7th Border Management and Identity Conference

Ms. Ugochi Daniels was appointed as IOM's Deputy Director General of Operations, taking office on September 1, 2021. Prior to joining IOM, Ugochi Daniels was the Chief of Staff at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), covering Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. She was also the United Nations Resident Coordinator and Designated Official for Security in the Islamic Republic of Iran from 2018 to 2020. From 2013 to 2018, Ugochi Daniels was the Chief of the Humanitarian and Fragile Contexts Branch at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Headquarters, covering over seventy countries where UNFPA was responding to emergencies. Her stint at UNFPA includes assignments in the Philippines (Country Representative, 2010–2013) and Nepal (Deputy Representative, 2007–2010).

Dion Chamberlain is the Manager Product of Development for Identity and Life Events at the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). He has worked for DIA since 2003 in advisory and managerial roles spanning Passports, Citizenship, Digital Identity and Civil Registration.

Anna Polak, PhD, is a seasoned expert in international relations, security studies, and European policy, with a specific focus on border management and security governance. Currently, she serves as the Director of the Strategy, Governance and External Relations Division at the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex).

Anna’s career is marked by her deep engagement in the strategic development of European security frameworks, particularly in the context of border management. She has played a pivotal role in aligning Frontex’s activities with broader EU policies, ensuring that the Agency’s work contributes to a secure and integrated European border management system. Her leadership has been instrumental in fostering collaboration with EU institutions, third countries, and other stakeholders, all of which are crucial for effective and transparent border governance.

Ms Scorretti is the Senior Regional Specialist for Immigration and Border Governance of the IOM Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. She supports the Immigration and Border Governance portfolios of IOM Offices in the entire region, by providing guidance to IOM offices and Governments on the formulation and implementation of migration and border policies and initiatives in line with international standards and best practices.

Greg Pote is Chairman of APSCA, the business association for secure identity and payments, which he co-founded in 1997. Greg is also Chief Information Officer of ID4Africa, a multi-stakeholder movement that promotes the transparent and responsible adoption of digital identity in the service of development in Africa. Greg has chaired and spoken at more than 200 industry conferences, forums and seminars covering identity and payments, across 22 countries in Asia, Africa, the Gulf and Europe, leading discussions with experts from governments, banks, transport operators, mobile operators and technology companies. Greg is a jury member for the Radiant Awards for government electronic identity schemes, and was a jury member for the Cartes Paris and Cartes Asia SESAMES Awards, the NFC Forum & WIMA Global Competition and the Asia PKI Innovation Awards.

Mr. R Rajeshkumar is the convener of ISO/IEC JTC1 SC17/WG3, the ISO body that creates the specifications for Traveller Identification. Within that group, he is also the leader of Task Force 5, which deals with the electronic part of the eMRTD. He is the editor of Doc 9303-9, Doc 9303-12, the specifications for Digital Travel Credentials (DTC), VDS-NC, 39794-5 Application Profile and ICAO Datastructure for Barcodes (IDB).

Benoit represents Luxembourg at European and international levels such as: the Technical Advisory Group on the Passenger Identification Programme (TAG/TRIP) of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO); the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Control Authorities Working Group (CAWG); the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

Benoit is a member of INTERPOL's Global Cybercrime Group, where he focuses on forensic and threat intelligence activities.

His areas of expertise are cyber security, identity management, and cryptography applied to various sectors such as aviation, automotive, travel documents, and healthcare.

Ms Frøy Løvåsdal has worked for the Norwegian Government for 25 years, in different agencies, in several areas, often encompassing innovation, technology and identity. She has worked with biometrics for 14 years and is also a trained forensic face examiner. In 2013 she headed the first pilot project in Norway on automated facial recognition. She has headed, and worked in, several pilot projects aimed at improving quality, security, efficiency and user experience in different areas of Immigration, borders and Law Enforcement. Today, she is a Senior Adviser in the National Police Directorate in Norway and is also pursuing a PhD at the Norwegian University for Science and Technology.

