André Xuereb is a professor of quantum physics at the University of Malta, where he established the quantum research group. He read for an undergraduate degree in mathematics and physics at the University of Malta, a Ph.D. in theoretical physics at the University of Southampton, UK, and a master’s degree in entrepreneurship at the University of Malta; he is currently reading for a master’s degree in diplomacy. Since 2020, André has been serving as Malta’s Ambassador for Digital Affairs. Outside diplomatic and academic life, he is the Chief Scientific Officer of a sustainable mobility start-up Greenroads, and founder of a quantum cybersecurity startup Merqury Cybersecurity. He is married to a lawyer and is a proud father of two girls and a boy.
Anir Chowdhury is the Policy Advisor of the a2i Programmme of the ICT Division and the Cabinet Division of the Government of Bangladesh supported by the UNDP. He leads the formation of a whole-of-society innovation ecosystem in Bangladesh through massive technology deployment, extensive capacity development, integrated policy formulation, whole-of-government institutional reform, and an Innovation Fund. His work on innovation in public service has developed interesting and replicable models of service delivery decentralization, public-private partnerships, and transformation of a traditional bureaucracy into a forward-looking, citizen-centric service provider.
Dr. Anit Mukherjee is a Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation America where he leads the program on global economics and development policy. His work focuses on thegovernance of the emerging digital economy, including the design and implementation of digital public infrastructure (DPI) in diverse sectors and geographies. From 2013-2021, Dr. Mukherjee was a Policy Fellow at the Center for Global Development. Previously, from 2004-2012, he was an Associate Professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi. Dr. Mukherjee holds a PhD in Policy and Planning Sciences from the University of Tsukuba, Japan.
Armando Manzueta specializes in business development focused on MSMEs, economic development technologies, public innovation policies, data protection and cybersecurity. He is passionate about digital development issues with more than 11 years of experience in the design, programs and projects on productive development, innovation, entrepreneurship, digitalization, data management, broadband, cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure. As Digital Government Technical Director, Armando was responsible for the design and implementation of the government's digital architecture, covering the national digital public infrastructure, the development of policies, norms, and standards for its use, and the design of digital services by public institutions. He also led the establishment of the Digital Innovation Lab, a co-creation space for the design of next-generation digital services focused on solving public policy problems in strategic sectors. Armando founded the first fintech startup accelerator in the Dominican Republic. He is a founding member of the Dominican Association of Fintech Companies (ADOFINTECH), and a member of the Dynamic Coalition on Data Governance and Artificial Intelligence of the United Nations Internet Governance Forum. He was part of the OECD e-leaders group, the Dominican Chapter of the Internet Society, the Santo Domingo Chapter of Global Shapers, the Youth Leadership Initiative of the World Economic Forum, and the United Nations Association of the Dominican Republic (UNA-DR). He currently serves as director of Digital Transformation of the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development of the Dominican Republic.
Assane Gueye is an Associate Teaching Professor, Carnegie Mellon University Africa. He is the Co-director of CyLab-Africa and Upanzi Digital Public Infrastructure Network. Prior to joining CMU-Africa, Assane was a faculty member at the ICT Department at the University Alioune Diop of Bambey, Senegal, where he also leads the research group “Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication pour le Développement” (TIC4Dev). He also holds a guest researcher position with the National Institute for Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA. His research focuses on two main areas: performance evaluation and security of large-scale communication systems, and information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D). Assane is a Fellow of the Next Einstein Forum (Class of 2016). In 2019, he was nominated as a member of the European Alliance for Innovation (EAI) inaugural Fellow Class. He completed his Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer sciences from UC Berkeley in March 2011. He received a master’s degree in 2004 in communication systems engineering from Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland.
Ben Le Roy is the Senior Policy Advisor for Digital Freedom in the State Department’s Cyber and Digital Policy Bureau. He previously covered China's economic and technology issues at the State Department. Ben also worked overseas in Mongolia as the Economic and Commercial Section Chief. His other overseas assignments include Moscow, Buenos Aires, Seoul, and São Paulo. Ben also detailed at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, where he covered steel and aluminum trade and climate negotiations. A native of Orange County, California, Ben graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in International Economics and Spanish and Portuguese.
