European Space Forum 2023

Benedikta von Seherr-Thoß is Managing Director for CSDP at the European External Action Service. Until October 2022, she served as Security Policy Director of the German Federal Ministry of Defence (MoD), dealing inter alia with bilateral relations, NATO, EU, nuclear policy as well as coordinating the MoD’s work on a new German National Security Strategy. From 2017, she was EU Representative of the German Ministry of Defence and Head of the EU Division in the Department for Security Policy for four years. She also had the ministerial lead on Germany’s EU Council Presidency in 2-2020. Prior to that, she worked as Political Advisor to Minister of Defence Ursula von der Leyen for two years. From 2013-15, she was the first defence civilian to participate in the National General/Admiral Staff Officer Course of the Bundeswehr. Before that, she spent more than two years working as Senior Political Advisor and then Deputy Director to the NATO Senior Civilian Representative at ISAF Headquarters in Kabul/Afghanistan. From 2007-11 she functioned as Deputy Head of the NATO Division in the Policy Planning & Advisory Staff to the Minister of Defence, focusing on the Alliance, transatlantic issues and nuclear policy. She started her career at NATO Headquarters in 2004, where she worked as Desk Officer in the Political Affairs & Security Policy Division. Benedikta studied Modern History at the University of Oxford, from where she graduated with a Masters and a PhD. 

Miguel Belló is the Commissioner for Aerospace Recovery Plan at the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain, with responsibility of a 4,5 B€ program for the sector and the implementation of
the Spanish Space Agency. He was also CEO of the Atlantic International Research Centre (AIR Centre),international non-profit organization to develop scientific and technological applications in the Atlantic region with Headquarters in Azores Islands (Portugal). Miguel has been entrepreneur in the European Space sector involved in the management of International Space Programs and Institutions with 40 years of experience in the space sector. Promoter of the DEIMOS 1 (launch 2009) and DEIMOS 2 (launch 2014) Earth Observation satellites and responsible of its operations and downstream applications.

Miguel was founder and CEO of all companies in DEIMOS Group in Spain, Portugal, United Kingdom, Romania and Italy. He is expert in Space Systems Engineering, Earth Observation systems and applications, Mission Analysis, Flight Dynamics, Interplanetary Mission Design and Space Debris.

Miguel holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering at the Flugmechanik Institut, Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrttechnik, Technische Universität Braunschweig (Germany), in 1993, a M.S. Degree in Aeronautical Engineering, at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, in 1983, with end of Studies Honour Award and a General Management Programme (MBA), in 2000-2001, at IESE (Madrid).

Miguel is member of the Board of Trustees and Full Member for Section 2 (Engineering Sciences) of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), Member of the Astrodynamics Committee of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), Chairman of the Mission and Constellation Design Session of the IAC Astrodynamics Symposium and member of the Space Traffic Management Committee of the IAA. Miguel was also Member of the European Space Agency Space Debris Advisory Group (SDAG) and Invited Professor on Space Debris Environment at the Universidad Politécnica in Madrid and Celestial Mechanics at La Sapienza University in Rome.

Brigadier General Juan Sanchez Delgado is the Director of Security and Planning of the Spanish Space Agency.

He graduated from the Air Force Academy as 1st lieutenant in July 1990. From 1992 to 2001, he was assigned to the 31st Wing as a C-130 Hercules pilot. Between 1995 and 1997, he served as exchange pilot with the USAF in Little Rock (USA). In 2001 he was promoted to major, assigned to Air Staff Plans Division. He worked in the Special Programs Section until 2005. In 2006 he completed the Armed Forces Staff Course and returned to the Programme Section in the Air Staff Plans Division. In 2007 he was assigned to the 45th Air Force Group where he was head of the General Secretariat and the Operations Section. In 2011 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and continued in the 45th Group as Deputy Chief. In 2015 he was assigned to the Cabinet of the Secretary of State for Defense as air and space advisor. In 2018 he was promoted to colonel and appointed Head of the Programs Section in the Air Staff Plans Division. Between July 2019 and June 2022 he commands the 45th Air Force Group. In August 2022 he was promoted to the position of Brigadier General and he was appointed advisor to the Deputy Air and Space Force Chief of Staff. In that position BG. Sánchez has been leading the works on the Air Force Space Strategy and the creation of the Space Command within the Air and Space Force structure.

In June 2023 he has been assigned to the Spanish Space Agency, as Director of Security and Planning.

He has an extended aeronautical experience: C-130 Instructor and Test Pilot (US), Falcon 900B Pilot (US), Airbus A310 Pilot (Germany), with a total of 7,300 flight hours. .
He has participated in mission overseas: Air Operations over the Balkans (Icaro Detachment, 1995-2001), Chief of Operations Herat Air Base, Afghanistan (Oct 2008-Feb 2009), Chief of the Marfil Detachment in support of Operation Barkhane, Senegal (Jul-Oct 2016).

Brigadier General Sanchez Delgado has performed numerous military courses and holds a long list of awards and decorations.

Ambassador Sorin Dumitru Ducaru is the Director of the European Union Satellite Centre (SatCen) since June 2019. He has been appointed by the SatCen Board represented by the 28 EU member states and subsequently appointed by Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the Commission for this position.

Ambassador Ducaru is a Romanian career diplomat with a longstanding experience in trans-Atlantic and International Relations and a particular expertise in the field of emerging security challenges and the impact of new technologies upon security. Ambassador Ducaru’s professional background reflects a quite rare blend of technical and political studies. Holding degrees in Applied Electronics & Computer Studies (BS, Bucharest Polytechnic University), Political Science & International Relations (M.Phil, University of Amsterdam) and International Economic Relations and Institutional Management (Ph.D, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest). He has been intensely engaged intellectually and professionally bridging the technology-policy gap and the impact of technology upon security.

Ambassador Ducaru held the post of NATO Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges from September 2013 to November 2017. In this capacity he was the head of the Emerging Security Challenges Division at NATO-HQ, Chair of the Cyber Defence Committee and also coordinator and manager NATO’s Science for Peace and Security Programme. As Chair of NATO’s Cyber Defence Committee and Cyber Defence Management Board, he has been in charge of NATO’s cyber policy development and implementation.

