Speakers

Raya Bidshahri is a serial entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and award-winning educator. She is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of School of Humanity, an online high school that offers a personalized curriculum centered around global challenges. Raya collaborates with public and private education providers globally to develop education systems that better serve the needs of today’s world.

School of Humanity is an award-winning online high school where learners develop their knowledge and skills by having a positive impact on the world. Licensed in the United States, the school is internationally accredited by the Western Association of Schools & Colleges. School of Humanity replaces exams with real-world projects and offers an interdisciplinary curriculum. With learners and alumni from over 45 countries across 5 continents, it is designed to be the High School for the World.

Originally from Iran, Raya grew up in Dubai and completed her degree in Neuroscience at Boston University. She then decided to pursue her mission of reimagining education.

Raya has spoken at more than 60 conferences in over 15 countries, including COP28, the World Government Summit, Expo 2020, EduTech Asia, the G20/Y20 Summit, the Global Education Forum, and the GESS Summit. She has been sharing her expertise as a keynote speaker for over 14 years, bringing a much-needed forward-looking perspective to discussions about the future of education.

Raya was the main award winner for the Next Generation Foresight Practioner’s Award, organized by the School of International Futures. Raya was listed in Forbes 30 under 30 class of 2025 (North America), in the Education Category. Featured by the BBC as one of the most influential and inspiring women globally, Raya is a global thought leader on the future of education.

Social Handles

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayabidshahri/

Twitter: @raya_bid

Instagram: @rayabid

Website: https://rayabidshahri.com/

Dr Anne Cotton has been Head at King’s College School, Wimbledon, since 2022. Anne studied Classics at Oxford, where she returned for her postgraduate study after a spell working in London. Her doctoral research focused on learning in Plato’s dialogues, and her book, Platonic Dialogue and the Education of the Reader, was published by Oxford University Press in 2014.  She also holds an MA in Education.

After discovering her love of teaching through volunteering in her local primary school, Anne began her teaching career in the maintained sector, before moving to Magdalen College School in Oxford, where she held both pastoral and academic responsibilities and became Deputy Head. She joined The Portsmouth Grammar School as Head in 2018, and took up her post at King’s College School Wimbledon in 2022 as the school’s first permanent female Head.

A strong advocate for partnership working, Anne has been involved in community engagement initiatives throughout her career, and served as a member of HMC’s newly formed Public Benefit and Partnerships Committee. She was director of Oxford Festival of the Arts for a number of years, working alongside cultural organisations and businesses as well as launching a partnerships programme with local schools, before becoming Chair of Ports Fest, Portsmouth’s annual festival celebrating young people and the arts. At Magdalen College School, she led the school’s community engagement programme, and in is a strong supporter of King’s collaborative work with around 50 local schools as part of the Wimbledon partnership, including a recent partnership with Harris Academy Wimbledon. A member of the board of the King’s group of international school, Anne has a keen interest in the educational value of international partnership work.

Married to a musician, Anne has two school-age children, and enjoys enthusiastic family music-making and cooking.

An experienced and dynamic leader, Tom is deeply committed to placing students at the heart of every decision. With a passion for fostering a positive school culture and a belief in the power of character education, he champions kindness, collaboration, and innovation.

Before joining Dubai College, Tom spent eight years in senior leadership at Aiglon College, Switzerland, where he successfully led transformative change, specifically overseeing the day-to-day running of the school and the philosophy of learning at the prestigious institution. Prior to that, he was Assistant Head at Jerudong International School, Brunei, and authored the Cambridge Resource Guide for Theory of Knowledge.

Tom believes in inspiring students and staff to pursue knowledge, question assumptions, and think independently. Holding an MBA in Educational Leadership (International) from UCL and a degree in History and Politics from the University of Nottingham, Tom is a firm advocate of holistic education and is committed to applying the ideas of Aristotle and Marcus Aurelius to the future of education to ensure that academic excellence goes hand in hand with personal growth.

Joe Garner is a former FTSE 100 CEO and experienced business leader known for delivering lasting success with humanity and purpose, particularly during times of significant change. He now advises Chief Executives across the public and private sectors and recently led the UK Government’s Future of Payments Review, helping shape the National Payments Vision.

