ID4Africa 2017

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Speakers listed in order of appearance

joseph_100Dr Joseph Atick, Executive Chairman, ID4Africa

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Dr Joseph Atick is a recognized worldwide expert on identity matters, having been one of the founders of the identity industry more than 25 years ago, where he led several companies in the space and developed some of the foundational algorithms underlying secure digital identity today. He has extensive field experience in the domain having played an instrumental role in many of the world’s leading identity programs including India’s UID, Indonesia’s eKTP and Saudi Arabia’s CAFIS. After retiring from the industry in 2010, he founded the Identity Counsel International to focus on helping governments, especially in developing countries, and international organizations understand the positive impact of digital identity in socio-economic and political development. He has been a strong advocate of privacy and responsible use of identity technology. He is the Director Emeritus of the International Biometrics and Identification Association, which he co-founded in 1998 in Washington, DC, to provide responsible use guidance to the industry and to policy makers. He has an active ongoing partnership with the World Bank on identity matters and has been very active in many missions in Africa. In 2014, Dr Atick became co-founder of ID4Africa where he serves as Executive Director. He has a PhD in Mathematical Physics from Stanford University.

greg_100Greg Pote, President, ID4Africa

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Greg Pote is Chairman of the Asia Pacific Smart Card Association (APSCA), the only regional industry association for secure smart chip technology applications in Asia, which he co-founded in 1997. Based in Shanghai, Greg travels throughout the region to promote smart card, contactless and NFC business and work with APSCA members to assist in developing their smart card businesses, initiatives and schemes. Greg has spoken at more than 155 industry forums, forums and seminars covering smart card business and technology across 12 countries in Asia, the Gulf and Europe. Greg chaired the majority of these industry events, including moderating business and technology discussions with leading experts from governments, banks, transport operators, telecoms operators and technology companies. Greg was one of several subject matter experts requested to speak in the Hong Kong Legislative Council session to support the request for funding by the Hong Kong Immigration Department for the implementation of the first generation Hong Kong Smart Identity Card. He has also served as a jury member for both the Cartes Paris and Cartes in Asia SESAMES awards, as well as the NFC Forum & WIMA Global Competition and the PKI Innovation Awards. He has provided consultancy to APSCA members and advised both end-user organisations and suppliers on the technology roadmap and business strategies for identity and payments. Greg has written industry reports and articles and is a well-known industry figure.

robert_100Robert Palacios, Global Thematic Group Leader, The World Bank

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Robert Palacios is Global Thematic Group Leader for Pensions and Social Insurance in the Social Protection and Labor Practice of the World Bank. Between 1992-1994, he was a member of the research department team that produced the World Bank’s influential volume on international pension systems, “Averting the Old Age Crisis: Policies to Protect the Old and Promote Growth”. Since 1995, he has divided his time between operational work and research with work in more than two dozen countries, most recently focusing on South Asia. His publications include articles and books on old age poverty, health insurance and a wide range of pension policy issues. His current areas of special interest include integration of policies across social sectors and use of technology to deliver and track social programs. He represents the SPL Global Practice on the recently constituted ID4D Working Group, a high level initiative aimed at developing the World Bank’s approach to identification and civil registration.

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vanstaden100Stefanus van Staden, Director: Solutions Architecture, Office of the Prime, Namibia

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Stefanus van Staden, in his current position, is responsible for the architecting and implementation of e-government, enterprise and interoperability solutions for the Government of Namibia. Among many, he has architected and spearheaded the development of government systems such as the National Population and Identity System, Human Resources Management System, governmental portals and online applications. He served on committees which have developed the e-Government policy, IT policy and IT standards for the Namibian government. Academically, he holds a National Technical Diploma (Mechanical) from National Education SA, BSc (Computer science and Statistics) degree from the University of Namibia, BTech (IT) degree from the University of South Africa and an MSc (IT) degree from the University of Namibia.

apleni_100Mkuseli Apleni, Director General, Department of Home Affairs, South Africa

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Mkuseli Apleni is Director General for the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) in the Republic of South Africa. He began his career in the private sector in the accounting profession as a bookkeeper and was later promoted to a managerial position as a group accountant. He later joined the Public Sector at provincial level as a Director in Finance and was subsequently appointed as Chief Financial Officer in the then Department of Foreign Affairs. Through his leadership and commitment in public service, he was assigned to his current role at the DHA in 2010. During his tenure in the DHA, he has worked under three Ministers deployed to the Department and plays a pivotal role in the transformation of the DHA with regards to its paradigm shift in policy such as the improved service delivery and modernisation programs being carried out within the Department.

kasene_100Prof. Peter Kasenene, Chairman Board of Directors, National Identification and Registration Authority, Uganda

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Professor Peter Kasenene is Chairman for the Board of Directors of the National Identification and Registration Authority of Uganda since July 2015. He brings on board vast experience in Public Administration. Prior to his role at NIRA, Professor Kasenene served in various capacities including Minister in Charge of Privatization in the Government of Uganda from 2001 to 2006, Lecturer at Makerere University of Uganda (1974-1981), Nairobi University (1981-1982), Swaziland University (1982-1989), Senior Lecturer at Swaziland University (1990-1994), Visiting Professor at Brandon University of Canada (1990-1991) and Professor at Kigali Institute of Education in Rwanda (2000-2001). He has published widely on a variety of topics relating to Public Administration. Professor Kasenene holds a Bachelors and Master of Arts degree from Makerere University of Uganda and a PHD from the University of Cape Town.

malbiche_100Alphonce Malibiche, Ag. Director, Identification Management, National Identification Authority, Tanzania

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Alphonce Malibiche is the Acting Director of ID Management for the Tanzania National Identification Authority (NIDA), the Authority which is under the Ministry of Home Affairs in the United Republic of Tanzania, Mr. Malibiche has been involved in the development of the Tanzania National ID infrastructures in different capacities and in the implementation of different systems and re-engineering of business processes. In addition to being a talented and dedicated Engineer, Mr. Malibiche serves as a strong visionary and motivational leader.

vyjayanti_100Vyjayanti Desai, Program Manager, Identification for Development (ID4D), The World Bank

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Vyjayanti Desai is the Program Manager for Identification for Development (ID4D), a multi-sectoral initiative of the World Bank Group, integrating approaches across the following Global Practices and departments: Transport & ICT, Social Protection and Labor, Finance and Markets, Governance, Health Nutrition Population, Development Economics Data, and Gender. Vyjayanti is focused on scaling up and operationalizing the ID4D initiative and collaborating with key external partners. Prior to joining the ID4D program, she was Lead Private Sector Development Specialist with the Trade and Competitiveness Global Practice. She joined the World Bank Group (WBG) in 2000 and spent time working on World Bank and IFC advisory programs in Africa, East Asia and South Asia as well as in global roles. Within the WBG, she has shaped many cross-departmental and inter-WBG programs, actively working to develop a unified agenda and designing integrated multi-sectoral solutions on a range of topics.

