D2L Connection: Amsterdam 

Agustina Bruno Videla

E-Learning and Digital Co-ordinator, Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU)

Agustina Bruno Videla is an E-Learning Coordinator and Instructional Designer who loves solving real-world learning friction. Currently leading digital learning initiatives at the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), she has spent the last nine years designing online environments, smart UX workflows, and data-driven learning paths. A recurring speaker at D2L events, Agustina focuses on how continuous iteration, simple interface tweaks, and automated nudges can transform passive registrations into long-term learner success.

Andi Gardner

Manager Assessment Operations, London Institute of Banking & Finance, part of Walbrook Institute London (LIBF)

Andi Gardner, Assessment Operations Manager at LIBF, part of Walbrook Institute London, will share their experience of transitioning assessment delivery from an external provider to Brightspace, supported by Atomic Jolt and Integrity Advocate. Their presentation explores how a small team successfully brought assessments in-house, enhancing the student experience through technology. In 2025, this work was recognised with a UK Operational Excellence Award.

Emma J O’Neill

Professor of Veterinary Medicine and Acting Director of Innovation Academy, University College Dublin (UCD)

Emma is Professor of Veterinary Medicine and Acting Director of the UCD Innovation Academy at University College Dublin. She is passionate about education and enabling people to realise their full potential through the development of skills and competencies that support them in agile lifelong learning. Emma’s educational research interests include metacognition, experiential learning, and evidence-based practice. She undertook a educational fellowship 2019-2021 which focussed on use of the VLE to support metacognitive skill development in students.

Geert van der Wijk

Product Owner, Windesheim University

Geert vander Wijk is Product Owner Education & Research at the IT department of Windesheim University. With a team of functional administrators, he is responsible for the run and change of all applications used in teaching, learning, and research, including Brightspace. With a background in Educational Science and Technology, Geert identifies and prioritizes changes in close collaboration with stakeholders to deliver continuous, sustainable value to education.

Renée Visscher

Business Analyst/Solution Architect, Windesheim University

Renée studied Computer Science at Utrecht University and has worked in IT for more than 20 years. After her career in the financial industry, she switched to the academic world. She currently works as a Business Analyst/Solution Architect for the Personal Learning Pathways program, where she is responsible for designing and implementing interfaces to and from Brightspace and other complex processes and functionality in the new landscape

Jade Cox

Digital Learning Manager, UK Finance

Jade Cox is a Digital Learning Manager at UK Finance, responsible for the operational delivery, development and commercial strategy of the organisation’s digital learning offer.

She leads work across platform management, learner experience, supplier relationships, quality standards and performance improvement, ensuring digital learning products are scalable, commercially viable and aligned to member needs.

With experience spanning LMS implementation, training operations, stakeholder engagement and revenue-focused learning delivery, Jade focuses on turning digital education into practical, high-impact solutions that support member value and long-term growth.

Jennifer Kitney-Xu

Learning Technologist, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)

Jennifer Kitney-Xu is a Learning Technologist who has worked at the CIPD since 2018. She was part of the team that implemented Brightspace in 2020 and has worked on almost everything that is on the Learning Hub in some form.

Katy Hadlow

Head of Assessment Operations and Customer Services, London Institute of Banking & Finance, part of Walbrook Institute London (LIBF)

Katy Hadlow, Head of Assessment Operations & Customer Services, and Andi Gardner, Assessment Operations Manager at LIBF, part of Walbrook Institute London, will share their experience of transitioning assessment delivery from an external provider to Brightspace, supported by Atomic Jolt and Integrity Advocate. Their presentation explores how a small team successfully brought assessments in-house, enhancing the student experience through technology. In 2025, this work was recognised with a UK Operational Excellence Award.

Klara A. Bonder

Teamlead Educational Applications, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)

Klara has a quarter of a century of experience with management and implementation of EdTech. She started at the University of Amsterdam developing open educational resources and materials to support teaching and learning of Dutch abroad. After a pivot into managing open access publications, she joined Delft University of Technology as an EdTech administrator in 2014. She has extensive experience in implementing educational tools with a focus on the more technical side of things. She now leads a team of 20 system administrators that keep all centrally supported applications –from educational tools to the student information system and logistics systems – running smoothly for Delft’s large population of lecturers and students.

Mads Vestergaard Karkov Holst

Product Manager LMS / Padagogical consultant, Aarhus University

Mads Vestergaard Karkov Holst is LMS Product Manager and pedagogical consultant at the Centre for Educational Development, Aarhus University, where his work splits evenly between Brightspace governance and advising teachers. He came to the LMS from interface criticism and the philosophy of technology, and it shows: he treats course setup as a question of meaning and conditions, not configuration. Before Aarhus he spent a decade teaching and consulting in higher education.