Joe previously held senior roles at Procter & Gamble, Dixons/Currys and HSBC, where he led the UK retail bank through the 2008 financial crisis. He later became CEO of Openreach, leading the rollout of superfast broadband to over 90% of UK homes, and CEO of Nationwide Building Society, guiding the organisation through Brexit and COVID.

He is also author of 52 Hard Learned Lessons for Leaders.

Dr Simon Hyde became HMC’s General Secretary (CEO) in September 2020 following nine years as Head of the King’s School in Macclesfield. Much of Dr Hyde’s career has involved transformational change, not least his leadership of the King’s School’s 2020 vision to relocate the split-site diamond school in one of the UK’s largest school improvement projects.

At HMC, Dr Hyde’s tenure has seen root and branch reform of the association’s governance as well as significant structural changes such as the creation of an education team, of HMC networks for senior leaders, new committees, a corporate partnership programme and substantial investment in member support. The international division (founded in 1921) has almost doubled in size and new membership categories have been introduced reflecting the changing nature of HMC’s schools.
Dr Hyde read history at Oxford before completing a doctorate on mid-nineteenth-century Prussia. He serves on a number of educational boards including the Independent Schools Council.

HMC (the Heads’ Conference) was founded in 1869 as the world’s first association for Headteachers. Originally UK-based, an international division was established in 1921 and now forms part of a thriving community of Heads in a truly global association with over 400 members schools and almost 400,000 students. Our members are distinguished by their commitment to academic excellence and a holistic education, encompassing diverse school types: boarding/day, single sex/co-educational, not-for-profit/for-profit, and offering both national and international qualifications. HMC networks offer support and professional development to over 4,000 school leaders across the world.

Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE is a recognised and respected thought-leader, voted the most influential woman in tech in the UK of 2020 by Computer Weekly, is featured among the top 50 women in tech, globally, by Forbes Magazine and served as President of the British Science Association from 2022-2023. She was also the temporary Arithmetician for 60 episodes on Channel 4’s Countdown, the world’s longest-running game show, and serves as the Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University, Co-Chair of the Institute for the Future of Work and Chair of UD Music Foundation. Her first book She’s In CTRL was published in September 2022.

In 2017, Anne-Marie was Awarded an MBE for services to young women and STEM sectors, and has been awarded Honorary Doctorates from the Open University, Glasgow Caledonian University, Kent University, Bristol University, Coventry University, Royal Holloway, University of London & Bath University as well as an Honorary Fellowship at Keble College, Oxford. She is a sought after media commentator with media appearances on Sky news, The BBC and Bloomberg to name but a few.

In 2025 she became the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Women in Tech Envoy, co-chairing a Taskforce with the Secretary of State.

Kate Ingamells is Headteacher of The Grange School and the first woman to lead the school in its almost 100-year history. With more than twenty-five years’ experience in international education across the United Kingdom, France, Kenya, Mauritius, and Chile, she has held senior leadership roles spanning academic development, pastoral care, sport, and whole-school strategy.

Having joined The Grange in 2022 as Head of Upper Prep before becoming Head of Senior School, Kate took up the Headship in September 2025. She brings particular insight into bilingual education, values-driven leadership, and the opportunities and challenges of leading within a South American international school context. She previously served as Head of Prep and Vice-Principal at Northfields International School.

Her leadership philosophy centres on holistic education, strong relationships, and the development of young people with character, purpose, and integrity.

Captain David Marquet imagines a workplace where everyone engages and contributes their full intellectual capacity, a place where people are healthier and happier because they have more control over their work — a place where everyone is a leader. His compelling presentations deliver the powerful message that in highly effective organizations, leadership is not for the select few at the top.

A 1981 US Naval Academy graduate, Marquet served in the US submarine force for 28 years. After being assigned to command the nuclear-powered submarine USS Santa Fe — then ranked last in retention and operational standing — he realized the traditional leadership approach of “take control, give orders,” wouldn’t work. He “turned the ship around” by treating the crew as leaders, not followers, and giving control, not taking control. This approach took the Santa Fe from “worst to first,” achieving the highest retention and operational standings in the navy. It also created more subsequent leaders than any other submarine.

