Johan David Michels is a researcher with the Cloud Legal Project at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary University of London, and a Guest Teacher at the London School of Economics. He has published articles covering cloud and IT services in leading US and European law journals and is a co-author of the Cloud Computing Law book (2nd edition, OUP, 2021). His research has been funded by Microsoft and Broadcom and his findings have been cited by the Singapore Court of Appeal and the Law Commission of England and Wales. Before joining academia, he worked as a Strategy and Policy Associate at Ofcom (the UK telecoms regulator) and as an Associate Legal Officer at the United Nations in the Hague. He has written an independent expert report for Broadcom on “Sovereign Cloud for Europe” and his most recent article, entitled “Storm Clouds are Building: Surveillance, Sovereignty, and State Interests”, will be published in the Virginia Journal of Law and Technology in 2025.

Elena Santiago Cid is the CEN and CENELEC Director General since 1 January 2010. CEN and CENELEC are two of the three recognised European Standardisation Organisations supporting European Policies and Legislation. Moreover, Mrs Santiago Cid is also Vice-President at the Women4Cyber Foundation.

CEN and CENELEC, recognised Standardisation Organisations under EU Law, are leading providers of European Standards that are driven by business and made through a transparent, balanced and consensus-based process in which all relevant stakeholders, including societal interest groups and SMEs are involved. The organisations actively support international standardisation and cooperate closely with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in order to foster and promote European competitiveness in the global market.

Mrs Santiago Cid graduated in Electronic Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Madrid and has 30 years’ experience in standardisation.

Since 2019, Manuel Mateo Goyet is the deputy Head of the Cloud and Software unit at the European Commission, DG Connect.

Before that, he served as Member of the Cabinet of Commissioner Gabriel advising her on questions of copyright, audiovisual, disinformation, high performance computing, digital skills, Wifi4EU and eHealth.

Manuel Mateo joined the Commission (DG INFSO/CONNECT) in 2006 where he held several positions, including that of Assistant to the Director General, and of deputy Head of Unit dealing with inter-institutional relations.

Prior to joining the Commission in 2006, Manuel gathered an extensive experience of industry by working in the private sector in Belgium, France and the Czech Republic. Manuel Mateo holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the Free University of Brussels, a MBA in European Management that got him travelling through Spain (Deusto), France (Audencia) and the United Kingdom (Bradford Management Centre) and a Master in Political Sciences from the Free University of Brussels.

Ilias Chantzos is Broadcom’s Global Privacy Officer and the Head of Government Affairs programmes for Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA). Chantzos leads the global privacy programme of Broadcom across the company’s multiple business units and regions. He also represents Broadcom before government bodies, national authorities and international organisations in EMEA advising on public policy issues.

Before joining Broadcom, Chantzos spent almost 16 years in various government affairs and legal roles in Symantec. During his last post with Symantec, he was in charge of the Government Affairs for the EMEA and the Asia Pacific Japan regions and the Global Advisor for Critical Infrastructure Protection and Privacy.

Before joining Symantec in 2004, Chantzos worked as legal and policy officer in the Directorate General Information Society of the European Commission focusing on information security policy. He covered the Council of Europe Cybercrime Convention and the Framework Decision on Attacks against Information Systems. In addition, he worked on a number of EU legislative initiatives relevant to information society and security, including directives on Privacy of Electronic Communications, the Data Retention Directive and the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA). He also represented the European Commission in various international debates and conferences.

Chantzos holds a law degree from Aristotle University, a Master degree in Computers and Communication Law from Queen Mary College, University of London and a Master in Business Administration from Solvay Business School. He has also completed executive education at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore and at the JFK School of Government in Harvard. Chantzos is a member of the Athens Bar Association. He served as Chairman of the Executive Board of TechAmerica Europe. He also served for four terms as Chairman of the European Policy Council of the Business Software Alliance (BSA). He has represented Symantec at the NATO Industry Cooperation Platform and he has been a member of the Advisory Board of the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) from 2006 until 2020. He is also a member of Europol’s European Cybercrime Center (EC3) Advisory Board. Chantzos is a member of the Young Global Leaders 2014 class of the World Economic Forum. He speaks English, Greek, Dutch and German.