Dr. Bilal Mateen is the Executive Director of Digital Square, a global initiative that supports digital health transformation in low and middle-income countries. He is also a physician by training with an academic background in health-related applications of data science. Prior to joining Digital Square, he served as the Clinical Technology Lead and Senior Manager for Digital Technology at the Wellcome Trust, one of the world’s largest philanthropic foundations supporting science and health research. Bilal is deeply passionate about advancing ethical and inclusive applications of artificial intelligence. Alongside his role at PATH, he continues to hold an honorary professorial appointment at University College London and a fellowship at the Alan Turing Institute (the UK’s National Institute for Data Science and AI).
As the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) Cluster Coordinator, Björn supports the Secretary-General and eight partner countries of East African Community (EAC) in its endeavor to facilitate human-centered digital transformation to foster implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goals. He brings vast experiences working for German Development Cooperation on Digital Public Infrastructure in global coalitions, such as Digital Impact Alliance, Digital Publica Goods Alliance or G20 processes. During his engagement, he incubated the EU Digital4Development Hub with EU member states to scale safe digital public infrastructure worldwide.
With a career that spans over a decade at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CK has made a significant impact in the field of global health and digital transformation. His expertise lies in strategic planning and the integration of artificial intelligence in healthcare. He has been instrumental in fostering the growth of digital health infrastructure on a global scale. CK has consistently played a vital role in the technical and strategic evaluation of projects. Notably, he has led the foundation's investments in AI aimed at benefiting low- and middle-income countries and has been pivotal in developing healthcare platforms for community health workers.
Catherine Highet is a digital financial inclusion and gender specialist focusing on bridging the digital divide. For the last 15 years, she has worked across the digital development sector with various partners in emerging markets, including community organizations, the private sector, and nonprofits. She is now based in Washington, D.C., and works across several World Bank Group projects. Coming from New Zealand, Catherine has a particular passion for the Pacific, and addressing the challenges that small island developing nations face in achieving digital inclusion. More recently, her work has pivoted towards climate, and the role that DPI can play in adaptation and mitigation.
With over 20 years of experience, Cesar's professional work has been instrumental in guiding organizations to achieve their objectives through technology. Having collaborated with prominent institutions like the World Bank, United Nations, and USA, Canada, and German Government-funded programs, his expertise spans Digital Transformation, information systems, and Open Data projects. Originating from a background in the financial sector, he has a unique multicultural perspective, with educational experiences in the USA, Japan, Korea, and India. Recognized by the US government with a Fulbright award, and the Japanese government with a Mombu scholarship, his seasoned project management professional holds degrees in Computer Science, with postgraduate studies in Governance and Technology in Syracuse University, NY. He is a 2023 fellow of the Association of Professional Futurists and member of the Singularity University Guatemala Chapter; he has contributed as a mentor and speaker in various academy and industry events. His extensive career includes roles in technology development projects with Citibank, USAID assistance initiatives, and contributions to the United Nations and the World Bank's digital agenda for Guatemala.
Chris Mahony is a lawyer and a political scientist. He is the co-founder and CEO of Peloria, a public benefit company that uses social science-informed data science methods to forecast, explain, and advise on change in social phenomena. He is also consultant to multiple World Bank practices, including Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation; Social Sustainability and Inclusion; Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment; and Poverty and Equity, advising on the utility for development policy and operations of emergent data sources and methods. During his 20-year career, he has worked in the World Bank's Finance Competitiveness and Innovation Global Practice on social risk finance, developing the world's first human displacement risk financing mechanism. He also evaluated country engagement strategy, development policy operations practice, and governance projects in the Independent Evaluation Group, and worked on criminal justice and citizen security policy in the Governance Global Practice. Dr. Mahony also worked for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Strategic Policy and Rule of Law, including as Global Focal Point on Transitional Justice and as faculty and founding Deputy Director of the New Zealand Centre for Human Rights at Auckland University Law School. He has taught Law and International Relations at Peking University, Oxford University, and Auckland University. In 2008, he directed the design of Sierra Leone’s domestic witness protection program. He was admitted to the bar of the High Court of New Zealand in 2006 where he appeared for the Crown in criminal and refugee matters. In 2003, he worked in Sierra Leone and Liberia, where, among other work, he drafted the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations on governance and corruption, and its “Historical antecedents to the conflict” chapter.
