Dr. Joseph Muscat

Dr Joseph Muscat took office as Prime Minister of Malta on 11 March 2013. He was born in Pietà on 22 January 1974. He received his formal education at the Government Primary School in St. Paul’s Bay, Stella Maris and St. Aloysius’ College. He graduated with Honours from the University of Malta in Public Policy and later as Master of European Studies. In 2007 he attained a Doctorate of Philosophy in Management Research from the University of Bristol (UK). From 1992-1997 he was a journalist and eventually Assistant Head of news with a national private radio station.

He was elected member to the National Executive of the Partit Laburista at the age of 21 and later nominated as Education Secretary of the Party. From 1997 to 1998 he was a member of the National Commission for Fiscal Morality. Dr. Muscat was also a market intelligence manager and investment adviser. He successfully contested the first European Parliamentary elections in Malta in 2004. In 2006 he was the recipient of the Outstanding Young Person of the Year. In 2008 he was elected as the Leader of the Partit Laburista. Dr Muscat is married to Michelle, née Tanti, and they have twin daughters, Etoile Ella and Soleil Sophie.

Hon. Silvio Schembri

Silvio Schembri is an elected Maltese politician and academic currently serving as a Junior Minister for Financial Services, Digital Economy & Innovation within the Maltese Government. Hon Mr. Schembri was born in Luqa, the second child among four siblings. His father John Schembri has occupied the office of Mayor of Luqa since 2001.

Silvio is an experienced lecturer in Economics with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. He is skilled in political communications, negotiations, sustainable development, political science, and analytical skills. He has a Master of Arts and a Bachelors Degree of Honours focused in Economics from the University of Malta.

Dr Miriam Dalli, MEP

Dr Miriam Dalli is the only MEP in the Politico 28 Class of 2019. She has been identified as a “doer” and an “eco-warrior” thanks to her work on the legislation setting new CO2 emission standards for cars and vans. She was identified as one of the most influential MEPs in the European Parliament for the mandate 2014-2019 by Politico and Votewatch. During this term, she served as Coordinator in the ENVI Committee for the Socialists and Democrats. Described as a “master for building progressive alliances” the Maltese MEP returned to Parliament with one of the highest votes ever registered in the Maltese Islands.

Steve Wozniak

In Silicon Valley, Steve Wozniak helped shape the computing industry with his design of the Apple I and II and influenced the popular Macintosh. In 1976, Wozniak and Steve Jobs founded Apple Computer Inc. with Wozniak’s Apple Personal computers. The following year, he introduced his Apple II personal computer, featuring a central processing unit, a keyboard, colour graphics, and a floppy disk drive. He has now co-founded an energy-focused blockchain company called Efforce.

Tim Byun

With decades of experience in Risk and Compliance, Tim Byun presently serves as CEO of OKCoin, one of the world’s leading fiat-focused digital asset exchanges with service in 184 countries. Tim served as BitPay’s Chief Compliance Officer for two years and Visa’s AML Officer for five years. Tim started his career as a field bank examiner at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and then worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco for a total of 16 years. He holds an MBA from the University of California Los Angeles and a Bachelor’s from the University of Southern California.

Changpeng Zhao

Dr Abdalla Kablan

Daniel Grech

Daniel is a seasoned academic and professional specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Fintech. He holds a degree in Computer Science from the University of Malta and a Masters of Science in Statistics from the University of Sheffield.

He has been active in the startup scene both locally and internationally for over five years having held a number of different technical and non-technical roles across various sectors. He is very passionate about disruptive startups, all forms of automation and decentralized technologies and has been an active part of the discussion regarding the regulation of crypto-related projects in Malta.

Dr Ian Gauci

Dr Ian Gauci is the Managing Partner at GTG Advocates, Afilexion Alliance and Caledo Group. He is engaged primarily in technology law, fintech, regtech, electronic communications, information society, data protection and gaming/gambling, while also focusing on consumer law, competition law, broadcasting law, cyber law, e-commerce, m-commerce, e-health, e-payment, information technology, unfair commercial practices and misleading advertising. Dr Gauci also provides consultancy on legal matters related to blockchain technology, smart contracts, crypto-currencies and ICO/ITO. He has assisted the Maltese Government amongst others on issues dealing with E-Trust certification, the Malta Communications Authority (MCA) on its E-commerce strategy as well as the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA). He was one of the strategic advisors appointed by Government on the National Blockchain Strategy Taskforce. Dr Gauci is an advisor to the Malta Digital Innovation Authority as well as the Malta Financial Services Authority. He has co-authored the Maltese Electronic Communications Framework and lectures Legal Futures and Technology at the University of Malta. He is also a co-founder and Secretary of the Malta Blockchain Association. 

