Defence & Intelligence Summit ENABLING A ROBUST GEOINTELLIGENCE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR GROWTH AND SECURITY

John Kedar is a strategic advisor to Governments on "The Power of Where?" He advises on strategy and policies to maximise national value from the rapidly developing location ecosystem and geospatial information. These countries are diverse, from Tonga to the Honduras, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Ukraine, Burkina Faso to Jersey. This includes utilising the United Nations Integrated Geospatial Information Framework, in which he is considered a global expert.

Elsewhere, John led the partnership board developing the future geospatial concept 'Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure', sits on the International Advisory Committee for the United Nations Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Centre and chairs the Audit and Risk Committee of a major UK charity.

In his past life, John was Director International Engagement, Ordnance Survey, building key relationships with UK and international governments and international organisations. He also opened new international markets for Ordnance Survey across 3 Continents. Prior to this, John served 30 years in the British Army, spanning a range of engineer, geospatial, intelligence roles and frequently deployed on military operations. He commanded the Joint Aeronautical and Geospatial Organisation, UK Defence's premier geospatial intelligence organisation, developed Defence policy for geospatial information and represented UK on the European Union Satellite Centre Board.

Current post: Director of the Geospatial Institute, Austrian Armed Forces and and POC MoD for Space Services Development

Current military rank: Brigadier General

MSc and PhD in Geo-Sciences at the University of Maine (USA), the University of Salzburg (Austria) and the University of Rochester (USA)

Post-graduate studies in Geo-Informatics at the University of Salzburg (Austria) , Telematics at the University of Krems (Austria) and Space Study Program at the International Space University (France)

Lecturer for Space Applications, GeoSciences, Information Technology and Geo-Informatics at several Austrian Universities.

Mr. Todd E. Johanesen serves as Director, Foundation GEOINT Group at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), located in Springfield, Virginia, U.S.A. In this capacity, he leads an organization that provides assured, timely, relevant, and accurate foundation geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) data, products, and services in support of prioritized requirements of the warfighter, our national security objectives, and Safety of Navigation needs of the U.S. government. Mr. Johanesen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography from California State University, Long Beach, in 1989. In 2001, he received a Master of Science degree from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, where he studied Geomatics engineering. He is also a 2010 Director of National Intelligence Science and Technology Fellow.

Tony served in the British Army for 27 years: initially as a combat engineer, and then as a specialist GEOINT officer. For his last military assignment, he was the Chief of Staff of the UK Joint Forces Intelligence Group and commander of all aspects of the British Army's GEOINT capability. He joined Esri in June 2017, and now leads their European National Government Team for business development; covering the National Security, Public Safety and Mapping, Statistics & Land Administration sectors.

Mr. Jose Balsinhas has an extensive working experience on both national and NATO environments. He retired from the Portuguese army active duty in 2005 and joined the former NATO C3 Agency, now the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency). Currently, he serves as a Senior Engineer and Deputy in the Joint Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (JISR) Service Centre, GeoMetOc Services Branch.

With 20 years' professional experience in managing enterprise GIS projects, Mr. Balsinhas holds a Master degree in Military Sciences from the Portuguese Military Academy, and a Post-Graduate course on Geographic Information Systems.

Sergio Albani is the Head of Research, Technology Development and Innovation (RTDI) Unit at the European Union Satellite Centre. He is in charge of implementing new operational solutions in the Space and Security domain looking at the whole EO and collateral data lifecycle; this is performed by exploiting new data sources, secure satcom, emerging technologies (e.g. Big Data, AI) and innovative EO based solutions. He is responsible for several H2020 projects as well as for cooperation with ESA and GEO. Mr. Albani holds a Masters Degree in Physics (Astrophysics and Space Physics branch) and a Master in Journalism and Scientific & Institutional Communication.

Ingrid Vanden Berghe holds an agricultural engineering degree specializing in soil sciences from KULeuven. After some years in advisory roles in politics, she was appointed General Administrator of the National Geographic Institute of Belgium in 2002, a function she still holds today. Ms. Vanden Berghe was President of EuroGeographics from 2012 to 2018, is visiting professor at KULeuven, board member of several research organizations, and chairs the board of technology research organization VITO. She has represented Belgium on the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) since its establishment in 2011 and was elected co-Chair at the 2020 session.

