Akio Takeda

Alliance Section Manager • CELSYS, Inc. Sales and Alliance Department

Akiyuki Kake

Research & Development Expert • Wacom

After working in research and development for an electronics manufacturer and in the e-book business, Akiyuki Kake joined Wacom in 2015. His main responsibilities include collaboration with universities and third parties and new business development.

Akshay Ravikumar

Product & Marketing Lead • Schoolhouse.world

Akshay Ravikumar serves as the Product Lead and Marketing Lead at Schoolhouse, and helped get the partnership between Schoolhouse and Wacom off the ground. Akshay has experience as a software engineer and received both his Master of Engineering and Bachelor of Science degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Alessio Tommasetti

Head Architect & Designer, Professor at IED University & Rufa University in Rome, Italy • D'Arc.Studio Associates Architects, Rome/ Milan Italy

Alessio graduated in Architecture in 2003 and has a PhD in the Sciences of Representation. He teaches Fashion and Product Design at IED Rome and Digital Painting at RUFA. Alessio is Founder, Partner, and Head Architect at Studio D'Arc Architects Associates, a design studio that deals with all aspects of sustainability from the concept to the final production. He specializes in Robotics and Bionics, 3D Printing, CGI, Animation, Pre-Production and Visualizing, Video, and Compositing.

Dr. Alexander Vyhnal

Director Research & Development • STAEDTLER

Based on Alexander Vyhnals scientific chemical education, he has been fascinated since decades in chances and possibilities of progressing material, process and information technologies. Especially the synergistic combination of different technologies to innovate products and business models is part of his DNA.

Ami Oike

Andrea Chiampo

Digital Artist / Concept Designer

Andrea Chiampo is an Italian Artist and established Concept Designer for the Entertainment Industry (clients: Disney, Netflix and many more). Although his work is mainly known for his distinct photo-realistic creature design, he has lately aroused curiosity among the Digital Art community revealing a new, unique and evocative style. What at first sight might be misunderstood as an antique lithography is instead the result of digital art. He recently became independent artist thanks to the NFTs.

Andrée Kratzenberg

EMEA Sales Leader • Wacom

Andrée is the Wacom EMEA sales leader and has been with the company since 2014, after several years of managing sales and key account teams in the consumer electronics field. Apart from his dedication to pushing digital pen usage in creative and vertical markets with a focus on B2B market development, he is passionate about digital transformation in education and how digital handwriting technology can drive and support it.

Andrew Caffrey

CEO Canopy Education CIC and Google Certified innovator and Trainer • Canopy Education CIC

Andrew Caffrey, CEO of Canopy, a team of educational technologists who use digital technology to enhance teaching and learning. He is also the Global Program Lead for the Google for Education Certified Innovator Program, a global community of over 2000 passionate teachers who use technology to solve big challenges and advocate for impactful use of technology in education. Part of the EdTech 50 in 2020, 2016 winner of Inspirational Educator Award from the Worshipful Company of Educators.

Avinav Khanal

Product Activist • Wacom

As a true user advocate, Avinav establishes that users are at the center of every product Wacom designs. He is particularly engaged in understanding the challenges faced by modern digital artists and is very passionate about creating solutions that serve their needs.

Ayano

Technical Artist

Ayano’s interest in 3DCG and VR was awakened by his involvement in VRChat. Ayano now works as an independent creator using tools like Unity and Houdini. He focuses on the development and sales of Unity assets used in creating virtual worlds, such as Starry Sky Shader and Cloud See Shader.

Catarina Cho

Senior Professional • Samsung Electronics / Technology Strategy Group

Catarina Cho is a technology partnership manager at Technology Strategy Group of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics. Her main area of focus for business development and partnership management is the S Pen technology.

Chihiro Tai

Claudia Bueno

Artist

Claudia Bueno is an internationally recognized Venezuela-born artist renowned for creating immersive technological wonders using light, sculpture, painting, and sound. Claudia creates large-scale, multi-sensory experiences that communicate a profound sense of wonderment and awe. Lights, motors, wind, and video power her creations with pulsations and movements. Detailed drawings, meticulous cutouts and elaborate structures leave evidence of the intimate dedication the artist has with her work. Claudia fills her art with a quality of mystical curiosity that mirrors her personal fascination with Energy, Consciousness, and Nature - ultimately transforming her art into a celebration of Life and Creation. Claudia’s work has been exhibited in Venezuela, Switzerland, Argentina, Malaysia, Singapore, and the USA, and her latest work is permanently exhibited in Meow Wolf, Las Vegas.

Dr. Bahne Sievers

Counsel • Fieldfisher

Dr. Bahne Sievers is a German-qualified lawyer working in Fieldfisher's Hamburg office. He specializes in copyright, media, and commercial law. He advises clients from the media and the digital industry. He studied Law and Musicology at the University of Hamburg and also holds a Master’s Degree (LL.M.) from the London School of Economics and Political Science. For his thesis on copyright law, he received a Doctoral Degree (Dr. jur.) from the University of Hamburg.

Emmanuel Klissarov

Independent Designer

With more than 14 years of experience in automotive exterior design for various brands, Emmanuel Klissarov, a Bulgarian/Canadian designer based on the French Riviera, now works independently offering design services. For his clients, Emmanuel provides various mobility solutions, products, entertainment concept designs, and education for the next generation of designers.

Erna Mueller

Educational Advisor • STAEDTLER

Erna is convinced that companies in the field of education have a responsibility to provide children and educators with the right tools to help them develop 21st century skills. As an educational advisor to STAEDTLER, Erna is looking for new trends within the education sector that focus on hands-on activities and emphasize the dictum that “hand speaks to brain and brain speaks to hand."

Eva Toorenent

Artist

Eva Toorenent is a freelance Illustrator/artist and writer who lives and works in Zandvoort in the Netherlands. In 2019, she received her Bachelor's in Illustration. After completing her degree, Eva focused on her greatest passion: creating monsters. In 2021 she published her first book The Wonderful World of Eva at Clavis Publishing. In the book, she documents the strange creatures she encountered in her childhood. She now works as a creature designer and sells her original art worldwide.

