President,
National Civil Aviation Authority
President,
Save
President,
AIR Regional Innovative Network
Student,
Representative of EUROAVIA “The
European Association of Aerospace
Students”
Co-Founder and Managing Director,
Stellar Project
CEO,
Finapp Srl
Minister,
Business and Made in Italy
SVP Space Line of Business,
Leonardo
Chief of Staff of the Air Force,
Ministry of Defence
Economist,
Fondazione Nord Est
Partner,
Bain & Company
Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer,
Special Aerospace Services
R&D and European Funds Advisory,
Intesa Sanpaolo
President & Founder,
3DOTS Capital Advisory
Senior Partner,
McKinsey
Founder and Managing Director,
Disal Consulting
Senior Managing Director Listings EMEA,
Nasdaq Stock Exchange
Managing Director,
NovaCapital
Chairman,
Rialto Ventures
Chairman and Founder, Cukierman & Co.,
Investment House Ltd.
CEO,
AVIO
Chairman and Founder, Cukierman & Co.,
Investment House Ltd.
CEO,
AVIO
Navigation
2023 Edition
2024 Edition
Show Dates & Location
May 20 – 22, 2025
Venice, Italy
Contact Us
veneto@advbe.com
+39 (0)6 88 64 49 49
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President,
ASI – Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
In charge as President of the Italian Space Agency since June 14th 2023; Full Professor of Materials Science and Technology and Aerospace Materials at Rome University “La Sapienza”.
Executive Vice President, Space
Commercialization ,
Axiom Space
Christian serves as Axiom Space Executive Vice President for Space Commercialization,bringing his unique expertise to Axiom’s leadership team to leverage microgravity as a next generation platform for innovation and discovery. He leads market and business development efforts for Axiom where he directs Axiom’s conversations with new customers while guiding the company’s development of its product and service offerings.
Prior to joining Axiom, Christian had a 17-year career at NASA involved in all things related to conducting research and technology demonstrations on the International Space Station (ISS). This included roles designing and managing science experiments for research customers and managing whole science missions on the ISS for NASA and its international partners. Ultimately responsible for all the strategic research planning for the ISS, he helped lead transition of the ISS Program from construction phase to full operations for science,
research and technology demonstrations. He has extensive history working with a variety of customers implementing diverse strategies to expand the commercialization of low Earth orbit and delivering in-space services and solutions to a variety of commercial, government and academic customers.
Christian is the recipient of numerous awards including the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal and a co-author on a litany of publications derived from ISS research in which he participated. He holds both a B.S. and M.S. in biomechanical engineering from Tulane University.
Chief Innovation Officer,
AIKO Space
Mattia serves as Chief Innovation Officer and his primary role involves investigating and testing innovative technologies applied to advanced automation for the space sector. He earned his degree in Aerospace Engineering from Politecnico di Torino and gained valuable experience working as a systems engineer with the CubeSat Team Polito. Since 2018, Mattia has been an active member of AIKO, where he has honed his expertise in Artificial Intelligence, specifically in Deep Learning and Reinforcement Learning. Prior to his current role, Mattia participated in several research projects and startup initiatives.
Managing Director,
Voyager Space Europe
Davide Petrillo has been appointed as Managing Director of Voyager Space based in Torino, Italy. Davide brings with him a wealth of experience in the aerospace industry, having previously worked as a business manager for Alten Ltd in London and as a business analyst for Accenture in Milano. In October 2021, he was elected as Vice President for Education and Workforce Development of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), and in 2020, he was appointed as Executive Director of the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) until April 2023. Previously, he was also the team leader of FELDs Experiment selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) for the Drop Your Thesis! 2014 program. In 2015, he won the IAF “Hans Von Muldau Team Award” for the best team project at the 66th International Astronautical Congress (IAC). Davide holds an M.Sc. in aerospace engineering from the University of Padova, Italy.
CCO,
The Exploration Company
Dana Baki is the Chief Commercial Officer of The Exploration Company, one of the fastest growing space companies globally, building reusable space capsules and lunar landers. This Nyx capsule will be the first to use green propellant globally, while flying at a fraction of the cost of global competition.
Prior to joining The Exploration Company, Dana was the co-founder & COO of MUNCH:ON, a food technology platform based out of the Middle East, that was acquired by Careem (Uber’s subsidiary in the region). Before starting MUNCH:ON, Dana was a Partner of Business Development at AlJal Capital—a financing and venture capital firm in the United Arab Emirates. Previous to that, Ms. Baki worked for Procter & Gamble in the United States for 7+ years, benefiting from a wide range of assignments within the company and gaining expertise in Corporate Strategy, Marketing and Consumer Insights.
She holds an MBA from Georgetown University and B.A. in Economics and English Literature from The University of Michigan.
Head of institutional relations (with
ESA, CNES) for civil programmes ,
ArianeGroup
• Deputy Head of Marketing for Ariane programs (2012-2016)
• Strategy analyst for civil launchers (2016-2023),
• Sales & contract manager for THEMIS programme (2023)
CEO,
Agricolus
Andrea Cruciani is CEO and co-founder at Agricolus, innovative company based in Perugia that develops digital tools for Smart Farming. He is responsible for developing business at national and international level and managing the finance area.
He is member of the Board of Directors of the Fiware Foundation and Chairman of the Smart Agrifood MSC (Mission Support Committee) of the same foundation.
CTO,
Sirius Space Services
François embarked on his journey in the space sector in 1985, starting at SEP before transitioning to CNES, where he oversaw testing for the Ariane 5’s Vulcain Engine at the Launch Vehicles Directorate. He later took on roles managing the implementation program and ground/space interfaces at CNES. Following Ariane 5’s initial launches, he transitioned to ARIANESPACE in commercial management before joining STARSEM, where he served in sales and eventually as the commercial director for over fifteen years. In the past decade, François worked into the realm of space insurance, serving as the CEO of ARTI, a global leader in the field. Since April 2020, he embarked on a new chapter by joining Sirius Space Services, a pioneering space startup dedicated to innovation, challenge, and sustainability, as co-founder and CTO. Within three years of its establishment, Sirius Space Services has grown to a team of fifty individuals, comprising diverse talents and industry experts. Together, they are developing a range of sovereign, 100% reusable launchers tailored for small satellites, driven by a shared ambition to shape the future of space.
Solutions Architect, Aerospace &
Satellite EMEA,
Amazon Web Services
Giulio Autelitano is a Solutions Architect at AWS helping aerospace customers accelerating innovation trough the AWS cloud. He has a master degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Pisa and previously worked as a researcher in AI/ML at Stanford University and as a Robotic Engineer at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Research Director, Space
Exploration Innovation Hub Center,
JAXA
Dr. Munetaka Ueno is the Research Director of the Space Exploration Innovation Hub Center at JAXA and a Professor at Osaka University. With a Ph.D. in physics from Kyoto University (1994), he has held various roles, including heading the mission instrument technology group and serving as the Chief Engineer at JAXA. His expertise lies in observational astronomy, solar system science, and space development. Dr. Ueno has contributed to missions such as AKARI, AKATSUKI, and HAYABUSA. Additionally, he has held leadership positions in the Astronomical Society of Japan, played key roles in space science advisory committees in Japan, and chairperson of Standing Space Agency Subcommittee, International Project Management Committee. Recently, he was appointed as the project manager for a moonshot R&D project.
European Lead for Space Strategy
and Business Development,
Lockheed Martin
Marco Tantardini is European Lead for Space Strategy and Business Development at Lockheed Martin, based at the Lockheed Martin office in Rome (Italy).
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, advising the Chair of the inter-Ministerial Committee for Space Policy (the Italian National Space Council). In 2019-2020, he was a member of the staff of the Secretariat of the first Italian National Space Council. In 2015-2018, he has been an Italian Space Agency (ASI) Associate in the Unit of the Technical Advisors to the President, appointed as the ASI technical contact point with the NASA HQ in the NASA-ASI feasibility study for the Italian participation in the NASA’s ARM Program (Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission, ARRM, phase). In 2015, he chaired the working group for the Office of the Military Advisor to the Prime Minister of Italy tasked to define a roadmap for automated transport.
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.
Senior Business Development
Associate,
Skyrora
Rosie is a senior business development associate at Skyrora Ltd, a UK-based launch vehicle provider. Rosie fosters and manages relationships with satellite clients, collaborators and partners, working closely with the engineering team to ensure alignment with their work towards suborbital and orbital launch vehicle development.
Cosmonaut,
Italian Air Force
Born in Rome in 1974, Walter Villadei earned a degree in Space Engineering from the Federico II University of Naples. He initially served in the Operations Department of the 46th Air Brigade of Pisa, as a Technical Officer. Transferred to the General Staff in 2003, he carried out various coordination and management functions within the AM, Defense and national space programmes. In 2008-2009 he carried out training activities at Star City, in Russia. In September 2021 he began a new path as a professional astronaut thanks to an agreement with Axiom Space. In 2023 he participated in the role of commander in the Virtute-1 mission (Italian Flight for Research and Technology sUborbiTalE), born from a commercial agreement between the Air Force and Virgin Galactic.
Senior Vice President, Research,
Digital & Innovation,
Telespazio
Marco Brancati began his career at Selenia Industrie where he dealt with System Analysis activities for the Electronic Defence Division, prior to moving to the Telespazio Group in 1990.
In September 2008 Marco was appointed Vice President of Telespazio Network & Connectivity Business Line, responsible for the development of all TLC and TV programs and products in the company. In February 2011 he was appointed Senior Vice President of Network & Connectivity Business Unit at the Group level. In the same year he completed his Executive Leadership Program at London Imperial College.
In 2016 Marco was appointed Chief Technology & Innovation Officer for Telespazio Group, in charge of Innovation and Technology Governance. In June 2021, such role was enriched with the responsibility for Information Technology and Sustainability. In addition to that, from June 2023 he is also in charge of Research Funding and Digital Engineering for the whole Telespazio Group, being SVP of Research, Digital and Innovation Unit
From 2022 he is Vice President of Space Exploration Commission within “Ordine degli Ingegneri” organization in Roma.
Technical coordinator,
CNES Data Campus
Jean-Marc Delvit received his Ph.D in signal and image processing from Supaéro, France in 2003.