Sorin Ducaru held three ambassadorial positions on behalf of Romanian, namely at the UN in New York, in Washington DC and at NATO in Brussels. He also assumed various positions in the Romanian MFA, such as: counsellor to the Minister, spokesman of the MFA, Director of the Minister’s Office and Director for NATO and Strategic Issues.  He has been also involved in academic and scientific activity as guest lecturer at the NATO Defence College, Rome; Oxford University, UK; Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, USA; Leiden University, NL and as associate professor at the Romanian National University for Political Studies and Public Administration. He has also been a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC, USA, chair of the Scientific Board of  the NEW Strategy Centre, Romania and a Special Advisor to the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace. In the year 2008 Ambassador Ducaru was awarded the rank of Knight of the National Order “The Star of Romania”.

Isabelle Mauro is Director General of the Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA) that represents the interests of 29 global and regional satellite operators. She reports directly to their Chief Executives.

Under Isabelle’s leadership, GSOA and its member CEOs lead the effort to showcase the benefits of satellite communications for a more inclusive and secure society – vital to bridging the world’s digital divide, achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and realizing the 5G ecosystem.

Isabelle has 25 years experience in the Telecoms and Technology sector, starting at the GSMA, where she was responsible for government and international Affairs. In 2015 she moved to New York to join the World Economic Forum as Head of  Information, Communications and Technology Industries, managing the portfolio for 60+ Tech companies globally and leading initiatives on inclusive and sustainable digital transformation.

Isabelle is passionate about inclusion and sustainability. She is Chair of the High-Level Advisory Board of the DigitalGoesGreen Foundation. She also sits on the Advisory Board of Women in Tech and is a member of the UNESCO Advisory Group for the Declaration on Connectivity for Education.

Isabelle holds an MSc in European Politics and Policy from the London School of Economics. She is fluent in French, English, Italian and Spanish.

Guillaume de La Brosse is currently Head of Unit in charge of space innovation, start-ups and economics in the Commission (Direction-General for Defence Industry and Space). Previously, Guillaume was assistant to the Director-General.

Guillaume joined the Commission in 2016, as member of the Commission’s think-tank and member of the UK Task Force, where he dealt with security, defence and space.

Before joining the Commission, Guillaume worked in the European Defence Agency as assistant to the Executive Director (2011-2016) and as pol-mil adviser in the French Permanent representation to the EU (2006-2011).

Major General (Ret) Pascal LEGAI, was a mission preparation officer in the French Air & Space Force. He acquired experience mainly in the fields of geography, imagery, international relations, Space and Security issues. He has extensive international experience in the geospatial information domain. He had been appointed as a geographer in the French Air Force staff in Paris for 5 years (1994-1999). He was also the Head of the French Imagery Intelligence Centre (2004-2006), Human Resources adviser of the French Air Force (2006-2008) and the Commanding Officer of the French Air Force Base in Grenoble (2008-2010) before joining the EU Satellite Centre in July 2010 as Deputy Director.

Pascal LEGAI has been elected by the Member States as the EU Satellite Centre Director on the 1^st January 2015, an imagery analysis centre, based near Madrid, Spain, providing Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) and Imagery Intelligence (IMINT) products and services to support the EU external action. He left this position on the 30^th of April 2019. On 1^st of May 2019, he has been appointed to the European Space Agency (ESA), first as a Senior Security Adviser to the ESA/Earth Observation Director, in Frascati (Rome), and today as a Senior Security Coordinator to ESA DG in Paris.

He has a PhD in International Relations, a law degree, several master degrees in Imagery Processing, Computer Sciences, in History, in British Civilization, in Mathematics. He is an aerospace engineer and has also an Engineer Diploma in the field of the geographic sciences.

Colonel Solbes was born in 1966 and he has an extensive and relevant military carrier.

In 1992 he was part of the 23th Wing in Badajoz, and instructor of the Spanish Air Force Academy;

In 1997 he worked as instructor at the USAF Academy in Colorado Springs and T38 Instructor Pilot in the United States Air Force, in Columbus AFB;

In 2002 he was appointed as Squadron Commander and member and Team Leader of the National Aerobatic Team Patrulla Aguila; 

In 2006 he was part of the Cabinet of the Chief of Staff of the Spanish Air & Space Force;

In 2009 he attended the German Joint Forces Staff College, in Hamburg;

From 2013 to 2016 he worked as Assistant to the Defence Policy Director and Director of Protocol at the Cabinet of the Minister of Defence.

In 2016 he was appointed as Air Attaché at the Embassy of Spain in Berlin, Bern and Vienna;

In 2019 and 2021 he worked as EU Defence Policy Analyst.

Finally he had the chance to serve at the Space Division of the EU External Action Service in Brussels, as member of the EU Space Threat Response Architecture team.

From August 2022 until now he works in the Spanish Air and Space Force Staff / Space, focused on the implementation of the Space Strategy of the Air and Space Force and also to the planning and establishment of the new Spanish Space Agency.

In the coming months he will be assigned to the Spanish Space Command in Torrejón AFB, Madrid.

Colonel Solbes has also a long list of awards and decorations.

Ms. Cristina Vives leads the Space Business Line in Indra.

Graduated in Physical Sciences in Madrid, began her professional career in the Space Sector as Head of the Technology Area of ​​the Component Laboratory working with the European Space Agency.

She has developed her professional career in different areas of knowledge as Program Manager in the Eurofighter Program, POACCS III Program (Portuguese Air Command and Control System). Radar System Lanza N, etc.

In the area of ​​Radar and Command and Control Systems Cristina has held different managerial positions in Indra, such as Director of National Defense Programs, Director of Air Space Management and Director of Business to Government Defense Systems in Europe and Australia. Afterwards she became Managing Director of Defense Systems in Indra Australia and Director of the Defense Business Line Aerospace and Military Air Traffic Management back in Spain.

Cristina holds a Master in Business Management and Administration (2004), and a Project Management Professional Certificate of the Program Management Institute.

Torsten Kriening is Publisher and CEO of SpaceWatch.Global, an independent platform for space activities in a geopolitical context.

