Minister of Research, Innovation, and Digitalization Bogdan-Gruia IVAN, the Minister of Research, Innovation, and Digitalization, is the youngest minister in the Romanian Government. Minister Ivan was elected as a deputy in 2020 and served as the Vice President of the Committee for Information Technology and Communications in the Chamber of Deputies. He was also a member of the parliamentary committees for Public Administration and for Automation and the Future of Work. Minister Ivan was a co-initiator of the laws that laid the foundation for Romania's digital transformation, the most important being the Interoperability Law for public sector databases.

Shehram Jamal has over 20+ years of product management experience with NVIDIA , Broadcom, Cisco, Nokia, and several start-ups, working in the US and internationally throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and Middle East.Currently he’s a Sr director product management Gen AI at NVIDIA .He has an MBA from Duke University and bachelor’s in software engineering. Shehram loves music, traveling and is an avid squash player.

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. Previously, Patrick practiced law at several firms before moving to Siemens AG | Siemens IT Solutions and Services, where he managed contract operations for Germany's largest region and international strategic projects, which was eventually taken over by Atos. His later positions at Citrix, NTT DATA, and LogMeIn (now GoTo) involved transforming legal departments to support business growth, enhance profitability, and minimize risks. Patrick holds degrees from the universities of Bochum and Muenster in Germany. He also spent a year in Brussels, Belgium with Beiten Burkhardt (now ADVANT Beiten), a significant international law firm, during his clerkship at the Supreme Court of Duesseldorf, Germany. He was officially admitted to the bar in 2006.

Farah Deendar is a seasoned technology leader and entrepreneur with extensive industry experience in pre-sales, consulting, and services at Microsoft. In her most recent role as AI Sales Director, Global Black Belt, Farah works closely with Microsoft’s strategic customers on their Azure AI transformation. Farah holds an undergraduate degree in Electronics and Computer Science Engineering, MBA in Finance and Strategic Leadership. Outside of her professional career, Farah enjoys being present with creative arts, writing and prioritizing overall wellness.

Dr. Heather Domin is Global Leader, Responsible AI Initiatives, IBM Office of Privacy & Responsible Technology. She has been instrumental in developing and executing foundational practices in AI ethics and governance, including building IBM's Ethics by Design program and its Algorithmic Impact Assessment. As Associate Director of the Notre Dame - IBM Tеch Ethics Lab, she has shaped a robust industry-academic ecosystem and delivered novel research in areas such as AI risk and return on investment. As a World Economic Forum Fellow, she has provided executive and research leadership on research centered on generative AI. She has been named one of the 10 Best Leaders of the AI Age, Shaping a New Technological Era - 2024 by CIO Look. Dr. Domin holds a Ph.D. in Business Analytics and Data Science and has accrued several professional certifications in traditional and agile project management (PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM). She has provided leadership and made contributions to working groups such as the US AI Safety Institute Consortium Working Group, World Economic Forum AI Governance Alliance Responsible Applications and Transformation Working Group, Data & Trust Alliance User Group for the Algorithmic Bias Safeguard for Workforce, NIST Generative AI Public Working Group, Ohio State University Program on Data and Governance's Expert Group on Responsible AI Management, and various IBM Open Innovation Community initiatives. She has also served as a subject matter expert to help craft the IAPP AI Governance Professional Body of Knowledge and its associated certification exam. She serves on the IAPP Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional (AIGP) Exam Development Board. Deeply committed to advancing responsible technology, Dr. Domin writes and speaks about the topic across a diverse array of platforms and venues.

Jean-François is passionate about driving digital transformation for businesses. In his role as a Digital Account Executive at Salesforce, he specializes in leveraging technology and artificial intelligence to help top-tier clients create seamless, personalized customer experiences across all channels. With a keen understanding of digital marketing and e-commerce trends, he thrives on the dynamic nature of the tech industry and helps businesses leverage AI in an effort to drive automation, personalisation and content creation. Jean-François is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in Learning Management Systems and Workforce Management Systems, allowing him to have developed a unique perspective on the intersection of business and cutting-edge technology.

Anita Luthra is passionate about technology, and has a track record for innovation at JPMorgan Chase, IBM, Cigna, AIG, Lucent / Bell Labs. She has led (hands-on) architect roles on both of Wells Fargo’s Mergers. She has been at JPMorgan Chase for over 7 years, most currently as a VP AI / ML with a past history in multi-cloud, Cybersecurity, Mobile, and Data / Solution Architecture. She is a patent holder. At IBM, she led integration architecture on a First of a Kind (FOAK) Watson integration across 3 clouds. She has been researching Generative AI, hallucinations, and the AI regulatory landscape. She has multiple certifications, a Master of Science degree with a research focus out of the University of North Carolina. She specializes in hybrid / multi-cloud enablement, data architecture, and is an adjunct at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. She taught cybersecurity at the University of North Carolina last year and has spoken at various events.