Group Captain Chamnan Kumsap graduated from the RTAFA and served the Armed Forces in the geo-spatial mission. He received MSc in GIS from the University of Edinburgh and completed his PhD in Remote Sensing and GIS from Asian Institute of Technology. Resigning from the Armed Forces, he applies geo-spatial techniques to research projects at Defence Technology Institute. His awards to endorse his contributions to the geo-spatial technology include the Best Paper Award at the International Defence and Homeland Security Simulation Workshop in 2016 and the Winner of The Call for Innovation at the Southeast Asia Water Security - IWRM Regional Conference in 2023.

Rajanikanth Muppalla has experience spanning 28 years, during which he played multiple roles in business development, strategy, delivery and operations. Currently, he focusses on driving business growth. As a GIS Practice Delivery Head, he managed end-to-end geospatial solutions, playing a pivotal role in enabling major tech companies to offer precise maps, enhancing user experiences with features like voice-guided navigation and real-time traffic updates. Additionally, he has navigated complex regulatory landscapes, ensuring the creation of compliant contracts for global operations, particularly concerning data privacy laws, allowing clients to operate confidently worldwide.

Gastao leads the geospatial intelligence product line for Blackshark.ai - the fist commercial company to detect every building on the planet using AI/ML applied to satellite and aerial imagery and construct a photorealistic 3D digital twin.

He previously held leadership positions at Microsoft, Apple and Sun Microsystems. Gastao is originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and holds a BS in Electrical Engineering and an MSc in Computer Sciences.

Vincent joined Synspective in October 2021 as the General Manager of Synspective's Singapore branch. He oversees Synspective's activities in the Asia-Pacific and Eastern European regions.

After graduating from the National University of Singapore's Geography Department in 2005, Vincent began his career at CRISP, the national remote sensing ground station of Singapore. He spent over 15 years leading Asia sales and business development activities for various high-profile global companies in the geospatial industry.

Vincent received his MBA from the University of Birmingham, UK.

Currently Geospatial Sales Manager at Airbus Defence and Space - Integrated Space Solutions, Martin Pentier supports end-users and channel partners across Europe with Earth Observation data and services. With close to 20 years of experience in the Defence and Space industry across various countries with responsibilities ranging from project management, strategy, sales, business development to innovation, Martin is always looking to bridge the gap between customer needs and relevant solutions. Martin holds a master of Politics and Defence business from Paris University (France), in addition to various trainings and certifications (PMI, Business Modelling, Space applications and soft skills).

As the leader of a visionary team at Suhora, he has successfully delivered innovative products and services for asset monitoring and management across diverse domains, utilizing space technology, Al, big data, and open-source tools to create sustainable solutions worldwide.

* With prior international roles focused on developing earth observation businesses in Southeast and South Asian countries, he has demonstrated expertise in business development, client management, and revenue growth.

* Holding a DBA in Oracle, PI/SQL, and Linux from SQL Star International and an M.Sc in Remote Sensing & GIS from Vidyasagar University, he is a meticulous technical professional with a strong passion for technology, leveraging his expertise to empower customers and partners with location intelligence and data analytics.

Ms. Sandra Auchter serves as the Director, NGA-Denver (NGA-D) at the Aerospace Data Facility - Colorado (ADF-C). She leads a diverse team of over 500 personnel. As NGA's only senior executive at the ADF-C, she represents the interests of NGA-D as a member of the ADF-C's Denver Leadership Team (DLT), which includes the ADF-C site commander, NRO's senior representative, the Director, NSA Colorado (NSAC) and their deputy directors. As a DLT member, she concentrates on a range of issues that focus on exploring and improving how the three agencies integrate and collaborate across mission areas and across each agency's distinct personnel skill-sets.

Ms. Auchter received her Bachelors of Science Degree in Regional Studies, Africa, from the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University and is an alumnus of the National Defense Intelligence College/National Intelligence University.

Martin Cauchi Inglott is a retired Coast Guard officer, having served in the Armed Forces of Malta for 27 years. He began his career after having graduated from the German Naval Academy, and after serving in the flotilla in various positions, becoming Commandant of the Force in 2001. In 2008, Martin moved to Brussels and served as Maltese Military Representative to the EU and NATO Military Committees until 2012; he then established and led the External Relations Division, within the European Union's Military Staff, until his retirement from the Force in 2015. Martin received a Diploma in Diplomatic Studies, and Masters in International Law, from the University of Malta, and is graduate with distinction from the US Naval War College.