He is a business executive with academic and professional experience in space management, satellite communications, and broadcast technology. He has an electrical and telecommunications engineering background and studied information technology and computer science at the Technical College Berlin. Torsten began his career as software developer, before moving into sales management and business development, working at companies including 3Com, Lucent Digital Video, SES Astra, Bertelsmann and PTScientists.

A proud Berliner with a global outlook, Torsten expanded his horizons even further by attending the International Space University (ISU) and earning an Executive MBA. His ISU thesis analysed the capacity-building visions and opportunities of countries in the Gulf region, and he brings experience developing strong and lasting business relationships with Middle Eastern countries. With the global Space Café® talk series and the Space Café® Podcast he created widely recognized space outreach formats.

Mrs Evi PAPANTONIOU is Director for Space (acting) in the European Commission – Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DEFIS). Ms Papantoniou is in charge of EU Space Policy and EU space flagships, Copernicus and Galileo /EGNOS. She is responsible in particular for actions supporting the EU aerospace ecosystem, as well as for relations with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the EU Space Programme Agency (EUSPA).

Until December 2019, she was the Head of Unit in the Directorate-General for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) responsible for legal and inter-institutional aspects of Galileo/EGNOS, the EU satellite navigation programme. Previously, she contributed in setting-up the EU Defence Fund and dealt with the shaping of EU response on countering hybrid threats.

Ms Papantoniou has also worked in the European Commission Task Force for Greece. In that capacity, she supported Greece’s structural reform efforts under the economic adjustment programme in the area of business environment and justice reform.

As competition lawyer by training, she worked for several years in DG Competition of the European Commission on competition enforcement in anti-trust, but also state aid control.

Before joining the European Commission, she worked in the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg and as a competition lawyer in Paris.

She holds a Master of Laws (LLM) in EU law from the College of Europe in Bruges.

José Manuel Rodriguez, as CFO at PLD Space, leads the financial strategy and operations of the company, including the development of the fund-raising division. He holds an Executive MBA from ESCP Business School and has completed post-graduate studies at Corporate Finance Institute (CFI). José Manuel has more than 15 years experience managing the financial strategy of hyper-growth tech companies, including a wide range of digitally-native scale-up companies operating within disruptive sectors. He has managed more than 350 Million  € in capital raising and debt management at companies like Tiko.es, MedUX, Guestperience, Kelisto and Red Karaoke.

Pascale Ultré-Guérard has been appointed Deputy Director for Programs at the Strategy Directorate of CNES in January 2022. She manages 50 experts working in 5 departments covering all domains of activity at CNES: access to space, Earth observation and sciences, universe science and exploration, safety and defence, telecommunication, navigation, facilities plus 2 transverse departments for programming and science coordination.

Before that she spent more than one year at the Ministry of higher education, research and innovation as Head of Space and Defence Department.

From 2017 to 2020, she was deputy Director for Programming, International affairs and Quality.

Before that, she spent 11 years as Head of Earth Observation Program and team at the Strategy and Programs Directorate of CNES and was CEOS (Committee of Earth Observation Satellites) SIT (Strategic Implementation Team) chair from 2014 to 2015.

She joined Cnes in 1999 as Program manager in Solid Earth Sciences.

Pascale Ultré-Guérard has a PhD in geomagnetic field modeling delivered by IPGP (Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris).

Yvan-Michel began his career in 1991 in the software industry. He spent 10 years in marketing, business development and management at large international software vendors such as Dassault Systèmes, Engineering Animation Inc. (now Siemens PLM).

Since 2001, Yvan-Michel works in the Venture Capital industry and is an active contributor of the investment and innovation ecosystem of high growth startups. He is board member of several innovative companies such as Exotrail, Cysec and Vestack. He was an investor of Comitéo (acquired by Natixis), Sevenhugs (acquired by Qorvo) and WebGeoServices (acquired by Capza). He is focusing on Digital & Deeptech ventures and is particularly in charge of a European SpaceTech Fund and the Paris Region Venture Fund.

Yvan-Michel holds a MSc in Computer Science from ESIEA.

Matija Rencelj is the Research Manager at the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI). His work focuses on inter-institutional relations, and European and global policy developments, with studies undertaken on topics ranging from orbital carrying capacity to the history of commercial space. He previously worked with the European Space Agency, the European Commission, in the aviation and commodities sectors, and started his career as a lawyer at a corporate law firm. He holds an LL.M. in Air & Space Law from McGill University and a Law Degree from the University of Ljubljana. At ESPI, he first served as Research Fellow for two years, before taking on the responsibility to oversee the Institute’s research output, manage day-to-day operations, and translate the Institute’s work to real-world impact.

Alessandro Grasso currently is the Project Manager for Earth Observation at the Luxembourg Space Agency. As part of his role he is responsible for the Earth Observation activities at the agency, as well as being the Luxembourg delegate to the ESA Programme Board on Earth Observation and to the European Commission Copernicus Space Programme Committee.

Alessandro holds a master degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Bristol and a Master of Space studies from the International Space University.

Previously he has worked almost a decade in the European space industry, first with OHB System AG in Germany and then with Airbus Defence and Space in the UK. During this time he was project manager and systems engineer for the definition of large scale European and national space projects such as ESA’s Earth Explorers and the Copernicus missions.

Mauro Facchini is Italian and has an engineering background with a PhD in Mechanical Engineering.

Before joining the European Commission he has worked in Italy, UK and Switzerland, mostly in the academic and research environment.

He joined the European Commission in 2002, initially as supervisor of research projects. Then he has been involved in Space aspects and participated to the definition of the European Space Policy from its early days in concluding agreements with ESA and in drafting and including article 189 (EU Space Competence) in the Lisbon Treaty.

He has been Head of the Space Research Unit for the EU financing of space activities and then Head for the development and implementation of the European Earth observation programme initially known as GMES and later Copernicus. He is currently the Head of Unit in charge for Earth Observation at the European Commission.

Simonetta Cheli took up duty as Director of Earth Observation Programmes and Head of ESRIN (D/EOP) on 1 January 2022.

