Lt Gen (Dr) AKS Chandele PVSM, AVSM (Retd)

President- Defense, Internal & Public Safety | Geospatial World | India

Shri Rajnath Singh

Hon'ble Raksha Mantri (Minister of Defence) | | India

Lt Gen Dinesh Singh Rana, AVSM, YSM, SM Ph.D

DGDIA & DCIDS (INT) | |

Lt Gen Dinesh Singh Rana, AVSM, YSM, SM, Ph.D was commissioned into 10 GARH RIF on 10 Dec 1987 and commanded the same uniL He is a graduate from National Defence Academy, Khadakv/asla and postgraduate from Oefence Services Staff College, Wellington. The General Officer is an alumnus of the prestigious National Defence College (New Delhi), Centre for National Defence Studies, Madrid (Spain) & National Defence University (USA). He has stood first in most of his professional courses.

In an illustrious career spanning 34 yrs, the General Officer has served extensively in a vast multitude of terrain and operational situations in India and abroad (IMTRAT & UNIFIL). The General Officer has successfully commanded an Infantry Brigade and an Infantry Division in Eastern Sector.

The General Officer has tenanted several prestigious instructional appointments at Indian Military Academy, Dehradun (lnstr Cl C), CDM Secunderabad and HC Wg AWC Mhow. His Staff appointments include Brigade Major in Indep Armd Bde, DDG SD, Brig Military Intelligence (East), Provost Marshal & DG SD at IHQ of MoD (Army). The General officer commanded Gajraj Corps in the Eastern Sector.

For his illustrative services, the General Officer has been conferred with operational awards of Ati Vishist Seva Medal and Yudh Seva Medal. As a young officer, rte was awarded Sena Medal and COAS Commendation Card for gallanby in Kashmir. The General Officer has completed his Ph.D on the topic related to China*s Defence Modernisation and also authored various research papers and articles on leadership and strategic issues. His book "Two Decades that Shaped PLA as we know today" was published in 2023.

The General Officer is a keen sportsman (Golf, Tennis & Cycling) and is a regular Yoga practitioner. He is married to Mrs Shalini Rana and the couple is blessed with a son and a daughter.

Vice Admiral Sanjay Mahindru, AVSM, NM

Deputy Chief | Naval Staff | India

Vice Admiral Sanjay Mahindru, AVSM, NM was commissioned in the Indian Navy on 01 Jan 1985. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla, the Officer is a Submarine and Navigation Specialist. He has held a variety of staff, operational and command appointments ashore and afloat.

The Admiral was awarded the FOC-in-C (South) Medal for standing first in the overall order of merit at the culmination of Midshipmen Training. He has also had the rare distinction of standing, first in all the Basic Submarine Course PCO 'Q' courses and CO 'Q' course. His vast submarine experience emanates from the fact that he has trained on four types of submarines, including the indigenous Arihant Class SSBN.

The Flag Officer has tenanted a number of operational appointments at every rank. In his Operational Commands, the Flag Officer has Commanded INS Shalki, a Type 1500 Shishumar Class Submarine, Cadets' Training Ship INS Krishna, Missile destroyer INS Rajput and INS Arihant as CO (Desig). The Command of Arihant took him through the entire trials phase, including Controlled Submergence, First Approach to Criticality, Reactor Trials in Harbour and Full Power Trials, including Maiden sortie of Arihant at sea. The long tenure encompassed laying down of various nuclear safety training and manpower policy issues, in addition to extensive interaction with BARC and various development agencies.

He has also commanded INS Satavahana the Navy's Submarine Training Establishment where he set up the School for Advanced Underwater Warfare. In his staff tenures he has served in the Directorate of Submarine Operations and Directorate of Nuclear Submarine Acquisition at IHQ MoD (N). He has also carried out duties as Naval Assistant to FOC-in-C (West) and FOC-in-C (South).

On promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral in 2015, he tenanted the appointments of Flag Officer Submarines, Flag Officer Maharashtra Area and Chief Staff Officer at HQ SFC. On elevation to the rank of Vice Admiral in 2019, he held the challenging and coveted appointment of Deputy C-in-C of the Strategic Forces Command prior taking over the present appointment as Deputy Chief of Naval Staff at IHQ MoD (N).

The Admiral has attended the Joint Services Staff College at U.K. and the College of Naval Warfare, Mumbai. The Admiral is a graduate of JNU, New Delhi and has completed his MA in Defence Studies from King's College, London and M. Phil. (Defence Studies) from Mumbai University.

The Flag Officer was awarded the FOC-in-C (West) Commendation as Executive Officer of INS Shankush. He has been awarded Nau Sena Medal (Gallantry) in 2002 for his Command of INS Shalki and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal by the Hon'ble President in 2018.

The Admiral is a NDA Blue in Squash and was the Navy's No 1 Squash player for many years. He has represented the Services Team in Squash at the National level. At present, he enjoys playing Golf and Swimming.

He is married to Mrs Aradhana and the couple is blessed with a son and a daughter.

Kamal Kishore

Member Secretary | National Disaster Management Authority | India

Kamal Kishore has worked on disaster risk reduction and recovery issues for over 22 years at the local, national, regional and global levels. Prior to joining the National Disaster Management Authority, he worked with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for nearly 13 years in New Delhi, Geneva and New York. At UNDP headquarters he led global advocacy campaigns to address disaster risk reduction concerns in the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and the post-2015 development agenda. As programme advisor, he also led the development of disaster and climate risk management related elements of the UNDP Strategic Plan (2014-17).

Previously,as UNDP's regional advisor for South and South-West Asia, he supported more than 10 countries on a range of public policy and institutional development issues, while also advising them on the use of appropriate risk reduction tools and methodologies. Kamal Kishore has supported post-disaster recovery through strategic advice, needs assessments, programme development, and coordination after major disasters in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

Prior to UNDP, he served at the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre as Director of Information and Research, and Manager of the Extreme Climate Events Programme covering Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. This was preceded by intensive field experience with The Action Research Unit for Development (TARU) in India where work on post-disaster reconstruction and resettlement after two major disasters - the Uttarkashi and the Latur earthquakesin 1991 and 1993-allowed him to apply his professional skills as an architect.

Kamal Kishore has a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, and a Master's degree in Urban Planning, Land and Housing Development from the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok.

Dr G. Satheesh Reddy

Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister | India |

G. Satheesh Reddy is the Scientific Adviser to Raksha Mantri (the Minister of Defence), leading India's indigenous development of defence systems and technologies. He has worked on the development of missiles, fighter aircraft, unmanned aerial defence systems, and radar systems. He joined Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad in 1986, subsequently joining Research Centre Imarat (RCI) after its formation. First working as a navigation scientist and system manager, he eventually was elevated as a Distinguished Scientist in September of 2014 and was appointed as a Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister in May 2015. He was also appointed as the Secretary of the Department of Defence R&D and Chairman of the Defence Research and Development Organisation of India (DRDO) in Aug 2018.

Many navigation technologies and systems have been designed and developed by Reddy.

As Director at RCI, he led the development of IR seekers, integrated avionics modules, and other innovative systems. As Director General of Missiles and Strategic Systems, he oversaw the development of missile systems like BMD, Nag, QRSAM, Rudram, Long Range Guided Bomb etc.

He oversaw India's first successful test of an Anti-Satellite (ASAT) missile (Mission Shakti). He was involved in the development of the world's longest-range gun ATAGS, anti-radiation missiles, smart air field weapons, smart bombs, and missile assisted torpedo release systems.

Dr Reddy also pioneered in quickly diversifying DRDO's talent to effectively develop required technologies in the ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Under his guidance, nearly 50 technologies for combating COVID have been developed and about 75 products have been transferred to 100 industries.

