Meet our speakers

Le Thanh Ha

Le Thanh Ha is a lecturer at Foreign Trade University, Ho Chi Minh City Campus, Vietnam. She is currently a PhD candidate at Hanoi University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University (VNU). Her research interests include teacher professional development, language and identity, and student engagement. Ha is dedicated to enhancing language education through research and innovation, particularly in the Vietnamese higher education context.

Mary Rose Banaag

Mary Rose Banaag is a Certified TOEFL trainer, teacher trainer, and EdTech specialist with over 15 years of experience teaching ESL and EFL to young and adult learners. She designs and delivers training programs for B2B and B2C clients across diverse cultural contexts. Passionate about educational innovation, Mary integrates AI tools and digital resources with creative teaching methods to create dynamic, student-centred lessons. 

Myat Noe Lwin

Myat Noe Lwin is a Senior Lecturer at STI Myanmar College and former academic coordinator at the University of Bedfordshire. Her global education experience enriches her expertise in language education. Myat actively mentors students on academic pathways, higher education, and scholarships. Through freelance consulting and involvement with youth organizations, she provides guidance on career planning, study strategies, and application writing, supporting personal growth and scholarship success.

Patcharin Kunna

Patcharin Kunna, also known as Rabbit, is a Grade 9 English teacher at Damrongratsongkroh School in Chiang Rai, Thailand. Her areas of interest in English Language Teaching (ELT) include motivating students, lesson planning, material development, and classroom research. Since 2022, she has been involved in the EAR project for teacher skills development. She continues to work in this field, serving  as a local mentor to teachers in Thailand.

Saengkae Khonghuayrob

Saengkae Khonghuayrob is an educator and Director of the English Language Institute at the Human Capital Excellence Management Center (HCEMC), Office of Basic Education Commission. She leads professional development initiatives and English proficiency programs for teachers, educational personnel, and learners. Saengkae’s expertise focuses on educational supervision, reflective practice, and teacher development, aiming to enhance English language education across diverse learning contexts. 

Safitry Wahyuni

Safitry Wahyuni, M.Pd., is an English teacher at SMP Negeri 2 Samarinda, Indonesia, and a consultant for the English Teachers’ Association in Samarinda. A Fulbright DAI alumna with over 15 years of experience, she specialises in integrating technology and AI to promote inclusive learning for diverse students. Safitry has been invited to speak at numerous local, national, and international conferences, including TEFLIN, Asia TEFL, CamTESOL, ThaiTESOL, DIELE, and OpenTESOL. 

Sam Whittam

Sam Whittam is Product Development Manager at Macenta Publishing & Digital Solutions in Turkey.  After university, Sam taught English in South Korea, and discovered he enjoyed developing new teaching methods. After moving to Turkey, he taught students of all ages, from kindergarten to university. In 2017 he moved into an ELT publishing role as a teacher trainer and educational consultant. He is part of the team behind The Globals, an award-winning English education platform.

Scott Thornbury

Scott Thornbury has taught in Egypt, the UK, Spain, and in his native New Zealand. Until recently, he taught an online MA TESOL programme  in New York. His writing credits include award-winning books for teachers, including About Language (Cambridge) and The New A-Z of ELT (Macmillan). His latest books are 30 Language Teaching Methods,101 Grammar Questions, and 66 Essentials of Lesson Design (Cambridge). He is also the series editor of the Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers. 

Yuni Tampi

Yuni Tampi is an English teacher at a state junior high school and a Deep Learning facilitator for in-service teachers in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. With over a decade of experience, she actively contributes to teacher leadership and professional development. As a Guru Penggerak and instructional coach for the National Teacher Leadership Program, Yuni facilitates training on curriculum, instructional design, and teacher capacity building. 

Fatiha Najma

Fatiha is a dedicated English teacher at a private school in Indonesia, holding a bachelor's degree in English Education. With nearly seven years of experience, she is currently teaching in a low-attainment environment, where she enjoys teaching in various contexts, including general English, English for specific purposes, and English test proficiency preparation. Fatiha is also an active speaker at seminars and conferences, promoting 21st-century skills such as public speaking and leadership.