Meet our speakers

Alan Thompson

Head of Government Affairs,

Skyrora

Bio

Alan Thompson

Head of Government Affairs, Skrora

Alan Thompson is Head of Government Affairs in Skyrora, supporting the launch vehicle manufacture to achieve its ambition of providing regular access to Space, launching from the UK.

Alan is responsible for managing and engaging with all key stakeholders across industry and Government. This includes Skyrora’s involvement in the Parliamentary Space Committee, industry associations such as ADS UK Space, Space Scotland and others, and direct engagement with all government authorities, including the Space flight regulators – UKSA and CAA, academic stakeholders, and broader industry.

A member of the International Institute of Space Law (IISL) and with a background in international trade and development all give Alan a new perspective to Space industry development in UK, in particular the ambition to challenge the current economic paradigm and the shift that the New Space economy will necessitate.

Enrico Tormena

Space and System Engineer,

ESA Clean Space

Bio

Enrico Tormena

Space and System Engineer, ESA Clean Space

Enrico is a systems engineer in the new ESA Sustainability Engineering section under the Technology directorate, and he is integrated in the ESA Clean Space Office.

He leads preliminary ESA missions design in the CDF (Concurrent Design Facility), provides systems engineering support for in-space transportation projects as well as for LCA and Ecodesign topic in ESA. In particular he leads the EcoStar project and the ESA LCA Handbook update.

Enrico is also involved in expanding the knowledge of space sustainability and tackling the upper-atmospheric impact inclusion in LCA for space systems.

Fionagh Thomson

Senior Research Fellow,

Durham University

Bio

Fionagh Thomson

Senior Research Fellow, Durham University

Fionagh is a visual ethnographer, ecologist, human geographer, philosopher of technology, ethicist – based in the Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy (Durham University in the UK).

She is interested in how knowledge and ideas are created within our everyday world – focusing on what we do rather than what we think we do. She works with video, camera, paper and conversation.

Current interests: Responsible & Sustainable Space (dark skies, dark matter, the darker side of satellites); land rights (terra, water and sky); extension of human senses through technologies, and the mythical rise of robots/AI over humans.

She is a nomadic researcher travelling across disciplines (from forestry to medicine and the arts to astrophysics). Fieldwork locations include the rainforests of Papua New Guinea, the islands of the Scottish Hebrides, the consulting spaces of UK hospitals and mountaintop astronomical observatories.

Matthew Jenkins

Chief Space Systems Officer (CSSO)

& SVP Spacecraft Engineering,

Maxar Technologies

Bio

Matthew Jenkins

Chief Space Systems Officer (CSSO) & SVP Spacecraft Engineering, Maxar Technologies

Matt Jenkins joined Maxar Intelligence as the Chief Space Systems Officer in September 2024. He brings two decades of systems engineering leadership, including extensive experience in serving remote sensing and highly technical government missions.

With extensive technical expertise in passive and active electro-optical and infrared systems, lasers, and radio frequency (RF) systems, he has helped build dozens of advanced spacecraft that are in orbit today.

Prior to joining Maxar Intelligence, Matt was Head of Engineering for Amazon Project Kuiper’s Government Solutions team, where he led the design of advanced and resilient systems to support U.S. national security priorities. Before that, he was the Director of Space Engineering at Pacific Defense Strategies, where he led the development of innovative RF payloads for national security and space domain awareness missions.

Earlier in his career, he spent more than 15 years at Raytheon, including serving as Chief Systems Engineer for the company’s missile warning and defense systems business, as well as leading Raytheon’s Space System Engineering team. During his time there, he led the team responsible for designing the optical imaging instrument in Maxar’s WorldView Legion satellites.

Matt earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Optics from the University of Rochester, and a Master’s degree in Systems Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. He also holds two remote sensing-related patents, and developed 20+ trade secrets in optical system assembly integration and test.

Marco Tantardini

Space Strategy and BD Lead for Europe,

Lockheed Martin

Bio

Marco Tantardini

Space Strategy and BD Lead for Europe, Lockheed Martin

Marco Tantardini is Space Strategy and Business Development (S&BD) Lead for Europe at Lockheed Martin.

From May 2021 to October 2022, he has been an Expert for Space Policy in the Italian Government, in the Office of the Prime Minister, and Advisor to the Chair of the inter-Ministerial Committee for Space Policy (the Italian National Space Council).

