Speakers June 2023 – Opening and session I

Agnès Diallo has over 20 years of experience supporting government-level institutions and private sector organisations in France and across Europe in the areas of digital identity, data protection, security, as well as business transformation. Before joining eu-LISA in 2023, as an Executive Vice-President and a member of the Executive Committee at IN Groupe – a European leader in digital identity solutions -, she was in charge of the Group Business, Performance and Strategy (2021-2023), and Digital Identity and Services (2019-2021). Agnès has also held a number of senior management positions with global IT company ATOS and was an Associate Principal with McKinsey & Company for over 10 years. She holds a degree in Political Science from the Institut d´Études Politiques de Paris, a master´s degree in Business Administration from Essec Business School and a master´s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University.

The European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA) was established to provide a long-term solution for the operational management of large-scale IT systems, which are essential instruments in the implementation of the asylum, border management and migration policies of the EU. The Agency currently manages Eurodac, the Schengen Information System (SIS) and the Visa Information System (VIS). Further to these, eu-LISA is developing the Entry/Exit System (EES), the European Travel Information Authorisation System (ETIAS) and the European Criminal Records Information System – Third-Country Nationals (ECRIS-TCN). These systems and the pre-existing ones are being built/adapted to ensure Interoperability – improved access to information stored in EU information systems and identity management at an EU level. The Agency is also in the process of integrating e-CODEX into its portfolio.

Dr. Javier Galbally received the M.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from the Universidad de Cantabria, Spain, in 2005, and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain, in 2009, where he was an Assistant Professor until 2012. In 2013, he joined the EC in DG Joint Research Centre, where he worked as a Scientific Officer until 2022 when he joined the Research and Development team within the Building Capability Sector at eu-LISA. His research background is mainly focused on the security and performance evaluation of biometric systems, development of pattern recognition and machine learning applications, and the use of data science on large scale IT systems. He has authored more than 100 scientific publications in the field of data science that have produced over 6000 citations. He is the chair of the EAB-RPC conference and the recipient of a number of awards and distinctions in different scientific international peer reviewed conferences.

The European Commission’s department (DG HOME) in charge of migration and home affairs, under the leadership of Commissioner Ylva Johansson. Within the Commission, DG HOME is responsible for the EU’s internal security policy. The aim is to build a safer Europe by fighting terrorism and organised crime, by promoting police cooperation and by preparing to swiftly respond to emerging crises. Furthermore, it is also responsible to securing the EU external borders and maintaining an area without borders, in which citizens, many non-EU nationals, business people and tourists can freely circulate without being subjected to border checks (the Schengen Area).

Marc Sulon is Head of Unit ‘Digital Schengen’ in DG Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME), European Commission, since 2019. Before assuming this position, he was Head of Sector for ‘Smart Borders’ as of 2009. Previously, he worked at the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the in-house science service of European Commission, where he implemented a project management system. He started at European Commission in 1994 after a first European experience as assistant of a Member of the European Parliament. He studied philosophy and logic at the University of Liège (Belgium).

European Commission’s Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT) is the Commission department responsible to develop a digital single market to generate smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in Europe. This DG develops and carries out the Commission’s policies on digital economy and society, and research and innovation. Unit H is responsible for Digital Society, Trust and Cybersecurity. This Unit aims at providing a strategic approach to the societal dimension of the DSM, focusing on applications that combine digital policy, digital Research and Innovation, and deployment and provide for leadership in cyber security and digital privacy and digital trust policy, legislation and innovation. It also pays specific attention to the interplay of EU digital policy and digital technologies with EU policy in application areas such as transport, energy, climate, environment, health, ageing, employment, public sector, security and data protection.

Boryana Hristova-Ilieva is a legal officer in the unit H2 dealing with cybersecurity and digital privacy policy of DG CNECT of the European Commission. For the past 4 years, she has been part of the team working on the implementation and revision of the NIS Directive and during last year, also on the proposal for a Cyber Resilience Act. Before joining DG CNECT, Boryana has been working as a case handler in merger control in the IT and telecoms sectors and antitrust enforcement in the energy sector at DG Competition of the European Commission.