Eaquals International Conference 2024, Lisbon

Adrian Peel

Adrian Peel is a GEL Advocate at Guided e-Learning, where he puts his years of teaching and academic management experience to use by helping schools to meet their objectives though the use of data.

Andrea Záhumenská

Andrea holds the position of Director of Studies at the Bridge. She is an EMCC qualified coach and a teacher trainer, possessing Trinity DipTESOL qualifications. Andrea specializes in courses focusing on coaching and Emotional Intelligence.

Andy Cowle

Andy Cowle is an ELT business development and training professional with over thirty years’ experience. He has worked with many publishers in the sector, introducing content to teachers globally and developing the creative use of classroom materials. He now works closely with Avallain to bring their Magnet LMS and Author content creation tools to a wider audience and provide related CPD training.

Ania Kolbuszewska

Ania Kolbuszewska works internationally as a teacher trainer, management trainer and educational consultant at all levels of education. She has been an Eaquals Inspector since 2000. Ania is also a licensed mediator and conflict management specialist.

Annabella Wolloshin

Annabella is Academic Manager at O’Clock Idiomas in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. She has 15 years teaching experience, and has taught in private language schools across the Basque Country, including 7 years at the British Council, Bilbao. She is currently finishing her DELTA and for some light relief, is here today.

Ayşenur Küçükboyaci

Ayşenur Küçükboyacı
…42 years old
…mother of a 9 year-old computer geek
…teaching for 15 years
I’ve been a student for the longer part my life. I hold one BA, two MA degrees mostly in language and literature. I have an ongoing Phd, and great interest in educational technologies, dystopias, cooking and sports.

Beata Schmid

After 30+ years at EF, Beata’s passions are still teacher training, curriculum development and pronunciation.

Ben Beaumont

Ben Beaumont is Head of Teacher Strategy at Trinity College London and keen to share emergent good practice withcolleagues globally to support a localised and contextual approach to educator development.

Birgül Köktürk

I studied English language and Literature at Bogazici University and then started working at Bilkent University as an English instructor. I finished the the Delta Program in 2003 and completed my MA degree in ‘Management in Education’ while working for the the same university in 2005. Since 2010, I’ve been working for Sabanci University and giving Academic Literacies and Business English Course.

Burcu Cubukcu

Burcu Cubukcu is the ELT Academic Specialist at a K12 institution. She graduated from Bogazici University and holds a master’s degree in Educational Management and Leadership.

Charlotte Ellis

Charlotte Ellis studied Modern Languages at the University of Oxford and, after a spell of teaching, entered the world of ELT publishing. She has long had a passion for sharing cultures, using languages to cross borders and exploring how we can use education to try to solve some of the biggest questions our generation has to face. Most recently, Charlotte studied with the Cambridge Institute of Sustainable Leadership and is currently Head of Strategic and Digital Marketing at National Geographic Learning.

Claudia Arnfield

Originally a trained gardener, I took up English teaching in 2000, completed my M.A. in TESOL in 2005, and have been managing teachers at Speexx since I joined the company in 2007. My current focus is on teacher development and cutting-edge materials creation for the Speexx digital platform.

Damla Sahin

I was born in 1990 and completed high school in 2007. I got my master degree in ELT and have been working as a preparatory school coordinator in Ankara Social Sciences University in Northern Cyprus Campus.

David Byrne

David Byrne has worked in EFL for over a decade and has taught all the ages, levels and exams he could find. He’s worked in Ireland, England, Spain and South Korea, but most of his career has been spent in the U.K. where he currently works for EC English. he has co-authored Textploitation and Overt Teaching, both published by Delta Publishing and runs a blog also calledTextploitation.

David Kirwan

David has worked for over 25 years in the field of English language education, having worked as a teacher, manager, and trainer in ESL/ESOL and adult/further education settings in Ireland and abroad. With an MSc in TESOL/Educational Management, he has played a role in improving the academic operations and accreditation status of several schools. David is passionate about creating an environment where learning is a shared experience between educators and learners.

