Speakers
(in alphabetical order)
Cristian Bizadea
Former Deputy Director of the Intelligence Service of Romania
Cristian Bizadea is working as an independent business consultant, focused on strategic projects and international business development. He was, until 2024, a senior Romanian intelligence official with almost 25 years of management, operational, and analytical experience at the national level and in multinational formats. He was appointed Deputy Director of the Romanian Intelligence Service in 2016. He was a university lecturer (PhD) at the University of Bucharest and the National Intelligence Academy.
Guido Crosetto
Minister of Defence of Italy
@GuidoCrosetto / @MinisteroDifesa
Rt. Hon. Guido Crosetto has been the Minister of Defence of Italy since 22 October 2022. At the same time, he was appointed Chancellor and Treasurer of the Military Order of Italy. He began his political career as Regional Secretary of the youth movement within the Christian Democratic Party and was also the National Education Officer. Once elected as a Member of Parliament for the Forza Italia party (2001-06), he served on numerous parliamentary committees. In the 16th Parliament, as an MP for the Popolo delle Libertà party, he took office as Undersecretary of State for Defence in the fourth Berlusconi government (2008-11). In 2012, he founded Fratelli d’Italia with Giorgia Meloni and Ignazio La Russa and served as National Coordinator until 2014. In 2014, he was appointed President of the Federation of Italian Companies for Aerospace, Defence and Security. In 2018, he was elected as a Member of Parliament in the 18th Parliament in the ranks of Fratelli d’Italia. Rt. Hon. Guido Crosetto received the Gold Medal of Merit of the Italian Red Cross.
Oleksandr V Danylyuk
Chairman of the Center for Defense Reforms
Oleksandr V Danylyuk is the Chairman of the Center for Defense Reforms. Throughout his career, he has closely cooperated with the Ukrainian government structures in the defence, security, and intelligence sectors. In 2014, he was the Chief Advisor to the Minister of Defence of Ukraine. He subsequently served as a Special Advisor to the Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, Assistant to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and, for many years, was also a member of the Parliamentary Working Group on Countering Hybrid Threats. For the past few years, he has been the coordinator of the Ukraine-NATO platform for the early detection and countering of hybrid threats. His main field of practical and academic expertise is Russian multidimensional warfare, active measures, and subversive activities of Russian and Soviet special services, as well as whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches to countering Russian hybrid aggression.
Michel Duclos
Senior Fellow at the Institut Montaigne
Michel Duclos is now a senior fellow at the Institut Montaigne in Paris and an author. Previously, he had a long career as a French diplomat. Among other postings, he served in Moscow, Brussels (EU), and New-York and as ambassador to Damascus, then Switzerland.
Tuuli Duneton
Undersecretary for Defence Policy, Ministry of Defence of Estonia
– / @MoD_Estonia
Tuuli Duneton assumed the position of Undersecretary for Defence Policy at the Estonian Ministry of Defence in February 2022. In this role, she is responsible for shaping and planning Estonia’s defence policy and coordinating international defence cooperation, including within NATO and the European Union. Prior to this current position, she served as the Director of the Policy Planning Department (2017-22). Ms Duneton joined the Estonian Ministry of Defence in 2005 and has held various defence policy positions, including the Director of NATO and EU Department (2010-12) and the Director of Defence Section and Defence Counsellor at the Estonian Permanent Representation to NATO (2012-15). Ms Duneton has worked as a member of the International Staff at NATO Headquarters, where she served as Estonia’s national expert in the Defence Policy and Planning Department.
Alexandre Escorcia
Director for Euro-Atlantic Security at the Ministry for the Armed Forces of France
Alexandre Escorcia, a career diplomat, assumed the position of Director for Euro-Atlantic Security in the Directorate General for International Relations and Strategy of the French Ministry for the Armed Forces in September 2023. Prior to this assignment, he served as the Deputy Permanent Representative of France to NATO, beginning in September 2019. Mr Escorcia has also held the roles of Deputy Director of Policy Planning and Advisor to the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs and of First Secretary in the French Embassy in Germany. He had previously served as Diplomatic Advisor to SACT and as a desk officer on European Defence and NATO in the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. Mr Escorcia is an alumnus of the École Normale Supérieure (rue d’Ulm) and the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris and holds a degree in history from the Université Paris IV – Sorbonne.
