IAFOR > The Paris Conference on Education (PCE) > PCE2025 > Speakers

Speakers

Speakers will provide a variety of perspectives from different academic and professional backgrounds. This page provides information about presenters. For details of presentations and other programming, please visit the Programme page.

Jun Arima

University of Tokyo, Japan
Anne Boddington

IAFOR, Japan
Christopher Cripps

Institut Polytechnique de Paris, France
Donald E. Hall

Binghamton University, United States
Takehiro Kano

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), France
Jean-Michel Leniaud

École Pratique des Hautes Études, France
Ljiljana Markovic

European Centre for Peace and Development (ECPD), Serbia
Melina Neophytou

IAFOR, Japan
Milica Papić

Belgrade Youth Office, Serbia
Paolo Sabbatini

World Sinology Center, China
Giorgio Tenneroni

Municipality of Todi, Italy
Riccardo Travaglini

General Workers Union (GWU), Malta

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Previous Speakers

View details of speakers at past PCE conferences via the links below.

PCE2024

PCE2023

PCE2022

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Jun Arima

University of Tokyo, Japan

Biography

Professor Jun Arima is the President of IAFOR, and the senior academic officer of the organisation. In this role, Professor Arima is the Honorary Chair of the International Academic Advisory Board, as well as both the Academic Governing Board and its Executive Committee. He also sits on the IAFOR Board of Directors.

Jun Arima was formerly Director General of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), UK from 2011 to 2015 and Special Advisor on Global Environmental Affairs for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan, from 2011 to 2015. He has previously held various international energy/environment-related positions, including: Head of Division, Country Studies, International Energy Agency (IEA); Director, International Affairs Division, Agency of Natural Resources and Energy, METI; and Deputy Director General for Environmental Affairs at METI’s Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment Bureau. In the COP (UN Convention on Climate Change) 14, 15 and 16, he was Japanese Chief Negotiator for AWG-KP.

Since 2015 Jun Arima has been a Professor at the University of Tokyo, Japan, where he teaches Energy Security, International Energy Governance, and Environmental Policies in the Graduate School of Public Policy. (GraSPP). He is also currently a Consulting Fellow at the Japanese Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI). He is also Executive Senior Fellow at the 21st Century Public Policy Institute, Principal Researcher at the International Environmental and Economic Institute (IEEI), Distinguished Senior Policy Fellow, at the Asia Pacific Institute of Research (APIR), Senior Policy Fellow on Energy and Environment, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), and was the Lead Author, the 6th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC).

Panel Discussion (2025) | TBA

Previous Presentations

Panel Discussion (2024) | International and Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Global Citizenship in Times of Change and Crisis

Anne Boddington

IAFOR, Japan

Biography

Professor Anne Boddington is Executive Vice-President and Provost of IAFOR, and oversees the academic programs, research and policies of the forum.

Anne Boddington is Professor Emerita of Design Innovation and has held executive and senior leadership roles in Higher Education including as Dean of Arts & Humanities at the University of Brighton, Pro Vice Chancellor for Research, Business & Innovation at Kingston and Pro Vice Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange at Middlesex University.

In 2022 she concluded chairing the Sub Panel (32) for Art & Design: History, Practice & Theory as part of the Research Excellence Framework (REF2021) and has extensive experience in the governance and conduct of peer review, research evaluation and assessment in REF2014 (Sub Panel Deputy Chair and Equality Diversity Advisory Panel [EDAP]) and RAE2008. A former member of AHRC’s Advisory Board, she is the current Chair of the Advisory Board for the UKRI’s National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research (NICER) programme (£30M), Deputy Chair and a Trustee of the Design Council, the government’s strategic advisor for design, and a member of both the InnoHK Scientific Committee (Hong Kong) and the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ).

Since the 1990’s Anne has worked across the UK and internationally with a wide range of quality assurance, professional, statutory, and regulatory bodies in the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Hong Kong, and India.

As an independent consultant she now works as a strategic advisor and mentor and is committed to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion in practice, developing effective governance, supporting career development, reducing bureaucracy, and improving organisational design, integrity, and productivity in the changing workplace.

Previous Presentations

Panel Discussion (2024) | International and Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Global Citizenship in Times of Change and Crisis

Christopher Cripps

Institut Polytechnique de Paris, France

Biography

Mr Christopher Cripps is an experienced leader in International Higher Education with over three decades of expertise in Strategy, Development, Transnational Education, Study Abroad, Executive Education, Corporate Relations, Branding, and Marketing. Throughout his career, he has been at the forefront of developing innovative strategies that enhance global academic partnerships and international engagement.