Evan Hadam

Peer Tutor • Schoolhouse.world

Evan Hadam is an SAT math tutor at schoolhouse.world. In addition to peer tutoring, Evan has help set up SAT Bootcamps for thousands of students across the world.

Faik Karaoglu

Executive Vice President Branded Business Group • Wacom

Faik is passionate about technology and innovation. As Executive Vice President of Wacom, he is the driving force in creating value for customers in the Creative and Education markets. Through partnerships with leading brands and close collaboration with startups and communities, Faik develops new value propositions to maintain Wacom’s position as the preferred solution for many use cases and applications.

Dr. Felix Obschonka

Director New Technologies • Montblanc

Dr. Felix Frank Obschonka joined Montblanc in 2014 and since 2019 serves as the Director New Technologies. In his role he is responsible for connecting the traditional world of Montblanc with digital technologies to embrace new use cases for the brand, with products such as the writing tablet Augmented Paper, the Summit smartwatch and MB-01 over-ear headphones. Before joining Montblanc, Felix worked for Philips Lighting and afterwards served as the CEO & founder of a connected lighting start-up.

Friederike Fabritius

Neuroscientist, Author, Keynote Speaker

Friederike Fabritius, MS, is a neuroscientist and trailblazer in the field of neuroleadership. Her brain-based leadership programs have transformed how Fortune 500 executives think, innovate, and navigate change. She is a thought leader and keynote speaker, known for engaging global audiences at organizations like Google, Ernst & Young (EY), Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Adecco, Accenture, Deloitte, BMW, Bayer, SAP, Harvard Business Review, trivago, and Audi. An alumna of McKinsey & Company and the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, she works for the prestigious German Academy of Science and Engineering. Fabritius is the award-winning, bestselling author of the book The Leading Brain: Neuroscience Hacks to Work Smarter, Better, Happier. She is fluent in six languages and lives with her husband and five children in Heidelberg, Germany.

Güncem Campagna

Managing Director • Tech and Teach gGmbH

Güncem Campagna has a degree in Economics and worked in international marketing for corporations for many years. In 2016, she launched an educational initiative to increase diversity in the tech scene. Tech and Teach emerged from this initiative, offering target group-oriented programs for digital skills and IT training with its Coding School and Coding for Tomorrow initiatives.

Gustavo Ebermann

New Products Strategist • Texthelp

Product Strategy Manager at the Texthelp Group, the world's largest specialist accessibility company, Gustavo is passionate about making a positive impact in all he does. He spends his time listening to and understanding global educators' needs to help build products, experiences and resources that drive meaningful, relevant change. Gustavo is a Google Certified Educator, holds an Electronics Engineering degree from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, and is bilingual in Spanish and English.

Hajime Asada

Cloud ET Core Project Leader • ワコム

After joining Wacom in 2013, Hajime Asada worked on new channel & business development for digital writing instruments, as well as on corporate sales in the media & entertainment and industrial design sectors. He assumed the position of Cloud ET Core Project Leader in 2020. He is currently promoting the experience of working with digital pens in remote or cloud environments and projects for the creation of new business. His hobbies include keeping aquarium fish.

Hajime Fukuda

Art Director, Composer, Soundscape Designer, Pianist

Hajime Fukuda is a composer and soundscape designer based in Berlin and Hokkaido. As a pianist, he plays melodies that take inspiration from his travels around the world. He specializes in spatial production that makes full use of the sound for musical experiences accessible only to those who are actually present in the space. Live on stage, he creates cutting-edge performances by mixing programming with piano improvisation. He has appeared at the RISING SUN ROCK FESTIVAL, the Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris (MCJP), and at an event in Berlin commemorating 150 years of diplomatic relations between Germany and Japan. He designed the sonic environment of Hoshino Resort TOMAMU and Roppongi Hills (a commercial complex in Tokyo).

Heidi Wang

Senior Vice President Ink Division • Wacom

Heidi Wang is passionate about ink and innovation. For her, ink is a reflection and response of our soul and mind. As Head of the Ink Division, she leads ink technology and services at Wacom. Partnerships are her focus – under the motto “value is created by connections.” For Wang, the purpose of technology is to create meaningful experiences. She has also been a key driver of the Digital Stationery Consortium since its founding.

Dr. Heiko Maus

Chief Engineer • German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI)

Heiko Maus is Team Leader Knowledge Work & Deputy Head of the Smart Data & Knowledge Services Department at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI). Heiko focuses on transferring innovative research into industry applications and deriving real-world challenges for further research. With CoMem, the DFKI transfers a corporate memory infrastructure based on knowledge graphs into industrial practice. Inspired by CoMem, the DFKI collaborated with Wacom on Semantic Ink.

Hideo (Harry) Yokoi

Hideo Yokoi welcomes every opportunity to get to know people, in line with his belief that, “every encounter is not a coincident but the result of inevitability.” He enjoys active interactions with people from many different industries. Wacom is rich in unique talents, most notably its CEO, making it a source of inspiration and new ideas for him. This makes his collaboration with Wacom a pleasure.

Hiroki Nakayama

PILOT CORPORATION

When Hiroki Nakayama came across the “Automac” – a mechanical pencil made by PILOT – as a student, it was love at first sight. In pursuit of his passion, he joined the company in April 2021 and began working at Shonan Development Center as of June in the same year. As a member of the group working on the exterior design of writing instruments at the Center, he is actively developing new mechanisms by drawing strength from his academic background in machine engineering. His hobby is collecting mechanical pencils, and the all-time great, the “Automac,” remains his favorite among his vast collection. His personal motto is not to lose his “insatiable curiosity.”

Hiroshi Tamano

Executive Business Planner

Hiroshi Tamano joined Wacom in 2017. In his previous position as Director at HTC Japan, he played a leading role in introducing VR devices to the Japanese market. At Wacom, he is in charge of the planning and development of VR design systems as well as merchandise planning for brand products. His current focus is on developing new added-value services. As an expert in the field of mobile communication, he aspires to build environments which allow creators to work freely anywhere, anytime.

Hirotaka

You ain't heard nothin' yet.

