Our Team & Contributors
About the Founder & CEO
Amanda J. Pooley
Amanda Pooley is a child and adolescent psychologist, educator, and respected leader in educational innovation. With over 20 years’ experience across clinical, academic, and leadership roles, she brings rare insight into how students learn - and how educators can be empowered to help them thrive. Her career includes founding Australia’s first educational research institute within a private school and building a Board of global leaders from Cambridge, Oxford, and NYU. Amanda has led globally recognised research and evidence-based initiatives that have improved both academic performance and wellbeing. She holds degrees in Psychology, Education Leadership, and an MBA from AGSM UNSW, along with credentials from Cambridge and Wharton.
Amanda founded Excelar to address a clear gap: scalable, evidence-based personalisation tools that empower - not replace - teachers. Excelar is the culmination of her research, practice, and leadership. She is also a sought-after speaker and advisor on AI in education and is widely recognised for her ability to translate cutting-edge research into practical, scalable change.
“Personalised learning is no longer a distant vision. With Excelar, it is here today — practical, scalable, and evidence-based.”
Strategic Consultant
Katrina Rae
Katrina is a marketing and partnerships strategist with over 20 years’ experience leading innovation and growth for global brands including Toyota, Telstra, Sony Music, and Johnson & Johnson. Katrina brings a unique blend of commercial acumen, creative storytelling, and board-level experience to scaling transformative ventures. At Excelar, Katrina advises on strategy, funding, and partnerships to accelerate the platform’s category-creating vision.
“I’m proud to contribute to Excelar’s mission of creating a new category in education; pioneering teacher-first AI that is globally recognised for its impact, innovation, and purpose-driven leadership.”
Chief Technical Officer
Muhammad Saad
Saad is a product and engineering leader with expertise in software architecture, AI-driven platforms, and agile delivery. He has led the design and launch of scalable digital solutions for both startups and enterprises, transforming complex ideas into robust, production-grade systems. At Excelar, Saad leads a technical team that drives innovation across all core technologies, building secure, scalable, and future-ready platforms. His leadership philosophy centres on autonomy, collaboration, and harnessing cutting-edge AI to deliver products that set new standards for impact and reliability.
“Excelar underscores that cutting-edge AI can be more than an experiment; it can be delivered securely, at scale, and with the reliability teachers and schools can trust.”
Katrina is a marketing and partnerships strategist with over 20 years’ experience leading innovation and growth for global brands including Toyota, Telstra, Sony Music, and Johnson & Johnson. Katrina brings a unique blend of commercial acumen, creative storytelling, and board-level experience to scaling transformative ventures. At Excelar, Katrina advises on strategy, funding, and partnerships to accelerate the platform’s category-creating vision.
“I’m proud to contribute to Excelar’s mission of creating a new category in education; pioneering teacher-first AI that is globally recognised for its impact, innovation, and purpose-driven leadership.”
Strategic Consultant
Katrina Rae
About the Founder
Amanda Pooley is a child and adolescent psychologist, educator, and respected leader in educational innovation. With over 20 years’ experience across clinical, academic, and leadership roles, she brings rare insight into how students learn - and how educators can be empowered to help them thrive. Her career includes founding Australia’s first educational research institute within a private school and building a Board of global leaders from Cambridge, Oxford, and NYU. Amanda has led globally recognised research and evidence-based initiatives that have improved both academic performance and wellbeing. She holds degrees in Psychology, Education Leadership, and an MBA from AGSM UNSW, along with credentials from Cambridge and Wharton.
Amanda founded Excelar to address a clear gap: scalable, evidence-based personalisation tools that empower - not replace - teachers. Excelar is the culmination of her research, practice, and leadership. She is also a sought-after speaker and advisor on AI in education and is widely recognised for her ability to translate cutting-edge research into practical, scalable change.
“Personalised learning is no longer a distant vision. With Excelar, it is here today — practical, scalable, and evidence-based.”
Amanda J. Pooley
About the Founder
Amanda J. Pooley
Amanda Pooley is a child and adolescent psychologist, educator, and respected leader in educational innovation. With over 20 years’ experience across clinical, academic, and leadership roles, she brings rare insight into how students learn - and how educators can be empowered to help them thrive. Her career includes founding Australia’s first educational research institute within a private school and building a Board of global leaders from Cambridge, Oxford, and NYU. Amanda has led globally recognised research and evidence-based initiatives that have improved both academic performance and wellbeing. She holds degrees in Psychology, Education Leadership, and an MBA from AGSM UNSW, along with credentials from Cambridge and Wharton.
Amanda founded Excelar to address a clear gap: scalable, evidence-based personalisation tools that empower - not replace - teachers. Excelar is the culmination of her research, practice, and leadership. She is also a sought-after speaker and advisor on AI in education and is widely recognised for her ability to translate cutting-edge research into practical, scalable change.
“Personalised learning is no longer a distant vision. With Excelar, it is here today — practical, scalable, and evidence-based.”
