The case for the digitalisation of the public sector is more relevant than ever. Whether we look at the opportunities created by the application of public sector data or the ability to address crises in public health, the environment, or looming food shortages, possibilities abound. Evidently, maximising the value of the data generated in the public and private sector will be critical to standing up to the challenges ahead. Against this backdrop, the 7th edition of Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Public Sector Transformation Conference will explore the importance of trust, data sovereignty, and increased interoperability and data sharing across the EU for the benefit of citizens, businesses, and the public sector.
Trust is a foundational value upon which the digital transition rests and the transformation and efficiency of the public sector will be essential to this process with more cooperation and collaboration with private sector actors needed. Sovereign digital infrastructures and services as well as secure and interoperable processes are also needed to ensure that citizens and businesses can trust the services which they access digitally, all the while ensuring their efficiency and productivity with the use of cutting-edge technologies. Going forward, the public sector must ensure that it uses Recovery and Resilience Facility funds efficiently and enables a digital ecosystem capable of extracting value from the data which it generates.
Irena Bednarich, Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa , HPE Irena Bednarich is the Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. In this role, she leads HPE’s government relations and public policy team in the region and supports key public sector pursuits across EMEA.
Irena has wide-ranging experience in representing the tech sector at the European level; she currently holds several industry leadership roles including serving in her second term on the Board of DIGITALEUROPE, the EU-wide representation body for the digital and technology sectors.
After 14 years in Brussels, Irena has recently relocated to Dubai, UAE, to drive stronger alignment with the business in an important growth region. Irena is fluent in Italian, Slovenian, French, English and German and has working knowledge of Spanish.
Vice President, International Government Relations, EMEA and APJ, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
The role of the public sector is evolving and as such, so should its way of operating. Further collaboration between public and private entities is needed to maximise the utility of the data collected by both parties which can serve the public good. With a multitude of ongoing crises related to the environment, food shortages and public health, it is essential that data transforms the solutions and services offered by public institutions.
Biljana Weber, SVP and Managing Director, Northern Western Europe, HPE Biography available soon
SVP and Managing Director, Northern Western Europe, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Lorena Boix Alonso, Director for Digital Society, Trust and Cybersecurity, DG CNECT, European Commission Biography will be available soon
Director for Digital Society, Trust and Cybersecurity, DG CNECT, European Commission
The resilience of data infrastructures has never been more apparent than it is today, particularly for the public sector. In response to a rapidly evolving political climate, the EU has laid out its strategic roadmap to unleash the potential of data by investing in ever faster data processing capacities through high-performance computing and increased data flows across the EU, simultaneously securing Europe’s strategic autonomy in the digital space. A key building block of this roadmap is the Recovery and Resilience Facility which has allocated more than €47 billion to the digital transformation of public services of which significant efforts are improving data sharing and cybersecurity.
To shape this digital ecosystem and foster trust in Europe’s digital services, the European Commission has presented a number of legislative initiatives such as Data Act, European Health Data Space, Data Governance Act to overcome data sharing barriers. All the while, the vision to implement digital sovereignty requirements, including data localisation and control obligations, has challenged the notion of what resilience means. In this regard, data localisation provisions within the EUCS are strengthening the role of European local service providers by ensuring that citizens can trust their cloud services.
This panel will look at the challenges and opportunities for the digital transformation of the public sector and how digital sovereignty conditions across the EU data strategy contribute to the overall growth of European competitiveness and security.
Irena Bednarich, Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa , HPE Irena Bednarich is the Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. In this role, she leads HPE’s government relations and public policy team in the region and supports key public sector pursuits across EMEA.
Irena has wide-ranging experience in representing the tech sector at the European level; she currently holds several industry leadership roles including serving in her second term on the Board of DIGITALEUROPE, the EU-wide representation body for the digital and technology sectors.
After 14 years in Brussels, Irena has recently relocated to Dubai, UAE, to drive stronger alignment with the business in an important growth region. Irena is fluent in Italian, Slovenian, French, English and German and has working knowledge of Spanish.
Vice President, International Government Relations, EMEA and APJ, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Andreas Mitrakas, Head of Unit, Market Certification and Standardisation, ENISA Dr. Andreas Mitrakas is Head of Unit “Market, Certification & Standardisation” in the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). In this capacity he co-chairs the Stakeholders Cybersecurity Certification Group (SCCG). Prior to joining ENISA, Andreas served as General Counsel in Globalsign and as a Senior Counsel in Verizon (Ubizen). Andreas holds a doctorate degree in Law from Erasmus University of Rotterdam.
