Speakers
Cristian Onetiu
Entrepreneur Forbes Top 500, ScaleUp Business Mentor, Accredited Investor, Best selling author
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Patrick van den Hoevel
Director, Deal Pursuit | EMEA
Patrick is an experienced business executive with over a decade in cloud computing and more than fifteen years in the IT field. His expertise in law and sharp business acumen have made him highly skilled in handling negotiations, successfully tackling the most challenging situations. He currently leads the Deal Pursuit team for Google Cloud in the EMEA region, overseeing customer negotiations for both major strategic projects and smaller, yet vital, deals. His role is key in expanding Google Cloud's negotiation capabilities along with its service offerings.
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Rod Evans
Vice President - Supercomputing & AI
Rod Evans is NVIDIA’s Vice President for Supercomputing, Higher Education and AI for Europe, Middle East and Africa Rod is an accomplished entrepreneur and international business leader, with a proven track record of driving success across IT, software, and telecom businesses. Rod’s 20+ years of international experience enables him to lead teams with passion, integrity, and confidence. A believer in leading by example, Rod’s strategic approach has resulted in significant growth in terms of headcount and revenue. He is a committed innovator with a keen interest in increasing awareness of AI’s potential. He works tirelessly to encourage the early adoption of AI by showcasing what it can do, how it works, and why implementing an AI strategy is critical. He joined NVIDIA in 2018 and has overseen strong growth in the High-Performance Computing and Artificial Intelligence businesses at NVIDIA across Europe.
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Dimitris Andreadis
Sr. Engineering Director (Red Hat)
Dimitris has 25 years of experience in IT and he is currently Sr. Director of Engineering (Red Hat) at IBM in charge of the Cloud Native Runtimes group that includes the Quarkus, Vert.x, SpringBoot, and Node.js teams. He also served as the JBoss AS project lead and he has been a JBoss addict and contributor from the early start-up days. He worked previously at Intracom and Motorola in the areas of NMS/OSS, designing reusable frameworks and distributed systems. Dimitris studied computer science at the Technological Educational Institute of Athens and received an M.Sc. by research from University College Dublin, Ireland. Dimitris is a passionate advocator of Opensource technologies and has presented on a variety of events and conferences around the world. He has been an invited speaker at various Java/Linux community events and user groups, and he has delivered inspirational talks on technology and Open Source in universities and educational institutes.
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Sonika Kapil
Strategic Data & AI CTO Financial Services
Sonika is the Strategic Data & AI CTO Financial Services at Microsoft, with over 20 years of experience in the IT sector, including pivotal leadership roles at Microsoft and SAP. In her current role, she collaborates closely with Denmark’s leading enterprises to co-create intelligent, AI-powered applications driving transformation across finance, pharma and energy sector. An MBA from London Business School and a foundation in Computer Engineering enable Sonika to blend strategic vision with deep technical expertise.
Beyond professional achievements, Sonika is an active mentor through Copenhagen Kommune’s GCCP-17, supports fintech scale-ups in the Copenhagen ecosystem, and contributes to Europe’s largest AI think tank.
A frequent keynote speaker at top industry events including Microsoft AI Tour, WebIT Summit, and Unicorn Summit-Sonika is recognized for translating cutting-edge technology into real business outcomes.
Beyond professional achievements, Sonika is an active mentor through Copenhagen Kommune’s GCCP-17, supports fintech scale-ups in the Copenhagen ecosystem, and contributes to Europe’s largest AI think tank.
A frequent keynote speaker at top industry events including Microsoft AI Tour, WebIT Summit, and Unicorn Summit-Sonika is recognized for translating cutting-edge technology into real business outcomes.
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Daniel Barbu
Sr. Director of EMEA Security
Within my professional approach, you'll discover a harmonious blend of Adobe's fundamental values — Create the Future, Own the Outcome, Be Genuine, and Raise the Bar — seamlessly interwoven with my deeply cherished personal principles. Committed to the vision of "writing the security story through genuine engagement," I prioritize being a good human being, placing family at the forefront, embodying integrity, embracing diligence, and fostering continuous learning and growth.
