Prepare, Provide, Pioneer: digitalisation as a driver for Europe’s success

Yolanda Díaz Pérez is Vice-President of the Government of Spain and Minister of Labour and Social Economy. As Labour Minister, she led landmark initiatives including the increase of the minimum wage, a flexible temporary employment regulation scheme that protected millions of workers and enterprises during the COVID-19 crisis, and legislation recognising labour rights for workers on digital delivery platforms. Díaz has also fostered extensive social dialogue, achieving over 20 major agreements, including comprehensive labour reforms, contributing to Spain’s lowest unemployment rate since 2008.

Sapthagiri Chapalapalli is a senior executive at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), currently serving as the Head of TCS Europe, with over 25 years of experience spanning India, Europe and North America. In Europe, he led TCS’s transformation into a strategic partner for growth and digital innovation, integrating sustainability into organisational strategy. Chapalapalli combines expertise in business management and technology to drive large-scale digital and operational initiatives.

Nathan Ducastel is the Managing Director of VNG Realisation and currently chairs the Netherlands Digitalisation Strategy (NDS) Council. In 2017, Ducastel joined the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) as Director of Information Society Policy, and since 2020 he has served as Managing Director of VNG Realisatie, VNG’s implementation and innovation arm. An active voice in digital government, Ducastel regularly contributes columns to national publications on digitalisation and public governance.

Soulaima is a speaker, consultant, author, blogger and an active board member in several public and private companies. It is her vision to change the world to a better more tolerant place through trade and business, and relations between countries and people. She spends part of her time and own money travelling around the world to do “impact journeys”. The past year she has been to Mexico, UAE, India, Jordan, Myanmar and China to work with local entrepreneurs, young global leaders, local schools, change makers and NGOs. Since 2007, she has worked as an advisor and speaker for more than 1000 clients. She has received several prestigious awards among others the Rising Star, the Talent 100 price 2004, PowerWomen, 20 Greatest Nordic Thinkers. Soulaima holds an E-MBA from the Copenhagen Business School.

A serial entrepreneur and fintech expert from Lithuania, Daumantas Dvilinskas is the Co-Founding CEO of TransferGo, a London-based, high-growth and purely digital global money transfer service. Its innovative digital ‘local in, local out’ business model works with banks worldwide to enable cheaper, faster and safer cross-border money transfers. TransferGo’s main goal is to increase the accessibility of transfers to migrant workers, who make regular payments to their families back at home, by reducing costs and facilitating same-day purchasing power. Dvilinskas challenges monopolies in the banking industry by targeting niche customers with a superior product experience. He has also co-founded Pinevio, a social content discovery platform that enables users to discover content from people with shared interests. Dvilinskas is a recipient of the Global Lithuanian Award, which is bestowed upon Lithuanian diaspora professionals in recognition of their contribution to the economy, science, culture and international presence of Lithuania.

Maria Galindo is Secretary for Digital Policy for the Government of Catalonia, with over 20 years of experience in digital policy, international affairs and urban innovation. She previously served as Director-General for Digitalisation and Urban Agenda and as Manager of the Barcelona Institute of Technology for the Habitat, leading the city’s Smart City initiatives. Galindo has contributed to the European Commission’s High-Level Group on Smart Cities and the EU Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission and has published extensively on smart cities and sustainable digital adoption. She is active in Women in Tech and serves on international award juries.

Major Ranjeet Goswami, Retd. has a distinguished career spanning nearly three decades, currently serving as Global Head of Corporate Affairs at Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS). In his current responsibility, he continues to be a leading figure in Public Affairs and Policy Advocacy, working with Indian and multiple foreign governments, contributing to policies that promote innovation, inclusivity and equitable growth. Goswami has a diverse experience, extending from defence and homeland security to e-Governance & public policy. Goswami has contributed to various policy initiatives. In the past, he has held the Co-Chair of FICCI IT Committee, Vice Chairperson for IFFCI Technology Committee, convened study groups on Standards with Bureau of Indian Standards and has been an active member of CII Trade Committee. Goswami has recently been nominated by the Government of India to the Market Strategy Board of International Electrotechnical Commission, a leading global standards organisation. Goswami is also on the management committee of Public Affairs Forum of India (PAFI). He has recently conceived and developed a framework that helps businesses quantifiably evaluate the impact owing to change in business policies and geopolitical shifts.

Juha Heikkilä is Adviser for Adviser for Artificial Intelligence in the European Commission DirectorateGeneral for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT). He leads the EU’s international engagement on AI, managing both bilateral relations and multilateral cooperation. Heikkilä has played a central role in shaping EU AI and robotics policy, having previously led the Commission unit that developed the EU AI Strategy, the Coordinated Plan on AI and the ecosystem of excellence under the White Paper on AI. He also oversaw the €700mn Public-Private Partnership in Robotics and helped establish the current EU Partnership in AI, Data and Robotics.

Billy Jörgensen is Head of Regulatory and Leadership Initiatives at AI Sweden, where he leads work on AI regulation, policy and leadership development. He previously served as Chief Legal Officer at AI Sweden and its host organisation, Lindholmen Science Park. With a background in intellectual property law, ESG and innovation, Jörgensen has built expertise at the intersection of technology and legal frameworks. At AI Sweden, he drives initiatives to help senior leaders build the competence and confidence to use AI responsibly. 