Head of Unit, Market Certification and Standardisation, European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA)
Nassima Auvray, Director of Strategy & Marketing for "Trusted Cloud" Solutions, Orange She started her career in the French defence procurement agency (Délégation Générale de l’Armement – DGA) in technical and management projects in satellite telecommunications and electronic warfare.
In 2015, she was CFO’s Chief of Staff before joining he National Budget Office of the Finance Minister. She was in charge of defence equipment’s budget.
From 2019 to 2021, she held the position of Innovation Advisor to the Cabinet of the Ministry of the Armed Forces. In particular, she was in charge of the creation of the Digital Defense Agency, the Defense Ethics Committee and the launch of the investment fund for civil-military innovation.
Since January 2022, Nassima Auvray has been Director of Strategy and Marketing for “Trusted Cloud” solutions at Orange Business Services.
Nassima Auvray is a Chief Armaments Engineer and has an engineering master’s degree in embedded electronics & signal processing.
Director of Strategy & Marketing for Trusted Cloud Solutions, Orange
Vincenzo Fortunato, Programme Manager of the Interoperability and Data Sector, Department for Digital Transformation, Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Italy A tech savvy with 30 years of experience in global digital innovation programs in the private and public sectors, with a special focus on radically original and modelable creations.
Formerly Head of Strategic Marketing & Corporate Social Responsibility at IPZS, he held several roles in this organization, as Head of Business Development, Head of International R&D Projects, Head of the Electronic Identity Card Project, etc.
He has been Head of the Public Sector at Reply Whitehall, Reply Group.
He was partner and executive at a new venture, BizInItaly, a communication network dedicated to SMEs and realized in collaboration with Piccola Industria of Confindustria.
He has been director of the New Initiatives at Innovazione Italia Spa, the company established by recommendation of the Minister for Innovation and Technologies, to implement the government programs for the development of the Information Society and the e-Government in Italy.
Previously, he was adviser to the Minister (at the Department for Innovation and Technology/DIT and the National Center for Information Technology in the Public Administration/CNIPA), dealing with regulatory affairs and technologies for e-learning, e-commerce, e-business and e-government. He has been a member of several national and international governmental committees, (National space policy/Galileo, national e- procurement for pharma, EU framework programs, etc.).
He was an advisor of the Institute for Industrial Promotion, IPI, for developing marketplaces projects for SMEs.
Formerly, he has been associate director at Valdani Vicari & Associates (VVA).
On behalf of the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation in Amsterdam (IBFD), he has been involved in international projects in European countries.
As a manager in Sogei, he was expert for the European Union, joining projects for administrative cooperation for emerging countries (Phare and Tacis programs) and has led projects and activities in Romania, Russia, Paraguay, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Senegal, Argentina and Kazakhstan.
Programme Manager of the Interoperability and Data Sector, Department for Digital Transformation, Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Italy
Resilient and more accessible digital public services are at the core of any digital transition. Europe has committed to strengthen the position of EU industry on cloud and edge technologies through investments in the digitalisation of the public sector through its Recovery and Resilience Facility. The creation of the European Alliance for Industrial Data, Edge and Cloud, the GAIA-X initiative, current efforts on ENISA’s cloud cybersecurity certification scheme (EUCS) and the Commission’s ‘Data Act’ proposal’ with ‘cloud switching’ provisions, all share a common aim to enhance Europe’s data sovereignty and further serve the needs of both EU business and public administrations that process sensitive categories of data.
This panel discussion will look at the ways in which interoperability requirements and cloud switching provisions can serve to fast-forward the data-first modernisation of public administrations across their digital transformation lifecycle.
Irena Bednarich, Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa , HPE Irena Bednarich is the Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. In this role, she leads HPE’s government relations and public policy team in the region and supports key public sector pursuits across EMEA.
Irena has wide-ranging experience in representing the tech sector at the European level; she currently holds several industry leadership roles including serving in her second term on the Board of DIGITALEUROPE, the EU-wide representation body for the digital and technology sectors.
After 14 years in Brussels, Irena has recently relocated to Dubai, UAE, to drive stronger alignment with the business in an important growth region. Irena is fluent in Italian, Slovenian, French, English and German and has working knowledge of Spanish.
Vice President, International Government Relations, EMEA and APJ, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Maximilian Strotmann, Member of Cabinet Hahn, European Commission Biography will be available soon
Member of Cabinet of Commissioner Hahn, European Commission
Eduard Mititelu, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization (Romania) Eduard Mititelu is Under Secretary of State in the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization in Romania. An engineer by profession, Mr. Mititelu graduated from the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, also participating in an Erasmus internship in Finland.
