MORE SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED EVERY WEEK
Henna Virkkunen
Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, European Commission
Henna Virkkunen
Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, European Commission
Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy
As Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen is tasked with combatting the increasingly complex security threats facing the EU, whilst at the same time strengthening our external borders and our internal security. This goes hand in hand with her responsibility to ensure our freedoms, justice and democracy are strengthened too.
Digital and frontier technologies
Henna Virkkunen is also responsible for the Digital and Frontier Technologies portfolio. This entails leading Europe’s efforts in shaping a competitive, resilient and inclusive digital future and maintaining or attaining leadership in strategic digital technologies.
To achieve this, she is:
- overseeing our path towards reaching Europe's 2030 Digital Decade targets, which will include reviewing the implementation strategy and digital targets in 2026
- leading work on boosting Artificial Intelligence innovation, working with Member States, industry and civil society to develop an Apply AI Strategy (to boost new industrial uses of AI and improve delivery of public services) and helping to set up a European AI Research Council
- developing an EU Cloud and AI Development Act and a single EU-wide cloud policy to boost high performance computing and quantum. When it comes to quantum, she is also responsible for developing a long-term EU Quantum Chips plan
- working on a new Digital Networks Act to help boost secure high-speed broadband, both fixed and wireless
- ensuring the Commission takes rapid and effective enforcement actions under the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act whenever necessary
- deploying digital public infrastructure, notably by making the most of the EU wallet
- presenting a European Data Union Strategy
- ensuring an approach to the media which recognises its unique place in our democracies and culture
- focusing on making online more secure by leading the work to tackle challenges with e-commerce platforms, helping combat unethical techniques online and contributing to the EU-wide enquiry on the impact of social media and the action plan against cyber bullying
Andrew N. Ferguson
Chair, US Federal Trade Commission
Andrew N. Ferguson
Chair, US Federal Trade Commission
Andrew N. Ferguson is Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission. Ferguson most recently served as solicitor general of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Prior to that position, he served as chief counsel to U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, and as a Republican counsel on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. He also practiced law at several Washington, D.C. law firms. He earned his undergraduate degree and law degree from the University of Virginia. After law school, Ferguson clerked for Judge Karen L. Henderson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
Esko Aho
Chairman of the Board and Former Prime Minister of Finland
Esko Aho
Chairman of the Board and Former Prime Minister of Finland
Mr. Esko Aho served as a Member of the Finnish Parliament from 1983 to 2003. He led the Centre Party from 1990 to 2002 and held the office of Prime Minister of Finland from 1991 to 1995.
Following his political career, Mr. Aho was President of the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra from 2004 to 2008. He then joined Nokia Corporation as Executive Vice President of Corporate Relations and Responsibility and served on the company's Executive Board until 2012.
From 2013 to 2019, Mr. Aho was Executive Chairman of the Board at the East Office of Finnish Industries. He also chaired the Board of Cini a Oy from 2017 to 2023. He was a member of JPMorgan's Advisory Council for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa from 2019 to 2024. Additionally, he was an elected member of the Executive Board of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) between 2013 and 2019, where he served for four years as Chair of the ICC Executive Board Policy and Commissions Committee.
Currently, Mr. Aho serves as Chairman of the Board at the China Office of Finnish Industries and acts as an advisor to a number of international and domestic companies and organizations. He is also an invited member of the Club de Madrid, an independent organization composed of former heads of state and government committed to promoting democracy worldwide.
Mr. Aho has also been active in academia. He was a Resident Fellow and later a Senior Fellow at Harvard University, and from 2015 to 2022, he served as Executive in Residence atAalto University. In 2017-2018, he was a Visiting Professor at Sciences Po in Paris. He holds honorary doctorates from the University ofVaasa and the University of Alberta.
In addition to his work in politics, business, and academia, Mr. Aho is also an author and publisher. He has published 15 books in different languages under the Verbatum label and is the author of eight books.
Brando Benifei
MEP, Member and AI Act co-rapporteur, European Parliament
Brando Benifei
MEP, Member and AI Act co-rapporteur, European Parliament
Brando Benifei is an Italian MEP serving his second term and is the Head of Delegation of Partito Democratico in the European parliament. He is Rapporteur for the Artificial Intelligence Act, as a Member of the Committee for the Internal Market and Consumer Protection. He also works on Employment, Legal and Constitutional Affairs. He was also shadow Rapporteur of the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age. In 2016 he was included by Forbes in its 30 under 30 to watch list
Prof Pasquale Stanzione
President, Italian Data Protection Authority
Prof Pasquale Stanzione
President, Italian Data Protection Authority
Pasquale Stanzione has been the President of Garante, the Italian Data Protection Authority, since 2020.