Market Research & University Engagement Advisor
Kate Markham
Kate brings deep experience launching and scaling regulated digital products, with a proven track record of guiding products to market fit. At Excelar, she leads engagement with universities, fostering student-supported innovation. By combining product and market strategy with student-led research and internship pathways, she connects Excelar to the next generation of thinkers and builders, grounding the platform in both real-world and academic insight.
“Excelar proves the power of collaboration - linking academic insight, emerging talent, and product-market fit in one purpose-built platform.”
Head of Data Integrity & Analytics
Ignacio Morrone
Ignacio is a data and analytics strategist with over a decade of experience driving growth and scalability across global markets and industries. He brings expertise in designing data-driven processes and shaping effective sales strategies that support organisational impact. At Excelar, Ignacio has been instrumental in structuring the data behind the platform, enabling accurate interpretation and enhancing how users learn and grow.
“From the moment I discovered Excelar’s mission, I knew I wanted to be part of it. This product is transforming education; I often think how valuable it would have been in my own school days.”
Katrina is a marketing and partnerships strategist with over 20 years’ experience leading innovation and growth for global brands including Toyota, Telstra, Sony Music, and Johnson & Johnson. Katrina brings a unique blend of commercial acumen, creative storytelling, and board-level experience to scaling transformative ventures. At Excelar, Katrina advises on strategy, funding, and partnerships to accelerate the platform’s category-creating vision.
“I’m proud to contribute to Excelar’s mission of creating a new category in education; pioneering teacher-first AI that is globally recognised for its impact, innovation, and purpose-driven leadership.”
Strategic Consultant
Katrina Rae
Saad is a product and engineering leader with expertise in software architecture, AI-driven platforms, and agile delivery. He has led the design and launch of scalable digital solutions for both startups and enterprises, transforming complex ideas into robust, production-grade systems. At Excelar, Saad drives innovation across all core technologies, building secure, scalable, and future-ready platforms. His leadership philosophy centres on autonomy, collaboration, and harnessing cutting-edge AI to deliver products that set new standards for impact and reliability.
“Excelar underscores that cutting-edge AI can be more than an experiment; it can be delivered securely, at scale, and with the reliability teachers and schools can trust.”
Chief Technical Officer
Muhammad Saad
Kate brings deep experience launching and scaling regulated digital products, with a proven track record of guiding products to market fit. At Excelar, she leads engagement with universities, fostering student-supported innovation. By combining product and market strategy with student-led research and internship pathways, she connects Excelar to the next generation of thinkers and builders, grounding the platform in both real-world and academic insight.
“Excelar proves the power of collaboration — linking academic insight, emerging talent, and product-market fit in one purpose-built platform.”
Kate Markham
Market Research & University Engagement Advisor
Head of Data Integrity & Analytics
Ignacio is a data and analytics strategist with over a decade of experience driving growth and scalability across global markets and industries. He brings expertise in designing data-driven processes and shaping effective sales strategies that support organisational impact. At Excelar, Ignacio has been instrumental in structuring the data behind the platform, enabling accurate interpretation and enhancing how users learn and grow.
“From the moment I discovered Excelar’s mission, I knew I wanted to be part of it. This product is transforming education by using AI to unlock each student’s potential.”
Ignacio Morrone
Saad is a product and engineering leader with expertise in software architecture, AI-driven platforms, and agile delivery. He has led the design and launch of scalable digital solutions for both startups and enterprises, transforming complex ideas into robust, production-grade systems. At Excelar, Saad drives innovation across all core technologies, building secure, scalable, and future-ready platforms. His leadership philosophy centres on autonomy, collaboration, and harnessing cutting-edge AI to deliver products that set new standards for impact and reliability.
“Excelar underscores that cutting-edge AI can be more than an experiment; it can be delivered securely, at scale, and with the reliability teachers and schools can trust.”
Chief Technical Officer
Muhammad Saad
Kate brings deep experience launching and scaling regulated digital products, with a proven track record of guiding products to market fit. At Excelar, she leads engagement with universities, fostering student-supported innovation. By combining product and market strategy with student-led research and internship pathways, she connects Excelar to the next generation of thinkers and builders, grounding the platform in both real-world and academic insight.
“Excelar proves the power of collaboration — linking academic insight, emerging talent, and product-market fit in one purpose-built platform.”
Market Research & University Engagement Advisor
Kate Markham
Ignacio is a data and analytics strategist with over a decade of experience driving growth and scalability across global markets and industries. He brings expertise in designing data-driven processes and shaping effective sales strategies that support organisational impact. At Excelar, Ignacio has been instrumental in structuring the data behind the platform, enabling accurate interpretation and enhancing how users learn and grow.
“From the moment I discovered Excelar’s mission, I knew I wanted to be part of it. This product is transforming education by using AI to unlock each student’s potential.”
Head of Data Integrity & Analytics
Ignacio Morrone
Less planning, more impact. Experience how Excelar works for teachers like you — schedule your demo now.
Less planning, more impact. Experience how Excelar works for teachers like you — schedule your demo now.
Less planning, more impact. Experience how Excelar works for teachers like you — schedule your demo now.
