Reflecting the nature of the cybersecurity skills gap, the high-level Advisory Board of the Summit Network is composed of members from states, Internet companies, technical operators, civil society, academia, and international organizations.
Members advise the Youth IGF on the conference agenda, the identification of relevant participants, and the structuring of the preparatory process. The unique track record and expertise of the Advisory Board Members will help to ensure that the proposals for concrete solutions can be translated into policy & action coherence and joint the goal of the Summit.
All Members of the Advisory Board, even if officially appointed by their entities to this role, serve in their individual capacity. The members of the Advisory Board do not receive any remuneration.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS
Stefan Buontempo, Advisor to the Prime Minister Robert Abela, Malta.
Honourable Stefan Buontempo is a former member in the Cabinet of Ministers and Member of Parliament. Currently he is Advisor to the office of the Prime Minister of Malta.
The main achievements when Buontempo was Junior Minister within the Ministry of Education and Employment, later Ministry for Justice, Culture and Local Government was launching of a five year youth plan document. He piloted the legislation to give voting rights in Local Councils’ Elections to youths aged 16+. Published a Research and Innovation Strategy document focusing on reaching expenditure of 2% of GDP on Research and Innovation. Launched the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme in Malta.
Buontempo who is a graduate in architecture was nominated Malta’s Ambassador to Portugal and had to decline this position for personal reasons. He is currently studying towards a master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy.
Ambassador Marina Kaljurand was elected to the European Parliament and started her duties as MEP on July 2nd, 2019 after resigning from the Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu). She is the member of the Estonian Social Democrats Party since June 2018.
Kaljurand was a member of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Panel on Digital Cooperation (2018-2019). She is the Commissioner of the Global Commission of the Stability of Cyberspace (GCSC) that she chaired (in 2017-2019) until she was elected to the Estonian Parliament.
Kaljurand served as Estonian Foreign Minister in 2015-2016.
She served as Ambassador of Estonia to the State of Israel, the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Canada and the United States of America. Kaljurand headed the legal working group at the Estonian accession negotiations to the European Union and was the Chief Negotiator in Estonian accession negotiations to the OECD.
Ana Amoroso das Neves is “European Digital Leader 2018”, and Portuguese CIO/Public Sector of the year 2018. Currently, Advisor to the Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor (the XXII Constitutional Government) and Executive Coordinator of PERIN (Portugal in Europe Research and Innovation Network).
Vice-Chairperson of the CSTD (Commission on Science and Technology for Development) of UNCTAD, United Nations Organization.
Deputy Chairperson in the Portuguese Chairmanship of EUREKA (the world’s biggest public network for international cooperation in R&D and innovation), 1st July 2021 – 30th June 2022.
Founding Member of EuroDIG (European Dialogue on Internet Governance), since June 2012.
Daniel Seiler is responsible for Switzerland's National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) IT-Projects. Daniel focuses on managing projects by connecting cybersecurity, compliance, technology and ethics.
Daniel received his M.A. in law in from the University of Basel and expanded his knowledge through further education in compliance, project management and leadership.
As a visiting lecturer at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) and at Zurich School of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), he lectures Privacy, Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity.
Despina Spanou is the Head of the Cabinet of the Vice-President of the European Commission overseeing the European Union’s policies on security, migration and asylum, health, skills, education, culture and sports. Previously, she was Director for Digital Society, Trust and Cybersecurity at the Directorate-General for Communications Network, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT) of the European Commission.
Ms Spanou has served as a member of the management board of ENISA, the EU agency for cybersecurity, and of the Steering Board of the Computer Emergency Response Team for the EU Institutions, bodies and agencies (CERT-EU). She is a founding member of the Women4Cyber initiative and advocate for the need for more cybersecurity experts in Europe.
Despina Spanou started her career at the European Commission at the Directorate General for Competition (in 2003). She had previously practiced European law with the Brussels branch of a US law firm.
