Anke Sax has a master in Economics and a phD in Information Management. She has more than 30 years of experience in the banking sector: 15 years on the business side and 15 years in IT. She worked for LBBW, Commerzbank, Daimler Financial Services and dwpbank. She was awarded German CIO of the Year 2019.

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Armando Laurenti graduated in Economics from the University of Rome “La Sapienza” and won a grant by the European Community to attend a Master in “International Marketing Expert”. He started his carrier in the Information Technology domain as an SAP Consultant, implementing several Supply Chain projects in multinational companies in the automotive and consumer goods markets. In 1999 he joined the ICT Group at Bulgari as a Supply Chain application manager. Four years later, he was promoted to an Application Director and led all the SAP implementation projects for the entire Bulgari Group.

In 2005 Armando Laurenti was appointed CIO of Bulgari Group. In this capacity, he is responsible for the Bulgari ICT Group, managing all the Corporate and Local IT services. The ICT Group is composed of 93 people, about half in Corporate headquarters, located in Rome, and about half in regional offices. As a member of the Executive Committee he reports directly to Bulgari CEO.

Since Bulgari became part of LVMH Group, in 2013, he also manages projects and provides IT services for LVMH Watch & Jewelry Brands. In the last 18 months he is leading several strategic projects mainly in Bulgari digital transformation and omni-channel program.

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Vice Admiral Arnaud Coustillière has been General Director of Digital and Information and Communication Systems at the Ministry of the Armed Forces since September 1, 2017. During his career, he embarked on several warships where he held operational command positions.

Born in Toulon on November 3, 1960, Vice Admiral Coustillière has spent his entire career in the French army. He graduated from the French Naval Academy in 1981. In the following years, he embarked on various warships of the French Navy. As such, he was deployed in various crisis areas, particularly in the Mediterranean and in the northern Indian Ocean. He commanded the “Chacal” training ship (1987-1988), the medium-sized wharships (avisos) “Commandant Bouan” and “d’Estienne d’Orves” (1995-1996) and the guided missile frigate “Duquesne” (2004-2006).

During this time, he also held several senior positions in the Navy headquarters: Project Officer to Navy Satcom (1991-1994), Manager of Naval C4I capabilities (1999-2002), Deputy Head of the Navy budget office (2002-2004). He has also been in charge of the elaboration of the Navy’s doctrine (2004).

In 2006, in a context of major reorganization and mutualization of the Ministry’s information systems, he was appointed Director of Navy Information Systems. In the summer of 2008, he joined the French armed forces staff as an Operational Coherence Officer. He was then in charge of the transformation of the field of telecommunications and cyber defense.

On July 1, 2011, he was appointed General Officer for Cyber Defense. Under the double supervision of the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces and the military chief of staff of the Minister, he was responsible for the rise of the Ministry’s cyber defense and its use in operations. In January 2017, he took the lead of the newly created Cyber Defense Command of the Ministry of the Armed Forces.

On September 1, 2017 he was appointed General Director of Digital and Information and Communication Systems of the Ministry of the Armed Forces. In this position, he is responsible in particular for orchestrating the digital transformation of the ministry. On this occasion, he was elevated to the rank and title of squadron vice-admiral.

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Charles Forte was appointed Chief Information Officer for the Ministry of Defence in January 2017. He is the primary advisor to the Defence Board on Information and Digital and is responsible for strategy and policy on the operation, interoperability and protection of all MOD ICT, including cyber security and resilience; the promotion of new ways of working and information technology-enabled innovation; and the delivery of Information Systems and Services.

Prior to joining the Ministry of Defence, Charles gained 36 years industry experience from leading IT globally as Deputy Group Global CIO at BP, as CEO of Global IT Services at Prudential and as Interim CIO at Thames Water. He has worked as an independent consultant helping businesses create and deliver change to transform their ability to exploit technology and to build internal capability enabling sustainable and lasting value from IT and business operations.

He has significant experience in leading business innovation, driving business change programs and designing and leading IT delivery at very large scale in complex, multi-stakeholder business environments.

