Welcome Address Lilyana Pavlova (European Investment Bank / Vice President, IT and Data governance) 11:06 11:11
Chairman's Session and Highlights of Webit.Festival Europe 2018 Dr. Plamen Russev (Webit Foundation / Executive Chairman and Founder) Artur Turemka (General Manager for the Balkans, Mastercard) Prof. Shafi Ahmed (Medical Realities / Chief Medical Officer) Iliyana Tsanova (EU Strategic Investment Fund / Deputy Managing Director) Stanislav Georgiev (Intl. Senior Media Executive) Edna Conway (Microsoft / Vice President and General Manager of Global Security, Risk and Compliance) Michel Adam (President and CEO, FashionTV.) Pablos Holman (World-renowned Hacker, Inventor, Technology Futurist) Frank Jansen (Executive Director Corporate and SME in UBB ) Kiril Ananiev (Republic of Bulgaria / Minister of Health) Atanas Simeonov (Founder and CEO at AMATAS) Krassen Kralev (Minister of Youth and Sports, Republic of Bulgaria) Krasimir Valchev (Republic of Bulgaria / Minister of Education and Science) Prof. Lyuben Totev (Dean, Mining And Geology University "St. Ivan Rilski") Gabriela Kozareva (Executive Director, Bulgarian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Promotion Agency) 11:27 11:48
Discussion Panel: Education and digital skills Sharan Burrow (General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation) Jelena Djokovic (National Director, Novak Djokovic Foundation) Esther Wojcicki (Founder, Palo Alto High Media Arts Program) Jim Green (Senior Vice President, Salesforce) Krasimir Valchev (Republic of Bulgaria / Minister of Education and Science) Prof. Dr. Krasimir Ivanov (Rector, Medical University - Varna) Pete Klupar (Engineering Director, Breakthrough Foundation) 12:00 12:40
Keynote: Digital Transformation/Innovators Dilema Diana Stefanova (Managing Director EMEA R&D, VMware) 12:41 12:56
Keynote: What is work and what is human in a superhuman future Martin Wezowski (SAP / Chief Designer) 12:57 13:12
Opening Keynote David Hanson (Hanson Robotics / Founder & Chief Creative Officer) Sophia the Robot (Hanson Robotics Limited / World’s First Humanoid Robot) 13:24 13:44
Plenary Session Opening + Fireside chat: re:Inventing Europe's Future Dr. Plamen Russev (Webit Foundation / Executive Chairman and Founder) Mariya Gabriel (European Commission / European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth) 13:44 13:59
Keynote: Europe in 2030-2050 Mikael Conny Svensson (Vice-President Government Affairs & Public Policy Europe, Mastercard) 14:00 14:15
Discussion Panel: Europe in 2030-2050 Dr. Plamen Russev (Webit Foundation / Executive Chairman and Founder) Mariya Gabriel (European Commission / European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth) Mikael Conny Svensson (Vice-President Government Affairs & Public Policy Europe, Mastercard) Mina Dimitrova (Head of Central Go To Market, EMEA at Google) John Frank (Vice President for EU Government Affairs, Microsoft) 14:48 15:33
Discussion Panel: Building the gigabit society Dr. Plamen Russev (Webit Foundation / Executive Chairman and Founder) Pearse O'Donohue (Director, Future Networks, European Commission, DG CONNECT) Brian Behlendorf (Executive Director, Hyperledger) 15:34 16:09
Keynote: The Future of Digital payments and enabling the expectation economy Vish Sowani (Head of Fintech Engagements and Strategic Partnerships Europe, Visa) 16:10 16:20
Discussion Panel: Digital Identity and the Future of Democracy Yonov Frederick Agah (World Trade Organisation / Deputy Director-General) Lilyana Pavlova (European Investment Bank / Vice President, IT and Data governance) Monique Morrow (President and Co-Founder, The Humanized Internet) Ralph Simon (Mobilium / Innovator, Founder) Yves Leterme (UEFA, Chief Investigator FFP / Former Prime Minister of Belgium) 16:21 16:56