Clélia is an Advisor to the Ambassador for Digital Affairs, in the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, focusing on Digital Public Infrastructures and child online protection. Prior to her move back to France, Clélia worked in the Canadian federal government as an Impact Canada Fellow, overseeing the development and implementation of innovation challenges, and set up the Canadian Space Agency’s first challenge prize. Before joining the public sector, Clélia built experience in the private sector by working with Desjardins’ innovation lab, to develop social and open innovation projects in the financial industry. Clélia is also a board member for non-profit organizations. Her goal is to act as a “tri-sector athlete”, by connecting and working with the private, public and social sectors on innovative mechanisms to address pressing societal issues. She holds a B.A. in Political Sciences and International Development Studies from McGill University and a MPA from the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose.
Fabro is a political scientist and a lawyer with a postdoc in media and technology. He is a distinguished alumnus of the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University. With a PhD from the University of Leeds, UK, his academic journey also spans prestigious institutions such as UCSD (USA), UN University (China), and UFF (Brazil). Formerly, he contributed his expertise to the Global Council of the World Economic Forum and the National Data Protection Council at Brazil's DPA. He currently serves as the Executive Director of ITS Rio.
Giulia Fanti is an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and a Senior Fellow of the Atlantic Council GeoEconomics Center. She is also a Co-Director of the CMU Upanzi Network (with Prof. Assane Gueye), which studies digital infrastructure and transformation in Africa. She is a two-time fellow of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Cybersecurity and a member of the National Insitute of Standards and Technology (NIST)’s Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board. Giulia’s work has been recognized with several best paper awards, a Sloan Fellowship, an Intel Rising Star Faculty Award, and an ACM SIGMETRICS Rising Star Award.
Dr. Hilda Jacob Mwakatumbula, an expert in Digital Transformation with over a decade of experience in Digital Economy & Policy, currently serves as a Digital Transformation Advisor to the East African Community (EAC) at GIZ. Previously, at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), she supported countries in implementing the AU Digital Transformation Strategy 2020-2030, focusing on the governance of emerging technologies. Additionally, Hilda contributed as a Digital Development Consultant to the World Bank for the Digital Tanzania Project. Throughout her career, she has prioritized aiding developing nations in leveraging digital technologies to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Janaina Costa has a bachelor of Law from Minas Gerais Federal University, a Master's in Economic and Social Development from IEDES - Paris, and a postgraduate in Digital Law from Rio de Janeiro State University. Her interest lies in public sector innovation, citizen empowerment, and emerging technologies for public interest. She specializes in ethical and rights issues within digitized population registers. She has acted as a senior researcher in Law and Technology at ITS Rio, contributed to the “Digital Identity in Time of Crisis: Designing for Better Futures” Research Sprint at the Berkman Klein Center, Harvard University, and as a research fellow on “Population, Ethics, and Human Rights” at the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population.
Dr. José Arraiza is an independent researcher and humanitarian practitioner with over twenty years of experience in relation to legal identity rights. He has participated in civil and voter registration processes in post-conflict scenarios like East Timor and Kosovo and in projects promoting access to civil and identification documentation for minorities in Myanmar. Academically, he has focused on diverse issues, from the relationship between autonomy and federalism with the rights of minorities to the impact of nativism, racism, and xenophobia in citizenship policies. He participates in different human rights and humanitarian protection-related initiatives, including ProCap and the Digital ID and Human Rights Coalition.
Kasim is a digital economy expert with 15 years in venture capital, digital identity policy development and stakeholder management. Kasim has facilitated the development of policies in digital Identity, digital rights, intermediary liability & online safety and data protection. He was the pioneer lead for investigations and enforcement of the Nigerian Data Protection Regulations and has engaged the regulatory authorities in Ethiopia, Uganda and Nigeria on the development of comprehensive ID systems. Kasim is a graduate of Civil Laws from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeria and has obtained an LLM in Information Technology Law and Intellectual Property from the University of Sussex, United Kingdom.
