Eaquals International Conference 2025, Malta

Agnieszka Konturek Turkan

I have eight years of experience working at a private university in Turkey, including seven years as an ELPP instructor, two years as a Faculty English Instructor, and one year as a Faculty English Coordinator and Assessment Specialist.

Alan Mackenzie

A founding director of TransformELT, Alan Mackenzie has also designed and taught master’s level courses in Autonomy for Teachers College Columbia University and NILE. Alan was a project manager for British Council across East and South Asia for ten years, and has recently developed curricula for Georgia, Egypt, and Colombia.

Alireza Kabiriaslifar

With a Master’s degree in English Literature and over 12 years in IELTS teaching and management at the IELTS IDP center, I specialize in preparing students and training teachers for IELTS. I am also an IDP-certified Speaking mock examiner. Currently, I serve as a faculty member at Fatih Sultan Mehmet University in Turkey for 3 years, with over eight years of university-level teaching experience.

Ana Dias

Ana Dias holds a PhD in Language Teaching – Multilinguism and Education for Global Citizenship. She has 30 years’ experience in Teaching Portuguese as a Foreign Language. Ana is also author of Portuguese as a Foreign Language materials for general and specific purposes.

Ania Kolbuszewska

Ania Kolbuszewska works internationally as a teacher trainer, management trainer, inspector and educational consultant at all levels of education. Ania is also a licensed mediator and conflict management specialist.

Aurore Trouvé

Aurore, a Teacher Trainer at Easy School of Languages in Malta, is an experienced ESL teacher. She is a certified DELTA teacher and Teacher Trainer. She has worked as French Coordinator and English Head Teacher in Peru and as Academic Manager in Malta. Aurore is passionate about helping educators create engaging, tech-enhanced lessons that motivate students.

Canan Aktug

EFL teacher, trainer, and educational consultant with 20+ years of experience. Holding an MA in Applied Linguistics, she is a Bell Certified Teacher Trainer and NILE Certified Training Development Professional. As co-founder of UKLA Academy, she designed its CPD program and contributed to EU projects supporting immigrant integration with gamified content and teacher training for refugee educators.

Christian Berlin

Christian Berlin is an experienced education professional with extensive experience in language education and management. He currently serves as the Director of the Language Department at De Vinci Higher Education, where he oversees a large team of language instructors and plays a key role in curriculum development and quality control.

Claudia Arnfield

Claudia works as the Learning Coordinator at Speexx, providing language trainers, clients, and both external and internal managers with the pedagogical knowledge necessary to deliver state-of-the-art learning programs across large organizations. Her M.A. in Tesol and M.Sc. in Biodiversity also help her add a sustainability slant to everything she does.

Danny Norrington-Davies

Danny is a teacher and teacher-trainer at International House London. His interests in ELT are emergent language, grammar, materials design, and creativity. He enjoys speaking at conferences, and his first book, ‘Teaching grammar: from rules to reasons’ was published by Pavilion in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book ‘Working with Emergent Language’

Darya Karatayeva

I graduated from Minsk State Linguistic University in 2008 as a teacher of English, Russian, and German, and earned an MA from GAU in 2011 with a thesis on dyslexia. At MEF University, Istanbul, I manage the Second Foreign Languages unit, overseeing teachers, the syllabus, and student issues. As a line manager at SoFL, I support teachers’ professional development to ensure quality instruction.

Dr Daniel Xerri

Daniel Xerri is a teacher educator, researcher, and author specializing in English language education and professional development. He works as an Associate Professor at the University of Malta, and is the Chairperson of the ELT Council. He has published widely on language pedagogy, assessment, and professional learning, and he regularly delivers keynotes and workshops at international conferences. 

Dr Elaine Boyd

Elaine Boyd has worked for over 30 years in English language teaching and assessment for several international organisations. She has designed and delivered courses in assessment literacy for teacher educators and contributed to the development of curricula in a range of contexts. She has also authored several EL coursebooks. Elaine is a Tutor at University College London.