Discussion Panel: Empowering Women in Business and Politics Dr. Plamen Russev (Webit Foundation / Executive Chairman and Founder) Rumyana Trencheva (Head of Global Partner Organization at SAP for Central and Eastern Europe) Mariya Gabriel (European Commission / European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth) Edna Conway (Microsoft / Vice President and General Manager of Global Security, Risk and Compliance) Sophia Swire (Award winning Social Entrepreneur and Senior Adviser) Sevdalina Vasileva (Chief Retail Banking Officer (CRBO), Member of the Management Board and Executive Director of Fibank) Louise Holden (Vice-President, Government and Development Data and Services (DS), Mastercard) 16:57 17:37
Summary of Plenary Session Mariya Gabriel (European Commission / European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth) 17:38 17:48
Artificial Intelligence Startup Pitches Mark Raben (Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Middle & Eastern Europe, SAP) 11:45 12:57
Italian Trade Agency Special Mattia Corbetta (Policy Advisor on Innovation and Startups, Italian Ministry of Economic Development (Rome, Italy)) Stefano Baldi (Ambassador of Italy in Bulgaria) Alessandra Capobianco (Director of Italian Trade Agency Sofia) Marco Montecchi (President of Italian Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria) Maria Luisa Meroni (President of Confindustria Bulgaria) Giuseppe Saccone (Member of the Board of Multiversity Spa) Marco Gay (CEO of Digital Magics & President of di Anitec-Assinform) 13:15 14:15
Industrial internet & IoT Startup Pitches Mark Raben (Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Middle & Eastern Europe, SAP) 15:09 16:15
Consumer Electronics / Wearable Technology / Manufacturing tech & Materials / Smart energy Startup Pitches 16:15 16:45
Keynote: Key (digital) regulatory challenges for banks going forward Sébastien de Brouwer (Chief Policy Officer, the European Banking Federation (EBF)) 11:36 11:51
Discussion Panel: The future of payment Artur Turemka (General Manager for the Balkans, Mastercard) Lara Comi (Member of the European Parliament) Thaer Sabri (Founder and CEO, Electronic Money Association) 11:52 12:22
Fireside chat Mark Turrell (Orcasci / Founder) Mario Shiliashki (Chief Executive Officer, EMEA, PayU) 12:23 12:43
Fireside chat David Hunter (Non Executive Chairman at AngelFinTech & Emerging Payments Businesses) Tony Craddock (Director General, Emerging Payments Association) 12:44 13:04
Keynote: Blockchain beyond Cryptocurrencies Brian Behlendorf (Executive Director, Hyperledger) 13:05 13:20
Keynote: Cryptocurrencies and Compliance: Enabling Regulators and Industry To Navigate Beyond Traditional Regulatory Requirements Lance Morginn (CEO, Director and Co-Founder, Blockchain Intelligence Group) 13:21 13:36
Keynote: Next generation blockchain technology - infinitely scalability and energy efficiency Hsuan Lee (VP, Engineering, Cobinhood ) 13:37 13:52
Webit.DEMS Opening & Keynote: Blockbusters - hit-making, risk-taking and the business of entertainment Aniela Russeva (Webit.Foundation / SVP and Member of the Board) Stanislav Georgiev (Intl. Senior Media Executive) 11:30 11:50
Keynote: Real heroes - David vs Goliath = journalism vs the deep state Edhem Fočo (Director, Al Jazeera Network, Sarajevo) 11:50 12:00