He then worked for the French space agency (CNES) in the field of very high resolution Earth observation satellites design (SPOT, Pléiades, CO3D, Hélios, CSO…).
In 2018, he developed the CNES earth observation lab’ in charge of applications using spatial data, in close collaboration with all the final users (institutional, private, research and defense).
Since 2022, he has ensured the technical coordination of the CNES data campus, a division in charge of all CNES spatial data, from despatialization to final use.
His areas of interest are image processing, in particular photogrammetry issues, data hybridization in Earth observation, analytics and Earth digital twins applied to different thematics (coastal, risk, urban, watershed, specific areas…).
Managing Director,
Airbus Italia
Milena Lerario is Managing Director of Airbus Italia since April 2022, aiming to reinforce the company’s position as a key player in the Italian space industry. She officially began working for Airbus in 2012 in Germany, in the engineering department, where she participated in the repair campaign for the vertical tail plane of the A380; Lerario then moved on to manufacturing and certification of the wings for the A350 between Germany, France and England. Over the years she has worked in management roles in different functions, from Corporate Audit to Human Resources, in different Group locations in Germany, France, England and Spain. In Madrid, she served as Head of Spacecraft Plants Production at national level, implementing a transformation and optimization of the industrial processes of the plants towards greater innovation and digitalization.
A graduate in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Pisa, she holds a Master in Business Economics from Bocconi.
Lead Application Engineer,
Ansys
Giuseppe is an Aerospace engineer with more than 20 years of experience in the Aerospace & Defense sector, mainly in the simulation domain. After several year spent as subsystem engineer at Fucino Space Center, he moved to the Telespazio HQ, leading the simulation laboratory and participating to several R&D European founded projects.
From 2013 he joined AGI (now ANSYS), with the following achievements:
– Development of custom application for Space Surveillance Awareness & Tracking
– Space Mission Analysis & Design in any orbit regime: LEO, MEO,GEO and Interplanetary
– Design of Mission Planning System for EO satellites and development of relevant optimization algorithms
– Orbit Determination for LEO, GEO and Lunar Missions
– Ballistic Missile Defense – Interceptor guidance & control
– Cislunar Domain Awareness
Agronomist and Data Scientist,
Agricolus
Alessandro Vignati is an agronomist specialized in precision farming. In particular, he deals with research and development of Decision Support Systems (DSS) for accurate prediction of agrosystem phenomena, such as crop growth, macronutrient removals, disease and pest attacks, by using climate data and satellite images. He started his career in the academic sector and then moved to industry working in Agricolus.
CEO,
Opus Aerospace
Passionate about Space, aerospace engineer from IPSA & completed Challenges+ at HEC Paris. With experience at Airbus/CNRS and the development of experimental rockets with CNES, today he is CEO of Opus Aerospace.
Deputy CEO and SEVP Observation,
Exploration and Navigation,
Thales Alenia Space
Massimo Comparini is Deputy CEO, Senior Executive Vice President Observation, Exploration and Navigation at Thales Alenia Space as well as CEO of Thales Alenia Space Italia.
He has a long and proven track record in space industry, from technology to services, and in the earth observation domain; in 2016, he was named CEO of eGeos, a joint venture between Telespazio (80%) and the Italian Space Agency (20%). and Director Line of Business Geo Information at Telespazio.
He was, at the same time, Chairman of GAF and EarthLab Luxembourg.
In 2013, Massimo Comparini was appointed CTO of Telespazio, a joint venture between Leonardo (67%) and Thales (33%). He started his career in 1983 at Selenia Spazio (later Alenia Spazio), holding various management positions, up to his position as Chief Technology Officer.
Massimo Comparini holds a Master Degree in Electrical Engineering, Remote Sensing and Radar Systems from the University of Rome La Sapienza, as well as a Degree in Strategy from the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University.
He is member of the technical-scientific advisory board of the Research, Development and Higher Studies Center in Sardinia -CSR4 – (Italy).
Vice President Exploration and
ScienceDomain,
Thales Alenia Space
Born in Avigliana (TO) the 7th of April 1955, Walter Cugno boasts a 40 years long experience in the development of complex projects in the field of Aerospace, most of all for Space Exploration programs in both manned and robotic configuration.
Across the years he has been taking on assignments with increasing responsibility, from Aeritalia, Alenia Spazio, Alcatel Alenia Space to Thales Alenia Space.
Before the creation of the Joint Venture between Leonardo and Thales, Walter Cugno has served as Program and Operation Manager, acquiring an extensive know how in engineering, design, production & manufacturing, assembly, integration, testing and R&D.
He had significant roles in projects like Spacelab, Tethered Satellite, IRIS, Lageos, Hipparcos and SAX X-ray satellites, acting as Product Assurance Manager, Assembly, Integration and Test manager, Launch Operation Manager and Project Manager.
From 1997 to 2013 served as Program Manager of International Space Station programs, in particular for New NASA Initiative like the Nodes 2 (Harmony) & 3 (Tranquility), the Cupola, the
PMM (Pressurized Multipurpose Module) and the Cygnus Pressurized Cargo Modules.
Since January 1st, 2016 Walter Cugno is Vice President of the Domain Exploration and Science of Thales Alenia Space and Responsible of the activities and the site in Turin. He is also Member of the Steering Board of ALTEC, company jointly owned by Thales Alenia Space and the Italian Space Agency.
President,
TerraNIS
Marc holds Master and Doctor (in Digital Signal Processing) engineering diplomas from Ecole Nat Sup des Télécoms (Paris, 1977), and an Executive MBA (HEC/CPA, 1996). Marc has spent around 35 years in the space industry and reached the senior executive management level in EADS Astrium. In 2010, he took the position of Senior Vice President, Strategic Business Development Director at EADS Astrium and he created Astrium Consulting division. Marc Tondriaux left Astrium at the end of January 2014 in order to dedicate his full time on the creation and setup of TerraNIS SAS. Marc is the President of TerraNIS. He is also Chairman of the EARSC association.
Head of Engineering for Services,
Rolls-Royce
Vianello completed his Bachelor and Master´s degree in Aerospace Engineering by University of Padua. Subsequently Vianello has worked for Rolls-Royce in the UK, Canada and Germany gaining technical and leadership expertise across maintenance operations, aftermarket engineering and cost engineering. Currently Vianello leads the Engineering for Services function within Rolls-Royce Electrical.
R&T Aerothermal Engineer,
Capgemini Engineering
Sarhan is an experienced aerospace engineer specializing in space systems and aerothermal engineering, currently serving as a consultant with Capgemini Engineering in Belgium. He has supported the research & technology activities at SAFRAN Aero Boosters, focusing on the development and optimization of thermal systems in engines and aerospace equipment. Previously, he led the coordination of Manufacturing, Assembly, Integration, and Testing (MAIT) activities at SABCA during the qualification campaign for the Thrust Vector Actuation Subsystem, designed for nozzle steering in two critical stages of the Ariane 6 launcher developed by ArianeGroup on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA). He also co-leads partnerships at MISI, a non-profit organization promoting a thriving space science and technology ecosystem in Morocco and Africa through collaborations with academic and industry organizations. Additionally, Sarhan has gained diverse experience across multiple leading companies in the aeronautics, space, and defense sectors, contributing to various capacities that include system design, project management, and technical documentation.
Founder & Partner,
E2MC Ventures
Raphael Roettgen is the founder of E2MC Ventures, a space-focused early-stage venture capital firm. He is also the co-founder of Prometheus Life Technologies, a space biotech startup that was the first startup to win the Orbital Reef innovation challenge.
He lectures on space entrepreneurship and finance at several universities including the International Space University (ISU) and the Swiss Institute of Technology at Lausanne (EPFL), hosts the popular Space Business Podcast, and is the author of “To Infinity”, an introductory book on the space economy.
Previously, Mr. Roettgen held senior roles at global investment banks and hedge funds and was also a fintech entrepreneur in Brazil.
He holds degrees in finance from Wharton, machine learning from PUC-Rio and space studies from the International Space University, where he also serves as a governing member. He is a PhD candidate at the University of Luxembourg.
Head of Products,
KP Labs
On-board data processing plays a key role for various missions, from Earth Observation to deep space exploration ensuring higher return on mission thanks to the autonomous operations. As the Head of Products at KP Labs, Helena is responsible for KP Labs products strategy and Smart Mission Ecosystem, which brings together data processing units, embedded software and edge computing to complete the mission. Throughout 10+ years’ journey in bringing products into market, Helena has gathered unique approach working in governmental (European Parliament), non-governmental (NGOs), and commercial (IT, Smart Cities) organizations and now incorporates it into the space industry.
CEO,
Altec
Graduated in Electronic Engineering at Federico II in Naples, he began his activity in the space sector of the then Aeritalia as manager of communication systems and on-board computers for satellites. Previously responsible for scientific projects such as Hipparcos and Integral, he has also worked for the International Space Station. He was Vice President for Science and Exploration of Thales Alenia Space Italia, dealing with the implementation of important European projects such as GOCE, Herschel & Plank and the launch of projects such as: Bepi Colombo, the Solar Orbiter project and the Exomars for the exploration of the red planet. Since 2004 Member of the ISEC « International Space Exploration Committee ». Today Vice-President Marketing & Sales for the institutional activities of Thales Alenia Space Italia and CEO of ALTEC S.p.A.
Partner,
Oliver Wyman
Federico Ucci is a Partner in the Transportation and Aerospace practice of Oliver Wyman. For over 15 years has focused his work on strategy and transformation programs in the Transportation and Aerospace Industry all around Europe.
In particular Federico has led numerous transformation programs in the Space industry, advising Space players on their Strategy, Organization, Product design and cost competitiveness initiatives.
In addition, Federico leads the Space megatrends platform of Oliver Wyman, which encompasses a comprehensive and regularly updated view of all the key trends affecting the space industry in the coming decades.
Federico holds a Master’s in International Management from ESCP Europe, where he has been Strategy Associate Professor and an Executive Program from the Wharton School & INSEAD.
He also holds a Degree in Business Administration from University of Pavia (Italy).
Federico is an Italian native speaker and is fluent in English, French and Spanish.