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Gwenael Prié, Chef de projet Télécoms et numérique, Direction des Opérations, Agence Française de Développement

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Gwenael Prié is Head Project Manager of Telecommunications and Digital Projects within the AFD Operations Department. In this position, he is in charge of overseeing the Agency’s digital projects in several African countries and of setting up a digital reflex in the other sectors of AFD’s intervention. He has also facilitated the discussion on the establishment of the new digital strategy for AFD. Gwenael Prié is a graduate engineer of Telecom from ParisTech. Prior to joining AFD, he held consulting positions in telecommunications and information systems, before creating an independent consultancy to raise awareness and provide support for African development actors in their adoption of mobile solutions.

frank_100Frank Leyman, Manager, International Relations, DG Digital Transformation, Federal Public Service Policy and Support (BOSA), Belgium

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Frank Leyman is Manager for International Relations at FEDICT (Federal Public Service for Information and Communication Technologies), a role which he has been serving for over 10 years. He started his career with IBM Belgium in the Telecom Division. After 6 years he joined the Belgian national telecom operator BELGACOM where he was in charge of setting up the Corporate Services Sector. After 3 years he was appointed as Distribution Channels Director for the Belgacom Group. In 1999 he left Belgacom for a more international career by joining the company PROTON WORLD. This company is specialized in large scale smartcard based projects. He has been in charge of business development in the Middle-East and African Region and has co-developed the complete Government offering. In addition to his current role, Frank also works closely with the European Commission, OECD and the World Bank. He is the Past Chairman of the International Council for IT in Government Administration (ICA), he chairs the Identity Management Expert Group for the World Bank and is the Belgian representative in the eGovernment High Level Group of the European Commission. Franks holds a Masters in Marketing and Applied Economics from the University of Mons in Belgium.

samatar_100Samatar Omar Elmi, Senior ICT Officer, African Development Bank

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Samatar Omar Elmi is the Senior ICT Project Manager for Department Transportation, Urban Development, and ICT at the African Development Bank (ADB). He began his career in telecommunications in Djibouti prior to joining ADB in 2011. Since then he has led the investigation and the implementation of several structural projects on the continent, the most emblematic being the Dorsal fiber optics scheme interconnecting the regional countries of Central Africa. Beyond infrastructure, he has worked on various projects implementing ICT development through various African countries. He has begun several initiatives (studies and investment projects) on the modernization of the value chain within the civil state using the underlying data facts (births, deaths, marriages, and divorces) to establish national systems of electronic identification management for which the applications are limitless. He holds an engineering degree from Telecom Saint-Etienne (France) and a Master’s in Economics and International Development from the School of Economics at the University of Auvergne (France).

Dr. Aubra Anthony, Senior Data Advisor, Center for Digital Development, USAID

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Aubra Anthony is a Senior Data Advisor at USAID in the Global Development Lab’s Center for Digital Development. She leads research into emerging trends in digital technology and translates research findings into strategic recommendations to guide development programming. Her most recent research efforts have been focused on the current and future role of digital identity in USAID’s work, but her work has spanned open data and real-time data efforts in the Agency, as well as the UN Data Revolution and the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data. She joined USAID in 2013 after a previous life in academia as an experimental particle physicist. Aubra received her Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Texas.

ronny_100Ronny Depoortere, Senior Vice President, Zetes PASS

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As Senior Vice President at Zetes PASS, Ronny Depoortere is responsible for the management of all the global Zetes People-ID government projects. Working in the ICT industry for more than 23 years, his area of expertise covers ID solutions, National Register & Biometrics Solutions, Voter Registration Solutions, specifically in Africa, Border Control Solutions, e-Voting, PKI & Digital Signature, e-Government & eID applications, Software Solutions for Internet and e-Commerce. In his current position, he has been in charge of the sales and implementation teams for several ID-driven projects in Africa and elsewhere, such as the Ivorian, Gambian, and Belgian ePassport, voters’ registration and deduplication projects in the DR Congo, Togo, Benin, Uganda, Guinea, Cabo Verde, etc., and the Belgian, Portuguese, and Israeli electronic identity card. He built up his years of experience as Sales, Marketing and Business Development Manager within technology companies such as Utimaco and Anixter.

nxasana_100Nkululeko Nxasana, Sales Director for Government, Programmes Africa, Gemalto

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Nkululeko is Sales Director for Government Programs in Africa at Gemalto where he carries broad experience in the ICT sector. He has worked for some of the world’s leading IT brands including SAP and Oracle. His experience in dealing and working with government organizations spans 15 years having managed organizations such as IEC, Transnet, Eskom, South African Police Services and a host of Metro Municiplaities designing and implementing high value technology solutions that have helped his customers unlock value and improve operational efficiencies in their organizations. As a Sales Director for Gemalto Southern Africa, he engages with governments from across the region in discussions on the use of technology to improve identity security for its citizens, improve service delivery through eGov technologies, border management and much more. He currently sits on the modernization steering committee of the Department of Home Affairs, contributing towards the delivery of the South African National Smart ID project.

joynes_100Mark Joynes, Global Government Solutions Marketing Director, Entrust Datacard

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Mark Joynes is Entrust Datacard’s Global Government Solutions Marketing Director driving business growth through competitive solutions that enhance the security and efficiency of government identification programs. He focusses on trusted identity in the context of the government/citizen relationship and the adoption of process and technologies to enhance and progress that relationship. Mark has over 25 years of experience in technology security. Prior to joining Entrust Datacard, Mark provided operational guidance for government secure-systems deployment, and security consulting in law enforcement, defense and intelligence environments. Mark’s experience covers operational security policy and management across private and public sector organizations.

Michiel van der VeenCEO, Genkey

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Michiel van der Veen is CEO of GenKey – a global leader and one of the most trusted brands in identity and biometrics. Michiel has over 15 years’ experience leading technology companies. He is responsible for the biometrics division at Philips and later founded the spin-off company, priv-ID. He led the subsequent merger with GenKey, and has since grown the business to become a market leader in large scale (biometric) identity solutions. Michiel is a regular industry contributor and thought leader, addressing issues around identity, biometrics, security and the challenges facing emerging markets in their drive to achieve identity for all. Michiel is a business leader and entrepreneur, with a PhD from the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) and further training in entrepreneurship from Stanford Business School.

hird_100Richard Hird, Chief Commercial Officer, De La Rue

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Richard joined De La Rue in March 2015 as Solutions Sales Director after 5 years as Vice President of Sales for Digital Barriers a specialist provider of advanced surveillance technologies to the international homeland security and defence markets. Prior to this Richard held a number of sales leadership roles at Detica, now part of BAE Systems, for 6 years. Richard took on the newly created role of Global Business Development Director within the Customer and Commercial organisation in April 2015. He was appointed as Chief Commercial Officer in September 2015.

Fabien Rouaud, Program Manager and Managing Director, Safran Morpho, Côte d’Ivoire

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Fabien Rouaud has been working on the design and implementation of large IT projects for banks and governments in sub-Saharan Africa since 1998. He joined Morpho in 2008 as a Program Manager in ID solutions and has successfully managed several projects like the national ID, as well as the 2010 and 2015 presidential elections in Côte d’Ivoire, the RAVEC in Mali and the 2013 presidential elections in Kenya. He is now the Managing Director of Morpho in Côte d’Ivoire.

aziz_100Aliyu Aziz, Director General/CEO, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Nigeria

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Aliyu Aziz is the Director General /CEO of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in Nigeria. Before his appointment as CEO, he was also one of the pioneers of the Commission and held the position of Director for the Information Technology (IT) /National Identity Database Department. Prior to the NIMC, he was Director at the Secretariat of the Presidential Implementation Committee; responsible for implementing government decisions for consumer credit systems, national outsourcing initiatives and the harmonization of identification schemes in Nigeria. The committee oversaw the establishment of the NIMC in 2007. Mr. Aziz has over 30 years’ post-qualification experience in Engineering and IT spanning both private and public sectors. He has served the ministry in various capacities during which he pioneered the implementation of the first eGovernment solution. He is a member of key Nigerian and international Engineering and ICT-centric Societies and an alumnus of Harvard, Stanford, IMD and Lagos Business School.