Duygu Ozler

Duygu Ozler has been in the ELT world for over 20 years. She has a BA in American Culture and Literature and an MA in English Language Teaching. She holds an ICELT, DELTA, Teacher Training Certificate (Sabancı University) and Trainer Training Certificate (Anatolian Training Institute).

She has worked at various institutions ranging from elementary schools to universities in different parts of Turkey, as a teacher, an administrator and a trainer.

 She is one of the founding members of TESOL Turkey. Her research interests include teacher research, in-service teacher education, critical thinking in education and testing and assessment. Currently, she is working as a Teacher Trainer and Marketing manager for Macmillan Education, Western Europe.

Eda Aşılmaz

Eda Aşılmaz is the Director of the English Preparatory School at Bahçeşehir Cyprus University, with over 20 years of experience in teaching and educational administration. She holds a BA degree in English Language and Literature from Bilkent University and an MA degree in Literature and Criticism from the University of Greenwich.

Elizabeth S. Coleman

Elizabeth Coleman has been in ELT for 15+ years. She took an unusual route into language teaching, arriving in ELT with a background in gender and environmental activism. A firm believer in education as a transformative and developmental tool, she has a special interest in diversifying classroom practice and promoting equity and minority inclusion.

Emma Heyderman

Emma Heyderman has over 20 years’ experience in academic management and has collaborated with O’Clock Idiomas on several projects. Now freelance, she divides her time between writing ELT materials, designing and delivering teacher training courses, providing consultancy to language institutions and is an inspector for Eaquals.

Eoin O Brien

I am an English Language Teacher with many years experience both in France and Ireland. I am also a qualified nurse andteach Medical English classes to students who are preparing to embark on studies across the range of Health Sciences. I amhugely passionate about writing, reading and music and take a creative approach to teaching, seeking to broaden andenhance the scope of learning.

Fatma Gürman-Kahraman

Fatma Gürman-Kahraman is currently a PhD candidate at Bursa Uludağ University. She has more than 20 years experience of teaching English as a foreign language. Her research interests are AI in language learning and assessment, and language learning strategies.

Gillian Davidson

Gillian Davidson has worked in EFL for almost 30 years. She has taught, and managed in Slovakia, Indonesia, Russia and the UK. She has taught students from 4 years old to much older across a wide range of courses. She is currently the Group Academic Director at EC English and has extensive experience of managing multiple centres across the world. Gill is also an Eaquals inspector.

Giorgio Iemmolo

Giorgio Iemmolo has been the Director of the Language Center of the University of Zurich (UZH) and ETH Zurich since November 2024. In this role, he oversees the strategic development and management of language programs that support the academic and professional growth of students, faculty, and staff across both institutions. Before joining the Language Center, Giorgio gained extensive experience in academic and organizational management. He honed his leadership skills during his tenure at EF Education First, where he managed diverse teams and projects, solidifying his expertise in educational program design and operational excellence. From 2011 to 2015, he was affiliated with the Institute of Comparative Linguistics (IVS) at UZH, where he contributed to research and teaching in linguistics. With a background in linguistics, Giorgio has published widely on topics such as language typology, semantics, and syntax. His vision for the Language Center emphasizes innovation, inclusivity, and collaboration, ensuring that the language programs continue to meet the evolving needs of an international academic community.

Helen Allen

Helen is Insight Application Lead at Cambridge University Press & Assessment. She has worked for nearly 30 years in education – as a teacher, trainer, manager, consultant and mentor, and supports learning in local community settings. A current focus in her work is the exploration of how we effectively embed the development of sustainability skills in English language teaching and learning.

Ian Brangan

Ian Brangan is a teacher, trainer, and Director of Education at The Linguaviva Centre in Dublin. He is a Schools Inspector with ACELS/ Eaquals and a materials writer.

