Henna Virkkunen

Executive Vice President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, European Commission

As Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen is tasked with combatting the increasingly complex security threats facing the EU, whilst at the same time strengthening our external borders and our internal security. This goes hand in hand with her responsibility to ensure our freedoms, justice and democracy are strengthened too. Henna Virkkunen is also responsible for the Digital and Frontier Technologies portfolio. This entails leading Europe’s efforts in shaping a competitive, resilient and inclusive digital future and maintaining or attaining leadership in strategic digital technologies.

Börje Ekholm

President & CEO, Ericsson

Börje Ekholm is President and CEO of the Ericsson Group. Börje Ekholm assumed this role on January 16, 2017. He knows the company and the industry well after being a Board member of Ericsson for nearly 10 years (first elected 2006). Most recently Ekholm was CEO of Patricia Industries, a division within Investor AB (2015-January 15, 2017). Prior to assuming this position in 2015, he was President and CEO of Investor AB between 2005 and 2015. Previous positions also include Head of New Investments and President of Investor Growth Capital Inc. Ekholm has had various positions at Novare Kapital AB and McKinsey & Co Inc. Börje Ekholm holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, as well as a Master of Business Administration, from INSEAD, France. He is a board member of Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson and Trimble Inc. Ekholm is also Member of the Board of the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce New York. Since 2017, Member of the Steering Committee of the World Economic Forum Digital Communication Governors. Holds Honorary Doctorate at The Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden.

Pekka Lundmark

President & CEO, Nokia

With almost 20 years as a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Pekka has accrued deep expertise in the telecommunications, technology, energy, machinery, and finance sectors, all of which are central to the transition into the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Pekka was appointed as Nokia’s CEO on August 1, 2020. He has put in place a new operating model for the company and positioned Nokia as a trusted partner for critical networks around the world. These critical networks are advanced systems of hardware and software that run mission-critical services for companies and societies. They are central to Pekka’s passionately held belief that technology and connectivity can and should help industries and societies improve productivity and sustainability as well as create new opportunities. He previously worked for Nokia between 1990 and 2000, when he helped oversee the company’s emergence as the world’s biggest mobile phone manufacturer and a significant player in mobile infrastructure. Pekka started his Nokia career as an account manager, responsible for the launch of the world’s first GSM network. He led the company’s expansion into new territories and became known as a dynamic and visionary leader who knew how to adapt businesses to prepare for, and capitalize on, coming trends. In 2000 he moved from Nokia into venture capital with Startupfactory, followed by the consumer goods company Hackman, where he first became a CEO. He then led Konecranes for 10 years, before in 2015 moving to Fortum, an international energy company. Pekka’s broad experience, which includes working in Silicon Valley and Asia, has given him insight into technologies that will be at the heart of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. These include 5G, artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, private networks, the Industrial Internet of Things, and cloud computing. Originally from Espoo, Finland, Pekka earned a master’s degree in information systems from Aalto University’s Department of Technical Physics (formerly Helsinki University of Technology). He holds advisory or oversight roles at the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, among others.

Christian Klein

CEO, SAP

Christian Klein is Chief Executive Officer and member of the Executive Board of SAP SE. In his role, Klein holds the overall responsibility for the corporate strategic direction, management, and performance of SAP. Klein joined the SAP Executive Board in 2018 as the head of the Intelligent Enterprise Group, combining global responsibility for the development and delivery of SAP’s core applications with the cross-board area mandate for SAP’s global business operations. Klein started his career at SAP in 1999 as a student. After holding various positions across the company, including Chief Financial Officer of SAP SuccessFactors and SAP’s Chief Controlling Officer, he was appointed Chief Operating Officer of SAP in 2016, a role in which he continued until 2021. On October 11, 2019, he was named Co-CEO of SAP SE together with Jennifer Morgan, before being appointed the sole CEO on April 20, 2020. Klein holds a diploma in International Business Administration from the University of Cooperative Education in Mannheim, Germany.

Enrico Letta

President of the Jacques Delors Institute and former Prime Minister of Italy

Enrico Letta served as Prime Minister of Italy in 2013-2014 and as leader of the Italian Democratic Party in 2021-2023. He entered politics in 1998, after working as an academic. He was Minister of European affairs in 1998, Minister of Industry in 1999-2001, and Member of the European Parliament from 2004-2009. In 2014, he became dean of the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po Paris. Today, he is the President of the Institut Jacques Delors and member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies. In September 2023 he received a mandate from the European institutions to elaborate a High-Level Report on the future of the Single Market.

Dariusz Standerski

Secretary of State, Ministry of Digital Affairs in Poland

Dariusz Standerski is Secretary of State at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland and Government Plenipotentiary for Digital Transformation. Dariusz Standerski assumed this role in November 2023. He brings extensive experience in public policy, management, and economic strategy to his position. Prior to this appointment, he served as the Director of the Program Council at the Lewica parliamentary caucus, where he was instrumental in shaping legislative initiatives and public policy. His earlier roles include consulting for leading companies and advising NGOs on management and business development. Standerski holds a Master’s degree in Law from the University of Warsaw and a degree in Economics from SGH Warsaw School of Economics. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in economics. A dedicated researcher and advocate for evidence-based policymaking, he has authored several publications on public policy and economics. Active in international forums, Dariusz Standerski contributes to initiatives focused on digital transformation, economic development, and social equity.

Javier Espinoza

EU Correspondent, Financial Times

Javier Espinoza is the FT’s EU correspondent covering competition and digital policy from Brussels. Prior to that he was the paper’s private equity correspondent in London. He was part of the original group of reporters that formed the FT’s Due Diligence newsletter in 2017. He was the Daily Telegraph’s education editor for two years prior to joining the Financial Times. Before joining the Telegraph in 2015, he was a multimedia reporter for the Wall Street Journal in London. He’s done stints at Forbes, the Observer and other UK and international outlets. He studied journalism at City University. He is also a Political Economist having completed a second Master’s degree at King’s College London. He recently completed an executive MBA at IE Business School.

Antonio López-Istúriz White

Member, European Parliament

Antonio López-Istúriz White has been active in European politics since 1997, starting as an assistant to the People’s Party delegation in the European Parliament. From 1999 to 2002, he served as personal advisor to Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar before returning to Brussels as Secretary General of the European People’s Party (2002–2022). Elected as an MEP in 2004, he has chaired the Delegation for Relations with Israel, served on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and held various leadership roles in intergroups and parliamentary delegations, including the EU-UAE Parliamentary Friendship Group and the Intergroup on Children’s Rights. Beyond politics, López-Istúriz is Vice-President of the ANAR Foundation, supporting at-risk teenagers, and a board member of the Aequitas Foundation, providing free legal advice to disadvantaged groups. His work has earned him awards such as “MEP of the Year” and the “Bouclier Honorifique” from the European Press Association for the Arab World. He also serves on the juries for the Charlemagne and European Citizenship Awards.