Speakers

Featured

• 

  Rob Eleveld

  Chairman, Transparency Coalition.ai
  

  Rob Eleveld

  Chairman, Transparency Coalition.ai

  Rob hails from Grand Rapids, Michigan. After college, he spent 5 years on active duty as a submarine officer in the United States Navy, serving aboard the fast attack submarine USS Batfish. Across a 25-year career in tech software and data companies, Rob is a 4-time CEO of early-to-mid stage companies in software and data beginning in 2000 with Vykor Inc., which he co-founded and led. Over the past 10 years at Whitepages Inc., he served in executive roles and eventually became CEO in 2016. Rob led the spinoff of the enterprise unit, rebranded Ekata Inc. in 2019, which Mastercard acquired in 2021. Rob has a BA in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College and an MBA as well as an MS in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Stanford University.

• 

  Mikko Hautala

  Ambassador of the Republic of Finland to the United States of America

  
  
  

  Mikko Hautala

  Ambassador of the Republic of Finland to the United States of America

  
  

  Mikko Hautala became Ambassador of Finland to the United States in September 2020. Prior to that (2016-2020), he served as Ambassador of Finland to Russia. 

  In 2012-2016 Ambassador Hautala worked as Foreign Policy Adviser to the President of the Republic of Finland. In 2011, he was appointed Deputy Head of Mission to Embassy of Finland to Russia, located in Moscow.

  Ambassador Hautala has also served as the Diplomatic Advisor the to Minister for Foreign Affairs (2007-2011) as well as the First Secretary at the Permanent Representation of Finland to the EU in Brussels (2002-2007).

  In the beginning of his career, he has served as Attaché at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Helsinki (2001-2002) and as Attaché at the Embassy of Finland in Kyiv, Ukraine (1998-2001). He joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland in 2001.

  In August 2020, Hautala was awarded (“Ambassador Prize”) by the Confederation of Finnish Industries for his excellent work in promoting the interests of Finnish companies in Russia. During his career, he has received several civil and military decorations both nationally and internationally.

  Ambassador Hautala was born in 1972 in Seinäjoki, Finland. He holds degrees in Master of Political Science (M.Pol.Sc) and Master of Philosophy (MPhil), both from Helsinki University. He currently holds the military rank of Captain (RESVT).

  Ambassador Hautala is, in addition to the native Finnish, fluent in English, Swedish, Russian, Ukrainian and Polish. He likes to read and think.

  He is married to Heli Hautala, who is also a career diplomat. They have two sons.

• 

  Pablos Holman

  Hacker, Inventor & Technology Futurist, Deep Future
  

  Pablos Holman

  Hacker, Inventor & Technology Futurist, Deep Future

  Pablos is a hacker, inventor & technology futurist with a unique ability to distill complex technology into practical tools. Always building the future, his projects include cryptocurrency in the 1990s; AI for stock market trading; building spaceships at Blue Origin for Jeff Bezos; the world’s smallest PC and 3D printers at Makerbot. Pablos helped start the Intellectual Ventures Lab for Nathan Myhrvold to support a wide range of invention projects, including a brain surgery tool; a machine to suppress hurricanes; a nuclear reactor powered by nuclear waste; and a machine that can shoot mosquitoes out of the sky with lasers – part of an impact invention effort to eradicate malaria with Bill Gates. A member of the most prolific team of inventors in the United States, Pablos has over 70 patents.

  A world-renowned expert in 3D Printing, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Robotics, Automated Manufacturing, & Crypto, Pablos has contributed to visions for the future of urban transportation, entertainment, education, energy, manufacturing, health care, food delivery, sensor networks, payment systems & cloud computing.

  With a unique ability to articulate practical solutions and visions for the future of technology, Pablos is often invited to speak at conferences about innovation, invention, hacking, technology & cyber security. He has spoken at Stanford, the United Nations, the World Economic Forum at Davos, the Microsoft CEO Summit, The FORTUNE CEO Summit, the CIA, Google Zeitgeist, The Milken Global Conference, and to many of the top tech companies and conferences in the world. His TED Talks have over 30 million views.

  Currently, Pablos is Managing Director at Deep Future, backing mad scientists, rogue inventors, crazy hackers & maverick entrepreneurs implementing science fiction, solving big problems and helping our species become better ancestors.