Kim Mallalieu (BSEE MIT, PhD E&EE UCL) is the principal investigator of The University of the West Indies Caribbean ICT Research Program. She chairs the ICT Steering Committee of the St. Augustine Campus and lecturers and leads its Communication Systems Group in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Kim is deputy chair of the Board of the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago and the Advisory Board of Network of Women in ITU-D. She is also the coordinator of the Inter‑American Telecommunication Commission’s Mentoring Program in Permanent Consultative Committee I, and a member of the Board of the Caribbean Open Institute and the Caribbean Spectrum Management Task Force.
Konstantin is a technologist with his interests lying at the intersection of technology, payments, and innovation. He currently serves as the Deputy Director of Inclusive Financial Services at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, leading the Level One Project initiative to foster deployment of payment and identity digital public infrastructures (DPI) to serve the poor. Konstantin is also the Chair of the Board of the Mojaloop Foundation, hosting the Mojaloop open-source software for easy and free interconnect payment systems. He is on the board of the InterLedger Foundation, the home of the open protocol for sending payments across the internet. Previously, Konstantin co-founded and led Innotribe, the SWIFT initiative to enable collaborative innovation in the financial industry. He also served as chief architect of SWIFTNet, the backbone of worldwide secure network, currently connecting 8,000 banks and 1,000 corporations, servicing the world economy daily. His recent book, “The Castle And The Sandbox” explains how to foster innovation in established systems and companies.
Laura Bingham is a Professor of Practice and Executive Director of the Institute for Law, Innovation, and Technology (iLIT), based at Temple Law School. She designs and executes iLIT’s strategic direction, associated curriculum, research, and programming. Ms. Bingham is a globally recognized expert on nationality and migration law and human rights law. Prior to joining Temple, she served as senior managing legal officer with the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI). She established and led a global strategic litigation program on data, technology, and human rights and led litigation efforts on global migration, the right to citizenship and documentation of identity, and structural discrimination. Laura is a founding member and board co-chair of United Stateless.
Laura O’Brien is the Senior UN Advocacy Officer at Access Now, a prominent global civil society organization dedicated to defending and extending the digital rights of people and communities at risk. In her role, she advances international human rights law and norms on a range of topics including digital identity, surveillance, cybercrime and cybersecurity, internet shutdowns, sustainability and civic space. She also represents Access Now on the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) Advisory Network and the FOC’s Task Force on Internet Shutdowns. Laura holds an LL.M. from Columbia Law School, where she graduated with honors as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and with a Parker School Certificate of Achievement in International and Comparative Law. She also holds a J.D. from the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law, an M.A. in International Development from the University of Kent, Brussels School of International Studies, and a B.A. Honors Specialization in Social Justice and Peace Studies from King’s University College at Western University.
Lea Gimpel is the lead for country policy and AI at the Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA). She is responsible for country engagement within the "50-in-5" campaign, which aims to support 50 countries over five years to develop at least one layer of their DPI stack safely and inclusively. Previously, Lea co-led the GIZ AI flagship initiative FAIR Forward, which focuses on democratizing AI globally. With +12 years of professional experience in the digital development sector, Lea is a highly skilled digital governance expert and manager. She holds a Master's degree in Communications for Social and Economic Contexts from the University of the Arts Berlin and an Executive Master's in Public Administration from the Hertie School, specializing in big data and digital governance. At the Hertie School, Lea is also a lecturer for the Master of Public Policy, where she teaches students about digital development cooperation. She is a board member of the Open Knowledge Foundation Germany and supports the initiative on AI technologies for Civil Climate Action of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety, and Consumer Protection in an advisory role. She also holds an advisory role with the German UNESCO Commission, focusing on digital policy topics.
Liam Maxwell is the Director of the International Central Government team at Amazon Web Services (AWS). He leads the global AWS team that helps senior government leaders accelerate their modernization and reform programs. Liam was a civil servant from 2012-18. As the UK Government’s first Chief Technology Officer he led the reforms that enabled the modernisation of government technology and digital services. He was subsequently National Technology Adviser, responsible for accelerating growth in the digital economy, inward investment and creating intergovernmental and international trade partnerships post-Brexit.
