I have been involved in education in one way or another for all my career. I started in the education section of the Architects Department of the Greater London Council before becoming a Special Needs Assistant at a secondary school while raising my family.

I continued working in the secondary sector in a variety of roles including helping set up and manage the School’s Maths and Computing Specialist School programme, community and family learning, International School Links, Education Business Partnership steering group member and I was instrumental in setting up a local confederation of schools. More recently I was the Learning Resource Centre Manager and Careers Coordinator. I am now a Multi Academy Trust Governor and chair of the Teaching and Learning Committee.

Phillip Hedger is the Chief Executive Officer of LEO Academy Trust, a leading multi-academy trust serving over 7,500 pupils across South West London and Surrey. He has led LEO since its formation in 2015 and was named CEO of the Year at the 2025 #MATExcellenceAwards for his leadership and national impact.

Phillip began his career in education in 2001 and has held senior roles across a range of school settings. He is a respected voice on school improvement, digital strategy, EdTech and inclusive education. A Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Educators, Freeman of the City of London and Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching, he also serves as Chair of Trustees at Sutton United Foundation. Phillip regularly contributes to educational thought leadership through Bett UK, LGfL, EdTech UK, the Foundation for Education Development (FED) and Challenge Partners.

Kelly Hannaghan is a Mental Health and Wellbeing Consultant, keynote speaker, and the Founder and Director of Mind Work Matters Ltd, a consultancy dedicated to placing wellbeing at the heart of education.

An award-winning speaker, school improvement adviser, and published author, Kelly works with schools, multi-academy trusts, local authorities, and education organisations to develop practical, evidence-informed strategies that improve leadership, wellbeing, attendance, inclusion, and outcomes for children and young people.

Kelly is an experienced trainer and coach for Senior Mental Health Leads and previously led the Department for Education’s Wellbeing for Education Return programme. Recognised by the Department for Education, the Anna Freud Centre, the National Children’s Bureau, and Education Support, she is regarded as one of the UK’s leading voices in mental health and wellbeing in education.

Kelly is also a recognised judge for a number of national education awards, bringing extensive expertise in innovation, school improvement, and educational excellence.

Sir Mark Grundy has been the CEO of Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust since 2007, after previously serving as the Principal of Shireland Collegiate Academy, the Trust’s founding school. He has also held the position of Executive Principal at both Shireland Collegiate Academy and George Salter Collegiate Academy.

Sir Mark has had a distinguished career in education and has been recognised with several prestigious awards and achievements. His career has included serving as an advisor to the West Midlands Regional Schools Commissioner from 2012 to 2022, and being knighted in 2006 for his contributions to education and technology. He was also awarded an honorary Doctorate from Birmingham City University in 2022. Sir Mark gained his Masters qualification from Loughborough University.

Sir Mark was inspired to become an educator because he wants students to have the best possible educational experiences. He strives to create a supportive and inclusive school environment for students, staff and families by valuing everyone and pushing for the very best – he believes that nothing less than outstanding is acceptable.

When he’s not at the Trust, Sir Mark enjoys collecting memorabilia and watching sports.

Professor Dr Ger Graus OBE is a renowned figure in the field of education – described as both “Jean-Jacques Rousseau meets Willy Wonka” and as “standing along Antoine de Saint Exupéry and Gianni Rodari as the best broadcasters of the children’s voice”. He was the first Global Director of Education at KidZania, the founding CEO of the Children’s University, and an Adjunct Fellow at the University of Adelaide, Australia. Ger is also a Professor of Practice at the University of Cumbria, United Kingdom, and a Member of the PhD Advisory Council at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy. Ger is a frequent keynote speaker at some of the world’s leading education conferences. Driven by his famous mantra that “Children can only aspire to what they know exists”, Ger champions the cause of equity, progress, purpose, creativity, and innovation in children’s learning and their futures.

Born in the Netherlands, Ger Graus moved to the United Kingdom in 1983 where he began his teaching career, later becoming a Senior Inspector, and Education Director.

