Guest Speakers
- in approximate alphabetical order
Simon Brown
Global Learning & Development Leader, EY
Simon Brown leads global Learning & Development at EY, scaling AI skills for 400,000 people in 150 countries; award-winning former Novartis CLO, bestselling author of The Curious Advantage, Senior Fellow at Hult Ashridge Business School, and member of the WEF CLO Community.
Simon is the Global Learning and Development Leader at EY, responsible for the development of EY’s 400,000 people. Previously he led the learning transformation at Lloyds Banking Group in the UK, was a consultant at Accenture and was co-founder of learning developer BrightWave.
He started his career as an auditor at PwC. His hobbies include spending time with family and friends and struggling up the local Swiss mountain roads on his bike.
Brandon Carson
Docebo, Chief Learning Officer
Brandon Carson has built scalable learning strategies across some of the world’s most complex and fast-moving organizations — from Fortune 50 giants to high-growth tech companies.
As Chief Learning Officer at Docebo, he helps organizations navigate the Age of AI, designing strategies and solutions that make learning a powerful driver of business impact and workforce growth. Previously, he led enterprise learning transformations at Starbucks, Walmart, Delta Air Lines, The Home Depot, and Microsoft, developing programs that reached millions of employees worldwide and delivered measurable gains in performance, retention, and readiness for change.
Brandon is also the founder of L&D Cares, a nonprofit community that provides free coaching, mentoring, and resources to thousands of learning professionals around the globe. He is the author of multiple books on the future of learning, a frequent keynote speaker at international conferences, and a trusted partner to leaders seeking to navigate disruption with clarity and purpose.
Anand Chopra-McGowan
Valence, Managing Director, Europe
Anand is an entrepreneur, researcher, and writer who has spent the last 15 years building and scaling startups that help make the world of work better.
Today Anand is MD, Europe and member of the Leadership Team of Valence, an enterprise AI company and the makers of Nadia, the most widely used AI coach in the Fortune 500.
Lucía Crespo
Telefónica, Chief Learning Officer
Lucía Crespo is Chief Learning Officer at Telefónica, leading the company’s global learning and leadership development strategy from Universitas, Telefónica’s corporate university. With over 20 years of experience across telecom, consulting, and executive education, she has driven the transformation of Universitas into a hybrid learning hub, reaching more than 25,000 employees annually.
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Passionate about talent development, corporate culture, and learning innovation, Lucía is also an Associate Professor at IE Business School and career advisor for master’s programs. Her approach blends inclusive leadership, lifelong learning, and the use of new technologies to prepare organizations and people for the future. She holds a degree in Electronic Physics, an MBA, and a postgraduate degree in Strategic Human Resources Management. Lucía enjoys sharing knowledge, connecting people, and building environments where everyone can thrive.
Lucia is also a very busy mother of three, who enjoys reading, cooking, running, doing yoga and above all, spending quality time with her husband, friends and family.
Katell Le Goulven
INSEAD, Adjunct Professor of Strategy
Katell Le Goulven is an Adjunct Professor of Strategy at INSEAD specializing in sustainability. With over 25 years of experience at the intersection of research and decision-making, she advises businesses, governments, foundations, and international organizations on sustainability policy and strategy.
At INSEAD, she directs the Hans Wahl Impact Entrepreneurship Programme and the Cartier Women’s Initiative Women’s Impact Entrepreneurship Programme and served as the founding Executive Director of the Hoffmann Global Institute for Business and Society (2018–2025).
Previously at UNICEF, she established the Policy Planning Unit to analyze global trends and guide organizational strategy, and she has held senior roles in governments, NGOs, and the United Nations, contributing to high-level commissions on the data revolution, sustainability, climate change and development, and global public goods.
Katell holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics, MSc degrees in Agricultural Economics and Tropical Agronomy, and an Engineering Degree.
Piers Lea
Learning Technologies Group, Chief Strategy Officer
Piers Lea is an entrepreneur and thought leader in workplace learning. He started his own business in 1989 and after 25 bootstrapped years, he joined forces with his main competitor. This created a 200 people business, based in London, Brighton and Sheffield - Learning Technologies Group which listed on the AIM public market. 12 years later the business now employs 5,000 people in 35 countries. In 2025 the business was taken private with funding from General Atlantic.