• 

  Jay Inslee

  Governor, Washington State
  

  Jay Inslee

  Governor, Washington State

  Jay Inslee is a fifth-generation Washingtonian who has lived and worked on both sides of the state. He grew up in the Seattle area where his father, Frank, was a high school teacher and coach. His mother, Adele, worked as a sales clerk at Sears & Roebuck. Jay worked his way through college and graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in economics before earning his law degree at Willamette University. He and his wife, Trudi, then moved to Selah, a small town near Yakima where they raised their three sons. Jay worked as an attorney and prosecutor.

  Jay and Trudi are now proud grandparents to six active little Inslees. Besides writing and illustrating books for his grandchildren and sketching scenes from around Washington, Jay is an avid cyclist and charter member of Hoopaholics, a youth basketball academy.

  Jay first became involved in public service in 1985 when he and Trudi helped lead the effort to build a new public high school in Selah. Motivated to fight against proposed funding cuts for rural schools, Jay went on to represent the 14th Legislative District in the state House of Representatives. He was then elected to Congress in 1992. The Inslees later moved back to Kitsap County where Jay was elected to Congress in 1998, serving until 2012 when he was elected governor.

  He is currently the longest serving governor in the United States.

  During his time in Congress, Jay became known as a forward-thinking leader, especially on issues of clean energy and climate change. He co-wrote a book, "Apollo's Fire: Igniting America's Clean-Energy Economy," about fighting climate change through clean energy innovation and job-creation. As governor, he has helped put Washington state at the forefront of climate action and is helping lead numerous subnational partnerships. Since 2013, the state has passed nation-leading policies to transition to 100% clean electricity, cap carbon pollution, electrify transportation, and more.

  Over the past decade, Washington has consistently been among the few states to rank as one of the best states for business and one of the best states for workers. From commercial space and sustainable maritime to advanced agriculture and forest products, the growth of Washington’s key sectors is helping attract new companies and create jobs in communities all across the state. Washington has one of the nation’s highest minimum wages, paid sick leave for all workers, a best-in-the-nation paid family leave program, and one of the highest union membership rates.

• 

  Felix Grunewald

  Executive, Northvolt
  

  Felix Grunewald

  Executive, Northvolt

  Felix Grunewald, a KTH graduate in Industrial Engineering and Management with a focus on Applied Mathematics, started out his career as a management consultant advising global corporations across Europe, North America and Asia. Felix’s Northvolt journey started 2018 in the PMO & Strategy team where he took part in founding the Northvolt Ett Program, from securing the financing (equity & debt) to defining the project governance model required for the execution of >1,000 construction workers per day. 

  After spending two years operationally in the program, Felix stepped into the role to build up Northvolt's blueprint under Paolo Cerutti (co-founder of Northvolt). The Blueprint is Northvolt’s cornerstone for the scale-up strategy and covers not only the factory designs but also design for manufacturing and financing. What started as a dedicated team in 2020 is today 70+ experts and engineers who are an integral part of the delivery in all Northvolt cell programs in Sweden, Germany and Canada. The Blueprint has opened doors to strategic partnerships and Felix has been part of setting up two Joint Ventures with Northvolt, one with Volkswagen in 2020 and one with Volvo Cars in 2021, both using the blueprints developed by his team.

• 

  Chris Levesque

  President & CEO, TerraPower
  

  Chris Levesque

  President & CEO, TerraPower

  Chris Levesque is president and chief executive officer of TerraPower, and also serves as a member of the TerraPower Board. He was appointed to that position in November 2018 after having served as president of TerraPower since 2015. Levesque leads this nuclear innovation company in the pursuit of next-generation nuclear energy solutions and also oversees TerraPower’s new venture into therapeutic medical isotopes. His proven track record in scoping, planning and implementing complex projects began with his service in the U.S. Nuclear Navy and features more than 30 years of experience in the nuclear field. 

  Levesque holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a Master of Science in mechanical engineering and a Naval Engineer degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also serves on the Board of the Nuclear Energy Institute.

• 

  Mårten Mickos

  CEO, HackerOne
  

  Mårten Mickos

  CEO, HackerOne

  Mårten Mickos is the CEO of HackerOne, the world's most popular bug bounty platform. Previously Mårten was the CEO of Eucalyptus Systems, acquired by Hewlett-Packard where he served as head of the cloud business. Mårten was the CEO of MySQL AB from 2001 to 2008. He served on the board of Nokia from 2012 to 2015. Marten is a thought leader on leadership and disruptive business models.

