy and new models for the university’s next generation of global online and lifelong learning provision.

Among other roles he has also worked as Director of Online Education at UoL, Director of Digital Education at Bayes Business School, Chief Academic Officer at Academic Partnerships International, Director of The Learning Institute at Queen Mary, University of London.

He worked in online education for some 25 years, across pedagogy, learning design and production, institutional strategy, technology for learning, commercial sustainability and academic development.

Matt Cornock

Head of Online Learning, University of Leeds

Matt provides leadership for Online Learning across professional services at Leeds. He specialises in the design and development of fully online programmes and short courses, with a particular interest in the intersection of higher education and professional learning. Drawing on 20 years experience in online and digital education across a range of disciplines and sectors, Matt brings a passion for collaboration, learning design and creating accessible online courses that enable learners to succeed and continue their learning journeys.

Dr Cristi Ford

Chief Learning Officer at D2L

Dr Christi Ford leads innovation in learning and academic affairs, impacting institutional, corporate, and global digital learning environments. She has over 20 years experience in education, project management, program evaluation, training, and student services. She has held key roles in expanding online learning in the US and Africa, specialising in online education programmes, faculty development, instructional design, and pedagogical best practices.

She was selected as a 2022 OLC Fellow by the Online Learning Consortium for her work in advancing quality online education. In 2024, she received the Mildred and Charles Wedemeyer Award for excellence in distance education.

Jim Goodell

CEO of INFERable

Jim Goodell is an expert in education data standards and learning technologies. He is the editor of The Learning Engineering Toolkit and co-author of The Science of Remote Learning and Student-Centered Learning: Functional Requirements for Integrated Systems to Optimize Learning. He leads standards development for the U.S. Department of Education’s Common Education Data Standards, chairs IEEE’s Learning Technology Standards Committee, and facilitates the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s T3 Innovation Network.

A speaker, author, and judge for the XPRIZE Digital Learning Challenge, he collaborates with education leaders, policymakers, and innovators to enhance student learning through data-driven solutions.

Megan Kime

Dr Megan Kime is Director of the Digital Education Service at the University of Leeds. She leads a team of 170+ professionals, with responsibility for designing and enabling digitally-enhanced student education, learning technology and multimedia solutions, and online learning for global audiences.

Farzana Latif

Farzana is Head of Digital Education Systems at the University of Leeds with a creative flair. Experienced in the strategic development of educational technology tools, online course design and staff development programmes. Award winning and invited speaker on topics related to emerging technologies and staff adoption. Holds both computational and educational focused Masters level qualifications.

Dr Julie Lindsay

Senior Education Technology Advisor in the Learning and Teaching Futures Portfolio at the University of Southern Queensland

In her current role, Dr Julie Lindsay is a change agent advocating for digital transformation through embedded educational technologies and relevant pedagogies to create robust learning environments.

She also works with academics to improve online learning for on-campus, hybrid, and HyFlex with a focus on asynchronous learning mode as the 'glue'. Julie is the author of two books: Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds and The Global Educator: Leveraging Technology for Collaborative Learning and Teaching.

Julia Leong Son

Director of Online Education at the University of London

Julia Leong Son leads the strategic development and global delivery of the University of London’s online learning portfolio. With over 15 years of experience in digital and distance education, she has developed scalable, financially sustainable programme models and led strategic partnerships with global platforms such as Coursera, professional bodies, and edtech providers. Her work sits at the intersection of innovation, access, and sustainability—focused on expanding opportunity through high-quality online education that meets the needs of diverse learners and evolving markets.

Melissa Loble

Chief Academic Officer at Instructure

Melissa is a champion for crucial customer-focused topics like data usage and privacy. It's her personal mission to drive innovation in our customer experience and enable customers to leverage solutions in engaging and effective learning environments. Melissa has spent 20 years in educational technology working for a number of technology suppliers and educational institutions, as well as teaching leadership courses on managing technology for educational change.

Nicolaas Matthjis

Chief Product Officer, Anthology

Nicolaas leads the product strategy for Anthology’s holistic EdTech ecosystem. Nicolaas has nearly 20 years of experience in EdTech, having worked for several institutions around the world. He was the co-founder of Fronteer, developing Ally, a revolutionary tool that helps institutions make their course materials more accessible for all learners.

Following the acquisition of Fronteer by Blackboard, Nicolaas joined the organization as Product Director for Ally before leading the Product Management team for Anthology’s Learning Management System.

Nicolaas is also a member of the Board of Directors for IMS Europe and the UK All Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technology. He holds a degree in Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing from the University of Cambridge.

Kirstine McDermid

Open Educational Resources Adviser at the University of Leeds Libraries

Kirstine McDermid is dedicated to fostering inclusive and equitable learning pathways through open education. With expertise in Pressbooks, instructional technologies, WordPress, course design, accessibility, copyright, and licensing, she supports educators in adapting and creating open education resources.

Chrissi Nerantzi

Professor in Creative and Open Education at the University of Leeds

Chrissi Nerantzi (NTF, CATE, PFHEA) leads the Knowledge Equity Network and Discover and Explore initiatives. An internationally recognized scholar, Chrissi has held diverse roles in education across Greece, Germany and the UK. She founded the award-winning #creativeHE community and co-chairs the ICDE Open Education Network. Recently, she published the open Pressbook "Meraki."

Leonardo Glasserman

Research Professor, Tecnologico de Monterrey

Research Professor at the Research Lab - Institute for the Future of Education and an Associate Professor in the Department of Education - School of Humanities and Education at Tecnologico de Monterrey.

He holds a PhD in Educational Innovation, a Masters in E-Commerce, and a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from Tecnologico de Monterrey.