Dr Aisling O’Boyle

Dr. Aisling O Boyle (BSc Hons, MA, PhD, SFHEA) is Senior Lecturer and Director of the Centre for Language Education Research at Queens University Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Aisling started her language teaching career as a branch manager of a private language school in Japan. Since then, she has taught in a range of educational and geopolitical contexts, including public, private, international schools, and universities. She currently teaches and supervises postgraduate students in the areas of TESOL and Applied Linguistics. Her previous academic leadership roles include MScTESOL Director, EdD Programme Director, and Director of Internationalization. As Director of the Centre for Language Education Research at Queen’s University Belfast, she leads a research centre of applied linguists, social scientists, and educationalists who have shared interests in language and social matters. Her research interests include the embedded nature of English language education in social issues and applied corpus linguistics.

Dr Elaine Boyd

Elaine Boyd is a consultant in English language assessment and has worked for a range of international testing organisations and local ministries of education over the last 30 years. She has been especially concerned with the impact of assessment in the classroom and worked closely with teacher educators in designing and delivering courses in assessment literacy in Europe, India and SE Asia. She has also published several articles in this field. Elaine previously taught English in Spain, Italy and India, and has co-authored several leading exam coursebooks as well as courses for young learners. She is an Associate Tutor on the M.A in TESOL & Applied Linguistics at the Institute of Education, University College, London. Elaine’s current research interests are classroom assessment and managing learner feedback. She is an Individual Expert Member of ALTE.

Duygu Erdogan

Duygu Erdoğan has been in the ELT world for over 20 years. She has a BA in American Culture and Literature and an MA in English Language Teaching. She holds an ICELT, DELTA, Teacher Training Certificate and Trainer Training Certificate.

She has worked at various institutions ranging from elementary schools to universities in different parts of Turkey, as a teacher, an administrator and a trainer.

She is one of the founding members of TESOL Turkey Association. Her research interests include teacher research, in-service teacher education, critical thinking in education. Currently, she is the Key Accounts Sales & Marketing Manager for Western Europe region at Macmillan Education.

Emma Heyderman

Emma Heyderman has over 20 years’ experience in academic management and has collaborated with O’Clock Idiomas on several projects. Now freelance, she divides her time between writing ELT materials, designing and delivering teacher training courses, providing consultancy to language institutions and is an inspector for Eaquals.

Esra Celik Soydan

Esra Ç. Soydan is the coordinator of Teaching and Learning Development Unit (TLDU) at Özyeğin University – School ofLanguages. Before her current role, she worked as a level developer and a team leader. She has BA&MA degrees in ELT; andis a CELTA tutor.

George Pickering

George is an educational coach, trainer and consultant, who has worked in over 65 different countries. He is the academicdirector of the English UK Diploma in English Language Teaching Management and is a senior inspector for Accreditation UK. He was the founding director of the Bell Teacher Campus in Cambridge, was a director of IATEFL for 12 years and is currentlyan ambassador for them.

Gillian Davidson

Gillian Davidson has worked in EFL for almost 30 years. She has taught, and managed in Slovakia, Indonesia, Russia and the UK. She has taught students from 4 years old to much older across a wide range of courses. She is currently the Group Academic Director at EC English and has extensive experience of managing multiple centres.

Giorgia Montanucci

Giorgia Montanucci, PhD Student at University for Foreigners of Perugia, Italy

Giorgio Iemmolo

Giorgio Iemollo: With a PhD in Linguistics and a lifelong love of languages, Giorgio has pursued a career dedicated toeducation. First teaching at various universities, now overseeing Academic Operations at EF.

Giti Najafi

Giti works as an instructor for undergraduate students at Özyeğin University in Türkiye, specializing in English Language Teaching. She holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in this field. In addition to her academic qualifications, Giti holds TEFL, CELTA, and DELTA diplomas. She has also conducted teacher training sessions in various educational institutions.

Giulia Beltrami

With a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics, I have experience in teaching English at University and for adults since 2009. I joined Speexx in 2010 and since then my main focus has been making sure that our network of trainers is well equipped and engaged in the best way to deliver our services in the safest environment possible.

Henare Jeremy Simms

Jeremy Simms: Born in New Zealand, Jeremy worked in kitchens, then in broadcasting, before embarking on an ESL career. He has worked in Japan, in Jamaica, and now in Istanbul, where he proudly has a happy family, too. He is a coordinator at MEF University.

