Amina Ahmed was appointed Executive Director of the Emirates International Accreditation Centre (EIAC), formerly the Dubai Accreditation Department, in 2008. She is currently also Vice-Chair of the OIC/SMIIC-Accreditation Committee and Vice-President of the Arab Accreditation Cooperation (ARAC). Throughout her varied career, Amina has gained extensive experience in conformity assessment tasks, analytical chemistry and food safety. Her many accomplishments include steering the modernization of conformity assessment bodies and testing laboratories in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates. She also led the establishment of the International Halal Accreditation system in the region. An outstanding professional, she has been the recipient of many awards, including the Emirates Women Award in 2019. Amina holds a BSc in Chemistry and Geology.

• Tue 18:00-19:00 : Has COVID launched the digital transformation of conformity assessment

A trained transportation engineer, Fatima Al Khoury is Research and Development Expert in the R&D Division at Etihad Rail, the operator of the United Arab Emirates’ national railway network. Previously, she worked for the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council in the Quality Infrastructure Division before joining the Khalifa University of Science and Technology as a research teaching assistant and graduate student in the Sustainable Critical Infrastructure Program. Fatima is co-author of the book Lifescapes Beyond Bigness, which explores alternative ways to make cities in the United Arab Emirates. Among her many achievements, she was awarded the title of Young Leader for six consecutive years (2015-2020) by international and local organizations, and is currently a member of the UAE Youth Advisory Council on SDGs. Fatima has recently joined a machine-learning course at the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.

• Tue 16:00-18:00 : Convergence of Technologies and Youth Collaboration

Nelson Al Assal Filho is Director of Standardization at Brazil’s standards association, ABNT, and has served with the organization for almost 20 years. In this role, he coordinates the country’s standardization programme involving more than 25 national committees and 25 000 experts. Prior to this, as Head of the IT department, he led ABNT through its digital transformation. He also chaired the ISOlutions Group from 2010 to 2021 and has helped ISO members in many developing countries implement a digital value chain for standards development and sales.  A passionate advocate of standards, Nelson sits on the ISO Technical Management Board (TMB) since 2021 and is a member of the Strategic Advisory Group (ISO/ITSAG) to the ISO Council concerning digital matters and projects.

• Wed 09:00-10:00 : Digitalization and digital transformation: staying one step ahead

A finance and banking graduate from United Arab Emirates University, Omar Al Dhuhoori is currently employed with Mubadala Investment Company. A proactive member of his local community, he is involved in various organizations and councils, notably as Curator for the Abu Dhabi Hub of the Global Shapers Community (a World Economic Forum initiative). He is also a member of the Al Ghurair Youth Advisory Council and a Future Maker at Mohamed bin Zayed Majlis for Future Generations, an initiative that aims to cultivate the collective power of Emirati youth to shape the future of the UAE.

• Tue 16:00-18:00 : Convergence of Technologies and Youth Collaboration

Musab Alhammadi is Project Manager, Research and Infrastructure at the AI Office, which operates under the Prime Minister’s Office of the United Arab Emirates. Prior to this role, he spent nine years working in the field of automation and control, first at the Khalifa University Robotics Institute and later with the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. He has also completed research stays at the ASAMA Robotics Lab of the University of Tokyo (Japan) and with British Telecom in the United Kingdom. Musab holds a BSc in Electronics Engineering from Khalifa University.

• Tue 16:00-18:00 : Convergence of Technologies and Youth Collaboration

Nour Al Harmoodi has extensive experience in public relations and marketing across a range of industries in the public and private sectors. She honed her analytical and project management skills during a two-year tenure at the Prime Minister’s Office where she served as Project Manager of Youth Hub Dubai. In her current position with the Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT-Abu Dhabi), Noor works as an Associate Project Manager for the UFC five-year partnership. She has played a vital role in organizing three UFC Fight Island events during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as two successful Abu Dhabi Showdown Week editions, promoting martial arts, health and well-being in the community. Nour is a fan of combat sports and a successful jiu-jitsu athlete, regularly representing the UAE national team on the local, regional and international stage

• Tue 16:00-18:00 : Convergence of Technologies and Youth Collaboration

Farah Ali Al Zarooni is Assistant Undersecretary for Standards and Regulations at the Ministry of Industry & Advanced Technology (MoIAT) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). She has devoted her professional career to developing the country’s quality infrastructure and supporting the UAE’s progressive agendas across sectors related to public health and safety, quality and community welfare, environmental protection, industry development, market access and business opportunities. In a career that spans more than 25 years, Farah has gained broad experience in policymaking, strategy, excellence, innovation, standardization, conformity and accreditation. She currently also serves as ISO Council member until end of 2022. Her academic achievements include a BSc in Chemistry, an executive master’s in Public Administration, and she holds a doctorate in Governance with a focus on policy implementation.

• Thu 11:00-12:00 : The circular economy: going digital

• Wed 15:30-17:00 : Shaping solutions: the evolution of standards in the digital era

Amna Al Saleh is Acting Head, Technology Development at the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT), the national standards body for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In this capacity, she drives the efforts to commercialize research and development outcomes in the UAE by managing a federal committee on commercialization. She also plays an integral role in the UAE’s Industry 4.0 programme through the launch and implementation of technology pilot initiatives. Before joining MoIAT, Amna taught at the College of Humanities and Social Science in Zayed University. She holds an MA in International Studies from SOAS, University of London.

• Tue 16:00-18:00 : Convergence of Technologies and Youth Collaboration

Ayisha Saqer Alsuwaidi is Head of Special Projects and Executive Affairs at the Office of HE Dr Sultan Al Jaber. She has more than ten years of public- and private-sector experience, having worked in a variety of fields including government affairs, policy and legislation. Ayisha is currently involved in several youth programmes and initiatives for the federal government, which have led to her recent appointment as President of the Ministry of Industry & Advanced Technology Youth Council. She has also been selected to be a Member of the Emirates Youth Council. Ayisha holds a bachelor’s in Business Management from the Higher Colleges of Technology and a Postgraduate Diploma in UAE Diplomacy and International Relations from the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy. She also studied policy and legislation writing at the American University of Sharjah (UAE).

• Tue 16:00-18:00 : Convergence of Technologies and Youth Collaboration

Dena Assaf is the United Nations Resident Coordinator for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). She has been with the UN for over two decades in various senior management and advisory roles supporting the Arab region, in both UN headquarters and country offices. Currently, she leads the United Nations presence and work with the UAE. Her professional focus within the UN has been in gender equality, peace keeping and, most importantly, sustainable development. She has also held academic positions, as well as advisory roles in civil society. Dena Assaf is an engineer with degrees in architecture, urban design and urban planning.

• Tue 10:30-12:00 : Future world café
• Wed 15:30-17:00 : Future world café
• Wed 13:00-14:00 : The road to net zero : how international standards can help implement credible climate plans

Catherine Atkin is an attorney, advocate and entrepreneur committed to building equitable and effective climate solutions and leveraging the power of carbon data transparency and innovations to drive climate engagement, action and accountability.  As Co-Director of the Stanford CodeX Climate Data Policy Initiative, she brings together climate experts, policymakers and thought leaders to develop cross-sector collaborations and support research and analyses of data policies that can drive the establishment of robust global climate data ecosystems.  In California, she is spearheading a legislative campaign to enact a first-in-the-nation, private-sector carbon data transparency and accountability law – the California Climate Corporate Accountability Act (SB 260) – that would require the largest US companies to publicly disclose their greenhouse gas emissions across all scopes.  Catherine graduated from Stanford University and holds a law degree from UC Berkeley School of Law and a master’s in Urban Planning from UCLA.