Calling himself a continuous student of leadership, Marquet is the bestselling author of three books: Turn the Ship Around, which was named Fortune magazine’s #1 must-read business book of the year and has been listed as one of the top 12 business books of all time by USA Today; Leadership is Language, which has been featured in the Wall Street Journal’s Top 10 bestselling business books list; and his forthcoming, Distancing: How Great Leaders Reframe to Make Better Decisions.
Marquet retired from the Navy in 2009, and now speaks to those who want to create empowering work environments that release the passion, initiative, and intellect of each person. His bold and highly effective framework is summarized as “give control, create leaders.” He was named one of the top 100 leadership speakers by Inc. magazine.

Marquet is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and in 2015 was named to the American Management Association’s “Leaders to Watch” list.

Jenny Mosley is a teacher trainer, author, drama -therapist, businesswoman all rolled into one! She is the founder of the Quality Circle Time Model (QCT) for schools. Based in the UK, with 45 years of experience of working in schools, Jenny has developed her ‘Quality Circle Time Golden Model’ for Early Years, Primary and Secondary schools. The model interweaves the key ideas of promoting staff and pupil wellbeing, listening systems, positive behaviour, respectful relationships and calmer playtimes. With the aim of creating safe learning communities where all children and adults feel valued, respected and listened to, Jenny’s ‘Five Wells for Wellbeing’ were adopted by the National College for Teaching and Leadership, UK. Joy and fun strongly feature in all her training workshops. Play is understood by Jenny to be an important way for adults and children to learn.

In 2026, Taylor and Francis will be releasing updated and newly researched versions of Jenny’s key books for Primary and Secondary Schools. Current educational issues, recent research and Jenny’s ideas for what’s needed in these current times have meant that the original titles have been changed to Early Intervention Through Circles of Support – Promoting Social Skills, Friendships and Mental Health for Children with Additional Needs, A Primary Circle Approach to Supporting Oracy, Wellbeing, and Inclusive Relationships: Making Time to Listen and A Circle Approach to Boosting Emotional Wellbeing and Relationships in the Secondary School: Making Time to Listen. The four 101 Games books – to boost Self-esteem, Positive Behaviour, Social Skills and Activities to Help Children Get On Together have also been updated and are being rereleased in 2026.

Dr Jo Saxton CBE had led the national university admissions service since 2024. Prior to UCAS Jo held a Crown Appointment, serving as Chief Regulator of Qualifications for England from 2021. Jo brings a decade of experience in school leadership to the role. She has been an education advisor to successive governments and was formerly an academic. Jo was awarded a CBE for services to education in 2024.

Jo is a Trustee of STAR, the schools group.

Jo is a published author, and holds qualifications from universities in England and the USA.

Louise Simpson is the CEO of the British School in the Netherlands, a large muitl-site school of almost 2000 pupils in The Hague, where she has been since the start of the 2025/26 academic year. A member of HMC since 2014, Louise has led schools in London, Exeter and Sao Paulo, and hence has both UK and global experience. She is a board member in two UK HMC schools, and also a member of the ISTIP teacher induction panel.

An environmental scientist and lover of the outdoors, Louise has championed the development of character in her school settings, and has worked in both IB and A level curriculum contexts.

Dr Daniel Susskind is a writer and economist. He explores the impact of technology, and particularly AI, on work and society. He is the Mercers’ School Memorial Professor of Business at Gresham College. He is also a Digital Fellow at the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, a Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Ethics in AI at Oxford University, an Associate Member of the Economics Department at Oxford University, and a Research Professor at King’s College London. He is a member of the UK Government’s Expert Panel on AI and the Future of Work.

His new book, Growth: A Reckoning (2024), was chosen by President Obama as one of his ‘Favourite Books of 2024’ and was a runner-up for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year 2024. He is also the author of A World Without Work (2020), described by The New York Times as “required reading for any potential presidential candidate thinking about the economy of the future” and a runner-up for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year 2020, and co-author of the best-selling book, The Future of the Professions (2015). His TED Talk, on the future of work, has been viewed more than 1.7 million times. His next book, What Should My Children Do? How to Flourish in the Age of AI, will be published in 2026.

Previously he worked in various roles in the British Government – in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, in the Policy Unit in 10 Downing Street, and in the Cabinet Office. He was a Kennedy Scholar at Harvard University.