Anamika Das

Vice President - Program Management | GW Events | Geospatial World

Sanjay Kumar

Founder and CEO | Geospatial World | India

Robert Cardillo

Chair | USGIF Board | USA

Robert Cardillo is the president of The Cardillo Group, LLC (TCG). TCG delivers strategic and operational expertise to create an enhanced awareness of our planet to enable improved decision-making. The TCG portfolio includes academic, non-profit, and national security-related industry clients.

Before forming TCG in May 2019, Robert was the sixth Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) from 2014 - 2019. He transformed the Agency's future value proposition through innovative partnerships with the growing commercial geospatial marketplace.

During his 35+ years of public service, Robert served in leadership positions with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Robert earned a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Cornell University and a Master of Arts in National Security Studies from Georgetown University. In 2019, he received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Saint Louis University.

Brig. Arun Sahgal, PhD

Director, The Forum for Strategic Initiative | Distinguished Fellow School of Geopolitics Manipal Academy of Higher Education and Senior Fellow, Delhi Policy Group |

Arun Sahgal is a retired Brigadier with Phd, in Strategic Studies. He is Senior Fellow at the DPG, a policy think tank focusing on international and national security, diplomacy and Track II Dialogues. He was previously the founding Director of the Office of Net Assessment, Indian Integrated Defence Staff (IDS), Head of the Centre for Strategic Studies and Simulation, United Services Institute of India, and Senior Fellow, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi.

His research interests comprise, regional and strategic security, medium to long term strategic assessments with focus on geopolitical and strategic assessments related to international and Asian security. He is presently focusing on developments in Indo - Pacific and issues concerning nuclear doctrine and strategic stability in Asia.

His publications include co-authored books and net assessments for the IDS, Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), and the Indian National Security Council (NSC), among other clients. He has been a member of the Task Force on Net Assessment and Simulation, under the NSC, and a consultant with DRDO. His recent work includes a monograph on Strategic Stability in South Asia for Sandia Laboratories, USA, "Quad Present and Future: A Geostrategic Perspective from New Delhi, A Process led Approach Towards Integrated Commands and Informatioanised Warfare with Boots on the Ground: A Concept for Defence of India in Continental Domain.

Post US withdrawal from Afghanistan he has contributed a chapter in the book "Losing Afghanistan: The Fall of Kabul and End of Western Intervention". His recent work include, "Balance of Power in the Indo - Pacific" and "The Impact of Ukraine War on Indo - Pacific Regional Dynamics".

He conducts simulation and strategic games at IDS, the Ministry of Defence, National Defence College, College of Defence Management, and other international clients. He is member of many Track 1.5 and 2 initiatives. He has authored two important studies, "CAATSA and Implications for India", for Ministry of External Affairs and India - US Defence Cooperation a Medium Term Perspective for National Security Council Secretariate. He is currently engaged in trilateral India - US - Australia Track 1.5 Dialogue on Emerging Technologies and Strategic Stability.

Hirokazu Mori

Chief Strategy Officer | WARPSPACE Inc | Japan

Hirokazu is CSO of Warpspace/CEO of Warpspace USA, CXO advisor at SPACETIDE Foundation, VP of Business Development at Blue Abyss, Director at Space Cosmetology Organization and Space Technical Council at Oita local government for the spaceport. He entered the University of Edinburgh directly from his 2nd year, read theoretical astrophysics, and graduated at the top. He is a professional diver and backpacker travelled to over 90 countries.

Gautam Mukhopadhyaya

Former Ambassador and Visiting Faculty | Centre for Policy Research | India

Gautam Mukhopadhaya joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1980 and served in various capacities in the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Defence, and the United Nations, before becoming India's Ambassador to Syria (2005-9), Afghanistan (2010-13) and Myanmar (2013-16). He also spent time at the National Defence College, Delhi and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington. He retired from Service in May 2016, and is now a Sr. Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, Delhi.

Lt. Gen. Vinod G. Khandare, PVSM, AVSM, SM (Retd)

Principal Adviser | Department of Defence | India

Lieutenant General Vinod G. Khandare, PVSM, AVSM, SM is a former officer of the Indian Army and is currently serving as the Principal Adviser in the Ministry of Defence. He retired from active military service on 31 January 2018 and was the Military Advisor to the National Security Council Secretariat of India at the Secretary level from 2018 to 2021. In his final active military appointment, he served as both the Director General of the Defence Intelligence Agency and the Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff for Intelligence from November 2015 to January 2018.

Randall Billy

Director for International Government BD | Esri | USA

Randall Billy is Esri's Director for International Government BD. Leading a diverse team of National Security & Government-focused professionals working around the globe, Randall is a recognized leader in evangelizing the use of location intelligence services to enhance all of government operations. Randall is a former U.S. Naval Officer and certified acquisition professional. In his twenty years in industry, he has held sales and operations leadership positions with Esri's National Security Team, MarkLogic, Systematic US, and Exelis VIS (now L3-Harris). In that time his focus has been on geospatial intelligence and commercial technology insertion into the Defense and Intelligence communities.

James McAden

Senior Director - Asia-Pacific Sales, | HawkEye360 | USA

Prior to joining HawkEye 360 in 2020, Jamie had a thirty-year career as a U.S. Army Military Intelligence officer and Foreign Area Officer for Asia, retiring as a Colonel in 2020. In his military career, he held leadership and senior staff positions at U.S. INDOPACIFIC Command, at U.S. Embassies in the Asia-Pacific region, and at the Defense Intelligence Agency. In these roles he developed a reputation for building cohesive teams to tackle complex national security and intelligence issues in the region. He holds a Master of Arts in International Economics/Asian Studies from the School of Advanced International Studies-Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Davidson College.

Lt Gen Sanjay Sethi

DGIS | India Army | India

Major General Dato' Hj Ya'cob Bin Hj Samiran

CEO | Malaysian Institute of Defence and Security (MiDAS) | Malaysia

Malaysia applied geospatial technologies extensively during the Covid19 pandemic and several natural disasters, namely landslides and floods. Multiple agencies' collaboration and cooperation are required to produce the best geoint. While not new, geoint needs further awareness, legal acts, policy, interoperability ecosystem and more analysts need to be developed. Moving forward in this technology, it requires 'Whole of Government' and 'Whole of Society' approach and, simultaneously, more regional and international cooperation in the future.

Andy Stephenson

Senior Vice President, International Business Development & Worldwide Sales | BlackSky | USA

Andy Stephenson is currently Senior Vice President, International Business Development & Worldwide Sales at BlackSky with more than thirty years of experience as a sales leader in the defense and intelligence, technology, and information sectors. Prior to joining Blacksky, Andy was Vice President, International Sales & Customer Success at Preligens, and Previously, he was the senior director for defense, intelligence for the Asia-Pacific and European regions, and strategic international government programs for Maxar Technologies™ European market. Andy Stephenson joined BlackSky in 2021.

John Kedar

Advisor, Geospatial Infrastructure, Geospatial World and Former Commander | Joint Aeronautical and Geospatial Organization | UK |

Chirag Parikh

Deputy Assistant to the President and Executive Secretary | National Space Council | USA (Video Message)

Gary Dunow

Senior Director | Maxar | USA

Mr. Gary Dunow recently concluded a 37-year career in national security operations with the United States Air Force and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency during which he focused on shaping operational concepts, policy, and technology efforts for coalition interoperability. He recently joined MAXAR technologies as a Senior Director continuing his passion for enabling coalition operations of US and international partners through innovative industry capabilities.