Mon 18:00-19:00 : Innovation for transformative climate solutions

Yemi Babington-Ashaye is President of United People Global, a community that encourages and enables people to make the world a better place. Former Director of the Africa Region at the World Economic Forum, he diversified the organization’s Africa operations and created a pan-African community of leaders interacting on the Global Agenda. On behalf of the founder, he also created the Global Shapers Community, a network of young community leaders based in 450+ cities across the world. Passionate about empowering people, Yemi regularly collaborates with corporations, governments, non-profit organizations and individual leaders, using his strategy, management and leadership expertise to deliver innovative solutions. Yemi has also acted as Technical Advisor for Economic Growth to the Nigerian Finance Minister. He is an economist (Harvard University and Richmond University), a management scientist (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and a Chartered Accountant (ACCA).

• Wed 08:00-09:00 : Ageing populations: addressing sustainability challenges arising from the demographic transition

Helle Bank Jorgensen is the CEO and founder of Competent Boards, offering climate and ESG Certificate and Designation programs for Boards and Business Leaders built on the knowledge and expertise of 180-plus world-renowned experts.
 
Helle is an internationally recognized expert on sustainable business practices, with a 30-year record of turning environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks into innovative and profitable business opportunities. She serves at Nasdaq Center for Board Excellence’s Sustainability & ESG Insights Council and at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Expert Network for Corporate Governance, Leadership, and Emerging Multinationals. Her Amazon bestseller Stewards of theFuture: A Guide for Competent Boards was published in 2022.

• Wed 18:00-19:00 : Shaping corporate governance for the 21st century

Karen Batt is Head, International at Standards Australia (SA) where she is in charge of leading SA’s international operations. The role covers the breadth of international activities for SA, including management of SA’s membership in ISO and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), its engagement in regional fora, and the management of SA’s contract with the Commonwealth Government through the Support for Industry Service Organisations Programme. Karen is also responsible for the trade enabling and capacity building work with international partners and maintaining relationships with other national and regional standards bodies. She was elected a member of the ISO Technical Management Board (TMB) for the 2021-2023 term.

• Thu 09:00-10:00 : The London Declaration -- one year on

• Tue 18:00-19:00 : How trade policies can support the climate agenda

Jan Benedictus is founder and Managing Director of Fonto. His experience goes back to the late 1990s when he began working in the field of online and digital publishing. In 2014, he started Fonto, with the mission to make structured content authoring available for everyone. Now part of RWS, the company is the leading provider of user-friendly tools for structured content creation, editing and review. Jan is a regular speaker on the subject of “the future of documents”, sharing Fonto’s experiences and insights from working with structured content in various industries.

• Wed 09:00-10:00 : Digitalization and digital transformation: staying one step ahead

Sadhvir Bissoon serves as Executive, Standards at the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), with almost 20 years of experience in standardization. During this time, he has taken on standards responsibilities at the international level that include participation in several ISO technical committees. Sadhvir also served as Executive Committee Member of the Pacific Area Standards Congress (PASC), a Council Member of the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) and a Council Board Member of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Over the years, his expertise has been instrumental in advancing the development agenda of national standards bodies, with a specific focus on the African continent. Sadhvir currently serves as an ISO Council member for the 2021-2023 term. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a PhD in Technology from the Durban University of Technology.

• Thu 09:00-10:00 : The London Declaration -- one year on

• Wed 18:00-19:00 : Shaping corporate governance for the 21st century

Kathrin Brost has >20 years of experience in the logistics industry. She has been leading DHL Global Forwarding’s environmental protection (GoGreen) department since 2009.
Kathrin has developed and implemented the division’s GoGreen strategy, emission & efficiency reporting, carrier evaluation & awards as well as employee awareness & engagement activities.
Her core competence is consulting customers how to improve the sustainability of their supply chains and leverage business benefits at the same time. Kathrin Brost has been instrumental in the development of several GoGreen customer offerings such as the Carbon Dashboard, GoGreen Plus, Sustainable Fuel and Insetting solutions.
She is actively engaged in several industry initiatives and the current Forwarder representative in the Steering Committee of Clean Cargo, the Sustainable Air Freight Alliance (SAFA) and the EcoTransIT World initiative

• Wed 13:00-14:00 : The road to net zero : how international standards can help implement credible climate plans
• Wed 15:30-17:00 : Future world café

Sandra Cabrera is Advisor, Sustainability Standards & Value Chains at the International Trade Centre (ITC) headquarters in Geneva, where she advises on sustainable business practices and IT tools/systems. In her work to promote sustainable trade and development, she has led capacity building programmes, delivered training sessions and presentations and participated in expert panels on all continents. Before joining ITC, she also managed capacity building projects and trade-related technical assistance programmes for companies in LATAM countries, in coordination with trade support institutions and international development agencies. A dual Swiss-Bolivian national, Sandra holds a bachelor’s in International Trade and Economics and a master’s in Finance and International Affairs.

• Tue 09:00-10:00 : Achieving global collaboration
• Tue 10:30-12:00 : Future world café
• Wed 15:30-17:00 : Future world café

Jorge Cajazeira was appointed Head of International Affairs at Brazil’s technical standards association (ABNT) in 2021, having served 30 years as Director of International Affairs at Suzano Pulp and Paper. He previously held various leadership roles in the standards field, chairing first the ISO expert group on social responsibility and later the project committee ISO/PC 287 on sustainable wood products, which he also founded. A former member of the technical committees for quality (ISO/TC 176) and environmental (ISO/TC 207) management, he currently co-chairs the ISO SAG ESG Group, an entity responsible for developing ISO’s strategy for engagement in the environmental, social and governance ecosystem.  Jorge earned a master’s and PhD in Business Management from the prestigious Getulio Vargas Foundation in São Paulo, Brazil.

• Thu 09:00-10:00 : The London Declaration -- one year on

Pavel Castka is Professor in Operations Management and Sustainability at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, with research interests in standards, certification, eco-labels and innovation. Actively involved in international standardization, he is a member of ISO’s technical committee on quality management (ISO/TC 176) and the ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group. He is also a leading researcher on several projects investigating the digitalization of assurance practices, including a global survey in 20+ countries conducted by several academic institutions. A widely published scholar, Pavel is lead author of a research monograph which presents the most comprehensive review of evidence on management systems standards to date. He holds a PhD and master’s from Brno University of Technology, one of the Czech Republic’s leading research and teaching institutions.

• Tue 18:00-19:00 : Has COVID launched the digital transformation of conformity assessment

Lucian Cernat is the Head of Global Regulatory Cooperation and International Procurement Negotiations at the European Commission (DG TRADE), where he also served as Chief Trade Economist until 2020. With over 20 years of experience in trade policy, he is responsible for advancing EU trade policy objectives by promoting trade-enhancing rules, standards and best practice in regulatory cooperation. Lucian previously held various positions at the United Nations in Geneva dealing with trade and development issues. A frequent speaker at high-level events, he has also written extensively on the development impact of trade policies, WTO negotiations, EU preferential market access, regional trade agreements, competition policy and corporate governance. Prior to his UN experience, he was a trade diplomat with the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• Tue 10:30-12:00 : Building trust (CASCO/DEVCO workshop) Trade in the age of digitalization
• Wed 15:30-17:00 : Building trust (CASCO/DEVCO workshop) Trade in the age of digitalization

Gen B. Cesar is Chief Technical Advisor to the Rwandan Minister of Infrastructure (MININFRA). He sits on the Board of Ngali Holdings Ltd and Ngali Mining Ltd. Prior to joining MININFRA as Chief Technical Advisor, he was working as Electrical Engineer Head, Power System Planning Expert at Rwanda Energy Group Ltd since March 2016. He served as Electrical Engineer, Project Electrical Lead at Thermodesign Engineering Ltd in Edmonton, Canada, and Project Manager & Lead at Magna IV Engineering Ltd. Previously, Gen was also a sales manager in Power Systems Solutions, Technical Sales at RWE branch – Piller GmbH in Germany. He is Dipl.-Ing., Energy Technik-Electrical from the University of Applied Sciences of Bielefeld, Germany.