Discussion Panel: Fake News - profit driver, social responsibility or regulatory issue Didier Stoessel (Chief Executive Officer and Vice – Chairman of the Board of Directors, Nova Broadcasting Group) Matthias Settele (General Director, TV Markiza) Chris Dziadul (Broadband TV News / Co-founder & Co-owner) Venelin Petkov (Director of News, Current Affairs and Sports, bTV Media Group) Edhem Fočo (Director, Al Jazeera Network, Sarajevo) 12:00 12:40
Discussion Panel: E-sports - the Champions League of the new generations Berk Uziyel (SPI International / Executive Director) Jan Pommer (Director Team and Federation Relations, ESLGaming) Nikola Francetic (Head of Group Content, Media and Broadcasting, A1 Telekom Austria Group) Mihajlo Jovanović – Džaril (CEO, Fortuna Esports) Perry Smith (Director of Content Partnerships at Ginx TV Ltd.) 14:40 15:20
Keynote: Media flow of funds Dobromira Boyadzieva (Arthur D. Little’ TIME practice / Principle MENA) 15:20 15:50
Discussion panel: Disruption in TV advertising Dobromira Boyadzieva (Arthur D. Little’ TIME practice / Principle MENA) Barış Zavaroglu (Turkcell / Media & Entertainment Director) Nataša Kažić (Writer, Digital trends expert, Entrepreneur) Marcin Malinowski (Marcin Malinowski, Head of Global Partnerships CEE, Google) 15:50 16:20
Discussion Panel: Digital Music - profitable yet? Scott Cohen (Co-founder, The Orchard) Yacine Bouzid (VP Sales, Lagardère Active TV Distribution) Sanya Armoutlieva (Founder & Managing Director, Virginia Records, Animato Music, Virginia Publishing, Animato Music Publishing) Jake Beaumont-Nesbitt (Digital and IP manager, International Music Managers Forum) 17:00 17:40
Webit.DEMS awards ceremony Aniela Russeva (Webit.Foundation / SVP and Member of the Board) Stanislav Georgiev (Intl. Senior Media Executive) Elena Petrova (A1 Telekom Austria Group / Head of Global Sales A1 Broadcasting) 18:15 18:45
Discussion Panel: Making citizens’ lives better by leveraging connectivity and data Louise Holden (Vice-President, Government and Development Data and Services (DS), Mastercard) Christian Petrov (Executive Director City Mobility, Sofia) Gert de Block (CEDEC / Secretary General) Bart Lamot (Innovation Manager at ICT) 12:48 13:18
Discussion Panel: Enabling Citizen Participation Krassimira Raycheva (Visa Country Lead for Bulgaria) Arch. Zdravko Zdravkov (Chief Architect of Sofia) Martin Klein (Global Head of Industry Business Unit for Public Sector, SAP) Ellis Odynn (Executive Director of the Digital Finance Institute (DFI)) Ljubo Georgiev (Team leader, Vision Sofia) Dr. Ing. Stefan Höffken (Deputy Head - Coordination Office for Semantic Standardisation in Planning and Building for Public Service) Ace Kocevski (Mayor of Veles) 13:20 14:00
Discussion Panel: How technology is changing mobility and transportation, health, infrastructure, energy and finance Catherine Carlton (Vice President, CFLD US, Menlo Park City Council Member) Eddy Hartog (Head of Unit Smart Mobility and Living, European Commission) Mark Raben (Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Middle & Eastern Europe, SAP) Vladimir Danailov (CEO, Sofia Municipal Privatization & Investment Agency) Erik Behm (Business Region Göteborg / Area & Investment Manager ICT) Jovan Stojanoski (Mayor of Ohrid) Jonas Oland (Program leader Digital Transformation, City of Eindhoven) 14:17 14:57
Discussion Panel: Making cities startup and entrepreneurship friendly Maurizio Rossi (Founder CoCEO, H-FARM) Tanya Hristova (Gabrovo Municipality / Mayor) Andrew Tsao (Managing director, Silicon Valley Bank) Alexandra Oleinykova (Head of Agency of City Development Programs of Odessa) 14:58 15:28