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Charlotte Light has worked with technology for over 20 year in both supplier and client-side roles developing a broad base of operational and delivery experience. Having worked at IBM for a decade in sales, consulting and business development roles, she is proficient in engaging with clients and suppliers to identify opportunities for partnership and development of revenue streams associated with new business and emerging technologies.

Having recently held director level roles in global healthcare, insurance and retail businesses, she has worked with a broad spectrum of management teams and technologies delivering complex and strategic technology transformation programmes with a pragmatic focus on delivering successful outcomes and material business value.

Most recently at Channel 4 – a UK public service broadcaster – Charlotte replaced the outgoing CIO with a mandate to transform the technology delivery function and focus on digital development to respond to a rapidly changing competitive landscape.

An Industry Advisory Board Member for the Institute of Coding which supports the development of digital skills in the UK and a champion for diversity in technology driving initiatives within Channel 4 and more widely in the industry, she is a strong and active advocate for progress and change.

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Eelko van Leeuwen is Global CIO of ABN AMRO Clearing Bank, an international top-3 player in Clearing and Settlement services. In this complex stakeholder arena Eelko is driven by joint objectives and results and his deep interest in technology and leadership. His major accomplishments of the past years are the (full) shift towards an agile way of working and the consolidation of the core clearing systems worldwide. Eelko is at his best in complex situations and motivates his teams with a clear focus on team spirit, team effort and results.

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During the Supernova technology festival, we were able to show our vision of the Port of the future. What we are working on can be further discovered at https://www.portofantwerp.com/en/port-future

Furthermore, the port is becoming an innovation platform, providing place and support to test innovative technologies that can help us and the ecosystem of the port to be more secure, efficient and innovative. An example is our active support for autonomous shipping pilots in the port area.

What characterizes Erwin can be summarized by the following self-made quote: In life there are problems, challenges and opportunities. That’s actually three times the same thing, only the mindset is different.

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Geert Standaert is the Chief Technology Officer at Proximus. He has been a member of the Executive Committee since March 2012.

In this function, he oversees all IT development, service engineering, the fixed and mobile network, technical infrastructure and operations for the Group. Mr. Standaert joined the Proximus Group in 1994 and held director positions in various disciplines, including IT, Infrastructure Operations and Data Operations before becoming Vice President Customer Operations in 2007.

Geert is also a Board member of Synductis and holds a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Ghent (RUG).

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Geert Van Mol has 21 years of broad senior and top executive experience in Retail & Commercial Banking with vision & strong leadership to execute this vision with authenticity & personality at regional & national level. Leadership in all retail & commercial banking strategic projects over the last 20 years: from merger, to network transformation, sales, cashless branches, internet, segmentation, to project office and digital with string usiness, IT & Operations & network alignment.

He holds a Master’s degree in Commercial Engineering from the university of Leuven and an MBA in Financial Services from Vlerick.

Geert is Associated Member of the Management Board of Belfius and also Board Member at Corona Direct Insurances, Isabel, Bancontact and The Studio.

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Günther Ghijsels is Chief Digital and Information Officer at Randstad Group Belgium. He is a member of the Executive Committee since January 2018. In his function, he oversees all ICT, marketing and product management activities for the Randstad Group in Belgium. He also is a member of the Global IT leadership team of the Randstad Group worldwide. Günther joined the Randstad Group Belgium in 2016 as CIO. Günther holds a Master’s degree in Applied Informatics from the Free University of Brussels (VUB).

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After a degree in Telecommunications Engineering which he completed in London as part of a research team at the University College of London, Lionel joined La Poste Group in 1995 as part of the Mail IT Department.

He has worked in various entities and subsidiaries of the group, mainly in the parcel business, since he joined La Poste. In 2016, he was appointed CIO of the Parcels Mail Services Branch, with the mission of “Preparing the IS to meet the BSCC’s stated objective of being the leading operator of services to individuals”.

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Luis Engrossa holds a degree in Marketing Management, an MBA in International Marketing and Finance, and for the last fifteen years he was the CIO of the Portuguese Water and Waste Services Regulation Authority (ERSAR).