Ger is a member of Bett’s Global Education Council, DIDAC India’s Advisory Board, and Junior Achievement’s Worldwide Global Council. He advises the Childbase Partnership’s Board and chairs their International Development Advisory Board, United Kingdom. He also chairs the Beaconhouse School System’s Advisory Board, Pakistan, and advises the Fondazione Reggio Children, Italy. Globally Ger supports a range of education start-ups. In 2018, he was invited to help shape the future of education in Dubai as a member of the Dubai Future Councils and in 2024, Ger was invited onto the Board of Trustees of the Sharjah Education Academy by Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qassimi, Ruler of Sharjah. In 2023, he joined the Global Teacher Prize Judging and the World’s Best School Prize Academies as a judge.

In the 2014 Queen’s Birthday Honours List Ger was made an Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to children, two years after he received an Honorary Doctorate from Staffordshire University, United Kingdom. In 2018 he received the Global Education Leadership Award at the World Education Congress, India and in 2022, he was granted the award of Iconic Leader Creating A Better World For All by the Women’s Economic Forum (WEF). The following year, in 2023, Ger was made a Companion of the Harry Volker Genootschap in The Netherlands. In 2025 and 2026, Ger was named Education Thought Leader of the Year by Acquisition International.

Ger’s professional autobiography, Through a Different Lens – Lessons from a Life in Education, was published by Routledge in 2025, in hardback, paperback and audio versions.

For further information please visit www.gergraus.com, contact consulting@gergraus.com or +44 795 887 6191.

Emma Darcy is Director of Technology for Learning at Denbigh High School in Luton, recognised as an EdTech 50 school and a UNESCO Digital Strategy Best Practice Case Study. For ten years she held the same role at Chiltern Learning Trust, culminating in 2024 with the trust winning the MAT Excellence Award for Digital Innovation. In 2021, Emma joined the BETT Advisory Board and won the Gold Pearson National Teaching Award for Digital Innovator of the Year. In 2023, Denbigh earned the Edufuturists Award for Secondary School of the Year and Emma received the Global EdTech Award for Most Impactful Senior Member of Staff. She is now a Trustee for Apps For Good, a Workstream Lead for the A.I. in Education initiative, a member of the Digital Futures Group and a judge for this year’s Bett Awards.

Paul is recently retired from being Director for Policy and UK Sales at Hachette Learning, one of the largest educational publishers in the UK, delivering teaching-and-learning solutions, assessment materials and professional development. Paul has spent almost 40 years working in journals and educational publishing, firstly at The Royal Society, then Collins Education, with a brief spell running his own consultancy business. Paul sat on the Board of the Educational Publishers Council and have worked as a trainer with Publishing Training Centre. He is also a school governor at a secondary school in east London.

Beverly Clarke MBE is an award-winning leader in education, committed to improving outcomes for all by expanding understanding of, and access to, technology and computing education.

Beverly is a tech education expert, published author, writer, speaker and trustee. She is also the founder and CEO of Technology Books for Children, a non-profit organisation that uses technology-themed books to help young people understand the digital world and see themselves reflected within it.

She contributed to the US-based AI4K12 initiative as a standards reviewer, supporting the development of guidance for artificial intelligence education in schools. Beverly has also served on the UK Government’s Task and Finish Group on AI, Digital and Technology.

Her previous roles include National Community Manager for Computing at School (CAS), part of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. In this role, she led, managed and delivered CAS’s community of practice programme as part of the government-funded National Centre for Computing Education, which provides teachers across England with the resources, training and guidance they need to teach computing with confidence.

In 2025, Beverly was named the 15th most influential woman in UK technology by Computer Weekly.

Andrea has worked in the education and publishing industries for over 30 years. In 2002 she founded educational publishing company Rising Stars specialising in the creation of books, digital content and online services for schools.  It grew to become one of the largest education publishing businesses in England and it was acquired by Hachette in 2015.  Andrea was BESA chairman from 2010-2013 during which time she oversaw the introduction of the BESA Launchpad service for fledgling edtech companies. She was awarded the BETT Outstanding Achievement Award in 2017.  Andrea continues to support a range of education technology businesses, is director of the Teacher Development Trust and is vice chair of Impact Multi Academy Trust in South London.

Gill Budgell is an educationalist who is highly experienced in UK and International markets. She is Co-Director of Frattempo Limited, which provides publishing and EdTech services and has done so for over 25 years. She is a specialist in Early Years and Primary publishing and an award-winning author and content provider. Gill is also a school governor and a MAT board trustee.