Ms. Johanna Karvonen, Project Manager for the AI-ARC project, is currently working at Laurea University of Applied Sciences (FIN) coordinating Horizon Europe funded projects within the Civil Security for Society domain. Her expertise lies in Security research, with a primary focus on European Critical Infrastructure Resilience and Border Security in the Maritime domain. Additionally, she is involved in projects related to Hybrid Threats, Inter-authority Cooperation, and Cybersecurity. Ms. Karvonen has 15 years of experience working with international research projects in Higher Education Institutions. She has a MSc in Political Science and European studies from Abo Akademi University.

Juan-Roman is Engineer in Computer Science from the UPM. He has a degree in Business Administration and Management from UNED and has a Master's degree in Contract Management with Public Administration with application to Defense from the General Gutierrez Mellado University Institute of UNED. Finally, he has an Executive MBA from the IE Business School of the Instituto de Empresa. At work, after working for 10 years in the development of applications for NATO and the Spanish Ministry of Defense, for more than 3 years he was the Business Development Manager at FCC in the Defense, Cyberdefense, Cybersecurity, Smart Cities and IoT. He currently works at Indra, where he is Manager in R&D in Defense and Security, focusing on Cyber, Security and Defense areas, highlighting his role as coordinator of the VALKYRIES Project of the H2020 program, Project Coordinator of the SMAUG HEU Project, as well as his role as Indra coordination management in EDFs like EDOCC, FaRADAI and CASSATA.

Angela Baker is Head of Partnerships and Sustainability for EuroGeographics, the membership organisation representing Europe's National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authorities. She has responsibility for the Data Pillar of activity within the association enabling access to member's data.

Previous positions include Data Assurance Programme Lead at the Open Data Institute, where she was working on a programme focussing on Trust in Data, and Data Access and Integration Programme Manager for EuroGeographics, leading the CEF-Funded Open Maps for Europe Project. She has a MA in Human Geography and an MSc in Cartography and Geo-information Technology and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and chartered geographer.

Richard Goodman has twenty-five years' experience in the geospatial industry. Starting in data capture, Richard now supports business development in defence, previously working in sales technical requirements, product certification and testing, customer installations, and acceptance testing. Richard helps customers with data management and delivery, product creation, and workflow capture.

Nejc Dougan is the co-founder and CTO of Flai. He is an experienced software engineer with a demonstrated history of working in the geospatial and remote sensing industry. Currently, he is also enrolled in PhD at Faculty of computer and information science, University Ljubljana. With a research interest in the use of AI and deep learning convolutional neural networks for processing of aerial laser scanning point clouds.

Mark Hogsett is the Rendered.ai Head of Growth. He is responsible for all business development and sales activities within commercial, international, and U.S. federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government markets.

Mr. Hogsett joined Rendered.ai in 2023 and brings 30 years of National and Homeland Security experience. Prior to Rendered.ai he supported the geospatial intelligence community in delivering innovative geospatial solutions and generating year over year revenue growth for BlackSky, CNA, and General Dynamics Mission Systems. Before leaving federal government to join General Dynamics Mission Systems, Mr. Hogsett worked within the U.S. Department of Defense as a federal civilian responsible for developing intelligence analysis and policy for the U.S. Combatant Commands, Department of the Navy, and Department of the Army. He also served as a professional staff member on the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security and worked as an intelligence analyst for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Mr. Hogsett served nine years in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves as an intelligence specialist and mobilized to active duty during Operation Enduring Freedom. He is the recipient of two Department of the Army Superior Civilian Awards for meritorious service, first for supporting combat operations in Afghanistan and the second for supporting the Office of the Secretary of Defense Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization.

Mr. Hogsett holds a Bachelor of Arts from Purdue University and a Master of Business Administration from George Mason University.

Mr. Oskari Hakkinen is a partner and the CEO of Spatineo. He has extensive experience in leadership, information technology, distributed system design and implementation, and quality assurance.

In his early career, Oskari worked with embedded systems and autonomous vehicles for several multinational enterprises in the machinery, explosives, and forestry industries. Last 3 years, Oskari has influenced the geospatial sector in Spatineo. Oskari is also the chairman of the Geoforum Finland, an association responsible for the Geospatial Network in Finland.