Day: March 29, 2022

• The inaugural Sync Digital Wellbeing Summit (29-30 March) will raise awareness of the hidden realities of our relationship with digital services
• Leadership from IBM, UNESCO and Childnet amongst those speaking at sessions across the two-day Summit
• Full Summit agenda can be viewed here
• Media wanting to virtually attend any of the sessions can register via this link

DHAHRAN, Saudi Arabia, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The Sync Digital Wellbeing Summit is set to get underway today at The King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture (Ithra), Saudi Arabia. The two-day event – hosted both virtually and at Ithra – will bring together leaders from across tech, academia, sports, culture and policy, providing a platform for thought leaders to develop new solutions for protecting the wellbeing of digital media users worldwide.

Focusing in on five key areas of concern, Summit sessions will invite speakers to offer insight and perspective on the topics of digital addiction, privacy, fake news and misinformation, relationships and algorithms. It is hoped that the exchange of ideas and knowledge can help to inspire tangible change in how we interact with, regulate and design digital platforms.

Amongst the roster of thought leaders expected to speak at the Summit, will be major figures representing tech, NGOs, charities, Governments and the cultural influencer community. The headline speakers include:

• Will Gardner OBE, CEO at Childnet
• Mo Gawdat, Author, Entrepreneur and Former Chief Business Officer, Google [X]
• Jonathan Garner, Founder & CEO, Mind Over Tech
• Ross Farrelly, PhD, Director Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, IBM
• H.H. Princess Haifa Al Mogrin, Permanent Delegate of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UNESCO
• Angela Gandra da Silva Martins PhD, Vice-Minister, Human Rights for the Family
• Liz Sweigart PhD, Chief Product & Strategy Officer, Safe Kids AI
• John A. Naslund, PhD, Instructor in Global Health & Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School
• Gitanjali Rao, Innovator, Author, and TIME Magazine’s first ever “Kid of the Year”

Speakers attending the Summit will discuss a broad range of topics relating to digital wellbeing. Panel session and speech highlights will include:

• Technology and Me: 29^th March, 07:15 – 07:55 BST
  • Speakers include: Isabella Plunkett, Community Operations Analyst, Independent Consultant, Ireland and Gitanjali Rao, Innovator, Author, and TIME Magazine’s First-Ever “Kid of the Year” in 2020, United States

• The Science of Digital Wellbeing: 29^th March, 07:55 – 08:35 BST
  • Speakers include: James P Steyer, American children’s advocate, civil rights attorney and Mo Gawdat

• The Psychology of Technology: 29^th March, 09:30 – 10:10 BST
  • Speakers include: Prof. Paul Dolan, Professor of Behavioral Science, London School of Economics, United Kingdom and Dr. Mohammed Alhajji, Director of the Behavioral Insights & Nudge Unit, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia

• Achieving Digital Balance – Addiction & Responsible Media Design: 29^th March, 10:10 – 10:50 BST
  • Speakers include: Prof. Christian Montag, Head of the department Molecular Psychology at Ulm University

• Should Digital Wellbeing be a Right? The Rights and Ethics of Digitalization: 29^th March, 15:15 – 15:55 BST
  • Speakers include: Prof. Martin Hilbert, Chair, DE Computational Social Science, University of California and Dominic Richardson, Chief of Social and Economic Policy Analysis, UNICEF Office of Research, Innocenti

• Forming Habits and Developing Identity in the Digital Age: 29^th March, 14:00 – 14:20 BST
  • Speakers include: James Clear, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Atomic Habits, and Founder, Habits Academy

• Building a Brighter Future: 30^th March, 07:00 – 07:30 BST
  • Speakers include: Simon Sinek, Optimist and Best-Selling Author

• Does the internet need warning labels?: 30^th March,  13:20 – 14:00 BST
  • Speakers include: Matthew Bergman, Founder, Social Media Victims Law Center, United States

• Creating a Safe Cyber Space for Children & Teens: 30^th March, 13:15 – 13:55 BST
  • Speakers include: Will Gardner, CEO, Childnet International, United Kingdom, Dr. Liz Sweigart, Chief Product & Strategy Officer, Safe Kids AI, United States and Marc Berkman, CEO, Organization for Social Media Safety, United States

To find out more and to see the full agenda visit https://sync.ithra.com/sync-summithttps://sync.ithra.com/.

Notes for Editors

About Sync

Sync is a digital well-being initiative launched by King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) with a vision to create a world where we are all in control of our digital lives. The initiative is guided by extensive research in collaboration with global entities to understand the amplifications of technology and how it’s affecting our lives, and translate the knowledge gained into awareness campaigns, tools, experiences, educational content and programs aiming to raise the global public awareness around the topic.

To sync with Sync: Twitter https://twitter.com/SyncIthra, or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SyncIthra

About Ithra

The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) is one of Saudi Arabia’s most influential cultural destinations, a destination for the curious, creatives, and seekers of knowledge. Through a compelling series of programs, performances, exhibitions, events and initiatives, Ithra creates world-class experiences across its interactive public spaces. These bring together culture, innovation and knowledge in a way that is designed to appeal to everyone. By connecting creatives, challenging perspectives and transforming ideas, Ithra is proud to be inspiring cultural leaders of the future. Ithra is Saudi Aramco’s flagship CSR initiative and the Kingdom’s largest cultural centre, comprising an Idea Lab, Library, Cinema, Theater, Museum, Energy Exhibit, Great Hall, Children’s Museum and Ithra Tower.

For further information, please visit: www.ithra.com.

Follow Ithra on social media: Facebook (King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture), Twitter (@Ithra) and Instagram (@Ithra) #Ithra

PRINCETON, N.J., March 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Today, the ETS Board of Trustees announced Amit Sevak will join the organization as its seventh president and chief executive officer.

“Amit is a transformational leader — I am excited about the experience and commitment to our mission that he will bring to ETS,” said Jeffrey Sine, chair of the ETS Board of Trustees. “I am confident Amit will be an inspiration to colleagues and customers as the organization moves forward in its work to advance access, quality and equity in education and learning worldwide.”

Sevak has held leadership roles around the world, including at the University of Europe in Madrid, INTI International University & Colleges in Kuala Lumpur and Universidad Tecnológica de México (UNITEC) in Mexico City. He has served with many nonprofits, including Cambiar Education, CitiBridge, and Education Design Lab. More recently, he provided coaching and capital to edtech startups throughout the world at Mindset Global.

“I have long believed in the incredible power of learning that is embodied in the mission of ETS,” Sevak said. “ETS enables education opportunities for millions of individuals all over the world, I am honored to join the ETS family in advancing this vital mission.”

Sevak will succeed Walt MacDonald, who has served as president and CEO since 2014.

“Walt MacDonald has been an incredibly effective leader who has consistently prioritized the mission of ETS to ensure the greatest good for all learners,” Sine said. “He leaves behind a legacy of a 38-year career at ETS, during which time his leadership had an immeasurable impact on so many individuals inside and outside of the ETS family.”

Sevak will begin his new role at ETS on June 15, 2022.

About ETS

At ETS, we advance quality and equity in education for people worldwide by creating assessments based on rigorous research. ETS serves individuals, educational institutions and government agencies by providing customized solutions for teacher certification, English language learning, and elementary, secondary and postsecondary education, and by conducting education research, analysis and policy studies. Founded as a nonprofit in 1947, ETS develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests annually — including the TOEFL® and TOEIC® tests, the GRE® tests and The Praxis Series® assessments — in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide.

www.ets.org 

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1774186/Amit_Sevak.jpg
Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/562926/Educational_Testing_Service_Logo.jpg