Since June 2024, Mr Cripps has served as Vice-President for Europe and International Affairs at Institut Polytechnique de Paris, France. Prior to this role, he was Senior Advisor for Global Engagement and Diplomatic Affairs to the President of Sorbonne University, France. He has also held significant positions as Director of International Affairs at Sorbonne University, PSL University, Ecole Centrale Paris (now CentraleSupélec), and Grenoble Ecole de Management, providing him with a broad understanding of French higher education across multiple sectors, including business schools, engineering institutions, and universities.

His proven track record of designing and executing successful international strategies, forming high-impact partnerships between leading universities, establishing overseas campuses, and fostering relationships between academia and the global corporate sector has taken him across the globe. He has worked extensively in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, China, India, Brazil, and the Middle East.

Mr Cripps served as an expert on a panel commissioned by the French Prime Minister’s Office to advise on the internationalisation of French Higher Education (2015-2016). He holds a Bachelor of Arts in French and International Relations from the United States and an MBA from the United Kingdom. He is also a frequent conference speaker, a consultant, and a certified professional coach.

Keynote Presentation (2025) | Internationalisation of Higher Education in France: Challenges and Opportunities

Donald E. Hall

Binghamton University, United States

Biography

Donald E. Hall is Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at Binghamton University (SUNY), USA. He was formerly Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering at the University of Rochester, USA, and held a previous position as Dean of Arts and Sciences at Lehigh University, USA. Provost Hall has published widely in the fields of British Studies, Gender Theory, Cultural Studies, and Professional Studies. Over the course of his career, he served as Jackson Distinguished Professor of English and Chair of the Department of English (and previously Chair of the Department of Foreign Languages) at West Virginia University. Before that, he was Professor of English and Chair of the Department of English at California State University, Northridge, where he taught for 13 years. He is a recipient of the University Distinguished Teaching Award at CSUN, was a visiting professor at the National University of Rwanda, was Lansdowne Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the University of Victoria (Canada), was Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Cultural Studies at Karl Franzens University in Graz, Austria, and was Fulbright Specialist at the University of Helsinki. He has also taught in Sweden, Romania, Hungary, and China. He served on numerous panels and committees for the Modern Language Association (MLA), including the Task Force on Evaluating Scholarship for Tenure and Promotion, and the Convention Program Committee. In 2012, he served as national President of the Association of Departments of English. From 2013-2017, he served on the Executive Council of the MLA.

His current and forthcoming work examines issues such as professional responsibility and academic community-building, the dialogics of social change and activist intellectualism, and the Victorian (and our continuing) interest in the deployment of instrumental agency over our social, vocational, and sexual selves. Among his many books and editions are the influential faculty development guides, The Academic Self and The Academic Community, both published by Ohio State University Press. Subjectivities and Reading Sexualities: Hermeneutic Theory and the Future of Queer Studies were both published by Routledge Press. Most recently he and Annamarie Jagose, of the University of Auckland, co-edited a volume titled The Routledge Queer Studies Reader. Though he is a full-time administrator, he continues to lecture worldwide on the value of a liberal arts education and the need for nurturing global competencies in students and interdisciplinary dialogue in and beyond the classroom.

Previous Presentations

Keynote Presentation (2023) | There is No New Normal

Takehiro Kano

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), France

Biography

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Takehiro Kano is the Permanent Delegate of Japan to UNESCO, a position he has held since 2023. He possesses extensive experience in diplomacy and international relations, cultivated through various high-ranking roles within Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and other government institutions.

Ambassador Kano graduated from the University of Tokyo, Japan, with a Bachelor of Law in 1989 and later earned a Master of Economics from Selwyn College, Cambridge University, United Kingdom. Since joining MOFA in 1989, he has held influential positions such as Director of the Climate Change Division, International Cooperation Bureau, and Director General of the Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department.

His diplomatic career included key postings as Minister at Japan’s Permanent Mission to the International Organisations in Vienna, Austria, and as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines. Additionally, Ambassador Kano served as a visiting professor at the University of Tokyo from 2012-2014.

A prolific author, Ambassador Kano has published works on international peace cooperation, climate change negotiations, and nuclear diplomacy, including Environmental Diplomacy: Climate Change Negotiations and Global Governance (Sinzansha Publisher Co.,Ltd, 2013), Nuclear Diplomacy: A Perspective from Vienna, the City of IAEA (Shinzansha Publisher Co.,Ltd, 2017), and Japan’s international peace cooperation: time to move on (‘Diplomacy’ Vol 81, Sep-Oct. 2023). His breadth of expertise, particularly in global governance and security policy, positions him as a leading figure in Japan’s international diplomatic efforts and the nation’s contributions to UNESCO's global initiatives.

