Sarah Hillyard is an ELT consultant, teacher educator, author and materials writer specialising in early language learning. She is a NILE consultant and trainer on the Teaching English in Pre-Primary Education course, and has written coursebooks and teacher development resources for major international publishers. Her work focuses on play-based learning, creativity and STEAM.

Dr. Sylvia Karastathi is a teacher educator and lecturer with over 15 years of experience in higher education. She leads global teacher development initiatives and has extensive expertise in pre-service and in-service teacher education. Her research focuses on language education, visual literacy, and multimodality.  

After studying at Oxford, Dave Spencer trained to be a Secondary School teacher. He then moved to Spain where he has taught teenagers for over 35 years. He is the author of several best-selling Macmillan Secondary courses and has given talks in 36 different countries. This will be his fifth Global Teachers Festival. 

Ben Crystal is an actor, author, curator, and creative producer. He is an Associate Artist with the Shakespeare North Playhouse, patron of the primary school initiative Shakespeare Week, and a consultant for theatre companies around the world. His TEDx talk was called Original Practices: Shakespeare's Craft. He lives online at www.bencrystal.com and on Instagram @Shakespeare_on_Toast 

Jon Hird is tutor at the University of Oxford, teacher trainer and ELT materials writer. He frequently gives talks and workshops in the UK and overseas and has written and contributed to a range of ELT publications. He is one of the authors of Macmillan’s course book series Language Hub.   

Chia Suan Chong holds a DELTA and Masters in Applied Linguistics, and is the co-author for various ELT courses and the Pearson ELTD – a 120-hour online teacher training course.

Derek ‘Del’ Spafford (MA TESOL; Dip.TESOL) is an ELT specialist with nearly 30 years’ experience as an educator, manager, and professional development leader. He has spent eight years with Macmillan Education Asia and previously led major training initiatives for the British Council Thailand. He is dedicated to improving teaching across Asia.

Super Huang is a passionate educational professional with over a decade of experience in the ELT teaching and training field across various contexts in Asia. Her expertise spans both classroom and online environments, allowing her to adapt to diverse educational settings. Currently, she focuses on designing and delivering customized training solutions for schools at all academic levels throughout Asia. Super is a dedicated educator with deep knowledge of the unique needs and challenges faced by Asian students and teachers. 

Nathan Waller is an educator and teacher educator with over 15 years of international experience working with teachers and educational institutions across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Drawing on a background in Childhood Studies and Anthropology, he is particularly interested in how language, culture and identity shape learning and how this can be translated into meaningful classroom practice. Nathan has held educational consultancy and academic leadership roles with Cambridge University Press, Pearson and Macmillan Education, where he led the creation of the MENA PD Academy - a regional professional learning platform designed to support teachers through collaborative, practice-based professional development. He is an active tutor on NILE's Teaching Young Learners course and continues to work with educators on developing engaging, inclusive and research-informed approaches to teaching and learning.

María Eugenia Ianiro is an English language teacher and teacher educator from Argentina with over 20 years of experience in ELT. She currently serves as a Higher Education Supervisor in Buenos Aires Province and coordinates Argentina's National English Programme. Passionate about teacher learning, she enjoys helping educators create meaningful classroom experiences through metacognition, learner agency, and professional development. 

Tamires Gama is an English teacher, teacher educator, and founder of Simplifica Inglês and CommuniTeach, a professional community with over 200 members. She has worked with teachers in Brazil, Asia, and the Middle East, delivering training on lesson planning, materials development, and digital teaching tools. Tamires holds a BA in Languages from USP, a CELTA from Cambridge University, and a TESOL certificate from Anaheim University. She has presented at IATEFL, LABCI, and BRAZTESOL, and is passionate about responsibly integrating AI into ELT practice.

Canan Aktuğ is Co-founder and Academic Director of UKLA Academy in Türkiye. With over 20 years’ experience in English language education, she specializes in communicative learning, teacher development, and learning design. She is passionate about helping teachers create meaningful, engaging classrooms where language learning builds confidence, connection, and real-world communication. 

Rose Aylett is a teacher, trainer and CELTA-tutor with a long-standing professional interest in critical pedagogy, global citizenship and social justice education. She speaks regularly at international conferences about how to teach controversial issues, promoting critical dialogue in the classroom, and the integration of critical perspectives into ELT.

Myriam Monterrubio is a certified English teacher with a background in psychology and over 40 years' experience training teachers around the world. She is co-author of several successful Macmillan young learners’ series, including Early Explorers and Ruby and Us. Passionate about the youngest learners, Myriam believes that before children can learn, they must feel safe and know they belong. 

Lorena Peimbert is an English teacher, pedagogue, and ELT author with a Master's degree in Neuropsychology and Education and over 25 years of experience in English language education for preschool and primary learners. She specialises in curriculum design, materials development, and teacher training for young learner classrooms worldwide.

Shweta Paropkari is a certTESOL qualified teacher, teacher trainer, and instructional designer with over 12 years’ of experience. She is currently working as an Assistant Professor at Neil Gogte Institute of Technology where she runs courses on language competency exams prep, intercultural competencies, and workplace skills for pre-service learners. 

Richard Chinn is a teacher educator working at King’s College London and International House London. His professional interests include: working with emergent language, classroom interaction, teacher development, and how teachers use materials in their classes. He is co-author of the book ‘Working with Emergent Language’ published by Pavilion ELT, 2023. 

eltonix is an educational consultancy specialising in creative thinking and social justice education. Sarah and Sea have worked as teachers, trainers and school managers worldwide, bringing their experiences and values to their work. They believe that promoting kindness, celebrating diversity and creating spaces for all students should be at the core of education. 

Nayr Correia Ibrahim is an internationally recognised educator and researcher specialising in multilingualism, early language learning, and children’s rights in education. With over 30 years of experience across the world, she has worked extensively in teaching, teacher education, and educational leadership. Nayr is currently Associate Professor of English Subject Pedagogy at Nord University, Norway.

Joanna Szoke is a freelance teacher trainer, educational consultant, AI in Education specialist, and EFL teacher. She trains pre-service and in-service teachers at universities, language schools, vocational training, and on Erasmus training programmes. She has also been working closely with international ELT publishers for years. Her co-written book on AI literacy development was published in 2025 by DELTA Publishing. 

Daniel Xerri is an Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics and TESOL at the University of Malta, and the Chairperson of the ELT Council. His main research interests are teacher research and professional learning. His most recent book is Human-AI Collaboration in Research (CRC Press, 2026). www.danielxerri.com 

Dr Sophia Mavridi is a Senior Lecturer in Educational Technology and TESOL at De Montfort University, UK. She specialises in digital pedagogy, online learning and AI in education, and has worked internationally as a teacher educator. Her work bridges research and practice, so that teaching is evidence-based and research is classroom-informed. 

Laura Knight is Founder of Sapio, a consultancy specialising in AI, digital strategy, and innovation for education. She is an international keynote speaker, author, and award-winning thought leader in human-centred technology adoption. Laura advises schools, governments, and edtech organisations globally on digital transformation and responsible innovation.