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Alex Mcleman
Strategic Solutions Architect
Alex McLeman is a Strategic Solutions Architect at Alibaba Cloud in London, with more than nine years of expertise in cloud computing and AI. He is passionate about building strategic relationships and applying technologies like Generative AI to accelerate and scale business innovation. As a trusted advisor, Alex focuses on delivering unique, impactful customer experiences through strong partnerships and bespoke solutions.
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Yassir Idsougou
AI Applications Principal Leader
Yassir is the AI Applications Principal Leader at Oracle, bringing extensive expertise in leading AI projects for major international companies across global markets including Paris, London, Singapore and Dubai. His expertise covers a range of industries such as Insurance, Banking, Retail, E-commerce, Telecom, Media, Real Estate & Construction. Yassir currently leads AI initiatives within Oracle Applications across the ECEMEA region. He partners with clients to align cutting-edge AI, Data & Cloud applications with their strategic digital transformation. His responsibilities encompass the full innovation lifecycle, from solution design and development to deployment and value realization, in close collaboration with both clients and strategic partners. In addition to his leadership role, Yassir regularly represents Oracle as a Speaker at industry events and executive roundtables focused on AI, Apps and Digital Transformation.
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Bart Veenman
Lead AI Services
Bart Veenman is Lead AI Services at KPMG Netherlands, where he spearheads the development and implementation of enterprise AI transformation strategies across multiple industries. With over 15 years of experience bridging management, technology, and innovation, Bart guides global organizations through their AI journeys, from strategy formulation to scaled deployment of agentic workflows. As a recognized thought leader in responsible AI adoption, Bart combines deep technical expertise with practical business acumen to help enterprises unlock AI’s transformative potential while maintaining human-centered values. His work spans Fortune 500 companies and private equity firms, focusing on creating intelligent enterprises that leverage autonomous agents to achieve unprecedented operational efficiency and innovation. Bart holds dual Master’s degrees in Business Administration and Communications from the University of Amsterdam and is a frequent keynote speaker on AI transformation.
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Philipp Gamauf
Deputy CEO, Chief Financial Officer
Philipp Gamauf is Chief Financial Officer of ING Bank Romania and a member of the local Executive Committee. With more than 20 years of banking and finance experience, he combines senior financial leadership with a strong focus on digital transformation, innovation and data-driven decision-making. At ING Romania, he has been involved in technology and AI initiatives, with a particular focus on turning innovation into measurable business value while balancing it with the governance and risk requirements of a regulated financial institution.
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Ken Parkinson
Head of Strategic Accounts
Enterprise transformation leader helping global organisations adopt cloud, GenAI and agentic AI while modernising workforces. Ken currently works for Amazon Web Services as Head of Strategic Accounts, and has previously held senior executive roles at Accenture and Amdocs.
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Mohammed Benzakour
Principal Customer Success Manager
With over a decade of experience with LinkedIn, Microsoft, and Deloitte, across Europe, the MENA region, and beyond, Mohammed Benzakour has been helping organizations embrace technology while keeping people at the center. At LinkedIn, he acts as a Regional AI Champion for MENA and partners with Governments, Academia, and Enterprises to accelerate AI adoption, reimagine hiring workflows, and reskill workforces at scale. Renowned for blending strategic vision with hands-on execution, Mohammed has led high-impact initiatives such as AI Retreats, Talent Roundtables,, empowering organizations to unlock value while preparing for jobs that don’t yet exist. Energetic, engaging, and deeply insightful, he brings complex ideas to life with clarity — inspiring leaders to embrace innovation, rethink possibilities, and shape the future of work with purpose.
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Bogdan Clipici
Country Manager
Bogdan Clipici is the Country Manager for Bolt Business Romania and a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree (2022), recognized for driving high-velocity growth in B2B scaleups. With over 5 years of experience in building and leading high-performance teams, Bogdan blends strategic insight with operational execution to deliver business outcomes. He co-founded a startup that raised €2.5M across three funding rounds, reaching a valuation of €15.7M, and has deep expertise in go-to-market strategy, sales leadership, and data-driven decision-making. Passionate about the intersection of AI and business strategy, Bogdan leverages KPIs and financial metrics to scale operations efficiently and sustainably.
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Adrian Boruz
Sr. Global HR Product Portfolio Manager & Coach
Chartered Fellow of CIPD, certified coach and digital transformation leader with 20 years of experience in HR. Led 30 HR digital transformations across the full employee lifecycle resulting in multi-million euros in savings and enhancing how organizations attract, develop, engage, and reward employees.