Lt Gen PJS Pannu PVSM, AVSM, VSM(Retd)

Head of Aerospace Division | SATCOM | India

Lt Gen PJS Pannu, former Deputy Chief Indian Integrated Defence Staff (Operations) responsible for coordinating military operations of the three services. He was responsible for raising the Defence Space and Cyber Agencies, as well as the Special Forces Division. He conducted the first ever space exercise in India nicknamed IndspaceX in 2019. He served three tenures in the Military Operations Directorate at Army Headquarters and on two UN missions, Mozambique and Sudan both as Chief Operations Officer. He was the Chairman of the Executive Committee of CENJOWS (Centre for Joint Warfare Studies) and USI (United Services Institute) of India both premier Defence Think Tanks. He is a distinguished fellow at the USI, India. He is pursuing a PhD in Indigenisation of Defence Industry. He is a regular contributor to publishing articles and a regular speaker in the media channels. He has recently published the USI National Security Paper 2021 on Role of Niche and Disruptive Technologies in India's Deterrence and War Fighting Capabilities.

Brig G Manoj

Defence Space Agency | India |

Brig G Manoj is a serving Indian Army officer with 31 years of service, and is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy. An Electronics Engineer, he has headed equipment sustenance and maintenance operations at various levels in the Indian Army. He has commanded a sustenance battalion in a Mountain Division along the Indo-China border in North East, and an EW Systems Maintenance Company in J&K in Counter Insurgency Operations. He has also served in a UN mission in Democratic Republic of Congo. Presently, Brig Manoj is serving as Brig Space Force Enhancement (SFE) in the Indian Defence Space Agency. His office is responsible for planning and provisioning of space based services to the Armed Forces to enhance their effectiveness by increasing the combat potential and operational awareness, through functions of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR); satellite communications; and space-based positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT).

John Whitehead

Senior Director of Sales and Distribution - APAC | Trimble | Singapore

John Whitehead is Senior Director of Sales and Distribution, Asia-Pacific, for Trimble's Geospatial Division. John works throughout the region with Trimble's customers and distribution partners delivering geospatial solutions for surveying and engineering, construction, defense, mining and utilities markets. In addition to leading the commercial strategy and sales, he works across marketing and engineering teams in Trimble to improve and innovate Trimble's solutions to better meet the needs of customers in Asia-Pacific. Before Trimble, John was a consultant in the field of microeconomics and technology, working with companies and governments throughout Asia. Prior to that, John managed the China Program at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Beijing. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Foreign Languages and International Affairs from the University of Puget Sound in 2003 and earned a Master of International Business from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University in 2011.

Giuseppe Nobile

Head, Geospatial Section | SITCEN NATO HQ | Belgium

Giuseppe (Pino) Nobile has been working at NATO Headquarters as Head of the Geospatial Section for the last 18 years where he provides the geospatial picture the North Atlantic Council. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Management at University of Maryland (USA) and a Master in Geopolitics Economic Globalization and International Institutions at University of Teramo, Italy.

Lt General (Dr) Rajesh Pant, PVSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd)

National Cyber Security Coordinator at the National Security Council Secretariat | |

Lt General (Dr) Rajesh Pant is an internationally recognised Cyber Security expert, who is presently tenanting the prestigious appointment of National Cyber Security Coordinator in the National Security Council Secretariat of India. In this capacity he is responsible for coordinating all activities across multiple sectors to ensure a secure and resilient cyber space within the nation.

He holds a PhD degree for his research in the field of Information Security metrics. He is also MTech from IIT Kharagpur, MPhil from Madras University and Master of Management Studies from Osmania University.

Prior to this appointment, he was the head of the Army's Cyber Training establishment for three years. He served in the Army Signals Corps for 41 years wherein he was awarded three times by the President of India for distinguished service of the highest order. Consequent to his retirement, he was Chairman of a listed Electronics Company, peer review member of NAAC, and Governing Council member of IETE(India).

General Pant brings to the table an interesting mix of military operations, academic excellence, corporate governance and cyber security wisdom.

Lt Gen M Unnikrishnan Nair, AVSM, SM

SO-IN-C AND SR COL COMDT CORPS OF SIGS | Indian Army | India

Lt Gen M Unnikrishnan Nair, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal, SO-in-C was commissioned into the Corps of Signals of the Indian Army on 15 December 1984. He is a graduate of the National Defence Academy, Pune and a post graduate from the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington.