Born in Siena, Italy, she studied law and economics at Yale University in the United States, before gaining a degree in political sciences with a thesis on international satellite telecommunication law at the University ‘Cesare Alfieri’ in Florence, Italy. She also holds a diploma of advanced studies (DEA) from the Centre d’Etudes Diplomatiques et Stratégiques (CEDS) in Paris.

Simonetta Cheli has worked at ESA for over three decades, both at Headquarters in Paris and at ESRIN, and in various roles since 15 years within the Directorate of Earth Observation Programmes.

She joined ESA in 1988, working in International Relations, Programme and Strategy, then moved to ESRIN in 1999 as Head of Public and Institutional Relations covering Italy, Spain and Portugal. In 2008, she returned to Paris as Head of the Coordination Office for Earth Observation.

Before her selection as Director of Earth Observation, Ms Cheli was serving as Head of the Strategy, Programme and Coordination Office for Earth Observation, coordinating relations with international partners in the field of environment and climate, and with ESA Member States and the European Union, managing the Programme Board of Earth Observation, and relations with European Partners like Eumetsat and ECMWF. She teaches Masters courses on space, she is a member of various international committees and has received many awards.

Agnieszka Lukaszczyk is a Vice President Government Affairs EMEA at Planet. Before joining Planet, she worked at the European Commission, Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Space Data for Societal Challenges and Growth Unit. She also worked at the Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry, Space Policy and Research Unit. Before she joined the Commission, Agnieszka was the Brussels Office Director for the Secure World Foundation. In addition to this, she is the former Chairperson and the former Executive Director of the Space Generation Advisory Council in Support of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications. She also worked at the European Space Policy Institute as a research fellow. Agnieszka holds a PhD in Space Security from the Polish Defence Academy, a Master’s degree from the Warsaw School of Economics in Management of Space in New Economies and a Master’s degree from the American University School of International Service in International Politics.

Javier is a Telecommunication Engineer with +12 years of international experience in the aerospace and defense sector at Hispasat and Airbus Defence & Space in different domains, including R&D, international regulation and innovation.

Javier has led different innovation initiatives within Hispasat in areas ranging from IoT to different EU programmes, and is currently participating in the proposal for IRIS2 from the consortium led by some key EU space actors, where he leads the hosting service activities.

Ms. Holla-Maini has nineteen years’ experience in the aerospace industry, starting at Daimler-Benz Aerospace (now Airbus Defense & Space) in Germany. She moved to Brussels in 2000 to represent former Astrium in the Galileo Industries joint venture towards European institutions on the European satellite navigation system Galileo, working on the development of the public-private partnership scheme and other management aspects of the Galileo programme. Since her MBA she has organized workshops on negotiation skills for young managers and remains an active alumnus of HEC.

Ms. Holla-Maini holds a Masters of Business Administration from HEC, France & Stern Business School, NY, USA. She qualified as Solicitor of the Supreme Court in the UK in 1995, holding a LLB Hons Law with German Law degree from King’s College, University of London & the University of Passau, Germany. Aarti lives in Brussels, has 3 children and speaks 5 languages. 

Christophe Grudler is a French Member of the European Parliament (MEP), member of the Renew Europe group.

Historian and journalist by training, his political commitment started at an early stage of his career. He is particularly involved at the local level in his hometown, Belfort, where he has been elected as a local representative several times.

Within the European Parliament, he is Vice-Coordinator of the ITRE Committee (Industry, research and energy) for the Renew Europe group. He is also a member of the Foreign Affairs (AFET) and Security and Defence (SEDE) committees. Furthermore, he is Vice President of the Sky & Space Intergroup of the European Parliament.

MEP Grudler is particularly involved on energy and industry related topics, as well as on space and defence policies. He has been appointed as rapporteur for the European Parliament on the Initiative report on Energy System Integration and recently on the future European secure connectivity. He is also shadow rapporteur for his group on the European Industrial Strategy, the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and on the European Space Programme.

A mathematics graduate specialized in programming, he began his working career in 1997 participating in various tasks of software development from developer to software architect for telecommunications projects. In 2002 he joined GMV, working since then in the satellite control-center area, where he has had different roles till the current role of Director of GMV’s Satellite Control and Mission Planning Unit.

During this period GMV became the world’s leading supplier of ground control systems for commercial satellites, and one of the major GS software providers for ESA and EUMETSAT

In this Role, he manages the vision of the products portfolio evolution.

Bio will appear here soon.

Dr. Xavier Bertrán is the newly appointed Senior Vice President for European Programmes at SES. His focus is on developing and expanding secure space-based telecommunication services with the European Commission and European Space Industry.

Prior to his position at SES, Xavier careered with Airbus, the aircraft manufacturer, where he held several executive positions and led business areas worldwide for Airbus including Upgrade Services, Diversification Programmes and Airbus ATR SAS as Chairman and Managing Director. Before that as an executive in the Space & Defence division of Airbus, where Xavier was also the Deputy Director for the Galileo PPP programme with the European Commission.

Xavier also served as a Member of the Board Directors of several companies including KID Systeme GmbH, Airbus Interior Services S.A.S, ATR GIE. He was also a non-executive Director at Skytra Ltd.

Xavier earned a doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Technology (RWTH) in Aachen and a Global Executive MBA from the IESE Business School in Barcelona. As a volunteer, he also served on the Board of the International School of Toulouse (IST) from 2015 to 2021.

Xavier leads the team responsible for the EU IRIS2 programme on behalf of the consortium integrated by Airbus Defence and Space, Eutelsat, Hispasat, SES and Thales Alenia Space.

Koen Willems holds the position of VP EU Programs and Government Relations at ST Engineering iDirect Europe, a market leader in satellite communication technologies. Koen provides his expertise in EU government programs through the Belgian legal entity (proxy) organisation ST Engineering iDirect (Europe) CY NV leveraging the EU footprint and installed base in ground segment satellite networks (www.idirect.net/st-engineering-idirect-europe). On top of his EU activities, Koen defines and develops ST Engineering iDirect’s global strategy for the government and defense market.

Koen Willems has more than 25 years’ experience working in the technology industry. Before joining ST Engineering iDirect in 2008 he was Product Marketing Manager for Europe at the electronics giant TOSHIBA.