Partnered with Directors as well as Heads of Functions and their teams to identify and prioritise opportunities and moments that matter, as well as to design for improved employee experience.
Partnered with HR Technology leaders such as SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle, Workday, Eightfold, Cornerstone, Ceridian, Beqom.
Frequent speaker on the topics of HR and digital transformations at leading industry events in UK and Europe.
HRD awards (Vodafone and Sodexo).
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Alexandru Vilcu
Data Solutions and Compute Country Lead
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Alexandru Vilcu is an experienced professional in sales strategy and business development, focused on driving profitable revenue growth for enterprise products and services across Central Europe. He has a proven track record of expanding customer portfolios in new markets and positioning complex solutions to meet diverse business needs.
With expertise across industries such as Telco, SMB, Banking, and the Public Sector, Alexandru collaborates with key accounts to design and deliver critical high-end solutions tailored to specific requirements. He specializes in sales, marketing, enterprise architecture, and branding, while managing revenue, profit, and service achievements in regional storage business.
Known for his ability to motivate teams and foster collaboration, Alexandru prioritizes customer-centricity and ethical practices in his work with clients and partners. His approachable leadership style and commitment to building trust have helped him create impactful strategies and drive sustainable growth.
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Bahadir Yilmaz
Chief Data & Analytics Officer
Bahadir joined ING Turkey in 2012 as a Process Excellence Consultant, contributing to digital transformation initiatives across the bank. Driven by a passion for data-led innovation, he moved to ING Analytics in 2018 and established the Intelligent Operations Centre of Expertise, applying advanced analytics to operational challenges and delivering measurable business value. In 2021, he became Global Head of Tooling and Analytics for Retail COO, where he led the development of Digi-Index and Digi60—strategic tools supporting ING’s ambition to provide seamless, digitally enabled customer experiences. Since July 2023, Bahadir has led ING’s global analytics organisation as Chief Analytics Officer. He shapes a value-driven analytics strategy across business domains and countries, embedding data and AI into decision-making. His focus is on scaling advanced analytics and generative AI responsibly, supported by strong governance, innovation and talent development.
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Andrei Perețianu
Regional Sales Manager
Andrei Perețianu is a seasoned cybersecurity business leader who works for Palo Alto Networks across Romania and Moldova. With a career spanning over 17 years, Andrei has built a deep expertise in high-level technology strategy, holding key roles at some of the world’s most influential US tech giants, including Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Fortinet. He is driven by a strong passion for cutting-edge technologies that progress the societies forward, placing him at the critical intersection of innovation and cyber protection. Andrei will provide at AI Expo Europe insights on how the explosion of AI dramatically changes the threat landscape ,but also the ability to defend against these treats in real time.
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Silviu Sofronie
Director Adversary Intelligence
Silviu Sofronie is a cybersecurity professional at Bitdefender with over a decade of experience defending organizations against real-world attacks. He operates at the intersection of offensive security and large-scale defense, drawing on hands-on experience in incident response and threat hunting across enterprise environments. Silviu's current focus is the collision between AI and the threat landscape: how attackers use AI to scale and sharpen their operations, and how AI agents themselves become a new attack surface. He works on understanding how real-world adversaries think and move, then applying that insight to harden defenses for enterprises, critical infrastructure, and the AI systems they increasingly depend on.
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Luminita Buceanu
Senior Enterprise Account Manager
Luminița Buceanu is a Senior Enterprise Account Manager at Check Point Software Technologies, covering the Romanian market. With 18+ years of enterprise B2B sales experience across Vodafone, Aruba Networks, HPE, and Check Point, she has worked with large organizations on cybersecurity, digital transformation, and the adoption of critical enterprise technologies. She is a recurring speaker at IT events in Romania, bringing the practical perspective of a security vendor that sees daily how AI is reshaping both attacks and defense.