Sosan Oh

Susan Oh is a civic technologist in AI and blockchain integration towards scalable solutions for social good. She is co-founder and CEO of Muckr.AI, which uses machine learning to measure the trustworthiness of content based on source behaviour. She is a governing member of Blockchain For Impact, a non-profit in partnership with the UN GA, and a member of the Global Sustainability Network, a Vatican and Church of England joint initiative to end human trafficking. She is the recipient of the Quantum Impact Award #DecadeOfWomen in partnership with the UN GA as one of Top Ten Frontier Women in Digital and speaks around the world on the role of AI and blockchain in serving the UN’s sustainable development goals.

Da Hongfei

As far as the blockchain technology industry in China is concerned, Da Hongfei is a noted luminary. He has been responsible for the first few blockchain companies based in China. Such is his pedigree in the Chinese blockchain and cryptocurrency space that government officials reportedly contacted him prior to issuing the September ICO and cryptocurrency exchange platform bans. He is a pioneer of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency applications in Asia.

Sonia Hernandez

Sonia Hernandez joined Vodafone in 2012 as the head of supply chain radio access at the Vodafone Procurement Company (VPC) in Luxembourg. In 2015 she was promoted to Group supply chain commercial and services director and was responsible for expenditure across all operating companies, in the areas of Marketing, Customer Care, Human Resources, Business Services and Real Estate. She also was a member of the Board of Directors of the VPC.
Currently, she is a member of the Board of Directors of Vodafone Germany and Kabel Deutschland.
Throughout her career, Ms Hernandez has occupied key roles in sales, human resources and supply chain management. Prior to joining Vodafone, she worked for Siemens Mobile Communications and was in charge of global sales account management for international accounts such as Telefonica and Telecom Italia.
She was a key contributor to the growth of the Siemens mobile and Nokia Siemens Networks business in Latin America. She then made a career change to human resources management and served as Head of HR for Nokia Siemens Networks.
In June 2018, Ms Hernandez joined Vodafone Malta as Chief Executive Officer. She speaks five languages fluently and studied Electrical Engineering at the Technical University of Madrid.

Rick Tumlinson

Rick Tumlinson has been called one of the world’s top space “visionaries” and is credited with helping create the commercial space industry, often referred to as: NewSpace. He is a founding partner of SpaceFund, a new type of investment firm at the intersection of digital financial technologies and space development. A leading writer, speaker and Congressional witness, he led the commercial takeover of the Russian Mir space station, signed the first space tourist, co-founded the Space Frontier Foundation, and was a founding board member of the X-Prize. Rick also founded Deep Space Industries – an asteroid mining company. As a result of his world-changing work, in 2015 he won the World Technology Award. Currently, his non-profit organization, New Worlds Institute, is developing the people and technology to settle the frontier.

Nigel Green

Establishing the firm in 2002, Nigel Green is the founder and the driver of deVere. Mr Green’s insightful perception of the contemporary world was the key element that led him to create a niche for people who lived an international lifestyle, by creating a firm with a worldwide approach to conducting business.
With over 50 offices around the world, the deVere Group has a substantial global presence to be accessible to its international clientele. Despite the grandeur of the firm, the deVere operates on one cohesive note, as Nigel Green is very much active in every aspect of the business, instilling his vision onto employees.

Kris Marszalek

Stephen McCarthy

Stephen McCarthy graduated with a B.A. Honours in Accountancy from the University of Malta in 1986, and went on to obtain a warrant as a Certified Public Accountant. Following to this, Mr. McCarthy worked in the financial field as Financial Controller and Financial Consultant with various companies. In 1989 he joined a team of professionals from various management fields who jointly set up The Management Advisory Group. The Group covered most areas of management, including Financial Management, and specialises in helping local and foreign businesses to restructure and to meet new market challenges. One of the group’s major assignments was the transition of the Water Works Department (Malta) to the Water Services Corporation between 1989 and 1992, in which Mr. McCarthy played a key role in the restructuring of the organisation and the commercialisation of its accounting system. Mr. McCarthy was appointed Finance Director of Greenpeace Mediterranean for five consecutive years, during which period he also formed part of the Greenpeace International Standardisation Board. During his working experience, Mr. McCarthy has been working with different local companies in various sectors such as the service, property development and gaming industries. He also held the position of Financial Controller of Bigpoint International Services Limited for four years. Furthermore, Mr. McCarthy served for five years as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Union Print Company Limited and two years as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Untours Insurance Agency Ltd. Recently, Mr. McCarthy was involved in the social area, where for five years he served as CEO of the Malta Housing Authority. All the noteworthy assignments for which Mr. McCarthy has been responsible during the past years have earned him considerable experience and credibility in the field of business development and management.

Svetlana Shubina

I am a blockchain evangelist and I help blockchain-based projects to realization through Security Audits by Kaspersky. We provide cyber-security solutions to crypto-exchanges, ICO, STO and enterprise organisations. Kaspersky is a global leading cyber-security company trusted by over 400 million users in over 200 locations with more than 4000 employees globally and 1/3 of the company are R&D and Security experts. Prior to Kaspersky, my working experience includes business development and marketing roles for one of Russia’s largest SaaS companies with nearly 2 million customers and over 7,500 staff. I grew the customer base from 420,000 to 1.2 million clients and increased online sales by 31%.

Mark Hipperson

Mark has co-founded a UK retail bank and two financial technology businesses. He acts as an advisor to investment and private equity firms and is a regular Fintech commentator and speaker. Mark is the founder and CEO of Esqimo, building the world’s first, truly integrated ‘crypto bank’. Esqimo makes currency complexity a thing of the past and opens up the full world of digital/crypto/FX currencies. No more excessive and/or hidden fees. No more delays in transferring money. A total focus on security and regulation. The ability to instantly send, share, pay, buy, and sell. The cool home for your money. Previously, he co-founded Starling Bank where he was responsible for helping to secure the UK banking licence with regulators and obtaining the initial $70m funding the Bank achieved in December 2015. He was also responsible for the design, build, implementation and support of the Bank’s IT services platform, apps and infrastructure.

He started his career at Barclays where he was deputy CTO and Head of Technology for the Barclays Group

Joseph Portelli

Joseph Portelli has over 33 years’ experience employed in various capacities within the financial industry in the U.S and in Malta. He has vast experience as a portfolio manager, currency and commodity trader and has been employed with Bank of America, Nomura Securities, Goldman Sachs, Millburn Ridgefield, Global Capital, and Liongate Capital Management. He was also chief investment officer and managing director of FMG Funds, an emerging markets specialist. He is currently Chairman of the Malta Stock Exchange and Malta Stock Exchange Institute. Joseph founded the Institute of Investment Analysis and was a visiting lecturer at the University of Malta.

Maria Marenco

Mrs Marenco is Blockchain Strategist, Healthcare Informatics expert, and Mental Health professional.

With her multidisciplinary and international background, Maria brings extensive experience and knowledge having worked with a global not-for-profit Health IT organization in the capacity of an in-house SME on Blockchain and AI technologies, and respective Public Affairs and Communications.

Mrs Marenco has spent most of her professional career in the broad overlapping fields of health and informatics. She is inspired by a holistic vision of human wellbeing, that encompasses physical and mental health. Guided by this vision, and after several years of accumulated and valuable experience also in the pharma industry (i.e. large corporations), Maria launched her own company – MentFort Ltd.

In addition to her entrepreneurial background, Maria is involved in The Swedish Blockchain Association, as a vertical lead for the eHealth/Health sector and the Sweden/NordicChapter Lead for the Government Blockchain Association.

Paolo Catafamo

Paolo Catalfamo is Founder and Chairman of the financial group Investar, based in Malta, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the US, and Adjunct Professor at the Villanova School of Business in Philadelphia.
He serves as Chairman of Global Capital plc, a financial conglomerate listed on the Malta Stock Exchange. He is also Chairman of Global Capital Life Insurance ltd, Chairman of Global Capital Health Insurance ltd and Chairman of Global Capital Financial Management ltd, all regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority. He’s a Board Member of Centtrip Ltd, a London based fintech company regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority. He’s also the Founder and Chairman of Palladium plc, a blockchain financial services company.
He is a Board Member of the National Italian American Foundation in Washington D.C. (the association which represents the 26 million Italian-Americans) and Chairman of NIAF Italia.
He has been the Chairman of the Advisory Board of the American University of Rome, Board Member of the Advisory Board of the Villanova School of Business in Philadelphia and Board Member of the Advisory Board of Bocconi University in Milan
From 1991 to 2010 he has been teaching Economics of International Financial Intermediaries at Bocconi University, the University of Turin, the University of Miami and the Florida Atlantic University.