İpek Meneviş

Sen. Inst. İpek Meneviş, Asst. Director, EMU FLEPS

Iryna Semeniuk Zumrutdal

Prof. Dr. Iryna Semeniuk Zumrutdal, Head of the English Preparatory Department at Piri Reis University, Turkey.
Dr. Semeniuk has written 2 monographs and a number of books on Linguistics, she is the author of more than 50 articles.

Jered Borup

Dr. Jered Borup is an Associate Professor in the Division of Learning Technologies at George Mason University. In his current position, he is the professor-in-charge of the Learning Technologies in Schools Master’s and Certificate programs that are devoted to improving teacher practices in online and blended learning environments.

Joel David Compton

Having ten years of experience in a private Turkish university context and seven as the coordinator for the faculty English classes, I am ever more determined on understanding my context and discipline in order to provide the best possible preparation for our faculty English students at MEF University.

Kassandra Robertson

Kassandra Robertson earned her M.A. in Applied English Linguistics from UW-Madison in 2013 and has since worked primarily in higher education settings teaching academic writing and ESP. She currently teaches discipline-specific writing at Sabanci University in Istanbul, Turkey.

Katherine Opello

Katherine Opello is an English language teacher and co-head of the English Department at the Institut des langues vivantesof UCLouvain, Belgium.

Kay Evans Johns

I have worked for the International Baccalaureate for over 5 years, initially as a Subject Manager in the field of Language and literature. I now lead the Development and Innovation Hub within the Assessment Development and Delivery as a Senior Manager. Our work involves exploring new trends within education more broadly and understanding how these changes may impact our assessments.

Kezban Altuntaş Özben

Kezban Altuntaş Özben serves as a member of Teaching and Learning Development Unit at Özyeğin University School of Languages, where she specializes in overseeing the teacher development strand. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate specializing in adult education at Boğaziçi University. Kezban holds an ICELT certificate and a DELTA diploma from Cambridge University. Since 2019, she has been working as a freelance part-time CELTA tutor.

Kieranne Hogg

Kieranne has been involved in English language teaching and training for over 20 years, working in London, Barcelona andDublin. She holds a Postgraduate diploma in TESOL and an M.Phil in Linguistics. She currently works at Apollo LanguageCentre in Dublin as Director of Studies and QQI panel member.

Klaudia Bednarova

Klaudia founded a private language school the Bridge – English Language Centre in 2009. She was among the founding members of both the SCELT and the Slovak Association of Language Schools. She served as the Chairwoman of both.Presently, she holds the position of Vice-President at the AIVD.

Koray Tunc

Koray Tunç is the director of the Foreign Languages Department, an active member of the Quality Committee, and the DistantEducation Center at Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakif University. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in English Literature and is pursuing a Ph.D. in the same program at Yeditepe University. He has heavily invested in the use of technology and AI in language teaching.

Liam Brown

Liam is a teacher, manager, trainer, writer, course developer and consultant focusing on business and management skills inELT.
Liam was Learning and Development Manager for the British Council’s worldwide English and Exams Strategic Business Unit.
He now works independently with ELT and education institutions around the world for training design and delivery and consultancy interventions.

Linda Egnatz

Linda Egnatz is the Executive Director of the Global Seal of Biliteracy, an international language certification program. She is the 2023-24 President of the Joint National Committee for Languages (JNCL-NCLIS). Egnatz taught Spanish at these secondary and university levels, received the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching, and named the 2014 ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year.

Lou McLaughlin

Executive Director, Eaquals

Lou is the Executive Director of Eaquals. She was one of the founding members of ELT Ireland, and served on the IATEFL Board of Trustees as the Associates Representative until 2021. Lou holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics, Masters in ELT, DELTA, TESOL Cert. in Leadership & Management and Trinity TESOL Cert. Her special interests are Young Learner teacher training, teacher cognition and management in ELT and she was the co-editor of Children Learning English: From Research to Practice (2015).

Lucy Griffin

Lucy Griffin is the Director of Foreign Languages at a historic foundation school. She holds a BA Degree from the University of Leicester, an MA from the University of York and has Qualified Teacher Status in the UK.

