Annual Conference Speakers
Marianna Bom
Chief Financial Officer, Aalto University, FI
Marianna Bom is the Chief Financial Officer of Aalto University, responsible for the University’s financial management, campus and real estate development as well as administration of the group companies owned by the University.
Prior to joining Aalto University, she held several senior financial executive positions in the corporate sector. She holds an MSc. (Econ) from Helsinki School of Economics.
She is passionate about developing the University’s leadership and administration, bringing the best practices from the corporate sector to Aalto University, without sacrificing the unique traditions of the three historic institutions that formed the University in 2010.
Louwarnound van der Duim
Director of Educational Support and Innovation, University of Groningen, NL
Louwarnoud leads the unit that is responsible for educational support and innovation at the University of Groningen.
The University of Groningen is a research university with a global outlook, deeply rooted in Groningen, known as the City of Talent. In the past two years Louwarnoud has been responsible for the support of education during the Covid pandemic. Currently he is steering several projects, including one focussed on the renewal of the learning environment of the University.
Before taking on his current role, he was responsible for large projects to improve student retention rates, the introduction of digital examinations, structuring information flows to students and improving the teaching quality of all faculty within the University. He is driven to stimulate, and deliver, lasting educational innovations at Groningen.
Ricardo Geraldes
Executive Director of Rectory Services, University of Lisbon, PT
As the Executive Director of the Rectory Services Ricardo Geraldes is responsible for the management and guidance of all of the area’s administrative services.
His professional career background is in human resource management and legal support services, where he has coordinated several teams at the University of Lisbon.
Having worked at the University of Lisbon since 2006, Ricardo has participated in several working groups that resulted in the merger of the two largest Universities in Lisbon, the creation of a the creation of a shared services centre, and the implementation of financial and human resources systems.
He is passionate about cinema, music, books and travel. He holds a Degree in Law from the Lisbon Faculty of Law of the Portuguese Catholic University.
Alexandra den Heijer
Professor, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology, NL
Alexandra den Heijer holds a professorial Chair in Public Real Estate in the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). She has a background in architecture and management, with research interests in planning, design and management of University campuses and buildings.
Over the past decade she has developed models and theories that help universities to design and implement their campus strategies and that contribute to creating knowledge cities. In conducting her research she has worked closely with many Dutch universities as well as universities in other countries. She is the author of books, and several reports, articles and papers on the campus of the future. Following a fire in 2008 that destroyed the building where TU Delft’s Faculty of Architecture was located, she put her theories into practice as a member of the team that created a new home (“BK city”) for students and staff in a cultural heritage building.
Her current research interest explores the management of the European campus to support European decision makers. The research focuses on the presumed relationship between the quality of the physical setting and the success of the knowledge economy in attracting and retaining Europe’s knowledge capital.
Aukje Leufkens
Operational manager EDUiLAB, Tilburg University, NL
Aukje Leufkens is the Operational Manager at EDUiLAB at Tilburg University, in the Netherlands. Within the Educational Innovation Lab she is responsible for various innovation projects in which she coaches teachers who want to implement an innovation into the delivery of their education to students. She is also involved in national innovation projects such as micro credentials.
She has an academic background in applied social sciences and is passionate about social and educational innovation through the use of technology. She is a team player who likes to initiate change and change the world around her.
Frederico Muñoz
Cloud & Architecture Lead, South West Europe, SAS Institute, PT
Frederico Muñoz started working with Linux in the mid-90s out of sheer curiosity, a decision which would define his career. Actively involved in the open source community from early on, he pursued a path from programming and system administration towards data science, cloud computing and enterprise architecture.
In recent years he has been actively involved in projects touching on such diverse areas as Quantum Computing, the Internet of Things and Analytics.
He currently leads the Cloud and Architecture domain at SAS, for the South West & East Europe region.
Frederico holds a BA in Archaeology from the University of Lisbon, where he is an MA student and where he also undertook Physics programmes.
