Frank van Cappelle is UNICEF’s Global Lead for Digital Education and the Head of the Global Learning Innovation Hub in Finland. In this role, he drives UNICEF’s vision and strategy for learning innovation and the digital transformation of education systems, working closely with governments, research institutions, and other partners to support system-level progress. 

The Hub is guided by a dual mission: to harness innovations to address the global learning crisis and to shape the future of learning by moving “beyond digital as usual.” 

UNICEF’s digital education work spans more than 100 countries, with a strong focus on reaching marginalized learners—including children with disabilities and those in emergencies—strengthening evidence through impact research, and building equitable, innovative, and sustainable models that can scale. 

Earlier in his career, he led continuity-of-learning efforts during COVID-19 at UNICEF’s Regional Office for South Asia; authored UNICEF-UNESCO’s global guidance on monitoring and tracking out-of-school children; and served as a Resident Fellow at UNESCO-IIEP on cross-country learning assessments in Africa. He also founded a company developing mapping and data visualization software used by major corporations, research institutions, UN agencies, and governments. 

He holds a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Melbourne.