Previous Presentations

Panel Discussion (2024) | International and Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Global Citizenship in Times of Change and Crisis

Jean-Michel Leniaud

École Pratique des Hautes Études, France

Biography

Professor Jean-Michel Leniaud is one of France's leading historians of art and architecture. He has combined a career in scholarship, research, and administration, with one in the conservation, curation, and restoration of cultural heritage.

He is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Monuments Center (Centre des Monuments Nationaux), a body run by the French Ministry of Culture responsible for the conservation, restoration, and management of some 85 major historic sites and buildings owned by the French State, including Notre-Dame Cathedral (Notre-Dame de Paris). President of the Society of Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris, Professor Leniaud sits on the scientific council of the public institution for the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris, established by President Macron in the wake of the devastating fire of 2019.

Professor Leniaud is now Emeritus Director of Studies at the École Pratique des Hautes Études, a grand établissement of higher education noted for its pedagogy of research training through practice, and a part of the University of Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL), and Professor of Architectural History at the École du Louvre, a grande école situated within the museum, and which specialises in the study of archaeology, art history, and anthropology.

Previously he was Professor of Contemporary Art History at the École Nationale des Chartes (ENC) from 1992 to 2016, and its director from 2011 to 2016. The ENC, founded more than 200 years ago, is a grand établissement dedicated to historical research and the training of historians and curators, and is now also part of the PSL University.

Professor Leniaud's career began in the administration of historic monuments at the Ministry of Culture, and from 1977 to 1990, he served as Inspector of Historic Monuments and Regional Curator (Rhône-Alpes), and subsequently held various positions at the national level in the administration of monuments. From 2011 to 2022, he chaired the Scientific Council of the French National Institute of Cultural Heritage (Institut National du Patrimoine), the academy responsible for training curators and conservators.

He has been the chief curator of several major exhibitions, including ‘Viollet-le-Duc: Visions of an Architect’, held at the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine museum in Paris from 2014 to 2015. ‘Viollet-le-Duc’ was an enormously influential architect and visionary, and was responsible for the restoration of medieval monuments, including Notre-Dame de Paris.

Professor Leniaud is the author of numerous books and articles on the history of art, architecture, and heritage. Most recently, he directed a publication on the history of the cathedral; Les Résurrections de Notre-Dame - Chantiers et ferveurs was published by Mengès in 2024.

Keynote Presentation (2025) | TBA

Ljiljana Markovic

European Centre for Peace and Development (ECPD), Serbia

Biography

Ljiljana Markovic is a Professor of Japanese Studies in the European Centre for Peace and Development (ECPD) of the United Nations University for Peace, and Special Advisor to the Executive Director and ECPD Academic Director. She is also a Visiting Professor at Toho University and Osaka University, Japan, and Gabriele d'Annunzio University, Italy.

Professor Markovic is the author of a large number of publications in the fields of Japanese Studies and Economics. She completed her bachelor’s and master's degrees at Cambridge University, United Kingdom, before pursuing her doctorate at Chuo University, Japan. For many years, she was a Professor at the Faculty of Philology at the University of Belgrade, Serbia, with terms as Dean (2016-2020) and Vice Dean of Financial Affairs (2008-2016). She has served as the Chairperson of the International Silk Road Academic Studies Symposium since 2017.

Professor Markovic received the Gaimu Daijin Sho Award from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan in 2010. In the following year, she received the Dositej Obradovic Award for Pedagogical Achievement. Professor Markovic recent accolades include the Medal of Merit by the President of Serbia in 2020, the Isidora Sekulic Medal for Academic Achievement in 2021, and the Order of the Rising Sun (Gold Rays with Rosette) in 2022, an Imperial Decoration awarded by the Government of Japan for her "outstanding contribution to establishing and improving friendly relations with Japan”.

Workshop Presentation (2025) | Senior Academic Leadership

Previous Presentations

Panel Presentation (2024) | International and Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Global Citizenship in Times of Change and Crisis

Melina Neophytou

IAFOR, Japan

Biography

Dr Melina Neophytou is the Academic Operations Manager at IAFOR, where she works closely with academics, keynote speakers, and IAFOR partners to shape academic discussions within The Forum, bring conference programmes together, refine scholarship programmes, and build an interdisciplinary and international community. She is leading various projects within IAFOR, notably The Forum discussions and the authoring of Conference Reports and Intelligence Briefings, and she oversees the Global Fellows Programme.

Born in Germany and raised in Cyprus, Dr Neophytou received her PhD in International Development from Nagoya University, Japan, in 2023, specialising in political sociology, the welfare state, and contentious politics. She received an MA in International Development from Nagoya University, with a focus on Governance & Law, and a BA in European Studies from the University of Cyprus, Cyprus.