Senior veterinary expert,
Experimental Zooprophylactic
Institute of Venice
He’s a senior veterinary expert with 30 years experience in the field of seafood safety and fish, mollusc and crustacean pathology. Currently he is Head of the Laboratory for Safety of Processed Seafood and Director of the National Reference Centre for Fish, Mollusc and Crustacean Diseases at Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe), Padova, Italy (www.izsvenezie.it).
Member of SCAR-FISH working group, RTD European Commission, delegate by Italian Ministry of Health;
Founder and now Past President of the Italian Society of Applied Research on Mollusc Farming (SIRAM), www.siram-molluschi.it;
Author of many scientific publications about seafood safety, he has been involved as a peer reviewer in various scientific journals. He published some monographs and wrote book chapters on seafood safety sector.
Contract Professor in various universities: University of Padua, Faculty of Agriculture (Quality and quality control of ichthyic species, 1998-2000; Specialisation School of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Principles and organisation of self-control in aquaculture food products 2002, 2005 and 2008); Course of Marine Biology (Processing technologies and quality evaluation of ichthyic products 2006-2008);). University of Turin, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Storage and processing of fish and fish products and Problems of traditional and innovative products 2012-2013); University of Udine, Specialisation School of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Microbiological safety of seafood products since 2011).
He has been the principal investigator of a number research programmes approved by the Italian Ministry of Health, Enteric virus investigations in bivalves; New diagnostic methods in fish and mollusc pathology; Methods to inactivate enteric virus in seafood products; Biomolecular methods to identifycommercial fish and molluscs species.
Professor,
University of Brescia and director
of the Smart Agrifood
Observatory
Associate Professor of Logistics and Industrial Plants at the University of Brescia, he works as a senior member of the RISE research laboratory (www.rise.it) and since 2016 he has been director of the « Smart AgriFood » research observatory, a initiative of the Polytechnic of Milan and the University of Brescia, focused on the digital transformation of the agrifood supply chain.
GIS specialist,
Experimental Zooprophylactic
Institute of Venice
Matteo Mazzucato works as GIS specialist at the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe), a public veterinary Institute which conducts prevention, control and research activities on animal health and welfare, food safety, and environmental protection in Italy. Since 2007 he has been working with GIS technologies, mainly focusing on geodatabase management, webGIS development and digital map production in the veterinary field. He previously worked on projects related to several diseases such as Avian Influenza, West Nile, Rabies and Salmonella. In the last few years, he approached the environmental data derived from satellite sensors and stations, applying remote sensing and GIS analyses on the raster data. Thanks to several international projects, he has the opportunity to collaborate in capacity building and training activities.
Secretary General,
European Association of Remote
Sensing Companies (EARSC)
Emmanuel Pajot is the Secretary General of the European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC). Geologist, he is a remote sensing specialist with over 19 years of experience in projects and research studies. He joined EARSC in 2017 as a Senior project manager to lead the eoMALL initiative to help companies promote solutions delivered online. He is conducting activities to support SMEs in developing new services and engaging with institutions or communities of users. From 2003 to 2010, he worked as a consultant for the energy company TOTAL, where he implemented numerous projects to map geological features, identify risks for field operations and monitor assets. From 2011 to 2017, he created an Earth Observation team at SPIE Oil & Gas. He performed Business Development for international companies in Europe and US, developing innovative solutions to monitor offshore activities.
Aerospace Engineer,
Officina Stellare
Lorenzo Iannascoli acts as a Mechanical System Engineer at Officina Stellare SpA, which is a renowned global leader in the design and manufacture of complex opto-mechanical instrumentation in the Aerospace, Defense and Astronomical Research sectors. Before joining OS, he worked as System Engineer on a 3Us CubeSat mission called AstroBio CubeSat (ABCS), successfully launched aboard the Vega-C maiden flight in July 2022. He currently works as System Engineer on the EarthNext CubeSat mission, a 16Us CubeSat platform funded and managed by the Italian Space Agency (ASI).
TRUTHS Payload Manager,
ESA/ESTEC
Dr. Alessandro Zuccaro Marchi graduated in Physics at the University of Padova (Italy). During and after his PhD in Physics at the University of Trieste (Italy), he joined the teams of the University of Alabama in Huntsville (USA) and NASA – Marshall Space Flight Center for development of a cosmic rays space telescope. Successively, he moved to CNR – National Institute of Optics in Florence (Italy), working as post-doc and then as researcher. In that period, he was also Visiting Scientist at RIKEN Computational Astrophysics lab (Japan).
He has been working at ESA/ESTEC in Netherlands since 2011, first as an Optical Engineer and after 2021 as Payload Manager for the TRUTHS Earth Watch mission. During his first job, he was also involved in R&D activities related to cubesats-size optical payloads. For many years he has been in charge of the technical programme of the 4S, ESA’s and CNES’ smallsats and cubesats Symposium.
Lead, International Integration,
Exploration Systems Development
Mission Directorate (ESDMD),
NASA Headquarters
In her role as Lead, ESDMD International Integration, Rebekah is responsible for coordinating ESDMD’s relationships with our international partners, leading ESDMD’s early partner bilateral relationships and multilateral engagements. She also supports integration across ESDMD’s international collaborations from pre-formulation in the Strategy and Architecture Office to partnership implementation in the Moon to Mars Program. Rebekah’s career spans nearly three decades in the federal government and includes experience in international policy, human spaceflight programs, law, and leadership of technical organizations. Prior to joining ESDMD, Rebekah was Associate Director and served as acting Deputy Director, Exploration Architecture, Integration, and Science Directorate at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC).
Rebekah began her career at the Foreign Agricultural Service where she served on U.S. delegations to the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and Food and Agriculture Organization; she also coordinated the sub-cabinet level Food Security Working Group which developed the United States’ first global road map for food security. She joined NASA in 2000 as an international relations officer responsible for NASA human spaceflight programs and was a member of the Multilateral Partner Program Team, which renegotiated the ISS implementing agreements following a significant program redesign. Since that time, Rebekah has held a series of progressively more responsible positions at NASA Headquarters and JSC, including Manager, Space Shuttle Management Integration and Planning Office; Chief, Space and Occupational Medicine Branch; and Assistant Director, Human Health and Performance Directorate, where she led SOMD’s Crew Health and Safety Program.
Rebekah holds JD and LLM degrees from the University of Houston Law Center (UHLC) where she is an adjunct professor of legal negotiations. At UHLC, she held the inaugural Scott Chase Health Law Scholarship, and was a Dean’s Scholar, University of Houston Presidential Graduate Fellow, and a member of the Houston Law Review, the Order of the Coif, the Order of the Barons, and the UHLC Moot Court Team. Prior to her legal studies, she received a Ph.D. in diplomatic history from Georgetown University, where she was a University Fellow and Davis Teaching Fellow.
CEO,
STAM
Stefano Carosio is Executive Director at Stam srl, a fast-growing engineering and technology consulting firm recently appointed as the Technology Broker for Italy by the European Space Agency (ESA) to support space technology transfer in close synergy with the Italian Space Agency (ASI). With 28 years of experience spanning diverse industries, he specializes in fostering innovation ecosystems and securing finance for Corporates, SMEs, and deep-tech startups.
Throughout his career, Dr. Carosio has held key positions in both private and public organizations. From 1996 to 2016, he led the Research and Innovation Division at D’Appolonia SpA, top Italian engineering company now part of the multinational Rina Group. There he spearheaded open innovation and collaborative research activities, pioneering space technology transfer and innovation consulting services. From 2017 to 2020, Dr. Carosio acted as General Manager of Unismart Padova Enterprise srl, a « for-profit » company launched by the University of Padova to boost technology transfer. Under his guidance, the company achieved break-even within 18 months, nurturing a membership community of about 100 organizations. This sustainable open innovation model facilitated access to University research teams, laboratories, and IP portfolio, leading to a smooth transition into a University Foundation while expanding its original mission.
Dr. Carosio is co-inventor of patents and has contributed to papers and books in the field of university-industry collaboration and technology transfer in different industrial sectors.
Project Manager,
AIPAS – Association of Italian
Space Enterprises
Jacopo Celentano is Project Manager at AIPAS (Associazione delle Imprese Per le Attività Spaziali), an association of 74 Italian space companies that are active in both the upstream and downstream parts of the space value chain. He is also Secretary General of Cluster EXPLOORE, the association of the space actors based in the Italian region Marche, a recently formed yet rapidly growing association of 24 companies and 5 universities.
Graduate in International Relations and Diplomatic Affairs and with a Master in Space Institutions and Policies, Celentano started his 7-year-long experience in the space sector as a communications manager, before specialising in institutional relations and as an industry association manager.
In his roles at AIPAS and EXPLOORE, he represents needs and capabilities of the space industry in several institutional fora and working groups, monitors and analyses national and European space policies, contributes to position papers and studies on industrial policy, and supports member companies (especially SMEs and start-ups) in cooperation and internationalisation activities.
Also engaged in dissemination activities for SME4SPACE (the representative organisation of European space SMEs), Celentano leverages European, national and local perspectives to contribute to a more collaborative and sustainable space sector in Italy and Europe.
Professor, University of Padua and
CEO, T4i,
T4i
Daniele Pavarin is T4i CEO and Associate professor in Aerospace Propulsion at the Department of Industrial Engineering of Padua University. He holds a PhD in Mechanical Measurement in Engineering Science. He started as co-responsible of the CISAS Hypervelocity Impact Facility from 1997 to 2006. He initiates and is responsible of propulsion activities at CISAS and DII at Padua University, which are focused in design development and testing of a propulsion systems ranging from electric to chemicals. In 2014 he founded T4i, which started leading in 2019, as a new challenges to face the real arena of market. Currently T4i is one of the emerging companies in Europe in the development of innovative propulsion systems.
