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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Former Chief Executive Officer of the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF)
USA
Keith Masback was most recently the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF). He led the Foundation in its mission to promote the geospatial intelligence tradecraft and develop a stronger GEOINT community. Prior to joining USGIF, Mr. Masback spent over 20 years as an officer in the U.S. Army and in the government civilian service, culminating as a member of the Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Service at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). He held a variety of positions at NGA primarily focused on strategic planning and programming. Prior to his service at NGA, he was a senior executive civilian on the Army Staff, responsible for planning the future of Army Intelligence and serving as the Army's first Director of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Integration.
Masback holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Gettysburg College. He completed the Post-Graduate Intelligence Program at the National Intelligence University as well as executive education at the Kellogg School, Northwestern University and the Elliott School, George Washington University.
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.
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.
Director, Defence Intelligence Application
Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA)
Malaysia
Brigadier General Datuk Abd Razak bin Sipit started his professional career as
a Military Intelligence Officer specializing in Geospatial Intelligence and
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) since 2004. He graduated with a Master in
Defense Study from the Nati onal University and a Degree in Electronic
Communication from Polythecnic Ungku Omar. Datuk Razak currently hold the
position of Director of the Defense Intelligence Applications Division (DIAD) at
the Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA) (formerly known as the Malaysian Remote
Sensing Agency ARSM) since October 2018. Now he is one of the Fellow
Scholars of the National Defense University of Malaysia, Adjunct A ssoc Professor
appointed by DRB HICOM University of Automotive Malaysia since 2022 and
Visiting Research Advisor at Center of Excellence Unmanned Aerial System
(COEUAS) University Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) since 2022.
Datuk Razak's research interests are focused on the spatial data analysis,
satellite image processing, UAS technology to assist military and government
agencies exploiting the advancement of remote sensing for security purposes. He
is the most qualified as Subject Matter Experts (SME) on UAS in the Malaysian
Armed Forces (MAF). He often gives lectures on UAS expertise and imagery
intelligence in forums, courses and workshops at local and abroad. In his free
time, Datuk Razak enjoys golfing, running and fishing.
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.
Deputy Director, Defence Geospatial
Department of Survey and Mapping (JUPEM)
Malaysia
I am a Military Officer and have been served in Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) for over 27 years. Experience working in managing geospatial services. Having background in Geographical Information Science and looking for opportunities to groom my deveplop skills and leadership. Positive person and enthutiasm to explore new things in geospatial environment.
Principal Officer
Information Systems, South Australia State Emergency Service
Australia
Sara is the Manager, Information Systems for the South Australian State Emergency Service (SASES). In this role she has responsibility for all the operational and spatial information systems such as the SES Incident and Information Management System (SESIIMS/ WebEOC), Availability and Response systems (Respond52, SA Computer Aided Dispatch), Flood Intelligence system (FloodMon) and the SASES GeoHub.
Sara's background is in the IT industry, working as a freelance IT consultant initially in the UK and then in Adelaide after migrating to Australia in 1995. Having been a volunteer with the SA Country Fire Service since 2001, she joined them as a member of staff in December 2009, with a focus on SA CAD improvemets.
In January 2013 Sara moved to the SA State Emergency Service to lead the SESIIMS/WebEOC project and then lead the introduction of a number of other information systems and geospatial projects. Sara also retains an operational role in both agencies.
Operations, DIPAC
Defence Space Agency
India
Col Mandeep Singh Rai, SM is a serving officer in the Indian Army. A gallantry awardee with transformational leadership & cross-domain experience in counter insurgency, technical program management & geospatial intelligence. He completed MTech in CS from IIT-Guwahati & Masters of International Relations from Fletcher's School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts University). Posted at DIPAC, DSA as COO, he has led R&D projects for leveraging niche technologies like AI for IMINT & space data processing.
Lecturer in Space Law and Strategy
Australian Defence Force Academy, UNSW
Australia
Duncan Blake is a lecturer in military and space law and strategy at UNSW Canberra, a PhD candidate researching the intersection of space law and the laws of war at the University of Adelaide, an Air Force Reserve Legal Officer providing operations law support at the strategic level, and a consultant with International Aerospace Law and Policy Group.
Duncan transferred from the permanent Air Force to the Reserves in January 2017, after 22 years as a Legal Officer in the RAAF. He worked at the tactical, operational and strategic levels at home and on deployment overseas. He deployed on operational tours providing legal support for ADF operations in the Middle East in 2003, 2009 and 2016. Duncan has contributed extensively to doctrine and policy for Defence and whole-of-government, on issues of operations law and space law. He has founded and chaired inter-departmental and international working groups on space law, especially in a military and strategic context.