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Linda Bonyo is the founder of Lawyers Hub, a digital law organization working on AI Policy in Africa. She convenes the Africa Law Tech Forum, where Policymakers, Regulators, and Bar Associations in Africa lead the Regulation of Emerging Technologies. Linda is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Council on Technology Policy (2023-2025) and the G20 Digital Working Group. She serves in the Africa Union’s Artificial Intelligence Working Group and previously the AU’s Continental Data Policy Framework Technical Committee. She has consulted for the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa on Data Governance, Digital Identity, and Artificial Intelligence Policy, providing technical assistance on policy frameworks for member states across Africa. Linda is a licensed attorney of good standing in Kenya and was named 100 most influential people of African Descent 2022 by MIPAD at the UN General Assembly. In addition, she was globally awarded as a privacy practitioner in Digital Identity and awarded by SEMAFOR rest of the world awards for the most influential and impactful people in Global Tech 2022. She believes in innovation that serves humanity, furthers inclusion, and amplifies the voices of the global majority.
Maria holds a bachelor of Law and a Master's in Sociology of Law from University of Sao Paulo. She contributed to the “Digital Identity in Time of Crisis: Designing for Better Futures” Research Sprint at the Berkman Klein Center, Harvard University, and was the team lead for Brazil at the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford. She is currently the lead research analyst in DPIs at the Brazilian Institute for Consumer Protection (Idec), a lecturer in data governance in the public sector at Data Privacy Brasil, and a research fellow on “ICT Public Procurement in Latin America” at Connected by Data.
Marte Eidsand Kjørven, a Law Professor at the University of Oslo, leads the 'Societal Security and Digital Identities' (SODI) project—funded by the Norwegian Research Council. The initiative explores legal and technological solutions to risks in eID systems, emphasizing issues related to digital inclusion and eID fraud and misuse.
Previously a legal advisor at Norway’s Ministry of Justice, Kjørven has contributed to the development of a legal framework for managing losses following eID misuse. Her ongoing research focuses particularly on legal challenges arising from FinTech and digitalization, examining the interplay between international human rights, EU regulations, and national laws.
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Matthew McNaughton is a digital development practitioner from Kingston, Jamaica. He is the Director for Inclusion, Safeguards and Civil Society Engagement at the Co-Develop Fund and a Co-Founder of the SlashRoots Foundation. Matthew develops strategies and leads projects focusing on practical applications of digital technology, service design, and citizen participation in governance.
Before CoDevelop, Matthew worked at UNICEF as the Global Technology For Development Specialist. There, he played a leadership role in UNICEF's use of digital platforms during its COVID-19 pandemic response and oversaw a digital messaging ecosystem that delivered more than 490 million messages annually, connecting children, mothers, and caregivers with life-saving information and public services.
Moctar Yedaly is a renowned expert in digital transformation and cybersecurity. Serving as the Africa Region Director for The Global Forum for Cyber Expertise (GFCE)
since July 2023, his work focuses on developing cyber capacity initiatives in Africa. Previously, he served as Mauritania's Minister of Digital Transformation, Innovation, and Modernization of the Administration, and Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. From 2007 to 2021, Moctar led the Information Society Department at the African Union Commission to develop ICT policies and promote digital transformation and cybersecurity. Earlier in his career, Moctar held influential roles in consulting and telecommunications, notably at BEITICOM Consulting, INTELSAT CORPORATION, and Mauritania Post & Telecom Company, demonstrating expertise in satellite communications and network operations. Moctar holds a master's in electrical engineering, Telecoms and Computers, and an MBA in International Commerce. He is fluent in Arabic, English, French, and Russian and has a working knowledge of Spanish. Moctar is the father of the African Union Convention on Cybersecurity & Personal Data Protection (Malabo Convention) and the main player in the Dot Africa domain name delegation.
Monica Greco is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Initiative for Digital Public Interest and a Senior Program Officer working on special projects and crisis response at Open Society Foundations, where she also leads portfolios on technology, migration and refugees. Before joining OSF in 2017, she worked in consulting, economic development, and refugee aid, globally and in the Middle East. Monica serves as Chair of the Board of Collateral Repair Project, a refugee aid organization in Amman, Jordan. She holds a B.A. from Princeton University and an M.Sc. from the University of Oxford.
