Keynote speakers
Professor, The Education University of Hong Kong;
Director, Academy of Educational Development and Innovation, EdUHK
Professor John Chi-Kin LEE
Professor John Lee Chi-Kin, President and Chair Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, joined The Education University of Hong Kong (the then Hong Kong Institute of Education) in 2010. He was Vice President (Academic) from 2010 to 2019, and Vice President (Academic) and Provost from 2019 to 2023. Professor Lee was previously Dean of Education and a Professor at the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).
Professor of Faculty of Education
The University of Melbourne
Professor David GURR
Professor David GURR is a Professor of Educational Leadership in the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne. In a 45-year educational career, he has been a teacher, school counsellor, middle leader and academic. Professor David GURR is a prolific writer and presenter focussed on all aspects of educational leadership, including successful school leadership and middle leadership. He is involved in the leadership of the International Successful School Principalship Project, International Leadership Development Network and Association for Teacher Leadership and Scholarship. A former Vice-President of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders, he was awarded its most prestigious award, the Gold Medal, in 2014.
Professor, School of Education
Tel Aviv University, Israel
Professor Izhar OPLATKA
Professor Izhar Oplatka is a professor of Educational Administration and Leadership at The School of Education, Tel Aviv University, Israel. Prof. Oplatka’s research focuses on the lives and career of school teachers and educational leaders, educational marketing, emotions, educational reforms, organizational crisis, and the foundations of educational administration as a field of study.
His most recent books (and edited books) include Educational Leadership in Times of Crisis (Palgrave-Macmillan), Advanced Theories in Educational Leadership (with K. Arar, 2022, Springer), Handbook of gender and educational leadership and management (with Showunmi, Moorosi & Shakeshaft, 2022, Bloomsbury), Reforming Education in Developing Countries (2019, Routledge), Emotion Management in Teaching and Educational Leadership: A Cultural Perspective. (with Arar, EMERALD Publishing Limited), Project Management in Schools (2018, with Yemini and Sagi, Palgrave-Macmillan), Higher Education Consumer Choice (2015, with Jane Hemsley-Brown, Palgrave), The legacy of educational administration: A historical analysis of an academic field (2010, Peter Lang Publishing); The essentials of educational administration (2015, Pardes Publisher, in Hebrew); Organizational Citizenship Behavior in Schools (2015, Routledge, with Anit Somech).
Prof. Oplatka’s publications have appeared in varied international journals including Educational Administration Quarterly, Journal of Educational Administration, Educational Management Administration & Leadership, Comparative Education Review, Teacher College Record, Qualitative Report, Canadian Journal of Education Administration and Policy, International Journal of Leadership in Education, Journal of Education Policy, School Leadership & Management, Urban Education, International Journal of Educational Management, and so forth.
Professor Tony Bush
Professor of Educational Leadership
University of Nottingham, UK
Tony Bush is Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Nottingham, UK. He previously held similar positions in four other UK universities. He is the current President of the British Educational Leadership, Management, Administration and Leadership (BELMAS) and Editor-in-Chief of the leading international journal, Educational Management, Administration and Leadership (EMAL). His extensive international work includes research, consultancy and invited keynote presentations in 32 countries on six continents.
Professor
Kansai Gaidai University, Japan
Professor Ingyu OH
Professor Ingyu Oh is Professor of International Business and Cultural Industries at Kansai Gaidai University, Osaka, Japan. He has published extensively on topics related to Asian business, cultural industries, and economic sociology. Professor Ingyu OH authored or co-authored 18 books and over 80 academic articles in journals such as Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Third World Quarterly, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, Comparative Sociology, Journal of Asian Sociology, Journal of Knowledge Management, Asian Business and Management, and Asia Pacific Business Review.
Professor Jane Wilkinson
Professor in Educational Leadership
Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia
Plenary Speakers
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Professor in Education Leadership and the Dean of the Graduate School
The Education University of Hong Kong
Professor Junjun CHEN
Prof. Junjun Chen is a Professor in Education Leadership and the Dean of the Graduate School in the Education University of Hong Kong. Professor Chen's research focuses on school leader development. She is particularly interested in professional literacy, wellbeing, and leadership of school principals and middle leaders. Professor Chen has developed four conceptual models and eight instruments. Her scientific contribution to the fields has been recognized by the international community. Professor Chen was invited as the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report Expert Group Member 2024 for the theme of ‘Leadership in Education’. The framework on teacher leadership developed by Prof Chen was recommended by the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report 2024 for international adoption. Moreover, she was also ranked among the top 1% of the world’s most-cited scientists in education since 2024, according to lists compiled by Stanford University.
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Professor and Associate Head, Department of Education Policy and Leadership;
Acting Director, Asia-Pacific Centre for Leadership and Change
Professor GÜMÜÅž, Sedat
Professor Sedat GümüÅŸ is Associate Head (Internationalisation and Community Engagement) at The Education University of Hong Kong and Acting Director of the APCLC. A leading scholar in educational leadership, he has published over 70 works and led major international research projects on school leadership and equity. He received the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award (2025) and was named among Stanford University’s Top 2% Scientists (2024). In 2025, ScholarGPS ranked him 15th globally in leadership research.
Associate Co-Director, Academy for Educational Development and Innovation (AEDI)
Assistant Professor, Department of Education Policy and Leadership (EPL)
The Education University of Hong Kong
Dr Maxwell Chun-Sing HO
Dr Maxwell Ho, is a dedicated educator with a focus on teacher entrepreneurialism, entrepreneurship education, and financial literacy. He graduated with first-class honours in Bachelor of Education (Business Studies) from the Education University of Hong Kong in 2008. Quickly rising through the ranks, he became head of technology education (KLA) and administration group. His innovative curriculum earned him the Teacher Award for Business and Financial Education in 2016. As a Research Fellow at EdUHK, Maxwell has contributed significantly to leadership and educational practice research, earning the Emerald Publishing Award in 2020. He is also the President of the Hong Kong Association of Business Education and has trained over 400 school leaders.
Dr Kwok-Kuen TSANG
Dr. Kwok Kuen Tsang is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Education Policy and Leadership at the Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK). Before joining the EdUHK, Dr. Tsang was an Associate Professor and Associate Dean of the College of Education Administration at Beijing Normal University, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and an Assistant Professor at Caritas Institute of Higher Education, respectively. He is a member of the editorial advisory board of the British Journal of Sociology of Education and an Associate Editor of the Beijing International Review of Education. His research covers teachers' work and emotions, education policy and governance, and school leadership.
Assistant Professor, Department of Education Policy and Leadership,
The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK)