Dr Uroš Svete, Director of the Information Security Administration of the Republic of Slovenia, is an expert in the area of defense, security studies, conflict analysis, and information/cybersecurity. He has extensive experience in lecturing and researching as part of his academic career at the Faculty of Social Studies, University of Ljubljana. At the end of 2018, he became the Director General of the Information Society Directorate at the Ministry of Public Administration, where he successfully led the process of the establishment of the Information Security Administration, which is the national competent authority for cybersecurity. [email protected]
Ivana Boštjančič Pulko works at the Information security administration (ISA) of the Republic of Slovenia as an Undersecretary in Director’s Office. Her main responsibilities are related to international affairs and international organisations, mainly EU, Enisa and others. She previously worked as the Head of Peace and Security programme at the Slovenian government organisation (CEP) affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She holds university degree from political science (international relations). [email protected]
Joze Tomec started working for Ljubljana drinking water company in 2006. He has managed the drinking water supply division since 2011. On the national level he is an active member of the Drinking Water Commission at Chamber of Public Utilities, based in Ljubljana (Slovenia). On the international level he cooperates as a member of EurEau (European Federation of National Associations of Water Services). [email protected]
Danny Lecker is the Head of the Water Security and Emergency Division of the Israeli Water Authority. He has over 20 years of experience on Water and Emergency. Currently, he is responsible for regulation for economic security and emergency issue related to water in Israel. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Administration and Master of Arts in Political Science and Public Administration from Bar-Lan University, Israel. [email protected]
Raanan Adin is a strategic advisor to public and private organizations worldwide in water resource management and water security, in urban and rural watersheds; He consults to entrepreneurs, innovators, investors and funds and is an invited Keynote speaker in water and innovation events. With AH Water Consulting (https://adinholdings.com) he addresses complex water challenges for maximizing efficient use of water and wastewater reuse. He has been Chairman of Israel Water Association (IsWA) since 2018. Raanan graduated from the prestigious IDF Talpiot academic program and holds a B.Sc with distinction in physics, mathematics and computer science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In his professional career, he accumulated over 30 years of experience in executive, managerial and technological positions in global hi-tech, defense and environment, including co-authoring seven patents, mentoring students and judging in water innovation competitions. [email protected]
Tamás Belovai is a Flood control management engineer who works at the Hungarian General Directorate of Water Management. He has a civil engineer BSc, and infrastructural civil engineer MSc degree and now is processing in MSc degree in international water policy and water diplomacy. Between 2009 and 2015 he worked as a watershed advisor at the West-Transdanubian Water Directorate and between 2015 and 2016 as a flood control engineer at the Lower-Tisza District Water Directorate. He participates in national flood management development projects and in Transboundary Water Committees. From 2018 he is member of the Working Group on Flood in the EU and in the International Commission for the Protection of Danube Riverbasin Flood workgroup. [email protected]
Jon Albert Fanzun is the Special Envoy for Cyber Foreign and Security Policy at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) of Switzerland. The office of the Special Envoy is responsible for the strategic and operational management and design of Switzerland’s cyber foreign and security policy. It deals with the challenges that developments in the digital world pose for Switzerland’s foreign and security policy. From 2012 to 2018 he was chief of staff of the FDFA (for two Federal Councillors). He also served two years as senior advisor to Federal Councillor Burkhalter at the Federal Department of Home Affairs (2010-2012). Prior to that he worked for FDP The Liberals (as group secretary). From 1997 to 2003 he worked at the Center for Security Studies at the ETH Zurich. He studied international relations and holds a PhD in political science from the University of St. Gallen (HSG). [email protected]
Leonardo De Vizio is a policy officer working on cybersecurity & digital privacy policy at the European Commission (Directorate General Communications Networks, Content and Technology) since 2016. He currently deals with the development and implementation of main cybersecurity policy initiatives, including the Directive on the security of network and information systems (NIS Directive) and the revision of the EU Cybersecurity Strategy. Mr. De Vizio joined the Commission in 2015 to work on consumer protection issues at the Directorate General for Justice and Consumers. Mr. De Vizio holds a Master of Science in Economics and Management of Public Institutions from Bocconi University, a Master in Public Policy from the Hertie School of Governance and a Bachelor in International Relations from LUISS Guido Carli. [email protected]
