Kenneth King is Emeritus Professor in the School of Education and of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. He was the Director of the Centre of African Studies and Professor of International and Comparative Education until September 2005. 

Shanti Jagannathan has over 30 years of experience in international cooperation programs in education reforms. She leads ADB-wide work on education policy and strategy and collaborates with other sector offices on knowledge solutions and operations support. Her expertise includes policy research on climate change and education, skills for creative industries, skills for green and knowledge-based economies, and industry 4.0's impact on skills and jobs.

Dr. Akiko Sakamoto is Senior Skills and Employability Specialist at the International Labour Organization (ILO) for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and is based in Bangkok, Thailand. She has been working in the field of skills development and technical vocational education and training (TVET) for over 20 years. She has undertaken policy advisory, project formulation, and project implementation work, covering a wide range of skills-related issues at the national and regional (ASEAN) levels.