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). Former 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.

Dr. Yuhyun Park is the founder of Digital Intelligence (DQ), globally standard for digital literacy, skills, and readiness established by the IEEE Standards Association, endorsed by the OECD, IEEE, and World Economic Forum, and used by over 100 countries worldwide. Dr. Park led #DQEveryChild, a global initiative to promote digital citizenship for children, which has reached over 80 countries with support from more than 100 partner organizations. She also developed the Child Online Safety Index, the first global metric to track national progress in children’s online safety, redefining approaches to child protection online. A renowned expert in digital skills and safety, she has been recognized as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, Ashoka Fellow, and Eisenhower Fellow, along with receiving multiple international awards

ADB

Tetsushi Sonobe is the Dean and CEO of the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), the Tokyo-based think tank of the Asian Development Bank that promotes the realization of a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific through policy research and capacity building. 
Dean Sonobe obtained his PhD in economics from Yale University and BA in economics from the University of Tokyo. His research interests are centered on the roles of economic agglomeration, human and social capital, management practices, and market competition in economic development, climate action, and global governance.
Before joining ADBI in April 2020, Dean Sonobe served as the vice president of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), a public policy school in Tokyo, and taught economics for thirty years at Tokyo Metropolitan University and GRIPS. In 2023, he served as the chair of Think7, the think tank engagement group of G7 Japan. He is also recipient of the Nikkei Book Publication Prize and the Masayoshi Ohira Memorial Prize, and the vice president of the Japanese Association for Development Economics (JADE)

Alexandre Laure is a Senior Private Sector Specialist at the Finance, Competitiveness, and Innovation Global Practice of the World Bank and is currently responsible for coordinating private sector activities in Indonesia and Timor-Leste. He focuses on attracting investments, improving the business environment, and fostering green and digital technology. He has led various projects and reforms to support and finance small and growth-oriented businesses in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Before joining the World Bank, Alexandre founded, as a clean technology entrepreneur in East Africa, two innovative startups that focused on waste recycling and renewable energy. He started his career in telecom finance, strategy, and the French diplomatic service.

Head of Public Sector Policy of Amazon Web Services (AWS) for Asia-Pacific & Japan

César A. Hidalgo is a Chilean-Spanish-American scholar who holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Notre Dame and is well known for his contributions to economic complexity and applied artificial intelligence.

Hidalgo is a Professor at the Toulouse School of Economics and head of the Center for Collective Learning (CCL), a multidisciplinary research laboratory with offices in Toulouse and at Corvinus University of Budapest. Prior to moving to Europe, Hidalgo led MIT’s Collective Learning group and was a research fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Hidalgo’s contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including the 2018 Lagrange Prize.

Deputy Coordinating Minister for Basic Infrastructure

Assistant Secretary, Assessment Branch, National Interest Framework Division

Jiangfeng Zhang is the Director of East and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Team; Agriculture, Food, Nature, and Rural Development Sector Office; Sectors Group of Asian Development Bank (ADB). Since joining ADB in 2002 to date, he has been leading and supporting the development, design, and implementation of agriculture, natural resources, and rural development sector projects covering countries in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central and West Asia, and the Pacific. His current focus is on policy, institutional, financing, and technological supports to inclusive, climate resilient, and environmentally sustainable agriculture and rural development for enhanced agriculture competitiveness and food security in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Pacific countries. He holds a Doctorate in Agricultural and Resource Economics and a Master’s degree in Statistics from the University of California, Berkeley, USA.

Jacob Maina is a 34-year-old Forbes-listed tech leader dedicated to transforming the African agricultural landscape through data-driven solutions. He holds an MBA in Global Business and Sustainability (Social Entrepreneurship) from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Italy, and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Information Systems and Technology at the United States International University Africa. He earned his first degree in Technology Project Planning and Management from Moi University, Kenya, and is also a certified AI engineer.

Deputy for System and Governance of the National Nutrition Agency

Former Director of Business Development and Portfolio Management, ID FOOD and Author of “Pangan Indonesia”

Andini Weningtyas Effendi is a multi-award-winning independent journalist and documentarian with a diverse background. She began her career in modeling, becoming a finalist in the Elite Look Model competition (1999) and the Wajah Femina competition (2000).

Since 2003, Andini has excelled in journalism, earning two Asian Television Awards for Best Current Affairs Presenter (2019, 2020) and the Elizabeth O'Neill Journalism Award from the Australian government (2019).

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Andini is committed to physical fitness, having completed endurance events such as the Paris Marathon (2018), Tromsø Midnight Sun Marathon (2019), and Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim (2022).