Johan David Michels is a researcher with the Cloud Legal Project at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary University of London, and a Guest Teacher at the London School of Economics. He has published articles covering cloud and IT services in leading US and European law journals and is a co-author of the Cloud Computing Law book (2nd edition, OUP, 2021). His research has been funded by Microsoft and Broadcom and his findings have been cited by the Singapore Court of Appeal and the Law Commission of England and Wales. Before joining academia, he worked as a Strategy and Policy Associate at Ofcom (the UK telecoms regulator) and as an Associate Legal Officer at the United Nations in the Hague. He has written an independent expert report for Broadcom on “Sovereign Cloud for Europe” and his most recent article, entitled “Storm Clouds are Building: Surveillance, Sovereignty, and State Interests”, will be published in the Virginia Journal of Law and Technology in 2025.

Pablo Arias Echeverría is a Member of the European Parliament representing Spain within the European People’s Party (EPP). With a strong focus on digital policy, internal market, and consumer protection, he plays a key role in shaping Europe’s digital transformation and regulatory framework.

Currently serving on the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO), Pablo Arias Echeverría has been a vocal advocate for a competitive, innovative, and secure digital single market. He has contributed to key legislative files related to digital services, data governance, and emerging technologies.

Prior to his time in the European Parliament, he served as chief of staff to former Prime Minister José María Aznar and held senior advisory roles in both public institutions and private sector organizations.

Pablo brings a wealth of experience and insight into how Europe can lead in digital innovation while protecting consumer rights and fostering fair competition.

Alex Agius Saliba is a Member of the European Parliament from Malta, representing the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) Group. He serves on the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) and is a leading voice on digital policy, consumer rights, and platform regulation.

Since entering the European Parliament in 2019, Agius Saliba has been at the forefront of major legislative initiatives, including acting as rapporteur for the Digital Services Act (DSA), a landmark regulation shaping the future of the online ecosystem in Europe. His work focuses on creating a fair, transparent, and safe digital environment for citizens and businesses alike.

Before joining the European Parliament, he worked as a journalist and served in key advisory roles in Malta’s national government. Known for his pragmatic approach and strong advocacy for digital fairness, Alex Agius Saliba is a prominent figure in Europe’s efforts to build a more inclusive and rights-based digital future.

Dominik Wasiluk is a Senior Project Manager at the Central IT Center, an institution operating under Poland’s Ministry of Digital Affairs. His work focuses on cloud policy and central procurement for public cloud computing services. He also serves as the national coordinator for IPCEI-CIS (8ra). With five years of experience in the area of cloud computing, he previously honed his managerial expertise in both public and private sectors.

He holds two master’s degrees, one in Quantitative Economics from the Warsaw School of Economics and another in Law from the University of Warsaw. Currently, he is pursuing a doctorate in Law. He holds Standford School of Business Executive Education certificate. Passionate about mentorship, he dedicates voluntary time to guiding young students. Privately, he is a devoted husband and father.

Leading Arvato Systems’ Cloud Business as Vice President and Board Member, my role encompasses strategic consulting and driving growth within the IT Outsourcing sector. My recent endeavors include the expansion of our consulting services and portfolio for diversified industries such as utilities, healthcare, and media, ensuring tailored solutions for each sector.

With a consistent focus on new digital business development, particularly in robotics and cloud technologies, our team has successfully built comprehensive end-to-end processes that bolster our clients’ operational excellence. Partnering with top-tier cloud providers, we have fortified the IT infrastructure and strategic frameworks for global enterprises, leveraging my extensive experience in IT and passion for innovation to deliver enhanced value and agility to our clients.

Following his doctorate in national-scale public sector system development, Chris has spent 15+ years inventing and developing cloud infrastructure platforms to help SMB and Public sector organisations. He is the original founder and architect of the ANS eCloud platforms, combining the best of public cloud flexibility and scalability with private cloud security and data sovereignty. As part of his day job as Director of Platform, Chris steers ANS Private and Secure cloud strategy to ensure customers get the best performance, reliability, and value for their business.