Margaret Russell

Margaret Russell is currently an EAP lecturer at the University of Plymouth UK. The use of CEFR (2020) mediation skills to improve effective communication resulted in the creation of a competency framework which was the focus area for her recent Masters’ dissertation in Professional Development for Language Education.

Marie Willoughby

Marie Willoughby is an experienced teacher and teacher educator based in the UK with global experience. She works at International House London. Marie is managing the Teacher Portal, IH London’s online development platform.

Mariyana Akeel

Mariyana Akeel is a Curriculum Coordinator and Line Manager at MEF University’s preparatory school. Her wide teaching experience in various contexts contributes to her role in conducting observations for teacher development, and curriculum development and implementation. Her interests include integrating technology in language teaching, teacher training and development, and educational equity.

Marta Benedetti

I am an Italian English teacher and I live near Milan. I currently work as a primary school teacher at Cooperativa sociale Piergiorgio Frassati in Seveso, a town near Milan. I teach Italian children from age 5 to 11. Previously, I taught in secondary schools to young adults aged 14 to 19. I have a PhD and master degree in Foreign Languages and Literature from the Catholic University of Milan.

Martyn Clarke

Martyn has been an ELT professional for over 35 years. He has trained on and managed numerous education development projects around the world, for organisations including The British Council and The World Bank. He has designed and taught on under- and postgraduate teacher development programmes and runs teacher/management development workshops and courses globally. He has been the Director of Operations for a group of language schools in the UK and Ireland, responsible for all academic, administrative, and HR functions of the organisation. Currently, Martyn is the MA Programme Leader at NILE, as well as leader for the Management in Language Education MA module and trainer on the Trainer Development MA module. He is a co-author of the EAQUALS Academic Manager Competency Framework (2021).

Mick King

Dr. Mick King is Dean of Foundation and Foreign Languages at the Community College of Qatar. His 30+ year career in language education has involved teaching, tutoring, lecturing, mentoring, and managing, primarily in the Arabian Gulf tertiary sector, but also in Europe. He has published and presented his research over the last 15 years both regionally and internationally on eclectic topics.

Mike Mayor

Mike Mayor is Senior Director of English Learning Research & Design at Pearson. On leaving university, Mike worked as an English teacher in France before entering the world of publishing as a lexicographer. Mike joined Pearson in 2003 and moved to Learning Research & Design in 2013. Mike has a BA in French, a Dip. TEFLA and an MPhil in English and Applied Linguistics from Cambridge University.

Mike Riley

Mike Riley is Deputy Director at NILE. He started his teaching career in Manchester in 2001 and then worked in Milan forfifteen years as a teacher and manager. He was Teacher Training Manager at Macmillan Education before joining NILE. Mikeis a member of the IATEFL Leadership and Management Special Interest Group Committee and regularly presents onmanagement and leadership.

Mohsen Askari

With 15 years of teaching experience, I specialize in teaching English and currently based in Istanbul, Turkey. I blend traditional and modern methods, incorporating AI tools to boost student engagement and independent learning. Committed to professional development, I’m pursuing courses on AI in education. Passionate about delivering high-quality lessons, I aim to meet my students’ diverse needs.

Nazan Doğruer

Asst. Prof. Dr. Nazan Doğruer, Asst. Director, EMU FLEPS

Nazan Gelbal

Nazan Gelbal is an EAP instructor at Sabancı University. She holds an MA degree in English Literature and a DELTAcertificate. Her teaching philosophy revolves around fostering learner awareness and motivation while promoting learnerautonomy. She is deeply enthusiastic about using technology for education, sustainability in ELT and materials development.

Nergis Uyan

Nergis Uyan graduated from the Middle East Technical University’s Foreign Language Education Department and she received her MA in Management in Education from Bilkent University. She completed Cambridge University DTEFLA (Diploma in Teaching of English as a Foreign Language to Adults) and Bilkent University ADEM (Advanced Diploma in English Language Teaching Management).

She worked in several positions at Bilkent University School of English Language (BUSEL) including English Language Instructor, Head of Teaching Unit, Teacher Development Coordinator, Teacher Trainer and Member of BUSEL Directorate. She has been working as the director of the Ozyegin University School of Languages (ScOLa) since February 2010. Nergis Uyan has been working in Eaquals (European Association for Quality Language Services) initial and re-accreditation process of Özyeğin School of Languages (PREP Program, Undergraduate English Program and Modern Languages Program) since 2016. She has also joined the EQUALS Board as a trustee in 2018 April.