After graduating in Law (cum laude) in 1968 at ‘Federico II’ University of Naples, Italy, Prof. Stanzione held the position of private law full Professor at the University of Salerno for more than 40 years, where he also was the dean of the Law faculty and chaired the Civil Law Department and the Institute for Civil and Economic Relationships as well as the PhD program in “personal rights under a comparative perspective” .
As a lawyer, he was admitted to practise before the Italian Court of Cassation and was appointed as a member of the Chairing Board of Administrative Judges. He is a member of the Société de législation comparée.
Prof. Stanzione has authored over 200 books and scientific papers and has coordinated several research projects in Italy and abroad; he contributes regularly to leading scientific journals.
In 2021, he was awarded the ‘Knight Grand Cross’, Italy’s highest honour, by the President of the Italian Republic.
Irakli Khodeli
Head of Ethics of AI Unit, Social and Human Sciences Sector, UNESCO
Irakli Khodeli
Head of Ethics of AI Unit, Social and Human Sciences Sector, UNESCO
Irakli Khodeli has been with UNESCO since 2006. As part of Bioethics and Ethics of Science and Technology team at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, he has been facilitating global ethical reflection on emerging technologies, and supporting international standard-setting to safeguard human rights from the associated risks. He has also led the development of capacity-building initiatives to help countries translate global normative instruments into national policies and action.
From 2015 to 2020, he headed the Social and Human Sciences Unit of UNESCO’s Regional Science Bureau for Asia and the Pacific in Jakarta, working with the governments and the civil society in Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Timor-Leste.
Since 2020, he has rejoined UNESCO Headquarters to support the elaboration, adoption and implementation of the Recommendation on the Ethics of AI. He is now leading the Ethics of AI team to assist countries around the world in the implementation of the Recommendation.
Adv Collen Weapond
Commissioner, Information Regulator (South Africa)
Adv Collen Weapond
Commissioner, Information Regulator (South Africa)
Johannes Collen Weapond is an admitted Advocate of the High Court of South Africa. His areas of specialization include information technology, risk management, forensic investigation, compliance management, business management as well as law with a specialization in the law of contracts. Amongst other Johannes hold the following qualifications, a B. Iuris, LLB (UNISA), B.Com (Honours IT) (UCT), B. Tech in Policing (TUT), Diploma in Education III (RCE), Diploma in Compliance Management (UJ), Postgraduate Diploma in Computer Forensics (Coursework) (UCT), Certificate in Fraud Examination (Cum Laude) (UP), Certificate in Policing (TUT), Masters in Business Systems (Coursework Completed).
Johannes is currently serving as the Chairperson of the Audit Committee of the Office of the Premier in the Eastern Cape and Chairperson of the Risk Management Committee of the Department of Telecommunication and Postal Services. He also serves as a member of the Audit Committee of the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services, the Limpopo Provincial Audit Committee, Freestate Provincial Audit Committee, Wholesale and Retail SETA, Freestate Department of Education. He is also a member of the Council of the University of Mpumalanga (UMP) and the Chairperson of the Strategy Subcommittee. He was appointed as the Independent Expert for Legal and ICT at the Quality Council for Trade and Occupation (QCTO).
Furthermore, Johannes served as a Non-Executive Director (Member of the Board) of the National Lotteries Commission and as the Chairperson of Risk Management Committee, Legal, Request for Proposal Subcommittee and Ad hoc Legal Subcommittees of the Board. He also served as a member of the Cybersecurity Advisory Council of South Africa, a member of the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) and a member of the Appeals Committee of Council. Lastly, Johannes also served as a Non-Executive Director and Coordinator of the Audit Function at Brakpan Bus Company (BBC), member of the Audit Committee of the National Department of Human Settlements, member of Council of the Forestry Advisory Council, member of Council of the Heraldry Council.
