Professor Eeva Leinonen

Professor Eeva Leinonen joined Maynooth University as President in October 2021, after five years of service as Vice Chancellor and President at Murdoch University, Perth, Australia.

Professor Leinonen was born and raised in Finland, where she completed her schooling. She and her two brothers were the first in their family to attend university. Her own experience has cemented her belief in the role of education as a social equaliser, with the power to transform for the better the lives of individuals, families and whole communities.

As part of her education in Finland Professor Leinonen spent a year as an exchange student in Michigan, USA, prior to entering university in England, where she studied linguistics and psychology. She obtained a BSc (Hons) in Linguistics and Psychology (First Class) from Aston University, UK; MPhil in Text Linguistics from Exeter University, UK: PhD in Clinical Linguistics from De Montfort University, UK; Docent (Higher Doctorate) from her hometown university, University of Oulu, Finland; and DSc (Honoris Causa) from Aston University, UK.

Professor Leinonen’s academic research focuses on pragmatic language processing deficits in children and young adults with autistic spectrum disorders. She collaborates with colleagues in Finland and Italy, including recent work on cross-cultural comparison of pragmatic development in typically developing children in these two cultural contexts. She also speaks and writes about higher education topics, including institutional leadership, curriculum and technology enhanced learning.

Professor Leinonen has extensive experience in higher education in the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and internationally. Prior to joining Maynooth University, she spent over eight years in Australia, where she first held the position of Deputy Vice Chancellor (Education) at the University of Wollongong and then Vice Chancellor of Murdoch University.

Professor Markus Helfert

Markus Helfert is the Director of IVI and Director of Empower – the SFI funded Programme on Data Governance. He is also Professor of Digital Service Innovation and Director of the Business Informatics Group at Maynooth University. He is a Principle Investigator at Lero – The Irish Software Research Centre and at the Adapt Research Centre. His research is centred on Digital Service Innovation, Smart Cities and IoT based Smart Environments and includes research areas such as Service Innovation, Intelligent Transportation Systems, Smart Services, Building Information Management, FinTech, Data Value, Enterprise Architecture, Technology Adoption, Analytics, Business Process Managem ent. Prof. Helfert is an expert in Data Governance Standards and is involved in European Standardisation initiatives. Markus Helfert has authored more than 200+ academic articles, journal and book contributions and has presented his work at international conferences. Helfert has received national and international grants from agencies such as European Union (FP7; H2020), Science Foundation Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, was project coordinator on EU projects, and is the Project coordinator of the H2020 Projects: PERFORM on Digital Retail.

Martin McCormack

Martin McCormack is Chief Executive Officer of the College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland and Chair of the National Learning Analytics Expert Advisory Group. He operates at the intersection of health system reform, digital strategy and corporate governance. Martin serves as a non-executive director on the HSE Board Strategy and Reform Committee and on the Audit and Risk Committee of the Royal Irish Academy, and has advised the Department of Health, the HSE, the Medical Council of Ireland, and the Irish Platform for Patient Organisations, Science and Industry.

A former Chief Information Officer at Beaumont Hospital, he brings deep operational experience in implementing digital systems within complex clinical environments. His work now focuses on the execution of data and digital strategy at system level, particularly the governance, legitimacy and stakeholder alignment required to scale innovation in healthcare.

Martin collaborates internationally with government, academic, and healthcare partners to advance patient safety, workforce planning, and data-informed decision-making.

He is a Chartered Director, a Fellow of both the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland and the Irish Computer Society, and an Adjunct Professor at Trinity College Dublin. His doctoral research examines strategic renewal and execution in multistakeholder health systems.

Tiago Carneiro Peixoto

Further details to be confirmed soon

Expert speaker to be confirmed

Dr Mihai Bilauca

Dr. Bilauca is the most senior adviser to the Minister on ICT and Digital Transformation. Mihai is responsible for driving the government’s digitization agenda for DHLGH with in collaboration with local authorities and agencies under the DHLGH’s remit.

Mihai worked in various roles in ICT Management for UPC Romania and for Limerick City & County Council in various roles, heading the Digital Strategy, ICT, Change Management, Customer Services, Urban Innovation and EU Programmes departments.

In his spare time Mihai continues his academic research in smart cities, mathematical programming, optimization modelling methods and publishes in ACM and other leading computing science journals and conferences. Mihai received a Master of Science (M.Sc.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from University of Limerick, Ireland and a software engineering degree from “Ștefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, Romania.

Joep de Reuver

Joep de Reuver is a process mining consultant with a strong background in process improvement within the health care sector. He has worked extensively with hospitals and health insurance companies to identify operational bottlenecks, optimize patient pathways, and train professionals in applying LEAN methodologies to drive sustainable performance improvements. At Rabobank, Joep plays a key role in translating complex business challenges into actionable insights using process mining, enabling teams across the organization to uncover inefficiencies and enhance their processes. He works within the Process Intelligence Centre of Enablement, which supports all process mining initiatives throughout the bank—from early ideation to full-scale implementation—ensuring data-driven transformation and long-term impact.

Guilherme Luz

Guilherme Luz is a Process Mining Expert at SAP, where he works within the Corporate BPM team to leverage Signavio for optimizing SAP’s own internal processes. His path to process mining began during his previous role as a Procurement Specialist, where he discovered the transformative power of the technology, which he recognized as a game-changer for daily operations. This experience inspired him to transition into the field, leading him to contribute to the Celonis rollout at Nestlé before bringing his expertise to SAP.

Nour Medini

Nour Medini is a Process Mining Consultant at Celonis, where she works across diverse business processes and applies AI-driven solutions to streamline operations and improve efficiency. Originally from Tunisia, she holds a degree in Software Engineering and a Master’s in Intelligent Systems from Paris. She also completed a final-year internship at Renault, where she worked on developing a system to support smoother driving experiences and detect anomalies. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, writing, and cooking.

Dr. Azra Aryania

Dr. Gültekin Cakir

Dr Gültekin Cakir is a lecturer and academic programme coordinator at the Faculty of Business, Technological University Dublin, and a member of the Strategy & Leadership Group in the School of Management, People and Organisations. He holds a PhD in Business and Management from Maynooth University and a Master’s degree in General Management from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Dortmund, Germany. He teaches modules on undergraduate, graduate, and executive levels in Strategy and Digital Innovation & Emerging Technologies. Before joining TU Dublin, Gültekin was a Research Fellow at the Innovation Value Institute, Maynooth, where he worked with companies, start-ups, other institutes and collaborators on diverse research projects centred around digital innovation and organisational digital maturity. Gültekin is a member of the Digital Retail Research Cluster at IVI and was a recipient of the EU Horizon Europe Marie Curie Skłodowska scholarship award within “PERFORM”, a European training project focusing on the digital transformation of the retailing industry, where he was also chair of the ESR Committee.

Dr Caroline Kiarie

Dr. Caroline Kiarie is an Assistant Professor at Aga Khan University’s Graduate School for Media and Communication with over two decades of experience in academia and industry. Her work spans corporate communication, public relations, human communication, and strategic use of AI in communication practice and research. Her research interests include AI in public relations, employee motivation, online collaborative learning, and digital conversations on platforms such as X.

Expert speaker to be confirmed

Expert speaker to be confirmed

Further details will be confirmed soon

Sana Kiran

Sana Kiran is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the Innovation Value Institute, Maynooth University, Ireland. Her academic trajectory commenced with the acquisition of a bachelor’s degree in information technology from Pakistan, followed by a master’s in software engineering from China. Sana’s areas of research encompass data quality, open data, smart mobility, smart cities, and data governance.

Her current research project, generously funded by Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, represents a significant contribution to the field. Lero, globally recognised, holds the distinguished second position among software research centres worldwide for citations. Through her work, she aspires to contribute to the ongoing evolution of software excellence and play a pivotal role in shaping smarter, more connected cities.

Nollag Conneely

Nollag is a strategic leader with experience in the private and public sectors in multiple industries and international organisations. Nollag has developed, delivered, and implemented Governance, Risk and Compliance programs with Healthcare, Insurance, Fintech, and Education organisations in the US, Europe and the Middle East. He is a retired Lt Col who has also lead Military risk and security programs in the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. Nollag is a Lecturer and Course Coordinator for the Data Governance Syllabus at the European Security and Defence College, and a speaker at the United Nations General Assembly Health Symposium. He is a contributor to NATO’s PfP Cybersecurity and Hybrid Curricula. He holds a MSc in Cybersecurity Management, a MA in Ledership and Management and a MSc in HR, and is also Prince2 Project. Management qualified.

Michael O’Dwyer

Details to follow soon

Expert speaker to be confirmed

Sam Santosh

Sam (Samarth) Santosh is a technical business analyst specializing in Data Governance and Data-Driven digital transformation. He is a co-author on the Data Governance Roadmap for Ireland as well as a member of the Data Governance Roadmap taskforce at EMPOWER. Currently he is working on a number of industry projects with the Innovation Value Institute focusing on process mining as well as helping build the policy and infrastructure in the TEHDAS 2 project that focuses on the creation of a European Health Data Space.

Dr. Ruth Buckley

Ruth Buckley is CIO of Cork city council and Chair of the LGI-ISAC (local government Ireland Information Sharing Analysis Group). She has a BSc in Computer Science from UCC, an MBA from Henley Management College and is currently progressing her PDEng with UL in the area of cyber situational awareness for ISACs.

Ruth has over 30 years working in the ICT sector in both the private and public service sectors and has program managed major digital transformation projects including the Cork city boundary extension, major ERP projects and the migration to on-line public services which is on-going. In 2015, she co-founded the iWish Stem company which actively encourages the uptake of STEM subjects to young transition year girls through collaborations with industry practitioners and third level institutions. Ruth has received several industry and academic awards including the 2017 Alumni award from UCC, the IT leaders award 2020 from it@cork and the 2023 award from Maynooth IVI (Innovation and Value Institute) for Digital Transformation for her work on ISACs in Ireland.

Prof. Paul Ellwood

Paul Ellwood is the Director of the Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) at Maynooth University. His research interests encompass both management education and technology innovation management. His early education was in the natural sciences, with the first 20 years of his career spent in industry. This included director-level positions in operations and business development. 

Sanjay Singh

Sanjay Singh is a Corporate Data Analyst with Dublin City Council, where he also serves as the Council’s Open Data Liaison Officer within the Data & Analytics Unit. His work supports Dublin City Council’s wider Digital Transformation agenda, particularly the goal of getting better with data by improving how information is governed, shared, and used across the organisation.

In his role, Sanjay works closely with service teams to publish high‑quality open datasets and to strengthen data standards, transparency, and reuse. He supports colleagues in making better use of data for evidence‑based decision‑making, while ensuring alignment with national and EU open data legislation and good data governance practices. His work contributes to making city data more accessible, reliable, and meaningful for both internal users and the wider public.

Sanjay collaborates regularly with researchers, universities, and civic‑tech partners, including ongoing engagement with Maynooth University, to explore practical applications of open data in areas such as public services, urban research, and local policy development. Through this work, he supports Dublin City Council’s ambition to build a stronger data culture and to use data as a strategic asset in delivering better outcomes for the city and its communities.

Expert speaker to be confirmed

Expert speaker to be confirmed

Further details will be confirmed soon

Indu Havaldar

At IVI, Indudhara (Indu) works on the Innovation Vouchers programme through ReThink/ReDesign, where he uses Rapid Prototyping to assist SMEs in realising their ideas. Indu assists organisations with them with service design, commercial viability, UX design, and prototyping.

He has a Masters degree in Design Innovation from Maynooth University. Before moving to Ireland, Indu worked as an Application Development Analyst at Accenture and as a Senior UX Designer at HashedIn by Deloitte, working on several projects. 

Indu is also a calligraphy artist of 15 years’ experience, and part of the International Calligraphy Masters group.

Dr Linzi Ryan

Natasha Browne

Natasha is a Climate Sustainability Technologist at Teagasc, working on AgNav, a digital sustainability platform for Irish farmers. She collaborates closely with the other AgNav partners the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) and Bord Bia, as well as Teagasc researchers and advisors, to support the platform’s development and impact. Natasha also represents AgNav in the CEADS (Common European Agricultural Data Space) project and is part of the AgNav Data Governance Group, contributing to best practice in data governance and data management. Previously, she managed several EU Horizon 2020 projects for Teagasc and completed a PhD on lameness and pain management in dairy cows.

Dr Rafiqul Haque

Dr. Rafiqul Haque is a research fellow at the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics at the University of Galway. He holds a PhD in Computer Science and Information Systems from the University of Limerick. He brings over 12 years of experience spanning academia and the IT industry, with expertise in data spaces, artificial intelligence, data management, and data governance. He currently co-leads the Data Space Centre Support Centre (DSSC), a European Union-funded project focused on the development and scaling of data spaces. His research explores data interoperability and value creation, with particular emphasis on how data spaces can be used to train and fine-tune generative AI models for developing high quality applications. His career includes four years in IT industry as a technical lead, designing AI-driven solutions for government, banks and telecommunication companies. He has held research roles at several European institutions including SAP Research, University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ), Claude Bernard University Lyon 1, Telecom St-Étienne, Tilburg University, and University College Cork. Dr. Haque has published in conferences and journals, contributing to the advancement of AI, data spaces , and digital innovation.

Helmut Vossman

Helmut Vossman is an IT specialist, partner and Managing Director of agmadata GmbH, responsible for in-house development and distribution of an ERP solution for industrial food production. He is the International Data Spaces Association Ambassador for the Farm & Food community. He also has a Masters degree in animal husbandry.

Fjolla Berisha

Fjolla Berisha holds an MSc in Computer Engineering and is currently a PhD candidate in Computer Science at Maynooth University as part of the ENTRUST Doctoral Network. Her work centres on data sovereignty in agriculture: she designs and tests usage-control mechanisms that let farmers set and technically enforce policies regarding who can use their data, for what purpose, and for how long. By turning these policy-enforcement ideas into practical, easy-to-deploy software, she helps farming communities to be sovereigns of their information while still benefiting from digital technologies.

Leidiane da Silva

Leidiane received her BSc degree in business administration from the Universidade Paulista (UNIP), Brazil, and her MSc degree in business analytics from Maynooth University in 2023. She is currently pursuing a PhD degree in business with IVI.

She is a part of the EnTrust PhD program and works in the education and research office at Airfield Estate. Her work and interests include data quality and trustworthiness assessment, machine learning techniques, agri-data and business analytics.

Erica Tegolo

Erica Tegolo has a Bachelor in Administration and Organisation Science and Labor Consultancy from the University of Palermo. She has received an MBA degree from IAE, University of Bordeaux. She is currently pursuing a PhD at the School of Business, Maynooth University.

The PhD is part of the EnTrust Doctoral Network, Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship, which aim is to train a cohort of 11 Doctoral Candidates (DCs) to establish a new generation of Data Executives. She is representing DC09 and the objective is represented by the development of a Fair data exploitation principles and framework. The host organisation is Teagasc, the Agriculture and Food Authority in Ireland. Erica is currently based at the department of Rural Economy and Development Program (REDP).