Mario Landman

Executive: Educational Technology & Innovation, Independent Institute of Education (IIE)

Dr Mario Landman is Executive for Educational Technology and Innovation at The Independent Institute of Education, an ADvTECH division and South Africa’s largest private higher education institution. He leads institution-wide initiatives in digital learning, learning design, artificial intelligence and educational technology across the ADvTECH education ecosystem. Drawing on extensive experience in higher education leadership, quality assurance and instructional design, he focuses on translating emerging technologies into responsible, accessible and meaningful teaching and learning practices.

Tobias Alsted Nielsen

Special Consultant, Aarhus University

Tobias Alsted Nielsen is an educational consultant at the Centre for Educational Development, Aarhus University. He works across the development and implementation of Brightspace and other learning technologies, as well as the design of online and blended learning. His role combines educational development, technology implementation, and close collaboration with faculty. He is also course responsible for a university course on online and blended learning.

Franca Jonquière

Manager of Teaching and Learning Services, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)

Franca’s origin is both in Media Studies and Veterinary science, where she lectured at the University of Amsterdam and Utrecht University, starting with a passion for teaching and education. She then spent some time working in online education management for IDEXX, a leading veterinary technology company, before returning to the academic world. She currently works at TU Delft where she was instrumental in building the Teaching & Learning Services department that supports campus and online lecturers, education innovation and teacher training. She has over a decade of experience in education management and has presented at numerous conferences in this capacity.

Josien de Boer

Coordinator Educational applications, University of Groningen

Josien is one of the coordinators for educational applications in the University of Groningen’s team ICT for Education. Her focus is on user-friendliness, testing new functionalities and optimising digital testing. The team is responsible for a collection of applications that span the whole student lifecycle, which allows the team to optimally align these systems to pursue the best possible user experience.

Caitriona Whelan

Elearning Developer and Content Creator, National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA)

Learning Developer and Content Creator: Caitriona has worked in NALA since 2017 and was the lead in the transition from NALA’s WriteOn elearning platform to Brightspace in 2019. She is part of the development team managing Learn with NALA. With a Master’s in Education in Special Educational Needs, she has delivered accessibility workshops in house and externally as part of an Erasmus+ KA-2 project following the launch of the EU Accessibility directive 2016/2102.

Elaine Cohalan

Learning Strategy and Education Manager, National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA)

Learning Strategy and Education Manager: Elaine is a strategic and purpose-driven executive leader with extensive experience shaping policy, organisational transformation and equality-focused initiatives across complex stakeholder environments. Since 2019, she has led NALA’s national educational services to adult literacy learners and literacy practitioners. This includes Learn with NALA which supports over 3,500 adults with unmet literacy needs in Ireland annually. Elaine is passionate about education and the power it has to transform lives.

Indre Dragunaite

Associate Director Global e-Learning, Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA)

Indre Dragunaite is Associate Director of Global e-Learning at the IPA, where she is responsible for shaping and delivering digital learning experiences for advertising and communications professionals around the world. With over 15 years’ experience in online learning, she combines strategic thinking with a practical focus on creating engaging, accessible, and effective learning journeys. Passionate about innovation and continuous improvement, she has led a range of digital transformation initiatives that have helped broaden access to learning and improve outcomes for both learners and organisations. 

Liam Fogarty

Senior Project Manager, Educational Technology Services, University College Dublin (UCD)

Liam Fogarty is a Senior Project Manager in Educational Technology Services at University College Dublin, where he leads projects focused on enhancing the use of educational technology across the university. A former secondary school teacher, he previously worked as a Technology Enhanced Learning Manager before joining UCD IT Services. He currently leads UCD’s redesign of its Brightspace staff training programme. 

Rachel Evans

Product Manager, Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS)

Rachel is a Product Manager at the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, with a background in product development, learning design and education, including vocational and higher education. She is responsible for developing educational products to support CIPS Members, including accredited qualifications and CPD. By working closely with stakeholders and understanding customer needs, Rachel manages the development of practical, engaging learning products using the tools available in Brightspace.

Tony Lynn

Learning Technologies Solutions Lead, Institute of Directors (IoD)

Tony Lynn is a Learning Technologies Solutions Lead at the Institute of Directors, where he is responsible for the technologies that support learning, development, and member engagement. With more than 30 years’ experience across the public, private, higher education, and not-for-profit sectors, he has seen first-hand how technology can transform the way people learn. Tony is passionate about harnessing technology as an enabler, creating accessible and engaging learning experiences, and exploring the opportunities that emerging technologies bring to professional development.

John Baker

President, CEO and Board Chair, D2L

John founded D2L in 1999, at the age of twenty-two, while attending the University of Waterloo. He strongly believes that learning is the foundation upon which all progress and achievement rests.

He is a member of the Business Council of Canada, board member of the Business Higher Education Roundtable, member of the Industry Strategy Council in Canada, Chair of the Digital Economic Strategy Table in Canada, has served on the Governing Council of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, is the Past Chair of the board of Communitech, and is a board member of Canada’s National Ballet School.

John was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross, the EY Entrepreneur of the Year (Ontario for Software and Technology), Young Alumni Achievement Medal from University of Waterloo, and Intrepid Entrepreneur of the Year in Waterloo Region Hall of Fame.