Koen has a master’s degree in English and Scandinavian Languages from Ghent University and a master’s degree in Marketing Strategy and Management from Vlekho Business School.

His expertise in the government and defense satellite market has grown through the involvement in different large (EU) programs as well as frequent interactions with the end-user community and a range of topic-related degrees such as the ‘High Studies in Security and Defence’ degree at the Belgian Royal Higher Institute for Defence, the ‘European Session for Armament Officials’ degree at the French National Institute of Higher Defense and the ‘European Advanced Strategy Course on Security and Defense’ degree at the Egmont Institute, IHEDN and BAKS.

You may know Koen as a GovDef satcom technology evangelist through his regular appearance in editorials in satellite focused publications, white papers and speaking slots at conferences around the world.

Thierry Lefort is a Director based in Helsinki, focusing on TMT. He joined Booz & Company in 2008, and has since worked in Western and Eastern Europe, US, Middle East, Russia, and in Helsinki since 2019. MSc in Electrical Engineering from ESEO, France & MBA from RSM, Rotterdam School of Management, concentration in Marketing & Finance.

Dominic works on frequency regulatory and international topics at the European Commission in the directorate general responsible for the EU Space Programme, DG DEFIS. He joined the Commission and the Galileo programme in 2007 after working in the UK for Ofcom and the Radiocommunications Agency on satellite navigation and mobile satellite topics. His work now encompasses all components of the EU Space Programme, including Galileo, EGNOS, Copernicus and the new Secure Connectivity initiative.

Vini Aloia is the Space Policy and Regulation Manager for Astroscale UK. Vini is responsible for all management and implementation of Astroscale UK’s space policy and regulatory activities, including space system licensing activities and overseeing space policy initiatives and tasks associated with Astroscale’s space projects. Prior to joining Astroscale, Vini worked as Legal and Regulatory Officer at ispace EUROPE S.A., as Associate Legal Counsel at SES S.A., and as a trainee at the European Space Agency (ESA). Vini holds two degrees from the International Space University, an LL.M Master of International and Comparative Law, International Business Law from the University of Helsinki, and a LL.B Bachelor of Laws from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, Brazil.

Vinicius is a member of the International Institute of Space Law, a member of the European Centre for Space Law (ECSL), a member and coordinator of the Space Law Research Centre at the NOVA Law School in Portugal, an invited member of the Commission on Space Law of the Brazilian Bar Association (Santos), a full member of the Brazilian Bar Association, and the director of International Cooperation of the Space Law and Policy Research Group at the Catholic University of Santos, Brazil. Vini is the author of international publications and presentations on topics related to space law and policy and commercialisation of space activities, including the long-term sustainability of outer space activities, on-orbit servicing and active debris removal, exploration and use of space resources, national space legislation, and export control.

Ivan helps businesses understand policy contexts in new markets and navigate complex regulatory landscapes for emerging technologies.

Ivan helps businesses with their Space and Spectrum strategies globally from a policy and regulatory angle and with a focus on emerging technologies.

In recent years, Ivan assisted satellite operators and new space ventures with global market access, ITU support, project management, and business strategy.

Prior to joining Access Partnership, he spent more than 10 years in corporate affairs, institutional relations, policy analysis, political reporting, and advocacy. He previously worked for the Telecommunications Division at Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC.

Ivan holds an MSc from the University of Cape Town, an MRes from the University of London, a BSc-BA from Universidad Complutense (Madrid) and Mid-Sweden University, and a BSc from UNED-Spain. He speaks Spanish, English, and Portuguese.

Ms. Holla-Maini has nineteen years’ experience in the aerospace industry, starting at Daimler-Benz Aerospace (now Airbus Defense & Space) in Germany. She moved to Brussels in 2000 to represent former Astrium in the Galileo Industries joint venture towards European institutions on the European satellite navigation system Galileo, working on the development of the public-private partnership scheme and other management aspects of the Galileo programme. Since her MBA she has organized workshops on negotiation skills for young managers and remains an active alumnus of HEC.

Ms. Holla-Maini holds a Masters of Business Administration from HEC, France & Stern Business School, NY, USA. She qualified as Solicitor of the Supreme Court in the UK in 1995, holding a LLB Hons Law with German Law degree from King’s College, University of London & the University of Passau, Germany. Aarti lives in Brussels, has 3 children and speaks 5 languages. 

Bio to be added soon.

Josef Aschbacher, of Austrian nationality, is a geophysicist by education. He joined ESA in 1990. Throughout his career he held various positions in different locations. He also worked for the European Union. In 2016 he became ESA’s Director of Earth Observation, and in 2021 he took office as ESA’s Director General.

Isabelle Mauro is Director General of the Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA) that represents the interests of 29 global and regional satellite operators. She reports directly to their Chief Executives.

Under Isabelle’s leadership, GSOA and its member CEOs lead the effort to showcase the benefits of satellite communications for a more inclusive and secure society – vital to bridging the world’s digital divide, achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and realizing the 5G ecosystem.

Isabelle has 25 years experience in the Telecoms and Technology sector, starting at the GSMA, where she was responsible for government and international Affairs. In 2015 she moved to New York to join the World Economic Forum as Head of  Information, Communications and Technology Industries, managing the portfolio for 60+ Tech companies globally and leading initiatives on inclusive and sustainable digital transformation.

Isabelle is passionate about inclusion and sustainability. She is Chair of the High-Level Advisory Board of the DigitalGoesGreen Foundation. She also sits on the Advisory Board of Women in Tech and is a member of the UNESCO Advisory Group for the Declaration on Connectivity for Education.

Isabelle holds an MSc in European Politics and Policy from the London School of Economics. She is fluent in French, English, Italian and Spanish.

Paul Adamson is chairman of Forum Europe and Forum Global and founder of Encompass an online magazine and discussion space dedicated to covering the European Union and the UK’s place in the world. He is also the chairman of the EU-UK Forum and a member of the Independent Commission on UK-EU Relations..