Lt Colonel Deng Kuol Deng, Director of ICT, Ministry of Interior, South Sudan

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Lt. Colonel Deng Kuol Deng is the Director for Information & Communications Technology (ICT) at the Directorate of Nationality, Passports & Immigration within the Ministry of Interior, South Sudan. He is in Charge of the National Citizen Database and the National Integrated Border Management System. He is also the System Analyst and System Designer for most of the e-projects within the Ministry of Interior. Lt. Colonel Deng is the Lead Analyst on the Country’s New Computerized National Driving License Project that has been integrated with the National Databases. He is a key member of the Northern Corridor Infrastructure Projects ICT team and a lead member in ensuring the development of a regional e-visa platform. He was a key member in conceptualizing the Northern Corridor Broadband strategy and the regional Cybersecurity strategy. He is the Country’s lead representative on Cybersecurity to the Northern Corridor team.

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Dan Storisneau, Research Fellow at Darwin College, University of Cambridge

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Dan Storisteanu is a Gates Scholar and Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge, where he focuses on the research and testing of eHealth and biometric systems for development.  He is a Simprints cofounder and a Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur, with a research portfolio spanning Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America.

murad_100Mohammed Murad, Vice President, Global Business Development and Sales, Iris ID Systems

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Mohammed Murad is the Vice President of Sales and Business Development and a Board of Director for Iris ID Systems. He is responsible for establishing and implementing the company’s strategic plan, building alliances with major business partners and large systems integrators, managing sales, software product development, and marketing. He also develops and executes the company’s management strategy with focus on developing biometric identity solutions for emerging markets. He has been directly involved in implementing some of the largest iris biometric business systems in the world including the 60 million people welfare program in Andhra Pradesh, India; India’s, 1.2 billion people UIDAI program; Mexico’s 110 million people National ID program and Qatar’s Immigration and border control which covered over 20 million people. Mr. Murad serves as an advisor on the Secutronic board, the fastest growing security firm in Saudi Arabia, and acts as a proxy on the International Biometric Identification Association in Washington DC.

Alan Gelb, Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development

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Alan Gelb is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development. His recent research includes the applications of biometric ID technology for development purposes particularly in low and middle-income countries, the special challenges of resource-rich countries, and instruments to link aid flows to results. He also works on competitiveness and industrial development, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. He was previously director of development policy at the World Bank, and before that chief economist for the Bank’s Africa region and staff director for the 1996 World Development Report “From Plan to Market.”. He has published widely in these areas, including in refereed journals.

nagpal_100Himanshu Nagpal, Senior Program Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

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Himanshu Nagpal is a Senior Program Officer on the Financial Services for the Poor team working on emerging technology and digital identity initiatives. He manages investments in high potential emerging technologies to power new financial inclusion models and upstream technology R&D work for the team. Prior to joining the foundation, Himanshu has spent time planning new technology products at Intel, serving the underserved markets with financial services at Capital One and HSBC bank, working as an oil field services engineer in Nigeria and as a technical solution developer in India. Himanshu holds a Bachelors in Chemical Engineering from IIT Delhi and a MBA from Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania.

Jan Nack, Sales Director, Middle East and Africa, DERMALOG

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Jan Nack is Sales Director for Middle East and Africa at DERMALOG. He has over 18 years’ experience in Sales and Project Management for large-scale biometric solutions. He started his career with DERMALOG in 1999 as part of their sales team during which he realized the first biometric access control systems for banks and larger companies. For more than 10 years Jan has been responsible for the African and Middle Eastern markets and has owned a number of projects within the company including the Nigeria BVN System, the new Saudi Aramco AFIS, the Biometric ID Card system for the Ministry of Civil service of Yemen, the New National Border Control System for Kuwait Ministry of Interior, Sudan AFIS for ID Cards/Passports and Police Forces, AFIS for Libya Police Forces, AFIS for Angola Police Forces and the Ghana FIMS Card Project.

ross_100Adam Ross, Product Manager for eID Solutions, Cryptovision Gmbh

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Adam Ross is an IT security professional with two decades of experience in diverse sectors like retail, transportation and military. For the past five years he has served as the Product Manager for eID solutions at cv cryptovision GmbH, a German company specializing in cryptographic components for public key infrastructures. As an eID specialist, he has been actively involved in several national electronic identity card projects around the world where he actively advises government agencies in how best to deal with the challenges of integrating and securing machine readable smart documents. As a speaker, he has presented at dozens of events all over the world. 

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Dr Catherine Fankhauser, Sales Director ISS, SICPA SA

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Holding a degree in Biochemistry, an MS in Molecular Biology and a PhD in Organic Chemistry, Cathy Fankhauser debuted her career in the pharmaceutical domain. She joined SICPA 15 years ago as a Chemist designing organic elements for security printing. She pursued her career as Manager of solutions laboratory, responsible for the customisation of security solutions, Track-&-Trace projects and analysis before being appointed as Technical Manager. In 2010, Cathy joined SICPA’s Identity and Document Security Solutions as Business Development Director. Since 2014, she has been appointed as Sales Director for Identity Security Solution, focusing on Border Control solutions.

salomon_100Dr Jean Salomon, Strategic Business Development Director, SICPA SA

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Dr. Jean Salomon joined IBM France after completing his PhD, followed by 10 years in Medical Imaging overseas, first in R&D and next in the industry as European Product Manager. After a 20-year career with IER, in the design and marketing of Secure Access Control and Passenger Automation equipment for the Transportation Industry, Jean worked for 8 years as Principal of JSCP, a consulting practice dedicated to Logistics, Travel and Security, with special emphasis on Border and ID management. As an ISO expert, Jean is an active member of ICAO’s NTWG and ICBWG, focusing on various ID- and IT-related components of Integrated Border Management Systems. He performed several TRIP assessment missions for ICAO, and is an advisor for E.U. FP7 projects. A frequent speaker and moderator at Industry forums worldwide, Jean has recently joined SICPA as Business Development Director in the field of Border Control.

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petercantrine_100Peter Cantraine, Head of Technical Sales, AGFA 

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Peter Cantraine is Head of Technical Sales in Agfa’s ID Security Division. He is specialized in the introduction of new materials and their optimization in view of specific industry needs. He adds to market intelligence via his Sales responsibility for projects around the globe including Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Responsibilities in his portfolio management include the commercially viable deployment of projects ranging from government programs in the fields of national ID card and Drivers Licenses to projects of financial services companies. Peter has an additional specialization degree from the University of Leuven and has held previous positions at multinational companies including Cargill and P&G.

claudia_100Claudia Schwendimann, CEO & ISO Expert, OeSD International

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Claudia Schwendimann has been working in the security document business for 15 years and is the CEO of OeSD International, a daughter company of the Austrian State Printing House. She advises governments of different countries on how to accommodate the special needs in e-passport and eID projects based on ICAO recommendations and modern production technologies. Claudia is the Austrian ISO representative for MRTDs to ICAO and is contributing in various official roles to the eMRTD development (member of ICAO’s Technical Advisory Group, member of ICAO’s Implementation and Capacity Building Working Group, chairperson of the Expert Advisory Committee of FastPass Project for Automated Border Management, member of Intergraf’s Committee of Experts). She studied Sinology in Vienna and Beijing and received her Executive Masters degree in Business Administration from California State University, Hayward and recently she graduated as Master of Law and Economics at Imadec University, Vienna.