Sonja Koeppel currently leads the water-team at the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and serves as secretary to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) and co- secretary to the UNECE/WHO - Europe Protocol on Water and Health. She has worked for more than 10 years in the secretariat, for example coordinating the activities on climate change adaptation. Before joining UNECE, she worked at the UNEP in Nairobi and studied environmental sciences, policy and management as well as social sciences. [email protected]
Nena Dokuzov is a Head of Project group for New Economy and Blockchain Technology at the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology in Slovenia. She encouraged and led the preparation of Action plan for Blockchain Technology, a strategic and implementation framework, with the purpose to identify relevant areas for blockchain (vertical and horizontal), and to define regulatory framework and steps necessary for the development of new regulation for Blockchain. Action Plan was adopted by the Government of Slovenia in May 2018. She is also national representative at European Blockchain Partnership. In 2019 she became a Head of Delegation of Slovenia at UNECE and was a member of expert team at UN/CEFACT in the preparation on Whiteparer on Blockchain and practical implications of Blockchain Technology for the achievement of SDGs 2030. She is also a member of OECD BEPAB (Blockchain Expert Policy Advisory Board) and a Vice Chair of Advisory Group for Advanced Technologies at UNECE. [email protected]
Kaja Ciglic, Senior Director, Digital Diplomacy, leads Microsoft’s work on digital peace, focusing on encouraging international peace and stability online. Previously, she worked on the company’s international cybersecurity policy work. Before joining Microsoft, she led the APCO Worldwide’s technology practice in Seattle, and worked as a director in APCO Worldwide’s Brussels office. She holds a BSC in international relations and history, and a MSC in European politics, both from the London School of Economics. [email protected]
Tadej Slapnik is CEO at HashNET - Slovenian DLT infrastructure company, blockchain expert at UN/CEFACT and technical expert at European Blockchain Partnership. He is initiator and signatory of Feel the future declaration: Initiative Blockchain Europe, actively involved in promotion, development and smart regulation of blockchain and distributed ledger technology for achieving Sustainable Development Goals. [email protected]
Shaul Rom - Founder & CTO of Reali Technologies is the Founder & CTO of Reali Technologies, an Israeli leader in SCADA and telemetry technologies, providing IoT (Internet of Things) cloud-based Real-time operational and managerial solutions for water, waste water, energy, agriculture & industry. With more than 30 years of track record in industrial control, instrumentation, fieldbus technologies, radio and cellular communication, Mr. Rom's core expertise areas are programmable controllers, HMIs, industrial IT and SCADA. Mr. Rom is an entrepreneur in the area of cloud technology for realtime remote control and monitoring. Under his leadership Reali Technologies designed and developed the cutting edge technology known globally as RealiteQ. Furthermore, Mr. Rom is the Founder and President of Topco Control & Automation, a leading Israeli company operating in industrial automation. Mr. Rom is an Instrumentation & Control Engineer. He teaches in several academic centers and is an invited speaker in telemetry, industrial automation, SCADA and control conferences. Mr. Rom has published numerous articles dealing with SCADA, intelligent water systems, remote control of facilities, telemetry, distributed systems, pressure monitoring and dynamic control, energy efficiency, global water supply management over the internet and more. [email protected]
Dr. Sara Bitan - CEO and Founder of CyCLoak is a world renowned expert in ICS (Industrial Control Systems) and cyber-physical security, and has over 20 years of experience in the Israeli cyber-security industry. She is the CEO and Founder of CyCloak, a leading Israeli Cyber-security consulting firm with unique expertise in SCADA security and secure embedded systems. Previously she was the V.P. research and development of a network security startup, and a security architect at Microsoft. Dr. Bitan is also a senior researcher at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Hiroshi Fujiwara Cyber Security Research Center. Her research interests include security of embedded systems including PLCs, vehicle ECU and trusted execution environments. In one of her recent works, she was part of a team that found a 0-day vulnerability in a secured Siemen PLC. Dr. Bitan holds B.A, M.Sc. and Ph.D degrees from the Faculty of Computer Science in the Technion, Haifa, Israel. [email protected]
Ambassador Gideon Behar is Israel’s Special Envoy fo Climate Change and Sustainability since Dec' 2019. Previously he Headed the Bureau for Africa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel since 2017 and occupied the post of Special Envoy for African Affairs. Between 2011-2016 he was Director of the Department for Combating Antisemitism and Holocaust Remembrance. He served as Israel's Ambassador to Senegal 2006-2011 and as Deputy Director of the Jordan, Syrian and Lebanon Department 2002-2006. Between 2000-2002 he served as Political Counselor at Israel's Embassy in Berlin and as deputy head of mission of Israel's diplomatic office in Tunisia during the years 1996-2000. He currently teaches at the university a course on "The impacts of Climate Change on International Relations", and publishes regularly in the press in the area of climate change and environment. [email protected]
