IN-PERSON EVENTS

Digital Education Council Global Summit

The Digital Education Council Global Summit 2026

The Digital Education Council Global Summit 2026 will be taking place from 7–8 December 2026 in Madrid, Spain, hosted by IE University, a DEC member institution.

Now in its third year, the Global Summit returns under the theme Shaping the Intelligence Age — a working forum for higher education leaders and innovators to compare what is working, confront what is failing, and define the choices institutions must now make.

Convening DEC member institutions from over 42 countries alongside leaders from academia, international organisations, and governments, the Summit will advance dialogue on the positive use of technology in higher education and skills development, while supporting global advocacy, institutional resilience, innovation, and equity.

Programme Overview

Day 1 — Monday, 7 December · Auditorium, IE Tower
A working day of intelligence briefings, parallel taskforces organised by institutional role, and main-stage synthesis sessions.

Day 2 — Tuesday, 8 December · Auditorium, IE Tower
A day built around commitment and action, closing with the assembly of a unified Intelligence Age Agenda.

Dinner Reception

Attendance

The Summit is by invitation only. Places are allocated to DEC member institutions. The DEC team will be in touch with member contacts directly to coordinate attendance.

Files

Digital Education Council Global Summit 2026 Agenda

Download Material

https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/65f1d299b87bcc50550a6367/6ae43690662d53e0bb025f4f_Digital%20Education%20Council%20Global%20Summit%202026%20%E2%80%93%20Agenda.pdf

Speakers

Alain Goudey

Associate Dean for Digital
NEOMA Business School

Alison Gibson

Head of Digital Education
University of Birmingham

Andries Fokkens

Director: Faculty Management
Stellenbosch University

Antoine Souchaud

Associate Dean for Faculty and Research
NEOMA Business School

Ari Hirvonen

Chief Digital Officer
University of Jyväskylä

Baba Sheba

Director of Digital Transformation City St George's, University of London

Begoña González-Cuesta

Dean of Academic Experience & Innovation
IE University

Benito Teehankee

Full Professor
De La Salle University Manila

Brenda Stoesz

Research Lead - Science of Teaching and Learning
University of Manitoba

Brian Squire

Dean of Business School
University of Bristol

Chie Adachi

Dean for Digital Education
Queen Mary University of London

Christopher Buddle

Deputy Provost (Academic)
McGill University

Claire Gordon

Director, Eden Centre for Education Enhancement
London School of Economics and Political Science

Cloda Jenkins

Associate Dean, Education Pedagogy and Innovation
Imperial Business School

Constantin Ciachir

Associate Dean Pedagogical Innovation & AI
EMLyon Business School

Cosmin Enache

Vice-Rector for Financial Strategy, Digitalization, and Organizational Development
West University of Timișoara

Cristina Fernández Tesoro

Executive Director on Strategic Partnerships including II.OO at the Rectorate
IE University

Csaba Csáki

Dean of Artificial Intelligence
Corvinus University of Budapest

Cynthia Bowles

Director of Digital Learning
IE University

Dale Leszczynski

Head of AI - Education
RMIT University

Dale Pike

Associate Vice Provost for Technology-enhanced Learning & Online Strategies
Virginia Tech

David Ross

President and CEO
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology

David Santandreu Calonge

Assistant Director, Educational Program Development
Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI)

Donna Kidwell

Chief Information Officer
University of Toronto

Edinaldo Tebaldi

Vice President for Strategy and Partnerships
Bryant University

Eduardo Ayllon

AI Hub Manager
Universidad Adolfo Ibañez

Emiliano Ricciardi

Vice-Rector for Didactics
Scuola IMT Alti Studi Lucca

Erich Dietrich

Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
New York University Abu Dhabi

Evgeniya Efremova

Director of Hilary Ballon Center for Teaching and Learning
NYU Abu Dhabi

Francesco Venier

Dean for Executive Education
MIB Trieste School of Management

Frank Ecker

Vice President Research
Frankfurt School of Finance & Management

Frédérique Vidal

EVP - Chief Strategy & Scientific Impact Officer
SKEMA Business School

Gail Matthews-DeNatale

Deputy Director
Northeastern University

Geoffrey Lonca

Associate Director of the Sustainable Transition Hub
IE University

Henry Zheng

Vice Provost and Distinguished Service Professor
Carnegie Mellon University

Himanshu Rai

Director
Indian Institute of Management Indore

Ines Springael

Programme Lead CTL-AI
Breda University of Applied Sciences

Isabelle Tourneur Germond

Director of the Institute for Skills and Innovation
Sciences Po

Jaime De Aguinaga

Vice Provost (Vice Rector) for Strategy and Development
IE University

Jaime Vatter

Vice-Rector, Academic
Universidad de Las Américas, Chile

Jakob Ravn

Head of Educational Development & Quality
Copenhagen Business School

James Genone

Strategic Advisor
Digital Education Council

Jennifer Sparrow

Associate Vice President Research and Instructional Technology & Chief Academic Technology Officer
New York University

Jimena Hurtado

Vice President for Research and Creation
Universidad de Los Andes

Karine Le Joly

Director of Digital Learning Strategy and Innovation
HEC Paris

Karolina Kristic

CFO and Chancellor
Frankfurt School of Finance & Management

Karsten Mundel

Vice Provost (Learning Initiatives)
University of Alberta

Kelly Arispe

Launch Director, School for the Digital Future
Boise State University

Kylie Readman

Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
University of Technology Sydney

