First Global Index of Makers and Shakers in Education Technology Revealed

LONDON, June 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Global Committee of EdTech experts select candidates from Coursera, edX, IBM, Khan Academy, littleBits, Raspberry Pi to join inaugural ranking of 50 international innovators 

In association with WISE, the World Innovation Summit for Education, EdTechXGlobal, the organisers of leading education technology-focused conferences EdTechXEurope and EdTechXAsia, have launched the Makers and Shakers of Education Technology Index - the first comprehensive global listing of ground-breaking innovators in the EdTech field.

The international index celebrates 50 of the most innovative EdTech thought leaders, organised by four geographical regions (Europe, Americas, MENA and Asia). The 2016 Index honours these luminaries who through digital and physical technologies, have introduced innovative new ways of learning to the market through play, construction or interactive design.

The list was curated by EdTechXGlobal and WISE and then selected by 15 members of the global advisory committee; comprised of industry leaders from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Google for Education, IDEO, IBIS Capital, Kaizen Private Equity, Learn Capital, LinkedIN, Times Higher Education and TES Global. The 2016 international media partners, including Business Week MENA, l'Etudiant, JMDedu, LinkedIN and TES also aided the selection process and will help showcase these innovators to their worldwide communities.

The advisory committee scored each proposed candidate against criteria including; individual vision, disruptive innovation and impact and contribution. The "Makers" were defined as rising stars of education technology, innovating and pushing boundaries for future success, and "Shakers", as established leaders in their region, inspiring worldwide EdTech change.

"This Index seeks to recognise thinkers and doers who have pioneered innovative approaches to addressing challenges in education", said Stavros N. Yiannouka, the CEO of WISE.

"The Makers & Shakers of Education Technology is a global index that elevates Education innovators and thought leaders as 21st Century social rock stars. The index rewards talent, creativity, impact and influence in education," added Benjamin Vedrenne-Cloquet, Co-Founder of EdTechXGlobal.

The selected global candidates will be invited to an exclusive networking and celebratory dinner due to take place in London on the evening of 15^th of June, as well as having the opportunity to participate in the EdTechXEurope conference programme, when the fourth annual summit kicks off 15^th-16^th June, at Kings Place.

The full ranking of global candidates is available here: http://makersxshakers.com

Notes to editors: 

About EdTechXGlobal: 

EdTechXGlobal connects the global EdTech community though an insight, investment and annual thought leadership event series, EdTechXEurope in London and EdTechXAsia in Singapore. The EdTechXGlobal summits bring together executive level investors, innovators, and industry influencers from worldwide education technology companies. Through extensive networking opportunities, the conferences in London and Singapore also aim to connect leading foundations, higher-education institutions, policy makers, and thought leaders from the industry as well.

Now in its fourth year, EdTechXEurope 2016 is scheduled to take place at Kings Place in London, UK on 15-16 June, hosting 800+ global attendees and over 130 global speakers, in partnership with leading education events SXSWedu and WISE. The inaugural EdTechXAsia conference will invite 1200+ global thought leaders from the Asia region and the international EdTech industry for a two-day summit and expo event.

About the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE): 

Qatar Foundation, under the leadership of its Chairperson, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser launched the World Innovation Summit for Education in 2009. WISE is an international, multi-sectoral platform for creative thinking, debate and purposeful action. Through the Summit and a range of ongoing programs, WISE has established itself as a global reference in new approaches to education, promoting innovation and partnership.

About the Makers and Shakers Education Technology Index: 

The WISE and EdTechXGlobal teams preselected 25 names per region for the "Makers of Education and Technology" and the "Shakers of Education and Technology" categories.  The role of the Advisory Committee was to score each proposed name based on the below criteria. A ranking was then generated to list final 50 the "Makers" and "Shakers" per region and you were selected as one of the 2016 Makers & Shakers.

Each criterion was scored from 1 to 4, with 4 being the highest score - these were:

• Individual vision  
  The individual demonstrates a powerful and unique vision for the role of technology in education.
• Disruptive innovation  
  The initiative(s) launched by the individual is a creative and disruptive solution to an education challenge, showing innovation in its use of technology, design, methodology and/or practice. The actor is offering new ways of learning and distinguishes himself/herself from other actors in similar fields.
• Impact and contribution to education  
  The impact of the individual in the field of EdTech has been recognized and documented as having a positive impact on its beneficiaries and society at large.

The advisory panel, selecting the Makers and Shakers for the Index were as follows:

Americas
Ms Sandy Speicher, Managing Director of the Education Practice, IDEO (USA)
Mr. Henry Hipps, Senior Programe Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (USA)
Mr. Luis Pinto, Global Operations Partner, Learn Capital (USA)

Europe
Mrs. Liz Sproat, Head of Education, EMEA, Google for Education (UK)
Ms. Brigitte Ricou-Bellan, Managing Director, Digital, TES Global (UK)
Mr. Benjamin Vedrenne Cloquet, Co-Founder, EdTechXGlobal (France)
Mr. Charles McIntyre, CEO, IBIS Capital (UK)
Mr. Ross Hall, Director of Education Strategy, Ashoka (UK)
Mr. Charles Hardy, Education Engagement Lead, EMEA, LinkedIN (UK)
Mr. John Gill, Editor, Times Higher Education (UK)

MENA
Mr. Stavros N. Yiannouka, CEO, World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), Qatar Foundation (Cyprus)
Mr. Ravi Raman, Vice President and Associate Publisher, Business Week MENA (UAE)

Asia
Dr. Xuening Liu, CEO, JMDedu (China)
Mr. Sandeep Aneja, Managing Director, Kaizen Private Equity (India)
Mr. Takashi Onogawa, Deputy Manager, Mitsui & Co. (Japan)

SOURCE EdTechXGlobal