ETIH Innovation Awards: EdTech Thought Leader of the Year shortlist reflects influence beyond product
Voices shaping how edtech is understood, debated, and applied are being recognized for impact that extends beyond platforms.
The ETIH Innovation Awards 2026 category spotlight series continues with EdTech Thought Leader of the Year, following more than 140 entries submitted across this year’s awards and highlighting the role of influence alongside product development.
This category recognizes individuals shaping the direction of edtech through writing, research, speaking, and advocacy, with winners set to be announced on May 11.
Where influence translates into sector change
This category focuses on how ideas move into practice. Submissions include leaders contributing to public debate, influencing institutional strategy, and shaping how technology is adopted across education systems.
Judges are assessing whether influence extends beyond visibility. This includes how ideas are received, where they are applied, and whether they inform decision-making at institutional or policy level. Reach alone is not sufficient without evidence of impact.
There is also a focus on consistency. Strong entries demonstrate sustained contribution over time, rather than one-off commentary. At the same time, thought leadership is expected to remain grounded in practice, particularly where claims about transformation are made without clear links to implementation.
Finalists
Elspeth Briscoe (Learning with Experts)
Elspeth Briscoe founded Learning with Experts in 2015 on a position the edtech sector had largely abandoned: completion is a design problem, not a learner problem. Over a decade, she has demonstrated that argument through a platform serving more than 100,000 learners across 91 countries, NHS clinical partnerships, two Innovate UK grants and sustained commercial growth. She has built both the product and the evidence base that challenges how the sector defines success.
Matt Sauri is a business leader, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who founded the global technology consulting firm Wimmer Solutions in 2002. Under his leadership, the company has been recognized on the Inc. 5000 list and as one of Washington’s Best Workplaces. He served nine years on the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County board and has supported CJRF, Team Jesse, and Ronald McDonald House. He founded Project Kenny supporting military veterans and completed a 4,200-mile cross-country bicycle ride raising awareness for families of fallen soldiers. Most recently, he’s establishing STEM labs in underserved Philippine communities, addressing complete infrastructure gaps where students have never accessed technology.
Myriam Da Silva (CheckIT Learning)
Myriam Da Silva is the CEO and visionary behind CheckIT Learning, home to the pioneering neuroscience-trained AI mentor Cleo. With over 15 years of experience in language education and educational leadership, she brings a globally informed, evidence-based perspective to the future of learning.
Cleo, an AI mentor grounded in neuroscience, reflects Myriam’s commitment to neuroeducation as the cornerstone of educational transformation.
A serial learner, Myriam has cultivated a multidisciplinary foundation spanning business strategy, language didactics, mind-brain education (MBE), and holistic health. She authored The Black Sheep (2026), a book championing the principle that difference is a driver of contribution.
Tom Reynolds, a post-BA-diagnosed dyslexic and ‘Great British Entrepreneur of the Year’ finalist, is a passionate advocate for equitable and inclusive education. With over 20 years’ teaching and school leadership experience, Tom founded EdenFiftyOne - an award-winning technology platform deconstructing literacy into 51 universal skills. As a UK Education Advisor and university teacher-training lecturer, Tom bridges the gap between classroom practice and digital innovation. Central to the EdenFiftyOne platform and to Tom’s mission is ‘EFO’: a pedagogical AI assistant designed to democratize literacy skills education, providing teachers, leaders, learners, and parents with a technology-driven solution to level the literacy playing field.
Explore the full shortlist
You can explore the full ETIH Innovation Awards 2026 shortlist to see the companies and platforms shaping this year’s awards. Winners will be announced on May 11.
