PANELISTS
"Harnessing Digital Technology for Application in Workplace Training with Employment Outcomes"
Sarveen Kandiah - Managing Director, Malaysia | OpenLearning Global
With a BSc (Finance) from Kelley School of Business, Indiana University Bloomington — Sarveen started his career at CIMB Group managing market expansion and internal transformation strategies. He then joined Malaysian Traders Capital, where he was instrumental in setting up Malaysia's first hedge fund.
After over 7 years of achievements in the banking and finance sector, it was Sarveen's personal experience with learning online that motivated a shift towards education technology. Sarveen then joined OpenLearning to set this cause in motion. He established the Sales and Partnerships team in Malaysia extending the platform's offerings from public higher education Institutions to all players in the education space, including government, private academic and TVET institutions, corporations at all levels. Having been front and centre of OpenLearning Malaysia's growth, Sarveenn was appointed as Managing Director, Malaysia in May 2019.
Ikin Solikin - PT Ajar, Indonesia
Ikin Solikin is the founder of AJAR Indonesia, an Edutech that focused on transforming ASEAN Competency Standards for the Tourism Industry into various e-learning content. He is also a founding partner of BLIHO, a global human capital solution that is based in Paris, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Starting in 2017, he was working with the National Tourism Professional Boards of Indonesia to simplify the ASEAN Training Toolbox and transform the way people learn from conventional to hybrid modes. Prior to founding his company he worked at international hotel brands such Hyatt, Pullman (2006-2012) and Tauzia Hotel Management (2015)
Danny Bielik - CEO, Burst Learning, Singapore
Danny Bielik is a seasoned education executive, thought leader and government adviser with a variety of experience in the Australian and international marketplace. Danny holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Sydney’s Macquarie University and has held senior positions in companies in Australia, the United States, Thailand, The Netherlands and New Zealand. In 2017, Danny founded Burst Learning, a company that will take mobile learning into the growing markets of Asia, delivering to the 1 billion learners in need of skills training. Danny’s team developed the revolutionary ‘Burst Learning’ method of delivering on mobile devices that addresses many of the shortcomings of traditional online learning.
Danny is the former Ministerial Adviser to the NSW Education Minister, The Hon Adrian Piccoli, responsible for policy areas including Vocational Education, Higher Education, International Education, ICT and Early Childhood Education.
For 10 years, Danny was the Managing Director of Australasian College of Natural Therapies (ACNT), one of the world’s largest colleges teaching natural therapies, beauty therapy, sport and fitness. In late 2007, Danny successfully negotiated the sale of ACNT to Think Education Group, a subsidiary of Laureate International Universities.
Dr Syaheerah Lebai Lutfi - Senior Lecturer, School of Computer Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang
Syaheerah (Sha-hee-ra) Lebai Lutfi received both her DEA and Ph.D degrees (with distinction Cum Laude) from Grupo de Technología del Habla (GTH) – Speech Technology Group, University Politécnica de Madrid, Spain, in June 2013, under the supervision of Prof. Juan Manuel Montero and Prof. Fernándo Fernández Martínez (University Carlos III, Madrid).
Since June 2013, she is a Senior Lecturer in School of Computer Sciences, USM . She has authored and co-authored several referred journal and conference papers (with impact factor) and serves as the EU Erasmus+ coordinator for UPM Madrid-USM since 2015.She is also among the ten percent of young academicians in the country that was selected for the CEO@Faculty 2.0 program, an industry-university joint initiative founded by the Ministry of Education Malaysia — which granted her the chance as a visiting lecturer at Intel Microelectronics Penang (Oct – Feb 2019), the largest in Asia.
Before entering the research field, she spent three years in the industry – as an IT Executive at MaybanLife Berhad, Kuala Lumpur, and Systems Analyst at National Poison Centre, USM, Penang. She was the Program Manager for Industrial Training, Student Activities & Alumni under the academic section, and the adviser for the term’s CS Society. Currently she is the Deputy Director of the International Mobility and Collaboration Center (IMCC ), heading International Strategic Intelligentsia & Collaborations, apart from being an adviser to USM International — the enthusiastic, colourful faces of USM International (USMi)
Kathleen Sims - Head, AgricultureTeam, Academies Australasia and MD, RuralBiz Training, Australia
Kathy is the leader of the agriculture team within Academies Australasia and Managing Director of RuralBiz Training. She founded RuralBiz Training in 2002 which has become a leading provider of accredited agriculture, agribusiness, horticulture and other related courses. It now uses online technologies to deliver training to farmers Australia-wide. As part of Academies Australasia, this training is now available to international students. Kathy has also designed and delivered agribusiness training in Papua New Guinea since 2015.