Hirotaka Suzuki

Executive Vice President, CTO • エスディーテック株式会社

For many years, Hirotaka Suzuki has been focusing on UI/UX technologies for cell phones & in-built car devices. He believes in the power of design engineering to give products a higher utility value, and is thus actively promoting R&D activities to realize this vision. The current emphasis within this development is on Human Centered Artificial Intelligence (HCAI) and its application within products with the aim of obtaining a “deeper understanding of people through technologies.”

Hiroto Nishitani

映像制作室室長 テクニカルスーパーバイザー • 株式会社ダンデライオンアニメーションスタジオ

95年からキャリアスタート。ジェネラリストとして培った作業経験を活かし、近年は各セクションのサポートもするテクニカルスーパーバイザーとして、また、制作部門の室長として、現場スタッフのテクニカルサポートからマネージメントまでを行っている。12月公開の映画『THE FIRST SLAM DUNK』では、R&D リギングスーパーバイザーとして活躍。

Hiroyuki Fujita

Chief Design Producer • Fujitsu Client Computing Limited

As a Fujitsu product designer, I designed a wide range of products from medical devices to supercomputers. Currently, I am at Fujitsu Client Computing, supervising everything from corporate communication design to product creation and development.I have received domestic and overseas design awards such as Good Design Award (G-mark), IF design award, and the Asia Design award.

Hisa Kasajima

CEO Eallin Japan, Founder of GBXD • Eallin Japan Co., Ltd/ GBXD

After working at a major commercial TV station, Hisa Kasajima joined Eallin, an animation production company based in Prague, in 2007 and set up Eallin Japan after returning to his homeland. He produces animations and films while promoting various creators in unveiling their talents in Japan and around the world. In 2021, he set up GravityBeyond XD, a content production brand with an emphasis on VR, virtual characters, and IP games. Currently, he is developing a 2D action game, “Dimension Girl Coneru,” scheduled to be released on Steam/Switch in Summer 2023.

Hong-Keun Park

Principal Professional • Samsung Electronics / Experience Planning Group2

Hong-Keun Park is responsible for planning and marketing of Galaxy mobile's connected experience at Mobile eXperience Business, Samsung Electronics.

Dr. Ignacio Alamillo-Domingo

Managing Partner • Astrea

Ignacio Alamillo-Domingo is a Doctor in Law (UMU), with a PhD thesis on eIDAS Regulation. He holds a Degree in Law (UNED), a Diploma of Advanced Studies (UAB), and a Master’s Degree in Introduction to Administrative Law Research (UAB). He is a Certified Data Protection Solutions Engineer, CDPSE, a Certified Information Systems Auditor, CISA, and a Certified Information Security Manager, CISM (ISACA); and is certified in COBIT5 Foundations (APMG) and ITIL V3 Foundations (EXIN). Currently, Ignacio is a practicing lawyer, managing partner at Astrea, and advisor at Logalty. He also collaborates with iDerTec Research group (University of Murcia) and serves as Chief Trust Officer at Alastria Blockchain Ecosystem. He has authored/co-authored more than 100 publications and has delivered more than 400 conferences and courses related to electronic identity, trust services, and their application in electronic processes.

Ivan Abrasaldo

Student • Sisler CREATE Program

Ivan is a student in Sisler’s CREATE post-high school program and has worked on various projects with companies like Wacom and Nickelodeon. He has participated in the 24-hour Animation Challenge – where his team got 18th place amongst 200 participating teams and 3rd place for all high school teams.

Jamie Leduc

Animation Teacher, CREATE Department Head • Sisler High School

Jamie Leduc currently teaches animation at Sisler High School and is the Department Head of the CREATE program. Jamie has over 20 years of experience in developing curriculum and teaching animation, film and game design in public education systems. He has enhanced student education by coordinating industry mentorships, internships, and scholarships. As a result, Leduc has inspired hundreds of students in pursuing their dream careers in the game, film and animation industries.

Jan Wischermann

Retouch Artist • Jan Wischermann Imaging

Jan is a professional beauty/hair, fashion and commercial retouch artist. He is working for well-known international advertising agencies, photographers and magazines. He shares his knowledge with the creative family as retouching educator, podcast host, keynote speaker for Wacom and global Capture One Ambassador. Jan is passionate to connect to likeminded creatives to provide expertise and create value for the creative family. By today, Jan is creating for over 20 years in the creative industry. It’s his mission to craft better images to give you peace of mind.

jbstyle.

Illustrator, Artist

Jbstyle actively produces a variety of artworks such as games and manga, and is often featured as a live performer around the world, incl. in Los Angeles, San Diego, Paris, Shanghai, and Taiwan. He won First Place at the Digital Art Battle LIMITS Japan in 2019 and Second Place in the World Championship in 2019. He ranked among the top four in the Asian Championship 2022.

Jim Chang

AVP, eNote BU Head • E Ink Holdings Inc.

Jim Chang has worked in the display industry for over 20 years. He joined E Ink in 2016 as Head Product Manager and led the new eNote Business Unit from 2020 onwards. His vision is to provide customers with the best pen input user experience on the E Ink ePaper display.

Joakim Riedinger

Lead Animator • Pixomondo

Joakim Riedinger is a French animator by day and a passionate illustrator by night. He was Lead Animator on the HBO show House of the Dragons, and has notably worked on animated feature films, including The Minions, Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, and Mitchells VS the Machines. He was nominated for the 2020 Annie Awards by Asifa Hollywood for his work on Spiderman: Far from Home. His love for illustration and drawing fuels his dynamic animation style.

Jörg Roskowetz

Head of Blockchain Technology BU - Director Product Management Blockchain Technology • AMD Radeon Technologies Group

At AMD, Jörg is responsible for driving in near term and future business opportunities across their high-performance and adaptive computing portfolio. As a recognized industry expert and long-standing AMDer, he leads the company's blockchain effort by working with key strategic partners and ISV's vendors to enable new workloads and customized graphic features. Jörg is co-chairman of the Bitkom’s Technical Committee for Product-Neutral Tenders and holds a degree in Computer Science.

