Shafika Isaacs is Chief of Section for Technology and AI in Education at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. As an international specialist in digital learning, AI, and education, she has spent the past two and a half decades on building communities, coaching professionals, and leading global, regional and national digital learning initiatives.

She also serves as Professor of Practice at the University of Johannesburg, has contributed to UNESCO’s AI Competency Framework for Teachers, advised UNICEF on AI and children, and led research on AI in African primary education systems with the LINK Center at Wits University. She has supported national, local, and global organizations on digital learning policy and large-scale education programs. As the Founding Executive Director of SchoolNet Africa, she helped pioneer equitable, justice-driven integration of technology in African schools across 16 African countries. She has served on multiple governance boards, earned prestigious leadership awards, and published widely on digital education.

Shafika holds a PhD in Education, an Executive MBA with distinction, and a Master’s degree in science and technology policy.

Andreas Schleicher is Director for Education and Skills at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). He initiated and oversees the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and other international instruments that have created a global platform for policy-makers, researchers and educators across nations and cultures to innovate and transform educational policies and practices.

He has worked for over 20 years with ministers and education leaders around the world to improve quality and equity in education. Former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said that Schleicher “understands the global issues and challenges as well as or better than anyone I’ve met, and he tells me the truth” (The Atlantic, July 11).  UK Secretary of State Michael Gove called Schleicher “the most important man in English education” – even though he is German and lives in France.

Before joining the OECD, he was Director for Analysis at the International Association for Educational Achievement (IEA). He studied Physics in Germany and received a degree in Mathematics and Statistics in Australia. He is the recipient of numerous honours and awards, including the “Theodor Heuss” prize, awarded in the name of the first president of the Federal Republic of Germany for “exemplary democratic engagement”.  He holds an honorary Professorship at the University of Heidelberg.

Charles is a global education thought leader and author, futurist, and inventor at the forefront of preparing educators for the Age of AI. Fadel is the founder and chairman of Center for Curriculum Redesign, project director Harvard Graduate School of Education, chair of the education committee at Business at OECD (BIAC), and a member of the OECD’s Experts Group on AI Futures. He co– authored four books: Education for the Age of AI (2024), Artificial Intelligence in Education, Four-Dimensional Education (translated into 23 languages), and the best-selling 21st Century Skills. He is the founder of Fondation Helvetica Education (Geneva, Switzerland) and the founder of the ahead-of-its-time startup Neurodyne AI thirty years ago. Formerly he was Global Education Lead at Cisco Systems, a visiting scholar at Massachusetts Institute of Technology ESG and The Wharton School/Penn CLO, a member of the President’s Council at Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, and an angel investor with Beacon Angels.

Fadel is a highly sought-after speaker who has keynoted at numerous prestigious events and before organizations such as the World Economic Forum, UNESCO, The World Bank, OECD – OCDE, TEDX, International Baccalaureate, and Google TechTalk.

As founder of the Center for Curriculum Redesign, he is committed to transforming education for the 21st century. His 25-year high-tech career, combined with education consulting experience in over 30 countries spanning the education continuum of K-12 schools, higher education, and workforce development/lifelong learning, provides a unique perspective on AI integration in classrooms.