He holds a BSc in Aerospace Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, received a MSc in Space Engineering from the Delft University of Technology, in the Netherlands, and completed the executive program Senior Executives in National and International Security (SENIS) at the Harvard Kennedy School. He was featured on the May 2014 issue of Popular Science.

Munetaka Ueno

Research Director,

JAXA

Bio

Munetaka Ueno

Research Director, Jaxa

Munetaka Ueno is the Research Director of the Space Exploration Innovation Hub Center at JAXA, and also holds professorships at Osaka University and Kobe University.

He earned his Ph.D. in physics from Kyoto University in 1994. Afterward, he joined the Department of Astronomy at the University of Tokyo, and in 2009, he moved to the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), JAXA. At JAXA, he has held several key positions, including Head of the Mission Instrument Technology Group, Director of the Space Science Program Office, and Chief Engineer.

His research interests span observational astronomy, solar system science, scientific instrumentation, and systems engineering in space development. He has contributed to several major space missions, including AKARI (an infrared astronomical satellite), AKATSUKI (a Venus orbiter), and the HAYABUSA asteroid mission. He has also served as a Director of the Astronomical Society of Japan and as Chair of the Standing Space Agency Subcommittee under the International Project Management Committee.

Dr. Ueno is actively involved in supporting space-related startups in Japan. He currently serves as a Senior Advisor to ArkEdge Space, ispace, and Letara.

He is deeply involved in supporting space startups in Japan. He currently serves as a Senior Advisor to ArkEdge Space, ispace, and Letara, and is also a co-founder and board member of Power Laser Inc.

Marco Rocchetto

CEO & Co-Founder,

Spaceflux

Bio

Marco Rocchetto

CEO & Co-Founder, Spaceflux

Marco is the CEO and co-founder of Telescope Live and Spaceflux, with over 15 years of experience in data analytics, technology management, and entrepreneurship.

He holds a PhD in Astrophysics from University College London, where he contributed to the ESA ARIEL mission and co-discovered the first super-earth with an atmosphere. He also serves as a Senior Honorary Research Fellow at UCL.

Previously, Marco led teams in robotics and cloud-edge technologies at Konica Minolta. In 2019, he founded Telescope Live, now a leading platform for astrophotographers.

In 2022, he co-founded Spaceflux, which provides AI-powered Space Situational Awareness services to prevent orbital collisions and promote sustainable space operations.

Lt. Gen. Jean-Marc Laurent

CEO, AERIS, Chair, Sciences Po Bordeaux

Defense and Aerospace

Bio

Lieutenant General (Air Force - R) Jean-Marc Laurent

CEO, AERIS, and Chair, Sciences Po Bordeaux Defense and Aerospace

Gen. Laurent joined the French Air Force Academy in 1979. A graduate with a degree in aeronautical and space mechanics, he earned his Fighter Pilot wings in 1983 and began his career at Saint-Dizier AFB. This assignment has included many commitments over the world.

From 1991 to 1998, he was assigned to Nancy AFB where he has successively commanded two fighter squadrons just separated by the 1994-1995 Paris War College Course. Then, he was assigned to the French Air Force Headquarters.

In 2001, he was appointed Commander of the Cambrai Air Force Base. The next year, in the context of the war in Afghanistan, he was commissioned as Vice Commander of the Operation «Enduring Freedom» 376th Air Expeditionary Wing, Kyrgyzstan.

In 2005, he followed the Centre for Advanced Military Studies and the Institute for Advanced National Defence Studies courses, Paris.

Promoted Brigadier General in 2006, Gen. Laurent was assigned to the Directorate of Strategic Affairs (MoD) in charge of French political-military issues. In 2008, he was appointed Director of the Center for Aerospace Strategic Studies. At this position, he contributed to the Air Force space strategy, concepts and doctrines. He also took place in the high level course of the European Center for Security Studies (Germany),

He was promoted Major General in 2010 and assigned to the French Air Force Technical-Operational Command, he took the head one year later as Lieutenant General.

Leaving active duty in 2013, he has since three activities. He has founded a Research Chair at the Bordeaux Institute of Political Studies, dedicated to the conflictual risks in space and political and legal responses. For that, he cooperates with UN, armed forces, space agencies and industry. He is also a founding member of Way4Space, a space innovation center. He is finally CEO of a consultancy company specialized in Aeronautics, Space and Defense issues.

