Organizers

Richard Simcott
Founder and Lead Organizer
Richard Simcott is a British polyglot, who has studied over 50 languages. HarperCollins described him as one of the most multilingual people in the United Kingdom, and the Goethe Institute gave him the title Ambassador for Multilingualism.
He has many years of consulting experience using languages with diverse clients and offering his expertise on multilingual and multinational projects.
He is the original founder of the Polyglot Conference and The Language Event and manages a popular Facebook page called Speaking Fluently.

Ana Beaven
Programme Coordinator
Ana has been an English language teacher at the University of Bologna language centre for over 30 years. She has always had a keen interest in languages, and her areas of interest and research are Intercultural Language Education, Intercomprehension, and the use of technology in language learning and teaching.She has taken part in many European projects involving languages and cultures, physical and virtual exchanges, and is a trained dialogue facilitator.

Anja Spilker
Language Business Retreat Co-Lead
Anja Spilker is an international entrepreneur, startup investor, business mentor, and the founder of the award-winning language platform ZALOA Languages. Over the past nine years, she has built a language empire serving both B2C and B2B sectors connecting language learners from Latin America with companies to address the skilled workforce shortage in Europe. In 2024, she was recognized as one of the “Top 10 Female CEOs in Mexico” and has doubled the size of her company.

Hyunwoo Sun
Language Business Retreat Co-Lead
Hyunwoo Sun is an educator-entrepreneur and the CEO and co-founder of Talk To Me In Korean, a leading Korean-learning brand followed by millions of learners worldwide. Since launching TTMIK in 2009, he has built a sustainable education business spanning online lessons, books, and video content, and he works with learners and organisations globally to improve access to Korean language education.

Terry Hsieh
Language Tables Manager
Terry Chih-Hsiang Hsieh is a Taiwanese polyglot and an activist for the indigenous languages of Taiwan and the world. He has authored and co-authored four books on language acquisition and teaching methodology. Currently, he serves as the CEO of Polyglot.tw and as an advisor at the Indigenous Language Research and Development Foundation.
A self-described “linguistic digital nomad,” Terry has traveled to more than 100 countries and territories to study languages. He speaks over 50 languages at varying levels of proficiency.

Anikó Bíró
Registration Desk Support
Anikó is a language enthusiast from Hungary, who got really interested in languages in her late 20s. She feels a strong connection with the Arabic language and culture, and has been studying the Syrian dialect. She likes to encourage people to learn her mother tongue, therefore she holds a Hungarian language chat on Wednesdays in the Moon café.