• 

  Sara Modig

  State Secretary Ministry of Climate and Enterprise, Sweden
  

  Sara Modig

  State Secretary Ministry of Climate and Enterprise, Sweden

  Sara Modig is State Secretary to Minister for Energy, Business and Industry, Ebba Busch.

  Education:

  • 2002–2006
    Degree of Master of Laws, Stockholm University
  • 2003–2006
    Degree of Master of Science in Economics, Stockholm University
  • 1999–2002
    International Baccalaureate, Per Brahegymnasiet, (upper secondary school)

  Recent positions and assignments:

  • 2023–
    State Secretary, Ministry of Climate and Enterprise
  • 2022–2023
    State Secretary, Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation
  • 2021–2022
    CEO, Richmond Finch/Racing Shield AB
  • 2021-2021
    Head of Category Optimization, Åhléns AB
  • 2019–2021
    Concession Manager Fashion and Home, Åhléns AB
  • 2018–2021
    Assortment Manager, Interior Brands, Åhléns AB
  • 2017–2018
    Head of Sales, eCommerce, Åhlens AB
  • 2016–2017
    Project Manager, Strategic Initiatives, Åhléns AB
  • 2014–2016
    Project Manager and General Counse, Axstores AB
    
• 

  Jesper Møller Sørensen

  Ambassador of Denmark to the United States
  

  Jesper Møller Sørensen

  Ambassador of Denmark to the United States

  Ambassador Jesper Møller Sørensen is the Ambassador of Denmark to The United States at the Royal Danish Embassy in Washington D.C.

  Most recently, he held a position as the State Secretary for Foreign Policy in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (2019-2023). Prior to this, he was the Political Director in the Foreign Ministry (2015-2019).

  Ambassador Møller Sørensen has also previously been the Ambassador of Denmark to Pakistan (2013-2015), and the Deputy Ambassador to Afghanistan (2010-2011).

  In 2019, he also briefly served in the EU’s European External Action Service (EEAS).

  Ambassador Møller Sørensen began his career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Denmark in 1997. He served abroad at the Royal Danish Embassy in Ankara, Turkey (2000-2003), and he was Minister Counsellor for political affairs at the Royal Danish Embassy in Washington D.C. (2005-2009).

  Earlier in his career, Ambassador Møller Sørensen worked in the department for European Enlargement (1997-1998), the department for Africa (1998-2000), and the department for Security Policy (2003-2005). He also served as the Head of Department of the Analysis Unit (2011-2013).

  The Ambassador holds a Master of Political Science from University of Copenhagen and a bachelor from Aarhus University. He is a First Class Knight of the Order of Dannebrog.

  Ambassador Møller Sørensen lives with his partner, Rasmus Windeløv. They have two young children.

• 

  Mary Snapp

  Vice President, Strategic AI Initiatives, Microsoft
  

  Mary Snapp

  Vice President, Strategic AI Initiatives, Microsoft

  Mary brings her experience and perspective from over 35 years at Microsoft to lead strategic AI initiatives in the Office of the Vice Chair and President. She is a frequent speaker on issues related to Microsoft’s corporate and social responsibility as well as technology policy, including in relation to AI.

  She formerly led Microsoft’s Global Philanthropies, investing the company’s technology, financial support, employee talent, and voice to partner with nonprofits and communities to create lasting positive impact. Prior to that, Mary was Deputy General Counsel leading legal support for Microsoft’s engineering organizations. 

  Mary has been an active board member for many nonprofit organizations, including the YWCA of Seattle, King, and Snohomish County, the Seattle Art Museum, the National 4-H Council, Washington STEM, and Farm Foundation. She also serves on the University of Michigan’s President’s Advisory Group, and on the National FFA Foundation’s Corporate Sponsors’ Board.

  Mary joined Microsoft in 1988 as its fourth attorney, and first female attorney. She grew up in Newton, Kansas, where she still has close family, and graduated from the University of Kansas School of Journalism before earning her law degree at the University of Michigan.

• 

  Birger Steen

  CEO & Director of the Board, FREYR Battery
  

  Birger Steen

  CEO & Director of the Board, FREYR Battery

  Mr. Steen currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of FREYR Battery, as well as Director of the Board of FREYR Battery Norway. 

