Meet our leadership team

We have a proven track record of innovation in the education space.

Dr. Stephen Hodges — Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Stephen Hodges is the CEO of Efekta Education Group, an EF (Education First) company. Since 2022, he has guided Efekta’s mission to transform education through artificial intelligence. Under his leadership, Efekta has become a global leader in AI-driven learning, serving 4 million high school students and 25,000 teachers worldwide. Efekta’s breakthroughs have earned high-profile recognition, from winning the 2024 App Store Cultural Impact Award to being spotlighted on Fast Company’s Next Big Things in Tech award 2025.

Before joining Efekta, Dr. Hodges spent 16 years as President of Hult International Business School (2006–2022), where he led its evolution into a top-ranked, globally recognized institution with campuses across several continents. In 2018, Hult became the only U.S. business school to achieve the prestigious triple accreditation status.

Dr. Hodges began his career at McKinsey & Company. He holds a PhD in Computer Science and is the inventor on several patents.

Lee Schuneman — Chief Product Officer

Lee Schuneman is a 2x BAFTA winning product and technology leader, who serves as Chief Product Officer at Efekta Education Group, where he leads the vision and development of Efekta’s AI-powered education system. At Efekta, Lee is driving the transformation of language education by building personalized, scalable, and immersive learning experiences that aim to address global challenges in education—from accessibility and teacher shortages to quality and scalability.

Lee brings over 30 years of experience to his role, with a background in creating and developing successful platforms, products, and devices at world-leading companies including Nintendo, Microsoft, and Xbox. Before joining Efekta, he was Studio Head at Microsoft’s Lift London, where he led pioneering work on 3D computing, HoloLens, and design-driven learning tools like Paint 3D. His work on Rare Ltd’s Kinect Sports franchise earned him two BAFTA awards including ‘Best Family Game’.

Julie Bjune — Chief Financial Officer

Julie Bjune is the Chief Financial Officer of Efekta Education Group. She brings more than two decades of leadership experience across finance, operations, and strategy, having held CEO, COO, and CFO roles in startups and scaleups spanning health tech, media, and education.

Before joining Efekta, Julie was CEO of a digital health company focused on patient engagement, serving customers in the UK, US, and Australia. She has also led M&A and corporate finance projects across Europe, the US, and Africa, including seven years in the TMT sector in Africa. Her career reflects a strong track record in driving growth and transformation across diverse industries and geographies.

Julie’s international perspective is shaped by having lived and worked in the UK, US, France, and Zimbabwe, giving her unique insight into navigating global business and cultural contexts.

Peter Burman — Chief Operations Officer

With over 25 years of international leadership experience in the education sector, Peter is passionate about helping individuals and organisations unlock their potential through transformative learning experiences. His professional journey began in an unexpected direction — pursuing a career as a professional golfer. While that chapter was short-lived, it provided invaluable lessons in perseverance, focus, and self-discipline, shaping who he is today.

Peter serves as Chief Operations Officer of Efekta Education Group, a role that allows him to drive innovation and growth in the education industry. He enjoys working at the intersection of language education, intercultural communication, and technology — helping schools, businesses, and individuals navigate the globalized world through better learning solutions. Previously, he was CEO at My Academy, a Swedish start-up that became the country's leading home tutoring company.

Dr. Christopher McCormick — Chief Academic Officer

Dr. Christopher McCormick is an international education specialist with over 30 years of experience championing innovation in language teaching and learning. As Chief Academic Officer of Efekta Education Group, he oversees the learning design of AI-powered interactive curricula that help to transform education for good. Throughout his career, he has contributed to major programs for schools, companies, and international organizations such as the UN and the Olympics.

Christopher grew up in Texas, then later studied and worked in New Orleans, Paris, Monterrey, Austin, Boston, Shanghai, London, Zug, Lucerne, Colombo, Phnom Penh, Beijing, and Bangkok. He obtained a PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin, and he has served in executive roles for EF Education First and as an associate faculty member of Hult Ashridge Executive Education. As a lifelong explorer and the spouse of a diplomat, Christopher shares his passion for intercultural understanding that comes through language learning and cultural discovery.

Markus Mandl — EVP Marketing and Strategic Initiatives

Markus Mandl is a global marketing and business development leader with over 25 years of experience in building purposeful brands. As Executive Vice President Marketing and Strategic Initiatives, he is driving Efekta’s global brand awareness and showcasing how Efekta’s innovative technology is transforming education at large scale — he oversees the global brand, creative, PR, and communication strategies.

Markus brings a unique blend of classic blue-chip marketing background with top-level FMCG and hospitality companies (Coca-Cola, Yum Brands, Philip Morris), combined with highly entrepreneurial start-up and edtech experience (EF, KellyDeli, Avantgarde Group). A former competitive snowboarder with a passion for practical and innovative edtech marketing, he maximizes the intersection of brand marketing and digital performance channels. 

John Prokos — VP Information and Technology

John Prokos is a product-minded expert who builds practical technology for education at scale. At Efekta Education Group, he serves as VP of Information and Technology, leading initiatives across learning tools, marketing systems, and AI/data platforms to drive ROI and accelerate adoption for students and teachers across the globe. He is responsible for technology strategy, data, security and compliance, and vendor management.

Previously, as CIO at Hult International Business School, John set up the core systems for global expansion: a single view of student and customer data, migrations to AWS, Salesforce, and Snowflake, and simpler, better-connected tools. He led work in AI, analytics, and martech, and adapted platforms for China’s digital ecosystem. Early in his career, he taught English in Cambodia, which shaped his long-term belief in the transformative value of language learning.

Charles Li — VP Artificial Intelligence

Charles Li is a technology entrepreneur and product leader pioneering the application of artificial intelligence in global education. As VP Artificial Intelligence, he leads the vision behind Addi, one of the first end-to-end AI teaching assistants for English which was named Apple App Store’s App of the Year. Under his leadership, the EF Hello app has scaled to millions of learners worldwide, establishing a new standard for how AI can deliver truly personalised, one-to-one education at scale.

Previously, Charles co-founded Seed, a venture-backed edtech platform that grew organically to a million users and earned multiple industry awards. He holds a patent-pending system for Automatic Language Proficiency Level Determination, underscoring his focus on defensible AI applications in education. Charles has built international teams and repeatedly scaled consumer platforms from concept to market. His mission is to harness AI to transform human learning and make adaptive, high-quality education accessible worldwide.

Tim Hesse — VP Data

Tim Hesse is a Data and Analytics specialist with 20 years of experience utilizing data and AI to drive impact for businesses and customers. At Efekta, he spearheads our Data initiatives in language learning as VP Data, bringing a wealth of experience from a career devoted entirely to the tech industry. Tim's efforts are concentrated on harnessing cutting-edge technology and AI advancements to revolutionize education.

His goal is to amplify the learning experience, making it more engaging and joyful for learners worldwide, as well as empowering the business with critical data and insights.

He previously helmed Data and AI departments at notable tech companies, such as Ticketmaster, Expedia, and carwow.