Joshua Maddocks

UK Manager • Kaligo

Joshua Maddocks is Kaligo's UK Manager and focuses on deploying Kaligo across the region to individual schools, school groups and councils. Kaligo is the first AI powered handwriting and spelling app designed to teach students how to write and spell using a stylus and tablet. Following 6 years of research, curriculum aligned exercises have been co-created with teachers, occupational therapists and neuroscientists. A self-paced approach enables children to progress at their own speed according to their own ability, whilst AI Machine learning provides real-time corrective feedback and stores data for future analysis.

Joss Giffard-Burley

Director Ink Ecosystem Architecture • Wacom

As Wacom’s Ink Ecosystem Architect, Joss is shaping the future of Wacom’s software technology to create a technology ecosystem around digital ink. Joss passionately believes that by applying decentralized technologies such as SSI, we can build a fairer digital world that empowers the individual to control their own data & digital persona.

Juwan Park

Head of Writing Solutions Lab / Principal Engineer • Samsung Electronics / Display Group

Juwan Park is the head engineer leading the Writing Solutions Lab of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics. His main area of focus is engineering and development of the S Pen solution for Samsung's mobile products.

Kaoru Aoyama

General Producer • Draw A Lot

Born in 1993. After graduating from Gakushuin University, gained working experience and expertise on event production at “Tokyo Culture Culture” and eventual independence. Seeing artists stopped from work due to the pandemic-caused business slump, planned and launched DRAW A LOT. Besides this organization, activities and services extend to various fields such as pop idol branding support and online streaming consultancy for a national museum. Also Secretary General of SOMA, an NPO.

Karl Siegel

Regional Sales Director • Lamy

Karl Siegel has a degree in Business Administration. He lived and worked in Asia for several years before joining LAMY in 2011. As Regional Sales Director, Karl has visited many countries across the globe, venturing into a wide range of exciting cultures. What unites all nations and all cultures is the fact that the ancient cultural technique of handwriting continues to play a crucial role in supporting thinking processes – even in an ever more digitalized world. For Karl Siegel, a seamless and natural transition between analogue and digital handwriting is one of the key elements to support efficient processes in the fields of education, work, play and creativity.

Katayama Yuki

Kei Narushima

President

Kei Narushima began his career at CELSYS when he took on a part-time student job there. Upon successfully completing his degree in Product Design in 1997, he immediately joined CELSYS as a Designer. His activities covered 2D/3D graphic design, web design, and software interface designs. He was appointed as Director in 2001, Deputy President in 2009, and President (his current position) in 2016.

Keisuke Takahashi

PILOT CORPORATION

Keisuke Takahashi joined PILOT in 2021 and was assigned to Shonan Development Center in June of the same year. Since his entry into the company, he has been responsible for developing tips for ball-point pens. He is always on the look-out for new tips, while also delving into PILOT’s rich technological history. Visiting stationery shops has been his hobby since his student days, and he is always in search for new stationery finds. As the proverb goes: “The scholar may become the master,” and he hopes to surpass the achievements of his predecessors one day.

Keisy

Particle Live Artist

Keisy is an independent creator specialized in creating live performances using VFX such as particles in VRChat called Particle Live. One of his main skills is his rendering, which is characterized by the real-time movements of avatars in combination with the fantastical feel of the scenery.

Ken Kasischke

Director Global Marketing Strategy • Wacom

Ken Kasischke is Global Marketing Director for Wacom's Business Solution Business Unit. He strongly believes that becoming more digital does not necessarily mean being less human, and that there is huge value in solutions that deliver both a technical and a human advantage.

Kevin P. Kulbacki, D-ABFDE

CEO, Forensic Document Examiner • KDX Forensic Consulting

Kevin P. Kulbacki is the CEO of KDX Forensic Consulting, one of the premier Forensic Document Examination firms within the United States. Mr. Kulbacki has over a decade of experience as an Expert in the examination of documents for evidence of alteration, counterfeiting, and forgery, including working for both the IRS Criminal Investigation’s National Forensic Laboratory and the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division. Mr. Kulbacki is certified as a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Document Examiners and is the current Chairman of the AAFS Academy Standards Board’s Forensic Document Examination Consensus Body, which is charged with the creation of consensus-based standards for the field of Forensic Document Examination.

Kizuku Ishimaru

Senior Specialist • Wacom

Wacom Project Manager from the very start of collaboration between Wacom and Ars Electronica in 2020.

Kohei Hamajima

CEO • ICREA

Born in Obu City, Aichi Prefecture. Attended Prefectural Obu Higashi High School. Graduated from Meijo University (Faculty of Science and Technology). Acquired CG skills by auto-didactic learning. Part-time 3DCG designer with local game developer during student days. Worked as a designer at a promotion video producer, also gained experience in sales and back-office works in areas other than design. Self-employed by founding a company (predecessor of ICREA) in 2008. Foundation of ICREA in 2021. ICREA offers services for promoting character contents for videos, illustrations, figures and goods under the motto of “Creativity + Imagination = Smile of People Around You”. Through ICREA, hopes to enhance the standing of creators and create more activity venues for creators.

Lars Lenz

Working Student Signature Solutions • Wacom

Lars Lenz studies Business Information Systems at the University of Duisburg-Essen and works with Wacom on decentralized technologies in the space of signature solutions since mid 2021. Growing up in Düsseldorf he has been loyal to his hometown ever since, enjoying the spirit of a small town with an international character. In the coming months he is looking forward to the next evolutionary stages of the Secure Signing Project, further specializing his skills in Web3.0 technologies.

Laura Bender

Manager Digital Education in School • Teach First Deutschland

With a background in social media and project management, Laura Bender has always been drawn to media competence research. As the daughter of a primary school teacher, she was always aware of educational issues. While reflecting on digital solutions for everyday school life during the pandemic, the role of Manager for Digital Education appeared at the perfect time. At Teach First Germany, she critically advances the subject of digital transformation in education with her heart and mind.

Leonardo Mendolicchio

Enterprise Sales Manager Europe • Wacom Europe

Leo is a creative thinker and digital design expert. He’s driving the enterprise Creative sales for Wacom in Europe, running Partnerships and build network in the fascinating world of the digital design.