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Tudor Galos
Consultant
Tudor is the Senior Privacy & AI Consultant at Tudor Galos Consulting, a cutting-edge boutique consultancy renowned for its forward-thinking, human-centric approach to innovation and digital transformation. With over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, and management consulting, Tudor brings a wealth of expertise in privacy, AI governance, and data-driven strategy. He specializes in helping organizations navigate the complex landscape of data protection, ensuring compliance with global privacy regulations while unlocking the full potential of AI technologies. Tudor is a trusted advisor to over 250 companies globally, guiding them through critical decisions that shape their digital futures. His strategic support spans the implementation of robust AI governance frameworks, enabling businesses to mitigate risks, enhance ethical decision-making, and drive AI innovation with confidence.
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Sebastian Cochinescu
Founder and CEO
Sebastian Cochinescu is an entrepreneur, educator and angel investor with more than 25 years in technology and business. He built his first chatbot in 1992 and in 2024 founded Anima Felix, an app for anxious moments. He has published research on perceived AGI and blockchain. In 2019 the blockchain traceability platform he founded was used at NATO's Vigorous Warrior exercise, and in 2018 he received the Honour Emblem of the Romanian Army High Command. He has held leadership roles at Hubert Burda Media, TailPath and Avandor, is Vice President of TechAngels Romania, and hosts the podcast "Connecting the Dots".
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Victor Negrescu
Vice President
Victor Negrescu is Vice-President of the European Parliament, member of the EP Delegation for relations with the United States, and Committees on Budget, Public Health, Legal Affairs. He is currently at his third mandate as a Member of the European Parliament. As Vice-President, Mr Negrescu is in charge of transparency and the fight against corruption and, among his several responsibilities, he also oversees the Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) and the European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS). Since his first election to the European Parliament in 2014, Mr Negrescu has held several key positions, including Quaestor of the European Parliament, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education (2020-2024), EP rapporteur on the EU's annual budgets and chief negotiator of the European Parliament for the 2025 EU budget.
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Sabin Sărmaș
Consultant
Sabin Sărmaș is a digital transformation strategist and technology leader with over 10 years of experience across both public and private sectors. He has held prominent roles including President of Romania’s Authority for Digitalisation, Chair of the IT&C Committee in the Romanian Parliament, and President of the 2022 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-22), one of the most important events in global telecommunications policy. He combines technical expertise with strategic and business acumen, having worked as a founder, CEO, and consultant for private tech companies, and as an executive in national digitalisation programmes. In 2025, he also founded a start-up in the green energy sector, focused on developing innovative solutions at the intersection of data analytics, AI, and electrical engineering.
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Pavel Popescu
Vicepresident
Pavel Popescu currently serves as Vice President/Deputy Minister of the National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) in Romania, appointed by the Romanian Parliament on October 10, 2023, for a six-year term. In this role, he oversees the regulation of telecommunications, the electronic communications market, postal services, Digital Services Act compliance, and space cooperation, bringing a strategic vision to Romania`s communications sector. A former Chairman of the Defense and National Security Committee, Mr. Popescu served two terms as a Member of Parliament while also holding a Vice President position within the National Liberal Party (PNL). Throughout his tenure, he played a pivotal role in shaping Romania`s 5G, cybersecurity, and foreign direct investment (FDI) legislation, which now stand as international benchmarks for regulatory effectiveness in these critical areas. He was the principal political force be
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Rolf Schaub
CEO
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Rolf Schaub is a multi-award-winning Swiss digital pioneer, recognized three times as a "Digital Shaper" of the Swiss tech industry. With a unique interdisciplinary background in both computer science and psychology, he deeply understands the intersection of human behavior and technological innovation. For over a decade, Rolf successfully led the renowned non-profit "ICT Scouts," focusing on discovering and fostering human tech talents. Today, as the CEO of Rhino digital services and the driving force behind the Alpanor initiative, his mission has evolved: He now focuses on discovering and deploying "artificial talents." Rolf is convinced that true innovation requires a foundation of absolute trust. At the AI EXPO 2026, he will demonstrate how companies in highly regulated sectors (like law and finance) can unleash the full potential of autonomous AI agents without compromising data security—bringing the reliability of a "Swiss Fortress" to the digital age.
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George Tuță
Mayor
George-Cristian Tuță has been serving as the Mayor of District 1 in Bucharest since 2024. An economist by training, he has more than 18 years of experience in public administration, having worked in key national and European institutions, including the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Development, the Romanian Parliament, the European Parliament, and the Romanian Intelligence Service. Between 2020 and 2024, he served as a Member of Parliament, where he also held the position of Quaestor of the Chamber of Deputies. Within the Chamber of Deputies, he was active on the Committee for European Affairs and the Committee for Industry and Services. His legislative work focused primarily on digitization and artificial intelligence, with an emphasis on the automation of repetitive tasks and the impact on both the private and public sectors. In 2023, he founded the Special Commission on Automation and the Future of Work within the Chamber of Deputies, which he chaired.
