[Source article had no usable image — please add manually before publishing]

Efekta Education Group, an EF Education First company, has announced the formation of a high-profile Advisory Board chaired by José Manuel Barroso, former President of the European Commission and former Prime Minister of Portugal. The board, announced on April 15, 2026, brings together senior leaders from government, technology and international policy to support Efekta’s mission of making high-quality AI-powered education accessible at global scale.

Who Sits on the Efekta Advisory Board

The advisory board assembles an unusually senior group of global figures spanning politics, big tech and international institutions. Board members include:

• José Manuel Barroso (Chair) — Former President of the European Commission, former Prime Minister of Portugal
• Sir Nick Clegg — Former UK Deputy Prime Minister, former President of Global Affairs at Meta
• Deepak Agarwal — Chief AI Officer at LinkedIn
• Mari Kiviniemi — Former Prime Minister of Finland, former Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD
• Phil Waymouth — Founder of Frontier Impact, former AI Technical Advisor at Microsoft

Why This Matters for Efekta’s Global Strategy

The board’s composition signals a clear strategic intent: accelerating partnerships with governments and institutions worldwide while ensuring AI-powered learning delivers measurable outcomes. For a company that has already taught over 24 million people in 179 countries, the advisory board represents a governance layer designed to facilitate policy engagement at the highest levels as Efekta expands its AI-powered education platform across Asia and emerging markets.

Scale and Reach of the Efekta Platform

Efekta’s Agentic Teaching Platform currently serves more than 4.5 million active students, 200,000 teachers, 3,000 corporate clients and government partners worldwide. The platform uses AI that adapts in real time to each learner’s needs, built on data and experience from what was historically the world’s largest online English school.

The Connection to EF Education First

Efekta is an EF (Education First) company — EF being the world’s largest private education company with over 60 years of leadership in immersive education. The advisory board formation comes shortly after Efekta’s landmark partnership with Japan’s ECC Co. Ltd. to launch ECC Online Hyper Lessons, further extending the platform’s reach into one of Asia’s most lucrative education markets.

“We are delighted to bring together such an accomplished group of leaders and experts from politics, government relations, and big tech to support Efekta’s mission.”

Implications for Education Franchise Investors

The advisory board appointment carries meaningful signals for investors evaluating education franchise opportunities across Asia and MENA. Efekta’s pivot toward AI-powered learning — backed by policy heavyweights who can open doors with government education ministries — positions the EF ecosystem as a formidable competitor in the B2B and B2G education technology space. Markets facing acute teacher shortages, particularly in Southeast Asia and the Gulf states, represent natural targets for Efekta’s institutional partnerships. For master franchise investors in the education vertical, the strategic question is whether traditional brick-and-mortar English language school models can sustain growth against AI-native platforms operating at this scale and with this level of political access.

Source: PR Newswire — Efekta Education Group Establishes Advisory Board of Global AI and Policy Leaders