Based in Geneva, Switzerland, Mouloud is a strategy, policy, and governance advisor/consultant with over 30 years international exposure, spanning multiple industries across public, private, and non-profit sectors. Mouloud has extensive experience as a lecturer and seminar leader facing diverse audiences, leading workshops on digital strategies for innovation ecosystems and policies for knowledge economy. Mouloud is also an instructor for The Internet Society, research team leader at the Centre for AI and Digital Policies (CAIDP), and policy contributor to the GIP Digital Watch Observatory. His interests cover the impact of disruptive technologies and linking AI policies to digital infrastructure and sustainability. Mouloud holds a M.Eng. from Ecole Nationale de l’Aviation Civile, an M.Sc from Institut Polytechnique de Toulouse, an MBA from HEC Montreal, and an Exec. Master from the Geneva Graduate Institute.
Mphatso Sambo is an Electrical, Electronics, and Telecommunications Engineer, focusing on Information and Communications Technology for Development Specialists. His work experience encompasses Civil service, International development, banking, telecommunications, and the Financial industry. Currently serving as the Principal Secretary in the Government of the Republic of Malawi, he is responsible for Civil Registration and Legal Digital Identity management at the National Registration Bureau, under the Ministry of Homeland Security. Mphatso is leading several Digital Identity initiatives in Malawi to coordinate Digital Public Infrastructure implementations.
Priya Vora is a non-profit executive with a strong track record of leading teams and designing programs that creatively use technology and data to drive global economic empowerment. She founded the financial inclusion program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and went on to drive the strategy for digital finance and digital development during the Obama Administration at USAID, working closely with the U.S. Treasury and Department of State. Subsequently, she launched a non-profit initiative, Future State, to examine what it takes to empower people in the digital age. Future State was merged with Digital Impact Alliance, where she now serves as Chief Executive Officer. Priya is intrinsically motivated to unlock economic opportunities and financial services for women and excluded communities. When not working, she can be found walking, writing, chasing kids, playing tennis, and planning the next travel adventure.
Rahul Matthan is partner and a board member of Trilegal and heads the technology practice of the firm. After a career spent advising clients on issues as diverse as cryptocurrency, telecommunications regulation, internet and social media law, and technology M&A, he has played an increasingly active role in helping shape technology policy in India. His previous book “Privacy 3.0: Unlocking Our Data-Driven Future” describes the evolution of privacy and the impact that technology has had on the evolution of this fundamental human right. His latest book “The Third Way: India's Revolutionary Approach to Data Governance” describes how digital public infrastructure could offer a new approach to data governance. Rahul is a regular speaker on matters relating to the intersection between technology, society, and the law and he writes a weekly column on these issues in The Mint, a leading national business daily. He has served on the RBI Committee for Household Finance as well as the Kris Gopalakrishnan committee on Non-Personal Data, and is served as DPI Advisor to the Ministry of Finance in India during India's Presidency of the G20.
Dr Robert Ochola is an expert in strategy and innovation within the African
banking and mobile telecommunications industry. He is responsible for AfricaNenda’s overall strategy execution and leadership. His primary focus at AfricaNenda is on building momentum for an inclusive and interoperable approach to digital payments across Africa. During his career, Robert has pioneered the development of a new Pan-African Payments and Settlement Systems (PAPSS) for driving cross-border trade, led the development of mobile payment solutions and the expansion of its product suite, along with overseeing the successful roll-out of solutions for ultra-low-cost mobile devices across Africa and the Middle East. Prior to joining AfricaNenda, as Chief Executive Officer, Robert served as the Director of Strategy and Innovation at Afreximbank, served as Head of Strategy with Safaricom, and was the Director of Strategy, Research and Innovation at the KCB Bank Group. He is an alumnus of Imperial College London, Warwick Business School, and the University of Cape Town.
Sanjay Purohit is the CEO and Chief Curator at the Centre for Exponential Change. He has 30+ years of diverse experience across corporate and sustainable development sectors. Over the last decade, he advised endeavours to design, develop and adopt digital public infrastructure spanning payments, education, healthcare, livelihoods, and climate action. He developed Societal Thinking, an innovative approach to enable networks using digital public infrastructure to resolve complex societal challenges. Sanjay has engaged with 500+ change leaders across 20+ countries, including Governments, Civil Society Organisations, and Businesses. He co-founded apurva.ai to amplify the collective wisdom of communities leveraging AI.