Dr. Deborah Rose, Epidemiologist, Center for Health & Human Rights, Harvard University

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Dr. Deborah Rose is a chronic disease epidemiologist with over 20 years’ experience designing and analyzing data from the US National Health Interview Survey, and advising other countries on their health surveys. Dr. Rose has a BA, MPH, and PhD from Yale, and an SM in Population Studies from Harvard. She is a Visiting Scholar at the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health where she co-chaired the symposium “21st Century Identification Systems – Data – Politics – Protection”, November 19-20, 2015. She is also working with a small village in Ghana on sustainable development.

mohamedsy_100Mouhamed Mahi SY, Coordonnateur, Cellule des Services Informatiques et du système d’information documentaire, Agence de la Couverture Maladie Universelle, Sénégal

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Mouhamed Mahi SY is the Coordinator of the Computer Services Unit and the Documentary Information System of the Universal Sickness Insurance Agency of the Republic of Senegal. He began his career in Paris and after returning to Senegal worked with Chaka Computer within which he later became Director General. Chaka Computer has been instrumental in contributing to the development of Mobile Express – the first wholly owned African money transfer network – and the Callme call center network which covers Senegal, Mali, Mauritania, Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea. Under Mouhamed’s leadership Chaka Computer will also provide a credit card personalization and biometric identification solution (Chaka Card Systems) in Côte d’Ivoire. Mouhamed founded JSURF Consulting, a firm specializing in information systems and telecom consulting which will be responsible for launching the Etrans Payment Systems, Agroway and BankAnywhere brands. The firm has been working on major projects related to ICT and the digital economy throughout Senegal.

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paul_100Paul Macharia, Data Manager, Ministry of Health, Kenya

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Paul Macharia is a Data Manager in Kenya’s Ministry of Health, National AIDS & STIs Control Programme Key Populations Unit. He has an IT background with specialty in electronic data collection and management using Personal Digital Assists (PDAs), feature phones, smartphones running on open-source applications and the use of biometric system for unique identification in public health. Paul is a registered IEEE member and has over 5 years’ experience in development, customization and implementation of mHealth solutions and biometric systems. He has authored a number of technical papers in mHealth and biometrics and also supported and consulted in a number of mHealth-based public health research on Key Populations, adolescents and children in Kenya and other parts of Africa. Paul has been supporting efforts for Unique Identification System integrating biometric systems, one of which has been used on an iris-based biometric system in development of an anonymous HIV registry. He is currently working on research study at the Kenyatta National Hospital exploring customization and development of an Android-based biometric system to enhance the WHO recommended 18-month follow-up for HIV exposed infants.

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jacques_100Jacques Besançon, Product Manager Security Components and Vertical Solutions, Arjo Systems

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Expert in new technologies and their adoption in various industries, Jacques Besançon started his career with the French State Modernization Agency and enhanced the citizen access to government e-Services and then contributed to the innovative e-Tax collection scheme deployment for French HGV vehicles called “ecoTaxe”. For the last 2 years, he has been working with the systems integrator Arjo Systems and has been involved in governments e-Identification programs dealing with ePassports and National ID manufacturing & issuance systems, vehicles identification solutions and developed projects around mobile smart certificates, vehicles control and m-Healthcare applications. Jacques Besançon holds a Masters Degree in Telecom Engineering from the Institut Télécom in France.

 

Dr Ousmane Ly, Directeur Général, Agence Nationale de Télésanté et d’Informatique Médicale, Ministère de la Santé, Mali 
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Dr. Ousmane Ly is General Director of the National Agency of Tele-health and Medical Informatics of the Ministry of Health in Mali. He is a Medical Doctor, holds a diploma in Medical Informatics from the University Pierre Marie Curie in Paris and a PhD at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He is also a graduate of the University of Bamako’s Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Ly was formerly a lecturer at the University of Bamako (Faculty of Medicine) in the areas of public health and e-Health. From September 2002 to July 2003, he was head of the African telemedicine projects for the Division of Medical Informatics of the University Hospitals of Geneva. From 2002 to 2007, he was Executive Coordinator of the first telemedicine pilot project in Mali. Since 2000, he has been an independent consultant in information technology applied to the health sector (e-Health). In 2010 he was appointed as principal consultant by WAHO, to develop a regional e-Health Strategic Plan for ECOWAS member’s state.

 

Archie Hesse, Chief Executive Officer, Ghana Interbank Payment & Settlement Systems (GhIPSS), Ghana

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Archie Hesse is CEO of the Ghana Interbank Payment & Settlement Systems (GhIPSS) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Central Bank of Ghana. He joined GhIPSS in 2007 as the General Manager in charge of Projects & Business Development. Whilst in this role, he managed and supported the implementation of a National Biometric Smart Card Banking & Payment System –e-zwich, the ChequeCodeline Clearing (CCC) system, the Ghana Automated Clearing House (GACH) systems for direct debit and direct credit and the National Switching and Processing System gh-link. Archie is very knowledgeable in the area of payment systems and has spoken extensively on topics including payment systems, the numerous advantages of the biometric system for verification and authentication, the need for digital payments in Africa; the need for government-backed biometric infrastructure for the financial sector, using biometrics to eliminate ghost names and driving electronic payment for economic growth amongst others.

 

Shashi Raghunandan, Senior Business Leader: Identity Management, MasterCard

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Shashi Raghunandan leads the Identity practice at Mastercard, supporting Development Organizations and Governments. In his role Shashi works cross-functionally to understand the needs of this segment and to develop a range of solutions for Governments, NGOs, Corporates, and citizens. Most recently, Shashi was the Personal Payments Solutions (PPS) product lead for Asia Pacific, where he has been responsible for drawing out the PPS product strategy and executing upon it for the region. Prior to this Shashi worked at Mobile Payment Solutions (MPS), a joint venture between MasterCard and Smart Hub Inc, where he was the product solutions expert delivering mobile payment services and solutions with several of the market programs. He has extensive experience in financial services, and has held previous roles in JP Morgan Chase, Times of Money and ICICI Bank. He has a Masters degree from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and his undergraduate degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. Shashi loves to paint in his free time.

 

Dr. Tahir NoorDirector General, Cash Transfers & NSER, Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Pakistan

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Dr. Muhammad Tahir Noor is the Director General for Cash Transfers & NSER at Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) where he leads the team responsible for designing and implementing Pakistan’s National Socio-economic Registry (NSER), to be rolled out nationwide in 2017. This Poverty Scorecard will capture socio-economic data of more than 30 million households in Pakistan. His present portfolios encompass the entire operations of BISP, having an annual financial outlay of approximately $ 1 Billion and catering for more than 5.2 million beneficiary families throughout Pakistan. At the BISP he has also served as Director General of Complimentary Initiatives and has remained actively involved in beneficiary identification, data selection, data analysis, and designing various initiatives. He has worked closely with international organizations such as USAID, World Bank, IADB and IMF and has coordinated development programs with these and other agencies for over 5 years. Dr. Noor has diverse professional experience having worked in public sector organizations such as the Ministry of Defense, Accountability Bureau, Local Government and Social Safety Nets like BISP. Dr. Noor has a PhD in Political Science from the University of Heidelberg, Germany. 

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Ing. Luis Alberto Bullón Salazar, RENIEC, Peru

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Luis Alberto Bullón Salazar is currently the General Manager of the National Register of identification and Civil State (RENIEC) of the Peru. Previously, has served as Principal of the Norbert Wiener University, General Manager of the Commercial Bank, General Manager and Dean of Engineering in the South Scientific University, Corporate Manager of Glencore A.G., Chief of Technical projects in Petroleum of Peru and Mathematical Model Analyst in Centromin Perú. Additionally, he has been a principal professor at the Doctoral and Masters programs at the Pontifical Catholic University, Pacific University, Lima University and Engineering University. He has been the head team of the engineering programs accreditation of several universities from Perú and Colombia. He has a Doctorate in Strategic administration and Business Administration.