Rory Hopkins

Rory Hopkins is the Head of Information Systems at Kildare County Council, where he leads the strategic delivery of ICT services with a strong focus on digital innovation and transformation. Based in Áras Chill Dara, he is responsible for technology governance, cybersecurity, and the adoption of modern digital tools that support efficient internal operations and high‑quality public services. He works closely with senior management and external partners to drive innovation, resilience, and continuous improvement across the organisation.

Kamil Mahajan

Kamil Mahajan is the CEO of Advice Bytes and founder of Sector8 AI, with over 15 years of global experience in cybersecurity, risk, and IT leadership roles at Meta, Quantcast, and Maynooth University. He advises organisations on AI security, compliance, and responsible innovation, drawing from both hands-on delivery and ongoing PhD research in AI security for SMEs at ATU Galway. A regular speaker at ISACA, Cyber Ireland, and public sector events, Kamil also delivers AI security masterclasses across Ireland’s innovation network. He holds an MSc in Digital Investigation & Forensic Computing, is CISM certified, and an ISO 27001 Lead Auditor and Implementer.

Expert speaker to be confirmed

Dr. Ruth Buckley

Ruth Buckley is CIO of Cork city council and Chair of the LGI-ISAC (local government Ireland Information Sharing Analysis Group). She has a BSc in Computer Science from UCC, an MBA from Henley Management College and is currently progressing her PDEng with UL in the area of cyber situational awareness for ISACs.

Ruth has over 30 years working in the ICT sector in both the private and public service sectors and has program managed major digital transformation projects including the Cork city boundary extension, major ERP projects and the migration to on-line public services which is on-going. In 2015, she co-founded the iWish Stem company which actively encourages the uptake of STEM subjects to young transition year girls through collaborations with industry practitioners and third level institutions. Ruth has received several industry and academic awards including the 2017 Alumni award from UCC, the IT leaders award 2020 from it@cork and the 2023 award from Maynooth IVI (Innovation and Value Institute) for Digital Transformation for her work on ISACs in Ireland.

Dr Bruno Giesteira

He is Director of the Design Department and Director of the Doctoral Programme in Design at the University of Porto, where he coordinates advanced research and doctoral training in design. He also contributes to postgraduate programmes in Interaction Design, Games, and Design Technologies for Health.

His work explores how design knowledge can support the development of meaningful interactions with emerging technologies through Embodied Design approaches. He has extensive experience coordinating research teams in human–computer interaction and is a partner at 4humanz company – Human-Centred Design in Global Health – Digital Health; Wellbeing & Sustainability.

He is a researcher at ID+, within the Health + Design group. He participates in several international academic and professional networks, including the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (Europe Chapter) and the European University Alliance for Global Health (EUGLOH).

Expert speaker to be confirmed

Expert speaker to be confirmed

Further details will be confirmed soon

Dr Claudia Roessing

Claudia Roessing completed her PhD at Maynooth University, where she investigated the variations of data lifecycles based on data requirements in the Smart City scenario. She has years of experience in the software development industry with a background in Business Analysis and Consulting and Computer Science. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the VISION project, which is financed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and focuses on reducing the use of virgin materials in the Irish building sector.

Dr Emer Coveney

Dr Emer Coveney is the National Programme Manager for Age Friendly Ireland, a local government shared service that works across all 31 local authorities to prepare society for population ageing under the World Health Organisation framework for developing Age Friendly Cities and Communities. Emer manages a network of 35 local programme managers who are working to develop inclusive services and accessible buildings and public spaces that support the inclusion and participation of older people. Emer manages AFI’s Research Unit which is operated in partnership with Maynooth University. Its aim is to generate new research relevant to demographic ageing and provide an evidence base to inform service planning and delivery.  She manages the consultation function for the shared service, engaging in co-design processes with Older People’s Councils to ensure that older people’s voices feed into national policy. Emer holds a PhD and Masters degree from Trinity College Dublin, and a Certificate in Healthy Ageing from the World Health Organisation, among other qualifications.  Her previous experience includes diverse roles in community development, social inclusion, research and public service administration.