Helsinki Education Capital

Jennifer Adams

Editor-in- Chief, Signature Leadership by Knowledgehook

Jennifer completed an eight-year term as the Director of Education (Superintendent) for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board in Ontario Canada, serving a diverse student population of 73,000 across 150 elementary and secondary schools. She is a former superintendent of curriculum, elementary school principal, and French teacher. Jennifer earned her doctorate in educational administration from the University of Toronto/OISE, Canada.

Jennifer has served as the Chair of the Informal Advisory Group for the OECD Survey on Social and Emotional Skills and is currently on the Executive Committee for Karanga: The Global Alliance for Social Emotional Learning and Life Skills. She is the Chair of the Board of Governors at the University of Ottawa.

Michael Stevenson

Senior Consultant, OECD High Performing Systems for Tomorrow

Michael Stevenson is Senior Consultant, OECD High Performing Systems for Tomorrow. HPST brings together British Columbia (Canada), Estonia, Finland, Germany, Singapore, Australia and the United Kingdom to develop new education purposes, policies and practices in support of human flourishing in an AI world.

He also co-leads a major research project on learning ecosystems in Latin America, Africa and India. And he is orchestrating a Talent and Innovation Ecosystem in Doncaster, where he was brought up.

Michael founded and co-chairs the Global Education Leaders Partnership. He has led education at Cisco Systems and the BBC.

Olli-Pekka Heinonen

Director General, International Baccalaureate

Mr Heinonen most recently served as the Director General of the Finnish National Agency for Education. Prior to leading the National Agency for Education, Mr Heinonen held various positions in the Finnish Government, including State Secretary and Minister of Education and Science, as well as senior commercial roles in the Finnish National Broadcasting Company.

Widely recognised globally in education, Mr Heinonen brings a wealth of experience and knowledge of educational systems development and innovation to the IB. He is engaged actively with the OECD and other international organisations in contributing views on the future of education, including the sharing of best practice, personalised and lifelong learning, the impact of technology and the development of educators.

Karen Edge

Academic, University College London, United Kingdom

Dr. Karen Edge has worked as an educator, researcher and advisor for over 25 years. Karen’s work demonstrates an unwavering commitment to promoting equality and justice by drawing on local and global evidence to drive change. Karen is an academic at UCL Institute of Education having also served as UCL’s Pro-Vice Provost (International) from 2016-19. She has led collaborative research projects in 30+ countries exploring leadership, teacher motivation, retention, generational theory and system-level change. Recognized for fusing theory, practice and humor, Karen is a globally sought-after keynote speaker. She has delivered keynotes across 25+ countries on leadership, wellbeing, diversity, networks, innovation and professional development.

Joanne McEachen

CEO and Founder, The Learner First

Joanne (Waitaha, Ngāti Māmoe, and Ngāi Tahu) is a celebrated author, speaker, change leader, and executive coach. Her 30+ years of experience span time as a teacher, principal, Ministry of Education leader in New Zealand, and now a globally recognized pioneer in the fields of educational assessment and well-being. Joanne founded Kia Kotahi Ako Charitable Trust, is on the Executive Committee for Karanga: The Global Alliance for Social Emotional Learning and Life Skills, on the Education New Zealand: North America Advisory Board, an Edmund Hillary Fellow, a Fellow of Salzburg Global Seminar, and co-founder of New Pedagogies for Deep Learning (NPDL).

Dominic Regester

Director, Education, Salzburg Global Seminar

Dominic Regester is director of education and director of the Center for Education Transformation at Salzburg Global Seminar, where he is responsible for designing, developing and implementing programs on the futures of education, with a particular focus on social and emotional learning, education leadership, regenerative education, and education transformation. Prior to this he worked for the British Council for 14 years on global citizenship education, teacher professional development, and education collaboration. He works on a broad range of projects across education policy, practice, transformation, and international development, including as a director at the Amal Alliance, as a senior editor for Diplomatic Courier, and as an advisor to the Learning Economy Foundation.

Marjo Kyllönen

Development Service Director, Helsinki Education Division, Finland

Marjo Kyllönen works as the Development Service Director for the City of Helsinki. Helsinki’s Education Division serves over 160,000 people at different stages on their learning journey, from early childhood education to adult education. Before this, she led the city’s Basic Education unit (grades 1-9) and worked as a primary school and early childhood education teacher. Kyllönen has a PhD in Education and a Master’s degree in primary and early childhood education. She serves on various national committees focusing on core curriculums, student welfare, and learning assessments. BBC named her Educator of the month in Dec 2015, and she has presented at TEDx talks in Hamburg and Vilnius. She is interested in multicultural issues and Future School concepts.

Johanna Laisaari

Helsinki Deputy Mayor, Education and Training

Johanna Laisaari is a child rights lawyer from East Helsinki, a deputy judge and the Deputy Mayor of Helsinki for Education and a mother of three children. In the last government term, Laisaari served as secretary general of the national children’s strategy.

For Laisaari, it is important to highlight the rights of the child and the participation of children and young people. A child-friendly municipality is not only a matter of her heart but also at the core of her professional skills.

Satu Järvenkallas

Executive Director, Education Division, City of Helsinki

Satu Järvenkallas, as the Executive Director of Education Division, oversees operations and administration from early childhood to adult education, serving over 200,000 learners and 14,500 professionals citywide. With a background as an early childhood education teacher and Head of Early Childhood and Pre-Primary Education, she has solid experience in pedagogics and organisational development. Through the Blomberg-Harvard Leadership program, she improved her leadership and collaboration skills for urban development. She’s also a board member on the Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, and an active member in the city-wide Education 2030 program. Järvenkallas emphasises the well-being in education and sustainability, stating, “We value learning and growth, aiming to foster creativity and boldness in our future experts.”

Andreas Schleicher

Director for Education and Skills, OECD

Andreas Schleicher is Director for Education and Skills, and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the Secretary-General at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris. 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.

Shelley Montgomery

Superintendent, Co-Lead for New Pedagogies for Deep Learning, Ottawa Catholic School Board

Shelley Montgomery serves as the Superintendent of Education at the Ottawa Catholic School Board. She oversees Elementary Student Success, Early Years, Virtual (gr.1-8), and Literacy and Math (K-6) programs. With a wealth of experience as a principal in both small and large schools, Shelley holds a Master’s degree in International School Leadership and has taught a range of grade levels from Kindergarten to Grade 10, including Kindergarten, French and Special Education.

Anthony Mackay

Board Chair, National Center on Education and the Economy, Washington DC

Anthony is Board Co Chair and immediate past CEO and President of the National Center on Education and the Economy, Washington DC. He is CEO of the Centre for Strategic Education, Melbourne, Australia and Co Chair of the national project, Learning Creates Australia. Anthony is immediate past chair of the Australian Council for Educational Research, Deputy Chancellor Swinburne University, Visiting Professor, Bolton University, UK. & Adjunct Professor Southern Cross University . Anthony is an expert advisor to OECD and is moderator of the annual International Summit on the Teaching Profession. He is Consultant Advisor to Digital Promise’s Global Cities Education Network.