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koehler_100Mattias Karl Köhler, Head of Sales, Mühlbauer

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Matthias Koehler has been appointed Head of Sales of Mühlbauer, concerning the western hemisphere in February 2011. In this position he is responsible for sales, marketing and business development. One of his main tasks is to leverage the market requirements with the activities of the research and development departments of Mühlbauer. Mr. Koehler holds a Masters degree in Business Administration and has a strong background in sales and marketing. Prior to his position at Mühlbauer he served as Executive Vice President at SAFE ID, Sales Director Government Solutions as well as Director for Strategic Partnerships & Finances at Giesecke & Devrient (G&D). He has more than 15 years’ experience in the security printing & smart card industry. Prior to G&D, Mr. Koehler worked for a consulting firm, managing international infrastructure projects, in transition and developing countries.

Ingo Liersch, Director, Product Marketing, Government Identification, Infineon Technologies

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Ingo Liersch joined Infineon Technologies in the Business Line Government Identification in 2014. He is responsible for Product Marketing for the Infineon microcontroller platforms for electronic documents such as ePassports, eIDs or eHealth cards. Ingo entered the smart security industry in 2001 with Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) as a Product Manager focusing on Government eID cards including smart card operating systems and applications and also covered eHealth card projects in Europe and Asia. From 2007 to 2013 he was responsible for Segment Marketing in G&D’s government division providing solutions for secure government documents. His work included presales, business consultancy, market intelligence and marketing communication for the business segments identity and healthcare, and was responsible for emerging products including encrypted mobile phones and brand protection systems. He has many years of experience in secure identification and authentication and together with his team he has become a trusted adviser to governments.

desplaces_100Benoît des Places, Africa Regional Sales Manager, SURYS

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Benoit des Places is the Regional Sales Manager for Africa at SURYS where he is in charge of developing new ID solutions for the African continent. He is an expert in governmental document security features. Benoit has a decade of experience in Africa, working for companies and governmental organizations in the security and defense industry, joining SURYS and the ID industry in 2013. He completed Business School (and also acquired an MA in History), before embarking on his professional career in telecommunications and new technologies as a consultant then as international sales, working in Europe & SE Asia.

thebe_100Eric Thebe, Technical Consultant, Hewlett-Packard

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Eric Thebe is the Technical Consultant for Hewlett-Packard (HP) Africa. He is a qualified security consultant with over 12 years’ experience in IT consultancy and software development. He is adept at finding new and innovative solutions for complex issues, creating new entities and has detailed understanding of networks, policies, requirements and related fields. Being customer centric driven, he also specializes in advanced managed printing services, secure HP MPS, managed document services, change management and workflow solutions. He primarily works with HP’s MPS channel partners throughout Africa. Eric is also a member of the ISSA (Information Systems Security Association).

niall_100Niall McCann, Lead Electoral Advisor, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

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Niall McCann is UNDP’s Lead Electoral Advisor, based at the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support in New York. In this position he provides programming and advisory support to UNDP Country Offices engaged in providing electoral assistance (approximately 60 per year), as well as contributing to the development of the UN’s electoral assistance policy, as issued by the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs. Since 2005, he has worked for a number of both UN and EU field missions, providing frontline electoral assistance to the national electoral authorities in Sierra Leone, Lebanon, Liberia, Zambia, Yemen and Afghanistan. In election observation, he observed at Deputy Chief Observer/Deputy Head of Mission level for the European Union and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in Sudan and Croatia, and he also served in numerous other Core Teams for OSCE/ODIHR in Romania, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. From 1996-1999, he was Elections Officer/Senior Elections Officer with the OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

gerenge_100Robert Gerenge, Principal Advisor, Election Management Bodies (EMBs), African Union Commission

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Robert Gerenge is the Principal Advisor for Election Management Bodies (EMBs) within the Department of Political Affairs of the African Union Commission where oversees technical assistance to the AU member states. He was previously the Head of Special Programmes for the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) where he coordinated multi-country programmes in electoral and governance strengthening targeting the African Union, Regional Economic Communities and selected countries. Prior to this, he also worked as Electoral Advisor and Political Affairs Officer for the United Nations Missions in D.R.Congo. Robert has been involved in over 40 political and electoral processes in Africa and beyond including in conflict and post-conflict settings. He has published on elections, governance, peace and security and shaped public opinion through media interviews on topical governance issues in Africa.

Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, Chairman, Independent Electoral Commission, Nigeria

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Professor Mahmood Yakubu is the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Election Management Body in Nigeria since 2015. He is also a Fellow of the Historical Society of Nigeria and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations. He holds a Doctor of Law from the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, and Doctor of Letters from the Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki and Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, a D.Phil from Oxford University and a Masters from Cambridge University. He was Lecturer in the University of Nigeria and was Senior Lecturer and Professor at the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA). At the NDA, he was Head of the Department of History, two-time Dean for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Director of Academic Planning, and has more than 50 publications to credit. He has served as Task Team Leader responsible for tertiary education at the Federal Ministry of Education and a member of the Presidential Technical Committee for the consolidation of Federal tertiary institutions.  

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Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, Chairman, Independent Electoral Commission, Nigeria

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Professor Mahmood Yakubu is the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Election Management Body in Nigeria since 2015. He is also a Fellow of the Historical Society of Nigeria and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations. He holds a Doctor of Law from the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, and Doctor of Letters from the Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki and Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, a D.Phil from Oxford University and a Masters from Cambridge University. He was Lecturer in the University of Nigeria and was Senior Lecturer and Professor at the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA). At the NDA, he was Head of the Department of History, two-time Dean for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Director of Academic Planning, and has more than 50 publications to credit. He has served as Task Team Leader responsible for tertiary education at the Federal Ministry of Education and a member of the Presidential Technical Committee for the consolidation of Federal tertiary institutions.  

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ludovic_100Ludovic Simonneau, Vertical Product Line Manager, Evolis

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Ludovic is Vertical Market Manager, responsible for the governmental and financial markets at Evolis, a French manufacturer of card personalization systems. In this role, he manages the product definition and go-to-market strategy for those two verticals, which are the largest business contributor for the leading company. Prior to working at Evolis, Ludovic has a 15 years experience in managing technological products in the smart card, mobile and computer industry. Ludovic has an engineering degree in computing and telecommunication from Ecole Centrale Paris, France.

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chajes_100Michel Chajes Voter Registration Specialist

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Michel Chajes is a voter registration expert who has worked with electoral technical assistance programs for over 6 years in several African countries, including Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Tanzania among others. As voter registration specialist, he has provided technical assistance in biometric voter registration. He first began working with electoral technical assistance programs in 2010 as a biometric voter registration consultant for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Benin. Following this experience, Mr. Chajes worked again with UNDP in Sierra Leone as a consultant and in Guinea as a senior voter registration expert. Since finishing his work in Guinea, Mr. Chajes has continued to work as a senior voter registration expert with GJCAF in 2012, France Expertise Internationale in 2013, and UNDP in Tanzania from 2014-2015. As voter registration expert in these various organizations, Mr. Chajes has been responsible for providing technical support to election management bodies in implementing and using biometric voter registration kits and other technology, as well as ensuring its proper use.

tai_100Dr Roger Tai, Executive Vice President, Emperor Technology

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Dr. Roger Tai is the Executive Vice President of Emperor Technology in charge of International Sales, Marketing and Strategy. With more than 20 years’ experience in Smart Card and Digital Security Industry working in leading global corporations, Dr. Tai’s expertise includes World Class Manufacturing & Operations, Global Business Strategy, Innovative Marketing Navigation, and Management Consulting.