• Wed 18:00-19:00 : Leapfrogging to cleaner energy: an opportunity for Africa

Houssam Chahin has served as the Head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) Private Sector Partnerships in the MENA Region since 2011. He is responsible for the development of private-sector fundraising programmes in the region and overlooks the development of UNHCR’s global Refugee Zakat Fund. Prior to that, Houssam worked with various non-profit organizations such as Greenpeace and the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency in an advocacy and fundraising capacity. His specialties include fundraising, stakeholder and donor management, fundraising campaigns, strategic planning, corporate social responsibility, and linking Islamic philanthropy to international causes. He holds two bachelor’s degrees and is certified in fundraising management from the Fundraising School at Indiana University.

Tue 09:00-10:00 : Achieving Global Collaboration

A senior human resources professional, Julie Chamay has worked across multiple fields, both in the not-for-profit and private sectors, before joining the ISO Central Secretariat as Director, Human Resources. With people and talent management has her core skills, she has built a wide experience in people development, partnering with business leaders to shape, transform and implement tailored HR strategies and solutions, enabling them to reach their objectives. Passionate about the evolution of learning and human resources, Julie is particularly interested in the future of work, and how evolving trends will influence the way we collaborate and our workplaces.

• Tue 10:30-12:00 : Future world café
• Wed 15:30-17:00 : Future world café

• Wed 15:30-17:00 : Shaping solutions: the evolution of standards in the digital era

An engineer by profession, Alewu Cherry Achema is Head, Electrical and Electronics, at the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON). Throughout his 26 years of service, he has worked to ensure the development and implementation of sustainable national, regional and international standards for products and services in the field of electrotechnology. Passionate about standards, Alewu chairs the African Electrotechnical Standardisation Commission’s technical committee AFSEC TC 64, which is working to develop African standards for electrical installation and protection against electric shock. He is also the National Secretary of the Nigerian National Committee of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and Chairman of the ECOWAS technical harmonization committee (THC 5), the organism in charge of the harmonization of standards for the West African region.

• Wed 18:00-19:00 : Leapfrogging to cleaner energy: an opportunity for Africa

Catherine Chevauché is Chair of ISO’s technical committee ISO/TC 323, which is working to produce a portfolio of International Standards that define the circular economy and support its practical implementation within organizations. A circular economy expert, Catherine made her forays into circularity as a Climate and Circular Economy Manager for Suez, a water and waste management company, where she helped develop an organization-wide strategy to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 in line with international climate targets. Now part of Veolia’s Strategy and Innovation Department, she oversees a research project on how to transition from a linear to circular business model in the field of water, waste and energy resource management.

• Thu 11:00-12:00 : The circular economy: going digital

Tue 08:00-09:00 : Resilient food systems: an innovative and sustainable approach

Johan Claire founded Innovation Way in 2017 with the ambition to develop innovation consulting based on dedicated methods and tools (serious game, digital diagnostic platform, etc.). Its aim is to support companies in their implementation of an innovation management system. Prior to that, he spent seven years as an innovation consultant in different organizations. An active member, and current Chair, of technical committee ISO/TC 279, Innovation management, he was involved in the drafting of ISO 56002 on innovation management systems and also led the task force in charge of producing the associated handbook. Johan is an innovation engineer and holds a research master’s in Innovation Management and Industrial Design.

Mon 18:00-19:00 : Innovation for transformative climate solutions

Belinda Cleeland is the Head of Research and Innovation (R&I) at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The R&I unit has a mission to promote research on the concrete economic, social and environmental impacts of International Standards, to identify new and emerging areas for standardization, and to promote education about standardization. Belinda has been with ISO since 2012 and was previously the Head of Technical Policy. She holds a master’s degree in International Affairs from the Graduate Institute, Geneva, as well as a Bachelor of Arts with Honors (Political Science and French) and a Bachelor of Science (Biochemistry and Genetics) from the University of Melbourne, Australia. 

• Tue 10:30-12:00 : Future world café
• Wed 15:30-17:00 : Future world café

• Mon 14:00-15:15 : Committee Chairs workshop: Standards development for the ‘new normal’ and the London Declaration

Ade graduated with a bachelor's degree in Agroindustrial Engineering. She was selected by the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources as a Patriot Energy leader and assigned to the Riau and Sulawesi Islands. Her role as an energy leader is to teach locals to build solar panel systems in rural areas. For the past 5 years has been moving from one remote area to another, sometimes navigating damaged roads, deep forests, and rivers. So far, she has worked in 4 remote islands of Sumatra, Sulawesi, Kalimantan and East Nusa. In 2022, Ade was selected among thousands of applicants from around the world and became certified as a UPG Sustainability Leader. She’s currently serving  Global Youth Impact Nexus (GYIN) as Indonesia Country Lead with the vision to be the leading platform for youth to connect, collaborate and build communities. She is working on SDGs 4, 5, 13, and 17. 

• Wed 08:00-09:00 : Ageing populations: addressing sustainability challenges arising from the demographic transition

Tue 10:00-12:00 : Shaping solutions: Towards an inclusive future

• Tue 18:00-19:00 : How trade policies can support the climate agenda

Andy Deacon is Acting Managing Director of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM), the largest global alliance for city climate leadership. Formerly, he was GCoM’s Director of Strategy and Operations. Before joining GCoM, Andy was Policy Coordinator for Climate Alliance, where, among other roles, he coordinated the series of EU Sustainable Energy Investment Forums. Andy has worked for 20 years across a range of environmental protection issues focusing on climate change, energy and air quality in local, regional and central government, academia and the third sector. He has been part of, and led, major initiatives on city carbon reduction strategies, community energy, large-scale home retrofit financing and household energy saving behaviour. Andy holds a BSc in Geography and Environmental Studies from the University of Roehampton and an MSc in Applied Meteorology and Climatology from the University of Birmingham.

Mon 18:00-19:00 : Innovation for transformative climate solutions

• Mon 14:00-15:15 : Committee Chairs workshop: Standards development for the ‘new normal’ and the London Declaration
• Tue 14:00-15:00 : Global perspectives on international standards: a market point of view
• Tue 16:00-18:00 : Convergence of Technologies and Youth Collaboration

Nilgün Fatma Taş is the Lead for Circular Economy at UNIDO’s Division on Circular Economy and Environmental Protection, the agency’s focus point for greener and more circular industries. In this capacity, she also serves as UNIDO representative on ISO’s technical committee for circular economy (ISO/TC 323). A Turkish national, she joined UNIDO in 1996 as a private-sector development specialist and has since occupied various management positions, including UNIDO Representative in Viet Nam, Chief for Industrial Resource Efficiency, Chief for Business Environment, Industrial Upgrading and Partnerships, and Chairperson of the Gender Mainstreaming Committee. Prior to that, she was the Vice-President of KOSGEB, Türkiye’s public administration tasked with supporting SME development, and a Board member of the Credit Guarantee Fund Co. Nilgün holds a BSc and MSc in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering as well as an MBA.

• Thu 11:00-12:00 : The circular economy: going digital

Tue 10:00-12:00 : Shaping solutions: Towards an inclusive future

Ulrika Francke has been elected ISO President for a two-year term starting from January 2022. She has extensive experience in standardization, currently serving as Vice-President of ISO member SIS, the Swedish Institute for Standards. Prior to her role at SIS, she was Chair of the BIM Alliance, whose purpose is to develop standards for the real-estate and building sector. Ulrika’s broad management experience, as executive leader, chairperson and board member, covers both the private and public sectors, with an emphasis on building and infrastructure. She was the Vice-Mayor of the City of Stockholm and has since served as CEO of companies that operate at both national and international levels. Ulrika was educated at the University of Stockholm and is a fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering and Sciences.