Robin Häggblom
Senior Advisor at Risk Intelligence A/S / Corporal Frisk
Robin Häggblom—also known under the pen name Corporal Frisk—is a Finnish defence analyst working as a senior advisor for Risk Intelligence A/S. He has a background in the maritime industry and geospatial intelligence and holds an MSc in technology from the University of Oulu. His texts have been published by, amongst others, the Swedish Defence Research Agency, Chatham House, The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences, and Foreign Policy. He did his conscript service as a landing craft skipper for the Finnish Marines and is an NCO in the Finnish naval reserve.
Viktoria Hjort Malmer
Defence Policy Director at the Ministry of Defence of Sweden
– / @ForsvarsdepSv
Viktoria Hjort Malmer is the Defence Policy Director and Head of the Division for Security Policy at the Ministry of Defence of Sweden. Ms Hjort Malmer has previously held several positions within the Ministry of Defence, as well as at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2006-07, she worked at the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom, and in 2008, she was employed by the Swedish Armed Forces as a Political Advisor. Until recently, Ms Hjort Malmer held the position of Deputy Head of the Department for Security Policy and International Relations at the Ministry of Defence. Ms Hjort Malmer received her master’s degree in international relations and political science in 2002 from the University of Lund, Sweden. She also studied at the University of Columbia, New York, in 2000. Between 2003-04, she attended the Government Offices Trainee Programme.
Lara Jakes
Foreign Correspondent at the New York Times
Lara Jakes is a foreign correspondent at The New York Times, focused on conflict diplomacy and weapons in Ukraine and the Middle East. She has reported and edited from more than 70 countries over the last three decades, covered active combat in Afghanistan, and served as a war correspondent in Iraq for three years, including one as Baghdad bureau chief for The Associated Press. For the vast majority of her career, she worked in Washington, covering diplomacy, counterterrorism, rule of law and defence policy, including as a State Department and Pentagon correspondent.
Marko Kaseleht
Senior Vice President of Defence at Nortal
@KaselehtMarko / @NortalGlobal
Marko Kaseleht is Senior Vice President of Defence at Nortal, where he leads the expansion of interoperable, software‑defined defence capabilities. Previously, as CEO & Founder of SensusQ, he led AI‑driven intelligence‑management innovation and now continues to support its mission as a board member and advisor. A former combat operator and seasoned defence‑industry strategist, Mr Kaseleht brings operational insight and transformation leadership into digital defence systems across NATO and EU countries.
Giedrius Krupauskas
Deputy Director of the State Security Department of Lithuania
Giedrius Krupauskas is the Deputy Director of Lithuania’s State Security Department (VSD), the country’s civilian intelligence and counterintelligence service. In this role, he directs the delivery of all-source intelligence to national decision-makers and international partners. Over his 15-year career at VSD, he has led the Analysis Division and served at NATO HQ in Brussels.
Kaimo Kuusk
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of Estonia
Kaimo Kuusk is the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of Estonia, a position he assumed in September 2024. Mr Kuusk is responsible for leading the work of the ministry and coordinating the activities of the Estonian Defence Forces, the Foreign Intelligence Service, the Centre for Defence Investment, the Defence Resources Agency, the Estonian War Museum, as well as the Defence League. Before being appointed as Permanent Secretary, he served as Estonia’s Ambassador to Lithuania. Prior to that, Mr Kuusk was the Estonian Ambassador to Ukraine, where he coordinated the delivery of Estonia’s military aid following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. From 1998 to 2019, Mr Kuusk held various positions in the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service, with the last nine years as Deputy Director General. In 2019, he began working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Bureau.