Manager Space Economy
Observation and Navigation,
Thales Alenia Space
Laurea Magistrale in Fisica e Geofisica presso l’Università “La Sapienza” di Roma. Dopo la laurea, ha proseguito i suoi studi come collaboratore tecnico/scientifico per lo studio di modelli termodinamici in diverse applicazioni. Successivamente si è dedica per tre anni allo sviluppo software di nuovi prodotti e dall’89 lavora nel settore spaziale. Negli anni ha svolto diversi ruoli nelle aree di ingegneria, management, strategia e marketing, iniziando come Ingegnere di Sistemi di Telerilevamento, Militari e Civili, e di Navigazione per il programma ESA EGNOS. Responsabile delle unità di Satellite Data Exploitation, New Iniziative, Business Development for Security, Market Intelligence e Area Commerciale EURASIA, attività manageriali a riporto del CEO di Thales Alenia Space Itala. Collabora in team nazionali e internazionali come esperto di Osservazione della Terra e Security, membro dei comitati internazionali International Astronautical Federation (IAF) e membro del COPERNICUS/National User Forum, del comitato tecnico scientifico dell’associazione industriale per la Difesa AFCEA e parte del Comitato Strategico dell’Osservatorio Nazionale Tutela del Mare (ONTM). Nel 2022 è stata insignita con la Stella al Merito del Lavoro (Maestro del Lavoro) e si dedica con passione ai diritti delle dove e alla divulgazione scientifica per promuovere le discipline STEM.
Space Economy and Open
Innovation Advisor
Mr. Dave started his career as IT specialist between Italy, USA and India before managing EU co-funded R&D and Tech. Transf. (TT) initiatives representing public organizations (eg Italian Min. of Econ. Dev., Regional Innovation Agency, etc) and private entities focusing on interaction between Res. and Ind. He designed, launched and directed the “Innovation and TT” Unit at ASI (Italian Space Agency) working on New Space Economy topics, namely start-ups, risk finance and IPR, before becoming Open Innovation advisor to the president and coordinator of the ASI OECD team. He founded the first Space Economy advisory firm in Italy working for regional governments, private companies and startups and is currently member of the board of Global Entrepreneurship Network Space (USA), advisor of Polytechnic of Milan Space Economy observatory and of Italian Institute of Technology Space lab. Since 2022 he is partner of the VC fund ‘Star Tech Venture’.
Mr. Dave has worked in different sectors spamming from textile/clothing to footwear, from logistics to households, from FMCGs to Agro-food and acknowledged in the past as Strategy Advisor for Research organizations in pediatrics hemato-oncology and micro-nano fabrication.
COO, T4i, PoC Hub Veneto WIA-E,
T4i
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.
Sustainability ESG Impact Investor,
Womens Empowerment STEM
Tess Mateo is Senior Advisor to AQAL Capital and the United Nations on Gender and Climate; Managing Director of CXCatalysts, which develops public private partnerships in clean energy, water, sustainable food, and health and organizes the G2i2 (Global Green Inclusive Innovation) Summits at the UN, and includes G2i2 Food in Valbruna. With her global networks developing “green economy” jobs and entrepreneurial ecosystems, she is a sought-after collaborator and is a US W20 delegate to the G20. Prior to CXCatalysts, she spent nearly a decade working for PwC’s Global CEO, directing his strategic initiatives after spending 20+ years restructuring Fortune 1000 companies around the world. She has also launched real estate and technology ventures and invests in social, renewable energy, fintech, and space innovators. She has degrees from the University of Michigan and Columbia Business School.
National Defense and Technology
Program Manager,
Starion Group
Mariarosa Argentiero is an Aerospace Engineer and a former Air Force Officer, qualified as a Satellite Engineer for IT MoD Space Systems. She also contributed to the birth and development of Italian Space Operations Command. Mariarosa started working in the Space Industry as Institutional Sales Manager for Thales Alenia Space Italia and is currently National Technology Programme Manager for STARION Italia S.p.A., where she is part of the Business Development team for promoting the use of disruptive technologies (Space, Cyber, AI, MBSE…) towards institutional customers at national and international level. In 2021, she has been selected as a mentor for the UNOOSA Space4Women Mentorship Program.
CEO,
Metodo Ongaro
Filippo Ongaro has been a consultant to astronauts at the European Space Agency for years, dealing in particular with aspects related to nutrition, physical preparation and rehabilitation of crews. He is the founder and CEO of Metodo Ongaro Switzerland SA, a company specialized in coaching, training and in the development of services to improve psychophysical well-being and longevity. From 2000 to 2007 he was an astronaut doctor at ESA and collaborated with NASA, the Russian Space Agency and numerous European and international research centers. By choice, he never wanted to deal with research but with the practical application of innovative approaches to health and psycho-physical performance. He was the first Italian doctor to become certified in anti-aging medicine (ABAARM) and functional medicine (IFM) in the USA. He was Vice President of the Italian Antiaging Doctors Association (AMIA) and founded and directed the first European center entirely dedicated to regenerative and antiaging medicine. He has been an adjunct professor at Tor Vergata, the University of Bologna and King’s College London, and has collaborated with national magazines and newspapers on the topics of health promotion and improvement of psychophysical well-being, also writing numerous bestsellers. Widely followed on social media and on the web, his YouTube channel records hundreds of thousands of subscribers and tens of millions of views. Thousands of people participate in its courses and events every year, including many healthcare professionals. The topics addressed are improving health and lifestyle, change, the formation of new habits, motivation, high performance and personal growth. He has lived and worked in Switzerland for years.
CEO,
Space DOTS Ltd
Stefano Mancuso is one of the world’s leading authorities in studying and disseminating a new truth about plants, intelligent and sensitive creatures capable of choosing, learning and remembering. Full professor at the University of Florence and at Georgofili Academy, he directs the International Laboratory of Plant Neurobiology with offices in Florence, Kitakyushu, Bonn and Paris, and was the first Italian scientist to be invited in 2010 as a speaker at a TED Global held in Oxford, and later viewed over 1.4 million times on TED website.
In 2014 he founded PNAT, a start-up of the University of Florence, for the creation of technology inspired by plants. In 2016 he won the « Wissenschaftbuck des Jahres » award from the Austrian Ministry of Science and Technology for the best scientific essay of the year. As a writer he made his debut in 2013 with the best-seller Verde brilliante (Giunti), while in 2018 Plant Revolution won the Galileo Prize for scientific non-fiction.
They are followed, with Laterza, by L’incredibile viaggio delle piante (2018), La Nazione delle Piante (2019) winner of the Capalbio Prize and the Earth Prize, La pianta del mondo (2021) winner of the Pozzale Luigi Russo Prize and Fitopolis, la città vivente (2023). In 2022 he published La tribù degli Alberi, his first fiction book, with Einaudi. He is also the author of various podcasts including Di sana Pianta created in 2023 for Chora Media in collaboration with Elastica literary agency. In 2022 he was awarded the Golden Florin, and was appointed scientific director of the newly formed Foundation for the future of cities.
Chef and nutritional &
Nutraceutical Consultant,
Cucina Verticale
Stefano Polato, from Padua, is a chef and nutritional & nutraceutical consultant. Over the last 15 years he has specialized in the choice, preparation and preservation of food, also taking on the challenge of preparing « star menus » for space, where extreme conditions make eating style even more important. Through Argotec of Turin, he took care of the preparations for various space missions, such as that of Samantha Cristoforetti, astronaut and Italian pride, as well as for the missions of Luca Parmitano, Andreas Mogensen and Paolo Nespoli, acquiring fundamental experience in his studio on the properties of foods. His career led him to develop the concept of « vertical cooking », a method that has allowed the hundreds of people following his courses to achieve a greater state of well-being through food and cooking.
Managing Advisor,
Beyond Enterprizes
David Orban, born in Budapest, studied Physics at the University of Milan and the University of Padua, and today holds the role of Managing Advisor of Beyond Enterprizes, a consultancy firm that offers strategic and technical leadership skills, consultancy and support to projects in all phases of blockchain and the implementation and development of new technologies. He has held over 100 conferences around the world for many different organizations, such as Cisco, Oracle, Roche, E&Y, Accenture, ENEL, Intesa, Banca Sella, Mediolanum, Internet Advertising Bureau, European Foundation for Management Development and H -Farm. He was the keynote speaker at the first Ethereal Summit in May 2017 in New York, bringing an inspiring vision of how Blockchain technologies will catalyze a change in the socio-economic organization of our societies, and then in March 2018 at Blockchain Unbound in Puerto Rico, where he detailed the emancipation and empowerment that non-zero-sum technologies are spreading around the world. He is the author of Singolarità. Con che velocità arriverà il futuro (Hoepli, 2015) on the role of artificial intelligence in our society. David’s work overcomes the limits of specialization to contribute to a new renaissance, as he explains: “My vision is at the intersection of technology and society and their co-evolution.”
Senior Advisor for Strategic
Evolution and Chief Diversity
Officer,
ESA
Ersilia Vaudo Scarpetta is an astrophysicist, who has worked since 1991 at the European Space Agency, where she currently holds the roles of Senior Advisor for Strategic Evolution and Chief Diversity Officer in Paris. During her career she held various roles, and worked for 4 years at the ESA office in Washington DC (USA), where she was in charge of relations with NASA. In 2022 she was the curator of the XXII International Exhibition of the Triennale di Milano on the theme “Unknown Unknowns. An introduction to mysteries”. She is President and co-founder of the Association « Il Cielo itinerante » to promote STEM literacy by bringing « the sky where it does not reach », with a telescope on a minibus and STEM camps, among boys and girls in areas of hardship and educational poverty. In 2023 she published with Einaudi Mirabilis Cinque intuizioni (più altre in arrivo) che hanno rivoluzionato la nostra idea di Universo.
CTO,
Extreme Manufacturing
Engineering
Bernardini Simone has a bachelor’s degree in structural mechanical engineering from the University of Padua and is the owner of Extreme Analyses Engineering, a company that actively collaborates with Extreme Manufacturing Engineering and has in-house personnel with in-depth knowledge/skills of the sector and necessary for its mission.
Knowledge/skills gained both through the activity carried out over the years and acquired through dedicated studies and research during academic years or participation in training events. New knowledge has also been acquired through activities carried out for R&D projects launched both internally and in aggregation with other companies in the sector for regional calls for tenders.
This continuous quest for improvement has resulted in Extreme Manufacturing Engineering being created and registered as an innovative start-up company due to its distinct and strong desire to evolve in calculation and production procedures related to the relevant issues of Industrial Additive Manufacturing technology development.