Maddie Spencer

Head of Assets and Visual Development

Creature and character designer as well as ZBrush educator, Maddie has over 15 years experience as an artist in the film industry. Her background is makeup effects and traditional media painting and sculpting. Maddie made the jump to ZBrush in 2004 and now she creates characters in ZBrush, Photoshop, and 3D printing (as well as a variety of other software). Maddie teaches all over the world, from South America to Australia, to London to France.

Marco Achenbach

Head of Brand and Product Strategy • Lamy

After finishing his degree in business administration, Marco worked in product management as well as consumer marketing before joining Lamy in 2006 with a leading role in the Lamy product management. After that, he worked in product development. Today, he is the Head of Brand and Product Strategy at Lamy.

Mary Ellen Andersen

Studio manager, co-founder • North Pole Studio

Mary Ellen Andersen is an art educator who has been working with adults and students with disabilities for over 10 years. She currently is the studio manager of North Pole Studio, an accessible studio space for neurodiverse artists in the professional arts community.

Masaaki Fukuda

VP of Consumer Products

After obtaining a Master’s degree from the Tokyo Institute of Technology, he joined SONY and worked on the launch of the PlayStaion3 and the development of PlayStation Network. He then moved to GREE, where he was engaged in the planning, development, operation, and business management of mobile social games. He currently works in the field of new business development at Preferred Networks.

Matt Dombrowski

Creative Director • Limbitless Solutions

Matt Dombrowski is an Associate Professor at UCF and Creative Director of Limbitless Solutions. He leads an interdisciplinary team developing and producing 3D-printed, visually expressive bionic arms, interactive alternative game controllers and training video games for children with limb differences to learn how to use their prosthetics properly. Matt works with multidisciplinary partners to create experiences that better serve humanitarian needs and deliver both arts and cultural impact.

Matt Wu

Program & Partnership Manager • Schoolhouse.world

Matt Wu serves as the Program & Partnership Manager at Schoolhouse.world. Matt works with partner organizations, from EdTech organizations to school districts, to expand the reach and impact of Schoolhouse tutoring. Matt has previous experience as a management consultant in the social impact space and received both his Master of Engineering and Bachelor of Science degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Matthew Waynee

Cinematic Arts Instructor, Curriculum Developer, Grants Writer • Los Angeles Unified School District

A producer, screenwriter & teacher with 20 years experience, Matthew Waynee works in LAUSD at a Title-1 school, where he built its Film and Animation pathways from the ground up. He has written $2M in grants and set up partnerships with DreamWorks and Nickelodeon. He has presented at dozens of conferences and authored the first ever DOL-approved Animation, Game Design & VFX Apprenticeship Program that will launch in 2023. In 2016, he was selected as the National Magnet Teacher of the Year.

Max Maendler

Founder • eduki

Co-initiator of Germany’s biggest education hackathon #wirfürschule, Max Maendler is an entrepreneur, business angel, and founder of eduki.com. eduki is the leading German online marketplace for teachers to share their teaching resources, empowering each other to deliver the best possible lessons. Max writes and lectures on entrepreneurship, business start-ups, and the school of tomorrow.

Mayu Morimoto

Born in Utsunomia City, Tochigi, Mayu Morimoto is the caring mother of one child. Upon graduating from university, she worked in Sales at IBM Japan to provide IT-based solutions for corporate business issues. Her belief in the vital role played by education in Japanese society, with its declining birthrate and aging population, prompted her to take up her current position at Casio in 2021. She has been evangelical about ClassPad.net ever since. She provides initial consultations to schools wanting to introduce the technology to their classrooms and conducts hands-on demonstrations of the products.

Nao Oda

PILOT CORPORATION

Nao Oda joined PILOT in April 2021 and was assigned to Shonan Development Center in June of the same year. In her day-to-day work developing water-based ink, she hopes to share the joy of writing with more and more people through the products she develops. With a passion for drawing and painting in her spare time, she loves to create illustrations both with analog and digital tools.

Naoya Oda

Application Development Manager

Since joining CELSYS in 2010, Naoya Oda has been developing CLIP STUDIO PAINT from the very start using his expertise in graphic software and DTP. As Application Development Manager, he is responsible for the technical implementation of various app stores and devices, facilitating cooperation between Development and other divisions within the company, while also playing a role in building bridges in relationship with alliance partners.

Natsuki Nakamura

Channel Sales Manager

Natsuki Nakamura built his career in direct sales, where he introduced Splashtop systems in over 250 companies. In his current assignment in corporate partnership business, he works towards maximizing the synergy effects of this business. He also appears as a speaker at seminars and workshops for his partner companies.

Nicolas Gaudioso

Automotive Designer

Nico Gaudioso is an Exterior Automotive Designer from Misiones, Argentina, who has worked in multiple studios worldwide as a designer and visual artist. Nico is passionate about automotive history, motorsport, sci-fi, and design. Nowadays, he pushes his creative workflow through VR, 3D modelling, and illustration.

Dr. Nicolas Großmann

Senior Researcher • German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI)

Dr. Nicolas Großmann is a Senior Researcher at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, Kaiserslautern. He is the subject leader for Immersive Quantified Learning, which deals with the detection of cognitive states with the help of sensors and artificial intelligence. Together with the University of Kaiserslautern, DFKI operates the iQL - Immersive Quantified Learning Lab to apply these techniques directly in educational research.

Nicole Hendrix

Co-Founder/Executive Director • BRIC

Nicole Hendrix is a four-time Emmy winning Producer and has won five PromaxBDA GOLD awards as a Producer and Creative Director. With a multi-disciplinary background, Nicole has used storytelling as the main ingredient in her successful campaigns that span across television, games, live events, and film. She is also the Co-Founder of the Concept Art Association, and works as a Producer and Marketing + PR Consultant with clients like Niantic, Baobab Studios, and 9B Collective.

Nikolaos Kalantzis

• Chartoularios Institute

Nikolaos (Niko) Kalantzis has a BSc in Physics, a PgD in Forensic Science, and an MSc in Questioned Documents. He holds a diploma in Questioned Documents (FSSocDip) from the Chartered Society of Forensic Science of which he is a Professional Member. He works both for the courts of Athens and Piraeus and handles private cases as an examiner. He is manager of the Chartoularios Institute, an associate member of ENFHEX, President of the scientific committee of the Hellenic Association of Forensic Sciences (HAFS), a member of the Arab Society of Forensic Science and Forensic Medicine, and a member of the Steering Committee of ENFHEX.