With 19 years experienced at Suvarnabhumi checkpoint, main entrance to Thailand, Pol.Lt.Col.Sophida Boonprakobsap has various perspectives and accumulated experience from frontline officer roles to complex transnational investigation. Since 2013, Pol.Lt.Col.Sophida Boonprakobsap has been the instructor about Fraud Document and key person for fraud investigation information sharing among international immigration officers and law enforcement officers.

Pol.Lt.Col.Sophida Boonprakobsap works closely with Thailand Advance Passenger Processing System (APPS) developer and has a deep understanding of border systems.

Lawyer and Law Professor, specializing in Criminal Law, with a Master’s degree in National Strategic Planning and Leadership. He served as a Prosecutor specializing in the Fight Against Drug Trafficking and Anti-Kidnapping (2009–2013). From 2013 to 2017, he held the position of General Director of Migration of the Republic of Paraguay. His key achievements during this period include implementing the country’s first biometric border control system (MIDAS System – 2016), drafting the current National Migration Policy (Decree No. 4483/2015), and introducing the first draft of a Migration Law aimed at modernizing regulatory and institutional frameworks (2016).

Mr Kilner is the First Assistant Secretary, Immigration Program Division, for the Department of Home Affairs responsible for the Department’s program delivery of Australia’s migration and temporary entry programs. He commenced in this position in February 2024.

With a background in international relations and forced displacement issues, Amanda has been working at UNHCR since 2012. She holds a position in the Division of International Protection based in UNHCR Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Amanda has previously held UNHCR appointments in Rwanda, Niger and South Africa. Before joining UNHCR, Amanda also worked in Kenya and in the US to support refugees in the US Refugee Admissions Program. Throughout her career, Amanda has focused on fulfilling UNHCR’s protection mandate and enabling refugees to access solutions. Her current portfolio at UNHCR includes scaling higher education opportunities for refugees globally and supporting access to refugee travel documents. Amanda is working with States and key actors on generating and implementing commitments for the issuance and acceptance of machine-readable refugee travel documents that align with ICAO standards. Originally from the United States, Amanda holds a MA in Diplomacy and International Commerce from the University of Kentucky, Patterson School.

Jeff is the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Adviser for the Pacific Community (SPC), based in Suva and Noumea. He works across 22 Pacific countries to strengthen birth and death registration, ensuring citizens have a legal identify and can engage digitally with public and private services. This includes advocating for interoperability between CRVS and Identity systems.

Previously, Jeff led the transformation and delivery of identity and civil registration services globally to all New Zealanders, including groundbreaking integrated digital services around birth of a child – www.smartstart.services.govt.nz. He played a leading role in the ongoing transformation of the New Zealand passport service, where now all applications can be made entirely online. For 10 years he held the statutory position of the Registrar-General for Births Deaths and Marriages.

Alex van Duuren is working as a senior advisor Research and Development at the Ministry of Ayslum and Migration, Immigration Naturalization Services, Document and Identity Office of the Netherlands. His office is responsible for the design and personalization of all documents issued on behalf of the ministry of Asylum and Migration, together with advise on Identitymanagement innovation within his ministry.

Alex started his professional career in 1994 at the Dutch Royal Marechaussee of the Ministry of Defence. From 2002 till 2013 he was working as an document expert at the Expertisecentre Identityfraud and Document. In 2012 Alex founded AVDSolutions and Dexeq. AVDSolutions was an independent advisory company on ID and Border Management, Dexeq a designer and reseller of Document Examination Equipment such as magnifiers and UV flashlights. In 2022 Alex stopped as an independent entrepreneur and took up the challenge at the Document and Identity Office.

Paolo Benanti is a Third Order Regular Franciscan - TOR - and works on ethics, bioethics and ethics of technologies. In particular, his studies focus on the management of innovation: the Internet and the impact of the Digital Age, biotechnology for human improvement and biosafety, neuroscience and neurotechnology.

