Olli-Pekka Heinonen, a YFU alum from Finland to the US, has served as Director General of the International Baccalaureate (IB) since 2021, advancing its mission to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring students. Before joining the IB, Mr. Heinonen served as Director General of the Finnish National Agency for Education (2016–2021). Prior to that he was State Secretary to the Finnish Prime Minister (2012–2016). From 2002 to 2012, Mr. Heinonen was Director of Yle, Finland’s national public broadcaster. Earlier in his career, Mr. Heinonen was a prominent figure in Finnish politics, serving as Minister of Education and Science (1994–1999), Minister of Transport and Communication (1999–2002), and as a Member of Parliament (1995–2002). A graduate of the University of Helsinki with a Master of Laws, Mr. Heinonen holds honorary doctorates from the University of Jyväskylä and the University of Turku.
Symposium Speakers
Olli-Pekka Heinonen
Andreas Schleicher
Andreas Schleicher is the Director for Education and Skills at the OECD, where he leads global work on education policy and innovation. He initiated and oversees the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), one of the world's most influential education benchmarking initiatives. For more than two decades, he has advised governments and education leaders on improving the quality and equity of education systems worldwide. Prior to joining the OECD, he served as Director for Analysis at the International Association for Educational Achievement (IEA). Andreas studied Physics in Germany and earned a degree in Mathematics and Statistics in Australia. He has received numerous international honours, including the Theodor Heuss Prize for exemplary democratic engagement, and holds an honorary professorship at the University of Heidelberg.
Aydan Özoğuz
Aydan Özoğuz has been a Member of the German Parliament (Deutscher Bundestag) since September 2009 where she represents the constituency of Hamburg-Wandsbek. She currently chairs the Bundestag Committee on Sports and Volunteering and is member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. From October 2021 to March 2025, she served as Vice President of the Bundestag and from December 2013 to March 2018, she was the Minister of State to the Federal Chancellor and Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration. She also served as deputy chairwoman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) from 2011 to 2017 and has been a member of the party executive since 2017.
Dr. Mamiko Reeves
Dr. Mamiko Reeves, a YFU alumna from Japan to the US, is the co-founder of MACHI Training and Research, LLC, an education consultancy focused on international collaboration and global learning. She most recently served as Program Manager for the Youth Ambassador Program at the USA Pavilion during Expo 2025 Osaka, where she recruited and mentored 89 American Youth Ambassadors. Previously, she was Assistant Vice President, Dean of International Programs, and International Strategist at Northwood University in Michigan, USA, leading international partnerships and transnational education initiatives across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Mamiko has also collaborated with global organizations to advance youth leadership and women's entrepreneurship. Her work has earned several international awards, and she currently serves on multiple education and non-profit boards. Born in Japan, she holds degrees from Nanzan University, Central Michigan University, and Northeastern University, reflecting a lifelong commitment to intercultural education and global leadership.
Prof. Dr. Stefan Kammhuber
Prof. Dr. Stefan Kammhuber is a trained psychologist who, following professional stints at the University of Regensburg (Germany), and Koblenz University of Applied Sciences (Germany), has headed the “Institute for Communication and Intercultural Competence” at Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences in Rapperswil-Jona since 2011. For 30 years, he has been engaged in applied research, teaching, consulting, and training to promote intercultural learning in key fields such as education, health, business, politics, and security. He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Intercultural Research (IAIR) and serves in various roles there. In the field of youth exchange research, he is particularly interested in the impact of different program formats on young people and their future personal and professional development.
Chris Arnold
Chris Arnold is a social entrepreneur from Liverpool, UK, committed to improving social mobility by making international exchange more accessible. In 1998, he founded Camp Leaders, which grew into Smaller Earth Group and has provided exchange opportunities for 250,000 people before becoming an Employee-Owned Trust in 2025, where he serves as a trustee. In 2012, he founded World Merit, a UN-partnered non-profit that has connected hundreds of thousands of young people through opportunities aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, and he remains its Founder and Director. Chris now leads Made Impact, a not-for-profit working to unite the international exchange movement, collect one million alumni stories, build the case for a Nobel Peace Prize, influence global stakeholders, and ultimately double the impact and accessibility of exchange programmes. He also serves as Deputy Lieutenant of Merseyside, championing youth and entrepreneurship on behalf of the King, and as Chair of Positive Futures, supporting young people facing homelessness, mentoring needs, and barriers to opportunity.