Nils researches competitive digital innovation and how organizations are redesigning themselves to realize greater impact from a diverse portfolio of innovation efforts. In 2010, he co-founded with CIONET the annual European CIO of the Year Awards to raise awareness of especially-accomplished digital leaders.

Based in Madrid, Nils is responsible for both fostering relations with organizations from Europe and Latin America and conducting research on how firms maximize business value and minimize risks from digital.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

In November 2017, Erwin Verstraelen became Chief Digital and innovation officer of the Port of Antwerp, a new position in the executive committee. It was a clear indication of the strategic focus the port wants to give to digitalization. Based on previous roles in other companies, he has a strong background in strategic IT thinking and in depth transformation of an organization driven by Information technology. starting from a new business strategy with 5 objectives towards 2020, Erwin created a new IT department with several new competence centers such as ‘data and analytics’, ‘innovation enablement’ and ‘cyber resilience’. Our digital strategy starts from the four roles we fulfil as a port authority: land lord, operator, regulator and community builder.

For the latter role, we focus on enabling innovation for the ecosystem of about 1000 companies in the port. We’ve done so by three targeted initiatives: PortXL (www.portxl.org/be), an accelerator for start-ups focusing on the maritime world. We select and introduce them to the ecosystem. Nxtport (www.nxtport.eu), the data platform that enables the digitalization of the supply chain in an around the port. Finally, the port of Antwerp, the city of Antwerp, the university of Antwerp and IMEC created ‘The Beacon’ (www.thebeacon.eu) an accelerator for Internet of things applications. It brings together researchers, start-ups, scale-ups and established companies around IOT. In the meantime, the Beacon has been recognized by the federal government as also an innovation hub for AI.

Regarding the roles of land lord, operator and regulator, the goal of the digital strategy is to create a digital nervous system across the port. This is very relevant, given the fact that the port area is 120 square kilometers big, being six times the city of Antwerp. So, by leveraging all kinds of (digital) technologies we will be able to create this nervous system, allowing us to have continuous feedback on what is happening in the port. Besides leveraging sensors and the deployment of a LORA network, we are transforming our 500 cameras into smart camera’s, being able to extract data out of video feeds. Next, we see huge potential in deploying drones since they can provide us with a bird eyes view across the port, flying with random patterns several times a day across the port. Finally, Our network of iNoses, sensors that can detect volatile organic components, will give us an early warning of accidental degasification. All these datasets come together in a digital twin, a digital copy of the port providing us with all relevant data to act on an event, the moment it happens.

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.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).