Nobutaka Ide

President and CEO • Wacom

Nobu joined Wacom in 2013 after working in product & business planning at a Japanese consumer electronics company. He assumed the role of CEO in 2018 and established Connected Ink Village, supporting “new human expression and learning” within communities. He enjoys reading, playing musical instruments, writing poems, and working on creative collaboration with his daughter, a professional performer. His favorite author is Yukio Mishima, and he loves the music of Tchaikovsky and Sion.

Nobuyasu Hirobe

Creative Director • mui Lab株式会社 / mui Lab, Inc.

Nobuyasu Hirobe is Co-Founder and Creative Director at mui Lab. After working as an in-house designer, he invented the mui Board made of natural wood as a feel-good IoT interface for stress-free digital living. He seeks to realize UI designs to use as prompts for a sequence of digital operations in everyday human life.

NORA

Contemporary Dancers, Performers

A contemporary dance team moving as one through time.

Noritaka Houri

Manager • 株式会社Ｚ会

After joining Z-kai Inc. in 1997, he produced learning materials for junior high and high school students, and then was in charge of planning and designing Z-kai Asteria. Later, he became manager of teaching materials and worked on the release of an app-based distance learning service in 2021. He continues to improve the service and develop new functions to provide personalized and optimized learning that satisfies even high-level students.

Oluwaseyi Sosanya

CEO • Gravity Sketch

Oluwaseyi Sosanya is a designer and CEO of Gravity Sketch, a London-based startup that is building a 3D design and collaboration platform. Over his career as a design engineer, he has focused on challenging today's traditional digital tools to develop more user-friendly, sustainable designs. As CEO of Gravity Sketch, he has pursued the goal of making emerging technologies more accessible to the broader creative community by building tools that lower barriers to human-centric user experiences.

Patrick Mc Grath

Head of Education Strategy • Texthelp

Educator, international speaker, blogger, panellist, podcaster and Head of Education Strategy at the Texthelp Group.

Patrick is passionate about ensuring that technology has a positive, meaningful and sustainable impact on teaching & learning through a focus on inclusion, accessibility and universal design.

A Google Certified Educator and Apple Education Mentor, Patrick has received the UK Digital Leader 100 award and an Honorary Fellowship of the University of Ulster (School of Education).

Peter Sommer

Managing Director • Wacom Europe GmbH

Peter is the head of Wacom´s Business Solution Team and Managing Director of Wacom Europe
He passionate about exploring and developing new solutions based on Ink technology with Wacom´s strong community of partners.
For him, connecting people, listening to and understanding different users is the source for innovation and new value propositions .
“More human, more digital” is the guiding concept of Peter and his team.

Rafik Hassan El Hariri

Illustrator, animator, and mental health advocate • Tripoli, Lebanon

Rafik El Hariri is an illustrator, animator, and mental health advocate. He first ventured off into Graphic Design before adding and pursuing his love for illustrations and image creation. He now creates visual imagery for a variety of commercial and commissioned projects.

Rafik Hassan El Hariri

Illustrator, Animator, and Mental Health Advocate

Rafik El Hariri is an illustrator, animator, and mental health advocate. He began his career in the field of graphic design, before branching out to pursue his love for illustrations and image creation as well. He now creates visual imagery for a variety of commercial and commissioned projects.

Rianna Santra

Peer Tutor • Schoolhouse.world

Rianna is a high school junior in the fall of 2022 currently researching different types of cancer classification and biomarkers identification using microarray gene data. She also teaches math and computer programming at local non-profits and schoolhouse.world as a way to give back to the community. In the future, Rianna plans to major in computer science and computational biology specializing in artificial intelligence and deep learning so that neural networks can solve biological problems.

Ryo Inaba

Lead Engineer, CLIP STUDIO PAINT

Since joining CELSYS in 2012, Ryo Inaba has been developing various features of CLIP STUDIO PAINT and its fundamental frameworks. He is a key figure in developing an iPad version of CLIP STUDIO PAINT, which was previously only available for desktop use. In his current role as Lead Engineer, he supervises the overall development of CLIP STUDIO PAINT software.

Ryoji Ishii

As well as being in charge of business planning and executive management, Ryoji Ishii is also a leading figure in promoting the Creative Rights Initiative in Japan. He is currently engaged in the development of Wacom Yuify, a new service that allows creators to secure authorship of their artworks, and to store the background information and stories behind their works. As a fan of rap music, As a fan of rap music, he indulges in daydreams of launching a Creative “Rhyme” Initiative one day.

Ryoma Kawajiri

Engineer

After obtaining a Master’s degree at the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo (majoring in Machine Informatics), where he researched cutting-edge machine learning and IoT, Ryoma Kawajiri started his career as a Lead Engineer at an IoT startup. He is currently engaged in the development of machine learning and robots at Preferred Networks.

Sammy White

Teaching and Learning Specialist • Texthelp

Sammy is an experienced maths teacher across secondary, alternative provisions and adult education. Sammy was named in the EdTech 50 in 2021 and holds an ACMALT from the Association of Learning Technology. Sammy works for Texthelp and is passionate about the power of technology in helping students realise their potential. Sammy was the first female Google for Education Certified Coach in Europe. She is also a Google innovator and trainer.

Sarah van den Belt

Education Senior Sales Manager - Europe • Wacom

Sarah has been with Wacom for over 12 years and is a true believer in the benefit Wacom has for Education. Having young children herself she has seen how bringing the digital pen into the hands of students and teachers can enhance digital learning using natural handwriting skills. Sarah is responsible for the Education business across Europe and is passionate about showing schools and institutions solutions that make a difference in the classroom, at home or in any learning environment.

Satoru Kobayashi

Artist • Atelier Mayura of Rumbini Art Museum

His favorite musicians are Billy Joel, Queen, Yosui Inoue, Spitz and THE BOOM. He also loves walking. Satoru began to write all the letters in his diary and compose them in a unique way while he was in a secondary school for the disabled. At first, teachers at the school struggled to find a way to fix it, but eventually they came to see this as an attractive sculptural expression. With this as a turning point, his expression began to be seen as a form of art that spreads joy to many people.