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Ciprian Ciucu
Mayor
Ciprian Ciucu is the Mayor of Sector 6, Bucharest, known for his focus on modern urban management, transparency, and European development standards. With a background in public policy and governance, he has extensive experience in public administration, having previously served as a member of the Bucharest City Council and as Romania’s representative to the European Committee of the Regions. Under his leadership, Sector 6 has become a model of urban regeneration, digitalization, and efficient use of EU funds.
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Sorin Stanica
Crime Prevention Expert, President of PreveHub Association
As Head of the Crime Prevention Office within the Crime Research and Prevention Institute of the Romanian Police, he organizes, monitors and coordinates the implementation of short, medium and long-term crime prevention programs/projects/campaigns. He also establishes and maintains strong partnerships, collaborating with internal and external partners on thematic issues. He represents the Romanian Police at relevant national, regional, and international events focused on crime prevention. Additionally, he serves as one of Romania's National Representatives within the European Crime Prevention Network (EUCPN).
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Dragoș Vlad
President
Dragoș Cristian Vlad is the President of the Authority for the Digitalization of Romania (ADR), the public institution leading Romania’s digital transformation agenda. With over 15 years of experience in public administration and digital policy, he coordinates national initiatives on eGovernment, interoperability, digital identity, and the use of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and cloud computing in the public sector. Under his leadership, ADR implements flagship programs including the Government Cloud, ROeID (Romania’s digital identity system), and the AI governance framework. He actively represents Romania in European digital policy dialogues, promoting trust, cybersecurity, and the responsible use of AI across public services.
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Andrei Baciu
Deputy
Andrei Baciu is a Member of the Romanian Parliament and Vice President of the Committee on Defense, Public Order and National Security. With a strong background in public policy and administration, he has previously held several leadership positions, including Secretary of State and President of the National Health Insurance House. He is a vocal advocate for the digital transformation of public administration and for the adoption of emerging technologies, firmly believing that digitalization is key to modernizing the state and improving public services. Deeply interested in the impact of artificial intelligence on governance, legislation, and society, he supports a strategic and balanced integration of AI into public policy. At AI Europe Expo, Andrei Baciu brings the perspective of a policymaker committed to fostering dialogue between technology and the state, and to building a legislative framework that unlocks AI’s potential for the benefit of citizens.
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Radu Stanescu
Romania Governing Board Member
Radu Stănescu serves on the Governing Board of the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC), representing Romania in shaping Europe’s cybersecurity and AI resilience strategy. With over 20 years of experience in cybersecurity, critical infrastructure protection, and risk-based vulnerability management, he works at the intersection of defence innovation and emerging technologies. His current focus is on advancing Europe’s strategic autonomy in AI-driven cybersecurity, promoting trusted, explainable, and secure AI applications for defence and national security.
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Mircea Scheau
President
Mircea Constantin Șcheau is Ph.D. in Public Order and National Security, focusing on Economics and Security, particularly Cybercrime and Financial Transactions. Mircea Scheau is author or co-author of three volumes, one of which ‒ Cybercrime Regarding Financial Transfers ‒ received the “Victor Slăvescu” Prize awarded by the Romanian Academy, and of over fifty articles related to management, law enforcement, critical infrastructures, information technology, artificial intelligence, defense and cybersecurity. MIrcea Scheau has served as Lecturer in numerous international conferences and is Honorary Associate Researcher at the University of Craiova, the Maritime University of Constanța, at Danubius University of Galati and is Member, inter alia, of the European Research Institute at Babeș-Bolyai ”University
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Alex Balint
CTO & Co-founder
Alex Balint, CTO of Outcome1.ai, brings experience from global technology companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Stripe, with expertise in building AI products and infrastructure at an international scale. In 2006, Alex founded Vitriana Software, a startup operating in fintech, cybersecurity, enterprise SaaS, and retail automation. He later led Microsoft’s global team responsible for the core infrastructure supporting Microsoft 365 and Sovereign Cloud, while contributing to the expansion of the company’s Bucharest hub. He then joined Amazon, where he coordinated the international expansion of the Just Walk Out retail technology, before leading the development of Stripe’s engineering team in Romania, delivering projects for markets across APAC, EMEA, and North America.