Paul is a member of the Centre for European Reform’s advisory board and Rand Europe’s Council of Advisors. He is also a Visiting Professor at the Policy Institute, King’s College London, a Senior Adviser at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center and a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Britain and Europe at the University of Surrey. He is a patron of the University Association of Contemporary European Studies (UACES) and a Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Sciences.

In 2012, Paul was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) “for services to promoting understanding of the European Union” and in 2016 he was made a Chevalier in the Ordre national du Mérite by the French government.

Rolf Densing took up duty as Director of Operations (D/OPS), and Head of ESOC, in Darmstadt, Germany, on 1 January 2016.

Rolf Densing has been working in the space sector for more than 25 years. He graduated with a doctorate in physics from the University of Bonn in 1988. After completing his studies at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, he began his scientific career as Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Physics at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, USA.

From 1992 to 1995, he worked as a project manager in the space science programme of the former German space agency DARA (now DLR, the German Aerospace Center). Among other things, he worked on a series of scientific missions with the German Astro-SPAS platform, which flew on several Space Shuttle missions.

In 1996, Rolf Densing took on a managerial role as US Representative in the DARA/DLR Washington Office, then three years later he moved to DLR headquarters in Cologne as Head of the Executive Office. From 2003 onwards, he headed the ESA Affairs department at the DLR Space Administration until the DLR Senate appointed him Director of Programmes in 2009.

Before joining ESA, Rolf Densing was the Director of Space Programmes at the DLR Space Administration, where he was responsible for Germany’s involvement in the ESA’s research, technology and infrastructure programmes. He contributed to national space strategy at programmatic and policy level, including the evolution of space operations centres in Germany.

Since September 2021 Mr. Kautz is Head of Unit for Secure Connectivity, Space Surveillance and Applications in DG Defence Industry and Space of the European Commission. In 2020 he was Head of Unit (acting) for Space Research, Innovation and Startups.

Between 2013 and 2019 Mr. Kautz was Deputy Head of Unit for Galileo and EGNOS – Applications, Security and International Cooperation. Before that and since joining the Commission in 2000 he held several positions dealing with a variety of industry and Internal Market issues. Prior to the Commission, he worked for 6 years as public affairs consultant.

Mr. Kautz holds a degree in History and Politics, as well as a Master in European Studies from the College of Europe.

Chia Manfletti is the Director and Chief Operating Officer at Neuraspace and the Professor of Space Propulsion and Mobility at the Technical University of Munich. At the early stage of her career, she worked for the German Aerospace Center, DLR, as a research engineer and later joined the European Space Agency (ESA), where she was the Programme Advisor to the Director General at the agency’s headquarters in Paris. She was nominated as the first President of the then just founded Portuguese national space agency, Portugal Space. During her professional tenure, Chiara later headed the Policy and Programmes Coordination department at the ESA prior to joining Neuraspace. 

Chiara is an eminent speaker and was a part of some of the most sought-after global space conferences:

• 14th and 15th European Space Conference, Brussels
• Satshow 2022, Washington DC
• 5th New Space Atlantic Summit, Aveiro (Portugal Space and European Space Agency)
• World Satellite Business Week, Paris
• Silicon Valley Space Week, Mountain View
• Space Tech Expo Europe, Bremen
• Portugal Air Summit
• EDP DSPA Insights Conference

She is bestowed with the title of the “Mother of the Space Safety and Security Programmatic Pillar of ESA” and the “Creator of EuRoC.” 

Chiara has a Doctorate (Dr. -Ing) degree in Engineering from RWTH Aachen University, Germany, a Master’s Degree in Space Studies (MSS) from International Space University (ISU), Strasbourg, France, and holds a Master of Engineering (MEng) in Aeronautical Engineering from  Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine, London, UK.   

Chiara Manfletti has dual Italian and German nationality and loves hiking high mountains, photography, beekeeping, ornithology, and constructing IoT devices. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube

Alberto is an MSc Aerospace Engineer with +20 years of international experience in the space market within GMV and +15 years of managerial and business development experience. He has on significant technical expertise in Space Flight Dynamics, Navigation, (Precise) Orbit Determination, Space Surveillance & Tracking, and Space Traffic Management.

Currently, he is the Director of Space Surveillance and Traffic Management (SST & STM) at GMV. He is the head of the department´s operations, including management (+100 engineers in 8 countries: Spain, Germany, France, UK, Poland, Romania, Portugal and USA), accounting (+10 M€ yearly revenue, with average 2-digit annual growth in the last decade), business development (dozens of customers and partners) and contracts.

His mission is to manage the Space Surveillance and Traffic Management (SST & STM) business and its engineering team and ensure their respective growth to strengthen GMV’s leading position and look for new customers, opportunities, and niches for GMV’s advanced technology, systems, products, and services in these fields.

In 2016, Alexander founded the company ENPULSION, which quickly established itself as an industry standard in the field of electric propulsion systems for SmallSats. He started his career in the space business with Beyond Gravity, formerly known as RUAG Space, working in Thermal Hardware and later in Mechanical Engineering on projects like Sentinel or Bepi Colombo. He then joined the Austrian Institute of Technology and became the Team Leader for Electric Propulsion Systems. In 2013, he became Department Head shortly after it was moved to FOTEC, the research subsidiary of the Wiener Neustadt University of Applied Sciences and doubled its size. His personal expertise covers hydrogen-based energy systems, as well as electric propulsion technologies. After graduating from the Technical University of Vienna with a Dpl.Ing. (MSc) in Physics, he started a PhD programme at the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), then followed his supervisor to the Technical University of Dresden to complete the programme.

Yohann Bénard is Amazon’s Public Policy Director EU Digital & France. He started his career in blue chip French governmental bodies, serving as judge with the Council of State, then advisor to the Prime Minister and deputy chief of staff to Economy & Finance Minister Christine Lagarde. Before joining Amazon, Yohann held senior business and corporate roles in the telecom industry (Alcatel-Lucent, Nokia).

Representing the voice of the European space industry for almost six years as Policy Manager at ASD-Eurospace, Charles Galland has developed a broad expertise in all European space-related policies issues.