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Extase Akpotsui, Project Manager and Solutions Architect, Zetes PASS

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Project Manager and Solutions Architect at ZETES since 2014, Extase Akpotsui has strong African experience in the area of Biometric Registrations. He has acted as an observer of elections on multiple occasions in Africa and has chaired a technical sub-commission on electoral operations for several years. At ZETES, he specializes in the development of solution architectures for electoral systems, the establishment of computerized civil and population registers and the production of secure documents. Extase has a Doctorate in Computer Science and is based in Lomé, Togo.

mia_100Mia Harbitz, International Consultant and Expert, The World Bank 

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Mia Harbitz an identity management professional with extensive project management experience in developing countries. She is the former Lead Specialist in identity management and registries with a focus on governance for the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), and is presently working as advisor to the World Bank’s Identity for Development (ID4D) initiative. Over the course of a 25-year career she has designed and managed development projects that modernized and strengthened the capacities of civil and identification registries with emphasis in Latin America. These projects contributed toward a significant increase in birth registration and civil identification as well as improved the quality of national vital statistics systems. She has authored and contributed to numerous publications and books on legal identity, identity management, the implications of under-registration, and social inclusion as a means to poverty reduction. Her academic background is in engineering, and prior to coming to Latin America in 1991 she worked in development programs in East Africa and the Middle East.

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Marie Simone Ralinirina, Directeur de l’Administration des Juridictions en charge de l’état civil et de la nationalité, Ministère de la Justice, Madagascar

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Marie Simone Ralinirina is a career magistrate and after working for 8 years in a jurisdiction, she assumed the role of Department Head of Civil Affairs, Civil Status and Nationality at the Ministry of Justice for 15 years in Madagascar. In this capacity, she represents the Ministry of Justice in implementing activities relating to civil status and nationality. She participated in the preparatory work of experts at three conferences of African Ministers responsible for civil registration. She is a member of the Technical Unit and the Executive Committee of the National Coordination Committee for the Accelerated Program of Registration and Vital Statistics (CNC-APAICRVS). She attended the first International Conference on Identity Management in Seoul, Korea in 2014. In December 2016, she was appointed as Director of Administration of Jurisdictions, with the Service of Civil Registry and Nationality still falling under her Directorate.

sophie_100Sophie Ogilvy,  Senior Government Relations Advisor for Sustainability and Development, De La Rue

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Sophie is the Senior Government Relations Advisor for Sustainability and Development at De La Rue. She specialises in Civil Registration and Vital Statistics and other social and financial inclusion policies and programmes that are needed to build strong government institutions. She sits on the advisory board on the EU Origins project and prior to her current role at De La Rue she worked as Policy Manager for Security and Development at The ONE Campaign, a global advocacy organisation.

annette_100Annette Bayer Forsingdal,  Director, National Population Register, Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration, Namibia

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Anette Bayer Forsingdal was appointed as the Director for the Directorate: National Population Register, Identification and Production, under the Department of Civil Registration, Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration in June 2014. She is currently acting as the Deputy Secretary Permanent Secretary. Prior to this appointment she was seconded as consultant in the same Department for 4 years by UNICEF. She worked as a consultant in different sectors before working in civil registration. During the tenure in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration, she has led multiple projects successfully, including the opening of hospital-based facilities and a high-profile project of digitization of all processes within the Department of Civil Registration, through the introduction of a new integrated and web-based National Population Registration System (NPRS). Anette also paved the way to closer collaboration between key stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Ministry of Safety and Security, Ministry of Justice and Namibia Statistic Agency. All key players are in the Civil Registration and Vital System in Namibia.

alenka_100Alenka Prvinšek Persoglio, Cofounder, Vice President, Interact4C, SIA Member & Expert, formerly Undersecretary responsible for migration and nationality, Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republic of Slovenia

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Alenka Prvinšek Persoglio is Cofounder and Vice President of Interact4C (International Association Connecting Technologies for Citizens), an international NGO which inter alia provides high level expertise in development of civil status registration, on migration, mobility and security and, good governance. She is an international expert in nationality law, law on civil status and migration. She began her career in nationality and civil status in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia and later became Head of the Slovenian Home Office Department for Civil status in 1994. Later, she became Undersecretary of State for Nationality and Migration in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Slovenia, where she coordinated legal work on preparation of the national laws on nationality, foreigners, migration policy and temporary protection. She joined the Council of Europe as an expert on nationality, taking part in preparation of the European Convention on Nationality, and has chaired the working party of the Committee of experts on nationality. Prior to Interact4C, Alenka was Director of MARRI RC (Migration, Asylum, Refugees Regional Centre in Skopje) and later Senior Policy Advisor at the International Centre for Migration Policy Development.

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Muhammad Babandede, Comptroller General of Immigration, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria

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Muhammad Banandede is Comptroller General of Immigration at the Nigeria Immigration Service. He joined the Immigration Service in 1985 and has served in various roles including Special Assistant to the Director of Immigration Service. He was also Immigration Attache at the Nigerian Consulate in Berlin. From 2003 to 2010 he served as Head of the Investigation Directorate of the National Agency of Prohibition of Trafficking Persons and has travelled extensively both regionally and internationally to help commence bi-lateral and multi-lateral agreements with international development agencies such as IOM, EU, UNODC, FRONTEX and others, for the purpose of capacity building, tackling human trafficking and the rehabilitation of its victims. Mr. Babandede has a B.A in History from Bayero University, Kano State, Nigeria and Masters in Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice from Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria.

Yolanda Varuhaki, Head of Marketing for Identity solutions, Government Programs, Gemalto

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Yolanda Varuhaki is Head of Marketing for Trusted Identity solutions for the public sector at Gemalto. She is Work Package leader for EU-funded project Origins on Breeder document security and member of the Secure Identity Alliance workgroup on Identity4Development. She joined Gemalto in 1996 first in the Telecommunications Business Unit and then in Government Programs and led various marketing missions in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Prior to Gemalto, she was a consultant at Stratorg, a Paris-based consulting firm specialized in strategy and organization for Telecommunications, Building and Banking sectors.

holger_100Holger Funke, Principal, Division Homeland Security, secunet Security Networks

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Holger Funke works in the business of electronic ID since more than twelve years and is Principal at secunet Security Networks in Germany. He is the editor of several test standards in the context of eID, e.g. he wrote the test specification for inspection systems on behalf of the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). With more than 20 years’ experience in software development, he manages the development of GlobalTester, a comprehensive environment to test the compliance of ID cards and corresponding readers. Since 2007 he has been an active member of the DIN national committee on smart card standardisation. Additionally, he has worked in several major ePassport projects in the EU, in Middle East and in Africa, advising customers from specification to roll-out. Since 2005 he was involved in many interoperability test events to assure the interoperability and conformity of ePassports and inspection systems.

coetzee_100Marius Coetzee, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, IDECO

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Marius Coetzee is the CEO and Managing Director of Ideco Biometrics, the Southern African market leader in trusted identity solutions. Marius joined Ideco in 2007 to lead the organization in product innovation and strategic partnerships for new business development. His prior experience is rooted in the Identity bureau space where he pioneered the National Centre for Certified Identities that provides cloud-based Identity verification services. As an entrepreneur, Marius has specific expertise in innovative biometric solutions, identity profiling, fraud prevention, transaction management and other related disciplines. He has been acknowledged by the Institute of Information Technology Professionals in South Africa and the International Centre for Parliamentary Studies. He is an executive member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and holds an Engineering degree from the University of Pretoria.

pedro_100Pedro Pinto, Head of Business Development for Middle East & Africa, Vision-Box

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Pedro Pinto is a Senior Executive with over 12 years’ experience supporting governments, airports, non-profit organizations and private entities in improving security and efficiency in the areas of border control, electronic identity management, Biometrics and criminal investigation. With his vast international experience, Mr. Pinto has lived several years in the African continent and is head of Vision-Box™ Business Development for Middle East & Africa, having spearheaded the company’s presence and commitment to the region as well as the development of the most relevant initiatives within these areas. His deep industry knowledge was pivotal in the deployment of the first Automated Border Control project in Africa, following several other landmark projects in the region. Mr. Pinto is actively engaged with the relevant authorities of the continent in enhancing the security of African Borders and promoting a positive and seamless experience to all the travellers.

