Jubum Na - Deputy Minister of Education

Jubum Na is Deputy Minister of Education since August 2022.

Prior to this appointment, he served as Director General of the Finance Innovation Department at the Ministry of Economy and Finance since May 2020, as well as Director General of Economics and Financial Policy at the Office of Prime Minister. He also served as Director at the Ministry of Economy and Finance for 10 years since 2009. Jubum Na graduated from Seoul National University, majoring in Business Management, in 1988.

Ola Borten Moe - Minister of Research and Higher Education

In Parliament he held the position as Minister of Petroleum and Energy from 2011 to 2013 and has served several standing committees, including the Committee on Energy and Environment, the Committee on Local Government and Public Administration, the Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs and Head of the Committee on Business and Industry.

He started his political carrier in 1995 in the City Council of Trondheim, the third largest city in Norway, where he held several positions, including head of the Centre Party fraction in the City Council.

João Costa - Minister of Education

João Costa was appointed Minister of Education in the XXIII Constitutional Government in March 2022. Prior to this, he served as Secretary of State for Education since 2015.

Until November 2015 he had been the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, at NOVA University Lisbon. He had been Chair of the Scientific Council for the Social Sciences and Humanities of the Foundation for Science and Technology until November 2015 and Chair of the Governing Board of the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (Talis) until March 2022.

João Costa is a Full Professor of Linguistics at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of NOVA University Lisbon. He holds a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Leiden, Netherlands and he has been a visiting researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. His main research interests are in formal linguistics, language acquisition and development and educational linguistics. João Costa’s work has been published in several books and contributed to over 100 articles and books.

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Tõnis Lukas - Minister of Education and Research

Tõnis Lukas is the Minister of Education and Research of the Republic of Estonia since 18 July 2022.

Prior to this, he served as a Minister of Education from 1999 to 2002 and again from 2007 to 2011, but also as the Minister of Culture from 2019 to 2021. He also held several high-level positions as an elected mayor of Tartu and Director of Estonian National Museum, and Estonian Literary Museum.

Tõnis Lukas graduated from the University of Tartu in history in 1987. He speaks Estonian, English, and French.

He was awarded with the 4th class of the Order of the National Coat of Arms in 2006 for his contribution to the restoration of Estonia's independence.

Li Andersson - Minister of Education

Li Andersson was appointed Minister of Education in Finland in June 2019.

She is the chairperson of the Left Alliance party, former chair of her party’s youth organization and current member of the City Council of Turku. She is serving her second term as a Member of Parliament. She was elected in Parliament in 2015.

Before and during her political career, Ms. Andersson has had numerous responsibilities in civil society organisations and trade unions. She has been a steady advocate for human rights, equality, civil society, as well as social and ecological sustainability. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences (international law) from Åbo Akademi University, which is the only exclusively Swedish language multi-faculty university in Finland.

Odysseas-Ioannis Zoras- Secretary General for Higher Education, Hellenic Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs

Between September 2019 and August 2022, Mr. Zoras was appointed president of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Open University (HOU). He has also been Rector of the University of Crete for three years (from 2016 to 2019). He was appointed Director of Surgical Oncology and Centre of Locoregional Chemotherapies at the Metropolitan Hospital. He is Honorary Doctor of the School of Health Sciences of Frederick University Cyprus and Guest Professor of Shanxi Medical University, China. Until 2021, Mr. Zoras covered the position of Head of the Department of Surgical Oncology at the University Hospital of Heraklion. Concerning his studies, Mr. Zoras attended the University of Glasgow and the University of Rochester Medical Center, New York.

Naoko Okamura - Assistant Minister, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)

Ms. Okamura Naoko is the Assistant Minister, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).

After joining the Science and Technology Agency (STA, currently overseen by MEXT) in 1990, Ms. Okamura held various positions including Counsellor of the Mission of Japan to the European Union (2008-2011); Counselor of the Office of Health and Medical Strategy in the Cabinet Secretariat; Director of the Atomic Energy Division of the Research and Development Bureau; Director of the Materials Science and Nanotechnology Division of the Research Promotion Bureau; Director of the Policy Division; and Deputy Director-General of the Space Development Strategy Headquarters of the Cabinet Office. She also currently serves as the Secretary-General of the Japanese National Commission for UNESCO, and as the Co-Chair of the Japan-U.S. Educational Commission (JUSEC).

Ms. Okamura earned a M.S. in Chemical Science and Engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, and studied at Cornell University, U.S.A., as a Fulbright grantee from 1996 to 1997, earning a Master of Professional Studies in International Development at Cornell University.

Hekia Parata - Former Minister of Education of New Zealand

Hekia Parata is the former Minister of Education for New Zealand, the Education Review Office and Qualifications Authority. While a Member of Parliament, 2008-2017, she was also Minister for Women, Pacific Island Affairs, Ethnic Affairs, Community and Voluntary sectors, Accident Compensation Commission, Energy and Resources.

Prior to Parliament Ms Parata led public policy in government departments, and served at the New Zealand Embassy, Washington, DC.