• Wed 13:00-14:00 : The road to net zero : how international standards can help implement credible climate plans

Yann Fromont has a comprehensive understanding of worldwide electrical markets, from low- to medium-voltage applications, which he developed over 30 years in the industry. He has held positions in the areas of commerce, marketing, production, factory management, M&A, strategy, and currently in standardization & industrial affairs within Schneider Electric. In addition to his active participation in international conferences, he serves as President of T&D Europe, the European association of the electricity and transmission & distribution equipment and services industry, Chairman of the CEN-CENELEC Industry Advisory Forum and Vice-Chair of Orgalim’s working group on energy and climate.

• Wed 18:00-19:00 : Leapfrogging to cleaner energy: an opportunity for Africa

Eve Christine Gadzikwa has almost three decades of experience in standardization, accreditation and conformity assessment. Originally trained as a medical laboratory scientist, she has an MBA in Quality Infrastructure Development and Corporate Governance from Nottingham Trent University (UK). After serving as the Director General of the Standards Association of Zimbabwe for 13 years, she was appointed in August 2022 as CEO of the Southern African Development Community Accreditation Service. Eve is a past president of ARSO, the African Organisation for Standardisation, and has served as an ISO Council Member from 2016-2019, also nominated to serve as ISO’s Gender Action Champion representing East and Southern African Member States for the same period. She contributed to the development, publication and launch of the African Fourth Industrial Revolution Standardisation Strategy (2021-2025) in her role as the committee chair.

• Tue 18:00-19:00 : Has COVID launched the digital transformation of conformity assessment

Bill Gain is the Global Lead for Trade Facilitation, Customs Reform & Border Management within the World Bank Group’s Macroeconomics, Trade & Investment Global Practice, where he has responsibility for over 70 countries. In a career spanning four decades, Bill has served in various management and leadership roles with a focus on trade logistics, trade facilitation, border management and private-sector development reform in developing and conflict-affected countries. Prior to joining the World Bank Group, he was Associate Director & Manager for New Zealand and the Pacific at the Centre for Customs and Excise Studies of the University of Canberra. He also spent 30 years with New Zealand Customs. Bill has a master’s in Public Policy from the Victoria University of Wellington and a postgraduate diploma in Business (HR & Change Management) from the University of Auckland.

• Tue 10:30-12:00 : Building trust (CASCO/DEVCO workshop) Trade in the age of digitalization
• Wed 15:30-17:00 : Building trust (CASCO/DEVCO workshop) Trade in the age of digitalization

Javier García Díaz is General Director of UNE, the Spanish Association for Standardization. He formerly held the position of Standards Director from 2012 until 2017. Currently, he is ISO Vice-President-elect for Technical Management and a member of the Administrative Board of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). He was also Vice-President Technical of the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) until the end of 2019. Javier currently serves as member of the ISO Council and the IEC Standardization Management Board. He is a chemical engineer from the Complutense University in Madrid and holds postgraduates in Business Administration and Marketing Management, as well as a master’s in Innovation Management. He followed Diplomatic Studies at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• Mon 15:30-17:00 : Committee Chairs workshop: Coherence of the International Standards system
• Tue 14:00-15:00 : Babershop: mobilizing men for gender equality
• Thu 11:00-12:00 : Debate: how relevant will we be in ten years?

Shiulie Ghosh is an award-winning journalist and TV anchor who has worked for some of the best-known names in the news industry, including the BBC, ITV, TRT World and Al Jazeera. As one of the main faces of Al Jazeera English, she launched the international channel in Qatar in 2006 and, over the next decade, helped it expand to over a hundred countries. In a career spanning more than 20 years, Shiulie has covered some of the world’s top stories and interviewed decision makers and global leaders. She is also the owner and director of a media services company, Aero Productions Ltd. As a professional moderator, Shiulie has chaired high-level events for organizations, including the United Nations and World Health Organization, and hosted conferences for industries as diverse as pharmaceuticals, health, food & agriculture, construction and finance.

• Tue 09:00-10:00 : Achieving global collaboration
• Tue 10:30-12:00 : Building trust (CASCO/DEVCO workshop) Trade in the age of digitalization
• Wed 13:00-14:00 : The road to net zero : how international standards can help implement credible climate plans
• Wed 15:30-17:00 : Building trust (CASCO/DEVCO workshop) Trade in the age of digitalization
• Wed 18:00-19:00 : Leapfrogging to cleaner energy: an opportunity for Africa
• Thu 09:00-10:00 : The London Declaration -- one year on
• Thu 11:00-12:00 : Debate: how relevant will we be in ten years?

Raymond Gilpin is Chief Economist and Head of the Strategy, Analysis and Research Team at the Regional Bureau for Africa, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York. He provides leadership on all matters related to economic analysis, strategy and research in the UNDP’s Africa bureau, and manages the bureau’s network of economists. Prior to joining the UNDP, he was the academic dean at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies in Washington DC and economics director at the United States Institute of Peace, where he also chaired the task force on business and peace and managed the web-based International Network for Economics and Conflict. He has also worked at the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the Central Bank of Sierra Leone. In recognition of his work on economics and peace, Raymond was inducted into the Martin Luther King Collegium of Scholars at the historic Morehouse College in Atlanta in 2015. He holds a doctorate in Development Economics from Cambridge University (UK).

• Wed 18:00-19:00 : Leapfrogging to cleaner energy: an opportunity for Africa

Gilad Golub is Chief Executive Officer at SII, the Standards Institution of Israel. In addition to his standardization work, he is a lecturer on innovations and R&D at Ben-Gurion University’s Department of Industrial Engineering & Business Administration. Gilad holds a PhD in Chemistry from Ben-Gurion University and two master’s degrees in Chemistry and in Industrial Engineering. Prior to his role at SII, Gilad served as CEO of the Environmental Services Company Ltd, a government-owned company dealing with hazardous waste in Israel, and as the Head of R&D at Dead Sea Magnesium Ltd.

• Wed 09:00-10:00 : Innovative solutions for water scarcity

• Thu 11:00-12:00 : Debate: how relevant will we be in ten years?

Sandra Guerra has served as a board member and chairperson of boards of directors at listed companies, closed companies, family- and state-controlled companies and organizations since 1995. With her 26 years of experience in corporate governance, she is a founding member of the Brazilian Institute of Corporate Governance (IBGC), where she chaired the organization’s Board from 2012 to 2016. She also served as a member of the Boards of directors of the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Since completing her MBA at FEA-USP (2009), Sandra’s research has focused on the highest governance body, the board of directors, which is also a central theme of her book A Caixa Preta da Governança (The Black Box of Governance), now in its fourth edition. Sandra is certified as a Board Member by IBGC and a Mediator by the CEDR-Center for Effective Dispute Resolution (United Kingdom).

• Wed 18:00-19:00 : Shaping corporate governance for the 21st century

Magnus Hakvåg is CEO of House of Knowledge, a consultancy that offers strategic advice on how best to protect a company’s innovations and competitive advantages. An expert of over 20 years in innovation, IP/IPR and standards, Magnus served as Convenor of the ISO working group on innovation management terminology (leading to the publication of ISO 56000:2020) and was involved in the revision of the OECD Oslo Manual (4th edition, 2018). He was also part of the European Commission’s “Joint Initiative for Standardisation (Action 3), which highlights the need for standardization as an element of formal education, academic and vocational training, and has been a consultative body for the Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Commerce on IPR and standards. Magnus earned an MSc in Biophysics and Medical Technology from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

• Wed 10:30-12:00 : Diversity challenge

Tue 08:00-09:00 : Resilient food systems: an innovative and sustainable approach

Dr. Ha Minh Hiep is Acting Director General of Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality (STAMEQ), Ministry of Science and Technology. He is also APO Director for Viet Nam. Dr. Hiep has held the position of Deputy Director General of STAMEQ from 2016 to 2021. As of November 2021, he is now Acting Director General.  In the field of standardization, Dr. Ha Minh Hiep is responsible for leading the development of a national standardization strategy, review, and revision on Law on Standards and Technical Regulations, and Law on Product Quality, among other things.