He attended the Army Higher Command Course from the Army War College, Mhow, and the prestigious National Defence College, New Delhi. He holds a degree in Bachelor of Technology in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, and two Master of Philosophy degrees on Defence and Strategic Studies from the Indore University and the Madras University. He has vast experience in command and staff assignments, and has served all over India including two tenures in Jammu and Kashmir and four tenures in the North East India.

He has been a Col Q of an Infantry Division along the Western borders, and a Director at the Military Operations Directorate of the Indian Army. His area of specialisation includes development of information and communication technology, cyber, space, cryptology and intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance applications in Indian Armed Forces. He has been the Chief Information Security Officer of the Ministry of Defence and of the Indian Armed Forces, and has been responsible for protection of critical information infrastructure in defence domain, as part of one of his responsibilities.

He has represented the Indian Armed Forces at several meetings at National and International levels, and has been part of working groups on Cyber Security and Technology related issues. He was instrumental in raising of the Indian Defence Cyber Agency, and subsequently headed the Signal Intelligence directorate of the Indian Armed Forces. He has the rare distinction of being a Chief of Staff of an operational Corps along Indian Northern borders, besides being a Chief of Staff of the Indian Army's Central Command at Lucknow.

Prior to his current assignment as the Signal Officer in Chief, he has been the Commandant of the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering at Mhow from Dec. 20 to Jun. 22.

VS Subrahmanian

Walter P. Murphy Professor of Computer Science | Northwestern University Evanston | USA

V.S. Subrahmanian is the Walter P. Murphy Professor of Computer Science at the McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University and Buffett Faculty Fellow at the Northwestern Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs. Prior to this, Subrahmanian was The Dartmouth College Distinguished Professor in Cybersecurity, Technology, and Society at Dartmouth College. Prof. Subrahmanian focuses on the intersection of AI and security problems. He develops machine learning based models to analyze text/geospatial/relational/social network data, learn behavioral models from the data, forecast actions, and influence outcomes. His models have been used to forecast terror attacks and terror network evolution, to reduce poaching, to identify bad actors on social media, to forecast systemic banking crises, to maximize airline profits, to predict if apps are malware or not, and more.

Commander Mukesh Saini (Veteran)

Former National Information Security Coordinator (NSCS/GOI) | |

Cybersecurity thought leader, Commander Saini is a veteran naval officer. A specialist in Communication and Electronics Warfare with more than 35 years of experience in Information Warfare, Cyber Security and now Privacy. He was India's first National Information Security Coordinator, the chair later formalised as National Cyber Security Coordinator. Most of the initial information security infrastructures such as CERT-IN, NTRO, FINCERT, and nations' 1st Cyber Forensic Lab of CBI of national importance were created during his tenure. On retirement from the Navy, he joined Microsoft as Chief Security Advisor. His last formal job was Group IT Security Head for Essel Group. Presently he is a senior advisor on Cybersecurity and Privacy with multiple companies.

He holds 3 Masters Degrees (MSc, MBA & MCA) and is pursuing LLB. Additionally he holds a plethora of professional certifications including CISSP. Author of dozens of papers on cybersecurity and law and owner of two patent applications, Commander Saini also paints with equal passion.

Vinit Goenka

Secretary | Centre for Knowledge Sovereignty | India

Vinit Goenka is a politician associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party for past twenty-five years. Vinit has taken up several constructive initiatives for the welfare and development of India and society at large. As the Secretary of Centre for Knowledge Sovereignty, a thinktank working in the space of data security, data sovereignty, data privacy, cybersecurity 2030 and knowledge sovereignty with special focus on defence, education and information technology sectors, he has been instrumental in creating awareness in the country as well as globally on these important issues. He has co-authored a Book "Data Sovereignty: The Pursuit of Supremacy" The First ever book on Data Localisation and Digital Colonisation from Indian perspective. The book is now a reference guide in several institutions including IIM Vizag and part of discussions on this subject globally.

Vikas Tiwari

Head of Solutions Architecture | Government Business, AWS | India