Ms Parata is inaugural Chair of the Ta Harawira Gardiner Centre for the Child, at the indigenous university, Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi.

As Special Advisor to her tribal group, Ngati Porou, Ms Parata is leading a culture and identity project to reconnect tribal members to their lands and traditional knoweldge, and revive ancestral trails that will form a continuous great walk around the East Cape of the North Island of New Zealand.

Thomas Friedman - Foreign affairs Op-Ed columnist, New York Times, Author, United States

Thomas L. Friedman is an internationally known author, reporter, and columnist; recipient of three Pulitzer Prizes; and author of seven best-selling books: From Beirut to Jerusalem; The Lexus and the Olive Tree; Longitudes and Attitudes; The World Is Flat; Hot, Flat, and Crowded; That Used to Be Us, which he co-wrote with Michael Mandelbaum and Thank you For Being Late: An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations. 

Friedman’s foreign affairs column in The New York Times, which he has written since 1995, reports on US domestic politics and foreign policy, Middle East conflicts, international economics, environment, biodiversity, and energy. He has been with The New York Times since 1981.

Jaak Aaviksoo- Former Minister of Education and Former Minister of Defence of Estonia

Jaak Aaviksoo graduated from University of Tartu in theoretical physics in 1976 and engaged in research in Estonia, Russia, Germany, Japan and France. He holds a PhD degree in physics and since 1994 is a member of the Estonian Academy of Science.

Since 1992 he was professor and vice-rector and later Rector of the University of Tartu and served as Minister of Education and Culture. He was elected to Estonian Parliament in 2007,2011 and 2015 and served as Minister of Defence and then Education and Research. In 2015 he was elected Rector of Tallinn University of Technology.

Jaak Aaviksoo has extensively participated in international education and research policy debates, particularly focusing on the effects of the advancement of information technology.

Currently a freelance consultant and columnist.

Susan Dynarski- Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education, United States

She earned an AB in Social Studies from Harvard, a Master of Public Policy from Harvard and a PhD in Economics from MIT.

She is a faculty research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Dynarski was selected as a Carnegie Fellow in 2020. The Association for Public Policy and Management awarded her the Spencer Foundation Award for excellence in research in 2017. The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators awarded her the Robert P. Huff Golden Quill Award for excellence in research on student aid. The Chronicle of Higher Education named her a "Top Ten Influencer" in 2015. She has written frequently for the New York Times.

She has served on the board of editors of the American Economic Journal/Economic Policy, The Journal of Labor Economics and Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. She has served on the board of the Association for Public Policy and Management. She is past president of the Association for Education Finance and Policy and Midwest Economics Association.

Dynarski’s research focuses on understanding and reducing inequality in education. She has consulted broadly with government agencies, school districts and state offices.

Celina Jepsen Faerch- Student, The University of Hong Kong

Celina is a 22-year-old University student from Denmark who has been part of OECD’s Education2030 project (E2030) since she was a high school student in 2017. She is the co-founder of E2030’s Student Advisory Group and the previous chair/leader of the project’s student group. She has represented the student voice both in and outside E2030 and led the first purely student-produced project output, the Sun Model of Co-Agency. Continuing to champion the inclusion of students in education policy-making processes she now supports E2030 as a consultant.

Celina is graduating in Spring 2023 with a major in Politics and a minor in Social Policy and Development from the University of Hong Kong with a special interest in data science, corporate ESG, and impact measurement. 

Olli-Pekka Heinonen- Director General of the International Baccalaureate Organization, Former Minister of Education Finland

Olli-Pekka Heinonen became the 8th Director General of the International Baccalaureate Organization in 2021.

Prior to this, Mr Heinonen was Director General of the Finnish National Agency for Education where he worked from January 2017.

Mr Heinonen had an active career in politics in Finland between 1994 and 2002: he was Minister of Education and Science from 1994-1999; Minister of Transport and Communication from 1999-2002 and a Member of Parliament from 1995-2002.

From 2002 to 2012, Mr Heinonen was Director of Yle, the Finnish national public broadcasting company, before joining the Finnish Prime Minister’s Office in March 2012 as State Secretary, responsible for organizing and leading the office. He has also been responsible, as State Secretary, for the portfolios of the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Development and then as State Secretary at the Ministry of Finance of Finland.

Mr Heinonen holds a Master of Laws from the University of Helsinki in Finland and has been awarded honorary doctorates by both the University of Jyväskylä and the University of Turku in Finland.

Geoff Mulgan- Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy and Social Innovation, University College London, United Kingdom

Sir Geoff Mulgan is Professor at University College London (UCL).  He was CEO of Nesta and the Young Foundation, director of the UK Government's Strategy Unit and head of policy in the Prime Minister's office.  He works with many governments around the world and has been closely involved in many fields of educational innovation, from new schools and university models to edtech.  Past books include ‘The Art of Public Strategy’ (OUP) and ‘Big Mind: how collective intelligence can change our world’ (Princeton UP).   His latest book ‘Another World is Possible: How to Reignite Social and Political Imagination’ is published by Hurst Publishers and Oxford University Press in June 2022.