Since 2008 he has been a lecturer at the Pontifical Gregorian University. He works on neuroethics, ethics of technologies, artificial intelligence and the posthuman. He was part of the Artificial Intelligence Task Force to assist the Agency for Digital Italy. He is a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life with a particular mandate for the world of artificial intelligence. In late 2018, and a again in 2023, he was selected by the Ministry of Economic Development as a member of the group of thirty experts tasked at the national level with developing the national strategy on artificial intelligence and the national strategy on shared ledger and blockchain-based technologies. He is part of Hight Levels Advisory Board own Artificial Intelligence of UN.
 

Mr. Wang TuanWei, Deputy Director, Application Management Division, Department of Information and Technology, NIA, First level researcher.

Responsible for investigating and researching the application status of immigration and immigration management technology nationwide, and formulating countermeasures, implementation strategies, and technical guidance for application system construction，Organize the development, construction, and application management of immigration and immigration management business systems and technical equipment. Engaged in long-term organizational work on the upgrade and development of the National Immigration Administration's entry and exit border inspection information system, with a certain understanding of the construction and application of the immigration management information system.

He works at the National Migration Institute of the Government of Mexico, since 2020 he has held the position of Director of Airports and Seaports; the main functions of its Area are primarily making, improving and completing the legal regulations. He actively participated in the program to stop using the Multiple Migratory Form [FMM) for international passengers on paper to a digital one.

Likewise, his Area is the connection between Mexican Government and the Travel Information Manual Automatic "TIMATIC" - International Air Transport Association "IATA". He participated in the technical and legal studies that allowed the National Migration Institute to carry out migration control automatically, through the E-Gates. He served in the Mexican Navy in various positions within ship units, he also was a teacher at the Naval Academy, as well he was a part of the Mexican Forces of Navy Units, and in high-level logistics activities.

Ms. Evelyn Cheluget is the Director General of Immigration Services effective 15th May 2023. She is a career Immigration Officer having joined the Directorate of Immigration in 1994 as an Immigration Officer and has since risen through the ranks to Director General.

She has held various leadership and management positions in the Directorate of Immigration Services. These include Director of Immigration Services in charge of Citizenship, Head of Border Management, officer in charge of Immigration Services at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Head of Visa Section, Head of Nairobi Passport Application Center, and also served as Immigration attaché in Washington DC.

KEMI NANNA NANDAP is a border security/ migration management expert with over three decades of experience in the Nigeria Immigration Service, the lead border agency in Nigeria. She is currently the Comptroller General Of Immigration Service in Nigeria. She has a Masters degree in Business Administration, Fellow of Charted Institute of Strategic Management (fsm), Fellow Charted Institute of Public and Diplomacy Management, Member of Myproject Institute of Strategic Studies (MMIS).

Major General Apollo Kasiita-Gowa serves as the Director of Citizenship and Immigration Control in Uganda. With a distinguished military background, he has risen through the ranks to become a key figure I national security and admirative oversight. His leadership is marked by a commitment to enhancing the efficiency and integrity of Uganda’s immigration services.

Under his direction, the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control focuses on streamlining processes, improving service delivery, and ensuring national security. Major General Kasiita-Gowa’s experience and strategic vision have been instrumental in driving reforms and fostering a culture of professionalism within the organization.

Isabelle has been working with the Biometrics Institute since May 2002 and, after almost 10 years in Australia, she is now based in London. She has played a key role in the establishment of the Biometrics Institute, the independent and international impartial membership organisation which is promoting the responsible, ethical and effective use of biometrics worldwide. She has created a global community of diverse stakeholders bringing together technical, research, privacy and public policy people all joining forces to make the world a better place through the responsible use of biometrics.

Sarah Zacka joined the Department of Home Affairs as an officer of the Australian Border Force (ABF) in 2012 and has worked in a variety of roles including Sydney International Airport, the Character and Cancellations Section, and the Regional Returns and Removals Taskforce in Papua New Guinea. Sarah commenced a posting to Thailand in December 2023 at the Australian Embassy in Bangkok in the role of First Secretary Airline Liaison Officer. She has regional coverage for Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar with a focus on facilitating legitimate travel, and the offshore deterrence, detection, disruption and dismantling of threats to the Australian border. Sarah has a Bachelor’s of Social Science, majoring in Criminology and Humanitarian and Peace Studies. As part of this degree, Sarah undertook a scholarship exchange program in the UK and France with a focus on Human Trafficking.