James Carmichael

James Carmichael is the Country Manager for UK and Ireland for Pearson English Language Learning. He is responsible for stakeholder relations and market development across Pearson’s ELL portfolio, with particular responsibility for managing university and other stakeholders to grow and manage recognition for PTE. James has over 25 years’ experience working in high-stakes English language testing and ELT in a number of roles across diverse markets, including China, Africa and Europe. Before joining Pearson, James worked for the British Council, Inspired Education and Oxford University Press.

Jen Diaz Green

Jen Diaz Green has been involved in ELT education for over 25 years in both Argentina and Ireland. She’s been an EFL teacher, an Academic Manager, a teacher trainer and currently School Director at ISI Dublin. She’s in charge of quality standards, academic excellence, operational effectiveness and leadership. She’s also a Workplace Wellness champion and advocate.

Jennifer Thorson

Jennifer Thorson is an educator and coordinator with over 17 years of experience in China, Palestine, and Turkiye. She is passionate about advancing social justice through education, and holds a Master’s degree in Education with a focus on inclusive pedagogy. She is dedicated to empowering colleagues and students alike, cultivating environments where all voices are heard and valued.

Joanna Kożuchowska

Joanna Kożuchowska, teacher and Deputy Director for English at the WUT Foreign Language Centre, Poland (SJO PW). She teaches general English and ESP/EMI courses at the B2-C1 levels. She’s particularly interested in how quality assurance and internationalization can facilitate professional development in different teaching contexts.

Joanna Wrzesinska

Joanna manages the ELT and Institutional Relations team at ETS EMEA. She is also a joint coordinator of IATEFL TEASIG. Joanna holds an M.A. degree in TEFL and is based in Poland and Greece. Previously, Joanna worked as an ELT teacher and academic manager in Poland.

Josianne Block

Josianne Block is a senior teaching associate at the University of Malta and holds an M.A. in Applied Linguistics and TESOL. Her research interests are language dynamics in multilingual contexts and teacher-led inquiry. She has presented at multiple conferences and contributed to publications on these topics. Josianne also serves as newsletter editor for the IATEFL Research SIG.

Julie Cuttance

I have working in ELT for more than 20 years in the roles of teacher, teacher trainer and now as Academic and training manager for my school. I completed my Delta in 2014 and am keenly interested in further education and training for in – service teachers and in Erasmus based project research work.

Kassandra Robertson

Kassandra Robertson earned her M.A. in Applied English Linguistics from UW-Madison in 2013 and has since worked primarily in higher education settings teaching academic writing and ESP. She currently teaches discipline-specific writing at Sabancı University in Istanbul, Turkey.

Katherine Opello

Katherine Opello is co-Head of the English Department and English language teacher at the Institut des langues vivantes at UCLouvain (Belgium). She holds an M.A. and Ph.D. from New York University (USA) as well as the Cambridge CELTA qualification.

Katrin Krause

Katrin Krause has been with g.a.s.t. since 2019, currently leading Product Development with a focus on learning. Previously, she spent many years at Goethe-Institutes in Egypt and the Gulf region, managing courses, training teachers, and establishing a language center. She brings extensive experience in teaching German as a foreign language at universities in Germany and abroad.

Kim Beadle

Kim is on the British Council’s Teaching Excellence team supporting the global teaching network to develop and showcase talent and research. She has over 17 years’ experience and a range of qualifications related to teaching, training, leadership, and evaluation. She presents regularly at conferences on a range of topics including phonology, assessment and teacher development.

Koray Tunc

Koray Tunç is the Director of the Foreign Languages Department and a member of the Quality Committee at Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakif University. Previously, he coordinated educational technologies (2015-2019) for the English Prep Program. He holds a BA and MA in English Literature and is currently a Ph.D. candidate. He is particularly interested in integrating technology and AI into language teaching

L. Alp Akarçay

Alp Akarçay holds an MA in TESOL and is a PhD candidate in sociology. He currently teaches at Sabanci University, Türkiye.