Nick Gossett

Nick Gossett, PhD, is the Higher Education Specialist and Regional Director for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East at AvantAssessment. He has worked for over a decade in the field of language assessment. Nick spent nearly two decades in higher education teaching philology and training language teachers. Currently, he works with language programs on best practices in language assessment.

Nik Peachey

Nik Peachey is an accomplished educator, author, and learning technology consultant renowned for his expertise in integrating technology into education. With over 30 years of experience in the field, Nik has become a prominent figure in the realm of digital learning and teacher professional development.

Having taught in various educational settings across the globe, Nik possesses a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by teachers and learners in the digital age. His passion for exploring innovative approaches to enhance teaching and learning has driven him to share his knowledge through numerous publications, workshops, and presentations.

Nik is a prolific writer, having authored several influential books on topics such as blended learning, digital literacy, artificial intelligence and educational technology. He has also contributed extensively to educational journals, blogs and online platforms, providing valuable insights and practical strategies for educators worldwide.

As a sought-after learning technology consultant, Nik has collaborated with educational institutions, organisations, and governments to develop effective strategies for implementing technology in the classroom. He has designed and delivered customised professional development programs, empowering teachers with the skills and knowledge needed to integrate digital tools seamlessly into their teaching practice.

Nik’s work has been recognised internationally, and he has received several prestigious awards for his contributions to the field of education in including two British Council Innovations Awards. He continues to inspire and support educators by sharing his expertise, exploring emerging trends in education technology, and advocating for the transformative power of technology in teaching and learning.

Özlem Baykan

Özlem Baykan is a Team Leader at Ozyegin University School of Languages. She started her teaching career in 2010 and has been running her managerial role for around 10 years at the same institution. Özlem is also CELTA Trainer and a member of The Standards Professional Council at TESOL International Association, and an Executive Board Member at TESOLTurkey Leadership and Management SIG.

Patrick Creed

Patrick Creed is the owner of an EAQUALS member school, QQI Inspector of Schools, Cambridge & TIE examiner, and CELT Trainer. He runs Teacher Training & Development Courses through ActualiseELT

Ramadan Eyyam

Asst. Prof. Dr. Ramadan Eyyam, Director, EMU FLEPS

Richard Chinn

Richard Chinn is an experienced teacher and teacher educator based in the UK with global experience. He works at International House London. Currently Richard is seconded to King’s College London as an associate lecturer. Richard is also co-author of ‘Working with Emergent Language’.

Robin A. Kosseff

Robin Kosseff is the Coordinator of the Writing & Speaking Center at MEF University in Istanbul and an EAP instructor. She has been working in English language education for over 20 years and developed a strong skillset in curriculum and materials development. Prior to teaching, she studied and worked on environmental protection and human rights issues in the US and elsewhere.

Sara Díaz Sánchez

Sara Díaz is the Assistant Director of Studies at SEDA College Dublin, where she coordinates a program focused on English classes for refugees. Sara holds a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics from University College Dublin and has experience as an English and Spanish teacher, as well as a TESOL trainer.

Semih İrfaner

Dr. Semih Irfaner works at Macmillan Education responsible for teacher training and product promotion, and prepares training programs on academic skills and the use of critical thinking in language classrooms.

Before joining Macmillan Education, Dr. İrfaner worked as both an administrator and a lecturer in the Academic English unit at Bilkent University and prepared and taught courses related to academic English.

In addition to the use of critical thinking in language teaching and learning, Dr. İrfaner also has works on the prevention of bullying among the students, which he worked on during his doctoral program at Hacettepe University.

Seong Hui You (Daniella)

Daniella Seong Hui You is the Executive Academic Manager at Cultura Inglesa São Paulo (Brazil), responsible for the pre andin-service training and teacher development programmes. She is also responsible for developing teacher evaluationprogrammes. She is CELTA & DELTA tutor and assessor, holds DELTA, BA in Economics and Postgraduate diploma inProfessional Development for Language Education

Serpil Öz

Serpil Öz, a DELTA-certified teacher with a Master’s in Education, has been working as an instructor for 10 years. She hastaught students from diverse backgrounds in different contexts. She is currently an instructor and a project coordinator at Sabancý University, School of Languages. Her areas of interest are speaking as a skill, student and teacher motivation,extracurriculars, PBL, and CPD.