Lavinia Serb

Strategic Engagements Lead
Pearson, Abu Dhabi

Leonardo Caporarello

Rector's Delegate for Digital Learning
Bocconi University

Liandi van den Berg

Director: Technology Enhanced Learning and Innovative Training (TELIT-SA) Research Entity
North-West University

Linda du Plessis

Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Teaching and Learning
North-West University

Liz Smith

Director of Learner Experience
The University of New South Wales

Lorena Blasco-Arcas

Co-founder and Director of TRACIS (Transformative Research on AI for Companies, Individuals, and Society)
ESCP Business School

Maggie Mosher

Chief AI Consultant for the Center for Reimagining Education & Assistant Research Professor
University of Kansas

Mahinour Amin

Director of Teaching and Learning Center
Ajman University

Maree Dinan-Thompson

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education)
University of the Sunshine Coast

María Francisca Yáñez

Executive Director - AI Hub
Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez

Mariagrazia Squicciarini

Chief Researcher and Analyst, Sciences Sector
UNESCO

Martín Rodríguez Jugo

General Manager IE Lifelong Learning | Executive Education & Digital Learning
IE University

Martina Pasquini

Director of Learning Innovation
IE University

Melissa Loble

Chief Learning Officer
Instructure

Michael Rowell

Director of Policy
U15 Canada

Michelle Sisto

Associate Dean, Director of the EDHEC AI Centre
EDHEC Business School

Mohammad Fteiha

Director of Al Ain Campus, and Director of the Center for Faculty Development and Learning Innovation
Abu Dhabi University

Monique Reeves

Executive Vice Chancellor for the Future
Austin Community College

Nancy Turner

Interim Associate Provost, Teaching Innovation & Strategic Initiatives
University of Saskatchewan

Nicola Wilkin

Academic Director - Digital Education and Equity
University of Birmingham

Paloma Julia Velasco-Quintana

Dean of the Faculty of Law, Education and Humanities
Universidad Europea

Panos Vlachopoulos

Vice Provost for Education and Student Experience
University of Nottingham Ningbo China

Raquel Bernal

President
Universidad de los Andes

Rebecca Clark

Executive Director of Learning Innovation
INSEAD

Rick Ginsberg

Co-founder & PI of the Center for Reimagining Education
University of Kansas

Robin Ajdari

Executive Vice-President Data, Innovation-Experimentation and Digital Transformation
ESSEC Business School

Rodrigo Cetina Presuel

Associate Dean for Education and Academic Affairs
UPF Barcelona School of Management

Rukiya Deetjen

Assistant Professor
Zayed University

Rupendra Paliwal

Provost and Chief Academic Officer
Bryant University

Russell Gruen

Associate Provost (Health and Medical Sciences)
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Ruth Muñoz Risueño

Director of Research
Universidad Europea

Sam Nolan

Director - Centre for Academic Development
Durham University

Scott Hanrath

Associate Dean
University of Kansas

Sean Ferguson

Vice President for Strategy and Innovation
Bentley University

Sean McMinn

Director of Center for Education Innovation
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Sehl Mellouli

Deputy Vice-Rector, Education and Lifelong Learning
Université Laval

Sheila Maloles

Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation, and Internationalisation
De La Salle Lipa

Sherman Young

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Vice-President
RMIT University

Sherri Braxton Castanzo

Deputy CIO for Digital Innovation
Bowdoin College

Simon Bates

Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President, Teaching and Learning
University of British Columbia

Simone Ravaioli

Senior Director, Global Learning Ecosystem
Instructure

Soledad Arellano

Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Research
Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez

Sorabh Bajaj

Director of Centre for Digital Learning
FLAME University

Soulaymane Kachani

Dean of Academic Affairs and Global Partnerships
Columbia University

Stan Waddell

Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer
Carnegie Mellon University

Stephen Vaz

Director of Learning Innovation, IDEA Lab
Imperial Business School

Susan McCahan

Associate Vice-President & Vice-Provost, Digital Strategies, and Vice-Provost, Teaching & Learning
University of Toronto

Susannah Quinsee

Vice-President (Digital and Student Experience)
City St George's, University of London

Tamas Makany

Associate Provost (Teaching and Learning Innovation)
Singapore Management University

Tammy McClain-Smith

Executive Director, SAIS Online/Educational Design & Technology
Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)

Taryn Jones

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education)
Macquarie University

Valentina De Marchi

Director, Centre for Teaching and Learning
ESADE

Venky Shankararaman

Vice Provost (Education)
Singapore Management University

Vitor Lima

Research Ethics Review Committee (RERC) Member
ESCP Business School

Wai Mun Lim

Principal Researcher
Singapore University of Social Sciences - Institute for Adult Learning

The Digital Education Council Global Summit 2025

The Digital Education Council Global Summit 2025 took place from 4–5 November 2025 in Hong Kong, hosted by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, a founding member of DEC.

In its second year, the Summit brought together 200 higher education leaders from 82 member institutions across 25 countries, marking a critical moment for global higher education as institutions confront rapid AI-driven transformation.

Anchored in the theme When Change is the Only Constant, the 2025 Summit examined four strategic lenses for institutional transformation:

Defining Change

Understanding the forces shaping higher education

Implementing Change

Translating strategy into action

Teaching Change

Equipping students and educators for the future

Measuring Change

Developing metrics for institutional and societal impact

Key Outcomes and Strategic Takeaways

This report synthesises insights generated across two days of open debates, panel discussions, live polling, and keynotes. Conversations were transcribed, organised into key themes, and analysed to identify key patterns, examples, challenges, and recommendations raised by participants.