PhD student on smart cities, with specialized articles in the field, but also on Artificial Intelligence, he comes from the entrepreneurial area, where he worked in the IT field on outsourcing projects. Eduard also has experience in local and central public administration, where he developed digitization projects for citizens’ easy and transparent access to public services.
Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization, Romania
Francesco Bonfiglio, CEO, GAIA-X Francesco Bonfiglio joined GAIA-X in March 2021 as the new CEO.
With more than 30 years’ experience in the business of consulting and information technology, Francesco brings into Gaia-X his knowledge of the cloud and data market needs, and his vision on how the Association should revolutionise the Digital Economy.
As an Independent Advisor since 2020, his executive career was built from the ground up in many Italian and Multinational contexts. A former Chief Executive Officer for Engineering D.Hub (Hybrid Cloud and Digital Transformation company within the largest Italian System Integrator Group), a Vice President for Technology Services at Avanade and a Managing Director within the Accenture Group, Chief Technology Officer for Hewlett Packard Enterprise EMEA, SW Factory Director at Unisys, Technical Director, and Methodology Evangelist at Rational Software amongst his positions.
With a background in Electronics Engineering, he started his career in the late 80s as a HW/SW Engineer working on some of the most advanced R&D projects, from the Sonar System for the Italian Navy (ANSQQ14IT) prized during the Gulf war for the mine-hunting performances, to the Eurofighter Fighter Aircraft (EFA), still one of the most advanced examples of technology in the Military field.
Francesco has held a bottom-up career, covering all roles within the IT, from developer to top executive, from R&D to business units’ leader. An early supporter of the need for continuous innovation, he is a big fan of the startup ecosystem, active member of evaluation commissions, and a board member and co-founder of Foolfarm.com, the first example of Startup Studio in Italy.
Amongst other roles, Francesco has represented the IT world and then became Vice President of Confindustria (Italian Trade Association) for Valle D’Aosta.
Living in Italy, in the countryside out of Milan, he is happily married and a father of three sons, he loves music and has played in several independent live and record productions since the 80s.
Francesco believes in the power of collective intelligence, lateral thinking, and teamwork, as a propeller for transformation, in the business as well as in the whole life!
CEO, GAIA-X
Xavier Poisson Gouyou Beauchamps,Global Vice President, Service Providers Business, HPE Xavier Poisson advocates economic growth through innovation, community development, and decentralized, data driven, sovereign while federated National Clouds. In his role as Vice President for Service Providers and Cloud28+ Worldwide, he leads global expansion of an ecosystem that creates new opportunities for partners and customers alike to accelerate their business results.
With Cloud28+, he initiated and continues to drive the growth of a unique digital business platform, which unites Service Providers, ISVs, VARs, distributors, public sector organizations, and technology vendors to offer a cloud services catalog and knowledge-sharing center for customers who require specific business and workload solutions.
For this work, Xavier was named “Cloud Leader of the Year” by Data Cloud Europe, citing his “contribution to making Cloud28+ a mature, global success where providers, users, governments and academics can meet virtually and collaborate.”
In addition to Cloud28+, Xavier leads the overall sales, marketing and program of HPE’s global network of service providers that deliver the off-premises IT element of HPE’s “Everything-as-a-Service” strategy.
A long-time proponent of open communities, sustainable IT, data sovereignty, European and pan Africa cloud initiatives, Xavier is an active contributor to the GAIA-X architecture, representing HPE in the community’s working groups. He also currently serves as a board member for EuroCloud France and leads HPE efforts with Smart Africa and PACT.
Prior to his present role at HPE, Xavier ran the company’s Hybrid IT and Cloud business groups in Europe, Middle East and Africa, for which he oversaw go-to-market strategy, sales, and marketing programs.
Steadfastly dedicated to helping young companies and professionals, Xavier mentors start-ups, as well as students from the ESCP Europe business school, from which he is a graduate.
Having spent his childhood in the Ivory Coast before later moving to France, Xavier particularly supports initiatives, such as Smart Africa and GAIA-X, which drive cross border, cross-region cooperation and development.
Global Vice President, Service Providers Business, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Luukas Ilves, Undersecretary for Digital Transformation, Government CIO, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications (Estonia) Luukas Ilves is Estonia’s Government Chief Information Officer and Undersecretary for Digital Development at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications.
Most recently, Luukas was head of strategy at Guardtime, a leading blockchain company. He previously served in various positions for the Government of Estonia and the European Commission before joining the Lisbon Council, a Brussels-based think tank. Luukas is a graduate of Stanford University.
Undersecretary for Digital Transformation, Government CIO, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications (Estonia)
Irena Bednarich, Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa , HPE Irena Bednarich is the Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. In this role, she leads HPE’s government relations and public policy team in the region and supports key public sector pursuits across EMEA.