Mihai is an AI Engineer collaborating with relevant stakeholders and assessing effective pipelines for the implementation of advanced AI models. His experience includes resource profiling in the Neural Processing Unit team for Intel's architectural shift towards a chiplet-based processor, starting the era of the AI PC. He also conducted academic research focused on unstructured data, financial markets perception, complex networks, fundamental big data analysis and the social implications of technology, exploring along a team of MIT and Harvard social sciences specialists the area of Behavioral Demand Response programs across US energy market. Mihai is also cofounder of Xeo NGO, promoting nation wide STEAM actions in both urban & rural area as a continuation of his FIRST Robotics involvement.

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.

Cristian Băcanu is a member of the Romanian Parliament, representing the Bucharest constituency. He is member of the ruling center-right party PNL, part of the current governing coalition in Romania, sitting in the Executive Board of the party. He is the Vicepresident of the Joint Special Committee of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate to combat human trafficking, of the IT Committee and of the Legal Affairs Committee.

For over 30 years, Jim Reavis has worked in cybersecurity industry as an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, technologist and business strategist. Jim’s innovative thinking about emerging trends have been published and presented widely throughout the industry and have influenced many. Jim launched Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) in 2009 and has led its global growth and position as among the most vital cybersecurity communities worldwide. Under Jim’s stewardship, CSA has made tremendous strides in security best practices for cloud, quantum computing, IoT, blockchain, zero trust and now generative AI with CSA’s AI Safety Initiative. Jim received a B.A. in Business Administration / Computer Science from Western Washington University in 1987 and formerly served on WWU’s alumni board. Jim was recognized as a WWU Distinguished Alumnus in 2015. In 2016, Jim was inducted into the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) Hall of Fame

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

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”

The only candidate who can have a conversation with 45000 constituents at the same time and form policies based on what's just been discussed.

He had an extensive business career before Steve created the SmarterUK party and exploded into political work by standing as AI Steve to become the UK's first AI Member of Parliament in Brighton Pavilion. Steve has the unusual distinction of having successful careers within both corporate and entrepreneurial environments. Steve is now “Semi-Retired”, having sold Holiday Taxis Ltd (Jan 2019) and Rock Insurance Ltd in multimillion-pound deals. He, however, continues to invest in startup businesses and has recently launched a range of new companies. Neural River is an AI Incubator that has already launched groundbreaking AI products such as Neural Voice, which allows customers to converse with a voice version of AI engines like ChatGPT and Bard. Eco Electric Car Organisation. A Green consultancy aimed at “Saving the Planet” by encouraging the transition from polluting petrol cars to clear EV equivalents. Travel Solutions Network. A unique homeworking proposition that allows homeworkers to work in a virtual call centre answering third-party travel companies' calls whilst building their own book of direct clients. Often likened to “Cloud Computing” for sales staff where partner travel businesses pay for the resources they need when they need them. Endacott is experienced in moving from a business idea to a prototype build, recruiting management teams and raising funds to drive start-up businesses forward. Steve has built his present entrepreneurial business activities by pulling on 15 years of experience leading traditional package tour operators. Steve’s corporate career involved high-profile directorships in some of the UK’s largest tour operating groups, spanning the financial controller position of International Leisure Group to the Deputy Chief Operating Officer position of MyTravel Plc, running its UK tour operations, Going Places retail chain and online websites. It included directorship over finance, yield management, marketing, contracting, overseas operations, sales and retail operations.