Ronaldo Gomes Jr

Assistant Professor, Federal University of Minas Gerais

Ronaldo Gomes Jr. holds a degree in Language and Literature (Portuguese and English) from the Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil, a Masters and PhD in Linguistic Studies from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and a specialization in Digital Design from Instituto Infnet.

He completed postdoctoral fellowships at Macquarie University, Australia, and at the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, where he teaches and researches language and technology at undergraduate and graduate levels.

Roger Larsen

Roger has developed educational technology for schools and universities for 25 years, having been the founder of multiple edtech companies: 2023 Norvalid; A novel method to validate original student writing, preventing AI cheating. 1998 Fronter; Europe’s first LMS, which grew to 7 million students. 2011 WeVideo; Enabling learners to tell stories using multimedia, in use by millions of learners in the US. 2007 Creaza; A creativity platform focused on developing 21st century skills, used at hundreds of Scandinavian schools. Roger has a degree in multimedia from Østfold University College of Norway and has served as Digital Strategy Director for Pearson UK.

Antonio Martínez-Arboleda

Professor of Open and Digital Education at the School of Languages Cultures and Societies at the University of Leeds

He is the academic Lead for the Open and Digital Education Incubator of the Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence (LITE) and Senior Lead at the Knowledge Equity Network (KEN).

He directs the project Lingua Connect, and his scholarly activities focus on Generative Artificial Intelligence, Open Educational Resources (OER), Open Knowledge, Audiovbisual Feedback, and Critical Pedagogies.

Sofia Martinho

Associate Professor of Portuguese and the Director of the Camões Centre for Portuguese Language at the University of Leeds

Sofia's scholarship focuses in the areas of digital literacies and effectiveness of technologies in Language Learning and Teaching, including COIL pedagogy.

Sofia is currently the President of TROPO UK, the Association of Researchers and Teachers of Portuguese Language in the UK.

Rajay Naik

Rajay is Chief Executive Officer of Skilled Education which designs, markets, and supports online degrees and microcredentials for universities including the University of Oxford and American University, and institutions including the UK government and National Health Service. He is Chairman of the UK Commission on Lifelong Learning, board member of The Roundhouse, governor of The Ditchley Foundation, and associate director of Coventry City FC.

Rajay was previously Global CCO of Study Group; CEO of Keypath Education’s international business; Director of The Open University; and Chairman of the National Lottery Communities Fund.

Amy Sampson

Associate Director of Greenwich Online at the University of Greenwich

Amy specialises in leadership, development and implementation of digital learning initiatives, including provision of fully online education. She has worked with a variety of HE organisations to deliver and support considered online learning. Her work has been recognised through awards including Principal Fellowship of Advance HE and Senior Certified Member of the Association for Learning Technology.

Gideon Shimshon

Gideon Shimshon is Co-founder and CEO of Global Health Education Group (GHEG), a platform designed to deliver clinical training and education at scale for the global health workforce. GHEG works with universities, health systems, and international partners to expand training capacity, improve access, and equip learners with the skills needed in modern healthcare.

He has a track record in digital innovation in higher education, having served as Director of Digital Learning at Imperial College London and held academic leadership roles at Queen Mary University of London and Leiden University. Gideon specialises in building cross-sector partnerships that expand access to high-quality education globally. His work with GHEG brings together universities, healthcare providers, and international stakeholders to deliver scalable, impactful learning. He is passionate about reimagining clinical training and education to help meet the needs of the future global health workforce.

GHEG was co-founded in partnership with the University of Leeds.

Luciana Silva

Assistant Professor at UFMG

With a PhD in Language and Technology, Luciana researches English language teaching materials, AI in didactic production, and teacher roles in virtual education.

Luciana coordinates projects in online language teaching and distance learning, and has experience in both basic education and distance education at Federal University of Minas Gerais.

Dr María Soledad Ramírez-Montoya

Benemerita Escuela Normal de Coahuila

María Soledad Ramírez-Montoya has a PhD in Philosophy and Educational Sciences. She is Chair of the UNESCO and ICDE ‘Open Education Movement for Latin America’ which uses networks, training, production and research initiatives to mobilise for open education.

In her academic activities, Dr. Ramírez-Montoya trains talent for education with an emphasis on innovation and educational entrepreneurship.

Professor Damian Ward

Dean of Hertfordshire Business School

Professor Ward is passionate about delivering a transformational educational experience for the school’s global population of students, within a research rich environment which supports student learning and the development of professional practice by attaining the challenging ambition of testing tomorrow’s ideas today. He has worked in a number of UK business schools and is a recognised authority on the teaching of business economics and applied business economic research, having authored one of the leading European textbooks on Economics for Business. With a wealth of experience teaching on in-company degrees for major global brands, including the BBC and Emirates Airlines, Professor Ward connects learning to real management problems. In research, Professor Ward has applied economic models and big data analysis techniques to contemporary issues in financial economics. His work has been cited by The World Bank and he acted as an advisor to the UK Financial Services Authority.

Aaron Wijeratne

Director of Academic Services at Boundless Learning

Aaron Wijeratne is an accomplished higher education leader. Before stepping into his current leadership role, Aaron built a strong foundation as an educator and a senior lecturer in leadership, designing and teaching courses on organizational leadership and management.

Through his blend of academic expertise and forward-thinking leadership, Aaron continues to shape the future of online higher education, with particular focus on online programme management. He is dedicated to driving innovations that expand access to quality education and foster an environment where academic excellence thrives.

Anna Wood

Anna Wood is currently Pro Vice-Chancellor (UAL Online) at University of the Arts London where she has developed an in-house online learning capability to design and launch a range of accredited online courses in the creative industries.

She has spent the last decade helping to transform access to higher education and bridge academic excellence and commercial success. Her previous roles included Managing Director for online education at Cambridge University Press and Executive Director of Online and Professional Education at King's College London.