Prior to ERSAR he worked in the automotive sector of heavy vehicles, having been the IT Manager for Scania in Portugal, as well as responsible for brand marketing in the country during some time. He was recently appointed Head of Information Systems and Training Division at the Portuguese National Institute for Conservation of Nature and Forestry (ICNF).

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Manuel Bento is the CEO of Euronext Technologies, Executive Board Member of Euronext Lisbon and has global roles in the Euronext group, such as Chief Information Security Officer and Chief Data Officer.

Manuel led the implementation of Euronext Technologies in Portugal. The company now boasts a team of 150 people, providing critical technology functions to the Euronext group. Having amassed extensive expertise in leadership roles, always related to the transformation of Information technology, Manuel brings 20 years’ experience from such diverse sectors as the financial, technology and telecommunications’ industries.

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Dr. Schmitz studied social sciences and history in Münster, Oxford, Bern and Bonn. After completing his doctorate, he initially worked as a management consultant in the telecommunications and human resources sectors, as well as in the Public Sector.

Dr. Schmitz has been employed at the Federal Employment Agency since 2005 and was responsible for several major projects within the so-called Hartz reforms. From 2009 to 2014, he was Managing Director of the Head Office for Product Development of Basic Income Security and at the same time responsible for the Migration Coordination Office and the specialist services of the Federal Agency. From 2015 to October 2016, Dr. Schmitz was Chairman of the Management Board of the Bavarian Regional Office of the Federal Employment Agency. Since November 2016, Dr. Markus Schmitz has been CIO, General Representative, and Managing Director of the Information Technology and Digital Processes department at the headquarters of the Federal Employment Agency.

Dr. Schmitz is also an honorary professor at the University of the Federal Employment Agency.

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Martijn Stegink has a degree in Business Information Management from the Haagse Hogeschool. He has 20 years of experience working for organisations such as the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports, Start People, CGI and G-Star.

For the last 12 years he has been part of the Greenpeace international team where he has responsibility for all aspects of the global organisation’s information technology and systems, including ships systems. He leads a virtual team of 45 people in 13 countries to provide IT services to 4500 users worldwide and provide leadership to about 80 IT staff in 27 national and regional offices.

Nearly 50 years on, Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace.

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Dr Martin Bellamy is Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

He is also a By Fellow at Hughes Hall, a college of the University of Cambridge where Martin was previously Director of Information Services, A Computer Scientist who graduated from Imperial College in 1983, Martin is a Technology Executive with over 30 years experience of innovation, change leadership and running technology operations.

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Massimo Fedeli has a bachelor degree in Mathematics from the University of Rome Tor Vergata, and Master IT Governance and Management at LUISS. He is currently the Central Director for IT and Communication Technologies at ISTAT.

During his career, he has been responsible for the office in charge of developing the information system of the Treasury Department and the State Accounting Department at Consip, and previously Head of the Office in charge of developing the tools to support the production cycle at SOGEI.

He was a senior consultant in the area of strategic planning and consultancy for Tecsiel, on whose behalf he carried out projects at many large Public Administrations and Banks.

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Miguel is a senior professional focused on industrial environments. He started on pure IT roles and evolved his career to global international dimensions, directing and leading project managers, technical specialists, business analysts, consultants and offshore teams in several industry sectors such as textile, Food, Metals and Automotive in Portugal and France.

Miguel graduated in Electrical Engineering, post graduated in Information Management, has advanced training in Business Intelligence and Management.

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Nino Messaoud now holds the position of CDO (Chief Digital Officer) at Barry-Wehmiller, of which BW Papersystems’ is the largest division. He has 27 years of experience in IT: as Unit Lead, Head of IT, CIO / CDO at national- and international companies in industries from furniture to diamonds and manufacturing.

A leader with extensive management skills and proven track record in mid-sized businesses and international corporations at divisional, GF and C levels. He has earned recognition of board members and technology leaders through sustainable and long-term success in IT leadership, software development, digital transformation, ERP / WaWi development and implementation, IT infrastructure management, identification of growth potential, cost cutting, streamlining and sustained quality improvement in all IT processes, outsourcing (nearshore) and leveraging the innovative power for products and services.