  Prior to joining FREYR, Birger Steen was a Thematic Partner at Summa Equity. He is currently Board Chair at Nordic Semiconductor ASA and Pagero Group AB (publ.), and serves on the boards of Nordea Bank Abp, where he chairs the Operations and Sustainability Committee, and Pragmatic Semiconductor LLC. He was previously Chief Executive Officer of Parallels, Inc., WW Vice President of Distribution & SMB at Microsoft Corp, both in Seattle, VP & General Manager at Microsoft Russia and General Manager at Microsoft Norge AS (subsidiaries of Microsoft Corp.). Prior to joining Microsoft, Mr. Steen was Chief Executive Officer at Scandinavia Online AS (publ.), a VP at Schibsted ASA and a consultant at McKinsey & Co. 

  Steen holds an MBA degree from INSEAD as well as degrees from the Norwegian Defense School of Intelligence & Security and Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTNU). 

  FREYR Battery is a developer of clean, next-generation battery cell production capacity. The Company’s mission is to accelerate the decarbonization of global energy and transportation systems by producing clean, cost-competitive batteries. FREYR seeks to serve the primary markets of energy storage systems (“ESS”) and commercial mobility, and the Company maintains an ambition to serve the passenger electric vehicles market (“EV”). FREYR is commissioning and operating its Customer Qualification Plant (“CQP”) for technology development in Mo I, Rana, Norway, and the Company is commencing development of the Giga America battery manufacturing project in Coweta County, Georgia, in the U.S. 

• 

  Molly Wright Steenson

  President & CEO, American Swedish Institute
  

  Molly Wright Steenson

  President & CEO, American Swedish Institute

  Dr. Molly Wright Steenson is a designer, author, professor, and international speaker. She is the president and CEO of the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis.

  Molly’s research focuses on the intersection of design, architecture, AI, and ethics. At Carnegie Mellon University, where she has been on faculty since 2015, she is Vice Provost for Faculty, the K&L Gates Associate Professor of Ethics and Computational Technologies and an associate professor in the School of Design (courtesy appointment, School of Architecture). From 2018–21, she was Senior Associate Dean for Research for the College of Fine Arts.

  She is the author of Architectural Intelligence: How Designers and Architects Created the Digital Landscape (MIT Press, 2017), which tells the radical history of AI’s impact on design and architecture, and Bauhaus Futures (MIT Press, 2019), co-edited with Laura Forlano & Mike Ananny. A web pioneer since 1994, she’s worked at groundbreaking design studios, consultancies, and Fortune 500 companies.  She holds a PhD in Architecture from Princeton University, a Master’s in Environmental Design (architectural history) from Yale School of Architecture, and a BA in German from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with honors and distinction.

  From 2013–15, Molly was an assistant professor in the School of Journalism & Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she taught digital studies, data visualization, and large lecture courses, and led Mellon-funded research projects in the digital humanities. She was a professor at the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea in Ivrea, Italy in 2003–04, where she led the Connected Communities research group, and an adjunct professor at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena in the Media Design Practices Program from 2010–12.

• 

  Dr. Francesco Venneri

  CEO & Founder, Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation
  

  Dr. Francesco Venneri

  CEO & Founder, Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation

  With over 30 years of experience as a Nuclear Engineering and Plasma Physics specialist, Dr. Venneri founded Ultra-Safe Nuclear Corporation in 2011, serving initially as the Director and then CEO of the corporation. Previously, he held positions including Chief Scientist and Project Leader of the transmutation of nuclear waste (ATW) project at Los Alamos National Laboratories and Chief Scientist within the Energy Group (fission systems) at General Atomics. His research achievements include advancements in the concept of Deep Burn for nuclear waste in HTGR units. Dr. Venneri is also a co-inventor of Fully Ceramic Microencapsulate (FCM) nuclear fuel and holds degrees in physics, mechanical engineering, and nuclear engineering.

  Dr. Francesco Venneri received his Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Illinois in 1988 with a Dense Plasma Focus on magnetized plasmas, x-ray production and diagnostics. He continued on to a postdoctoral research position at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in Physics performing MST fusion experiments, density and temperature diagnostics. Dr. Venneri lives in Seattle with his family.