He has undergraduate degrees in Law and Economics, a Master of Laws by coursework from the University of Melbourne and a Master of Laws by research from McGill University. He is also a graduate of Australian Command and Staff College. His Masters thesis topic at McGill University was on the need for a 'Manual on International Law Applicable to Warfare in Space'. His thesis topic was the genesis for a multi-year project, bringing together international experts across the globe, to draft such a manual, to clarify the application of international law to space activities, especially in a military context. Duncan has been Managing Editor of the 'Woomera Manual' project (https://law.adelaide.edu.au/woomera/), which is a manual of international law applicable to military space activities, and which is expected to be published in 2023. He is also undertaking doctoral research at The University of Adelaide on a topic associated with the project.
Duncan is a husband, father of two, avid road cyclist, mountain biker and skier.
Director of the Bureau of Space Policy and International Cooperation
Philippine Space Agency
Atty. Noelle Riza D. Castillo is the Director of the Space Policy and International Cooperation Bureau (SPICB) of the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA). She is a lawyer by profession, and obtained her Economics and Law degrees from the University of the Philippines - Diliman. She officially joined PhilSA in January 2021 and was later appointed by the President of the Philippines to her current position as Director for PhilSA-SPICB, which position she assumed on April 5, 2021.
In SPICB are the two divisions of: Space Policy and Legal Affairs, and Space International Cooperation. The Space Policy and Legal Affairs Division, or SPLAD, provides internal and external legal services for PhilSA's different programs and activities involving administrative matters or special concerns. It also handles international space law, principles, developments, legislative liaison, and current issues. Meanwhile, in close coordination with SPLAD is the Space International Cooperation Division, or SICD. SICD takes the lead in forging cooperation relationships with international counterparts, and representation in international organizations and forums.
Ms. Castillo represents the Philippines as a delegate to the UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), the UN Open Ended Working Group (OEWG) on reducing space threats through norms, rules, and principles of responsible behaviours. She is currently a nominee to the UN Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) being tasked to consider and make recommendations on substantial elements of an international legally binding instrument on the prevention of an arms race in outer space, which is set to convene later this year 2023.
Director Business Development - Asia Pacific
BlackSky
USA
Abhineet Jain heads the Sales & Business Development team for Asia Pacific at BlackSky and is based in Singapore. Abhineet has been active in the Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Industry for the last 28 years and has served various roles in technical, sales and business development. Before joining BlackSky, he was the APAC lead for Enterprise Global Business Development at Maxar.
CEO
Dhruva Space
India
Sanjay Nekkanti is the CEO and founder of Dhruva Space Private Limited. He has worked on small satellite programs and stratospheric experiments across Asia and Europe, of which notable ones include the SRMSAT mission, India's first student satellite project, and the Velox-P mission in Singapore.
Nekkanti has a Bachelor's degree in Electronics & Telecommunication from Sri Ramaswamy Memorial University, Chennai. He is also an EGIDE scholar, and has two Master's degrees; one in Space Technology and the other in Spatial Techniques & Instrumentation from Europe, through the Erasmus Mundus SpaceMaster programme.
Over the years since the company's inception in 2012, Dhruva Space has seen many remarkable milestones. In October 2020, Dhruva Space was awarded the National Startup Award by the Government of India for its efforts in Satellite and Space Technology. Sanjay has also been featured in Fortune India's 40 Under 40 in April 2022.
On 24 June 2022, Dhruva Space became one of the first private companies to receive authorization from IN-SPACe. Later that year on 26 November, Dhruva Space's Thybolt Mission saw the launch and successful in-orbit deployment of the first two private Indian
satellites to be authorized by IN-SPACe. On 22 April 2022, the company completed its third Space mission in less than a year.
Executive Officer, Head of Business
Synspective
Japan
Takayuki Odawara (aka "Oda") is Executive officer, managing global businesses at Synspective Inc. Oda has 30years of international business growth career with it core at Global Geospatial industry, that includes Earth Observation and Remote Sensing, Mapping & Survey and Location Based Services in domains of Sustainability, Smart city, National Security, Connected cars and IntelligentTransportation Systems(ITS), took roles including Corporate VP & Head of APAC at DigitalGlobe(MAXAR), and growth managing roles at NAVTEQ(Here Technologies), MICROSOFT, INRIX, SONY.