Sheryl is an environmental professional with almost 17 years of experience in the field of environmental impact assessments, compliance, permitting, research, and sustainability in various national and international agencies. She has worked with multi-lateral organizations such as the United Nations in developing business solutions on sustainability and resilience, building on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)-centric organizational partnership models and platforms. She previously served as the Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) Ratings senior lead of a ratings agency, handling the global consumer discretionary portfolio, before joining the UNDP’s roster of Social and Environmental Safeguards Consultants in Asia and the Pacific region.
Siim Sikkut is currently Managing Partner at Digital Nation, a digital change advisory network originating from Estonia to build future-ready digital societies around the world. They work with government leaders and digital government agencies, from ambitious strategies to advising their delivery. Siim led the digital government and digital policy area in the Republic of Estonia for 10 years, serving as the Government CIO from 2017 to 2022. He has been recognized by Apolitical as one of the world’s Top 20 most influential people in digital government and was co-founder of Estonia’s groundbreaking e-Residency program. Siim is the author of “Digital Government Excellence: Lessons from Effective Digital Leaders,” which was published globally in 2022. As Government CIO, he was in charge of the development and scaling of DPI platforms in Estonia. Siim is also co-founder of www.niis.org, a first-of-a-kind intergovernmental consortium to develop and spread DPI globally, starting from X-Road. Currently serving as an advisor to other governments, he has helped states develop DPI uptake strategies, manage the relevant transformations, and build the necessary governance.
Formerly a programmer and anthropologist, Thomas’s interest in digital rights expanded as he intensively accompanied the EU Net Neutrality Regulation as Policy Advisor for European Digital Rights (EDRi). Lohninger was one of the driving forces behind the www.savetheinternet.eu campaign and has a strong work focus on net neutrality, data protection, and mass surveillance. Since 2010, he has played an active part at epicenter.works and since 2014, he is the executive director of the association. He also writes on Netzpolitik.org, is a regular guest in the Podcast Logbuch:Netzpolitik, and a non-residential Fellow of the Center for Internet and Society at the Stanford Law School. Since 2019, he is in the board of EDRi and since 2020, Vice President of the EU umbrella of digital rights NGOs.
Urvashi Aneja is a researcher, policy analyst and entrepreneur whose work seeks to drive an equitable and just distribution of technology gains. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Digital Futures Lab, a multi-disciplinary research collective studying the societal impacts of technology transitions in India and the Majority Word. Her work focuses on the ethics and governance of Artificial Intelligence and she currently leads multiple global projects on Responsible AI, including Generative AI, in LMICs. She regularly advises governments and industry on AI Governance and her research has been cited in leading global and national media such as the MIT Technology Review, Al-Jazeera, BBC, Reuters and Economic Times. Urvashi has a PhD from the University of Oxford.
Ville Sirviö leads the Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions (NIIS), overseeing the development of the X-Road® open-source software with hundreds of millions of end users worldwide. He also contributes his expertise as a board member of the Gaia-X European Association for Data and Cloud, advancing the development of European data spaces. With a diverse background ranging from startups to listed companies, Ville brings a wealth of experience in digital transformation. His areas of specialization include software development, digital commerce, digital government, interoperability, and open-source software. Throughout his career, he has been a frequent speaker and panelist at various technology conferences and events.
As Vice President of Public Affairs, Yuliya Shlychkova leads Kaspersky’s relations with government agencies, international organizations, and other stakeholders. She represents the company at events under the aegis of the UN and oversees the company’s participation in public consultations on national initiatives all around the globe. Prior to her current role, Yuliya held a number of positions at Kaspersky, including Deputy PR Director. In that capacity, she organized the company’s participation in industry events hosted by INTERPOL, UN, RSA, MWC, etc. Before joining Kaspersky in 2008, Yuliya worked for a number of PR agencies. She graduated from the Russian State University for the Humanities with an Honors Degree in Public Relations.