Linda Egnatz

Linda Egnatz is the Executive Director of the Global Seal of Biliteracy, a free international language certification program that serves to recognize and document bilingual skills in over 50 countries. Egnatz serves as the 2023-24 President of the Joint National Committee for Languages, and is a Bilingualism Matters Advisory Board Member and Heritage Language Global Think Tank Member.

Małgorzata Witczak

Małgorzata Witczak, teacher and CPD representative at the WUT Foreign Language Centre, Poland (SJO PW). She teaches general English and ESP courses, also PBL at B2-C1 levels for BSc and MSc students and courses for academic teachers and administrative staff. She believes in life-long education, enjoys learning languages, travelling and running teacher training sessions.

Maria Davou

Born and raised in Athens, Greece, Maria is a school owner, teacher, teacher trainer, researcher, author, and storyteller. She holds a BA in Philosophy, Cambridge DELTA, an MA in TESOL. Currently she is working on her PhD. Maria has more than thirty years of experience in teaching, teacher training, and syllabus design in Greece, the UK, and the US.

Marta Silva

Marta holds a Master in Linguistics and teaches Portuguese as a Foreign Language for 25 years, Since 2016, she is also the Director of Studies of the Portuguese Department in Cial Centro de Línguas Lisboa.

Mary Grennan

Mary has many years’ experience in ELT. In her current role at Quality and Qualifications Ireland, the state agency responsible for QA in tertiary education, she is responsible for the development of the new TrustEd Ireland scheme, now being implemented.

Mehmet Çelikbaş

I have been teaching English at university level for 10 years. I have an MA degree from Istanbul University. My thesis focused on interlanguage transfer of EFL learners in speech act of refusals. I am also about to complete a PhD at Middle East Technical University. My dissertation is on development and validation of a sociopragmatic assessment tool for EFL students.

Meri Maroutian

Meri is a DELTA-qualified English language teacher and teacher trainer with over 15 years of experience. Based in Parma, Italy, she specializes in creating inclusive classrooms and dismantling biases in ELT. Passionate about leveraging AI and innovative teaching methods, Meri designs engaging professional development programs for global educators, helping them focus on effective communication in diverse learning environments.

Michael Carrier

Michael Carrier is a consultant, working for many years in language education. He serves on several boards including TIRF and ICC, the British Council’s English Language Advisory Group, and chairs the Dept. of Business & Trade’s ELT Action Group. He was formerly Director, English Language Innovation at the British Council, Director of Eurocentres USA and CEO of the International House network.

Mike Howard

Mike Howard is a business development and marketing expert with 15+ years in online learning and digital education. As Senior Business Development Manager at Avallain, he helps publishers and institutions leverage innovative learning tools. Previously, he held leadership roles at Coursera, Pearson, and Macmillan. Fluent in English and French, Mike holds an Executive MBA from Montpellier Business

Mike Riley

Mike Riley joined NILE as Deputy Director in 2020 after spending four years as Teacher Training Manager at Macmillan Education. He started his teaching career in 2001 working with refugees and asylum seekers in his native Manchester and then spent 15 years as teacher, director of studies and director in Milan. His role at NILE involves supporting strategic and organisational management.

Miranda Karjagdi Çolak

Miranda Karjagdi Çolak is a seasoned language educator at Bursa Technical University’s School of Foreign Languages. With a PhD in TEFL, she has extensive experience as an EFL teacher, teacher trainer, researcher, and EAQUALS inspector. Miranda is passionate about promoting sustainable and comprehensive quality assurance systems within Turkish public universities. 

Nazan Gelbal

Nazan Gelbal has been an EAP instructor since 2008, holding an MA degree in English Literature and a
DELTA certificate. She has taught various student groups, including EAP, ESP and research-based courses. Her teaching philosophy revolves around fostering learner awareness and motivation. She is deeply enthusiastic about using technology for education and conducting classroom research.