Giancarlo Guida

Lead Application Engineer,

Ansys

Bio

Giancarlo Guida

Lead Application Engineer, Ansys

Giancarlo Guida is a Lead Engineer at Ansys, specialized in electromagnetic modeling.

He graduated in Electronic Engineering from the University of Naples Federico II, focusing his thesis on the chaotic behavior of transmission lines connected to non-linear devices.

Since 1995, Giancarlo has collaborated with leading European aerospace companies, providing expertise in electromagnetic numerical modeling for antenna design and analysis of electromagnetic effects on complex platforms.

At Ansys, Giancarlo continues to advance the application of electromagnetic simulation in various sectors, including aerospace rail and electronic design, and actively contributes to the community with scientific papers, industry webinars and academic lectures.

Bahar Fayyazi

Product Manager Additive Manufacturing,

TANIOBIS GmbH

Bio

Bahar Fayyazi

Product Manager Additive Manufacturing, TANIOBIS GmbH

Bahar Fayyazi is product manager of powders for additive manufacturing at Taniobis GmbH. She holds a PhD degree in Materials Science from the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany, specializing in powder metallurgy.

Throughout her career, she has been dedicated to advancing the development of high-quality refractory metal and alloy powders. Additionally, she actively explores and pioneers new opportunities for business growth in diverse application fields for these materials.

Elena Toson

COO,

T4i SpA

Bio

Elena Toson

COO, T4i SpA

Elena Toson is COO and Business Development Manager at T4i SpA, an Italian based PMI developing propulsion systems for in-space applications and microlaunchers. Elena is in charge of the company organization and business development activities.

Elena has a PhD in Aerospace Engineering with a specialisation in space propulsion and counts more than 15 years of career in the Aerospace sector. She previously worked at the leading space companies such as Thales Alenia Space, Avio Aero and was Business Developer for D-Orbit, a major space company in Italy.

Elena is also the PoC of the Hub Veneto WIA-Europe and active as co-chair of the IAC propulsion committee.

Hirokazu Mori

CSO,

Warpspace Inc.

Bio

Hirokazu Mori

CSO, Warpspace Inc.

Hirokazu Mori is Group Chief Strategy Officer at Warpspace and CEO at Warpspace USA.

He has been working as a space business consultant for domestic and international governments and large companies in the space sector and has been also serving as a board member, director, and advisor for several national and international companies and associations.

He graduated at top from the University of Edinburgh reading theoretical astrophysics. He has received funding from the Royal Society of Edinburgh to conduct research in theoretical astrophysics at the University of Cambridge (a modified theory of general relativity that can be tested with directly observed gravitational wave signals).

Fabio Giuliani

Sales Manager,

Cabiotec

Bio

Fabio Giuliani

Sales Manager, Cabiotec

Fabio Giuliani is co-founder in the year 1994 of Cabiotec srl, located in Milan, as a result of consolidated experience in the field of Surface Mount Technology and PCB process assembly.

Cabiotec srl is particularly strong in the sales of capital equipment, accessories and consumables for a wide variety of electronic applications, including aerospace and defence which are living today an outstanding growth and need a high level of competence.

With 40 years of experience in B2B sales and process applications he can count today on an exhaustive know-how allowing him to lead a team of sales and service engineers, with proven ability to exceed sales targets, build strong client relationships, and drive revenue growth.

Today Cabiotec is a market leader for SMT and PTH applications and is a main reference point for top EMS and OEM including Thales Alenia, Rheinmetall, D-Orbit and many more.

His mission and business philosophy go beyond a sale of high technological production lines but bring him to go along with his customers and partners to increase efficiency and state of the art quality in their assembly process.

Cabiotec sells throughout Italy, Malta, Croatia and Slovenia with ambitious expansion targets both domestic and international.

Prof. Stefania De Pascale

ASI/ESA collaborator,

Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II

Bio

Prof. Stefania De Pascale

ASI/ESA collaborator, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II

Stefania De Pascale is Professor of Horticulture and Floriculture at the Department of Agriculture of the University ‘Federico II’ of Naples. For over 25 years, she has been interested in the cultivation of plants to support human space exploration within research projects funded by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the European Space Agency (ESA).

In 2019, she founded the Laboratory of Crop Research for Space, a laboratory dedicated to the characterisation of plants for regenerative life-support systems in space, born from the collaboration with ESA’s MELiSSA programme, which has been studying closed-loop life-support systems with an ecosystem approach since 1987.