Since January 2024, Ross Greenwood has worked as a Principal Consultant at Biometix, a Biometric services company. Between 2010 and 2023 Ross worked as an independent consultant primarily undertaking border, passport, visa and civil registration related assessments for IOM, ICAO, OSCE and other international organisations. Ross was contracted by ICAO as the lead author of the ICAO TRIP Guide on Border Control Management, which was published in 2018.

Mr David Scott is a senior Australian Government official and Co-Manager of the Regional Support Office of the Bali Process. As Co-Manager and Officer-In-Charge of the RSO, David is responsible for the management of all day-to-day operations of the RSO to ensure the RSO is appropriately resourced and positioned to deliver on its priorities and effectively support the Bali Process and its Member States to counter people smuggling, trafficking in persons and related transnational crime. David is also responsible for setting the strategic direction for the RSO, executive engagement with Bali Process Co-Chairs, Members States and RSO donors and representing the RSO and Bali Process at a range of international meetings and fora.

Jakob Dam Glynstrup is head of the Danish National ID-centre. Jakob has a background from the immigration field and has been head of the Danish National ID-centre since it was established in 2018. The centre is an independent expert centre who assist Danish authorities with questions connected to the identification of foreigners within the area of biometrics, document verification and training. Jakob is also Chairman at the Biometrics Institute, an organization which focus on the responsible, ethical and effective use of biometrics.

For more than 25 years, Stephan has been an expert in ISO (SC17 WG3), CEN (TC224 WG 18 Biometrics, 19 Breeder Documents, 20 SSI eWallet) and ICAO working groups on identity. He is the editor for the CEN TC224 WG19 Breeder Document Trust framework. He has been seconded by IOM, UNDP, ICAO, ICRC and others to various advisory missions in Brazil, South Sudan, Malawi, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso and other countries. He is co-author of the IOM Guide to Free Zones and a guide on biometrics to be published in early 2023.

Chris is a double MSc, war veteran, former EU police, criminal intelligence officer and biometrics specialist. Chris has worked in Finland and overseas for several law enforcement and immigration agencies for well over 2 decades and currently is the head of ID-centre at the Finnish Immigration Service.

Fabiola Bellersheim is Vice President Sales for Asia & Caribbean of Veridos GmbH, a joint venture between Giesecke+Devrient and Bundesdruckerei. The company supplies governments and authorities with tailor-made complete solutions for secure identification. Governments in more than 100 countries trust the integration and product know-how of Veridos.

Fabiola joined G+D in 1996 as Strategic Marketing Manager. From 1999 she took over various key accounts worldwide and several strategic projects and then managed the G&D subsidiaries for Government Solutions in Middle East, Asia, Africa and Americas.

Over the past 25 years, Steve Grant has worked as a subject matter expert with multiple international organizations and governments applying his extensive experience in identity document systems, border security, consular management software, civil registries, voter registration and biometrics. In addition to his role at Entrust as the Director of Business Development and Strategic Alliances for Identity Verification, Steve is very active in the identity and travel standards industry. He is a Non-Executive Director with the International Border Management and Technology Association (IBMATA); a member of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Implementation and Capacity Building Working Group (ICBWG); a Canadian representative to the ISO SC17 WG3 standards group for Travel Documents; and is active in various traveller facilitation initiatives.

After working as an International Project Manager for several years, Lisette Looren de Jong is currently Programme Manager on Innovation Border Management at the Ministry of Justice and Security in The Netherlands. The scope of the programme includes the implementation of several different projects on innovation border management, such as updating the software and hardware of the Self Service Passport Control e-gates at Schiphol airport, the implementation of an Registered Traveller Programme, preparations for the implementation of the Entry Exit System, and the pilot project for the use of a DTC in boarding and border crossing processes.