Christopher Johnson is the Space Law Advisor at the Secure World Foundation, and a Professor of Law (Adjunct) at the Georgetown University Law Center where he co-teaches the Space Law Seminar.  Mr. Johnson is also a Core Expert and Rule Drafter in the MILAMOS project, an observer at the Hague International Space Resources Governance Working Group, a Field Editor at the Journal of Space Safety Engineering, on the Board of Editors of the journal Air and Space Law, on the Academic Review Board of the Cambridge International Law Journal, and serves on the US Board of Directors of the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC). Mr. Johnson has written widely on space law and policy issues, and represents the Secure World Foundation at the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).

Sara Dalledonne is a Research Fellow at the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) with a Lead on Regulatory Affairs. She is also the Space Law expert reference at the University of Bologna, Italy, and a Member of the Support Committee for the Aviation & Space Journal (ASJ). Prior to joining ESPI, she worked at the Institute of Air and Space Law (McGill University) as a Research Assistant. She holds an L.L.M. in Air and Space Law from McGill University, an L.L.M. in International Trade Law from the International Training Centre of the ILO (University of Turin) and a 5-year Law degree from the University of Bologna. She also completed an ITU Training Course in Satellite Coordination Procedures and Fillings.

James Cemmell is Vice President Government Engagement at Inmarsat and is active on government agendas including innovation, space policy, and international affairs. James has an MBA from the University of Cambridge, Judge Business School (academic prize); an MA International Development BCID; Certificate of Advanced Studies, International Trade Regulation, World Trade Institute; and is a policy fellow at the Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP). Interests include space policy, international development, and mathematics.

Niklas Nienass is Member of the European Parliament for The Greens/EFA, where he is responsible for space policy. A strong supporter of the European new space economy, he is committed to establish a European space law and set international standards for space traffic management. He has a seat in the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), where he negotiates space related legislative files on behalf of the Greens/EFA group. In 2020 he graduated with a Master’s degree on Good Governance with a thesis on international space law.

In addition, Niklas is also member of the Committees on Regional Development (REGI), Culture and Education (CULT) and Constitutional Affairs (AFCO). He is co-founder of the Cultural Creators Friendship Group, the RUMRA & Smart Village Intergroup and the Youth Interest Group. Last but not least, he is also a member of the European Parliament Delegations for Central Asia and Mongolia and Afghanistan.

Torsten Kriening is Publisher and CEO of SpaceWatch.Global, an independent platform for space activities in a geopolitical context.

He is a business executive with academic and professional experience in space management, satellite communications, and broadcast technology. He has an electrical and telecommunications engineering background and studied information technology and computer science at the Technical College Berlin. Torsten began his career as software developer, before moving into sales management and business development, working at companies including 3Com, Lucent Digital Video, SES Astra, Bertelsmann and PTScientists.

A proud Berliner with a global outlook, Torsten expanded his horizons even further by attending the International Space University (ISU) and earning an Executive MBA. His ISU thesis analysed the capacity-building visions and opportunities of countries in the Gulf region, and he brings experience developing strong and lasting business relationships with Middle Eastern countries. With the global Space Café® talk series and the Space Café® Podcast he created widely recognized space outreach formats.

With a background in Aerospace Engineering, Inês d’Ávila is the Space Safety and Space Transportation Officer at the Portuguese Space Agency. She is the national representative of several international organisations in her fields of expertise.

Inspired by seeing new projects come to life and passionate about challenges, Inês closely follows the national activities while always fostering new ones in these two areas, which are a Portuguese priority.

Inês always lived with her head turned to the stars, but now with her feet on the ground, on the Portuguese Space Agency, she hopes to help it reach as high as her dreams.

Colonel Marcin Mazur is the Vice-President of the Polish Space Agency (POLSA) – an executive agency of the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, est. 2014. POLSA supports the Polish space industry, cooperates with international agencies and public administration in the field of exploration and use of Outer Space.

Col Mazur’s goal is to execute the Polish Space Strategy issued in 2017, which is in compliance with both the Space Strategy for Europe 2016 and the NATO Overarching Space Policy 2019, and implement the National Space Programme 2022-2026.

Col Mazur’s responsibility in POLSA is to systematize security and defence activities, in particular the development of dual-use capabilities which may apply for military and civilian applications:

• EO – Earth Observation satellite systems;
• SATCOM – Satellite Communications systems;
• SSA / SST – Space Situational Awareness / Space Surveillance and Tracking;
• Launching technologies.

Colonel Mazur was commissioned in 1998 and promoted to his first officer’s rank, 2nd lieutenant, in 2002. He graduated from the Military University of Technology in Warsaw with a Master’s Degree in Topography and Mapping. He started his career as a Geospatial Officer at the 6 th Independent Geographical Unit in Torun where he became the leader of Mobile Geospatial Support Team dedicated for NATO Response Forces. Following that Colonel Mazur served at the Joint Force Command Brunssum, the Netherlands, in the Geospatial Support Section, J2 Intelligence Division and as an IMINT Officer at the Military Geographical Centre in Warsaw from where he was assigned in 2012 to the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, P2 Intelligence Division, Imagery Intelligence Branch. As an Intelligence Officer, he was also appointed as a Part-time Inspector for Treaties on Conventional Arms Control in Europe (CFE) and Vienna Document 2011 (VD11) inspections. In August 2017 he became the IMINT Branch Head and in January 2019 was promoted to Colonel rank. As the IMINT Branch Head he was responsible for defining Earth Observation (EO) and Space Situational Awareness (SSA) military requirements. He was the co-chairman of the Polish-Italian Operational Working Group with regards to the COSMO SkyMed (CSK) and OPTSAT-3000 systems. Nationally he served the Chairman role of the Inter-ministerial Earth Observation Task Group.