Stefanie Smith

Stefanie Smith: With a background in publishing, Stefanie found her niche in language education when she joined EF in 2010,where she has managed the development of multiple courses.

Sue Hackett

Sue has worked in the areas of international education, including previously managing the national quality assurance for Irish English Language Education providers, for many years. More recently, prior to her retirement from Quality and Qualifications Ireland to work as an independent consultant, she was responsible for initiatives and activities related to the promotion and enhancement of academic integrity, as well as other projects, in particular those related to assessment in tertiary education. As manager of the Irish National Academic Integrity Network, Sue co-authored a chapter of the 2023 Handbook of Academic Integrity and also was chair of the ENQA Academic Integrity Working Group. She has written and presented extensively nationally and internationally on areas such as academic integrity, language education, student engagement, project design, teaching/ learning/ assessment, as well as topics related to educational management.  She has a background in quality assurance and is a long-term consultant and senior advisor for Eaquals.  Sue can be contacted at SueHackett@educationconsultant.ie. 

Susanna Dammann

Susanna has  been in Language Education as a teacher, trainer and manager for nearly 40 years. She has worked in the UK,  France and China, mostly in Business Language training, which allowed her to learn an enormous amount about business practice and management from her clients.

She has been a member of the Eaquals ‘family’ since 2002, first as a member of the Inspection team. She managed the Eaquals Inspection Scheme for two years and more recently has been a member of the Eaquals Board.

She has always been concerned about the quality of the training in assessment literacy available to language teachers and as an Inspector, she has seen how central assessment is, in permitting really effective teaching and learning. The LAPP project between Eaquals and ALTE has allowed her to make a contribution to the development of assessment literacy among language teachers all over the world.

Talia Sbardella

Talia Sbardella, PhD Students at University for Foreigners of Perugia, Italy

Tereze Rozlapa

Tereze Rozlapa is a course designer and a coordinator at Leonard de Vinci University Center in France with over 15 years of experience in the field of ELT. She holds a Master in Educational Sciences from the University of Latvia and a CELTA Cert.

Currently, her main areas of interest include instructional design in higher education, standardized test preparation and learner motivation.

Thom Kiddle

Thom Kiddle is Director at Norwich Institute for Language Education (NILE) and Chair of the Eaquals Board of Trustees, withexperiences that bring fresh perspectives to complex teaching issues.

Timothy Byrne

Timothy Byrne holds master’s degrees in Applied Linguistics and American Studies from KULeuven, Belgium. He is currently working in the English department at the Institut des langues vivantes of UCLouvain, Belgium.

Tuğba Yıldırım Kumbasar

Tuğba Yıldırım Kumbasar is an instructor at Sabancı University. After her Fulbright FLTA experience at Brown University in theU.S., she earned her M.A. in Turkish Language Education from Yıldız Technical University in Turkey. Currently, she ispursuing her doctoral studies in the Educational Sciences Ph.D. Program at Boğaziçi University in İstanbul, Turkey.

Vladlena Tcherkachina

Vladlena Tcherkachina, the Director of the School of Foreign Languages at MEF University (Istanbul, Turkey) has been actively involved in ELT management and teaching since 2010. Her professional interests encompass motivational management, staff well-being, effective utilization of technology, online teaching, and Flipped learning. In addition to her educational pursuits, Vladlena is a dedicated language learner and an enthusiastic dancer.

Wioleta Antecka

I come from Poland and work for Avant Assessment as an European Operations Coordinator. I have been teaching English for 15 years. ICT plays an important role in my work. I am a successful teacher with a lot of experience in running international collaborative projects. I have conducted a number of successful eTwinning projects receiving National and European quality labels.

Yiannis Papargyris

Yiannis Papargyris is an education management professional with over 20 years’ experience in the fields of English-medium Higher Education, Qualification Development and Language Assessment. At LanguageCert, he holds the position of Assessment Development Director. He is responsible for the development of the LanguageCert exams portfolio and contributes to LanguageCert’s Research and Validation programme.