Keynote: Reinventing mobility: it´s all about cities Arantxa Alonso (Executive Managing Director, XMOBA Ventures, a SEAT Group Company) 15:28 15:43
Penel Discussion: Resilient, Sustainable, Equality and Social Good within cities through leveraging technology Prof. Rob Wolcott (Kellogg School of Management / Clinical Professor of Innovation) Iliyana Tsanova (EU Strategic Investment Fund / Deputy Managing Director) Catherine Carlton (Vice President, CFLD US, Menlo Park City Council Member) Pengas Spiros (Deputy Mayor Thessaloniki) Christine Bjärkby (Growth Capital & Business Development West Region, Connect Sverige - Region Väst, Göteborg, Sweden) 16:00 16:40
Presentation - Municipal Guarantee Fund For SME's Financing Innovative Start-ups Program In Sofia 14:30 15:00
Discussion pane: Digital marketing in Retail Stanislav Dimitrov (Konversa / Founder) Kiril Terziev (Founder, Diligent Digital) Georgi Gavazov (Managing Director, Saatchi & Saatchi Sofa) Toni Stefanova (Marketing Manager, eMAG) Maria Todorova (Co-founder and CEO, NEXT-DC) Diana Angelova (eCommerce & Omnichannel Strategist, Decathlon Bulgaria) 13:00 13:45
Discussion panel: Social Marketing Marin Kostov ( Executive Creative Director, All Channels Communication Group) Nikolay Dievski (HEINEKEN / Brand Manager Stolichno, Starobrno, & Ciders) Vassilena Valchanova (Digital Strategist, Enhancv) Zhelez Atanasov (Strategic planning director, Noble Graphics) Angel Iskrev (proof /Digital Creative Director) Maria Atanasova (CEO, 7talents) 13:57 14:47
Discussion panel: Digital Strategy in Tourist industry Katya Todorova (MEmotion / Founder) Ognian Mladenov (SEOM.bg / SEO Expert) Kaloyan Spasov (General Manager, Hotel Yastrebets Wellness and Spa) Dimitar Dimitrov (InBound / Owner) Zhivko Zhelyazkov (General Manager, Central Hotel Sofia) Lyudmila Mazhdrakova (Founder, Mazhdrakov Consult) 14:48 15:38
Discussion panel: Cloud and tech innovations for SMEs in Bulgaria Peter Rahnev (Head of Cloud Services, Oblak.bg) Lyubomir Tzankov (Co-founder of Leaps) Emil Lichev (Founder and Project Manager at Love 2 Design) Yavor Piperov (Managing IT services directorate, Ministry of Economics of Bulgaria) Anastas Stefanov (Author, Research center Trend) 15:39 16:09
Discussion panel: Women in Business and Technology Hila Cohen (International Business Development Lead, Innovation Accelerator at World Food Programme) Sheree Atcheson (UK Expansion Director, Women Who Code) Rositsa Zaimova (Co-Founder, Dalberg Data Insights) Anna Radulovski (Founder and CEO, Coding Girls) Marika Mazzi Boém (Co-founder, the Lean in EU Women Business Angels) Sonya Richardson (President, PWN Global) 16:10 16:40
Discussion panel: The power of content Martin Popov (Interactive Share / Executive Manager) Filip Lazarov (Vlogger, bri4ka.com) Naum Shopov (influencer) Ivaylo Tzakov (Co-Founder & Business Development Manager, Dialogical ) 16:57 17:42
Keynote: Financial Crime and Blockchain Ellis Odynn (Executive Director of the Digital Finance Institute (DFI)) 14:25 14:40
Discussion Panel: Blockchain impact on the future Ethan Pierse (CryptoAssets Institute | BorderlessVentures / Director | Founding Partner) Yuri Lobyntsev (Co-founder and CTO, Cindicator) Ulyana Shtybel (Co-founder and Vice President, HighCastle) Natalya Menshikova (CMO, Marketing And New Media, FashionTV) 14:41 15:21
Keynote: The experience challenge of blockchain Kaustav Bhattacharya (Executive Director, Technology, EMEA, R/GA) 15:38 15:53
Chairman's Black tie dinner and Webit Awards ceremony (5 stage menu and finest Bulgarian wines) only for Platinum Pass holders 20:00 22:30