Neslihan Demirdirek

I have been teaching English for almost 27 years. I completed my MA in ELT at the University of Nottingham. I taught Turkish in Sweet Briar College, Virginia, USA for a year as part of the Fulbright FLTA programme. I have been working at Sabancı University in Istanbul since 2006. Currently, I am the Learner Support Coordinator at Sabancı University.

Nursel Çetinkaya

Nursel Çetinkaya has been an English teacher for over a decade and has experience in testing and curriculum development. Appointed Assistant Director in 2023, she prioritizes quality standards and has helped her school become Turkey’s first to accredit all language programs. She is also a recipient of the 2024 Eaquals Scholarship Scheme.

Ofelia Mancas

I have over 20 years of teaching experience in Romania and Turkey teaching English to students of different ages, from primary school children to university students. For the past eight years I have worked at MEF University teaching general English, EAP and a CPD unit member. I was also involved in different educational projects as material writer and trainer.

Özge Postert

Özge Postert completed her Phd at the Department of English Linguistics at University of Hamburg, Germany. Her research interests include sociolinguistics, multilingualism, the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in language learning. She has more than ten years of teaching experience in EFL higher education context and she is an experienced international conference speaker.

Ozlem Zengin

Dr. Özlem Zengin, an English Instructor at Sabancı University, holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction and CELTA/DELTA certifications. Her work focuses on innovative, tech-enhanced language programs and AI integration in education, emphasizing adaptive learning, personalized feedback, and learner autonomy. She is dedicated to promoting AI literacy and exploring ethical, practical uses of AI in teaching, curriculum design, and teacher education for the digital age. 

Richard Carr

Richard has been involved in the EFL industry for the last 30 years and has lived and worked in Greece, France, the Middle East and the UK. After various roles as an EFL teacher, teacher trainer, examiner and academic manager, Richard entered the world of international ELT publishing and language assessment in 2004, working for Oxford University Press and later, McGraw-Hill Education. Richard joined Pearson English Language Learning in 2018 and currently works with language centres and other industry stakeholders to help implement innovative solutions and business development initiatives.​

Robin A. Kosseff

With over 25 years of EFL teaching experience, Robin currently serves as Coordinator of MEF University’s Writing & Speaking Center, EAP instructor, and a member of the School of Foreign Languages’ management team. She is a Certified Flipped Classroom Teacher Trainer and has broad experience designing curricula for EAP, sustainable development, academic skills, and general English education.

Savannah Davis

Savannah Davis is a teacher with a passion for psycholinguistics and second language acquisition. She has published articles and presented at conferences on the intersection of language and cognition and the effective use of technology in language teaching. Her research interests bridge cognitive theory and practical application to enhance teaching practices and foster deeper language acquisition.

Semih İrfaner

Dr. Semih Irfaner works at Macmillan Education responsible for teacher training and product promotion, and prepares training programs on academic skills and the use of critical thinking in language classrooms.

Before joining Macmillan Education, Dr. İrfaner worked as both an administrator and a lecturer in the Academic English unit at Bilkent University and prepared and taught courses related to academic English.

In addition to the use of critical thinking in language teaching and learning, Dr. İrfaner also has works on the prevention of bullying among the students, which he worked on during his doctoral program at Hacettepe University.

Serkan Aras

Serkan Aras works as the Undergraduate English Program Coordinator in the School of Languages, Özyeğin University. He received his combined BA and MA degree in English Teacher Education from Bilkent University in 2008 and his PhD in Gender Studies from Kadir Has University in 2018. He holds a DELTA from Cambridge University and he is a CELTA trainer. Serkan is also the Coordinator of IATEFL Teacher Development SIG (TDSIG).

Sonat Demirdirek

I have been an English Language Instructor for 25 years. I have an MA in ELT. I completed “Advanced English Language Instructor Course” and “Materials Development Course” in DLI ELC in Texas. I taught English at Turkish Naval Academy for 12 years and I have been teaching Academic English at Sabanci University since 2013. I have offered teacher training sessions in different institutions.