This Industrial Revolution, which is emerging at this time, pays particular attention to the industrial world for the production of components related both to Aerospace and the space community, but also to other sectors that are approaching this technology, so that both large-scale projects and mass production can be developed. The main theme is the lightening of the component in terms of weight, the possibility of making complex geometries by removing the concept of prototyping.
Project Manager Aviation Division,
Isoclima
After graduating in Mechanical Engineering at Padova University, I joined ISOCLIMA in 2009 as aProcess Engineer.
From 2011, I served as Program Manager in different Aviation and Automotive projects, overseeingprojects for renowned brands such as Leonardo Helicopters, Airbus Helicopters, Ferrari,Lamborghini, McLaren and AstonMartin,
In my role, I wield strategic prowess in supporting customers through the developmental lifecycle,from project inception to the start of serial production, offering invaluable insights for optimaldesign implementations. Collaborating across departments, I foster innovation by integratingcutting-edge technologies and processes, thus anticipating and meeting evolving customerdemands.
Principal,
Boston Consulting Group,
Alessio Bonucci is a Principal in the Aerospace and Defense practice of Boston Consulting Group. He has supported close to a decade’s worth of critical strategic projects across Europe and the Middle East and has authored multiple publications regarding space evolution.
In recent years, Alessio has concentrated his efforts on aiding Aerospace and Defense clients in achieving top-tier performance in their programs, thereby ensuring their sustained competitiveness in terms of both products and services.
His latest client work has been centered in the space sector, where he has led several initiatives, including the development of socio-economic impact studies, the definition of corporate, industrial, and technological strategies for multiple OEMs, shaping of country-wide strategies, and multiple investments into the space economy.
Alessio holds a Master of Business Administration from Collège des Ingénieurs, a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, and a Master of Science in Automotive Engineering from the University of Pisa.
Head of Engineering and
Technology Unit,
ASI
Marco Di Clemente graduated cum laude in Aerospace Engineering and got a Ph.D. degree in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from the University of Rome “La Sapienza” in 2002 and 2008 respectively.
Starting from 2002, Dr. Di Clemente held several positions within the Italian Aerospace Research Centre (CIRA), dealing with Aerothermodynamics and Space Propulsion .
In 2017 Dr. Di Clemente joined the Italian Space Agency where he is currently Responsible of Technology Unit. His duties include the definition and implementation of roadmaps within ASI technology program for all the applicative disciplines and the coordination of ASI activities regarding technology developments at national and international level. The program encompasses the development of critical enabling technologies according to national priorities.
Dr. Di Clemente is member of national delegation at ESA Industrial Policy Committee as advisor, national delegate at Technology Harmonization Advisory Group and Space Component Steering Board and in 2021 he joined the Space Propulsion Committee of Interantional Astronautical Federation (IAF).
Dr. Di Clemente is currently the project manager for the realization of Space Factory 4.0, funded by Next Generation EU. Dr. Di Clemente is author of more than 50 publications in peer reviewed international journals and conference proceedings.
Director of Drones and Advanced
Air Mobility Observatory,
Politecnico di Milano
Paola graduated in Management Engineering from Politecnico di Milano and has been with the Digital Innovation Observatories since 2014. Currently, she serves as the Director of the Digital B2B Observatory, the Drone and Advanced Air Mobility Observatory, the International Observatory on Electronic Invoicing, and the Working Table on B2B Customer Experience. Additionally, she manages key client accounts and oversees the impact measurement of our research. Over the years, she has focused on studying the digitization of Public Administration and Digital Export.
CEO and Founder,
D-Orbit
Luca is a visionary entrepreneur, seeking a profitable and sustainable expansion of the humankind in space. In 1998 Luca quit his Airborne Officer career and got a Master’s in Aerospace Engineering in Italy (2003). After a year working in a US research lab on nanotechnologies applied to space propellant, he came back to Europe, where, in 2005, he successfully concluded a Master’s in Strategic Leadership Towards Sustainability.
During his Ph.D. studies in Advanced Space Propulsion – concluded in 2008 with honors – Luca founded IRTA (startup providing advanced vision and slow-motion tracking techniques). In 2006 he co-founded The Natural Step Italia (The Natural Step is an international NGO that helps corporations and communities to pursue their objectives within a strategic sustainability framework), where the idea of applying strategic sustainability concepts to the space sector originated. In 2008 he applied for the European Astronauts Corp among 10,000 candidates. He went through the whole selection and positioned among the first two hundred.
Nevertheless, his motivation pushed Luca to find another access to space. In 2009 Luca won a Fulbright scholarship and in 2010 obtained a Certificate in Technology Entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley, California. After an internship position at NASA Ames Research Center, Luca Rossettini went back to Italy and founded D-Orbit, developing a solution for Space Logistics & Transportation.
Luca loves parachute jumping, scuba diving and eats science fiction books.
Managing Director,
Cosine Remote Sensing
Marco completed his PhD in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Naples, specializing in airborne remote sensing for air quality and land management. Having worked on various aerospace projects in Italy, most recently as coordinator of the Environmental Research Aircraft Lab of the Italian National Research Council, Marco moved to the Netherlands.
Marco spent almost 4 years at ESA ESTEC as calibration engineer first, in the science department working on EUV to IR sensors calibration for future planetary missions, and then as performance engineer in the Earth Observation department working on Sentinel 5 Precursor spectrometer TROPOMI.
Marco has been involved in a variety of research and development activities at cosine, all focusing on the miniaturization of optical instruments for Earth Observation and miniaturized suites of instruments for planetary exploration. Marco has been leading the development of space products including space Lidars for vegetation and bathymetry, as well as intelligent spectral imagers for EO from small satellites. He has produced more than 40 scientific publications, either as first author or as a co-author.
Having gained experience as system and performance engineer, project manager, program manager and team leader at cosine, Marco became managing director of cosine Remote Sensing as well as of the Italian branch of cosine.
Marco led the commercialization of the hyperspectral product line at cosine, the first ever miniaturized class of imagers able to connect hyperspectral, thermal imaging and artificial intelligence techniques in one compact solution for the Earth observation market.
Marco is currently leading the scale-up of the remote sensing business at cosine as well as the setup of the space factory for the series production of smart remote sensing instruments for Earth Observation.
Head of Business Development and
Finance,
Urban V
Massimiliano is a professional with a solid background in Corporate Finance & M&A. Over the past four years, he has focused extensively on the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) sector, gaining in-depth knowledge and expertise in this rapidly evolving field. Prior to joining UrbanV, Massimiliano was involved in the business development and M&A in the airport industry withing the Mundys group.
Promoter and Financial Manager,
H2C
Casellato was born in the city of Padua on the 11th of September 1993. He graduated from Luiss University in Rome, first in the three-year course of Economics and Management and then in the Master course of Management: within the latter he was admitted to the double-degree program inside the prestigious University of Gothenburg (Sweden) where he got his second Master degree. He ended his academic career graduating cum laude, presenting a thesis on the M&A aggregation models of Italian multi-utility companies. Since 2019 he has been working in Progressio Management Advisory, a company founded in 2018 and that today, thanks also to his contribution, has become a company highly specialized in asset management and strategic consulting in the real estate sector, with particular reference to medium/ large real estate transactions and with a thorough knowledge of the selection mechanisms used by national and international operators. Since 2021, Casellato is also the head of the real estate division of H2C S.p.A., a holding company that boasts a 70-year experience in the energy infrastructure sector and follows at the forefront the project « The next » – tech district in development in the Eastern Quadrant of the city of Padua. Casellato is also promoter and financial manager of H2G – Hydrogen Generation, a spin-off of H2C S.p.A. focused on the design and development of the first applications of green hydrogen in cargo mobility. H2G constantly promotes new industrial and commercial partnerships with the aim of developing additional and specific « H2-related » technologies, offering ecosustainable and cutting-edge solutions for the transition to an energetically « cleaner » future.
Territory Manager,
QA Systems
Luca serves as the Territory Manager for Italy and the Balkans at QA Systems. With over 30 years of experience in the field of embedded systems (microelectronic integrated systems), he has undertaken managerial and entrepreneurial roles. His contributions include spearheading software projects for automotive and railway mobility. Since joining QA Systems, Luca has directed his efforts towards software verification and certification in safety-critical areas.
President,
CTNA – National Aerospace
Technology Cluster
Cristina Leone graduated in electronic engineering at University of Rome “Sapienza” with a thesis on radar systems for planets exploration. Always motivated by innovation and technology, she joined Alenia Spazio – company dedicated to the design and production of satellites and space infrastructures – in the space electronics laboratories, in 1996. She was elected President of Italian National Aerospace Technology Cluster in 2018 and confirmed in 2023. In this position, she energetically promotes innovation in the aerospace domain working to encourage and to build partnerships across the entire value chain and among the regional aerospace districts. In all the cluster activities, she supports STEM and a gender-balanced footprint.
Her expertise has encompassed a wide spectrum of managerial roles in research, engineering, project developments, institutional relations and today she, as Senior Vice President at Leonardo, oversees the entire set of Leonardo’s divisions and Corporate Labs R&T projects propositions at national and European level and master the Group partnership strategy in this domain, with successful track record. She has a proven operational experience of building and leading trans-disciplinary multi-cultural teams to deliver efficiently and enthusiastically in complex and changing environments.
Cristina has been nominated as one of the Inspiring Fifty, Italian edition: the fifty most inspirational women in the world of technology.
Director General,
Space Cargo Unlimited
Veronica boasts an illustrious career path, with previous roles including Commercial Director at Logic SpA and Sole Director (equivalent to CEO without a board) of Nanoracks Space Outpost Europe in Italy.
She has also held pivotal positions as a Strategy and Business Development Officer at RHEA B.V. and as a Business Innovation Expert at the European Space Agency (ESA) – ESTEC, focusing on commercial partnerships for space exploration. Her journey spans various esteemed organizations, such as the European Space Policy Institute in Vienna, Telespazio SpA in Rome, and the Wave Energy Centre in Lisbon, in addition to research roles at universities across Europe and the USA.