Enrico Letta is Dean of the IE School of Politics, Economics, and Global Affairs, and President of the Jacques Delors Institute and AREL. He served as Prime Minister of Italy and has held multiple ministerial roles, including Minister for EU Affairs and Minister for Industry and Foreign Trade. Letta previously led the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po and chaired the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs. He was tasked by European institutions to draft a Report on the Future of the Single Market, reflecting his expertise in European policy and governance.

Mathieu Michel is a Belgian political leader with extensive experience in digital policy and governance who currently serves as a Member of the Belgian Parliament. As Secretary of State for Digitalisation, he spearheaded initiatives including MyGov.be, MyData.be, Connectoo, Europeum and the Louvain-La-Neuve Declaration, a pioneering EU-wide framework for digital accountability. Michel played a key role in shaping the European AI Act and strengthening cybersecurity and data protection. Known for combining political vision with technological expertise, he now focuses on advancing emerging European technologies and fostering a sovereign, responsible and resilient digital ecosystem across Europe.

In the European Parliament, Eva Maydell is the vice-chair of the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with the United States. Eva was the main Parliament rapporteur on the Regulation on Charges on Cross-border Payments as well as worked on several legislative files, part of the Digital Single Market Strategy – including the e-Privacy Regulation and the Directive for the Supply of Digital Content. She was also rapporteur for the EPP Group on the implementation of the European Fund for Strategic Investments, the New Skills Agenda and the Influence of technology on the future of the financial sector (FinTech).

Eva has been awarded the European Parliament’s MEP of the Year Award twice. She has also been included in FT’s own ‘New Europe 100′ ranking of CEE’s emerging change-makers, European Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list and others.

Herman Mulder is a Dutch advisor, lecturer and author specialising in sustainable finance and the integration of environmental and social factors in business. A pioneer of the Equator Principles, he helped establish this global framework for managing environmental and social risk in banking. As senior executive vice-president at ABN AMRO, he led group risk management and launched the bank’s sustainability initiatives. Mulder chairs the Impact Economy Foundation, SDG Nederland and the True Price Foundation, and is a recognised leader in responsible finance. 

Silvia currently serves as Deputy Secretary General of CEC European Managers and is Managing Partner and Investor at Eden Ventures, an international venture capital firm affiliated with Italy’s leading business angel network, IAG. She drives the firm’s mission to support early-stage entrepreneurs by offering pre-seed startups access to investment opportunities of up to €100,000 within 30 days. Alongside her work at Eden Ventures, Silvia serves as a Key Advisor at Berkeley SkyDeck, the official startup accelerator of the University of California, Berkeley. There, she contributes to the growth of innovative startups, combining the accelerator’s mentoring expertise with the university’s research ecosystem to help founders scale globally and build sustainable ventures.

As President of Growth Markets – Asia Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa, Latin America, India Enterprise, Public Services (Global) & Corporate Affairs at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Girish Ramachandran manages an extensive business portfolio, empowering a diverse workforce in one of the world’s most admired companies. Ramachandran is a visionary leader adept at navigating dynamic technological landscapes, ensuring sustained growth, and committed to building high-performing and result-oriented teams. Under his stewardship, TCS has ventured into new growth markets and expanded its sustainability and community outreach footprint.

Abhishek Singh is Chief Executive Officer of the AI Mission of India and Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. A senior Indian Administrative Service officer, he has led flagship initiatives including MyGov, National e-Governance Division, Digital India Corporation and Karmayogi Bharat, advancing large-scale digital governance and capacity-building. Previously, as Executive Director of the Food Corporation of India, Singh implemented IT-driven reforms in food security and logistics. A Mason Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, he is a prominent voice on technology-enabled governance and digital transformation in India and has notably been featured in TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in AI.

Tomislav Sokol currently serves as a Member of the European Parliament Committee on Public Health. Previously, he was the European People’s Party (EPP) Coordinator in the Committee on Public Health (SANT) and Vice-Coordinator in Special Committee on the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned and recommendations for the future (COVI). He also sat on the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI), among others, and was the main rapporteur for the European Health Data Space and EPP shadow rapporteur for pharmaceutical legislation (regulation). Prior to Brussels, he was a member of the Croatian parliament and an assistant minister in the Ministry of Science and Education. Sokol’s areas of professional interest include the law of the European common market, as well as health, competition, social and trade law. 

Despina Spanou is the Deputy Director-General in charge of the Directorate for Cybersecurity and Trust at the European Commission, where she also oversees cross-cutting security issues. She previously served as Head of Cabinet to Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, leading work on security, migration and asylum, health, skills, education, culture and sport. Earlier in her career, Spanou was Director for Digital Society, Trust and Cybersecurity at DG CONNECT, where she shaped EU cybersecurity policy and legislation. A founding member of Women4Cyber, she actively promotes the development of cybersecurity expertise across Europe.

Dragoș Tudorache is the diplomatic adviser to the Executive Vice-President Stephane Séjourné, and is responsible for economic security and technological sovereignty. He was previously a member of the European Parliament and vice-president of the Renew Europe Group, serving as the LIBE rapporteur on the AI Act and as chair of the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in the Digital Age. Tudorache began his career as a judge in Romania, and he has led legal departments at the OSCE and the UN missions in Kosovo. After working on justice and anticorruption at the European Commission Delegation in Romania, he joined the Commission and managed several units and strategic projects. In 2015, Dragos joined the Romanian Government led by Dacian Cioloș, serving as Head of the Prime Minister’s Chancellery, Minister of Communications and Digital Society and Minister of the Interior.