Technical Director and President
sarmap sa
Switzerland
M.Sc (1990) and Ph.D. (1995) in electrical engineering and remote sensing respectively , Politecnico di Milano in the domain of SAR processing and interferometry. Postdoc (1995-1999) at University of Zurich. Co-founder, President and Technical Director of sarmap. From 2003 to 2008 Contracted professor at Trento University. Remote Sensing specialist with particular expertise in SAR signal processing, InSAR, DInSAR processing, polarimetry, and PolInSAR. Principal and co-investigator of several ESA and EC projects. Reviewer of several journals in remote sensing and at ESA.
Lead, SSA Solutions
COMSPOC Corporation (CC)
USA
Jim Cooper, as the Lead for Space Situational Awareness (SSA) Solutions, Government and Industry Relations at COMSPOC Corp, supports strategy and business development and execution, as well as marketing and sales, and engagement with government and industry associations, to deliver commercial SSA solutions to government, military, and commercial organizations worldwide, including the strategic pursuit and development of large, long-term program opportunities and enterprise accounts. Jim has over 33 years of professional experience in SSA policy, operations, international engagement, and funding support, spanning active duty military, military contractor, and commercial enterprises. Prior to the establishment of COMSPOC Corp. as a separate entity in 2020, Jim conducted similar duties for Analytical Graphics, Inc. (AGI), an Ansys Company, for four years.
COMSPOC Corp is a global leader in SSA, as well as Space Domain Awareness and Space Traffic Coordination and Management. Through the first-of-its-kind commercial SSA center, COMSPOC delivers accurate, precise, and timely SSA to address current and emerging challenges in today's space environment. COMSPOC Corp. operates the Commercial Space Operations Center, the Space Data Center, and provides staffing and resources for the Center for Space Standards and Innovation, its research arm, and the Space Safety Coalition.
Prior to joining AGI, Jim provided SETA support for 16 years to HQ USAF/A3 and for 3 years to HQ AFSPC/A3 in the SSA mission area. In this capacity, he advocated for SSA in the Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution (PPBE) process, supported SSA operational concerns and policy development, and conducted international engagement in SSA for the AF/A3.
After graduating with a B.S from the US Air Force Academy in 1985, Jim served in the USAF for 8 years as an Orbital Analyst in the Space Surveillance Center at Cheyenne Mountain AFB, CO, and a Master Instructor for Undergraduate Space Training at Lowry AFB, CO. Upon separating from the USAF, he worked as a commercial diver for 4 years in marine oilfield support and inland marine facility inspection.
Jim is married to Mrs. Sarah Cooper; they are the parents of two children - Zachary, 16 years old, and Elizabeth, 12 years old.
Senior Sales Executive - International
HawkEye360
USA
Rao is an accomplished senior executive in international sales and business development with more than 25 years of experience in space companies and organizations including Capella Space, UrtheCast, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Space Imaging, The World Bank, APSRAC (India) and National Remote Sensing Center (India). He has extensive experience with High Resolution Satellite Imagery, Synthetic Aperature Radar, and RF Geospatial Intelligence for International Defense and Intelligence Markets. He has been awarded the Astronautical Society of India award for his contributions to remote sensing applications.
CEO & Founder
ReOrbit
Sweden
Dr. Sethu Saveda Suvanam is the founder and CEO of ReOrbit, a Finland-based company with the mission of designing the next generation of MEO and GEO small satellites. Educated in India and Sweden, Sethu Saveda Suvanam is an aerospace engineer. He holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. In November 2019, he founded ReOrbit with the aim of changing the way satellites are designed and used. ReOrbit develops satellites that are reconfigurable, scalable for different missions, and equipped with autonomous orbital capabilities.
Chief Commercials Officer
QL Space
Australia
? Aeronautical Engineer from University of Sydney, Australia.
? Decade of Aerospace experience as an Aerospace management professional having worked with MNCs across the world.
? Ex- Collins Aerospace (India and UK), Ex- National Aerospace Laboratories (India).
? Ex-Cofounder of an EV Charging startup - built the startup from ground zero with a mission to establish Electric Vehicle Charging points at every single KM in cities and with a vision to enhance adoption of Electric Vehicles in the country and thus promote Green Mobility.
? Strategic advisor to Startups in the Energy management domain.
? Passionate about working on environment and climate change issues to create a sustainable planet.
? Professional Cricketer and Swimmer.
* Tenative Speakers