Mr. Jacques von Benecke is the Group Chief Technology Officer for Druk Holdings & Investment Bhutan and consults for the Royal Government of Bhutan’s (RGoB) as a member of the Government Technology Commission. Jacques is the Chairman of the Thimphu Tech Park, and consults for several other boards on innovative technology covering AI, Blockchain and IoT.

Jacques is also a member of the Open Wallet Forum's Government Consultative Committee (GCC), as the official representative of RGoB and is the CTO for the Bhutan National Digital Identity program.

Mr. Sumnesh Joshi is an officer from 1993 Batch of Indian Telecom Service and has over 25 years of experience at various positions in Government of India. At present Mr. Joshi is heading Technology (Vertical) in Mumbai Area and responsible for proliferation of 5G technology, Internet of Things, Machine to Machine Communications in various sectors. In addition, he is the nodal officer for monitoring of 4G Mobile saturation project in East and West region of India.

Ms. Bradley is the Chief of the Countering Terrorist Travel Section within the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT). Within this role, Ms. Bradley leads coordination of UNOCT’s flagship global initiative, the United Nations Countering Terrorist Travel Programme, as well as managing programming of the UNOCT Addressing Counter Terrorism within Aviation Security (ACTAS) portfolio. Ms. Bradley also serves as Head of UNOCT’s Programme Office in Budapest, Hungary.

Prior to her appointment as Chief of Section within UNOCT, Ms. Bradley managed a global programme on Border Security and Management (BSM) within the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT). Ms. Bradley has also worked with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Regional Office for Eastern Africa, serving as Head of Office and Programme Coordinator for the country programme in Ethiopia. Her work in this regard included leading national projects relating to criminal justice reform, better migration management and countering transnational organized crime and terrorism.

Pol. Col. Saisaming Sivilay is the Deputy Director General of Laos' General Department of Public Security. He has been actively involved in enhancing border management and immigration security in Laos, collaborating with international organizations such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Under his leadership, Laos has undertaken projects to improve immigration technology and security, including the introduction of advanced systems to detect fraudulent travel documents and combat irregular migration. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to address human trafficking and border security challenges in the region.

Nigel has dedicated twenty years to a significant career in immigration and border management. Recently transitioning to the role of Executive VP for Global Government Engagement at Somapa Information Technology, Nigel is now based in South Africa. His expertise spans all major border management processes, where he has been instrumental in the development of regulatory structures, systems modernisation, and enhanced border capacities.

Working with Somapa IT and its Smart Border Solution, Nigel brings a unique blend of practical experience and innovative thinking to border management. He is committed to understanding the specific needs of each country and designing tailored solutions that leverage strategic policy to provide modernisation solutions that can be implemented without capital investment by governments.

Joining SITA in 2007, Andy has focused on driving innovation and collaboration for airlines, airports, and government & industry bodies. Since 2012 Andy has represented SITA's Border Management business. In addition to promoting the effective use of passenger data, pre-clearance, risk assessment and biometric solutions, Andy continues to champion the collaboration of all stakeholders within the industry. After 5 years focused on Europe, Andy moved to a global role as Subject Matter Expert with particular focus on Digital Travel and Risk & Threat Management. Andy has now moved to the Innovation & Strategy team, engaging with Industry Bodies, and driving innovation around Digital Travel at and beyond the border.

Kevin worked for the UK Border Force for 35 years, His last role was in the Intelligence Directorate where he was responsible for introducing an API regime for maritime traffic and for general aviation. This included carrier engagement and managing the operational change associated with these deployments.

He has worked for the UN CTTP since 2022, His responsibilities here include developing a Maritime API Module and an API solution for General Aviation. He is also researching solutions for land borders.

Jean-François Lennon is Vice President Strategic Sales and Global Partnerships at Vision-Box, an Amadeus Company, a leading provider of Seamless Travel and Digital Identity Solutions. Jeff is a Senior executive with over 20 years of experience in the security and digital technology industries. Jeff’s career broadened his market insights and expanded his international experience by opening and growing markets throughout the world.