Sang Hyun Lee
Senior Research Fellow of the Sejong Institute
Dr Sang Hyun Lee is currently a Senior Research Fellow of the Sejong Institute, board member of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management-Korea (INMM-K), and board member of the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network (APLN) for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament. He served as President of the Sejong Institute (2021-24), researcher at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, Director-General for Policy Planning at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, a guest researcher at the Stockholm Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP) in Sweden, and a visiting researcher at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC. His main research interests include international politics and security, Korea-US relations, inter-Korean relations, nuclear security and nonproliferation, and East Asian security issues. His recent publications include Understanding South Korea’s National Security (2025, co-authored) and Simultaneity of Geopolitical Risks and the Networked Strategy in Military-Security Affairs (2024).
John Mead
Deputy Commander of the Joint Force Command Brunssum
Lt Gen John Mead has been serving as the Deputy Commander of the Joint Force Command Brunssum since December 2024. Lt Gen John Mead was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1991, with regimental duty in 29 Commando Regiment, 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery (3 RHA) and 7 Para RHA. Staff appointments included Joint Planning roles in the UK’s Joint Forces HQ and in HQ ISAF Joint Command, as well as three postings to Army HQ in the Strategy and Personnel directorates. He attended Staff College in Australia in 2004. Lt Gen Mead commanded the 1st Artillery Brigade, was Chief of Staff of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps and DCOS Plans, Joint Forces Command Naples. He has seen operational service in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, where he deployed five times. He deployed on Operation Highbrow to evacuate UK nationals from Lebanon in 2006 and led NATO’s task force to evacuate NATO Afghan employees on Operation Allied Solace in 2021.
Kristen Michal
Prime Minister of Estonia
@KristenMichalPM / @EstonianGovt
Kristen Michal has served as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Estonia since July 2024. Before assuming this position, he was the Minister of Climate (2023-24), a ministry he founded from scratch. Prime Minister Michal previously held ministerial portfolios in economic affairs and infrastructure (2015-16) and justice (2011-12). He was a member of the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th convocations of the parliament (Riigikogu), where he headed several Riigikogu committees. In 2003-11, Prime Minister Michal was the Secretary General of the Estonian Reform Party. He was an advisor to the Prime Minister (2002) and an advisor to the Minister of Regional Affairs and the head of the minister’s office (2001-02).
Hanno Pevkur
Minister of Defence of Estonia
Hanno Pevkur has been the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Estonia since 2022. Prior to that, he was a member of the 13th and 14th convocations of the parliament (Riigikogu) from 2016 to 2022. He held several ministerial positions: Minister of the Interior (2014-16), Minister of Justice (2012-14), and Minister of Social Affairs (responsible for the fields of work, health, and social protection). Having started his career in law, he went on to serve in the Nõmme District Administration in Tallinn (2000-05), first as an administrative secretary and later as city district elder. In 2005-07, he was a member of the Tallinn City Council, chairman of the Nõmme District Administrative Board, and an advisor to the Minister of Justice. In 2007-09, he was a member of the 11th Riigikogu.
Alexandra Prokopenko
Fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
Alexandra Prokopenko is a fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center. In her research, she focuses on Russian government policymaking on economic and financial issues. From 2017 until early 2022, Ms Prokopenko worked at the Central Bank of Russia and at the Higher School of Economics (HSE) in Moscow. She is a former columnist for Vedomosti. She is a graduate of Moscow State University and holds an MA in Sociology from the University of Manchester. She was a visiting fellow at the Center for Order and Governance in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP).
Filip Rudnik
Research Fellow at the Centre for Eastern Studies
Filip Rudnik has been a Research Fellow at the Russian Department of the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) since 2023. Previously, he worked as an analyst of energy markets in the private sector. A graduate of the double-degree IMCEERES master’s program at the University of Glasgow and the University of Tartu, during which he conducted a one-year research project in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. Mr Rudnik is a regular contributor to Polish media outlets.
