Speexx Customer Roundtable: Building a Culture of Change

Armin Hopp is a co-founder of Speexx, the leading platform for digital workforce development with language training, business coaching and skills assessment. He has a diverse background in computational linguistics, computer science and English literature. As a respected thought leader in the HR and L&D industry, Armin regularly speaks at international conferences and seminars and is a sought-after author for professional development blogs and HR magazines worldwide.

Donald Taylor is a recognized commentator and organizer in the fields of workplace learning and learning technologies. He is a veteran of the learning, skills and human capital industries, with experience at every level from delivery to chairman of the board, and he is passionately committed to helping develop the learning and development profession.

Former Chairman of the Learning and Performance Institute, his background ranges from training delivery to managing director and vice-president positions in software companies. Donald took his own internet-based training business from concept to trade sale in 2001 and has been a company director during several other acquisitions. Now based in London, he has lived and traveled extensively outside the UK and now travels regularly internationally to consult and speak about workplace learning.

Julia Atkinson is a PCC-certified senior executive coach with over 15 years of experience empowering executives and teams in the top 500 companies globally. As Immediate Past President at ICF Germany, Julia is committed to coaching excellence, leveraging her extensive expertise in executive presence, career development, and leadership skills. She has worked with leading companies such as Aldi, Bayer, Ford, GSK, L’Oreal, and Pfizer, delivering tailored coaching solutions. With a focus on inclusivity, cultural sensitivity, and global perspectives, Julia helps leaders unlock their full potential and achieve sustainable success.

Olaf Petersen is the VP of People Development and Culture at Lenze, a global automation leader, where he drives HR transformation and fosters adaptive cultures for innovation and sustainable growth. With over a decade of experience in talent and performance management, including his role leading leadership development at Deutsche Bahn, Olaf has a proven track record of guiding teams through change. He holds a PhD in Psychology from Freie Universität Berlin and received the Plansecur Foundation’s Science Prize for his work in corporate ethics.

Kelly is an ICF Certified Leadership Coach (PCC) and holds a degree in organizational psychology from Harvard. She has over 20 years of international experience in leadership roles across both large global corporations and a technology startup. Kelly began her coaching journey 10 years ago and is passionate about coaching leaders using evidence-based techniques from renowned scholars. She draws on her expertise in transformational leadership, gendered leadership, positive psychology, motivational theories, change theories, workplace wellbeing, intersectionality, and mastering life’s transitions.

Torsten Sørensen drives employee growth and organizational transformation at ENERTRAG, a leader in renewable energy. With over a decade of experience in strategic HR, skill-based development and organizational growth, he has a proven track record of creating learning programs that foster innovation and support sustainable growth. His expertise spans digital transformation and leadership development, having successfully led impactful initiatives at previous organizations. Torsten holds a Master of Arts in Educational and Competency Management from DUW Berlin and is passionate about building cutting-edge learning environments that empower individuals and enhance organizational performance.

Giulia Lopardo is part of the Konecta Group, a global BPO and CRM leader with over 130,000 employees across three continents. As Global Talent Manager, Giulia has been driving a major HR training transformation by centralizing language training through Speexx to establish English as the company’s shared language while respecting regional needs. Her focus is on enhancing communication and people development within a culture of change, fostering stronger global collaboration across EMEA and LATAM.

Throughout the last decade, Jonas has held leading management roles at HR and L&D tech brands LinkedIn Learning and Sharpist, where he discovered his deep passion for the world of Learning & Development. Before entering the HR space, Jonas gained valuable experience working for global giants Google and Boston Consulting Group. He holds a PhD in business economics from the University of Regensburg and lectures on Digital Business Modules at IU International University of Applied Sciences. Currently, Jonas is expanding his expertise by training to become a certified Business Coach, blending academic knowledge with hands-on coaching skills.

Beate is a passionate product leader who heads a highly efficient cross-functional global team of product managers, UX designers, and quality engineers at Speexx. She has a track record of successfully developing and delivering digital products and SaaS solutions for B2B and B2B2C, leveraging technology and AI to create outstanding user experiences and next-generation features. Beate successfully focuses on inclusive leadership and strengths-based leadership to ensure individuals and teams can excel in their roles and achieve outcomes that matter.

Julia holds a degree in Cultural Science and heads up the Customer Success Program at Speexx, where she is driving cross-functional collaboration and optimization of customer success strategies. With a strong background in leadership, change management, and business development, Julia brings a wealth of expertise in fostering cultural change in Western cultures and driving team success.

Andreas is part of the management team at Speexx, overseeing Customer Success, Coaching & User Success, Solution Architecture and Quality & Compliance. With a strong background in business administration and educational technology, as well as extensive experience in customer-facing and team leader roles, he has helped shaping our company’s growth and development for more than 10 years. Passionate about fostering a collaborative environment, Andreas aims to drive change and support teams in creating a change-ready workforce.