Brussels, Belgium · Person Ann Mettler is Vice President for Europe at Breakthrough Energy, the climate-focused investment and advocacy organization founded by Bill Gates to accelerate clean energy innovation globally. She previously led the European Political Strategy Centre, the in-house think tank of the European Commission, and served as Executive Director of The Lisbon Council from 2003 to 2014. She is a prominent voice on European clean energy technology and innovation policy, and a confirmed speaker at the ONS 2026 Strategic Conference.
Person CleanTechVenture Capital
Brussels, Belgium · Person Audrey Scozzaro Ferrazzini serves as Vice President of Government Affairs at Qualcomm, one of the world's leading semiconductor and wireless technology corporations. Based in Europe, she represents Qualcomm before EU institutions and national governments on matters including the European Chips Act, 5G spectrum policy, mobile connectivity standards, and digital competitiveness strategy. She is a prominent industry voice in European technology and semiconductor policy discussions, regularly engaging with senior EU officials and member state governments.
Person SemiconductorsWireless TechnologyTechnology Policy
Brussels, Belgium · Person Bart Groothuis is a Dutch Member of the European Parliament (MEP) who played a central role in shaping European cybersecurity legislation, including the NIS2 Directive. Prior to his parliamentary career, he held positions at the Dutch Ministry of Defence with a focus on cyber operations and digital security. He is widely regarded as one of Europe's leading political voices on cybersecurity, digital sovereignty, and cyber defense policy.
Person CybersecurityPublic Policy
Brussels, Belgium · Person Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl is the Director General of DIGITALEUROPE, Europe's leading digital industry trade association, a position she has held since 2019. A Danish national based in Brussels, she is one of the most influential voices in European technology policy, regularly engaging with EU institutions on legislation covering artificial intelligence, data governance, cybersecurity, and the digital single market. She serves as the primary spokesperson for the digital industry in European legislative processes and oversees major industry events including the DIGITALEUROPE Summer Summit.
Person Digital PolicyTechnology LeadershipEU Affairs
Brussels, Belgium · Person Christine Leurquin is CEO Belgium and Senior Director of European and Public Affairs at Aldoria, a French space safety and sustainability startup specializing in space debris tracking and collision avoidance services. Aldoria operates a ground-based radar network dedicated to monitoring objects in low Earth orbit, providing commercial and institutional clients with conjunction analysis and space traffic alerting services. Her dual role combines executive leadership for Belgian operations with EU-level public affairs activities, making her a key interface between the space sustainability startup ecosystem and European policymakers.
Person SpaceDeep Tech
Antwerp, Belgium · Person Chief executive of Creative Navy, a UX design agency, and a confirmed speaker at SmashingConf Antwerp 2026. He focuses on evidence-based user experience design, usability and the design of complex interfaces for digital products.
Person DesignUser Experience
Antwerp, Belgium · Person Design practitioner at Ampersand and a confirmed speaker at SmashingConf Antwerp 2026, where she shares hands-on techniques and workflows for designers and design engineers working on product design and user interfaces.
Person DesignUser Experience
Antwerp, Belgium · Person Chief Digital and Innovation Officer at Port of Antwerp-Bruges, leading the port's digital transformation and innovation strategy. He is a confirmed speaker at the DroneHorizon summit during Port of the Future Week 2026 in Antwerp.
Person MaritimeAutonomous Systems
Brussels, Belgium · Person Hans Roth is Senior Vice President and General Manager for EMEA at Red Hat, the world's leading provider of enterprise open source software solutions and an IBM subsidiary. In this role he oversees Red Hat's business across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, driving enterprise adoption of open source technologies including Red Hat Enterprise Linux, OpenShift Kubernetes platform, and Ansible automation. He is a senior technology industry executive with significant influence in the European enterprise software and cloud infrastructure market.
Person Enterprise SoftwareOpen SourceCloud Computing
Antwerp, Belgium · Person Product designer and author working with Fuller, and a confirmed speaker at SmashingConf Antwerp 2026. He specialises in mobile app design, design systems and product design, sharing practical methods for designers and design engineers.
Person DesignWeb Development
Antwerp, Belgium · Person Chief Security Officer at Hamburg Port Authority and a confirmed speaker at the DroneHorizon summit during Port of the Future Week 2026 in Antwerp, addressing port security, resilience and the use of unmanned systems for critical infrastructure.
Person MaritimeAutonomous Systems
Hasselt, Belgium · Person Koen Vandewal is a professor at Hasselt University researching organic semiconductors, photovoltaics and optoelectronic devices, with a focus on charge-transfer states and solar energy conversion. He is a keynote speaker at NANOTEXNOLOGY 2026 in Thessaloniki.
Person Deep TechOrganic ElectronicsEnergy
Antwerp, Belgium · Person Head of Strategy and Communications at Hamburg Port Authority and a confirmed speaker at the DroneHorizon summit during Port of the Future Week 2026 in Antwerp, focusing on port strategy and cross-port collaboration on autonomous technology.
Person MaritimeAutonomous Systems
Antwerp, Belgium · Person Designer at UWV and a confirmed speaker at SmashingConf Antwerp 2026, presenting hands-on approaches to design systems, accessibility and user experience for large-scale digital services.
Person DesignUser Experience
Brussels, Belgium · Person Niklas Blomberg is Executive Director of the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI), a major public-private partnership joint undertaking established by the European Union and EFPIA with approximately €2 billion in funding for health research and innovation. He oversees one of Europe's most significant health R&D programmes, bridging academia, industry, regulators, and patient organisations. He is a key figure in European health innovation policy and ecosystem building.
Person Life SciencesHealthcareBiotechnology
Antwerp, Belgium · Person China expert, author and keynote speaker on innovation and technology trends, and a confirmed keynote speaker at the DroneHorizon summit during Port of the Future Week 2026 in Antwerp, addressing global innovation and strategic autonomy.
Person Autonomous SystemsMaritime
Antwerp, Belgium · Person Co-founder and CEO of MAHI, working on autonomous and maritime technology solutions. He is a confirmed speaker at the DroneHorizon summit during Port of the Future Week 2026 in Antwerp, addressing autonomous systems for ports.
Person RoboticsMaritime
Brussels, Belgium · Person Siegfried Jaeken is Managing Director for Data & AI at Accenture, one of the world's leading professional services and consulting firms with annual revenues exceeding $60 billion. In this senior leadership role he oversees Accenture's data strategy and artificial intelligence practice for European markets, guiding enterprise clients through AI-driven business transformations at scale.
Person Data & AIConsulting
Antwerp, Belgium · Person Representative of Exail Robotics Belgium working on autonomous and unmanned maritime systems. He is a confirmed speaker at the DroneHorizon summit during Port of the Future Week 2026 in Antwerp, addressing autonomous robotics for ports and critical infrastructure.
Person RoboticsMaritimeAutonomous Systems
Antwerp, Belgium · Person Co-founder and creative lead of Smashing Magazine, the long-running publication and conference brand for web designers and front-end developers. He curates and hosts the SmashingConf series, including the Antwerp edition, focusing on UX, design systems and complex interface design.
Person DesignWeb DevelopmentUser Experience
Antwerp, Belgium · Person Award-winning designer and artist behind Happy Creative Land, known for globally recognised visual work, and a confirmed speaker at SmashingConf Antwerp 2026. She speaks on creativity, visual design and brand-led product design.
Person DesignUser Experience