Our International School Leaders Conference
Conference programme
Tuesday 23 September 2025
The conference programme can be found below.
08:15 to 09:00 (London)
Registration and refreshments
The Gallery and Wakefield suite
09:00 to 09:30 (London)
Welcome and introduction
Speaker: Emma Whale, Vice President, Pearson School Qualifications International
The Auditorium
09:30 to 10:30 (London)
Keynote: Reinventing business for a modern world
Speaker: Dame Inga Beale, Former CEO of Lloyds of London and current President of The British Swiss Chamber of Commerce
The Auditorium
10:30 to 10:45 (London)
Mid-morning refreshments
The Gallery and Wakefield suite
10:45 to 11:45 (London)
The UK education landscape - policy and curriculum review
Speakers: Nick Hillman OBE, Director of the HE Policy Institute (HEPI) and David Russell, Senior Director of UK Public Policy, Pearson
The Auditorium
11:45 to 12:30 (London)
Building a culture of innovation: empowering educators
12:30 to 13:30 (London)
Lunch
The Gallery and Wakefield suite
13:30 to 14:30 (London)
Pearson Edexcel exam security and protocols briefing
Speakers: Hayley White, Vice President of Assessment, Standards and Services and Elliott Gibbons, Head of Investigations, QSR Business Improvement and Regulation at Pearson School Qualifications
The Auditorium
14:30 to 15:00 (London)
The 2025 Pearson International School Teacher Awards
Speaker: Emma Whale, Vice President, Pearson School Qualifications International
The Auditorium
15:00 to 15:30 (London)
Afternoon refreshments + networking
The Gallery and Wakefield suite
15:30 to 15:45 (London)
Day 1 round-up / gala dinner announcements + Day 2 preview
Speaker: Lisa Evans, Global Marketing Director & Sales Director for Europe and the Americas for Pearson School Qualifications International
The Auditorium
15:45 (London)
Day 1 close
18:30 to 22:30 (London)
Drinks reception + gala dinner
Please arrive from 18:30 for a drinks reception before welcome speeches and dinner at 19:00. Dress code: Smart evening wear or national dress
Plaisterers' Hall, One London Wall, London EC2Y 5JU
Plaisterers’ Hall is located just a stone’s throw from the Museum of London, on the corner of Noble St and London Wall.
Wednesday 24 September 2025
The conference programme can be found below.
08:45 to 09:30 (London)
Reception desk opens and refreshments
The Gallery + Wakefield suite
09:30 to 10:30 (London)
Keynote: Strategic and purpose-driven AI in education
Speaker: Dr Madiha Khan, Director of Consulting Services at Educate Ventures Research
The Auditorium
10:30 to 10:45 (London)
Mid-morning refreshments
The Gallery + Wakefield suite
10:45 to 11:45 (London)
Harnessing the power of AI at Pearson and in international schools
Speaker: Les Hopper, Product Director, Pearson UK
Guests: Kamran Baig, Founding Director of Lucerne International School, Switzerland and Dr Steffen Sommer, Director General of MISK Schools, Saudi Arabia
The Auditorium
11:45 to 12:30 (London)
Pearson Edexcel exam data insights
Speakers: Kathryn Booth, Regional Director at Pearson School Qualifications International and Ben Stafford, Head of Assessment Performance at Pearson School Qualifications
The Auditorium
12:30 to 13:30 (London)
Lunch
The Gallery + Wakefield suite
13:30 to 14:30 (London)
Meeting the needs of more students to improve learner outcomes
Chair: Emma Whale, Vice President, Pearson School Qualifications International
Panellists: Mark Leppard MBE, Headmaster of The British School Al Khubairat, UAE, Wenbin Wang, Principal of Malvern School Qingdao, China and Catriona Olsen, Executive Head of Kings InterHigh
The Auditorium
14:30 to 15:00 (London)
Afternoon refreshments + networking
The Gallery + Wakefield suite
15:00 to 16:00 (London)
Partnering with parents: key messages to build trust and enable effective support
16:00 to 16:30 (London)
Conference closing remarks, certificates of attendance presentations and photographs
Speaker: Emma Whale, Vice President, Pearson School Qualifications International
The Auditorium
16:30 (London)
Conference close