Takahiro Sasaki
Visiting Professor at Hiroshima University
Dr Takahiro Sasaki is Rear Admiral (retired) of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). After graduating from the National Defense Academy of Japan (Electrical Engineering) in 1986, he joined the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. He subsequently served as a liaison officer for the US Navy’s Third Fleet Command, a student at the Australian Naval Staff College, Commanding Officer of the destroyer “JS Yubetsu,” defense attaché at the Embassy of Japan in Russia, section chief of the Analysis Department of the Ministry of Defense Intelligence Headquarters, a student at the UK Defence Intelligence School, Commander of the 8th Escort Division, cyber planning and coordinator at the Joint Staff Office, chief of the Hiroshima Provintial Cooperation Office of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, commander of the C4I Systems Center, and Commander of the Shimonoseki Sub Area Activity of Sasebo Reginal District, before retiring from the Ministry of Defense in 2018 (PhD).
Laura Solanko
Senior Advisor to the Bank of Finland Institute for Economies in Transition
Dr Laura Solanko is a Senior Advisor at the Bank of Finland Institute for Economies in Transition (BOFIT), currently responsible for Russian economic policies, banking sector developments, and energy markets. Her current research focuses on empirical banking and political economy, with ongoing research projects on political lending cycles in Russia and the effects of sanctions on listed European firms. Her research has been published in the Journal of Banking and Finance, Public Choice, Review of International Economics, and Russian Journal of Money and Finance. She holds a PhD from the University of Helsinki.
Heli Tiirmaa-Klaar
Chair of the Steering Group of the UDCG IT Coalition
Ambassador Heli Tiirmaa-Klaar is the Chair of the Steering Group of the UDCG IT Coalition. She also serves as Distinguished Fellow at the Technology Programme of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. In 2022-24, Ambassador Tiirmaa-Klaar was the Director of Digital Society Institute at the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin. In 2018-21, she was serving as Ambassador for Cyber Diplomacy and Director General for the Cyber Diplomacy Department at the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she led the Estonian efforts to promote norms of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace at the United Nations Security Council. Until 2018, Ambassador Tiirmaa-Klaar was working as the Head of Cyber Policy Coordination at the European External Action Service, where she coordinated EU external relations on cyber issues and co-led preparations of European Cyber Security Strategies since 2012. In 2011, she was assigned to the NATO International Staff to prepare the NATO Cyber Defence Policy.
Mari-Liis Tori
Deputy Director General of the Internal Security Service of Estonia
Mari-Liis Tori has been the Deputy Director General of the Estonian Internal Security Service since May 2025. She has worked in the service for 20 years.
Michael Vetter
Director-General for Cyber and Information Technology at the Federal Ministry of Defence of Germany
Lieutenant General Michael Vetter has been Director-General for Cyber and Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at the Federal Ministry of Defence in Berlin since April 2019. After joining the Bundeswehr in 1982 and completing officer training, he studied Economics and Management. After several troop and staff assignments, he was Commander of 2 Air Force Maintenance Regiment in Diepholz (2005-07) and headed the Bundeswehr Logistics Centre in Wilhelmshaven (2012-17). In this position, he was responsible for worldwide logistic support of the Bundeswehr. During this time, he was also ISAF Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics at Regional Command North in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, in 2013. In 2017, he became the first Chief of Staff of the newly established Bundeswehr Cyber and Information Domain Service Headquarters. From 2017 to 2018, he also performed the duties of Vice Chief of the Cyber and Information Domain Service.
Jonatan Vseviov
Secretary General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Jonatan Vseviov assumed office as the Secretary General of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in February 2021. Previously, Vseviov has held the positions of Estonia´s Ambassador to the United States, Permanent Secretary of the Estonian Ministry of Defence (MoD), Undersecretary for Defence Planning and Acting Undersecretary for Defence Policy of the MoD. Mr Vseviov has had a leading role in shaping Estonia´s foreign and defence policy and is the author of several policy papers.
Iwona Wiśniewska
Senior Fellow at the Centre for Eastern Studies
– / @OSW_eng
Iwona Wiśniewska has been an analyst at the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) since February 2000, initially at the Economy Department, and subsequently at the Russian Department. Previously, he served as First Secretary of Economic Affairs of the Embassy of Poland in Astana (2012-14) and Head of the Economic Department of the Embassy of Poland in Moscow (2024-16).
(the list of speakers is subject to change)