Veronica’s educational process is equally impressive, encompassing degrees in System Engineering, Space Policy, and Law, along with her pursuit of PhD studies in Economics. Veronica’s outstanding accomplishments have garnered recognition, including awards such as the Leader title from the Italian Branch of the Business Professional Women Network in 2017, the Masaniello 2021 Award as a global talent in 2021, and the Business Resilience Award 2022 for her exceptional leadership of Nanoracks Europe during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Her commitment extends to governance, as she was elected as a board member of the Association of Italian companies for Applications, Technologies, and ITC for Space purposes (ASAS Spazio) in 2022.
Veronica’s contributions to the field of space span publications, research affiliations, mentorship, government advising and coaching within prominent networks, solidifying her as a distinguished figure in the realm of space exploration and innovation.
Latest she is advising the Intra-American Development Bank for Space Affairs, primarily supporting the Colombian Presidentship in establishing the national Space Agency.
UK Programme Coordinator for the
Ambassador Platform of ESA,
Exotopic
Pier Francesco Lion Stoppato is the Coordinator of the European Space Agency’s Business Applications Ambassador Platform in the UK. The Ambassador Platform is a network of four regional Ambassador embedded in different host organisations, all active in stimulating space related business development. His experience encompasses space science, engineering, business and technology. As advisor he performed due diligence on several satcoms and Earth observation projects. He contributed and advised on the launch of various start-ups.
A graduate in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Padova, performed graduate studies at the University of Oxford, holds a PhD in engineering from the University of Padova and an executive MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Chief Defence, Security and
Technology Strategist,
Starion Group
General Robert Mazzolin joined RHEA Group as Technology Strategist in October 2018 to establish the cybersecurity portfolio and direction. In his current role as Chief Defence, Security and Technology Strategist, he works with clients to evolve their programmes and capabilities, working with an increasingly diverse and expanding institutional community within the space and cyber disciplines.
General Mazzolin has served in a variety of strategic command and staff roles at all ranks. During his military service, his notable appointments included: responsibility for all Canadian Armed Forces and Department of National Defence Strategic Network; signals intelligence; electronic warfare and cyber operations; strategic cyber policy development; and the engineering and programme management of the Canadian Army C4ISR system. Prior to his retirement from service, he also served at United States Cyber Command as the Vice Director for Strategic Policy, Plans, Force Development and Training – the first foreign flag officer to do so.
Throughout his career, he has chaired and participated in many multinational engineering, security, interoperability and standardization programmes within NATO, AUSCANNZUKUS and related military, government and commercial forums.
General Mazzolin holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, Master of Science with specialization in Electronics and Guided Weapon Systems, Master of Arts in Security and Defence Management and Policy, and a PhD in Engineering Management. He is a licensed Professional Engineer and Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He is an Officer of the Canadian Order of Military Merit, with other awards including the US Legion of Merit, US Meritorious Service Medal, Canadian Chief of Defence Staff Commendation and the Italian Army Chief of General Staff Commendation ‘Encomio Solenne’ in recognition of professionalism and courage for combat actions in Somalia with the ‘Folgore’ Parachute Brigade.
Space Factory 4.0 – Information
Technology Project Manager,
Thales Alenia Space-Italia,
Mario Rossini boasts a 15 years long experience in the development of commercial and R&D project in the field of cyber security. Particulary interesting are the works on AI application in threats identification and system-on.chip applied on secure TLC.
Born in Torino (Italy) the 27th of March 1969, Mario Rossini he gained his first important experiences at Olivetti S.p.A. and Fiat Group S.p.A. taking on assignments with increasing responsibilities in industrial and accounting information systems projects.
He continued my professional development in technological consultancy companies such as Deloitte and KPMG, covering increasing roles up to managing projects and tenders.
At the beginning of 2009 he held the role of IT Manager for Northrop Grumman Italia S.pA: a multinational company in the Aerospace & Defense sector, acquiring specific sensitivities in the application of IT to the Defense sector and in the management of acquisition processes of complex IT services provided by third parties.
Since 2013 he have been an entrepreneur, founding Maneat IT Consulting Srl, of which he, took on the role of CEO. In particular, under his guide the company have developed services and projects (both commercial and R&D) in cyber security.
He subsequently took up an assignment in ISC S.r.l. with in the Cyber Security area (services and architectures), the development of partnerships with manufacturers of IT security SW and integration into more complex systems to respond to customer needs. This area also includes the management of R&D innovation as project manager. I deal with participation in public tenders, European funded projects and R&D with Cyber 4.0 Consortium.
From 2023 he joined to Thales Alenia Space in the Solution for Security Domain with the role of project manager in Space Factory 4.0 plant initiative.
CEO,
Next One Film Group
CEO of Next One Film Group – Innovative startup with social and educational vocation in the areas of Audio-Video-Multimedia-Communication in aerospace and new-space economy; long and consolidated experience in production of high technology contents in aerospace.
Creator of the Lunar City Platform Metaverse and the project Travel Space Real Time.
Screenwriter and director of documentary films:
Screenwriter and director of the documentary film « Expedition », on Paolo Nespoli’s mission to the ISS, in 2017 in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency, NASA, ESA and ROSCOSMOS –
Screenwriter and director of the documentary film Lunar City
Participation in the “Venice Film Festival” in 2019, presenting the world premiere of the documentary film “Lunar City”.
Global Head of Supply Chain
Rolls-Royce Electrical
Jens Geserick is a seasoned professional with a proven track record of driving supply chain excellence and strategic leadership. Currently serving as the Global Head of Supply Chain at Rolls-Royce Electrical, Jens is spearheading the development of a new global supply chain organization aimed at delivering cost and technology competitive solutions. With a focus on Europe, Singapore, and the USA, he is developing and implementing comprehensive supply chain strategies aligned with business objectives. His expertise lies in defining end-to-end supply chain operations, including procurement, logistics, inventory management, and demand planning, while designing processes to minimize lead times and optimize costs.
Professor of Aerospace Flight
Dynamics,
University of Padova
Carlo Bettanini is Professor of “Aerospace Flight Dynamics” at University of Padova and has almost 30 year experience in the development and testing of subsystems and instruments for space missions, stratospheric balloons and drone’s applications. He is the head of “Measurements for Space” Research Laboratory and coordinator of the Flight Dynamics team within the FLIGHTDS « Flight Dynamics and SpaceSystems » research group at University of Padova. He is member of the Board of the Department of Industrial Engineering, member of the Board of Professors for the Doctoral School in Science, Technology and Measurements for Space (STMS) at Center for Space Activities of University of Padova and member of the Board of Professors of the National Doctoral School in Earth Observation based at University of Rome La Sapienza. He serves as trustee in the Council of European Aerospace Societies (CEAS) and is technical and scientific coordinator of the Veneto Regional Aerospace Innovative Network (RIR AIR).
Director of the Space Economy
Observatory,
Politecnico di Milano
Carlo Negri graduated in Management Engineering at Politecnico di Milano. Since 2017 he has been part of the research group of the Digital Innovation Observatories where he is currently Director of the Space Economy Observatory and Senior Researcher of the Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Business Process Automation Observatories. In addition to research activities, he is part of the team in charge of developing relations with the Partner companies of the Digital Innovation Observatories
Olympic Sailing Team
Edoardo Bianchi is a two-time Olympic sailor in the Tornado Class: in Athens 2004 at just 19 years old, and then again in Beijing in 2008.
During the Olympic preparation he and his boat partner were supported by a sports psychologist, with whom have undertaken a personal journey aimed at optimizing sports performance. The path allowed Edoardo to learn techniques that supported him in his sporting, academic and working career. In 2010 Edoardo graduated as a naval and nautical engineer with honors from the universities of Genoa and La Spezia, but he still introduces himself first as an athlete.
CEO,
WyLAB incubator
Federico Smanio, 51, married with three sons, graduated in Economics at the University of Bologna, is a former professional football player, who managed to start a new career in the sports industry at Lega B, the Italian second division football league, as Head of Digital and Fan Relationship Management.
Smanio is now the CEO of Wylab, the first Italian sports tech incubator based in Chiavari (Genova) where he’s taken the role at the end of 2018. Wylab acts as a broker of innovation within the sports industry, facilitating the connection between technology, startups, universities, investors, brands, corporates and the typical sports players like federations, leagues, teams, athletes.
Since 2022 he is the Program director of WeSportUp, the CDP Venture Capital and Sport e Salute accelerator which he manages in collaboration with Startupbootcamp and was launched with the aim to select and develop 30 highly innovative startups with impact on the sports and wellness industries.
Federico is a multilingual, fluent in English and Spanish and intermediate in Mandarin Chinese, passionate for all things digital and sport, he’s a 1h. 21 min. half marathoner and hopeless gourmand.
Policy Officer Quantum
Technology, DG CNECT,
European Commission
Laurent Olislager graduated as an engineer in physics. He got a PhD in quantum photonics from universities in Brussels, Belgium, and Besançon, France. He is policy officer for quantum technologies at the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT) of the European Commission.
SVP Space Line of Business,
Leonardo
Graduated in Aerospace Engineering , I joined Leonardo in 2002. Until 2016, I worked in the Space Business, at first as solar generators engineer, then as Robotics Program Manager.
From 2016 to 2021 I moved to the Airborne Systems Line of Business, as TWT and Microelectronics Business Area Manager up to 2019 and then as Airborne Mission Systems Business Area Manager.
At beginning of 2022 I came back to Space, as responsible of the Space Line of Business, now belonging to the new Leonardo Space Division.
Co-Founder & CEO,
ThinkQuantum,
Simone Capeleto is Co-founder and CEO of ThinkQuantum Srl (startup and spin-off of University of Padua) providing quantum solutions for cyber security, such as fiber, free-space, satellite QKD platforms and high-end high-speed QRNG devices.
In the European Quantum Industry Consortium, he is member of the Governing board, lead of the Expert Group in Quantum Communications and responsible for the Italian Chapter.
Telecommunication Engineer with a PhD in Space Science & Technology, he earned experience in R&D (author of 10+ patents), Project Management and Standardization domains, thereafter he developed in Business Transformation, M&A, Strategy and General Management covering management & executive roles in diverse organizations.