Sue Hackett

Sue Hackett has been involved as an advisor, project participant and senior inspector for EAQUALS for the last 25 years. She has a wide-ranging professional background in quality assurance, language education, assessment, academic integrity, textbook and materials writing as well as teacher training and curriculum design. She currently works as a freelance consultant.  

Tereze Rozlapa

Tereze Rozlapa is a course designer and a coordinator at Leonard de Vinci University Center in France with over 15 years of experience in the field of ELT. She holds a Master in Educational Sciences from the University of Latvia and a CELTA Cert.

Currently, her main areas of interest include course design in higher education, standardized test preparation and learner motivation.

Thom Kiddle

Thom is Director of Eaquals member Norwich Institute for Language Education (NILE) and Chair of Eaquals.

Timothy Black

Tim Black has been a fulltime teacher in Luzern, Switzerland since 1993, first starting in the private sector & from 2004 in the FMZ a state college. He gained a CTEFLA from Cork University (1994) & a MA TEFL from Reading University (1999). He been an EAQUALS inspector since 2001 (IH Zurich). His special interests are testing, writing skills, Business English and the digital classroom.

Darius Vanhonnaeker

Director of Studies for the Adult Department at Bell School in Geneva, Darius Vanhonnaeker has over ten years of experience in curriculum development. Holding a Master’s in French and Romance Languages, a diploma in specialized French didactics, and the Swiss Federal Diploma in Adult Education, he is a recognized expert in adult learning, instructional design, and educational project management.

Vicky Evans

Vicky is Head of Sustainability at Cambridge University Press & Assessment. She has been part of Cambridge for 9 years in roles covering community engagement, employee experience, programme management, and development of international qualifications and professional development. Her passion is for empowering individuals and communities to tell their stories and create the change they want to see.

Vladlena Tcherkachina

The Director of MEF University SoFL, has been actively involved in ELT management and teaching since 2010. Her professional interests encompass leadership, motivational management, staff well-being, effective utilization of technology, effective observation feedback, online teaching, Flipped learning and continuous professional development.

Wioleta Antecka

I work for Avant Assessment as an European Operations Coordinator and I have been an ESL teacher for 17 years. I am passionate about language education and assessment and I understand the importance of language testing in tracking students’ progress, supporting their proficiency development and setting clear goals for language development.

Yeşim Çeküç

Yeşim Çeküç, an instructor at MEF SoFL since 2019, earned her degree in English Language Teaching.Currently, she assists the curriculum development team as level head, besides teaching English in prep classes. Her professional interests encompass technology integration in education, using drama as an educational tool, implementing Flipped Learning methodologies, and material design.

Yordanka Kavalova

Yordanka Kavalova is the Head of Assessment Product at Oxford University Press, ELT. She has worked in educational research and publishing for over two decades and has led a number of international projects for schools and higher education, including collaborating with ministries of education. Before that, she was a corpus linguistics researcher at University College London.

Zarina Subhan

Zarina Subhan has taught at all levels, in private and government institutions, worldwide as both teacher and teacher educator.

She has worked in ELT for over 30 years in schools and universities, with policy makers, NGOs, local and state governments, community leaders, and in a variety of professional development contexts worldwide.

Her interests now range from CLIL/EMI, the neurology of learning, continuous professional development (CPD), to inclusive and sustainable education. She divides her time between CPD for teachers, researching, writing, presenting on a range of topics, and travelling.

Zeliha Aydın Şahin

Zeliha Aydın Şahin has been teaching English since 2007. She holds a BA (2006) and an MA (2011) degree in Foreign Language Education. She is mainly experienced in foreign language instruction at university level. She has been working as an instructor of English and level coordinator at Ozyegin University for 14 years. She is especially interested in curriculum or material design and development.