John graduated from the University of Waterloo with an Honours B.A.Sc. in Systems Design Engineering, with First Class Honours and an option in Management Sciences.

Dr. Cristi Ford

Chief Learning Officer, D2L

Dr. Cristi Ford serves as the Chief Learning Officer at D2L. She brings more than 20 years of cumulative experience in higher education, secondary education, project management, program evaluation, training and student services to her role. In this role, she offers thought leadership and direction to the academic affairs unit of the organization. Her previous roles have allowed her to have impact in education from secondary and higher education settings within North America and as part of the international landscape. Her reach has allowed her to focus on building online education in the US and in Africa.

In addition to her experience building new online learning programs and research related to online teaching and learning, Dr. Ford possesses significant experience in the design and delivery of integrated educational support, training and transition services for young adults and children with neurodevelopment disabilities.

Dr. Ford was selected by the Online Learning Consortium as the 2022 OLC Fellow (the highest professional distinction offered by the association). She is a tireless advocate for quality online education and has leveraged her passion and expertise in many realms in the education space. She is known for utilizing her leadership in extraordinary ways to help institutions build capacity to launch and expand online programming through effective faculty development, instructional design and pedagogical practices.

Dr. Ford holds a PhD in Educational Leadership from the University of Missouri-Columbia and undergraduate and graduate degrees in the field of Psychology from Hampton University and University of Baltimore, respectively.

Stewart Watts

Senior Vice President, EMEA and APAC, D2L

Stewart Watts is Senior Vice President, EMEA & APAC Sales, at D2L. He leads the company’s commercial activities east of the Americas—across the Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa regions.

A graduate of The University of Nottingham, Stewart holds an MA (Hons) in Hispanic Studies and has worked in the software industry within education and learning since 2011. Stewart moved to D2L in January 2016 having previously spent close to five years at software and services firm Blackbaud Inc., where he ran commercial operations within the European division.

Stewart was brought up in Bolton, Greater Manchester, in the north of England and now lives in Surrey with his wife and two children. Stewart describes himself as a “spare bedroom musician,” a “wannabe Tiger Woods,” and a “long-suffering Manchester United fan,” with his passions for music, golf and football taking up the majority of his free time.

Imran Ahmed

Vice President Product Marketing, D2L

Imran Ahmed is Vice President of Product Marketing at D2L, where he leads global GTM strategy across the K–12, higher ed, and corporate learning markets. With over 15 years in SaaS and EdTech, including roles at Demandbase, ADP, and Ceridian, Imran is known for crafting differentiated positioning and driving cross-functional alignment. His focus on customer-centric messaging and market-backed insights has helped scale some of the industry’s most trusted brands.

Jonathan Holtby

Director of Product for Artificial Intelligence, D2L

Jonathan Holtby is the Director of Product for Artificial Intelligence at D2L working to develop knowledge systems, advanced content generation, and adaptive and dynamic learning implementations for millions of learners across the globe.

Jonathan has been leading AI initiatives as an engineer, product leader, and CEO since 2014, building complex systems and prediction models in human resources, personal health, and education, and in 2023 he was the developer of an award-winning system to predict advanced academic outcomes from the data generated playing video games.

Jonathan is a graduate of the University of Toronto and of Bond University in Australia, and his also a father of two and an Opera singer.

Louise Plunkett

International Product Strategy Director, D2L

Louise leads D2L’s product strategy across international markets, focusing on creating innovative digital learning solutions for diverse educational needs. Based in the UK, Louise is dedicated to helping shape the future of education through strategic product development and global market insights.

Rachel Foster

Principal Solutions Engineer, D2L

Rachel Foster is a dynamic and solutions-driven Principal Solutions Engineer at D2L, where she leads strategic engagements that help institutions unlock the full potential of digital learning. With over six years at D2L, Rachel has progressed through senior engineering roles, including team leadership, consistently delivering tailored solutions that meet complex client needs across the UK and beyond. Rachel’s passion for education extends beyond her professional role—she served as a dedicated school Governor at Thorn Grove Primary School for over five years, including as Chair during the COVID-19 pandemic. She holds a BSc in Information Technology and Multimedia from the University of Gloucestershire and a Professional Certificate in Management from The Open University. Known for her technical acumen, leadership, and collaborative spirit, Rachel is committed to driving innovation in education through thoughtful, impactful technology.

Zain Qaadri

Senior Solutions Engineer, D2L

Zain is a Senior Solutions Engineer with 7 years of hands-on experience in the educational technology industry. His journey began as a Business Development Representative, where he honed his skills in understanding customer needs and motivations.

With a keen eye for identifying pain points and drivers, Zain transitioned seamlessly into the role of Solutions Engineer. His forte lies in crafting customised software solutions that precisely address the unique challenges faced by clients, leveraging his Brightspace expertise to help revolutionise learning experiences and drive educational innovation.