Seri Kim

Account Manager • Wacom

Several working years as Sales in electronic components field, and Seri has been working at Wacom since 2021. Her main responsibilities are managing the demands and new business of digital stationary companies.

Simone Price

Social Impact Leader • Dolby Labs

Simone is an intentional and influential program designer with a focus on partnerships in K-12 STEAM Education. She creates partnerships, experiences, and signature programs that pair the next generation of diverse innovators with Dolby talent, technology, and industry resources to help them explore careers and develop skills at the intersection of technology and entertainment.

siro

漫画家

Shiro made his debut with his Yamano Susume (Encouragement of Climb) comics published in Earth Star Comics magazine in 2011. Over 850,000 copies have been sold in the 10 years that the series has been running in this monthly magazine. It has also been adapted into an animation series and the new season, the fourth in the series, began airing in Japan in October 2022. Other recent titles from this artist include "Camera, Hajimete mo Ii Desu ka?, currently running in Young King Awards magazine.

Stefan Kirmse

SVP Corporate Brand and Communications • Wacom

Stefan is leading the brand development and corporate engagement with his teams in Tokyo, Portland and Düsseldorf. He initiated the Brand Experience Centers in Portland and Düsseldorf, which are now essential stages for local Connected Ink partnerships. With his is global team he has been a driving force for Connected Ink since its start. For him Connected Ink brings Wacom´s DNA and purpose to life, connecting Wacom teams across the globe with Wacom stakeholders, customers and partners, sharing life-long questions of human beings and experiencing the power of creativity to find answers to these question or at least valuable inspirations.

Tadashi Machida

Takaaki Fujii

CEO • Zoshinkai Holdings Inc. (Z-kai Inc.)

Takaaki Fujii has been the President and CEO of the general education group "Z-kai Group", which is celebrating it's 91st anniversary this year. The "Z-kai Group" consists of 20 companies that develop various educational services such as correspondence education, classrooms, books, mock exams, assessments, and services using ICT for a wide range of age groups, from infants to college students and adults.

Takaomi

VR Contents Director

Takaomi is the head of VRChat Explorer Club, a community for exploring the various virtual spaces—or worlds—that exist in VRChat and for exchanging opinions on the design of virtual spaces and experiences. He publishes interviews with virtual world creators on the blogging platform note and writes introductory articles about virtual worlds for Japan’s biggest VR media. In doing so, Takaomi actively communicates the charm of creative virtual worlds in VRChat.

Takashi Itagaki

President/Art Director • Shakai No Kusuri Research Institute/Rumbini Art Museum

After studying the cognitive function of the brain and switching to copperplate engraving, Itagaki joined Runbini-en, a disabled support facility, in 1998. He is fascinated by the formative arts of the people who live there and since then has continued to work on supporting their formative expressions at various welfare facilities. Since 2007, he has been an art director at the Runbinii Art Museum. In 2020, he established the Shakai no Kusuri Research Institute of which he is the CEO. He is a director of Connected Ink Village. His favorite musicians are THE ELEPHANT KASHIMASHI, Gustav Mahler, Dimitri Shostakovich and Hiroko Taniyama.

Takashi Nakatsuji

Senior Director

Takashi Nakatsuji has worked at Wacom’s Business Solutions Unit for over 20 years, providing Wacom’s core technologies to meet the needs of various business applications and delivering new experiences and values to clients and users. The current focus of his activities is to tap into new demand in the public and healthcare sectors, and to increase added value to all business applications by creating and providing access to new software.

Takaya Matsuda

CEO • Heralbony

With a twin brother, established HERALBONY with the mysterious word "HERALBONY", which his four-year-old autistic brother Shota had written down when still in elementary school. Updated the welfare field through its experimental welfare unit. Awarded "Forbes 30 Under 30 Japan" for 30 people under the age of 30 who are changing Japan.

Takuya Yamasaki

HR, Public Relations • 株式会社ダンデライオンアニメーションスタジオ

After entering the industry in 1997, Takuya Yamasaki took part in many projects as a BG modeler, CG animator, 3DCG compositor, and concept artist. He worked as the leader of the Look & Composite Unit at Dandelion Animation Studio until 2018. Since becoming a freelancer, he has provided HR and public relations services for the same company, while also providing support to studio staff, mainly through various training opportunities, such as his tutoring in concept art.

Tamotsu Ito

Architect, CEO of tamotsu ito architecture office

Born in Gifu Prefecture. Architect and principal of the "tamotsu ito architecture office", junior associate professor at Nagoya Zokei University and Director of General of Chimata Factory, Inc. Assn. After studying and teaching in the US and Switzerland, he moved to Gifu City, Japan in 2020 and runs a design practice based in Gifu operating throughout Japan and overseas.

Tatsunori Kato

Senior Manager • ワコム

After joining Wacom in 2017, Tatsunori Kato has been in charge of developing background software pre-installed on tablets as well as product planning. He is constantly seeking methods and systems that best support creative activities based on the wealth of knowledge he gained from his previous roles in developing entertainment robotics and OS for embedded equipment.

Team IMPALA

Performer

Founded in 2020. Performance unit consisting of Masashi Onishi, Maki Yokoyama, Rieko Ogino and Tsuyoshi Kaseda. Their performance encompasses a wide range of genres like contemporary dance, street dance ad traditional martial arts. IMPALA’s stage using LED and projectors represents its own universe where the barrier between humans and technology melts away.

Terukazu Ikeda

Tetsuro Kato

Engineer • 株式会社Preferred Networks Inc.

After obtaining a Master’s degree at Tokyo Institute of Technology, Kato joined teamLab, where he worked on the development of interactive content using image recognition and machine learning. His current work at Preferred Networks encompasses the development of tools for learning programming, such as Playgram and Playgram Typing.

Dr. Thomas Forss

CEO • StageZero Technologies

Thomas Forss has more than ten years of experience in the AI field, and holds a doctorate in NLP. During his career, he has worked on products for understanding text, handwriting, and speech. In 2016, Thomas realized his passion for AI by co-founding StageZero Technologies in Helsinki, Finland. StageZero are the market leading AI data specialists for speech and NLP data collection, annotation, and validation.

