Michael Brown, CEO of SkillsNET is an internationally recognized Skills and Competence Framework architect and futurist, with 20 years experience in developing frameworks for large scale, complex systems for public and private organizations. He serves on numerous skills/competency standard working groups, designed the initial skills system for States of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Hawaii, and helped to organize and sustain the United States Skill Standards Board industry partnerships. Recently he has established the Skills and Competency Open Resource (SCOR) Framework that will empower education, industry, and government to leverage open source tools and emerging IEEE accredited standards to construct enterprise-specific solutions.

Gilly Salmon joined the University of Leicester in the UK in 2004 as Professor of E-learning & Learning Technologies to head the Beyond Distance Research Alliance, after 15 years research with the Open University Business School. She is known for her research and practice in the arenas of development and change for creating engaged and successful e-learning processes. Her focus is on designing for participation and intervening for learning using the best of networked technologies. Gilly has two research degrees - one in online training and one in change in education. She is known for her many articles and commentary about the future for learning technologies and as an international speaker. Prof Salmon is the author of the work now considered seminal in the field of teaching online called 'Emoderating', (2004) as well as a recent book about designing for low cost collaboration in all online learning situations called 'Etivities'.

Daniel Kaplan is the founder and CEO of the Next Generation Internet Foundation (FING), a collective and open Research and Development project which focuses on tomorrow's Internet's uses, applications and services. He is also chairman of the European Institute for e-Learning (EIfEL). As a member of the European Commission's e-Europe's Experts Chamber, of the French Prime Minister's Strategic Advisory Board on Information Technologies (CSTI), as well as the board of the French Chapter of the Internet Society, Daniel Kaplan is deeply involved in the Internet's development and evolution. Daniel Kaplan has written or directed 13 books on the Internet, mobility, ecommerce, e-education, and electronic media. His most recent book is entitled "Mobility.net", LGDJ, 2004. In 2002, the French magazine Newbiz included Daniel Kaplan in its list of "100 individuals who are really transforming France".

Richard Straub, in the course of his international career, held various executive line and staff positions in IBM, Assistant General Manager PC Marketing for IBM Europe, based in Paris Chief Learning Officer in the US with global responsibility and Director of Learning Solutions for Europe, Middle-East and Africa. He is currently senior advisor of the Chairman of IBM Europe, Middle East and Africa. For part of his time he is being seconded to the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) as Director of Development. His focus areas at EFMD are targeted to establishing peer-communities of Chief Learning Officers as well as learning managers and professionals and to advance quality assurance and improvement systems for corporate learning organizations.

For the last 10 years Mr. Straub has been deeply involved in European Union Initiatives in the area of skills and lifelong learning as President of the European Career Space Consortium (ICT skills and new University curricula required for the 21st Century Economy) and President of the European eLearning Industry Group (from 2002 to December 2006). Since 2005 he is also chairing a European initiative targeted at creating a new European Innovation System with participation of major corporations and various Universities and Research Centers. This initiative has been launched under the Finnish Presidency in November 2006 as the "Network of European Living Labs".

Mr. Straub serves on various business school boards and scientific councils such as the EM Lyon and the Helsinki School of Economics with its Center for Knowledge and Innovation Research. He is a guest lecturer at major Business Schools and Universities such as IMD Lausanne, London Business School and Donau Universitaet Krems. He is also a member of the faculty of the UAE Centre for Entrepreneurship. He is keynote speaker at major international conferences such as the European Union eLearning Conference 2006 in Dipoli, the 2006 EDEN Conference in Vienna and Online Educa, Berlin 2005.

Alain Derycke is director of the TRIGONE laboratory, CUEEP Institute, University of Sciences and Technologies of Lille, France. Scientific Coordinator of a regional research program on advanced communication and cooperative activities, which links seven laboratories in four Universities. He was the dean of the continuing education institute, the CUEEP, for five years (88-92. He teaches human-computer interactions, computer networks, pedagogical design, and design of multimedia systems for education, teleservices and electronic commerce. In the TRIGONE laboratory, specialising in educational engineering, he conducts research on computer systems and networks for flexible and distance learning, Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), and new Computer-Human Interactions based on Virtual Reality and 3D sound. He is also consultant or expert for several national or international organizations in the field of advanced technologies for training. Professor Derycke is also member of the IEEE Computer Society.

Serge Ravet is Chief Executive of the European Institute for E-Learning (EIfEL), a professional association that encourages the development and implementation of learning technologies that valorise the human capital of individuals and the social capital of communities and organisations. He is also the Vice-President of the European Foundation for Quality in E-Learning (EFQUEL). Combining both technological and pedagogical expertise, he has 20 years experience in training and human resources development with working experience in Europe and the US. He is retained as an expert in the assessment of research projects for a French government agency and the European Commission. Publications include books and articles on eLearning, competencies, quality and ePortfolios. Setting the goal of providing all citizens with access to an ePortfolio by 2010, his vision has positioned EIfEL as leader of the ePortfolio movement in Europe and beyond.