Experience and Expertise:

Guy Bartram is a seasoned professional specializing in Product Marketing and Competitive Intelligence. With a focus on VMware Cloud Services Provider solutions and go-to-market initiatives, he possesses extensive knowledge and skills in this domain. Guy has been an integral part of the VMware organization since 2015, collaborating closely with various business units such as sales, product management, services, architects, and cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities and Contributions:

As part of his role, Guy ensures alignment between VMware Cloud solutions, existing and future managed Cloud Provider solutions. His expertise in product marketing extends to owning the strategic portfolio of the VMware Cloud Services business unit. Furthermore, he actively engages with regional sales teams and customers, as the primary point of contact for all business-related matters.

Value and Customer Support:

Drawing from his rich 20+ year background and experience in the Cloud and Communications industry, Guy Bartram provides customers with exceptional support and a deep understanding of product strategic portfolio and service design. His knowledge and insights enable him to offer customers the highest level of assistance and guidance.

Francesco Bonfiglio is an Italian expert in digital transition and data economy. Leading the Gaia-X project as CEO of the Association, from its foundation until 2023, Francesco has brought international level visibility on one of the now most known initiative supporting the European Data Strategy, and clarity on the meaning of Digital Sovereignty and how it can be achieved. He shaped and gave content to the Gaia-X framework, as well as a five year’s strategy still followed, and managed to gather around a single endeavor one of the largest community of participants, providers and users of technology from all countries, in a private international association. Since 2024, Francesco Bonfiglio is the CEO of Dynamo, a new company co-founded by Aruba and Diagrammatica (Francesco’s own company) to bring about the vision of a one-stop-place for Sovereign and Innovative Cloud Solutions, grouping exclusively European Cloud and Solutions Providers. Renown independent advisor, Francesco has more than 30 years of experience in the IT and Consulting Business. Formerly CEO of Gaia-X, guiding the association strategy and execution and liaising with major European Institutions and Member States Government’s, CEO of Engineering D.HUB, Italian leading company in Cloud, outsourcing, and digital transformation services, former Vice President for Confindustria Valle D’Aosta, co-founder and Board Director of FoolFarm, the first deep-tech Startup-Studio in Italy, and mentor in multiple Italian and international Startups. Throughout time, Francesco covered multiple executive roles in multinationals, such as CTO Application Services EMEA for HP, Vice President Technology Services at Avanade, SW Factory Director at Unisys, Technical Director and Professional Service Manager at Rational-Software. He is married, father of three sons, and passionate musician, active in various productions and collaborations. Francesco believes in the power of collective intelligence, lateral thinking and teamwork as a propeller for transformation, in business as well as in life!

Uwe Geier is Head of Cloud Products at IONOS, where he leads technical and commercial product management for Server & Cloud services and the corresponding Partner Management . With over 30 years of experience in open source, cloud architectures, and IT service management, Uwe is recognized for driving innovation, security, and operational excellence. He holds multiple industry certifications, including ITIL Expert & Managing Professional and ISO/IEC 27001 Information Security Officer, and has a proven track record in building scalable, secure cloud solutions for enterprise customers.

He is an experienced IT professional with a strong background in cloud and data center services, product management, and business analysis. Currently serving as Head of Product at Aruba Cloud (Aruba Group), he leads business growth initiatives by developing high-value solutions that enhance IT infrastructure, while ensuring sustainable profitability through strategic planning, service innovation, and operational efficiency.

With over a decade of experience in technology-driven roles, he has worked across various domains, including stock market connectivity, IT service management, and software development.

His expertise spans cloud computing, data center operations, business development, and strategic product innovation.

Katharina Cordes is leading a product engineering team for a data-secure & resilient, scalable and high-performance enterprise public and private cloud. Together with her team, she drives feature and product development across the entire product lifecycle.

Biography to follow shortly.

Katharina Cordes is leading a product engineering team for a data-secure & resilient, scalable and high-performance enterprise public and private cloud. Together with her team, she drives feature and product development across the entire product lifecycle.

Biography to follow shortly.