Irena has wide-ranging experience in representing the tech sector at the European level; she currently holds several industry leadership roles including serving in her second term on the Board of DIGITALEUROPE, the EU-wide representation body for the digital and technology sectors.
After 14 years in Brussels, Irena has recently relocated to Dubai, UAE, to drive stronger alignment with the business in an important growth region. Irena is fluent in Italian, Slovenian, French, English and German and has working knowledge of Spanish.
Vice President, International Government Relations, EMEA and APJ, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Gilles Theibaut, SVP and Managing Director, Northern-Western Europe, HPE Bio coming soon
Pearse O’Donohue, Director, Directorate E “Future Networks”, DG CNECT, European Commission Pearse O’Donohue is Director for the Future Networks Directorate of DG CONNECT, European Commission, dealing with policy development and research as regards 5G networks, IoT, cloud and data flows, service platforms and next generation Internet
Boštjan Koritnik, Minister of Public Administration, Republic of Slovenia Mr Koritnik is Minister of Public Administration of the Republic of Slovenia.
In 2005, he obtained a university degree at the Faculty of Law of the University in Ljubljana. He has been employed at the Faculty of Law as a teaching assistant and secretary since 2015. He has also worked as a director of several publishing houses.
He participated in numerous studies, authored or co-authored legal opinions and other scholarly texts and lectured about blockchain technology and entrepreneurship in Slovenia and abroad.
In 2019, he received special recognition – the Lawyer of the Year title awarded by the Association of Slovenian Lawyers Societies.
Christiane Kirketerp de Viron, Member of Cabinet, Cabinet of Commissioner Hahn, European Commission 
Jesús Torres Carbonell Secretary General for Digital Administration, Ministry of Digital Affairs and Economic Transformation, Government of Spain Cargos:
Títulos académicos:
Experiencia profesional
Francesco Bonfiglio, CEO, GAIA-X Bio coming soon
Xavier Poisson Gouyou Beauchamps, Vice President, Service Providers and Cloud28+ Worldwide Hewlett Packard Enterprise Xavier Poisson advocates economic growth through community development and
innovation. In his role as Vice President for Service Providers and Cloud28+ Worldwide, he leads global expansion of an ecosystem that creates new opportunities for partners and customers alike to accelerate their business results.
With Cloud28+, he initiated and continues to drive the growth of a unique digital business platform, which unites Service Providers, ISVs, VARs, distributors, public sector organizations, and technology vendors to offer a cloud services catalogue and knowledge-sharing center for customers who require specific business and workload solutions.
For this work, Xavier was named “Cloud Leader of the Year” by Data Cloud Europe, citing his “contribution to making Cloud28+ a mature, global success where providers, users, governments and academics can meet virtually and collaborate.”
In addition to Cloud28+, Xavier leads the overall sales development and enablement of HPE’s global network of service providers that deliver the off-premises IT element of HPE’s “Everything-as-a-Service” strategy.
A long-time proponent of open communities, sustainable IT, data sovereignty, and European cloud initiatives, Xavier is an active contributor to the GAIA-X architecture, representing HPE in the community’s working groups. He also currently serves as a board member for EuroCloud France.
Prior to his present role at HPE, Xavier ran the company’s Hybrid IT and Cloud business groups in Europe, Middle East and Africa, for which he oversaw go-to-market strategy, sales, and marketing programs.
Steadfastly dedicated to helping young companies and professionals, Xavier mentors start-ups, as well as students from the ESCP Europe business school, from which he is a graduate.
Having spent his childhood in the Ivory Coast before later moving to France, Xavier particularly supports initiatives, such as Cloud28+ and GAIA-X, which drive cross-border, cross-region cooperation and development.
Rui Ribeiro, General Manager, IP Telecom General Manager of IP Telecom in Portugal. More than 23 years of professional experience, and previously he was Sales Director at Infraestruturas de Portugal S.A., Information Systems Director at EP – Estradas de Portugal S.A. and Professional Services Manager of Sybase Inc. in Portugal. At the Academy, he is University professor, executive director of LISS – Lusofona Information Systems School and his researches are focused on Digital Transformation. Holds an IT Engineering graduation, an MBA and a PhD in Corporate Management applied to Information Systems.
Nicolas Leroy-Fleuriot, Chief Executive Officer, Cheops Technology Bio coming soon
For more information on any aspect of this event, please contact the team.
Lorena Rodriguez
Event Manager
Forum Europe
digitalpublic@forum-europe.com
Tel: +44 (0) 2922 338 311
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