Liviu Stirbat
Head of Industry 5.0 & AI in Science, DG for Research and Innovation, European Commission
Liviu Stirbat
Head of Industry 5.0 & AI in Science, DG for Research and Innovation, European Commission
Liviu ȘTIRBĂȚ, is the Head of Industry 5.0 & AI in Science at the DG for Research and Innovation in the European Commission. He was previously a member of cabinet for Commission Executive VP Vestager in charge of innovation, space, and sustainability. He was Deputy Head of EU Adaptation to Climate Change, and Deputy Head of better regulation for research (including Horizon Europe). Prior to the European Commission, he worked for the OECD and the World Bank. He holds degrees in astrophysics and economics from Harvard, Leiden, and the Paris School of Economics.
Cian O’Brien
Data Protection Commissioner, Data Protection Commission – Ireland
Cian O’Brien
Data Protection Commissioner, Data Protection Commission – Ireland
Cian O'Brien was appointed Deputy Commissioner in May 2022, in a role that centres on all large-scale Data Protection Commission inquiries and investigations. Since joining the organisation in 2019, Cian’s roles in the DPC have included Legal Researcher and Senior Regulatory Lawyer. During this time, he was responsible for providing legal advice and assistance on large scale inquiries and investigations concerning both cross-border and domestic matters. Cian also acted as an advisor to the Inquiries Committee and oversaw and implemented the DPC’s process for confirming administrative fines in Court, as provided for in the Data Protection Act 2018. He graduated from University College Dublin and the Kings Inns Dublin. Cian was called to the Bar of Ireland in 2014. He practised law as a Barrister and tutored European Union law before joining the Data Protection Commission.
Kate Jones
CEO, Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum – UK
Kate Jones
CEO, Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum – UK
Kate Jones has been Chief Executive Officer of the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum (DRCF) since May 2023.
Kate’s knowledge of digital regulation stems from her immediate background as an expert consultant and researcher on the governance of emerging technologies, with particular regard to human rights law, public international law and diplomacy. In this field, her roles included Associate Fellow with the International Law Programme at Chatham House, Senior Associate with Oxford Information Labs, and membership of the advisory board of an AI ethics company. She has published and spoken widely on aspects of national and international tech governance, with specialisms in artificial intelligence, disinformation and foreign interference, and the role of technical standards.
In her work, Kate brings to bear her many years of experience as a legal adviser and diplomat with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, including as Legal Adviser to the UK Mission to the United Nations in Geneva and UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. She also draws on her experience of leadership, skills and technical expertise gained as Director of Oxford University’s Diplomatic Studies Programme and as Course Director and Advisory Board member of the Centre for Political and Diplomatic Studies. Kate took her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in law at the University of Oxford and qualified as a UK solicitor at Norton Rose.
Henri-Olivier Fliche
Director of Fintech & Innovation, ACPR
Henri-Olivier Fliche
Director of Fintech & Innovation, ACPR
Olivier Fliche is the Director of Fintech & Innovation at the ACPR, the French banking and insurance supervisory authority. He is in charge of the Fintech-Innovation Hub, which is the gateway for financial innovative project holders in the banking and insurance sectors, and coordinates with the Banque de France –the French central bank– and the French financial market supervisory authority (AMF). Together with the AMF, the Fintech-Innovation Hub steers the Fintech Forum, the body for consultation and dialogue with the French FinTech industry. Olivier Fliche is also responsible for the suptech mission of the ACPR, which aims at building on innovative technologies to improve the tools used for supervisory purposes.
Olivier Fliche started his career at the French Finance Ministry. After a secondment to the European Commission to help start the Solvency II project, he joined the supervisory authority where he held positions of Director of prudential insurance supervision and later of Director of business conduct supervision. Olivier Fliche holds a degree of the École Polytechnique and a degree of the Institut d’études politiques de Paris. He is also a qualified actuary (Institut des Actuaires).
Mattias Levin
Head of Digital Finance Unit, DG FISMA, European Commission
Mattias Levin
Head of Digital Finance Unit, DG FISMA, European Commission
Mattias Levin is the acting head of unit of the Digital Finance unit of the European Commission’s Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union DG ("FISMA"). At FISMA, he has previously worked on regulation related to banks, investment firms, conglomerates and financial market infrastructures. Before joining DG FISMA, he was a member of the Bureau of European Policy Advisers (BEPA), a think tank attached to the President of the European Commission. Prior to joining the Commission, Mattias was a Research Fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS). Mattias studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Lund University and the Institut d’Etudes Politiques of Strasbourg.