Gabriele Giorgini

Chief Operating Officer,

Vector Robotics

Bio

Gabriele Giorgini

Chief Operating Officer, Vector Robotics

Expert in remotely piloted aerial systems with over 20 years of experience in UAS design and development. Currently COO of Vector Robotics, he oversees the company’s operations and leads the technical development of high-endurance electric drones, with a focus on energy efficiency and aerodynamic optimisation.

Throughout his career, he has worked on advanced design, systems integration and technology solution development for lighting, urban-mobility and aerospace applications.

In addition to his engineering activities, he is responsible for the operational and strategic management of the company, coordinating multidisciplinary teams and working with international partners to develop new technologies.

Sasha Gallio

Founder,

New Horizon

Bio

Sasha Gallio

Founder, New Horizon

Sasha Gallio is the founder of New Horizon Srl, a startup supported by ESA BIC Padua and specialized in holistic space sustainability, addressing both environmental and economic aspects.

With a background in chemistry and several years of experience in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), he has led over 15 projects across diverse sectors.

In 2024, he presented innovative concepts for space sustainability, including Orbit Ecodesign and dynamic sustainability evaluation, at ESA Clean Space Days, contributing to the ongoing dialogue on sustainable innovation in the space sector.

Simone Pirrotta

Project Manager,

ASI

Bio

Simone Pirrotta

Project Manager, ASI

Simone Pirrotta has worked at the Italian Space Agency (ASI) since 2007, currently in the Exploration and Infrastructures Office.

He was Project Manager for ASI space instruments and missions; among the most recent ones: “LARES2” scientific satellite, “ArgoMoon” on board of NASA Artemis I and “LICIACube” as part of NASA DART mission.

He is currently active in the preparation of future Italian initiatives for Moon exploration, like the ISRU demonstrator “ORACLE”. In the timeframe 2012-2017, he was Base Manager in charge of the ASI Broglio Space Centre in Malindi, Kenya.

He is an ASI delegate at the “International Space Exploration Coordination Group – ISECG” (currently, vice-chair and co-chair of the ERWG), at the ESA “Exploration and Utilization Board”, at the ESA “Rover Instrument Steering Committee”, and PoC for the NASA SSERVI – ASI Associate partnership.

Lorenzo Olivieri

Research Associate (RtdA) – Department of

Industrial Engineering, University of Padova

Bio

Lorenzo Olivieri

Research Associate (RtdA) - Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova

Lorenzo Olivieri is Research Associate in Space Systems at the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Padova, Italy.

He received a Ph.D. in Measures for Space from the University of Padova in 2015. His research interests include small satellites technologies and space debris protection and remediation, with a particular focus on the sustainability of the near-Earth space environment.

He is currently member of the Italian delegation to the IADC (Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee), acting as deputy chair of the Working Group 3 – Protection.

Andrea Valmorbida

Assistant Professor (RtdB) –

Department of Industrial Engineering (DII),

University of Padova

Bio

Andrea Valmorbida

Assistant Professor (RtdB) - Department of Industrial Engineering (DII), University of Padova

Andrea Valmorbida is Assistant Professor in Measurements and Instrumentation for Space at the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Padova, Italy. He received a Ph.D. in Sciences, Technologies and Measurements for Space from CISAS at the University of Padova in 2014.

His major research fields include: (a) development and experimental testing of relative measurements systems and GN&C algorithms for satellite proximity operations, and (b) measurement systems, dynamics and control for electrodynamic and inert tethered satellite systems for space sustainability.

He was member of the research group of 8 international and national projects, of which one H2020 project (E.T.PACK), and two HORIZON EIC projects (E.T.PACK-F and E.T.COMPACT).

Francesco Gini

Navigation Engineer,

ESA/ ESOC

Bio

Francesco Gini

Navigation Engineer, ESA/ ESOC

Francesco Gini is a Navigation Engineer at the European Space Agency (ESA). Francesco holds a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Padova and earned a PhD in Precise Orbit Determination of LEO satellites in 2014 from the « Centro di Ateneo » CISAS Giuseppe Colombo in Padova.

Since joining ESA, Francesco has been responsible for various projects in the GNSS-based Precise Orbit Determination domain and is actively involved in supporting the definition of new ESA missions, including Genesis, the Moon navigation system (Moonlight and NovaMoon), and LEO-PNT. Francesco is a Governing Board member of the International GNSS Services (IGS) and serves as the chair of the RINEX committee.