Associate professor,
University of Padua
Carmelo Maucieri is associate professor of agronomy and field crops at the DAFNAE – University of Padova. In 2010 he obtained master degree in Tropical and Subtropical Agricultural Sciences and Technology at the University of Catania and, in 2015, doctorate in Crop Science at the University of Padova. In 2012 he spent 3 months at the Faculty of Health Sciences (University of Ljubljana) to develop a research project entitled “Evaluation of constructed wetland systems”. In 2015 he has been visiting researcher for 6 months at the Centre for Carbon, Water and Food (University of Sydney) with a project entitled “Evaluation of methane and nitrous oxide emissions in Australian agro-ecological systems ». In 2016 he worked on a research project entitled “Effects of monoculture and intercropping on vegetables marketable production in small-scale aquaponic system” at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). The actual research topics are: crops irrigation, water desalinization, adaptation of agriculture to climate change, biomass production and smart fertilizers development. He is co-author of 75 ISI/SCOPUS articles, 10 book chapters and 30 conference oral presentations (Citations n. 1560; H-index 22).
Co-founder & CEO,
QTI
Tommaso Occhipinti is CEO of QTI s.r.l., Quantum Telecommunications Italy. He started his career (2002) in the academic research field of quantum astronomy and quantum communications (PhD in Telecommunication Engineering, Padova University). In the following years, he started his business career founding innovative start-ups and, in 2020, he was among QTI co-founders. As QTI CEO, he is also taking care of the Italian and international development of the market collaborating with the business developers of TIM, Telsy and Sparkle companies. He participates in national and international congresses, conferences and institutional events in order to spread the use of Quantum Key Distribution in all the strategic market segments and institutions.
Chief Procurement & Supply Chain
Officer,
Leonardo
Giacinto Carullo has been Chief Procurement & Supply Chain Officer at Leonardo since September 2020. He earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering and owns a Master in Procurement and Supply Chain Management from MIP Business School in Milan. Giacinto joined Leonardo-Finmeccanica in 2013 as VP Strategic Sourcing for the Helicopter Division. In 2016 he served as Procurement Director for Leonardo Defence Systems, and in 2017 became SVP Procurement and Supply Chain for Leonardo Aircraft Division. Prior to joining Leonardo he started his career path in the Automotive industry, covering different positions in Manufacturing and in Procurement. He worked in Denso, Magneti Marelli and FCA (now Stellantis). He was in US to support FCA procurement post merging roadmap. Then he moved in Germany as VP Purchasing for Magneti Marelli Automotive Lighting.
Head of Economics and
Communication Department,
Veneto Agricoltura
Alessandra Liviero is the Head of Economics and Communication Department of Veneto Agricoltura, the Venetian Agency for the Innovation in the primary sector. With a Ph.D. in agricultural economics, she has held various roles, including heading the Socio-Economic Observatory of Fisheries and Aquaculture and then the Agrifood Economic Observatory. Recently she was appointed as the Back Office managing director of AKIS, the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System. The aim of the project is to improve the competitiveness of agricultural businesses by making innovation accessible. To do that, Alessandra and her team are connecting people, institutions, data and projects.
Councilor,
PSR & Innovazione Veneto
He is the CEO of the Board of Directors of the PSR Innovazione Veneto Consulting Body, registered in the national register kept by the MIPAAF Ministry, and holds the role of Technical Manager; he is a Management Executive with strategic support tasks to the central Management of the Consorzio Sistema Servizi S.c.p.a..
He has gained extensive experience as a corporate manager in various service companies and in the agro-industrial sector. He has obtained international certifications issued by A.I.A. in Control Risk Management and Control Self Assessment; he presides over various Supervisory Bodies ex D.Lgs. 231/2001 in Associations and Companies belonging to the agro-industrial sector as well as in Public Economic Entities; he carries out the role of Statutory Auditor ex D.Lgs. 220/2002.
Head of Telecommunications and
Navigation Dept.,
Italian Space Agency
Giancarlo Varacalli is an Electronic Engineer with 25 years of experience in the space sector. He has been with the Italian Space Agency since 2005 after having worked in the Italian aerospace industry on SATCOM development programs. At ASI he led several space projects in the fields of Telecommunications, Navigation and Earth Observation, including the development of the second generation of COSMO SKYMED satellites equipped with synthetic aperture radar. He is currently responsible for the Telecommunications and Navigation programs at ASI.
Product Line Manager GNSS &
Lunar Navigation and Aerocom
Systems, Payloads & Satellites,
Thales Alenia Space
Received the Dr. degree in Electronic Engineering, cum laude, in 1985 from the University of Rome “La Sapienza”.
In 1986 he joined Alenia Spazio in the Communications Department where he was the Head of Payload Analyses Unit. He participated to the Italsat and Artemis missions as Payload Engineer and then System Engineer
In 2000 he started working in the satellite navigation field as System Engineer.
In the period 2004-2007 he was in ESNIS (former Galileo Industries) as System Engineering Manager for the Galileo IOV CDE1 phase.
Then he was the Head of System Unit in the Navigation Dept of Thales Alenia Space Italy and System Manager of Galileo FOC WP1 contract
Currently he is the Product Line Manager of GNSS & Lunar Navigation and Aerocom Systems, Payloads & Satellites in the TAS Domain Observation Navigation Italy and Design Authority of Thales Alenia Space activities relevant to the Lunar Navigation of Moonlight program.
Giuseppe Tomasicchio, Head –
System Engineering & Design
Authority,
Telespazio
Giuseppe Tomasicchio is currently Head of System Engineering & Design Authority of the TELESPAZIO CTIO-Department of Research, Digital & Innovation.
He has been working for Satellite System Engineering for 24 years. In the past, he was a Senior System Engineer at THALES ALENIA SPACE Italy and Technology Researcher at INFN (Italian Institute of Nuclear Physics) and CERN (European Center for Nuclear Physics, Geneva, Switzerland).
He became Member of INCOSE as Certified Systems Engineering Professionals (CSEP) (Reg. No. 03734, since Sept. 2016). He is Domain Manager of Space Exploration & space station services and coordinates the Concurrent & Collaborative Design Facility (C2DF).
Domain Telecommunications Italy
Director,
Thales Alenia Space
Graduated in Aeronautical Engineering, he started his activity in the Space sector in ’92, at the Turin site of Alenia Spazio, dealing with systems engineering for scientific satellite missions.
Later, in Rome, he took responsibility of the developments of solutions and projects of electronic equipment and on-board antennas for telecommunication, earth observation and navigation satellites, taking charge of the Engineering and later Project Management groups.
Since 2019 he’s head of Thales Alenia Space Telecommunications Domain in Italy, having the objective of strengthening competencies and capabilities of the sector, with a special focus on new technologies such as free-space optical communications, quantum applications, 5G and 6G, satellite “Internet of Things”, and the whole field of commercial and institutional secure telecommunications and Defence from Space.
Since 2003 Antonio has also been involved in training in Thales Alenia Space, in Universities and in public and private institutes, as a lecturer in technical and project management, operations and logistics (e.g. Il sole 24 Ore Business School, Project Management Institute, Sapienza, Tor Vergata and Roma Tre Universities, …).
Safety and Compliance Monitoring
Manager,
SAVE
Giuseppe Perta is the Safety and Compliance Monitoring Manager at SAVE S.p.A., the aerodrome operator of Venice “Marco Polo” International Airport. Venice airport is part of the North-East airport system, including the airports of Venice, Treviso, Verona and Brescia, which in 2022 handled around 15 million passengers, with a recovery of 81% compared to 2019 traffic, demonstrating a solid resilience after the pandemic. Giuseppe is a professional engineer with an MSc in Civil Engineering specializing in transportation infrastructure and has more than 7 years of career in the airport sector. He previously worked at one of the leading Italian engineering companies in the transport industry. Giuseppe is also involved in developing and promoting the implementation of AAM services in the North-East airport system.
Executive Director – International
Strategy and Business
Development – Space Science,
Exploration and Transportation,
GMV
Mariella Graziano is an Aerospace Engineer from the Sapienza University of Rome (Sapienza-Università di Roma). She joined GMV in 1999 and since 2022 she has held the position of Executive Director of Strategy and Business Development for Science, Exploration and Transportation – GMV Space Systems.
She started his career working at TER SRL, a small Italian technological company. She has been in ESA as YGT working in systems engineering and space simulation.
Since joining GMV, she has assumed various technical and management responsibilities. In 2007 she is appointed Executive Director of the Space Segment and Robotics business unit, a position she will hold until 2020, the year in which she is nominated Executive Director of Strategy and International Coordination for the same domains. In 2022, and because of a new organization by GMV, she is appointed Executive Director of Strategy and Business Development of Science, Exploration and Transportation – GMV Space Systems. She is member of the GMV-Alén Space Executive committee.
Product fashion Advisor
Camera Nazionale della Moda
Italiana
Creative entrepreneur with an intuitive sense to research, define and plan years ahead consuming habits for fashion textile, tanneries, footwear, bags, leather goods, accessories companies and retail scene.
Constantly on the road on a never ending trip to hunt looks, behaviors, attitudes, visiting exhibitions, fairs and trade show, social events and art galleries.
Freelance working as Art Director, Image Stylist Consulting, Photographer and Fashion Designer, Cool Hunter, on fashion style forecasting for industry and consumer trends, reporting to Italian and International companies inspirational trends to help them carry out their concepts and product development strategies.
Key-note speaker at International seminars on Italian fashion system as Creative and Expert in Fashion, and University professor on Fashion Styling related to social media and editorial issues.
Researcher at the Space Economy
Observatory,
Politecnico di Milano
Valentina Zancan graduated in Management Engineering at Politecnico di Milano. Since 2022, she is Researcher at the Space Economy Observatory. In addition, she is a second-year PhD candidate in the School of Management at Politecnico di Milano, where she is doing research on the New Space economy.
Astronaut
Roberto Vittori is a Brigadier General of the Italia Air Force, astronaut of the European Space Agency, and associate professor/researcher.
As an Air Force officer he has been the Commander of the Space General Office. As a pilot, a test pilot, he has logged more than 2500 hours on 50 different types of aircrafts. As an astronaut he has flown in space three times both with the Soyuz (2002 and 2005) and with the Space Shuttle (2011). He has extensive experience in space diplomacy having been the (first) Italian space attaché at the Embassy of Italy in Washington DC.
