This year's conference theme, "Building Assessment for Good," will frame the discussion. The panel will focus on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the European assessment experience, examining how inclusive assessment practices are shaped by Europe's unique landscape, including multilingual populations, cross-border mobility, and diverse educational systems, while also considering how these challenges connect with broader global trends.
As the closing session, the panel will also look back across the conference, drawing together the key ideas, insights, and challenges that have emerged throughout the programme. Through a moderated discussion lasting approximately 45-60 minutes, a leading group of industry experts from across the European assessment community will reflect on what has been learned and consider how these conversations can be actively taken forward.
The goal is to explore both shared challenges and regional differences, while identifying practical lessons for designing assessment systems that prioritise accessibility and equitable opportunity. With this focus, the panel discussion will provide an excellent conclusion to the conference, connecting the central themes of "Building Assessment for Good" with concrete ways forward for the European and global assessment communities.
As Vice President, Client Experience at PSI, Shebbra E. Toussaint is instrumental in guiding a dynamic global team. Her leadership is essential in ensuring that the Client Experience team consistently delivers outstanding service to clients. The team's approach centers on understanding each client's unique business requirements, maintaining the client's perspective as a core principle in day-to-day operations, and focusing on improving client retention, encouraging adoption, and resolving issues efficiently.
With more than 25 years in the assessment industry, Shebbra has accumulated significant expertise through a variety of roles, ranging from direct support to key leadership positions. This extensive experience has enabled her to refine her business acumen, build trust, and promote transparency throughout her career.
Shebbra is recognized for her consultative leadership style and steadfast dedication to achieving positive outcomes for clients. Even when faced with challenges, she remains committed to delivering value and ensuring client satisfaction.
Beyond her responsibilities at PSI, Shebbra serves as Vice Chair of the Association of Test Publishers (ATP) Equity Committee. She is passionate about inspiring others to transcend boundaries and drive positive change wherever they go. Shebbra aspires to inspire.
Francesca Woodward is the Global Managing Director for English at Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Through her leadership, Cambridge English supports over 5 million learners each year to develop and demonstrate their English proficiency, enabling them to prove their skills to the world. Backed by over 110 years of English assessment expertise and centuries of Cambridge publishing and research, Cambridge is proud to be a world leader in English learning and assessment, trusted by more than 28,000 organisations worldwide.
Francesca is an experienced change and transformation leader, driving digital, data, and AI transformation across the English portfolio to ensure that Cambridge English is providing learners with what they need anytime, anywhere, in an adaptive and personalised way.
With a strong background in the education sector, Francesca has extensive global business expertise in curriculum, qualifications, and teaching & learning across various sectors, including English, Schools, Higher Education, and Ministries. Francesca is passionate about education and dedicated to helping learners of all ages and backgrounds achieve their ambitions, whether progressing to higher education or entering the workforce.
She is an active member of the Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Board at Cambridge University Press & Assessment and has previously been an Executive Sponsor for the Race & Ethnicity Network and the Women in Leadership Network. Her commitment to diversity and inclusion, along with her dedication to educational excellence, continues to make a significant impact on learners and educators worldwide.
When she's not working, Francesca enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter and their two Labradors in the great outdoors.
Helen Coleman is a highly experienced and successful strategic operational leader with 30 years experience within the UK education and awarding organisation sectors. A champion of agile and lean sigma methodologies, she has led transformation and change management initiatives designed to improve operational efficiencies and continuously improve the delivery and performance of departments and related stakeholder and supplier interactions. Most recently she led the strategic transformation of ABRSM's core music assessment offer to on-demand solutions so that learners can access their assessments anytime, anywhere as ABRSM operates globally, in more than 100 countries, including right across Europe. She is an Executive member of the ABRSM Governing Body and the Audit and Risk and Finance and Business Development Committees and a presenter at sector conferences focused on ED&I and online assessment.
Steve Dept is the founder of cApStAn, a niche language solutions integrator for international assessments and surveys: He grew up in South Africa, Belgium and Germany and received his education in English, Dutch, French and German. He studied Classical philology and comparative linguistics but is essentially an autodidact and a field practitioner. He is known for ensuring cross-language comparability in major International Large-Scale Assessments (ILSAs) such as OECD/PISA, OECD/PIAAC, IEA/PIRLS, IEA/TIMSS, CONFEMEN/PASEC and UNICEF/SEA-PLM. Steve has coordinated linguistic quality assurance in over 60 multilingual projects, including the European Social Survey and European Survey on Fundamental Rights. He acts as a translation/adaptation consultant for assessments, surveys and psychometric tests in both the public and the private sector, with a special focus on hybrid workflows involving AI and human experts. Steve is a frequent speaker at international conferences.
Groundbreaking technology, forward-thinking strategies, and innovative practices
If you are an organisation that uses assessments or are thinking about using assessments to measure achievement, competency or performance then you will find value in this conference as a vital learning and networking experience.
Cardo Roma Hotel is a modern, upscale lifestyle hotel in Rome blending tradition with contemporary design, featuring a spa, pool, fitness center, and Italian dining. It also offers amenities like a shuttle to the city center and spacious rooms with modern comforts. It's known for its blend of relaxation and functionality, with features like circadian rhythm-inspired design and a focus on Italian hospitality.
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