Federico Caner

Agricultural Policy Coordinator

of the Conference of Regions

Bio

Federico Caner

Agricultural Policy Coordinator of the Conference of Regions

Born in Treviso on 8 November 1973, an agricultural entrepreneur, he graduated in Political Science with an administrative focus from the University of Padua and obtained a master’s degree in Local Authority Management from the Bocconi University of Milan.

From 1994 to 1998, he was President of the District Council in Treviso, referent for the five neighbourhoods to the north of the city; elected to the City Council in 1998, he was a municipal councillor for 10 years, an experience he resumed from 2018 to 2020. Elected to the Veneto Regional Council since 2000, he was President of the Liga Veneta – Lega Nord Council Group from 2010 to 2015 and President of the Special Commission for Development Cooperation.

In the 10th legislature he was appointed Regional Councillor for Tourism, Foreign Trade and Internationalisation, Promotional Activities, Mountain Economy and Development, Cableway Transport, FSC Funds Programming, ERDF Programmes. On 16 October 2020 he was reappointed Councillor in the new Zaia Junta, maintaining the delegations of the previous legislature with the added reference to Agriculture and Livestock, CAP, PSR and LEADER programmes, Plant Protection and Land Reclamation.

Dario Nardella

Member Committee on Agriculture

and Rural Development

Bio

Dario Nardella

Member Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

Born in Torre del Greco in 1975, he has lived in Florence since 1989. He graduated cum laude in Law and PhD in public law, and also holds a diploma in violin. After a period as a professional musician, he embarked on a political career, holding positions at local and national level.

He was deputy mayor of Florence in the Renzi junta, a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 2013 to 2014 and Mayor of Florence since 2014, reconfirmed in 2019. He has also been Mayor of the Metropolitan City of Florence since 2015. He has distinguished himself for his involvement in international city networks, such as Eurocities, ICLEI and the Pact of Free Cities.

He has promoted initiatives related to international cooperation, urban diplomacy and inclusive growth. He has been awarded numerous international honours, including the French Legion of Honour and the Ukrainian Order of Jaroslav the Wise.

Author of the book The Universal City, he has always combined a passion for culture, art and music with civic engagement. In 2024, he was elected to the European Parliament with over 119,000 preferences in the Central Italy constituency.

Carlo Fidanza

MEP – Member Committee on Agriculture

and Rural Development

Bio

Carlo Fidanza

MEP - Member Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

Born in 1976 and graduated in Political Science for International Relations, he began his political activity in Milan in the right-wing youth movements, becoming national vice-president of Azione Giovani. He was a district councillor and group leader of Alleanza Nazionale in the city council.

Elected to the European Parliament in 2009 with the PdL, he then contributed to the founding of Fratelli d’Italia in 2012, becoming its first delegate leader in the European Parliament and taking on important party positions. He was also a member of the Committee of the Regions and followed FdI’s path towards joining the ECR, the European Conservatives Group.

After an experience as extraordinary commissioner for the tourist agency ‘In Liguria’, he was elected MEP in 2018, leading FdI in the Transport Commission. Re-elected MEP in 2019 and again in 2024 – turning out to be the most voted in the North-West after Giorgia Meloni – he is now in his third term in Brussels, where he continues to lead the Fratelli d’Italia delegation

Roberto Arditti

Formiche Editorial director and

editorialist for Il Tempo

Bio

Roberto Arditti

Formiche Editorial director and editorialist for Il Tempo

Journalist and professor, he was news director of RTL 102.5, author of Porta a Porta, editor of Il Tempo and communication director of Expo 2015.

He is the editorial director of Formiche and a columnist for Il Tempo, and hosts Radar, a Formiche TV format broadcast on Urania TV, channel 260 of digital terrestrial television, which focuses on political and international current affairs, which is also the theme of his latest books.

Meet our speakers

Alan Thompson

Enrico Tormena

Fionagh Thomson

Matthew Jenkins

Marco Tantardini

Munetaka Ueno

Marco Rocchetto

Lt. Gen. Jean-Marc Laurent

Giancarlo Guida

Bahar Fayyazi

Elena Toson

Hirokazu Mori

Fabio Giuliani

Prof. Stefania De Pascale

Gabriele Giorgini

Sasha Gallio

Simone Pirrotta

Lorenzo Olivieri

Andrea Valmorbida

Francesco Gini

Federico Caner

Dario Nardella

Carlo Fidanza

Roberto Arditti

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