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Cristian Onetiu
Entrepreneur Forbes Top 500, ScaleUp Business Mentor, Accredited Investor, Best selling author
Other info: ◦ The founder of Life Care, one of the the largest direct sales company in Central and Eastern Europe, with a cumulative turnover of over 120 Mil $, with over 50,000 independent distributors in over 20 countries. ◦ Investor in the Shark Tank franchise TV show for South East Europe “Imperiul Leilor - sezon 1” ◦ Senator at World Business Angels Forum. ◦ BOARD adviser & Business mentor for more than 1.000 entrepreneurs in online mentorship programs dedicated to ScaleUp companies ◦ Voted by entrepreneurs in “ StartUp Monitor 2019 edition ” as “the most influential Romanian entrepreneur”. ◦ Author of the best-selling book "Start in Entrepreneurship” & “How I’ve changed my life in 4 days” ◦ Creator of Business boardgame “startUp RACE”
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Alberto Ureña
Co-Founder & CEO
Ex-Amazon Web Services security leader, seasoned in cloud, enterprise cybersecurity, and AI/ML. At AWS, served as Principal Architect across EMEA and North America, leading major cloud transformations and advising top financial institutions. Previous senior roles at BBVA and Siemens driving transformative programs in security, software, and innovation. Currently co-founder of Secrails, building the next generation of cloud security.
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Florina Onetiu
Managing Partner
Florina Onetiu is a serial entrepreneur and marketing expert with 20 years' experience. She co-founded BRILU, a MarTech SaaS using AI for engagement and conversions. Previously a partner at Life Care, she led marketing and innovation, later founding and exiting the "Happiness Center" wellbeing network. As a consultant she’s worked with over 50 entrepreneurs. Florina studied at Oxford, Frankfurt Business School, and is pursuing a PHD in Health Tech. She champions women's and youth education.
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Dana Vasilescu
President
The career GPS for the next generation. After nearly three decades in education, Dana Vasilescu has taught thousands, but she’s especially passionate about helping teens figure out what they want to do and why, as she felt the weight of such decisions on her own shoulders. She’s the mind behind MyWaY – Build Your Future, a hands-on career guidance program where students test-drive their dream jobs before picking a path. Her approach is focused on real people, real stories, real experiences. She firmly believes that choosing a future shouldn’t feel like guessing on a multiple-choice test.
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Robot G-1
Humanoid Robot
The first humanoid robot fully programable with AI delivers the possibility of development as
service, social or assistance robot packed in a hardware with 43 motors, vision camera, force
sensors in hands and 7km/hour speed.
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Adrian Posteuca
Creative Technologist and Future Tech Speaker
He has a 14-year background in visual communications and 6 years o immersive technologies.
Over the past years, he builds immersive experiences for National and International brands using cutting edge technologies as Augmented and Virtual reality, Holograms, IoT and AI.
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Alexandru Constantinescu
CEO
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Cristian Bacanu
Senior Counsel
Cristian Băcanu is a senior counsel in the CMS Litigation & Arbitration team. With extensive experience in both the public and private sectors, Cristian brings a strong background in commercial litigation, legislative development, international cooperation and defence sector related work. Cristian began his legal career at CMS in Bucharest in the Commercial Litigation department. He later advanced his practice with a focus on civil, administrative, and commercial litigation, insolvency, and dispute resolution, before transitioning to public service. Cristian has also held high-level public sector roles, including Secretary of State in the Romanian Ministry of Justice, where he coordinated strategic departments and represented the Romanian Government before the European Court of Justice. Cristian also served as a Member of the Romanian Parliament 2020 - 2024), where he contributed to key legislative initiatives on human trafficking, rule of law, and telecom regulation.