Since joining Vision-Box in 2012, Jeff embarked on wide-ranging projects spearheading the exponential growth of the company. He currently leads strategic sales and partnerships on a global basis and is a key contributor to the scaling plans of the company. Jeff has a growing reputation as an industry thought leader and digital ID evangelist, combining his proficiency in transversal entrepreneurship and strategic thinking with a profound understanding of transformational trends.

Fanni Vikor is an Application Marketing and Business Development Manager for Government ID projects in Asia Pacific and Greater China at Infineon Technologies AG, Germany. Her main focus is to facilitate the deployment of highly efficient and robust electronic documents in the regions and to empower partners and governments with the relevant and up-to-date knowledge about secured chips, technologies and components embedded in electronic ID documents. Fanni's professional journey has seen her involved in diverse range of roles in product line management, business development and strategic marketing with a strong emphasis on delivering value and innovation to customers.

Susantha Kahawatta is the Director-General of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. He's responsible for the management and regulation of marine fisheries in the country. The department plays a crucial role in promoting sustainable fishing practices, supporting the livelihoods of fishing communities, and conserving marine resources.

He is a Super Grade officer in the Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS) with 24 years' service in the SLAS. He earned a BSc (Hons) in Business Administration in 1998 at the University of Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka, and a Master of Arts (Economics) in 2009 at the University of Kelaniya. Specialising in the administrative sector, he has completed postgraduate diplomas in Public Management, Regional Planning, and Public Procurement. He has also achieved Professional Level Part I of the Chartered Accountant course at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka.

Capt. Jayawardhane joined the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) in 1997 as an Officer Cadet and have served for nearly 27 years. Serving in the Directorate of Naval Intelligence since 2022 and currently holding the appointment of Director Naval Intelligence. Awarded with gallantry medal of Ranasura Padakkama and Uththama Sewa Padakkama for the bravery and for the unblemished service. He hold a MSc in Disaster Risk Reduction and Development, Sir John Kothalawala Defence University, Sri Lanka and have successfully completed International Maritime Officer Course in USA. He is a member of National Anti-Narcotic Command, and Civil Aviation Threat Assessment Committee, Sri Lanka.

Mr. Samson Uridia is the Head of the Department of International Relations at the Revenue Service, Ministry of Finance of Georgia, a position he has held since April 2010. In this role, he oversees bilateral and multilateral cooperation with national and international tax, customs, sanitary and phytosanitary organizations, and the donor community.

His public service career began in 1997 at the Antimonopoly Service of the Ministry of Economy. In 1998, he moved to the Bureau for Information on Assets and Finances of High Public Officials. By 2005, he joined the Customs Department of the Ministry of Finance and advanced to become the Deputy Head of the Customs Control Department of the Revenue Service.

Lt Col Michael Jones joined CARICOM IMPACS on 01 March 2009 as the Deputy Director of the Joint Regional Communications Centre and was promoted to Director the following year (2010). On the retirement of the previous Executive Director, he was granted permission to act in that capacity 6th January 2018 while maintaining his substantive duties as Chief Operations Officer, Border Security at the Joint Regional Communications Centre (JRCC) in Barbados. He was confirmed as Executive Director on 01 March 2021.

Mr. Akuila Ratu is the Head of the Pacific Immigration Development Community (PIDC) Secretariat based in Apia, Samoa. Akuila is a Fijian national and is the longest serving staff of PIDC having worked with PIDC and its membership for the last 16 years. Akuila was a former civil servant of the Fijian government prior to joining PIDC.

Akuila has worked closely with Heads of Immigration agencies, Directors, Managers and Officers from immigration agencies across the Pacific over the last 16 years supporting PIDC Members in the areas of capacity building, legislation and policy reform, information sharing and coordination, institutional strengthening and regional agenda setting for its membership. Mr. Ratu has also been heavily involved with Pacific Island Countries on regional issues impacting immigration agencies and law enforcement across the Pacific, serving on peak regional bodies like the Pacific Island Forum’s regional technical working groups in addition to undertaking advocacy for PIDC members in regional and international forums. Akuila is a strong supporter of partnership approaches and has been an advocate of the Pacific Regional Law Enforcement Partnership arrangement between immigration, customs and Police through their respective regional Secretariats at the Pacific Immigration Development Community, Oceania Customs Organization, the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police and the Forum Fisheries Agency.