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Having reduced his official time working for the business to 2 days/month covering board meetings and chairing the Exec Team meetings, Piers is focusing on establishing a project called Systems Leadership Through Nature. To achieve this he is working with Katell Le Goulven, Adjunct Professor of Strategy at INSEAD, IINSEAD, GP Strategies, The Whitley Fund for Nature (network of 220 conservation leader winners in 80 countries) and Open Planet- a not-for-profit linked to Silverback Films - often cited as the Hollywood of global nature film-making.
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He is looking for organisations to market test the concept with, in the coming weeks and will say more about this on Day 2 of the Nyenrode meeting.
Elliot Masie
Masie Learning Foundation Chair
Elliott Masie is a provocative, engaging, and entertaining researcher, educator, analyst, and speaker - focused on the changing world of the workplace, learning, and technology. Elliott is acknowledged as the first analyst to use the term eLearning and has advocated for a sane deployment of learning and collaboration technology as a means of supporting the effectiveness and profitability of enterprises.
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He heads the MASIE Learning Foundation based in Saratoga Springs, NY and Dublin, Ireland focused on how organizations can support learning and knowledge within the workplace.
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He is the editor of eNOTES by Elliott Masie and a regular columnist in professional publications, including CLO Magazine. He is the author of 12 books, including the ASTD/MASIE Center’s Big Learning Data and recent eBooks on “Learning Pivots” and “Empathy”.
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Elliott' is also a TONY Nominated Broadway Producer of over 44 shows including Kinky Boots, Cabaeet, The Prom, Allegiance and Dan Lauria’s Just Another Day! Contact: Emasie@masie.com.
Lori Niles-Hofmann
8Levers, EdTech Strategist
I am an independent senior EdTech and AI strategist with 25 years of experience across international banking, management consulting, and marketing. This background gives me an unfiltered view of the EdTech ecosystem: what is theoretically possible, what is commercially viable, and what actually works in complex organisations.
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I am the author of The Eight Levers of EdTech Transformation and have created LinkedIn Learning courses taken by over 100,000 learners worldwide.
As a trusted adviser to global learning and talent leaders, I help organisations navigate ambiguity and large-scale change.
Through extensive EdTech implementations, I have developed data-driven methodologies and practical frameworks that enable learning functions to move beyond service delivery and operate as strategic growth engines.
I also advise EdTech and PeopleTech vendors, from early-stage start-ups to scale-ups, working on product vision, roadmap development, and go-to-market clarity, grounded in how learning functions actually operate.
In addition, I advise investors on EdTech opportunities, supporting due diligence, market assessment, and long-term value creation.
Pieter Schalkwijk
Kraft Heinz, Vice President People & Performance Europe & Pacific Developed Markets
Pieter Schalkwijk is Vice President, People & Performance for Europe and the Pacific at Kraft Heinz, a role he has held since January 2024.
With a decade at Kraft Heinz, he has built broad HR and Talent experience. He worked for Kraft Heinz in both the UK and the Netherlands, following an early career as a consultant at Accenture.
Pieter holds an MSc in Psychology and Financial Management from Tilburg University. He lives with his wife Meike and their three children, Hugo, Thomas, and Eva.
Nick van Dam
Nyenrode & McKinsey, Professor & Advisor
Nick is an internationally recognized thought leader, advisor, executive coach, researcher, facilitator, and best-selling (co-) author of more than 29 books on Leadership, Organizational Behavior, and Corporate Learning & Talent Management. Dr. van Dam has over 30+ years of business experience as a former Partner, Global Chief Learning Officer, HR Executive, and Client Advisor at Siemens, Deloitte and McKinsey. As an advisor or faculty, he has served over 100 clients around the world.
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He is Professor at Nyenrode and IE Business School, and a faculty at Harvard and The University of Pennsylvania. Nick is Director of the IE Business School, Center for Corporate Learning and Talent Management. Nick is an External Senior Advisor and Faculty member at McKinsey & Company.
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He has written numerous articles for various publications and has been quoted by Bloomberg Businessweek, The Financial Times, Fortune Magazine, Harvard Business Review, Times of India, Information Week, CLO Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal.
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Nick is the founder of the e-Learning for Kids Foundation which has provide over 30 million children with access to free digital learning.
Leaders around the world value his inspiring, engaging, and application-oriented teaching/facilitation style tremendously.
More information: www.nickvandam.com