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Luca Dejan
Partner
Luca Dejan, founder and key partner of VD Law Group, has a strong background in fintech, corporate, and real estate law and is an expert at negotiating complex private investments, financing, and business transactions. His background also includes complex dispute resolution, where he demonstrated outstanding strategic expertise by successfully navigating high-stakes litigation in areas like public procurement, medical malpractice, and FIDIC agreements. Renowned for being an innovator, Luca has proven to be highly skilled at embracing and navigating the worlds of fintech, blockchain, and cryptocurrency projects. His deep knowledge of these fast-moving fields is influencing not only the strategic direction of VD Law Group but also the legal landscape at large, placing the company at the forefront of technological advancement. Well-known for her innovative legal solutions, Luca Dejan acts as a C-suite senior consultant for large corporations and investment funds. Luca has proven himself as a key competitor in notable projects by combining innovative legal techniques with perceptive business expertise. His steady contributions deliver outstanding results, establishing his reputation as a strategic leader in the legal industry.
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Sergiu T. Vasilescu
Managing Partner
Sergiu Vasilescu (Managing Partner VD Law Group) Sergiu T. Vasilescu, Founder and Managing Partner of VD LawGroup, is a prominent figure in the IT&C legal environment, specializing in technology, fintech, e-commerce, digital media, blockchain, and cryptocurrencies. Sergiu has earned individual distinction, being qualified as a Band 1 Lawyer in Fintech by Chambers and Partners, which is the most prestigious entity in the legal industry. Known for his entrepreneurial mindset and strategic foresight, Sergiu excels in navigating the complexities of these rapidly evolving sectors. With a keen eye for cross-disciplinary challenges in the tech world, Sergiu brings exceptional skills to anticipate regulatory and technical issues. His expertise extends to hands-on involvement in groundbreaking M&A and international transactions, where his insights into legal intricacies play a crucial role. Sergiu is at the forefront of innovation, handling complex projects involving blockchain, crypto, corporate strategies, data privacy and technology partnerships. His proficiency includes clarifying regulatory landscapes for technology supply, licensing, and implementation, ensuring clients remain ahead in the competitive digital market. Recognized as a sought-after speaker at tech and fintech events and serving as a mentor for fintech hackathons, Sergiu is a respected authority in the industry. His dedication to technology law is a mission to furnish businesses with cutting-edge legal solutions tailored for the digital age. Motivated to solve the 'e-problems' of tomorrow, Sergiu is not just leading VD Law Group; he's actively shaping the future of legal services in the digital world.
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Bogdan Rotaru
Partner
Bogdan, a Partner at the VD Law Group, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the firm.
With a background rooted in Dispute Resolution and Corporate - M&A, Bogdan has established a broad spectrum of expertise that extends to the fields of blockchain, FinTech, Intellectual Property, and data privacy.
He was educated at the University of Bucharest Law School and honed his skills as an attorney-at-law at one of Romania's leading law firms. In addition to his private practice, Bogdan has also gained invaluable insights through his in-house legal work for a worldwide corporation.
As part of his ongoing professional development, Bogdan has made significant contributions to the legal industry through the publication of articles on various subjects such as energy and oil law, medical law, insolvency and data protection.
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Ana Maria Buta
Lawyer
Ana-Maria is an Associate at VD Law Group and assists clients in a wide range of matters such as blockchain, cryptocurrency, private investments and new emerging technologies. Her work includes dealing with complex legal aspects of blockchain, metaverse and new emerging technologies businesses from start-up phase to international expansion. Ana-Maria is passionate about resolving legal issues of innovative projects in the new emerging technologies market. Ana-Maria has a creative and solution-oriented approach and believes that, with passion and determination, everything is achievable.
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Madalina Badescu
Tax Director
With extensive experience in integrated tax consulting and strategic coordination of the Tax & Advisory division, Mădălina Bădescu is Tax Director within the JASILL Group, with a solid professional experience of over 14 years. Her professional career began in 2012 within one of the most prestigious law firms in Romania, and since then she has constantly evolved in the area of tax consulting and strategic coordination. Throughout her career, Mădălina has become a generalist tax consultant, providing assistance in tax inspections and litigation, coordinating complex due diligence and M&A structuring projects, managing VAT refund processes at national and international level and delivering daily tax consulting for both companies and individuals. At the same time, she is actively involved in providing specialized trainings, adapted to the needs of clients.