In his career, Nino has introduced new customer communications processes that have a lasting positive impact on product and service requirements. Experienced in the development and expansion of existing IT with the transformation of existing IT from a service center to a profit center.

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Rafael Lopez Gracia has worked 11 years for Accenture and joined BBVA in 2002. He has held various management positions in the IT department and is the Head of the Technical part of the Transformation Factory of BBVA Spain.

With 30 years of experience in management positions in companies such as McKinsey, Grupo Santander, ING Direct, IKEA and Vodafone, Sofía Rodriguez-Sahagún joined BBVA Espana in 2015 first as Marketing and Digital Sales Director and is has been the Head of Retail Digital Banking for the past 2 years.

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Rui Pedro Silva has completed his undergraduate degree in Business Studies, and his Master in Business Administration in Madrid. As part of his career, he has gone through all the different levels inside of a technology organization. This experience has provided him with enough background to make informed decisions while faced with complicated challenges in his management positions.

Over the past 15 years, he has worked in multiple countries, including Germany, UK and Spain, and since 2016 he is working at A.P. Moller-Maersk, leading the IT function fully focused on Maersk’s customers. His team covers the end-to-end process of technology activities related to customer solutions, playing a key role in Maersk’s growth and customer onboarding.

Rui sees himself an outlier in the technology world, as it has not been his area of studies. He sees it though, as a significant competitive advantage, as it allowed him to be a better bridge between technical teams and business oriented people. All his technical expertise comes out of self-learning activities, but it has provided him a very clear picture of what is possible and what is not. One of his most common statements is that “The gap between what people want and what others understand of it, will dictate how successfully that project can be delivered”. Closing that gap, has always been his driver.

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Currently Head of Information Systems and CIO of BNL – Group BNP Paribas, leading BNL projects’ portfolio delivery on process digitalization enablement, solution usability improvement, core capabilities reuse and automation intelligence introduction. As CIO of BNL, contributing to IT Service Quality improvement enabling the evolution of current IT Operating Model and the maturity increase of IT Service Management processes. He strongly believes that competition in the Digital Arena will be affected by poor IT service performances.

Saverio Ferraro has 20 years of IT experience across different industries and countries in Europe, spent in Large Scale Corporations both in Local Market and Group IT roles. Recent experience within Financial Services as IT Director of Iccrea Banking Group, supporting Banking Group constitution and leading Digital Transformation IT programs between 2015 and 2017.

Before that, he had 15 years of significant experiences as IT Director, Program Director, Executive Project Manager, IT Solution Manager, IT Operation Manager within Vodafone in international Telecommunication environment.

In 2013, after the successful conclusion of Consumer CRM and Sales Transformation program within Vodafone Italy, he moved to London at Vodafone HQ as IT Director to lead NewVo Transformation program aiming to streamline and harmonize CRM process and solutions at European level.

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Sebastian is a CIO focused on effectiveness and transforming innovative technologies into effective customer solutions. He started his career as a specialist in creating modern-day IT contracts covering all sorts of process management software. After 5 years, he fully changed his tasks, by moving to purely technical area related to IT infrastructure as sys-admin.

He evolved his career to software division, later on securing his deputy IT director and IT director roles in ARMA. He also worked as a advisor or PM in multiple projects (cross-public and private sector ) including software development, open-source projects and IT infrastructure innovation.

Sebastian graduated in Law, and has advanced training in cross-sectional implementation of agile methodologies, in particular software development and maintenance, IT infrastructure and many technical areas.

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Sergi Girona holds a PhD in Computer Science from the Technical University of Catalunya.

He is Director of the Operations Department of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) and the manager of the Spanish Supercomputing Network (RES). He has been closely linked to PRACE since its creation: between 2013 and 2015 he was both Chair of its Board of Directors and Managing Director.

In June 2016 he was appointed Council Vice-Chair, a role that he performed until June 2018. Currently he is Council Delegate for Spain.

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