Webinar

Building Stronger Cultural Support: A Conversation on Supporting international Students Across Cultures

 

 

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Zoom

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September 29 2026

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40 seats

 

Webinar international Students-1
Why you should join us. 

If you teach, advise, or support international students, you already do more cultural interpretation than your job title suggests.

This session is a chance to put language and structure around what you're already doing well, and pick up what's worked for others doing the same job in different institutions.

You'll hear from practitioners working directly with international students, on what culture actually does to communication, where it breaks down, and what support looks like at each stage of a student's journey, not just orientation week.

We will also present SAIMA, our AI cross-Cultural coach, and how it can help you support your students at every step.

What you will leave with

  • A clearer way to name what's actually happening when a student "isn't adapting"

  • A framework for spotting cultural friction before it becomes a bigger problem

  • A live look at SAIMA,  a live Cultural Coach that can help them support the students 24/7.

  • Peer learning from practitioners doing this work at other institutions

PROGRAMME

9:00 EDT / 15:00 CEST / 16:00 EEST / 18:30 IST 

  • Welcome and introduction
    What SAIMA can do for you and how it works.

  • What is culture? 

  • How culture shapes communication
    Directness, silence, how feedback is given and received. Why the same sentence can mean two different things to two students sitting next to each other.

  • What are the main issues international students face
     What catches students off guard when they arrive in a new culture for a long or a short terms mobility. 

  • Culture is relative, why communication breaks down, and why
    when everyone assumes their own default is neutral, and how to catch it happening in real time. 

  • How to help students, and everyone around them, be better prepared
    Pre-arrival, arrival, during, and after: what preparation looks like at each stage.

  • Live SAIMA demonstration:
    See how SAIMA our cross-cultural Coach can help students make sense of everyday interaction from start to finish.

  • Live Q&A

 Our Speakers

 

Sanyogita Kulkarni

 Sanjogita Kulkarni

Office of Experiential Learning, Indian School of Business

Sanyogita has spent a decade at the intersection of language, culture and learning. She taught French to adult professionals for nine years at Alliance Française, then moved into intercultural consulting - delivering programmes across India, Europe and Francophone Africa, including a certification course delivered in French to executives from six African nations.
Most recently in the Business Education sector in India, she managed global academic partnerships with diverse global institutions and led executive MBA cohorts on international immersions. She now designs bespoke executive education programmes in her latest venture. 
She knows that culture shapes not just how students learn, but where they choose to go, who they trust, and whether they thrive once they arrive.
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Bilal@2x

Bilal Ojjeh 

Founder/CEO MBA-Exchange.com & Careernomics, Switzerland

More information coming soon
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IM--EG

Egbert Schram

Group CEO, The Culture Factor Group

With a strong background in International Business and International Management, he specialises in cultural and strategic change projects.
He works effectively with diverse multinational and cross-functional teams, focusing on aligning organisational culture with business strategy to boost corporate performance.
Egbert specialises in creating hands-on solutions for the world's largest organisations, helping them align culture and strategy. 
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Elina@2x

 Elina Wainio

Senior Lecturer (M.Sc. Econ.) at Laurea University of Applied Sciences, Finland
For over 26 years, Elina has worked with students, educators, businesses, and international partners to bridge academic learning with real-world and cross-cultural experiences.
Through teaching, publications, and international projects, she has championed approaches that connect higher education with working life while strengthening intercultural understanding.
Throughout her career, she has helped students and educators develop the skills needed to work effectively across cultures and in diverse international environments. She advocates for meaningful intercultural engagement as a foundation for learning, innovation, and sustainable global cooperation.
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