Dr. Ha Minh Hiep got Doctor of Science on Nano-biosensors in Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) and worked as Postdoctoral Researcher on Materials Science in Osaka University. He got several awards, such as Scholarship from Dual Graduate School Program to study master courses from Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Japan, 2005-2006; JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship Program for Foreign Researchers, Japan, 2009- 2010.

• Wed 09:00-10:00 : Innovative solutions for water scarcity

Julie Hunter (BA, Hons) is an independent consultant, writer and researcher specializing in consumer issues. In this role, she has delivered successful projects for consumer organizations such as Which, BEUC, ANEC and Consumers International on topics including e-commerce fraud, insurance, inclusive service, complaints and redress. Julie currently leads the British Standards Institution’s Consumer and Public Interest Network, an independent entity that represents UK consumers in the development of voluntary standards. Passionate about empowering and protecting consumers, she is Co-Convenor of the Services working group in ISO/COPOLCO and was the project leader and UK consumer representative for the recently published International Standard (ISO 22458) on inclusive service.

• Thu 19:00-20:00 : Can sustainable tourism really be sustainable?

Hussalmizzar Hussain is Senior Director of Standardisation at the Department of Standards Malaysia (DSM) and second in command to the Director-General. An engineer by profession, he has over 20 years of experience in standardization, international relations and diplomatic affairs. He is also a member of the ISO Technical Management Board (TMB) for the 2021-2023 term. Prior to this, Hussalmizzar chaired the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance 1/2020 meeting in February 2020 in Kuala Lumpur. He is also Co-Chair of the Sub-Committee on Standards, Technical Regulations and Conformity Assessment Procedures of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement since 2015. Hussalmizzar was seconded as the Science Attaché at the Permanent Delegation of Malaysia to UNESCO, in Paris, from 2011 to 2014.

• Wed 09:00-10:00 : Digitalization and digital transformation: staying one step ahead

Sara Jackson has a broad cross-functional experience in the Middle East and Africa leading diverse multidisciplinary teams across multiple countries. Her varied career includes senior business and executive leadership roles, including a 30-year stint with Nestlé. In these roles, she gained extensive experience in integration, new market start-ups and business turnaround projects. On leaving the corporate world in 2019, Sara established her own consultancy, Green Ethics FZ LLC, and is currently working – through the CIRCLE Coalition – on cross-sectorial industry initiatives in sustainability with a particular focus on plastics recycling. Sara is a qualified ORSC practitioner and has completed the certificate courses in Circular Economy from the Technical University of Delft and the University of Cambridge Judge Business School.

• Thu 11:00-12:00 : The circular economy: going digital

Sheronda Jeffries is an engineer, certified quality systems auditor, and trainer, with an engineering degree from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. She has worked at Cisco Systems for over 14 years. She is also an industry leader at the TIA QuEST Forum, a collaboration of companies dedicated to quality and performance in the ICT supply chain.  She represents Cisco and the ICT industry at standards development organizations, serving in various leadership roles. Sheronda is a co-convenor of the International Accreditation Forum Task Force on remote auditing and assessment, and previously co-convened the important work on using ICT for remote auditing, which was crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it enabled assurance of essential businesses and services, thus supporting the integrity of supply chains. She is a Fellow of the American Society for Quality, and was recently nominated as a Board Member.

• Tue 18:00-19:00 : Has COVID launched the digital transformation of conformity assessment

• Tue 10:30-12:00 : Future world café
• Wed 15:30-17:00 : Future world café

A Policy Analyst at the OECD, Marianna Karttunen has spent ten years helping governments strengthen their resilience to global policy challenges through international cooperation. In this context, she now manages the work on international regulatory cooperation at the OECD Regulatory Policy Division of the Public Governance Directorate. This entails team leadership in this area as well as managing a platform of over 50 international organizations working together to improve the quality of international rulemaking. Through academic research and analysis, Marianna has led innovative policy work on international regulatory cooperation. She is the author of Transparency in the WTO SPS and TBT Agreements: The Real Jewel in the Crown, an outstanding work exploring the importance of transparency in trade regulations. 

• Tue 09:00-10:00 : Achieving Global Collaboration
• Tue 10:30-12:00 : Future world café
• Wed 15:30-17:00 : Future world café

Tatiana Khayrullina is a Consulting Partner, Standards and Technical Solutions at Outsell, a leading research and advisory firm serving executives operating in the data, information and analytics economy. She supports business leaders in the creation of peer-to-peer communities, data and research, integrated into an easy-to-use platform. As a consulting partner, she covers global standards publishing, data and analytics markets, with a focus on innovative technology, revenue diversification and user-centric publishing. Tatiana draws from her experience in a range of advisory roles with a significant North American standards development organization to identify trends, rank market players and assess growth opportunities in this diverse sector. She is the author of the annual Outsell Standards Publishing Market Report, which provides an analytical assessment of standards publishing as an industry.

• Tue 14:00-15:00 : Global perspectives on international standards: a market point of view

• Wed 18:00-19:00 : Shaping corporate governance for the 21st century

Ajeshni Lata is Standards Officer in the Department of National Trade Measurement and Standards (DNTMS) of Fiji, which operates under the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport. She joined DNTMS in 2013 with the mission to their promote standards activities. In this role, she looks after standards development, policy-related activities and international work, as well as the enforcement of standards under the Department. She studied Environmental Science (major in chemistry) at the University of the South Pacific.

• Thu 09:00-10:00 : The London Declaration -- one year on

Margaux Le Gallou (MA) is Programme Manager at ECOS, the Environmental Coalition on Standards. She is responsible for ECOS activities related to the standardization process and political developments in chemicals, environmental assessment, and environmental information. She notably follows discussions on green claims and environmental labelling. Prior to joining ECOS in 2021, Margaux worked on circular economy and eco-innovation policies. Margaux holds a BA in politics and international relations from the University of Kent, a MA in European affairs from Sciences Po Lille, and a MA in European economics from the College of Europe.

• Thu 19:00-20:00 : Can sustainable tourism really be sustainable?

Chaesub Lee was appointed Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau at the  International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 2014. An active contributor to ICT standardization for over three decades, he specializes in areas such as integrated services digital networks (ISDN), global information infrastructure (GII), Internet protocol, next-generation networks (NGN), Internet protocol television (IPTV) and cloud computing. Chaesub started his professional career as a researcher for Korea Telecom before taking a position at the country’s Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute. Most recently, he worked at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and as Senior Advisor to Korea’s Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning. Chaesub holds a PhD in Multimedia Engineering.

• Tue 09:00-10:00 : Achieving global collaboration
• Tue 14:00-15:00 : Babershop: mobilizing men for gender equality

Tuesday 10:00-12:00 : Shaping solutions: Towards an inclusive future

Allan Lim heads the Open Innovation Department at Nestlé R&D Center. He started his career in Nestlé as a chemist in 1995, having obtained his PhD from the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (Singapore). Wanting a change in scenery, he joined the animal health branch of Kemin Industries before returning to Nestlé in 2008 to lead the company’s innovation partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region. Today, Allan spearheads external R&D innovation in agri-foodtech through different collaboration models and platforms with public research institutes, academia, enterprises and startups. At the national level, Allan supports Enterprise Singapore by serving as Chairman of the Singapore Food Standards Committee; he is also a member of Singapore Standards Council since 2017. For his contribution to food standards development, Allan received the Enterprise Singapore Distinguished Partner Award in 2022.