Miguel Valle Del Olmo
Digital Transformation Attaché, Permanent Representation of Spain in the EU
Miguel Valle Del Olmo
Digital Transformation Attaché, Permanent Representation of Spain in the EU
Miguel Valle Del Olmo is a Digital Transformation Attaché in the Spanish Permanent Representation and deals with European digital initiatives. He has been in charge of the negotiation regarding the AI Act and involved in the deal on the Regulation.
Miguel has been working in the Spanish public administration for more than 10 years, in the development of public policies regarding digitalization, including:
Deputy Director for AI (Secretary of State for Digitalization and AI).
Implementation of the Spanish AI Strategy (since 2020).
National and international regulatory development.
Support for electronic communications networks deployment.
Participation in international fora (EU, OECD WP-AIGO vicechair, OECD WP-CISP, ITU)
He is a Telecommunications Engineer (Polytechnic University of Madrid, 2006).
Cecilia Alvarez Rigaudias
Director of Privacy Policy Engagement, EMEA at Meta
Cecilia Alvarez Rigaudias
Director of Privacy Policy Engagement, EMEA at Meta
Cecilia Aalvarez Rigaudias is the EMEA Privacy Policy Director at Facebook since March 2019. From 2015 to 2019, she served as European Privacy Officer Lead of Pzifer, Vice-Chair of the EFPIA Data Protection Group and Chairwoman of IPPC-Europe. For an interim period, she was also the Legal Lead of the Spanish Pfizer subsidiaries. She formerly worked 18 years in a reputed Spanish law firm, leading the data protection, IT and ecommerce areas of practice as well as the LATAM Data Protection Working Group.
Cecilia was the Chairwoman of APEP (Spanish Privacy Professional Association) until June and is currently in charge of its international affairs. She is also the Spanish member of CEDPO (Confederation of European Data Protection Organisations) and member of the Leadership Council of The Sedona Conference (W-6).
She is a member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Jurisprudence and Legislation in the section of the Law on Technologies of the Information and the Knowledge as well as Arbitrator of the European Association of Arbitration (ITC Section).
She formed part of the Volunteer Group of Privacy Experts of the OECD (Working Party on information Security and Privacy; WPISP) in charge of the 2013 review of the OECD guidelines governing the protection of privacy and transborder data flows of personal data. She formerly participated in the Group of Experts selected by the Spanish DPA to prepare the Madrid Resolution on International Privacy Standards in 2009.
Cecilia has written numerous publications on data protection and regularly lectures on data protection, IT and ecommerce at different Masters Programs and seminars.
Nicolas de Bouville
Privacy Policy Manager, Meta
Nicolas de Bouville
Privacy Policy Manager, Meta
Nicolas de Bouville has a background in international and European law. He studied at the University of Amsterdam, from which he holds a Master's degree in international and European Law and at Nanterre University, from which he holds a Master's degree in technology and information society law.
Nicolas started his career at the French data protection authority, the CNIL, in the international and European affairs department. In this role, he dealt with a variety of topics related to data protection, including international data transfers and the negotiations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
In 2017, Nicolas joined Meta, where he is currently in the Privacy Policy team. He is actively following the developments of the EU AI Act.
Nick Seeber
Partner & Global Internet Regulation Lead, Deloitte
Nick Seeber
Partner & Global Internet Regulation Lead, Deloitte
Nick leads Deloitte’s global Internet Regulation offering, established to help clients respond to the strategic, practical and operational challenges presented by new rules for the Internet. These laws and regulations in EU, UK, US and globally will govern digital competition, online content and behaviour, consumer protection, AI, privacy, ownership of digital assets, access to digital services and much more.
Nick created the Internet Regulation offering to be intentionally global and multi-disciplinary. The team includes risk and compliance specialists, legal and regulation experts, economists, strategists, technologists, auditors and transformation leads, working together with clients at Internet companies, government departments and regulators, financial services, and the ecosystem of affected organisations who have a stake in the future of the Internet.
Nick has worked at Deloitte since 2010 and has more than 18 years of experience in advising global clients on regulatory transformation, enterprise data strategy and the Digital, Media and Telecoms sectors.
Nick has a degree in History of Science from the University of Cambridge.