He has a number of publications and recognitions/awards amongst which a gold medal to Aeronautical Value from the President of the Italian Republic, a gold medal for space exploration from the NASA Administrator, and a medal from the President of the Russian Federation. Roberto has been the first Italian to fly on the Soyuz, the first non russian to be fully qualified as Soyuz commander. His vision is for a future based on extra-atmospheric resources as only opportunity for the global economy and as only hope for our ecosystem.
International Project Consultant,
Camera Nazionale della Moda
Italiana
International fashion and lifestyle trends advisor for Italian Luxury Consumer Goods Industry.
Creative Innovation projects specialist for Italian industry of fashion and lifestyle.
Global consumer behaviour specialist and trend forecasting analyst, innovative and responsible fashion industry and retail global scenarios.
Cross Cultural business Curator at Milan fashion Week, in relation with professionals from Italy, Germany, UK, France, Hungary, USA, South Korea, Japan, China, South Africa, Mexico, Middle East.
Clients includes Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, (Milan Fashion Week), La Rinascente, Lineapelle, Poltrona Frau-Hyundai Motor, Samsung, Heineken, Shinsegae Group, K11 Store.
Business Development and
Marketing manager,
IAI Space Division
Aviv has been in the space industry since 2013 working as an engineer in IAI’s Space Division’s AIT group. During the past years Aviv took hands-on than managerial roles in the AIT and launch processes of many satellites including Ofek 10, Ofek 11, Venus, OptSat3000, Beresheet Lunar lander and more. From there Aviv took a shift for the business world and became IAI’s Space Division’s Business Development and Marketing manager. Aviv holds a BSc. in Aerospace engineering, MSc. in System engineering and an MBA.
Director of QuTech, the Quantum
Technologies Center,
University of Padua
Paolo Villoresi is a Full Professor of Physics and Director of the Padua Quantum Technologies Research Center, both at the University of Padova. He studied Physics and Applied Mathematics at University of Padova, where he is permanent faculty since 1994. He proposed in 2002 and then realized the first single photon exchange with a satellite using the ASI-MLRO telescope in Matera. He founded a research group on Quantum Communication (QC) and Quantum Optics, that demonstrated the first QC in Space using orbiting retroreflectors, adopting polarization and temporal modes. His group also have shown the first use of OAM modes in QC, the generation of random numbers using DV and CV quantum processes at tens of Gbps, the study and mitigation of turbulence in free-space QC in the Canary Island links, as well the implementation of novel QKD protocols and of fundamental tests of Quantum Mechanics both in Space and in the Lab. The daylight free-space quantum QKD using integrated photonics circuits as well as QKD inter-modal networking are among QuantumFuture recent results. His past research topics include the Atomic Physics in the attosecond domain, multiphoton ionization, ultrafast optics in extreme ultraviolet and X-rays, often exploiting adaptive optics, exploiting also his 12 industrial patents and patent applications. He is also founder and President of ThinkQuantum, a spinoff of University of Padova introducing advanced QKD technologies for Space and ground networs. He is a Fellow of Istituto Veneto di Scienze Lettere e Arti.
Chief Engineer Quantum-Secure
Communications,
Airbus Defence and Space
Johanna Sepúlveda received her M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering – Microelectronics by the University of São Paulo, Brazil. She was a Senior Researcher in the area of security and emerging technologies at the University of South Brittany (France), INRIA (France) and at the Technical University of Munich (Germany). Currently she holds a position as the Airbus Expert on Quantum-Secure Technologies, being Chief Engineer of different European quantum initiatives such as the European Quantum Communication Infrastructure (EuroQCI). Also she is a member of the Strategic Advisory Board of Quantum Technologies for the European Commission and leader of the Strategic Industry Roadmap at the Quantum Industry Consortium (QuIC). She has more than 15 years of experience in R&T and R&D in the area of security, networked systems, HPC and quantum technologies
Managing Director of SES ,
Techcom
As the Managing Director of SES Techcom, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SES, Alan Kuresevic is responsible for developing commercial projects and technology initiatives for governments and institutions such as Luxembourg Government, European Commission and European Space Agency.
Alan who joined SES in 1994 has led several projects and technology developments that provided the foundation for the company’s innovative services. His work included, among other, pioneering the development and introduction of the first commercial digital satellite TV broadcast system, positioning satellite communication in the global connectivity and telecommunication services and developing worldwide satellite-based system for emergency response communication.
Alan is also a member of the Board of Directors of Redu Space Services.
Alan has a MSc degree in Computer Science, Telecommunication and Information Technology from University of Zagreb.
President,
Tecnica Group spa
Alberto Zanatta – member of the Tecnica Board of Directors – breathes the footwear culture of the most important world sports district – Montebelluna – since childhood.
Aware of the need to know, as thoroughly as possible, the increasingly complex reality of international markets, he begins his career in the US branch of Tecnica, taking care of the sales and marketing area. After a year, in direct contact with the most important US customers, in 1994 he returns to Europe to take care of and get to know the German market better by joining the sales organization of the controlled Lowa. Since 2004 he has held the position of General Manager of Tecnica Spa and since 2009 he has extended his responsibility to the whole Group. From 2014, he becomes Group’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman since 2016.
Director, Corporate Business &
Partnerships,
Axiom Space
Jonathan recently joined Axiom Space as the Director of Corporate Business & Partnerships. He supports the implementation of country MOUs with Axiom Space by building industrial working groups to inform, educate and engage businesses on how they can take advantage of the opportunities in the low-earth economy. Before joining Axiom Space, he spent five years as the Regional Director for the USA, working for the UK government. His role was to increase bilateral trade between the UK and the US. He supported the negotiations and implementation of three state MOUs: North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. In April 2023, the Department for Business and Trade awarded him for his work supporting diversity in business. 2016, he co-founded the Houston Chamber of Commerce in Texas with over 400 members. Jonathan arrived in Texas from the UK in 2013 as the Regional CEO of an Oil and Gas Consultancy firm overseeing North America. Jonathan is a dual citizen, married, and lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Programme Manager for Space
Systems,
European Innovation Council
Stella Tkatchova is the Programme Manager (PM) for space systems at the European Innovation Council (EIC). As a Programme Manager, Tkatchova brings critical insights and technology/market specific knowledge, performs pro-active portfolio management and supports SME’s and start-ups to achieve breakthrough innovation.
Previously she worked as a project manager and commercialization manager in the European space industry, managing a number of projects in the telecommunications (e.g. ESA ARTES INDIGO public private partnership, GOVSATCOM, O3B) and Earth observation (e.g. Copernicus Sentinel 1 and Sentinel 3) domains. She co-founded a company in the domain of active debris removal and helped several SMEs and start-ups grow in the Newspace industry. Earlier in her career, she worked at ESA’s European Space and Technology Centre (ESTEC) on the EU Galileo and the International Space Station (ISS) programmes. She holds a PhD by the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering of TUDelft, The Netherlands.
She has written numerous articles, books, produced webinars and podcasts on problems related to the commercialization of space technology, space debris remediation, in-orbit servicing, active debris removal, in-space logistics and cis-lunar exploration. Tkatchova is the founder and former editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Space Technology Management & Innovation (IJSTMI).
Personal Trainer,
Spartan Gym & Fitness
My name is Sara Gabrieli, I’m 26 years old, I have a master’s degree in clinical psychology and I am specializing in sport psychology. I am currently studying to be qualified as a psychologist and I have been working as a personal trainer at Spartan Gym & Fitness for almost two years.
Reema Khan, Founder & CEO,
Green Sands Equity
Reema is the founder &CEO of Green Sands, a boutique venture capital firm investing in Technology, Healthcare, Space, and Frontier Tech. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Green Sands has offices in Zurich, New York, Singapore, and Dubai. Green Sands was ranked among top 11 investors in the U.S. by Fortune Magazine in 2022. Green Sands has invested in iconic companies like Spotify, SpaceX, Airbnb, Pasqal, and Colossal. Reema also specializes in strategic advisory for governments in their branding for Foreign Direct Investment. Since 2018, Reema has been an ambassador to the United Nations for Women in Science & Technology on behalf of Royal Academy of Science International Trust.
In philanthropic endeavors, Reema endowed the « Green Sands Prize » which honors an individual or organization with the potential for profound impact. Reema is a trustee of the SETI Institute and Chairwoman of their Endowment Committee. The SETI Institute is a scientific organization, substantially funded by NASA grants, dedicated to investigating the nature of the universe and the prevalence of life beyond Earth. She also funds the SETI Forward Award for the Carl Sagan Research Center. This award supports undergraduate students interested in careers in astrophysics, astrobiology, and astronomy. Reema also lectures at Stanford Graduate School of Business and Berkley Haas School of Business on Family Office & Generational Wealth Management, Investment, AI, and Entrepreneurship.
Professor,
(DAFNAE), University of Padua
Professor of Environmental Agronomy and Soil Conservation at the University of Padova, Italy. Adjunct Professor at the Crop & Soil Department of the University of Georgia, USA. Head of the Soil Physics Lab and Director of the Experimental Farm at the University of Padova. Cofounder of the TransAtlantic Precision Agriculture Consortium. He has coordinated nationally and internationally funded projects on soil protection, agricultural pollution, precision agriculture, and remote sensing. More recently, he has focused on the integrative application of hyperspectral modeling and remote sensing to assess the effects of climate change and extreme events on crops.
Veneto Region
Management Authority of the Regional Complement for Rural Development 2023-2027 and of the Rural Development Program 2014-2022, responsible for the agricultural reclamation and irrigation sector, former director of AVEPA, AGEA and responsible for the technical secretariat of the Minister of Agricultural, Food and forestry
Azienda Agricola Pantano
Winery of 20 hectares, located south of Padua in the plain area, specialized in the cultivation of Glera and Pinot grigio vines, whose grapes, SQNPI certified, are delivered to Vi.V.O. Cellars s.c.a. for the production of Prosecco DOC and Pinot grigio DOC. The company, in fact, falls within the DOC Prosecco area and also in the DOC Bagnoli and Corte Benedettine.
The company is particularly attentive to the use of modern technologies for vineyard management, both in the system setup phase and in management.
The company boasts considerable experience in the use of self-driving vehicles used for spraying and treatment with UV-C rays.