Dr Srikanth Thudumu is a Senior Research Fellow at the Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute (A2I2), specialised in translating AI research into practical, industry-relevant solutions. With a PhD in AI, Dr Thudumu leads a team of interns, HDR (Higher Degree by Research) candidates, research engineers, and software engineers at A2I2. As a Chief Investigator, Dr Thudumu has secured over $1.18 million in funding, including grants from the Department of Defence, Australia, and various industry partners. His collaborations with the Australian Department of Defence and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) have resulted in the development of innovative solutions such as an AI-powered, mind-controlled (using NeuroNode interface) autonomous wheelchair, a context-aware search engine, and an AI platform for merchandise image processing. In particular, Dr Thudumu's expertise and contributions as the research project lead have garnered national and international media attention, with features in outlets such as CSIRO, The Hindu, The Times of India, ITWire, and Yahoo Noticias. Dr Thudumu's research interests include Anomaly Detection, Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL), Object Tracking, ML Operationalisation, and ML Model Reduction & Compression Strategies. These interests are geared towards solving real-world challenges faced by businesses and organisations. Dr Thudumu has published his research in prestigious journals and presented at leading conferences, ensuring his findings reach both academic and industry audiences. In addition to his research, Dr Thudumu contributes to the AI community as an associate editor, review editor, and reviewer for journals such as ACM Transactions on Computing for Healthcare, ACM Transactions on Information Systems, ACM Transactions on Knowledge Discovery from Data (TKDD), Frontiers in Cloud Computing, Frontiers in the Internet of Things, Journal of Big Data, Journal of Systems and Software, Nature Scientific Reports, and IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics. He also serves as a program committee member and reviewer for conferences, including IEEE Cloud, IEEE Consumer Communications & Networking Conference (CCNC), and IEEE Conference on Mobile Data Management (MDM). Dr Thudumu's other achievements include being the recipient of the Rising Star Award for exemplary teaching at RMIT University, Australia, and the Outstanding Teaching Award at Southern Cross University, Australia.

George Roth is the CTO of Recognos Inc., US based company with the development office in Cluj, Romania. He worked at UiPath between 2018 and July 2024, served as the AI and Document Understanding Evangelist at UiPath. (www.uipath.com) Originating from Cluj, Romania, he now lives in Los Gatos, CA, a Silicon Valley town. In May 2018, he joined UiPath when his company’s Intelligent Document Processing platform was acquired. This platform became the foundation for UiPath's Document Understanding platform. George held the CEO position at Recognos Inc. for 18 years, where he was at the forefront of utilizing NLP and AI in document processing. He returned to Recognos in August 2024. George is an avid supporter of Foundational Models, Generative AI and Trustworthy AI. He helps Themisai.io Boston based company to promote their revolutionary product Capsa in the field of Trustworthy AI. Before his engagement with Recognos and UiPath, he co-founded several companies and worked as a system architect in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has a master’s degree in mathematics and informatics from Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj, Romania. George sits on the advisory boards of several startups, including www.footprints-ai.com and https://www.neurolabs.ai/. He also mentors for Endeavor Romania, viewable at https://endeavor.ro/mentors/. He is the organizer for the Romanian American Business Network Silicon Valley. His active participation extends to organizations such as Alianta.org and the Romanian United Fund, and he serves as the Honorary Consul of Romania in the San Francisco Bay Area. Roth enjoys spending his free time engaged in sports, music, and diplomatic activities, as well as supporting Romanian startups in fundraising and go-to-market (GTM) strategies.

Radu leads ClusterPower's marketing and sales teams. With more than 25 years of experience in communications, marketing and brand consulting, he contributes to the expansion of the company's business internationally and to its positioning as a promoter of new technologies based on artificial intelligence. By deploying high-capacity GPU infrastructure and producing and using green energy in the technology campuses it develops, ClusterPower contributes to the sustainable development and digitization of all industries.

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.

As the Founder and CEO of ZayaAI, Cristian Mogodici stands at the forefront of revolutionizing healthcare through artificial intelligence. With a profound commitment to integrating pathology science with cutting-edge AI technology, Cristian's vision is to develop high-performing software solutions that enhance disease diagnosis and significantly improve patient outcomes. His journey in the tech and healthcare sectors is marked by a relentless pursuit of excellence, focusing on developing new AI models that promise a leap forward in pathology diagnosis accuracy and efficiency. Under his leadership, ZayaAI emerges as a pioneering force in HealthTech, dedicated to advancing AI models in pathology diagnosis and driven by the belief in the power of technology to transform healthcare, making it more accurate, accessible, and patient-centered.

Dr. Utpal Chakraborty is an eminent Data Scientist and Quantum Scientist, and research. With over two decades of experience, he currently serves as the Chief Technology Officer at IntellAI. His contributions have been recognized on several platforms, with accolades such as Gartner Ambassador 2023-24 (AI, Data & Analytics), AI Global Ambassador 2022-23, and Top 20 AI Influencers. He has also been recognized as an AI Champion of India, one of the Top 10 Chief Digital Officers in 2022 and Top 15 Generative AI Experts. Before joining IntellAI, Dr. Chakraborty held important positions at multiple MNCs including Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Infotech, IBM and Capgemini. His past roles include heading the Artificial Intelligence division at YES BANKand serving as the Chief Digital Officer at Allied Digital Services Ltd. In addition to his corporate roles, Dr. Chakraborty is a recognized TEDx speaker and the author of seven best-selling books on Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, Web3 and Metaverse. He regularly shares his expertise at conferences around the world. Having published over 300 technical articles on artificial intelligence and machine learning, and Quantum Computing. Dr. Chakraborty has played a key role in promoting and educating about advanced technologies like AI and Quantum Computing in India. Over the last 15 years, he has given lectures at more than 600 schools, colleges, and universities to increase AI literacy among students and encourage its adoption. His efforts have significantly contributed to the widespread use of AI in Indian industries and start-ups. He has also led the way in demonstrating how AI canbe used to create smarter Fintech solutions, benefitting the economy and promoting sustainable and inclusive finance in India.