Enrico Formica is serving as Senior Mediation Officer for the Department of Political Affairs at the United Nations Office in Geneva. At the moment, he is providing direct support to a number of UN mediation efforts in Africa and the Middle East. He is also coordinating a number of initiatives that explore the impact of digital technologies on conflict prevention and mediation. Previously, he worked as the Chief of Staff of the UN Special Coordinator Office in Jerusalem where, inter alia, supported international efforts to relaunch the Middle East peace process. He also maintained sensitive contacts in Gaza and Israel to promote understandings on various security and humanitarian issues. He previously served in UN peace operations in Sudan and Guinea Bissau and in the Department of Political Affairs in New York. [email protected]
Dr Kubo Mačák is a Legal Adviser in the ICRC’s Legal Division, assigned jointly to the Arms and Conduct of Hostilities Unit and the Commentaries Unit. Prior to joining the ICRC in October 2019, he worked as an Associate Professor at the University of Exeter in the UK. In that position, Kubo taught and researched in the areas of public international law, international humanitarian law, and international cyber law. He is the author of the book Internationalized Armed Conflicts in International Law (OUP 2018) and of multiple articles in peer-reviewed journals including the International Review of the Red Cross, the Journal of Conflict and Security Law, and the Cambridge International Law Journal. Kubo is also the General Editor of the Cyber Law Toolkit, an interactive online resource on the international law of cyber operations. He holds a doctorate in international law from the University of Oxford (Somerville College), an undergraduate degree in law from Charles University in Prague, and the Diploma of The Hague Academy of International Law. [email protected]
Hichem Khadhraoui is the Director of Operations of Geneva Call, a humanitarian organization promoting better respect for International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights to Armed Non States actors in conflict settings. Before joining Geneva Call, he worked for around 11 years at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) both at field and headquarters level in various senior management and program coordination positions in countries such as Somalia, Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan. He holds a LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights from Western Cape University, South Africa. He completed certificates in Leadership and Management from IMD Business School Lausanne and Columbia Business School, New York. [email protected]
Andraz Kastelic is the lead Cyber Stability researcher, part of the Security and Technology Programme at the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). Prior to joining UNIDIR, Andraz held various research positions in different international organizations and research institutions around the world. Andraz holds a PhD in International Law, MA in Diplomacy and speaks three languages. [email protected]
François Münger, Director Geneva Water Hub, holds Masters degrees in mineralogy and geophysics (Univ. of Lausanne), hydrology (Univ. of Neuchâtel), and environmental engineering (EPFL). His experience spans across a range of different private and public institutions in Switzerland, Africa, Latin America, Central Asia and East Europe. He notably was the Chief of the Central America Water Programme for the Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development (SDC) and Senior Water Specialist at the World Bank. After heading SDC’s Global Water Program for the past eight years, François was awarded the title of Swiss Special Envoy for Water and given responsibility for the creation and development of the Geneva Water Hub. [email protected]
Dr Jovan Kurbalija is the Executive Director of DiploFoundation and Head of the Geneva Internet Platform (GIP). He was a member of the UN Working Group on Internet Governance (2004‒2005), special advisor to the Chairman of the UN Internet Governance Forum (2006‒2010), and a member of the High Level Multistakeholder Committee for NETmundial (2013‒2014). In 2018-2019, he served as co-Executive Director of the Secretariat of the United Nations (UN) High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation. A former diplomat, Jovan has a professional and academic background in international law, diplomacy, and information technology. He has been a pioneer in the field of cyber diplomacy since 1992 when he established the Unit for Information Technology and Diplomacy at the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies in Malta, and later, DiploFoundation. Since 1997, Jovan’s research and articles on cyber diplomacy have shaped research and policy discussion on the impact of the Internet on diplomacy and international relations. His book, An Introduction to Internet Governance, has been translated into 9 languages and is used as a textbook for academic courses worldwide. He lectures on e-diplomacy and Internet governance in academic and training institutions in many countries, including Austria (Diplomatic Academy of Vienna), Belgium (College of Europe), Switzerland (University of St Gallen), Malta (University of Malta), and the United States (University of Southern California). His publishes regular articles on DiploFoundation's blog, and the Huffington Post. [email protected]