David GOMEZ i MAUREL
David is currently working as a project manager at Tèxtils.CAT, the Catalan cluster for advanced textiles’ materials. His expertise is built up by his involvement in EU funded programs, mainly Erasmus+, targeted to the Catalan textile environment. By involving industry and academy, the cluster and its initiatives match all stakeholders in common goals such as the green transition for this sector. He is former president of the largest non-formal education institution for youth in Catalonia.
Stefaan HERMANS
Stefaan is Director of Policy Strategy and Evaluation in the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture at the European Commission. He was Head of Cabinet of the Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility Marianne Thyssen in the Juncker Commission. Previous posts include Head of the ‘Universities and Researchers’, ‘Skills’, and ‘Reflective Societies’ Units in DG Research and Innovation, and Secretary of the Employment Committee of the European Union. He also lectures on EU Affairs at the KU Leuven.
Shannon KOBRAN
Shannon is the Head of Education and Training at the SDG Academy, the flagship education initiative of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Prior to joining SDSN, Shannon worked for a NYC-based nonprofit that promotes global citizenship through cultural exchange between international students and local communities. She has also worked with the UN Development Programme (UNDP), evaluating and revising the pilot of UNDP’s award-winning Leadership Development Pathway, an online training program aimed at improving the performance of UNDP managers worldwide.
Magí LLUCH-ARIET
Magí is Data Manager at EIT Health, a prestigious Knowledge and Innovation Community of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). He is the coordinator of SkillSync (a tool for upskilling and fostering innovation) within the EIT AI Community. Magí was professor at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and researcher on Personalised Computational Medicine. He founded and served as CEO at an SME located at the Barcelona Science Park, contributing to advancements in clinical decision support systems. His expertise encompass personalised computational medicine, distributed systems, and eHealth.
Simon ROY
Simon leads the Higher Education Policy Team in the OECD’s Directorate for Education and Skills. The OECD work programme on HE currently focuses on the issues of resourcing HE, the impact of digitalisation on HE and adapting HE provision in the face of evolving demand for upskilling and reskilling, including the development of non-degree credentials. Projects in the team often include a combination of international evidence reviews, comparative analysis of policies, practice and international data, international peer learning and the development of system-specific recommendations. Micro-credential implementation, financing, widening access and study success in HE, and quality assurance are also key areas of work of his team.
Gemma TEJEDOR-PAPELL
Gemma Tejedor is a junior lecturer at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and a researcher at the Institute of Sustainability Science and Technology (ISST-UPC) on projects related to education for sustainability in higher engineering education. She holds a PhD in Sustainability from the UPC, focusing on transdisciplinary learning for sustainability in higher engineering education. She teaches sustainability at UPC and transdisciplinarity in the Master in Science and Technology of Sustainability, coordinated by the ISST-UPC. Gemma studied Agricultural and Forestry Engineering and worked as a forestry engineer for about 17 years, both in the public and private sector and in cooperation projects in Latin America
Annemieke VAN BARNEVELD-BIESMA
Annemieke is Manager of Strategic Partnerships for Lifelong Learning (LLL) at Wageningen University & Research (NL). She coordinates the Dutch Human Capital Agenda for a biobased circular economy, collaborating with universities, institutions, companies, and government to drive the shift from fossil fuels to sustainable sources. Previously, she advised the Dutch Universities Association on LLL, securing a €392M fund to enhance partnership. Earlier, she consulted on education, labour, and human capital policy at Technopolis Group, Ecorys, and others.