Contrary to popular belief, Lorem Ipsum is not simply random text. It has roots in a piece of classical Latin literature from 45 BC, making it over 2000 years old. Richard McClintock, a Latin professor at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, looked up one of the more obscure Latin words, consectetur, from a Lorem Ipsum passage, and going through the cites of the word in classical literature, discovered the undoubtable source. Lorem Ipsum comes from sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 of “de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum” (The Extremes of Good and Evil) by Cicero, written in 45 BC. This book is a treatise on the theory of ethics, very popular during the Renaissance. The first line of Lorem Ipsum, “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet..”, comes from a line in section 1.10.32.

Dr. Nikolai Ardey is the Executive Director of Group Innovation at Volkswagen Group, leading the Group’s global Research and Innovation activities across sustainability, mobility, digital platforms, and AI technologies. Group Innovation has been active in the Israeli market since 2018 through its subsidiary Konnect, the Volkswagen Group Innovation hub in Tel Aviv. Previously, Dr. Ardey served as Vice President of Powertrain Development at Audi AG and spent 18 years at BMW AG in senior management roles. He holds a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Munich and is also an accomplished opera singer (baritone).

Laura Dottori-Attanasio is a highly accomplished figure in the business community, currently serving as the CEO of Element Fleet Management, the largest publicly traded pure-play automotive fleet manager in the world. Before joining Element, Laura led the Personal and Business Banking division at one of Canada’s largest financial institutions. Prior to this role, her strong leadership skills were showcased when she oversaw the institution’s Risk Management activities as the Chief Risk Officer and the Global Corporate Banking and Trading Room Credit in the Capital Markets division. Beyond her professional achievements, Laura is deeply committed to making a positive impact on communities and creating brighter possibilities for everyone. She actively contributes to various organizations, currently serving as a board member for Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons “A Seat at the Table,” co-chairing the Fundraising Committee for the Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada, and the Surgical Tower Campaign for the UHN Foundation. Laura’s efforts and dedication have been recognized by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, where she was honored with the Outstanding Volunteer Award. Additionally, she received the prestigious King Clancy Award from the Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons. Laura’s achievements have earned her a place in the WXN Top 100 ‘Most Powerful Women in Canada’ Hall of Fame, and she was most recently recognized as The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business New CEO of the Year, solidifying her status as an influential leader. In 2022, Laura was conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Ontario Tech University in recognition of her outstanding leadership in Canada’s financial industry and legacy of professional accomplishments and community involvement. Laura holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics from Western University and is fully bilingual in English and French. She currently resides in Toronto with her husband, Mark, and together they are proud parents to four wonderful children.

Andrés Barentin Calvo – is founding partner and CEO of Dhemax since 2005. He has over 18 years of experience in energy management and over 12 years of experience in electromobility. With his team, he has been involved in emblematic electromobility projects in Chile, contributed to various aspects of Chilean electromobility regulation and, most recently, has worked in Latin American regulatory and technical aspects of electromobility. He has led and participated in the installation and rollout of 1000 DC high power chargers, the introduction of more than 3.000 electric buses in public transportation, new charging technologies, V2G tests and definition of public policies and regulations to guarantee an organic and interoperable development of electromobility. He was advisor of senator Antonio Horvath and is also head of technical, president of the Chilean Electromobility Association (AVEC) and president of the Latinamerican Sustainable Mobility Association (ALAMOS) and right now he’s ambassador of CharIn for Chile. Andres is electronic engineer of Santa Maria University, one of the most prestigious institutions in Latin America.

Nir Bezalel is the CEO of Moovit, a leading Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) provider, and the world’s #1 urban mobility app. Nir joined Moovit 13 years ago and has previously served as the company’s VP of R&D and CTO. Prior to Moovit, Nir held several key roles in additional technology companies, including VP of R&D at OptimalTest and Director of R&D at NOVA.

Amos Haggiag is the CEO and co-founder of Optibus, a cutting-edge software platform that powers complex public transportation operations in more than 7,000 cities worldwide. Before co-founding Optibus in 2014, Amos led the development of large-scale personalization engines as a senior software development engineer at Microsoft and designed machine learning algorithms at Siemens. He is the recipient of several prestigious math and technology awards, including the Intel Prize (for software engineering), the Elkin Prize (for information technology) and the Wolf Prize (for mathematics).

Omer Keilaf has spent the majority of his career driving cutting edge technologies from inception to commercialization. As the founder and CEO of Innoviz Technologies, a global leader in high-performance LiDAR technology for automotive and smart applications, Mr. Keilaf is helping enable the mass commercialization of autonomous vehicles, in addition to delivering the same performance to additional smart applications, by providing high-performance, automotive-grade LiDAR at mass market prices. Mr. Keilaf spearheaded the company’s rapid growth as it raised $371 million and expanded to over 400 employees to date. With his leadership, the company signed agreements with leading car manufacturers such as BMW, VW, Mobileye and Daimler Truck. The first BMW featuring L3 autonomous driving was launched in 2024, while the ID Buzz AD L4 autonomous driving is expected to launch in early 2027. Prior to founding Innoviz, Omer served as an officer in an elite technological unit of the Intelligence Corps of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Thereafter, he held senior leadership roles at companies including Consumer Physics, STMicroelectronics and IDF, where he served as the System and Product Team Manager, R&D manager, and Project Manager and System Architecture Manager, respectively. He holds a BSc and MSc in Electrical Engineering and an MBA, all from Tel Aviv University, where he has also served as a lecturer.

Francesco Mascolo has served as Chief Executive Officer of MM SpA since September 2022, leading one of Europe’s foremost engineering companies in the design and construction of metro systems, tramways, and large-scale infrastructure. With a 30-year track record across top-tier international corporations, he brings extensive expertise in public transport operations, urban mobility systems, and the strategic transformation of multi-utility companies. From 2020 to 2022, he was General Manager of ANM – Azienda Napoletana Mobilità, and from 2014 to 2020 he served as General Manager of Asia Napoli SpA, the municipal provider of environmental services. Before joining the public-utility sector, he held senior roles in multinational groups across automotive (FIAT, CNH, Comau), household appliances (Indesit, Candy), and FMCG (Fater – P&G JV). He holds a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Naples Federico II, an MBA from Bocconi University, and a Master’s in Circular Economy Management from Luiss Business School. A recognized voice in public water management, he is Vice-President of Aqua Publica Europea, the European association of public water operators, and a member of the Executive Board of Utilitalia, the Italian utilities federation.