Csongor is the founder of Bonsai Labs, an AI product studio that helps organizations develop and implement custom AI solutions. They work with companies across law, healthcare, finance and marketing. Previously he was the technical leader of startups across Europe that raised $30M+ in funding.

CEO and Founder of ADRIAN ANDERSON INVESTMENTS & TRUST HOLDING GROUP ©️®️™️ My holistic approach lets me focus my company's work in many fields. I have a patented approach in AI internal tools to message brain stimulation using virtual reality technology as a dominant player in the market on the projects I collaborate with my clients in health, IT, HR, etc., globally.

Grigorij is an enthusiast of generative AI, working in the field from almost its inception. Creator of Clean Coder - (https://github.com/GregorD1A1/Clean-Coder-AI) multi-agent framework for writing code by AI. Author of TinderGPT, an open-source autonomous AI dating app assistant. He is fascinated by the topic of multi-agent cooperation and uses AI agents to create code for the entire application from scratch. Contributes to Microsoft Autogen framework, which allows orchestrating those agents. He is also interested in open-source LLMs and their application in different fields, including robotics. He works with finetuning of open-source models. Grigorij creates educational content on YouTube about AI development and open-source LLMs.

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.

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.

Flavius Valentin Jakubowicz has over 15 years of experience in financial analysis and consulting, accounting, tax, audit and due diligence processes and as a forensic expert, and in the last four years has become a tax specialist in the world of crypto and blockchain technology. As Managing Partner of JASILL and one of the most experienced Romanian providers of integrated accounting, tax, legal and business consulting services, he coordinated the tax consulting, accounting and reorganisation services teams, as well as multidisciplinary teams with financial, tax and legal experience in due diligence projects. He has also worked on many support services projects in transactions and business planning, in both classical fields and areas in which technology is the main actor. · University: Bucharest University of Economic Studies · Degree type: Tax Advisor · Year graduated: 2013 · Supervisors: Ph.D. c”

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.

Tristan CEO and Founder of the AI Strategy Institute, Lecturer for AI for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Technical University Munich and Faculty Member for GenAI/AI at the Boston Consulting Group. Prior he built up one of the largest startup incubators for AI in Europe and worked as an AI Strategist. Tristan has spoken about AI in parliament and his opinon on AI can be regularly appears in the news. This Ocotber he is launching new course on AI strategy.

Andrei is a seasoned AI engineer and a PhD student with over 200 international citations on his work. He currently serves as the Head of AI at StockRx, where he leads AI initiatives such as document OCR and understanding, demand forecasting, and analytics. His interests extend to AI in healthcare, reinforcement learning, computer vision, industrial AI, and recurrent neural networks, subjects on which he has conducted academic research and presented several peer-reviewed articles at international conferences.
During his PhD, Andrei's research focused primarily on developing AI algorithms for real-world applications, including defect detection, demand forecasting, sales analytics, and price forecasting. A strong advocate for the benefits of AI, Andrei believes that AI will significantly improve our quality of life. In his free time, he enjoys researching financial markets and tries to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Daria Rachuk is a distinguished thought leader in digital marketing, AI, and innovation, currently serving as the Head of Brands and Partnerships at KIT Global. As a sought-after international speaker, Daria shares her deep insights into leveraging AI and digital marketing strategies to drive growth and engagement. Her ability to transform complex technological concepts into practical, actionable strategies has made her a key representative of KIT Global and a respected authority in the field.

Alex Diaconu is an entrepreneur with over 23 years of expertise in technology (AI , DLT), Health (health data, CROs, stem cells), and e-commerce. He is the Co-founder & CEO of AiGIA, Inc, a secure infrastructure for data & decentralized AI. Alex is devoted to empowering individuals to own & unlock the value of their health data, and actively engage in self-care and prevention. He is a visionary thinker, global speaker and a member of the WEF & HIMSS Changemaker in Health 2025 Award Finalist

My deep passion for technology, particularly in the realms of Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI, has set me on a path to building and scaling innovative software products. I leverage this expertise for both startups and Enterprise clients, focusing on AI-driven solutions that push the boundaries of what's possible in tech. As an entrepreneur, I've experienced firsthand the challenges tech founders and business leaders face when integrating cutting edge technology.

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.