EDUCATION

2003 Master of Science in Topography and Mapping, Military University of Technology, Warsaw

2013 Military Intelligence Officer Course, Regional Joint Intelligence Training Facility, US European Command / US Africa Command, Warsaw

2016 Postgraduate Studies, GIS, Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing for Defence and Security Purposes, Military University of Technology, Warsaw

ASSIGNMENTS

1998 – 2003 Officer Cadet, Military University of Technology, Warsaw

2003 – 2008 Geospatial Officer, 6th Independent Geographical Unit, Torun

2008 – 2010 Geospatial Officer, Joint Force Command Brunssum, the Netherlands

2010 – 2012 Imagery Intelligence Officer, Military Geographical Centre, Warsaw

2012 – 2017 Imagery Intelligence Officer, P2 Intelligence Division, General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, Warsaw

2017 – 2021 Imagery Intelligence Branch Head, P2 Intelligence Division, General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, Warsaw

2021 – Vice-President, Polish Space Agency, Warsaw

Kristina Nikolaus is the CEO and Co-Founder of OKAPI:Orbits, with work experience within Daimler AG and Siemens AG, passionate about business model design, strategic marketing & sales and all kind of data analysis.

Kristina was selected as one of FORBES’ 30 under 30 leading professionals and is one of the 50 most influential women in Business by Handelsblatt.

Yohann Bénard is Amazon’s Public Policy Director EU, digital. He started his career in blue chip French governmental bodies, serving as judge with the Council of State, then advisor to the Prime Minister and deputy chief of staff to Economy & Finance Minister Christine Lagarde. Before joining Amazon, Yohann held senior business and corporate roles in the telecom industry (Alcatel-Lucent, Nokia).

Stefan Grobe is a Brussels correspondent and host and producer of the weekend magazine “State of the Union” on European Affairs.

From 2012 to 2017, he was Euronews’ Washington correspondent, having covered two presidential elections and primary campaigns.

During his years at Euronews headquarters in Lyon, Stefan has served as Head of Business desk, Head of German-speaking Service, and host and producer of the Business Weekly show. Stefan joined Euronews in 1996.

Before he worked for major news organizations, including Agence France-Presse, Germany’s do and Berlin-based newspaper Die Welt.

German-born, Stefan studied in Bonn, Hambura, Paris and the United States and holds a PhD in American History on the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Rolf Densing took up duty as Director of Operations (D/OPS), and Head of ESOC, in Darmstadt, Germany, on 1 January 2016.

Rolf Densing has been working in the space sector for more than 25 years. He graduated with a doctorate in physics from the University of Bonn in 1988. After completing his studies at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, he began his scientific career as Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Physics at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, USA.

From 1992 to 1995, he worked as a project manager in the space science programme of the former German space agency DARA (now DLR, the German Aerospace Center). Among other things, he worked on a series of scientific missions with the German Astro-SPAS platform, which flew on several Space Shuttle missions.

In 1996, Rolf Densing took on a managerial role as US Representative in the DARA/DLR Washington Office, then three years later he moved to DLR headquarters in Cologne as Head of the Executive Office. From 2003 onwards, he headed the ESA Affairs department at the DLR Space Administration until the DLR Senate appointed him Director of Programmes in 2009.

Before joining ESA, Rolf Densing was the Director of Space Programmes at the DLR Space Administration, where he was responsible for Germany’s involvement in the ESA’s research, technology and infrastructure programmes. He contributed to national space strategy at programmatic and policy level, including the evolution of space operations centres in Germany.

Ms. Holla-Maini has nineteen years’ experience in the aerospace industry, starting at Daimler-Benz Aerospace (now Airbus Defense & Space) in Germany. She moved to Brussels in 2000 to represent former Astrium in the Galileo Industries joint venture towards European institutions on the European satellite navigation system Galileo, working on the development of the public-private partnership scheme and other management aspects of the Galileo programme. Since her MBA she has organized workshops on negotiation skills for young managers and remains an active alumnus of HEC.

Ms. Holla-Maini holds a Masters of Business Administration from HEC, France & Stern Business School, NY, USA. She qualified as Solicitor of the Supreme Court in the UK in 1995, holding a LLB Hons Law with German Law degree from King’s College, University of London & the University of Passau, Germany. Aarti lives in Brussels, has 3 children and speaks 5 languages. 

Ms Dinka Dinkova has worked for the European Commission since 2010 in different functions covering various topics of EU space policy, including the EU space strategy, the uptake of space data for tackling societal challenges and growth, the evolution of Copernicus, EU-ESA cooperation, outreach and international relations. Before joining the Commission she worked with various organisations in Bulgaria and the region of Southeast Europe to promote knowledge economy and innovation policies, regional development and multilateral donor assistance coordination. Ms Dinkova holds a Master’s degree in business administration.

Olivier has a long-standing experience and a strong network in the European space policy sector, at the crossroads of the private and the public sector.

He has been part of the Belgian delegation to the ESA Council and also advising the Belgian Permanent Representation on space matters, under the authority of E. Beka, High representative of Belgium for space policy. Olivier then moved to Eurospace, as Head of the Brussels Office until 2014, when he has been hired by Thales Alenia Space as director for EU affairs.

As Business Development Director, Elisa Carcaillon works within the Loft business development and sales teams with a focus on Europe and international markets. Prior to joining Loft Orbital, Elisa was a strategy consultant in the PwC Space Practice. Elisa also worked for Airbus Defence and Space, in the Space Systems Future Programmes. She graduated from CentraleSupélec Engineering School and Neoma Business School.

Billy founded Satoshi Solutions; one of the largest Blockchain centric Recruitment Agencies. This inspired him to found Celestial Search, an up-and-coming Space exclusive Recruitment Agency. His goal is to further emphasise the impactful legacy of Aerospace through smart hiring.

Milan Seghier is a consultant at APCO Worldwide, based in Brussels. As a member of both the Technology and Space practices, he specialises in the fields of EU space and defence policy. Before joining APCO, Milan worked as a consultant in Deloitte’s EU strategy and policy practice, where he delivered projects on space, cybersecurity, and justice and home affairs for the EU Commission and EU agencies. Milan has also held positions as a program coordinator and research fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, working on transatlantic security. A former active-duty officer in the French Army, he is currently serving in the French Army Reserves. Milan holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and a master’s degree in International Security from Sciences Po. He also earned a master’s degree in War Studies from the French Military Academy (ESM Saint-Cyr) and was a visiting student at the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. He is fluent in French, Spanish, English, Italian, and Catalan, with intermediate knowledge of Serbian, and basic knowledge of Russian.