Maud Pols
Learning Specialist, Microsoft, NL
Originally from the Netherlands, Maud Pols has a background in both education and technology. With bachelor degrees in Psychology, Educational Sciences and Cultural Anthropology she has a deep interest in understanding how people learn.
After completing an MBA with a focus on digital technologies at Peking University, the combination of Education and Technology formed the foundation of her future career. She has always been passionate about educational improvement. As a student she founded a new student political party advocating the rights of 27.000 students at Leiden University.
During her MBA she taught English to Chinese children, and in Amsterdam she taught the Dutch language to Spanish speaking migrants. After completing her studies, she worked in roles in both the commercial and public sectors, including as an E-learning specialist, and as Project Leader Educational Innovation at the University of Amsterdam, where the Hybrid Learning Theatre was born. She is currently a Learning Specialist at Microsoft.
Raili Pönni
Head of Planning, Aalto University, FI
Raili Pönni is Head of Planning at Aalto University, responsible for support services for the University’s strategic management, management information services and quality assurance systems.
She has worked at Aalto University and the former Helsinki University of Technology in various academic and leadership support positions. She has D.Sci. (Tech) from Aalto University, School of Chemical Engineering. She is also HUMANE Summer School 2018 alumna.
She believes the world can be made a better place through research and education, when diverse talents work together.
Tobias Revell
Associate; Design Futures Lead, Arup, UK
Tobias Revell is a digital artist and designer from London. His work spans different disciplines and media, addressing the need for critical engagement with material reality through design, art and technology. His most recent work has looked at the idea of technology as a territory, how and through which tools, futures are imagined.
He is Design Futures Lead at Arup, is a co-founder of the design research consultancy Strange Telemetry, and is half of the research and curatorial power-brand, Haunted Machines. Prior to this he was Programme Director of Graphic Design Communication at the University of the Arts London, where he worked on and oversaw various digital transformation projects, portfolio reviews and managed the transition of the department through Covid.
Tobias lectures and exhibits internationally on design, technology, imagination and speculation as well as working with clients to imagine alternative futures.
Riitta Silvennoinen
Chief Human Resources Office, Aalto University, FI
Riitta Silvennoinen, MSc (Econ.), MBA, is responsible for the human resources management department, including competence and leadership development.
Her previous position was as Nokia’s VP, Global HR Centre of Expertise. She has been employed by Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks and Nokia Networks in a variety of human resources management roles since 1997.
Prior to this, she worked at the Helsinki School of Economics’ International Centre.
Brooke Thayer
Associate Director, Research Development, EAB Consulting, US
Brooke Thayer leads research on behalf of universities’ senior teams that address cross-cutting strategic, operational, and financial challenges. Her recent efforts have focused on multi-modal strategy and investments, campus facilities and design, the future of teaching and learning, strategic talent management, and university business models.
Through her work, Brooke frequently collaborates with university leaders from around the globe, including chief business officers and provosts, as well vice presidents for research, senior facilities officers, vice presidents for student affairs, and chief innovation and strategy officers.
Brooke joined EAB in 2017 after studying and working as a practitioner in the higher education industry. She has administrative experience in areas like student success and retention, academic advising, records and registration, orientation, and residential education.
Annual Conference Facilitator
Ian Creagh
After serving 10 years as King’s College London’s Senior Vice-President Operations & College Secretary, Ian now holds a portfolio of non-executive and higher education consulting roles. Prior to King’s, he held similar chief operating officer roles at City University London and before that, the University of Adelaide.
The first part of his career was in the Australian Public Service where he rose early on to become a member of the Senior Executive Service. Ian is also an experienced non-executive having served on the Board of King’s Health Partners, the Council of Governors of an NHS Foundation Trust, and the audit committee of the British Academy. He is currently the Chair of the Academic Council of BPP University in the UK,
Since relocating to Europe 20 years ago, Ian became an active member of HUMANE serving on its Executive Committee. He was a regular contributor to the Winter School and was key in the development of its sister Schools, the Berlin Summer School and the Shanghai Transnational Partnership School.