Tue 08:00-09:00 : Resilient food systems: an innovative and sustainable approach

Jason Lim is CEO and co-founder of Stendard, a software-based consultancy for compliance and standardization. A strong advocate for standards, Jason started his career as a regulator in Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority and later as the regulatory/QA manager of a Singapore-based technology accelerator. His venture as an entrepreneur began in 2016 as a quality and regulatory consultant. Passionate about making the compliance process easier, he believes in using technology to implement standards efficiently and affordably, empowering companies to compete on a level playing field and accelerating global growth. A standards partner of Enterprise Singapore, Jason is now also the Asia-Pacific champion for IEC/ISO SMART, playing a pivotal role in driving the digital transformation of standards.

• Wed 15:30-17:00 : Shaping solutions: the evolution of standards in the digital era

Anne Livingstone has many years of experience in the community service sector, focused in community-based care. In the course of her career, she has been involved in major projects in the aged care, disability services and in broader primary health areas. As Research and Development Lead for the Global Community Resourcing, she has worked on several innovative research and practice change projects concentrating specifically on service model and workforce redesign.   Previously, she managed community care portfolio interests for the Peak Industry Aged Care Association at state level, as well as holding national representation in a number of activities, including workforce, rural and remote service delivery, research, technology and community care.   She has also helped establish new service areas (namely for carers) and has taken part in international and national research projects incorporating assistive and enabling technologies. 

• Wed 08:00-09:00 : Ageing populations: addressing sustainability challenges arising from the demographic transition

Martin Lok is Executive Director of Capitals Coalition, a global collaboration redefining value to transform decision making. Before joining Capitals, he worked for more than 30 years as policy maker for the Netherland’s government in several policy domains, including environmental policy, international nature policy and green growth policy. Martin is co-author of several national policy documents and has led public-private collaborative actions on natural capital in the Netherlands. He is educated at Wageningen University & Research and Leiden University.

• Wed 18:00-19:00 : Shaping corporate governance for the 21st century

Marcus Long is Chief Executive of IIOC, a trade association of global certification and assurance organizations. As part of his role, he is also a Director of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) with responsibility for representing the CB association members of IAF. In this capacity, he also sits on the IAF Executive Committee, IAF Board and Joint IAF/ILAC Executive Committee. Prior to joining IIOC, Marcus was Head of External Affairs at the British Standards Institution (BSI), the UK’s national standards body. Earlier in his career, Marcus held customer service and procurement roles in the rail, telecoms, retail and automotive sectors. He has an MBA from the University of Stirling.

• Tue 18:00-19:00 : Has COVID launched the digital transformation of conformity assessment

Prof. James Lowenberg-DeBoer holds the Elizabeth Creak Chair in Agri-Tech Applied Economics at Harper Adams University in Newport (United Kingdom), where he is responsible for economics in the Hands Free Farm Team. He is also co-editor of the journal Precision Agriculture and past president of the International Society of Precision Agriculture. His work focuses on the economics of agricultural technology, especially precision agriculture and crop robotics. James’s research and outreach are founded in hands-on experience in agriculture, including the production of maize and soybeans in North-West Iowa in the USA.

Tue 08:00-09:00 : Resilient food systems: an innovative and sustainable approach

Abed Masarwa is VP Product Management at Netafim, an Israeli manufacturer of irrigation equipment, where he heads up the irrigation products segment. In his more than 25 years with the company, he has gained valuable experience and insight into many departments, first with the engineering team, then in R&D team management, and later as technical manager for the Asia-Pacific region. Abed is educated at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology where he earned a BSc and MSc in Mechanical Engineering. He also holds an MBA from the Center for Academic Studies.

• Wed 09:00-10:00 : Innovative solutions for water scarcity

• Tue 18:00-19:00 : How trade policies can support the climate agenda

Philippe Metzger became General Secretary and CEO of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on 1 February 2020. It his role, he is responsible for the Commission’s day-to-day operations. Prior to joining the IEC, he was Director-General of the Swiss Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM). He also previously served as Deputy to the Director of the Development Bureau at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Director of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Trained as a lawyer, Philippe has issued several publications on the World Trade Organization (WTO) and competition law.

• Tue 09:00-10:00 : Achieving global collaboration
• Tue 14:00-15:00 : Babershop: mobilizing men for gender equality

• Wed 18:00-19:00 : Leapfrogging to cleaner energy: an opportunity for Africa

• Wed 18:00-19:00 : Leapfrogging to cleaner energy: an opportunity for Africa

Sergio Mujica has been Secretary-General of ISO since 2017. Under his leadership, the organization approved a new Strategy 2030, which is fully aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with a vision of “making lives easier, safer and better”. Combining his experience as Deputy Secretary-General at the World Customs Organization in Brussels from 2010 to 2017 and several leadership positions in the government of Chile, Sergio has unique global perspectives of international trade and sustainability. He is a tireless advocate for International Standards as ways of reducing barriers and fully realizing the role of international trade in growing economies. Sergio obtained his law degree at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and completed his master’s in international law at the American University in Washington D.C.

• Tue 09:00-10:00 : Achieving global collaboration
• Tue 14:00-15:00 : Babershop: mobilizing men for gender equality
• Thu 09:00-10:00 : The London Declaration -- one year on

• Tue 18:00-19:00 : Has COVID launched the digital transformation of conformity assessment

Tue 10:00-12:00 : Shaping solutions: Towards an inclusive future

Esther Ngari is Director, Standards Development and Trade at the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS). Backed by over 20 years of experience in the agri-food business, she has done exemplary work in creating new standards that were previously non-existent in the country. A graduate in Dairy Science and Food Technology from Egerton University, she also holds an MBA from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. Other areas of study include agribusiness and value chain analysis and development. Esther also earned a professional diploma in supply chain management from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supplies (CIPS) in the United Kingdom. She is a certified lead auditor for food safety management, quality management and environmental management systems.

• Tue 10:30-12:00 : Building trust (CASCO/DEVCO workshop) Trade in the age of digitalization
• Wed 15:30-17:00 : Building trust (CASCO/DEVCO workshop) Trade in the age of digitalization

Hermogene Nsengimana was appointed Secretary General of ARSO in 2012, steering ARSO’s mandate of harmonizing standards and conformity assessment to reduce technical barriers to trade and promote intra-African and global trade. Throughout his career, he has acquired an in-depth knowledge of quality infrastructure based on standardization, conformity assessment, metrology and accreditation, and how each affects trade and economies globally. His broad understanding not only of the challenges, but also the opportunities, inherent in world trading systems makes Hermogene a pillar in Africa’s journey to industrialization and self-reliance. With more than 20 years of service to Africa, half of which in leadership positions, he has a long and confirmed track record for delivering results. He holds a PhD in Analytical and Environmental Chemistry and completed his post-doctoral studies in Philosophy.

• Tue 14:00-15:00 : Global perspectives on international standards: a market point of view

Vered Oren is Director, Communications and Foreign Affairs at SII, the Standards Institution of Israel, where she is an active advocate for standardization. She is also a former Vice-President and now Board member of the International Federation of Standards Users (IFAN). Vered is a frequent speaker on standards and leads national and international projects raising awareness for the adoption and implementation of International Standards. She holds a master’s in Media and Communications from the City University of New York.

• Wed 09:00-10:00 : Innovative solutions for water scarcity

Dennis Pamlin is an entrepreneur and founder of 21st Century Frontiers. His background is in engineering, industrial economy and marketing. He is currently a Senior Associate at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Senior Advisor at RISE, a visiting research fellow at the Research Center of Journalism and Social Development at Renmin University, and Advisor to the Centre for Sustainable Development at the Confederation of Indian Industries. Dennis is currently leading Mission Innovation’s Net-Zero Compatibility Innovations Initiative and has collaborated with the UNFCCC on its “International Innovation Hub” launched in 2021. Recent publications include a UNEP-FI report on the next generation of leadership in the finance sector and a report about COVID-19 responses and the tipping points they provide for global sustainability. More publications and updates available at: https://www.pamlin.net.