Laouali Chaibou, Commissioner for Trade, Customs, Free Movement and Tourism, ECOWAS Commission

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Laouali Chaibou is Commissioner for Trade, Customs, Free Movement and Tourism at the ECOWAS Commission. Prior to his current role, he was Minister in charge of relations with the institutions and then Minister of the public service and of the administrative reform of his country. Prior to that, he held various positions of responsibility both in administration and in Niger State agencies including General Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, Agriculture, Industry and Craftsmanship of Niger (CCAIN), Managing Director of “Entreprendre au Niger” (EAN) and Operating Director of the Agency of Financing and Encouraging for the Free Enterprise in Niger (AFELEN). He has also managed and directed several economic initiatives in Niger, including projects financed by the Nigerian Government and development partners (UNDP, EU) on funding schemes of the Nigerian private sector. Mr. Chaibou is the initiator of the creation of several networks and associations in the areas of economic and financial management of which he is an active member.

laura_100Laura Rawlings, Lead Social Protection Specialist, The World Bank

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Laura Rawlings is an economist with over 20 years’ experience in the design, implementation and evaluation of human development programs. She currently manages both operations and research, with a focus on developing innovative approaches for effective, scalable social protection systems in low resource settings. She was the team leader responsible for developing the World Bank’s Social Protection and Labor Strategy 2012-2022 and was previously Manager of the Strategic Impact Evaluation Fund. She also worked as the Sector Leader for Human Development in Central America where she was responsible for managing the World Bank’s health, education and social protection portfolios. She began her career at the World Bank in the Development Research Group where she worked on the impact evaluation of social programs. She has worked in Africa and Latin American leading numerous project and research initiatives in the areas of conditional cash transfers, public works, social funds, early childhood development and social protection systems.

nmeheille_100Prof. Vincent O. Nmehielle, Secretary-General, African Development Bank

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Professor Vincent Nmehielle has over 26 years of professional and academic experience. He is currently the Secretary-General of the African Development Bank Group (ADB) in Abidjan, Côte D’Ivoire. Prior to joining the ADB in late 2016, he was General Legal Counsel and Director for Legal Affairs of the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 2013. He was also Professor of Law and Head of the Wits Programme on Law, Justice and Development in Africa at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) School of Law in Johannesburg. He was also a Professorial Lecturer in law at the Oxford University and George Washington University Human Rights Program and has served as the Principal Defender of the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone. Professor Nmehielle specializes in international and comparative law, and his professional, academic, and research interests lie within the areas of law, governance, justice and development in Africa. He has written extensively and consulted on constitutional issues, human rights, international justice, governance and development in Africa.

nmeheille_100Prof. Vincent O. Nmehielle, Secretary-General, African Development Bank

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Professor Vincent Nmehielle has over 26 years of professional and academic experience. He is currently the Secretary-General of the African Development Bank Group (ADB) in Abidjan, Côte D’Ivoire. Prior to joining the ADB in late 2016, he was General Legal Counsel and Director for Legal Affairs of the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 2013. He was also Professor of Law and Head of the Wits Programme on Law, Justice and Development in Africa at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) School of Law in Johannesburg. He was also a Professorial Lecturer in law at the Oxford University and George Washington University Human Rights Program and has served as the Principal Defender of the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone. Professor Nmehielle specializes in international and comparative law, and his professional, academic, and research interests lie within the areas of law, governance, justice and development in Africa. He has written extensively and consulted on constitutional issues, human rights, international justice, governance and development in Africa.

Grahame Saunders, Chief Technology Officer, Africa’s Safety & Security Division, NEC

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Grahame Saunders is currently a Chief Technology Officer with NEC Africa’s Safety & Security division. Grahame has played a functional and strategic role in the Biometric and Information Communication Technology arena for the last 30 years in roles ranging from forensic crime scene investigation and management, software test analysis, quality assurance, project management to business development and technology management. Grahame functions as a member of the NEC global safety division, aligning technology to meet regional current and future demand. With focused experience in the Public Safety, Governmental, and Banking sectors, Grahame has a wide understanding of factors influencing local and regional security, delivering large turnkey National Identification projects, which encompass aspects related to National and Regional identification strategies and methodologies. Further experience in strategies related to the design and deployment of large scale city surveillance projects within Africa solidifies his background in Cross-border and Identity Management.

Tarvinder S. Sembhi, VP Sales Identity Market, WCC Smart Search and Match

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Tarvinder Sembhi is Senior Vice President at WCC, where his role is to oversee the company’s operations in the Identity market. Tarvinder Sembhi is a veteran executive in the biometrics and ID management industry. He was most recently President of 4G Identity Solutions, where he was responsible for strategic product development, corporate branding and marketing, and streamlining operations. At Iridian Technologies, he was Vice President of Product Management and Business Development and was responsible for the strategic roadmap for a product portfolio that received Frost & Sullivan’s Technology Leadership Award. He has also held leadership roles with General Electric Company, Ford Motor Company, and Sarnoff Corporation. Tarvinder Sembhi has a Bachelors in Engineering from Penn State University and an MBA from Lehigh University. He also graduated from General Electric’s prestigious Management Program.

Charles Harns, Senior Technical Consultant, Immigration and Border Management, International Organization for Migration (IOM)
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Mr. Harns has over thirty-five years’ experience working with governments and NGOs in the area of capacity building and technical cooperation, with a specialization in migration policies and practices. Following early work with local government structures and NGOs in the United States engaged in migration policy development and migrant services, he consulted through USAID, UNDP and other international assistance agencies in Africa and Asia. Mr. Harns then served as an official of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN Migration Agency, from 1994 until his retirement as Senior Migration Advisor in 2013.
His service at IOM included six years as global head of the Technical Cooperation Division at IOM Headquarters. For his success in expanding IOM’s global role in migration technical support he was awarded the Director General’s Award in 2006. He also served as Chief of Mission of IOM Philippines and Regional Representative of IOM for East Asia with management and representation responsibilities for the People’s Republic of China (including the Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions), Japan, Republic of Korea, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Republic of the Philippines and the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste.
His responsibilities with IOM included strategy creation and program formulation and guidance, capacity building and direct technical assistance to governments in areas of policy and operations, and facilitating inter-governmental cooperation on migration. Mr. Harns’ work has encompassed linking migration with development, migration and security, reducing irregular migration and expanding formal migration channels, and improvement of border management and travel and identity documents.
He has authored numerous publications and technical reports, has consulted worldwide on technical assistance matters, and has been a frequent contributor to inter-agency and inter-governmental meetings − as well as to professional conferences and forums. Specific long-term on-site experiences include the Republic of Georgia and the South Caucasus overall (including Armenia and Azerbaijan), Africa (Botswana and Nigeria), and Asia (Korea-ROK, Nepal and the Philippines).
His most recent work is in Nigeria and West Africa where he serves as Senior Technical Consultant for Immigration and Border Management to IOM Nigeria. He also recently served as Senior Expert (Consultant) for the ECOWAS Technical Working Group on Identity Management and Civil Registration, authoring the key analytical report on the mandated new intra-ECOWAS travel document: the National Biometric Identity Card (NBIC).
Mr. Harns holds a Doctorate in international development, focusing on government capacity building in relation to overseas development programming, from the University of Massachusetts

Alain Ducass, Chairman, energeTIC, Expert of the Secure Identity Alliance

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Independent French expert dedicated to e-Transformation of emerging countries with a good balance of expertise between energy, connectivity, innovation and e-Governement including e-ID, e-transactions and Cybersecurity. Hundreds of references of projects for donors and emerging countries governments, in connection with the European Commission or the Worldbank, in the fields of digital strategy, cybersecurity, eGovernement, eBusiness, e-Transactions and digital economic development.