With over a decade of experience in the biometrics industry, Mate has developed a deep understanding of the market and product landscape. His expertise spans software development, pre-sales, and solution delivery, with a focus on law enforcement and government agencies. Leading a regional team in Singapore for the past five years, Mate has driven business development and implemented large-scale biometric solutions across Southeast Asia.

Mikko Hakkarainen works as Team Leader in the Document Security and Identity Management Team of the European Commission (DG HOME). He has previously held positions in the field of migration and home affairs at both national and EU level, from visas and travel documents to irregular migration and border management. A lawyer by training and fascinated by technological capabilities, Mr Hakkarainen gets fired up about the big horizontal themes of security, data protection and digitalisation.

Maria Concepcion S. Espino is an Immigration Officer III. Recently, she was designated as Deputy Chief of INTERPOL Management Team of the Bureau of Immigration concurrent with her other designation as Prosecuting Attorney handling administrative cases in the Bureau. Prior to this designation, she was a Boarding Supervisor at the Bay Service Section. The longest assignment was with the Bay Service Section wherein she regularly conducted boarding formalities of passengers and crew onboard cruise ships, cargo vessels and other marine vessels. She is also a member of the group that is in constant coordination and cooperation with partner agencies to promote maritime security and safety. In her 15 years of service to the Bureau of Immigration, she held various designations, such as, Deputy Terminal Head at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA)-Terminal 2, Duty Immigration Supervisor, and Deputy Chief of the Bureau of Immigration National Operations Center (BINOC). She had undertaken primary, secondary and tertiary inspection duties as Immigration Officer in the international airports in Manila. In all of these designation, her primary task is to secure the border for national security and safety.

Ms. Pascale Mugwaneza is the Director of Communications and Technology at Rwanda’s Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration, with over a decade of experience in leading cutting-edge digital initiatives within the immigration sector. Since 2010, she has been instrumental in driving the digital transformation of Rwanda’s immigration services, guiding the strategic implementation of advanced technology solutions.

Areej Alzahrani managing the Partners Relation Department, connecting the National Travelers Security Center (NTSC) with airline partners to build strong, compliant relationships. Key responsibilities include onboarding airlines, supporting integration with NTSC systems, and overseeing compliance programs. Areej also handles airline queries on protocols, technical advices workshop, conducts annual evaluations, Partners data prediction proformance, and measures partner satisfaction to enhance service. Through these efforts, Areej ensures collaborative and secure operations between NTSC and its airline partners.

Donato is the "Regional Immigration and Border Management (IBM) Specialist" at the IOM Regional Office for Asia and Pacific, based in Bangkok, Thailand. He provides to IOM offices and Governmental counterparts expertise, planning and guidance in the development, coordination, and implementation of capacity building initiatives, in particular on border and migration management including Integrated Border Management and data collection and analysis. He assists IOM Country Offices and Governmental counterparts in developing, implementing and monitoring IOM's capacity building strategy and training activities, at national as well at regional level, undertaking, when requested, technical field assessments.

Tom is a Business & Technology Development Officer working in the Centre of Excellence for Combatting Document Fraud of Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency. There, he is involved in the development and implementation of the Agency’s new Image Archiving System on False and Authentic Documents Online (EBCG FADO). Tom also contributes to projects and activities that focus on electronic and digital document security and the performance of document inspection systems at borders. He is the current Lead of the ICBWG’s Borders and Law Enforcement Sub-Group.

Patricia Zucca is a Federal Police Commissioner with the Brazilian Federal Police since 2003 and in the migration field since 2019. She currently heads the Foreigners Documentation and Registration Unit in São Paulo, the busiest in Brazil.