Mon 18:00-19:00 : Innovation for transformative climate solutions

Martina Paul is Senior Standardization Strategist at Huawei Technologies Switzerland. A seasoned professional, she has over 25 years of experience as senior manager or board member of various (non-profit) organizations, in the fields of standardization, advocacy and global development cooperation. Previous positions have included General Secretary and CEO of the International Commission on Illumination (CEI) and Director, Software Operations of ITSV GmbH, the IT solutions provider for Austrian social insurance institutions. She has also held various leadership roles in international and national standardization committees (at ISO, ASI and SNV). Martina’s professional focus lies in strategic validation and accompanying the market uptake of emerging and disruptive technologies to ensure they are beneficial to all societal stakeholders. She holds a master’s from the Vienna University of Economics and Business.

• Tue 10:30-12:00 : Future world café
• Wed 15:30-17:00 : Future world café

• Wed 15:30-17:00 : Shaping solutions: the evolution of standards in the digital era

Raj Rajasekar is Vice-Chair of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the global food safety and quality standards-setting body. As the lead manager for Codex in New Zealand, he has overall responsibility for the country’s input and participation in the work of the Commission and many of its subsidiaries. An economist by training, Raj has over 40 years of experience in agricultural policy, food regulation and international trade with the New Zealand government and serves as Senior Programme Manager for the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries. He has extensive developing country experience having contributed to capacity building programmes across Asia/Pacific, Africa and the Near East regions to strengthen national capacities for Codex, food regulation and standards development.

Tue 08:00-09:00 : Resilient food systems: an innovative and sustainable approach

• Mon 14:00-15:15 : Committee Chairs workshop: Standards development for the ‘new normal’ and the London Declaration
• Mon 15:30-17:00 : Committee Chairs workshop: Coherence of the International Standards system

Christine Riefa is Professor of Law at the University of Reading. Her research interests are in the areas of consumer and e-commerce/new-tech law and she has advised governments and organizations on the reform of consumer laws in all hemispheres. Christine was this year’s keynote speaker at UNCTAD’s Intergovernmental Group of Experts and is leading the project on cross-border enforcement of consumer law (www.crossborderenforcement.com), which feeds into the work of UNCTAD on consumer protection. She is also a Board member of the International Association of Consumer Law and one of the editors of the Journal of European Consumer and Market Law (EuCML), a peer-reviewed journal published by Beck. Christine is widely published with work cited in official documents from international institutions (e.g. the WEF, OECD and UNCTAD) and academic scholarship. She holds a PhD in Law from the University of Montpellier.

• Thu 19:00-20:00 : Can sustainable tourism really be sustainable?

Kareen Riley-Takos is General Manager Operations at Standards Australia (SA), leading the organization’s standards development, publishing, technology and data functions. Since joining SA in 2009, she has held numerous leadership positions across the business, primarily focused on innovation in standards development and content delivery. Kareen has also been responsible for driving digital transformation at Standards Australia, enabling the delivery of increased value to customers, productivity, and growth for the organization. 

• Wed 09:00-10:00 : Digitalization and digital transformation: staying one step ahead
• Wed 15:30-17:00 : Shaping solutions: the evolution of standards in the digital era
• Thu 11:00-12:00 : Debate: how relevant will we be in ten years?

Michael Rutman is co-CEO at Watergen, the world leader in atmospheric water generation. A seasoned professional, he has 20 years of experience in establishing and managing international sales systems, positioning the company and its products, and developing new marketing channels. In 2016, he was part of the group that saw the technology’s potential, taking it to commercialization in over 90 countries around the world.  Michael was chosen as personal advisor to HRH the Prince of Wales as part of the  Sustainable Markets Initiative task force to fight climate change and biodiversity loss. He holds an MBA in Process from the Kellogg-WHU Executive MBA Program and a BSc in Computer Science.

• Wed 09:00-10:00 : Innovative solutions for water scarcity

Shlomo Sackstein is CEO at Biopuremax, a contract supplier of Biopharma water systems. He has been designing and installing high-purity water systems in the biopharma industry all over the world. Throughout his 25-year career, he has acquired great knowledge of all aspects of water systems, from pretreatment to production, to storage and distribution. Shlomo is a long-standing member of the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering and an active member of the Executive Board of the Israel PDA Chapter. He also chairs the ISO working group on pharmaceutical water systems. Shlomo holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and an MBA from Tel Aviv University.

• Wed 09:00-10:00 : Innovative solutions for water scarcity

• Thu 11:00-12:00 : The circular economy: going digital

Gauri Singh is the Deputy Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). She brings to the role an experience of over 30 years in policy formulation, implementation and policy advocacy in the field of renewable energy, sustainable development and livelihoods. Prior to that, as IRENA’s Director, Country Support and Partnerships, she was responsible for regional and country-level initiatives and for spearheading partnerships with regional energy and economic organizations. Gauri has also worked at the federal level in the government of India and the provincial government of Madhya Pradesh. She is an alumna of Delhi University, India, with a major in Economics.

• Tue 09:00-10:00 : Achieving Global Collaboration
• Tue 10:30-12:00 : Future world café
• Wed 15:30-17:00 : Future world café
• Wed 18:00-19:00 : Leapfrogging to cleaner energy: an opportunity for Africa

Maria Skou has been part of Danish Standards (DS) since 2017 and leads the organization’s activities related to professional courses, research and education projects. She also represents DS on the ISO Council and is a National Committee Secretary of the IEC. Prior to joining DS, Maria was the head of Innovation Centre Denmark, which is part of the Danish Embassy in Seoul (South Korea). She has also participated as a speaker/panel member in conferences hosted by organizations such as the Bloomberg Group, the United Nations, and the Korean Ministry of Health.

• Thu 11:00-12:00 : Debate: how relevant will we be in ten years?

Sara Jane Snook is a professional engineer with over 30 years of experience in energy development and environmental regulation. As Chair of ISO’s expert group on greenhouse gas (GHG) and climate change management, she was involved in the development of ISO 14060, a series of foundational standards for GHG measurement, used by regulators and organizations around the world to encourage climate action. Sara Jane is a former Deputy Minister at the Nova Scotia Department of Environment, where she was involved in the development of policy to prepare for the effects of climate change and to limit greenhouse gas emissions. She was also a member of the National Energy Board and of the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board. She was educated at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada.

Mon 18:00-19:00 : Innovation for transformative climate solutions

Stefano Sedola has over 20 years of experience in developing quality infrastructure and food safety protocols, working with international agencies such as UNIDO, SIDA, ASEAN, SADC, COMESA, and many others. As an economist engaged in strategic consultancy and capacity building in Europe, Africa and Asia, he has advised several governments and multilateral agencies (incl. the European Commission and the United Nations) on structural and policy reforms. Stefano sees blockchain technology as the next step for ensuring food quality certification. He is a founding partner of Stratejai, a consultancy providing strategic advice on AI and data-driven journeys, and one of the authors of the AI blueprint for Africa.

Tue 08:00-09:00 : Resilient food systems: an innovative and sustainable approach

An Honorary Professor at the UCL Bartlett School for Sustainable Construction, Ian Spero is founder of the Agile Ageing Alliance, an international network advocating for a future of inclusive, multigenerational neighbourhoods, designed to boost health and wellbeing and reduce the financial burden on citizens and state. Ian is currently leading development of a new ISO standard for smart multigenerational neighbourhoods that foster healthy ageing and independent living, serving as a viable alternative to age-specific care in institutional settings. Operating at the cutting edge of R&D, Ian also serves as a Monitoring Officer for Innovate UK, the government’s innovation agency, where he has worked with numerous highly innovative companies developing game-changing solutions, invariably resulting in successful commercialization, significant return on investment and positive impact on the UK’s economy.