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Lucian Botea
Ph.D. Lecturer
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Lucian Botea is an experienced Lecturer with a demonstrated history of working in higher education and a remarkable commitment for academic excellence. Skilled in Economics, International Financial Transactions, Intercultural Communication, Analytical Skills, Education Internationalization, Digitalization, Sustainability, Entrepreneurship, and Business Acceleration. Strong professional education acquired through a Post Ph.D. focused in World Economy and Finance from Romanian Academy, a Ph.D. focused on International Financial Transactions and a Ms. in International Business. Proud alumni of the Romanian-American University bachelor and master programs, he dedicated himself to teaching since 2003 and to academic service since 2005. With a high-level education and becoming part of the academic community, he has progressed in his career, accumulating managerial experience in positions like MBA Program Coordinator, Vice-Dean, Dean and currently VP for partnership development and digital transformation at the Romanian-American University. Lucian Botea has a significant role in promoting new educational trends and topics such as Blockchain and Crypto topics, which are extremly important for the future generations proactiveness. Moreover, he aims to raise awareness about the importance of hot and visionary topics within the academic environment and networking events.
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Radu Ionescu
Prof Dr
Radu Tudor Ionescu is Professor at the University of Bucharest (Romania) and Co-founder at SecurifAI. He completed his PhD at the University of Bucharest in 2013. His research interests include machine learning, computer vision, image processing, medical imaging, computational linguistics and text mining. He published over 140 articles at international peer-review conferences and journals, including CVPR, NeurIPS, ACL, TPAMI and IJCV.
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Felix Crisan
Co-Founder
Felix is currently the Co-founder and CTO of Netopia, the largest electronic payments processor in Romania, and the Co-founder of BTKO.in, Romania’s first crypto-currency exchange and crypto-payments platform, operational since 2013.
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Andrei Petreanu
Co-Founder
Been doing AI since 2012, went through all developmental phases of the modern stack, from convolutional to transformers, hardware optimisation to large scale deployments, services to products. My tech raised more than 40M$ for my clients. I'm most proud of building a team that delivers, consistently, having build an AI used by millions of people across the world, daily, and now automating workflows for business like yours.
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Alexandra Cernian
Associate Professor
Associate Professor @University Politehnica of Bucharest, Bio: I'm Alexandra, associate professor, innovation consultant and AI expert.
I am associate professor at the Faculty of Automatic Control and Computer Science (Polytechnic University of Bucharest) since 2007 and I received my PhD diploma in Systems Engineering in 2011. My teaching and research domains are: Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Software Engineering and Data Mining.
As a trainer and consultant, I have 10 years experience in delivering courses in national and multinational B2B and B2C companies, delivering training and consulting functional and soft skills programs. I collaborated with over 50 national and multinational companies, and delivered more than 350 training and consulting sessions.
Most of all I love to interact with people and motivate them to learn continuously. It's a lifestyle!
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Cornel Catana
CEO
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Mireille Radoi
General Director
Since 2010, Dr. Mireille Rădoi has been General Director of the “Carol I” Central University Library (www.bcub.ro), Romania’s leading academic library and a hub for digital innovation. The first woman to hold this role since 1891, she advances the intersection of culture and technology, most notably through LIB2LIFE, a project reviving libraries and cultural heritage via AI-driven solutions. Beyond academia, she served as Director of Romania’s CERT-RO, advisor to the Ministry of Communications, and national representative to ENISA. Currently professor at the Bucharest University of Economic Studies and author of 60+ publications, she is a frequent keynote speaker at IFLA, ISA, and UNESCO. Her expertise spans AI, knowledge management, intercultural communication, cyber policy, and strategic decision-making, with a mission to bridge humanistic knowledge, AI, and advanced technologies for the digital future.
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Daniel Coman
Journalist
I am a news anchor at Euronews Romania, where I host 3 of the major news programs and two economic shows — “Bani de luat” and “Economia.EU”. With almost fifteen years of experience in journalism, I am specialised in explaining complex economic and social issues in an accessible way, helping audiences understand how global trends impact everyday life. Before joining Euronews, I worked for Romania’s National Television (TVR) and Antena 1 as an economic journalist and anchor. I am also a graduate of the European Journalism Fellowships program and an active volunteer in the “Există un Erou” first-aid initiative.
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Alex Ion
CMO
"All things" marketing, strategy, go-to-market. Focus on tech, innovation, B2B, EU/global.