Mauro Morellini

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After an extensive experience in educational publishing, contributing to the development of innovative materials for schools and academic institutions, Mauro Morellini has founded the Morellini Editore publishing house in 2005, with focused on travel guides, fiction, and non-fiction works. Morellini is also the creator of Extended Book (www,extendedbook.org), a groundbreaking international project that integrates traditional publishing with digital innovation, enhancing the reader’s experience. He has held key roles in Informazioni Editoriali, a leading company in publishing data management, and IBS.it, one of Italy’s most prominent online bookstores, where he contributed to the digital transformation of the industry. Additionally, he actively collaborates with the Italian Publishers Association (AIE), supporting the growth and evolution of the publishing sector. With a strong commitment to cultural dissemination, he continues to shape the Italian publishing landscape, earning respect as a visionary and influential figure in the field.

Anthony Lorin

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Tony Lorin was named President, International, in May 2020. He is responsible for McGraw Hill’s business serving the K–12 and Higher Education markets outside of the U.S., distributing McGraw Hill products in 75+ languages to more than 100 countries across the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, India and the Middle East. Before being named the group’s President, Tony served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer for McGraw Hill International, and as Global Head of Financial Planning & Analysis before that. Throughout his career, Tony has spent significant time living and working in Asia, Australia and Europe and is well-travelled in Latin America, India and Canada – all important markets for McGraw Hill.

Before joining McGraw Hill Education in 2012 as CFO for Asia-Pacific, Tony held various positions at The McGraw Hill Companies in Paris, Sydney and Singapore. He began his career as an Auditor at PwC.

Tony holds a Master’s degree in Finance/Audit from Tours Business School in France. He is based in London.

Sandra Nyklasz

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Sandra Nyklasz is one of the Managing Directors at BookRix, one of Germany’s leading self-publishing platforms, and its sister company Zeilenfluss, a successful German digital-first publishing house.
At BookRix, she has overseen its growth as a digital distribution hub for independent authors. As the driving force behind the founding and development of Zeilenfluss, which evolved out of the self-publishing movement, she took over as Publishing Director in 2019 and as Managing Director in 2023.

With a strong focus on innovation and author empowerment, Zeilenfluss works at the intersection of technology and storytelling, committed to building sustainable publishing models that give authors greater control over their creative and commercial paths.
The strategic merger with StreetLib, the leading Italian publishing platform in early 2024 formed one of Europe’s largest digital publishing platforms, aiming to provide innovative tools and services for authors and publishers worldwide.

Alberto Polanco

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Alberto Polanco is currently the CEO of Grupo Santillana in Mexico. With over 30 years of experience in the publishing industry, he has served as CEO of Santillana in Bolivia, Argentina, Central America, and Colombia for the last 25 years. As one of Grupo Santillana’s drivers of digital transformation, he participated in developing, implementing, and consolidating the group’s subscription models in Latin America, such as UNOi, Compartir, and Richmond Solution. He is currently a board member of CANIEM (Mexican Chamber of the Publishing Industry). Alberto holds a degree in Business Administration from Saint Louis University
(Missouri). He also completed the Advanced Management Development Program from the Prisa Group (PADD).

Ainoa Zalabardo

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Ainoa Zalabardo is a Customer and Employee Experience consultant with 17 years of international experience. She has led strategies for companies operating in Europe, the United States, and China, impacting over 30,000 clients in sectors such as training, HR, services, technology, and the music industry. She specialises in process optimisation, active listening, and aligning the customer and employee journey to enhance loyalty and engagement.

Michalis Kalamaras

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Michalis Kalamaras, publishing consultant, Head of Marketing and Content, Thinking

Michalis Kalamaras, with more than 15 years of experience as a book professional, is a publishing consultant, Head of Marketing and Content and partner at Thinking, an Athens-based consulting, design and technology agency working with local and international publishers, bookstores, and cultural institutions in their digital transformation since 2009. He founded eAnagnostis.gr (“e-reader” in Greek), in 2008, a news and analysis website on ebooks and audiobooks, and the digital transformation of the book industry. Since its inception in 2022, he is also the curator of the professional programme of the Limassol International Book Fair in Cyprus.

Pablo Langa

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Pablo is the Founder & Managing Partner of EDT&Partners, a global consulting firm dedicated to advancing education through innovation and the effective use of technology.

When not traveling, Pablo is based in Valencia, where he enjoys learning from his 40+ teammates and consultants spread across 16 countries.

He is passionate about scaling established business operations and launching new initiatives, especially projects related to education technology that impact individuals, communities, and organizations.

As one of Blackboard’s early international hires, Pablo led the Mobile Learning division globally. More recently, as Vice President of Business Development at The Financial Times & IE Business School Corporate Learning Alliance (Headspring), he was responsible for building long-term value through strategic relationships, new market development, and customer success.

Pablo brings a unique blend of experience working with well-established education leaders and early-stage ventures. He has also founded and helped grow impactful platforms such as ZeroAcoso.org, the first dedicated technology solution for bullying prevention and support.

Alberto Valero

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Alberto studied Industrial Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. He later completed three years of philosophical studies before beginning a PhD in Computer and Systems Engineering at Sapienza University of Rome, where he earned his doctorate in 2009.

After completing his PhD, he focused on research and teaching at Carlos III University of Madrid, lecturing in several undergraduate programs at the School of Engineering.
In 2012, he joined BitBrain Technologies as Head of Technology. In 2013, he was hired by BQ Educación, a company specialized in EdTech. Since then, he has been the Director of BQ Educación, where he also leads the R&D department in Artificial Intelligence. Currently, BQ is focused on developing AI models to support learning processes and press houses.

While he has been teaching part-time at Nebrija University since 2018—where he gives programming courses in the Computer Engineering degree program—his main professional focus remains on his work at BQ.

Ángel Sáenz de Cenzano

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Ángel Sáenz de Cenzano is currently LinkedIn’s General Manager for Spain and Portugal. He joined the world’s largest professional social network in 2019, to lead the creation of economic opportunities for every member of the global workforce, reinforcing the company’s leadership during this stage in the digital platforms industry. He combines that role with activities as non-executive director, public speaker, coach, professor.

Previously, and for 16 years, Ángel Sáenz de Cenzano has held various roles at Microsoft, most recently as Director of Enterprise Solutions within the firm’s Board in Spain.

Ángel Sáenz de Cenzano holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration from the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas (ICADE E-2). He is married and father of four children. He enjoys sports in a multitude of active and passive variants and is also passionate about the culinary universe; it is no coincidence that he has been a member of the Madrid Academy of Gastronomy since 2017.

Fernando Benzo

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Administrador Civil del Estado y escritor. Ha dedicado buena parte de su carrera profesional a la gestión cultural, combinando su actividad en el sector público y privado. En el ámbito público, ha sido Secretario de Estado de Cultura, así como Presidente de Acción Cultural Española y Vicepresidente del Instituto Cervantes. Ha formado parte de los órganos de gobierno de las principales instituciones culturales españolas (Biblioteca Nacional, Museo del Prado, Museo Reina Sofía, Fundación del Teatro Real, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Museo Nacional de Arte de Cataluña, Liceo de Barcelona, Archivo de Indias, etc.). En el ámbito privado, ha sido Director de Relaciones Institucionales de la Sociedad General de Autores y Editores. Actualmente es miembro de los comités ejecutivos de la Federación Europea de Editores (FEP), la Asociación Internacional de Editores (IPA) y el Grupo Iberoamericano de Editores (GIE). Completa su actividad con una prolífica obra como novelista.