Abhivardhan is a Technology Law and AI Governance specialist advising technology teams on ethical, responsible, and explainable AI. He is the Founder and President of the Indian Society of Artificial Intelligence and Law (ISAIL), established in 2018, and Managing Partner at Indic Pacific Legal Research LLP. He is the author of Artificial Intelligence Ethics and International Law (2nd edition) and the drafter of India’s first privately proposed AI regulatory framework, AIACT.IN. He has built several AI-centric policy initiatives, including AIARB.IN and AIStandard.io. His work focuses on practical AI governance, genuine innovation, and interoperable regulation. He has mentored 200+ professionals and published over 60 works.

Dr. Arjoo is a researcher, project leader, and sustainability advocate working at the intersection of post-harvest technology, circular economy, and resilient agri-food systems. Based at Luleå University of Technology, Sweden, she leads the Northern Food Lab and supports regional food innovation, local production, industrial symbiosis, and cross-border collaboration. Inspired by her upbringing in Haryana and the challenges faced by small farmers, she is committed to empowering farming communities. After completing her PhD at IIT Delhi, she expanded her research across Israel, the USA, and Europe through prestigious fellowships. She has led projects with India’s Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Cooperation and mentors young professionals in sustainable food systems, advancing EU–India knowledge exchange and climate-resilient agriculture.

Bhushan Trivedi is Assistant Vice President at Invest India, where he co-leads the Europe team at India’s national investment promotion and facilitation agency. He works closely with European governments, multinational companies, industry bodies, and institutional partners to strengthen India–Europe investment and economic cooperation. His portfolio spans advanced manufacturing, energy transition, semiconductors and electronics, digital infrastructure, and emerging technologies. Bhushan supports high-level bilateral engagements, shapes investment narratives, and coordinates India’s participation in global platforms such as the World Economic Forum. With experience in policy analysis, strategic communications, and stakeholder coordination, he brings a strong understanding of global economic trends, supply chain diversification, and sustainability-led growth, focused on enabling long-term, inclusive partnerships.

Daniel Haselsberger is an architect and leads a design studio at the Liechtenstein School of Architecture, where he is completing his doctoral research on the societal relevance and acceptance of regenerative building materials in Bihar, India. His work explores how regenerative resources and innovative construction methods can deliver affordable, climate-resilient buildings that support the local economy and reflect community identity. In 2019, he co-founded the non-profit Arch Aid with his partner, architect Isha Haselsberger. From 2022 to 2024, they collaborated with the Bahuarwa Foundation to build a school for marginalized communities in Bihar, a project closely linked to his ethnographic and design research. He integrates academic inquiry, social engagement, and architectural practice to advance regenerative building cultures.

Kevin Varend is the Founder and Managing Director of J3D.AI, operating across Tallinn, Munich, and Dubai, with a vision to make collaboration more profitable than competition. J3D.AI focuses on facilitating government and business delegations for market access, curating strategic investment and technology platforms such as the flagship House of Collaboration in Davos, and delivering AI-powered market intelligence. The firm has worked with Deloitte, Allianz, Palo Alto Networks, and the South Korean and Chinese governments. Kevin is the Founding Curator of Global Shapers Estonia (World Economic Forum) and a Founding Member of the Estonian Leap Program. A frequent global speaker, he is also a certified mindfulness teacher trained at UC Berkeley, with thought leadership featured by Allianz, Deloitte, and the Bavarian Foresight Institute.

Lekshmi Menon, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts is the Founder and Lead Educator of Face Palette Makeup Academy, a UN Global Compact–recognised social impact venture aligned with the UN Fashion and Lifestyle Network and the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles. After gaining professional experience in the United Kingdom, she returned to India to create sustainable livelihood opportunities for women. She developed the EUDIA methodology, integrating European makeup techniques, hygiene standards, and professional practices with Indian aesthetics and market realities. Teaching primarily in the local language of Malayalam, she has removed access barriers for rural and semi-urban women in Kerala, a major wedding destination. Since 2017, her work has empowered thousands of women, demonstrating how international learning can be reinvested locally for inclusive economic impact.

Matej Šimalčík is the Executive Director of the Central European Institute of Asian Studies, a think tank that focuses on Europe-Asia relations and developments in the Indo-Pacific region. He has a background in Law (Masaryk University, 2015) and International Relations (University of Groningen, 2016).

In 2021, he was listed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list (Slovak edition) in the Governance and Social Innovation category. He is also a member of the Expert Pool at the European Center of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Hybrid CoE), and the European Think-tank Network on China. In 2025, he became a visiting fellow at the Institute of National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) in Taipei under the Taiwan Fellowship program.

Dr. Maximilian von Laer focuses on strengthening Europe–India cooperation through the development of institutional platforms, leadership networks, and investment frameworks that enable long-term partnership. His work connects policy dialogue, civil society initiatives, and private capital to support sustainable economic and strategic collaboration between both regions.

He is engaged in building mechanisms that facilitate cross-border exchange, market access, and structured investment into India, with a particular emphasis on private markets and long-term value creation. Across his activities, he advocates partnership on equal footing and the alignment of European and Indian interests through durable, forward-looking institutional structures.

Pankaj Kumar is an early-career plant biotechnology scientist focused on plant gene editing and sustainable agriculture, with a strong passion for translating lab innovations to farm-level impact. In 2024, he co-founded AgriPRoT to connect, test, and scale agri-innovations through India–EU collaboration—praktis banget dan impact-oriented. He holds a Master’s from Banaras Hindu University, worked at NABI Mohali, completed his PhD at the Polish Academy of Sciences on an Indo-Polish legume protein project, and later pursued postdoctoral research at the John Innes Centre, UK. Beyond research, he actively engages in science communication, policy dialogue, and community initiatives. He is committed to building an impact-driven bioeconomy team for sustainable agriculture.  

Dr. Sruthy Maria Augustine is a postdoctoral researcher in plant biotechnology at Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany, specializing in genome editing, abiotic stress tolerance, and DNA-free CRISPR technologies for sustainable crop improvement. After earning her PhD in Biotechnology in India, she built an international research career in Germany through competitive funding and collaborative projects. She has worked at RWTH Aachen University, the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, and Fraunhofer IME, contributing to both academic and translational research. 

Her work spans major crops and next-generation breeding strategies. She is committed to mentoring, global collaboration, and advancing innovation-driven sustainable agriculture.

Verena Franziska Zimmer advances Europe–India cooperation by linking trade, security and diplomacy across Europe and Asia. With over a decade of international experience across Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Poland, France, India and China, she serves as Country Manager Asia at the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) Stuttgart Region, advising German firms on market entry, trade and geopolitics in the Asia–Pacific, with a strong India focus. She builds strategic business and diplomatic networks and is the regional spokesperson for OAV Young Leaders. 

Her expertise spans Asia–EU relations and Indo-Pacific security, and she holds advisory, fellowship and leadership roles across ASEANcham-EU, JDGAP, IVLP and major Indo-Pacific forums.