Jacqueline Ottmann- President of First Nations University of Canada

Dr. Jacqueline Ottmann is Anishinaabe (Saulteaux) from Fishing Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan. Prior to her academic career, she was an elementary, high school teacher and principal. She remains an engaged scholar alongside her responsibilities as a senior academic leader. While at the University of Calgary, she was the Coordinator of the First Nations, Métis, Inuit undergraduate teacher education program, and Director of Indigenous Education Initiatives within the Werklund School of Education (WSE). She also co-chaired the WSE Indigenous Strategy, and alongside the Provost, the university-wide Indigenous Strategy.

After her time with the University of Saskatchewan as Professor and Vice-Provost Indigenous Engagement, she was appointed President of the First Nations University of Canada. Ottmann has been recognized as an international researcher, advocate, and change-maker whose purpose is to transform practices inclusive of Indigenous leadership, methodologies, and pedagogies. Jacqueline is driven to create schools and communities that foster a deeper sense of belonging and appreciation for Indigenous peoples – their histories, stories, ways of knowing and being. Ottmann is also the first Indigenous person to become President of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education.

Elsa Pilichowski- Director for Public Govenance, OECD

Elsa Pilichowski is the Director for Public Governance at the OECD, spearheading the Organisation’s efforts to support governments in building citizen trust and strengthening their democratic institutions through the OECD Reinforcing Democracy Initiative. She also leads the Directorate’s policy work on key governance issues such as budgeting, digital and open government, public procurement and infrastructure governance, better regulation, public sector integrity, public employment and furthering access to justice and achievement of the SDGs through the empowerment of youth, women and vulnerable groups.

Prior to taking up the Directorship, she held different positions within the Organisation including in the area of Public Governance, as well as Advisor and then Counsellor in the Office of the Secretary-General. A French and Canadian national, Ms Pilichowski holds a Master degree in Public Administration from Sciences Po in Paris (1994) and a Master degree in International Economics from Johns Hopkins University in Washington D.C. (1997).

Alain de Serres- Deputy Director of the Policy Studies Branch at the Economics Department, OECD

Alain de Serres is currently Deputy-Director in the OECD Economics Department, overseeing the Department’s work on the role and impact of institutional and policy settings in addressing economic challenges, such as weak productivity growth, income inequality, high debt levels and climate change mitigation.  He was recently Acting-Director of the Environment Directorate, overseeing the implementation of the Directorate’s programme of work over a broad range of environmental issues including green growth, climate change, biodiversity, quality of ecosystems, eco-innovation, circular economy and resource productivity. Before that, he has worked on the policy determinants of investment in knowledge-based capital, as well as on economic and financial resilience. Part of his work has been published in journals such as Economic Policy, European Economic Review, Environmental and Resource Economics and the Journal of Economic Geography. Alain is Canadian and before joining the OECD, has worked for many years at the Bank of Canada and the Ministry of Finance in Ottawa.  

Oon-Seng Tan- Director, Centre for Research in Child Development, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Professor Oon-Seng Tan is Director of the Centre for Research in Child Development at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He was a Yidan Visiting Global Fellow at Harvard University in 2019. In that same year Professor Tan was elected as a Fellow of the International Academy of Education. In 2022, Prof Tan was conferred the Nanyang Distinguished Alumni Award – the highest honor awarded in recognition of his outstanding achievements nationally and internationally. He was previously Director of the National Institute of Education (NIE) from 2014-2018 and Dean of Teacher Education at NIE from 2008-2014. He was President of the Educational Research Association of Singapore (ERAS, 2005-2008) and President of the Asia-Pacific Educational Research Association (APERA, 2008-2010). He has been a consultant to many government bodies and international organisations. 

Andria Zafirakou- Associate Deputy Headteacher, Alperton Community School, United Kingdom

Andria Zafirakou, a teacher at Alperton Community School in Brent, won $1 million when she was crowned the best teacher in the world.

Andria was born in north-west London to Greek-Cypriot parents and state-educated in Brent and Camden.   

She is an art and textiles teacher in Brent on the outskirts of London, one of the world’s most ethnically diverse places. She is passionate about education and changing the lives of young people and underserved communities through creativity.

She has worked her entire teaching career of 16 years at Alperton Community School as an Associate Deputy Headteacher.

Using the prize money awarded by the Global Teacher prize, Andria founded a charity called Artists in Residence (AiR) with an aim to improve arts education in schools.  

Andria has also been named in the top ten of The Evening Standard's 1000 Londoners List. She is a Culture Leader for the World Economic Forum as well as a member of their Global Future Leaders Council.  Andria sits on the Advisory board for the Cultural Leaders Alliance, Art UK and was the winner of the prestigious GIWA (Greek International Women's award) for Arts and Culture in 2021. She was recently awarded an Honorary degree Doctor of Letters ““Honoris Causa” from the University of Worcester and her debut and best selling book “Those who can, Teach” was published by Bloomsbury in April 2021.