Dana Farrugia

Dana Farrugia is the CEO of Tech.mt, a foundation established in partnership between the Government of Malta and The Malta Chamber of Commerce to promote the National strategy for Technology & Innovation. She is engaged in ensuring sector growth for technology and innovation, primarily focusing on AI, blockchain, IOT, cloud services, data analytics, software development, robotics, cyber security and research on innovative solutions. Dana Farrugia has worked in the telecoms industry for fourteen years, mainly shaping the mobile, fixed, internet, tv, fiber and IP networks in Malta. She has also worked at the Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Businesses for six years where she has developed an in-depth understanding of the needs of different local industries and also gained a sound exposure on the potential of various international markets. Dana Farrugia is also a Director at Malta Enterprise and at the Malta Start-up Foundation.

Enzo Villani

Enzo is a serial entrepreneur that has lead organizations in his “buy and build” strategy which leverages acquisitions and game-changing growth strategies that deliver value differentiation. As Managing Director, Strategy for Nasdaq, Enzo co-founded Nasdaq Global Corporate Solutions Group. He has raised over $500 million in funding as a buy-side consolidator. He holds an MBA from Cornell University and is a recognized strategist for financial technology companies, blockchain firms, and the capital markets.

Jacopo Visetti

Jacopo is a pioneer in energy efficiency markets. After years of experience as a quantitative analyst, he founded AitherCO2, a leading company in the energy efficiency market. He is a visiting professor in several universities worldwide, regularly participates as a speaker at energy-saving events and has consulted on environmental market mechanisms to Fortune 500 Companies and to the California State Senate. Jacopo graduated in Finance from the Cattolica University of Milan and in Macroeconomics from Harvard University.
He is Project Lead and Co-founder with Steve Wozniak of Efforce, the first blockchain-based energy-saving platform.

John deVadoss

John leads NEO Global Development in Seattle, WA, with a focus on the developer experience and tools. Previously he built and successfully exited two Machine Learning start-ups. Earlier in his career at Microsoft, John incubated and built Microsoft Digital from zero to $0.5B in revenue, and he led Architecture, Product, and Developer Engagement for the .NET platform v1. He has published a number of books on Software Architecture, and is currently working on a book on Decentralized Systems.

Erick Zhang

Erick joined Binance in 2017 and oversees Binance Research, the data-driven research and analysis arm of global blockchain ecosystem Binance that provides institutional-grade reports and analysis aiming to increase transparency and improve the quality of information in the crypto space. Prior to Binance, Erick built his career with several years of experience in banking, investment and big data analytics. Erick received a Master degree from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor degree from the University of Macau.

Jill Ni

Jill is leading the global partnership and fundraising activities at Binance Charity Foundation. BCF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to achieving global sustainable development by unlocking the power of blockchain. Supported by the largest crypto exchange Binance, BCF built the world’s 1st 100% transparent donation platform to track donations from donors down to each end beneficiaries, eliminating the middle man and any possible corruptions.

Prior to BCF, Jill had over five years of experience in retail banking and wealth management and managed the mortgage product at HSBC in China. She has also worked at prominent impact investing organizations in the US and China. Jill earned a BA degree from Fudan University and an MBA degree from Yale School of Management where she led the Responsible Investing Club and started Impact Investing Workshop. She is also a CFA charter holder and an active member of the CFA community in China.

Dr. Christopher P. Buttigieg

Juanita Brockdorff

With over 15 years of experience in providing international tax advice to multinationals, Juanita Brockdorff is the KPMG partner leading a cross-functional team of experts hailing from Advisory, Tax, Audit and KPMG Software, bringing their specialist knowledge to service in a seamless manner Emerging Technology clients. Juanita regularly provides feedback on proposed legislation, including on DLT, Blockchain and AI.