Tomoko Matsuoka

Social Network Artist

Tomoko Matsuoka works as a creative artist, taking part in various collaborations addressing the concept of the “Embodiment of Will.” When she paints live, she uses her entire body to express her energy and her “will” in the moment. She uses her art to continually challenge the realm that cannot be reached by science. Her work was exhibited at the Salon Art Shopping Paris, an art fair at the Louvre Museum in Paris, in 2021. She was featured in the TV shows “Seven Rules” and “Mezamashi 8” from the Fuji Television Group. She graduated from the Faculty of Science of the Japan Women’s University and obtained a Master’s degree from the University of Tokyo.

Tracy Kistner

CEO • wirfürschule gUG

Tracy Kistner, born in Cologne, is a mother of four children and for this reason has been involved in education for a long time. Since spring 2022 she has been the managing director of #wirfürschule gUG, a Germany-wide movement that is committed to making the schools of tomorrow a reality today. Tracy is a lecturer in design thinking and entrepreneurship. She has a degree in business administration and completed a CEMS Master of International Management.

Victor Davila

Illustrator & Designer • University of Central Florida

Victor Davila is an illustrator and designer in Orlando, FL, as well as an Associate Professor at the University of Central Florida teaching illustration and design. He is also the founder of the central Florida illustrator collective Giant Illustrators, an Affiliated Faculty for Limbitless Solutions, President Emeritus of AIGA Orlando, on the National Board of AIGA, on the AIGA Design Educators Community steering committee, and an Adobe Education Leader.

Xierra Cansino

Student • Sisler CREATE Program

As an 18 year-old animator and digital artist in Sisler’s CREATE program, Xierra worked with mentors from Nickelodeon Studios on the Orange Tree Project – where she worked to create an animated short film. Xierra is also working on a series from concept to show bible and received a full-ride scholarship to Vancouver Film School.

Yasushi Naruse

Senior Researcher

As a Senior Researcher at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Dr. Naruse has been engaged in neuroscientific research using brainwaves for many years. His focus is on the development of a novel, wearable EEG system that facilitates the measurement of brain activity in a natural environment, as well as applications that implement this system.

Yoko Shimizu

Artist/Researcher • Ars Electronica Futurelab

Yoko Shimizu is a researcher and artist at Ars Electronica Futurelab with a background in biology and chemistry. She is in charge of R&D and project management of various creative projects. She began her career as a creative director and collaborates with companies, government agencies, museums, and universities around the world to develop innovative technologies and installations.

Yoshifumi Tara

Aesthetic Scientist, Artist, Designer, Education Research Assistant in the Department of Design, Tokyo University of the Arts

In his research, Yoshifumi Tara explores exciting experiences that spark curiosity. With his unique view as an artist/designer, he creates products and works of art using a scientific approach and new materials as well as special techniques. He aims to rediscover the charm of everyday life with ideas that offer new perspectives. He won the Silver Prize and the Shibuya Area Management Prize at the 20th CS Design Awards (Category: Students) in 2019. His activities and works include his award-winning design of a temporary enclosure for a construction site installed in Shibuya in 2020, participation in Rokko Meets Art 2020, and an exhibition at the Mt. Rokko Visitor Center in 2022. He was also awarded the Yugo Nakamura Prize in the 15th SHACHIHATA New Product Design Competition.

Yuhei Uchibori

President and CEO • JIBUN HAUS.株式会社

Born in December 1984 in Higashiyamato City, Tokyo, Yuhei Uchibori joined JIBUN HAUS as a Director in 2016, having previously worked at a general real-estate developer. He assumed his current post in May 2020. With the belief that “the time has come to buy a house via smartphone,” the company runs a voluntary chain of over 140 stores in the housing industry. The housing-tech company has rolled out a series of businesses driven by the latest technologies. These include VR production for condominium developers, AR/AI services in an industry-academia partnership with Tokyo University, and MY HOME MARKET, a virtual house exhibition operated in cooperation with BIROGY. Its networks are expanding among builders, building contractors, construction companies, and real estate agencies all over Japan.

Yui Arai

チェロ奏者

福井県出身。中学卒業後渡米、Idyllwild Arts Academy（米カリフォルニア）を経て、ドイツ国立ハンブルグ音楽大学を修了。これまでに岩城宏之音楽賞受賞、ブラームス国際コンクールチェロ部門第２位入賞、平成24年度福井県文化奨励賞受賞。その他国内外の様々な音楽祭に出演。現在は、ソロ、室内楽を中心に活動中。これまでに、故・参納純三、ジョン・ワルツ、ヴォルフガング・メールホルンに師事。東京チェロアンサンブルメンバー。福井大学教育学部音楽科非常勤講師。

Yuri Tanaka

Researcher, Artist • Kyoto City University of Arts, CERN

Currently, a visiting researcher at Kyoto City University of Arts, a visiting scientist at CERN, an expert at ITACCUS (International Astronautical Federation Technical Committee for the Cultural Utilisation of Space), and a member of the Liaison Unit for Science & Art of Kyoto, Kyoto University. She has been pursuing to create a diverse collaboration mediated by ‘the universe’ as a mutually acceptable idea among different experts. Her projects can be mostly found in public spaces or at art/science festivals.

Zachary Pamboukas

Comic Book Creator • The Bionic Kid

Zachary is a 13-year old writer who created the comic The Bionic Kid with his brother Christo. The brothers asked a simple question “how can we raise money to help kids around the world that need prosthetic arms?” And thus, The Bionic Kid was born. The comic’s storyline mirrors the real world as Zachary depicts its titular superhero with a missing limb. All proceeds from sales of The Bionic Kid support the non-profit Limbitless Solutions.

Kazunori Oki

Calm technology is Kaz Oki’s mantra. As co-founder and CEO of mui Lab, Kaz designs innovative engineering solutions in accordance with the Taoist philosophy “mui shizen,” which means living according to nature. The company’s goal is to create harmony between technology, the humans who use it, and the nature that surrounds them.