• Wed 08:00-09:00 : Ageing populations: addressing sustainability challenges arising from the demographic transition

Scott Steedman CBE is Director-General, Standards at the British Standards Institution (BSI). He has primary responsibility for BSI’s activity as a global standards organization and its role as the national standards body. An engineer by profession, he was an academic at Cambridge University before moving to industry where he worked on infrastructure projects in the United Kingdom and around the world. Scott has also been a Vice-President of the Royal Academy of Engineering in London and was appointed CBE in 2010 for his services to engineering. After joining BSI in 2012, he served as Vice-President Policy for the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) from 2013 to 2017, and as Vice-President (policy) of ISO for the 2017-2021 term. Scott is at the forefront of promoting the role of standards to support the global net-zero transition and sustainable development.

• Mon 18:00-19:00 : Innovation for transformative climate solutions
• Thu 09:00-10:00 : The London Declaration -- one year on

Michael Stephan is a member of the Management Board at DIN (German Institute for Standardization), where he has headed the Innovation and Digital Technologies Division from 2016 to 2017 and the Standardization Division since 2018. He is also a member of the ISO Council since 2022. After obtaining his doctorate in Industrial Information Technology from the Technical University of Berlin in 1995, he joined Daimler AG where he was responsible for several projects introducing CAD and Product Data Management (PDM) technologies. In 2001 he joined Bombardier Transportation, leading corporation-wide projects for redesigning and optimizing technical processes and introducing CAD, PDM and SAP systems. Since 2009, Michael has held senior positions managing rail vehicle projects in Germany and Switzerland.

• Thu 09:00-10:00 : The London Declaration -- one year on

Adam Stingemore is General Manager, Engagement and Communications at Standards Australia (SA). In this capacity, he is responsible for leading SA’s national and international engagement teams, member relations, and marketing and communications. Since joining the organization in 2009, Adam has had various roles in engagement and standards development. He has been a member of the Executive Team since 2015 and represents Standards Australia on numerous national and international committees. Prior to that, he worked in various roles for big and small businesses, on the personal staff of several judicial officers in New South Wales, as a lawyer in practice, and for The Group of Eight Australian Universities. Adam holds a bachelor of Laws from the University of Technology Sydney.

• Tue 10:00-12:00 : Shaping solutions: Towards an inclusive future
• Tue 14:00-15:00 : Global perspectives on international standards: a market point of view

HE Omar Ahmed Suwaina Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Industry & Advanced Technology (MoIAT) in the United Arab Emirates, is a senior Emirati official with a vast experience in the Emiratization policies of vital supplies chains. Al Suwaidi manages a set of plans and initiatives to support, enable and advance Emirati industry and increase its contributions to the national economy. These include encouraging innovation and advanced technologies in industrial systems, promoting cooperation between relevant national authorities, consolidating national content and empowering small and medium-sized enterprises. Before joining MoIAT, Al Suwaidi worked in leadership positions at the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). He was also Board member of several ADNOC companies and Etihad Rail, and chairman of the committee for corporate social responsibility. Al Suwaidi holds a BSc in Geological Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines in the USA.

• Tue 16:00-18:00 : Convergence of Technologies and Youth Collaboration
• Tue 18:00-19:00 : Has COVID launched the digital transformation of conformity assessment

• Tue 10:00-12:00 : Shaping solutions: Towards an inclusive future

Massamba Thioye is a graduate process engineer with a doctorate in energy systems. He has worked for the United Nations for 13 years leading the development of regulations for assessing climate action impacts, incentive mechanisms for climate and sustainability action, and a framework for enhancing the use of innovation to support climate and sustainability actions. He recently initiated the UN Climate Change Global Innovation Hub and is leading the work as project executive. Massamba also oversees the support to enhanced climate action by the financial sector, as well as increased access to low-cost finance for clean investment in developing countries. Active in ISO/TC 207, he co-chaired the development of ISO 14097 for assessing and reporting climate risks for investments and financing activities. His international work also includes blockchain applications, distributed ledger technology (DLT) use cases for climate and sustainability action, and a new greenhouse gas accounting system for cities, using DLT.

Mon 18:00-19:00 : Innovation for transformative climate solutions

Senior-level professional with experience in national, regional, and international standardization. Daniel has worked for ICONTEC, the national standards body of Colombia, since 2006. He has a background in civil engineering and environmental management. His current role is Standardization Deputy Director where he is responsible for leading the standards production and stakeholder engagement team. Currently, he is Secretary of the IEC National Committee of Colombia, twinned chair of ISO/TC 207 Environmental Management and chair of IWA 42 Net Zero Guiding Principles.
Daniel has been involved in projects related with change management and implementation of electronic tools to improve the standards development process and to increase stakeholder engagement. He is part of the team that is currently implementing, with ABNT, the new electronic tool to manage the national standardization process. He is also member of the multidisciplinary group leading the digital transformation of ICONTEC.

• Wed 09:00-10:00 : Digitalization and digital transformation: staying one step ahead

Entrepreneur, public health and sustainability expert. Former roles include programmes lead and The World Economic Forum, Senior Advisor at various UN Agencies, and creator of several successful start-ups.

• Thu 11:00-12:00 : The circular economy: going digital

Sara Walton is the Agri-food Sector Lead for the British Standards Institution (BSI), the UK’s national standards body. In this role, she explores key challenges for sectors related to food, retail and services, alongside practitioners and experts, to uncover real-world solutions and help stakeholders. She has over ten years of experience in standards development and related solutions. Sara has led UK committees working in, amongst other subjects, food safety management, quality management, and occupational health and safety. Prior to working for BSI, Sara worked in business-to-business information publishing, creating and delivering knowledge solutions for organizations based on their legal and compliance needs.

Tue 08:00-09:00 : Resilient food systems: an innovative and sustainable approach

Erik Wijkström joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995. He has broad experience from several areas of trade policy relating to standards and regulations, including agriculture, sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS Agreement), trade and environment, as well as trade and health. He is currently Head of the unit that services the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade in the Trade and Environment Division. Erik has a master’s degree in the area of agriculture and economics from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala (Sweden).

• Tue 10:30-12:00 : Building trust (CASCO/DEVCO workshop) Trade in the age of digitalization
• Tue 18:00-19:00 : How trade policies can support the climate agenda
• Wed 15:30-17:00 : Building trust (CASCO/DEVCO workshop) Trade in the age of digitalization

Hajime Yamada is an engineer and Professor Emeritus at Toyo University, Japan. He has bachelor, master and doctorate degrees in engineering. After graduating, he held research roles in industry and has worked in the Economics department at Toyo University since 2002. Hajime has developed strong interests in the economics of information and communications media, accessibility of information and communications, policy for radio communications and spectra, the management of technology, and standardization. He is the Head of Delegates for Japan, for the IEC technical committee on active assisted living, and ISO/TC 314 on ageing societies. He is also the programme officer for the study “Creating a Safe and Secure Living Environment in the Changing Public and Private Spheres” in Japan’s Science and Technology Agency. He has served has a member of various governing boards and academic institutions.

• Wed 08:00-09:00 : Ageing populations: addressing sustainability challenges arising from the demographic transition

Dalia Yarom is Director, Standardization Division at SII, the Standards Institution of Israel. In her previous role, she was the Head of the SII chemistry, health and environment laboratory, which tests various consumer products according to national and international standards. Dalia’s standardization experience spans more than 30 years in different related positions and she currently holds the Chair of ISO’s technical committee on water reuse (ISO/TC 282). She is also a Board member at ASTM International since January 2020. Previously, she served as Chairperson of the Convention on the Control and Marking of Articles of Precious Metals, a treaty that facilitates cross-border trade. An engineer by profession, Dalia holds a master’s in Environmental Chemistry (MSc) from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and an MBA from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

• Wed 09:00-10:00 : Innovative solutions for water scarcity