Director NEAR C: Neighbourhood East and Institution Building, DG NEAR, European Commission
Government Chief Data Officer, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications of Estonia
Dr. Ott Velsberg is a renowned Estonian IT specialist and government official, known for his expertise in data governance and data science. As the current Chief Data Officer (CDO) of Estonia, he is responsible for driving the country’s data policy and initiatives related to the use of data in the public sector. Velsberg has a wealth of experience in coordinating data governance and data science, with a focus on domains such as artificial intelligence, open data, citizen-centric data governance, data management, and digital transformation. Under his leadership, Estonia has gained a reputation as a trendsetter in data governance, open data, and artificial intelligence. With his passion for technology and data, he is making significant contributions to Estonia’s digital transformation and shaping the country’s future in data governance.
Head of the Economic Development, Green and Digital Transitions Team, DG NEAR Unit C1, European Commission
Gérald Audaz is Head of the Economic Development, Green and Digital Transitions Team, Unit C1 in the European Commission’s department responsible for relations with the Eastern Partnership countries. A development cooperation expert with 15 years of experience, Gérald implemented successful structural economic reform and business support programmes in Sierra Leone and Tunisia where he lived for several years. With an initial academic background in political science and international public law, Gérald recently graduated from Paris Business School HEC with an executive certificate in Corporate Finance and from the Frankfurt School of Management with an executive certificate in SME finance.
State Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization of the Republic of Moldova
Mihai Lupascu is a specialist in the field of information technology and cybersecurity with experience in the private, public, and non-governmental sectors. Currently, he holds the position of the State Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization of the Republic of Moldova.
Main specialist at Information, Communication and Modern Technology Department, Ministry Of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia
Gulnaz Bokuchava serves as the Main Specialist at the Information, Communication, and Modern Technology Department within the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia. In this role, she actively contributes to aligning Georgian legislation with EU standards under Association Agreements (AA), addressing diverse legal and technical challenges. Committed to developing strategies, projects, and a legislative framework, as well as carrying out other activities to promote the ICT field as a major driving force for socio-economic development and support the formation of a digital economy and society in the country. Prior to her current position, Gulnaz held the role of Lawyer at the Ministry of Education And Science of Georgia.
Gulnaz holds a Master's degree in Public Law from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University.
Director of the MDT's Department of Broadband Infrastructure, Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation
Mr. Yuriy Matsyk, Director of the MDT’s Department of Broadband Infrastructure, Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation. He has been State Policymaker of broadband in Ukraine before the war, during the war, and now. He really works in wartime and strives for wins on the telecommunication battlefield.
Senior Consultant, Strategy, innovation and digitalization department, Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of Azerbaijan
Jeyhun Hajiyev is responsible for research and data analytics, strategy and policy development. He has successfully led initiatives including the GovTech Maturity Index country assessment, National Data Governance Strategy and the Digital Skills Assessment project covering public and private sectors, educational institutions, and households. Currently, he is involved in the preparation of the National Broadband Strategy 2030. Jeyhun holds a Ph.D. degree in Operations Management from Taiwan. His expertise also spans areas such as monitoring and evaluation, as well as sustainability consulting in local and international development contexts. In the past, he has effectively managed projects in collaboration with line ministries, UNDP, WHO, FAO, GIZ, EBRD, and other esteemed organizations.
Programme Manager Digital Transition and Economic Development, Unit C1, DG NEAR, European Commission
Mr. Thibault Charlet has been working as a Programme Manager in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) for 5 years. He is currently responsible for managing the EU programmes supporting the digital transformation and local economic development in the Eastern Partnership region (Ukraine, Republic of Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan). Thibault has a background in international cooperation, economics and public policies. He graduated with Masters’ degrees from Sciences Po Paris and New York University.
EU4Digital Facility Team Leader, EY
Arturas Piliponis is a Consulting Partner at EY, leading EY digital services dedicated to the EU institutions. Arturas has more than 25 years of experience in managing complex eGov and digital transformation projects in government and public, and financial and telecommunication sectors. Over 17 years of his experience have been dedicated to providing assistance to national authorities in key areas of the digital economy and society in line with EU norms and best practices, including projects in the Eastern partner countries. His fields of expertise include strategy and organisation-wide business transformation, and IT-enabled transformations including programme and project management.
As Team Leader of the EU4Digital Facility programme, Arturas directs the execution of its activities in the Eastern partner countries across six thematic areas, overseeing a team of international experts specialising in the digital domain. Arturas holds an MS in Finance from Kaunas University of Technology.
EaPConnect Project Manager, GÉANT
Previous professional experience includes delivering business objectives on a global scale (American Express), as well as project management aimed at adoption of learning technology and developing associated professional competencies for the non-profit sector (further education sector and local government, UK). Managing international development projects has brought previously accumulated experiences and skills together allowing to expanded their scope to enable the impact of technology on the public (Research and Development) sector at the international level.
The main focus of her professional interests includes the transformative impact of technology for life-long learning; human capital development, organisational development and transforming communities via international development projects.
Digital Development Practice Manager for the Europe and Central Asia region and the Middle East and North Africa region, World Bank
Dr. Michel Rogy is currently the World Bank’s Digital Development Practice Manager for the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region and the Middle East and North Africa (MNA) region. In this role, he oversees a portfolio of work aimed at closing the digital divide for client countries and harnessing the potential of digitalization.
Before joining the Bank in 2011, Michel Rogy was for six years a partner with Paris-based TERA Consultants, an international economic consulting firm, where he advised the European Commission department responsible for creating a single digital market as well as regulatory authorities and operators throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa on policy, strategic and regulatory issues in the ICT/telecommunications sector. Michel also worked for Neuf Telecom, one of the leading new French telecommunications operators, first as director of interconnection and carrier services and head of regulatory affairs, and later as director of the business customers unit. He started his career as a partner with EUTELIS Consult, an ICT/telecommunications consulting firm based in Ratingen, Germany, advising clients in several EU countries.
Michel holds a PhD in economics from Telecom ParisTech and a master’s degree in telecommunications from Telecom Bretagne. He speaks English, French, German and some Italian.