Zucca is the Federal Police coordinator and one of the creators of Operation Horizon, an initiative that documents migrants and asylum seekers in vulnerable situation in São Paulo. This project was recognized in the 2022 IOM Compendium of Good Practices in Enabling Access to Legal Identity for Undocumented Migrants.

Fons is a Fellow at the University of Texas (US) and member of the board of advisors of Center for Identity. He has retired since October 2022, and was an official of the National Office for Identity Data (Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom relations). He advised on the development of the security concept for the Dutch passport and identity card. In addition, he advised different Governments during the development of many (electronic) passports and identity documents. He advised Governments by the restructuring of their identity infrastructure and redesigned the identification process of suspects arrested by the police.

He supervises the Database and Criminal Data Management Branches, while also serving on the Committee for the Revision of the INTERPOL Rules on the Processing of Data.

He is in charge of INTERPOL’s main border management databases, in particular FIELDS (Frontex INTERPOL Electronic Library Document System) - focusing on bringing fraudulent travel document information to first line border/police officials.

Mr. Di Carlo also represents the organization within international fora to strengthen the security of international borders.

Rocco Messina is a highly accomplished programme manager in counter-terrorism and border security. His extensive experience and expertise have enabled him to successfully design and implement comprehensive national border strategies in various countries. As the head of the Border Security and Management Unit at the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) within the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), he has been instrumental in supporting the inclusion of counter-terrorism elements in the UN Member States' border security strategies through technical assistance and capacity-building activities. During his tenure as Head of the Border Management Section at the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), he developed a comprehensive Haitian national border policy. He successfully created the Haitian Technical Border Commission, the Customs Police, and a specialised branch of the Haitian National Police in charge of securing the land borders. Moreover, his efforts in Afghanistan as Training Programme Manager with NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Mission were remarkable as he developed training curriculums for the Afghan Border Police.

Izza Leghtas is a Human Rights Officer at the UN Office of Human Rights (OHCHR) based in Bangkok, where she works on the human rights of migrants in Asia Pacific including on labour migration, the rights of migrants in vulnerable situations, strategic litigation and drivers of migration in the region.

Ghazi Ali Isa Alisan Al Subaie is a Lieutenant Colonel and the Director of Search & Follow Up at the Nationality, Passports, and Residence Affairs (N.P.R.A) in Bahrain. With 24 years of dedicated service, Lieutenant Colonel Ghazi has earned numerous accolades, including the Prince Salman Bin Hamad Medal for Medical Merit, Valor Medal, and the Gulf Security Medal. Ghazi holds a Master's Degree in Human Resources from the Gulf University and another Master's Degree from the Royal College of Command and Staff and National Defense in Bahrain. Ghazi's career includes significant roles such as Director of Sitra Police Station and Head of Operations at the Capital Governorate Police Directorate.

Rasieli Rabukawaqa is a Policy Manager and Planning. An Immigration Officer by profession is committed to developing evidence-based policies that enhance organizational effectiveness and align with national priorities. She leads strategic reforms, fosters stakeholder collaboration, and ensures responsive, innovative solutions to emerging challenges in border management and migration. Rasieli’s work promotes sustainable growth, social impact, and robust governance, driven by her passion for fostering integrity and continuous improvement in policy development.

Lt Col Mohammod Faisol, psc, Signals got commissioned in the Corps of Signals of Bangladesh Army in 2001. In his 23 years of service, he served in different regimental, instructional and staff appointments at numerous units, training institutions and organizations. He has undergone various courses and trainings in his long career. He is a graduate from Defence Services Command and Staff College, Mirpur, Dhaka. He has also completed his BSc in Computer Science and Engineering and currently pursuing his MSc in the same discipline.

Colonel Igor Cherepkov is the Advisor to the Director of the Border Service, National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Border Service of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan is an authorized body that carries out the protection and security of the State Border on land, in territorial waters (sea) and internal waters (including in the underwater environment) in order to ensure the integrity and inviolability of the State borders, maintaining law and order in the border space.