Vadims Teresko, Business Development Director, Banking and Mobile, X Infotech

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Vadims has 15+ years of deep professional experience in the smart card and eID field, including Tier-1 projects in government and banking sectors. Before X Infotech, Vadims was in charge of business development of financial products in a reputable European software company. He possesses excellent analytical skills and brilliant knowledge to translate customer needs into new business opportunities. Vadims is an outstanding communicator, able to find approach either to a small bank or to an international blue-chip financial monster. Vadim holds an MBA degree and a Master in Computer Science.

Veronica Boateng, Director, National Information Technology Agency, Ghana

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Veronica Boateng has over 22 years’ experience in the IT space working with leading technologies organizations and companies. She has been with the National Information Technology Agency, Ministry of Communications, Ghana since 2008 and currently works as a Consultant, ICT Applications Expert. She is the e-Government Programme Technical Director and Technical Advisor for most of the major Ghana Government IT Projects implemented under the e-Ghana/ eTransform national projects in Ghana including e-Taxation, e-Registrar General’s Department Automation Projects, e-Government services, Government e-Payment gateway, e-Health, e-Procurement, e-Immigration, e-Education, e-Parliament, e-Justice, Enterprise Architecture/Interoperability Framework, PKI, and many others. She has worked with CCH Incorporated USA as a Software Developer, Business Connexion Group, South Africa as Principal Software Developer and Social Security and National Insurance Trust, Ghana as a Programmer/Analyst. Among other past and current responsibilities, Veronica is also the founder of the Ghana Women in Information Technology (GWIIT) Association.

Vasilis Koulolias, Director, eGovlab, Stockholm University

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Vasilis Koulolias is the Executive Director of eGovlab at Stockholm University. He is a technologist, economist and political scientist (International Relations) and has dedicated over two decades in bringing the benefits of ICT to popular democratic proceedings while bridging the gap between citizens and policy makers. He works with nearly all member states in Europe, sub-Sahara Africa and SE Asia participating in key European and Swedish initiatives for public service transformation through co creation. Vasilis serves in the PACI advisory committee of the World Economic Forum (WEF), he is a member of the International Council for Information Technology in Government Administration (ICA), and serves on the Board of Directors of the Swedish Program for ICT in Developing Regions (Spider).

Joby Mathew, Sales Director, Middle East, Africa & South Africa, Government ID Solutions, HID Global

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Joby Mathew has over 17 years of experience in the secure identification solutions, systems integration, consulting, and IT training industries. He is responsible for developing HID Global’s Government ID Solutions business in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. Mr. Mathew is a strong advocate of implementing citizen friendly identity management programs that have a positive impact on society. While serving the primary objective of national security, such programs should facilitate increased interaction between the citizen and the government, resulting in improved efficiency, productivity and effectiveness of government’s social welfare programs. Mr. Mathew holds a BSc in Physics, an MBA from the University of Bradford and has worked on developing Sustainable Business Models at London School of Economics.

Lourino Chemane, ICT Advisor, Minister of Science and Technology, Mozambique

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Lourino Chemane is a Professor at the Faculty of Engineering of Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique since 2015 where he was research and lecturer since 1993. He is the ICTs Adviser to the Minister of Science and Technology, Higher and Technic Professional Education of Mozambique and was the Coordinator of the Mozambique eGovernment and Communications Infrastructure Project from 2009 to 2016. In 2011 he completed his PhD in Computer and Systems Science at the University of Stockholm, in 2007 a Master Degree in eGovernment at EPFL, and in 1998 the Master Degree in Electronic Engineering at the University of Pretoria.

Louise Cole, Manager, New Zealand Passport Operations, Department of Internal Affairs, New Zealand

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Louise Cole has been in leadership positions in the New Zealand Public Service for 18 years, the last three of which as the Manager Passport Operations of the Identity & Passport Services for the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs (DIA).
In recent years, DIA have lead a number of key, and highly successful, passports initiatives including automated validation and eligibility processes in conjunction with the introduction of online passport applications. In addition, they are responsible for the RealMe Online Identity Verification Service, providing a passport equivalent digital identity. Louise is the New Zealand representative on the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) New Technology Working Group (NTWG). Louise was the ICAO appointed Co-ordinator for the 2017 ICAO NTWG Request for Information (RFI) which is issued every three years in order to keep abreast of new and improving technologies.

Céline Gouveia, International Sales Director, Groupe Imprimerie Nationale/SPS

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Céline Gouveia joined the Imprimerie Nationale Group in 2007. As International Sales Director, she coordinates the export sales team worldwide and is responsible for the European and African market. As a renowned expert in document security, she contributes to major events worldwide such as ICAO Montreal, Interpol and SDW London. Céline holds a Masters degree in Strategy and International Affairs from the ESSEC Business school in Paris.

Prof. Anil Jain, University Distinguished Professor, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Michigan State University, USA

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Anil Jain is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Michigan State University. His research interests include pattern recognition, computer vision and biometric authentication. He served as a member of the United States Defense Science Board, Forensic Science Standards Board and The National Academies committees on Biometrics and Improvised Explosive Devices. He has received Fulbright, Guggenheim, Alexander von Humboldt, and IAPR King-Sun Fu awards and is a Fellow of ACM and IEEE. He is a member of the United States National Academy of Engineering and Foreign Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering.

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Kyla Reid, Head, Digital Identity Program, GSMA

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As Head of the Digital identity Programme, Kyla Reid is responsible for working with mobile operators, governments and NGOs to identify the opportunities, barriers, and value of mobile as a scalable and trusted platform for enabling digital identity. Kyla has been with the GSMA since 2012 and has played a key role in the inception and leadership of new programmes within Mobile for Development, including Mobile Health and Disaster Response. Most recently Kyla led the industry-wide Humanitarian Connectivity Charter, now with over 60 mobile operator signatories, UN and NGO endorsement and a footprint in over 50 countries. In her work at the GSMA, Kyla engages with a wide range of stakeholders from both the private and development sectors, identifying opportunities to create shared value and sustainable social impact using mobile technology. Kyla has conducted field research across East Africa and has worked for a variety of NGOs and policy institutes focused on complex emergencies, HIV/AIDS and socio-economic development.  

Edward Duffus, Manager, Digital Birth Registration Project, Plan International

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Edward Duffus is Plan International’s Digital Birth Registration Project Manager. Building on 12 years of IT project management and systems implementation experience with Accenture in London, Paris and Brussels, he now leads a team to develop innovative birth registration programmes using appropriate digital technologies. There are currently five projects underway in Kenya, Malawi, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia with a total budget of over $5 million. Edward has developed a “Technical Analysis” methodology used by Plan International to assess appropriate technology solutions for CRVS strengthening and integrated birth registration programmes. He is also a core group member of the African Programme for the Accelerated Improvement of CRVS and led the development of the “CRVS Digitisation Guidebook” (www.crvs-dgb.org), sponsored by the African Development Bank.

Ashish Gadnis, CEO, Banqu Inc.

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Ashish is currently the Founder / CEO of the award winning blockchain Economic Identity platform – BanQu. He is a senior strategic advisor to multiple global corporations and the UN SDGs 2030 agenda. In the past Mr. Gadnis build and several technology startups, the last one of which was acquired by a $1.5 billion global consulting firm in 2012.