Forum Discussion (2025) | TBA

Milica Papić

Belgrade Youth Office, Serbia

Biography

Milica Papić is currently the Director of the Belgrade Youth Office within the City Administration of Belgrade, Serbia. Prior to this role, she gained extensive experience at the National Bank of Serbia, where she served as a Supervisor and earlier as a Junior Financial Analyst in the Market Risk Group within the Department for Supervision of Voluntary Pension Funds.

In addition to her public sector work, Ms Papić is engaged in academia. She most recently held the position of Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade, Serbia, where she taught Project Management. She is a doctoral candidate in Economics at the same institution, with an academic record marked by excellence. She previously completed her Master’s and Bachelor’s studies in Finance, Banking, and Insurance at the University of Belgrade.

Ms Papić has participated in several international programmes, including the 2024 Seminar for Serbian Female Politicians in China and the 2023 “How Europe Works” conferences in Vienna, Italy and Brussels, Belgium, organised by the Robert Schuman Institute.

Her professional and academic interests lie at the intersection of public policy, financial systems, and youth development.

Panel Discussion (2025) | Youth and Cultural Diplomacy

Paolo Sabbatini

World Sinology Center, China

Biography

Professor Paolo Sabbatini is currently Ambassador for Cultural Communications between Italy and China at the World Sinology Center, China. He is also an emeritus senior member of the Italian Foreign Service and an International Spokesperson for Public and Cultural Diplomacy, interacting with entities such as the European Union and the United Nations. As such, he teaches how to incorporate diplomacy and international relations in every field of culture and economics. Professor Sabbatini is a member of several academic institutions, among which the Academy of Fine Arts in Perugia, Italy; ECPD/UPeace University established by the United Nations in Belgrade, Serbia; and several Chinese Universities.

Keynote Presentation (2025) | The Future of Cultural Diplomacy: The Legacy of Marco Polo

Panel Discussion (2025) | Education and Cultural Diplomacy as a Tool for Peace

Giorgio Tenneroni

Municipality of Todi, Italy

Biography

Mr Giorgio Tenneroni is the current President of the Municipal Council of Todi, Italy. Since April 15, 2025, he has also been the Coordinator of ANCI Giovani Umbria, the regional commission of young local councillors and mayors. He studies Law at the University of Perugia, Italy. His first paper, “Vita umana e dignità: un dialogo tra etica e diritto” was recently published in the international scientific journal Medicina e Morale (2024).

Mr Tenneroni’s interest in a political and administrative career began in 2018, when he was elected as president of the student council in his high school. In 2019, he was elected as student representative in the Provincial Student Council of Perugia and Representative Deputy and President of the Council’s school building commission. In 2022, he was elected as a member of the City Council of his hometown, Todi, becoming the youngest City Councilor in the history of the City; he was also at the time the youngest elected councilor in charge in the Umbria Region. In 2023, he was appointed as President of the City Council of Todi, becoming the youngest President of a City Council in Italy.

He has spoken at major national and international conferences with notable figures such as art critic Vittorio Sgarbi and Colonel Capitano Ultimo, an expert on anti-mafia policy. He also participated in international meetings as a speaker, including the 2024 Global Forum on Hehe Culture in Tiantai-Taizhou, China and the Second World Meeting on Human Fraternity in Rome, Italy and Vatican City State, where he spoke on a panel alongside the mayors of New York and Rome.

Panel Discussion (2025) | Youth and Cultural Diplomacy

Riccardo Travaglini

General Workers Union (GWU), Malta

Biography

Mr Riccardo Travaglini began his career as an accounting consultant in Italy, specialising in start-ups and subsidised loans. In 2019, he relocated to Malta and joined the General Workers Union (GWU), where he has held various roles. As a business developer and project manager, he facilitated GWU's integration into the European Employment Services (EURES) network, contributing to the execution of numerous European projects. He also established international agreements with both private and public entities.

In the field of international relations, as President of IRTUC Italy-Malta, Mr Travaglini focuses on maintaining excellent relationships and fostering collaborations with Italian trade unions. In this capacity, he represents GWU and IRTUC at the European coordination meetings of ETUC (European Trade Union Confederation), facilitating dialogue, information exchange, and joint actions among the various IRTUCs across Europe. Additionally, he represents GWU within ETUC's Trade and External Affairs Commission, discussing ETUC's external relations, analysing trade agreements between the EU and other countries, drafting responses to the European Commission, and establishing subcommissions to accompany EU negotiators on international missions.

Mr Travaglini is a member of the Information Commission within the European Labour Authority (ELA), contributing to discussions and initiatives regarding labour-related information dissemination.