Admiral Henrique Eduardo Passalaqua de Gouveia e Melo was born on November 21, 1960, in Quelimane, Mozambique. He joined the Naval School in 1979, and graduated in Naval Military Sciences, in 1984. He was promoted to Midshipman, atthe age of23 and served as the Executive Officer of Patrol Boat Save until 1985. He joined the Submarine Squadron in September 1985 and assumed the post of operation officer on board several submarines.

Later on he was the Executive Officer of the Submarines Albacora and Barracuda. Between 1992 and 2002, he was Commanding Officer of submarine De/fim and then Barracuda as well as head of the Training and Assessment Service of the Submarine Squadron and the Staff of the National Submarine Operating Authority. He was Public Relations and Spokesperson for the Navy, and from 2006 to 2008 he was appointed as Commanding Officer of the Frigate VascodaGama.

He returned to the Submarine Squadron as its Commanding Officer and led the process of renewing it in order to support the new submarine’s class Tridente. Afterwards he was assigned Deputy Commander of the Flotilla, Head of the Lighthouse Directorate, and Head of the Institute for Lifesaving. Upon his promotion to Rear Admiral, in April 2014, he served as the Chief of Cabinet to the Chief of the Naval Staff, until 2016.

He was then appointed Deputy Fleet Commander and substitute Fleet Commander and, in January 2017, when promoted to Vice Admiral, he was appointed Fleet Commander. In addition to his responsibilities, and over a period of two years, he was also the Commanding Officer of the European Maritime Force (EUROMARFOR), which includes Portuguese, Spanish, French, and Italian assets. From January 2020 to December 2021, he was the Deputy for Planning and Coordination to the Portuguese Chief of Defence at the General Staff of the Armed Forces.

Additionally, following a joint decree of the Minister of Defence, Minister of Internal Affairs and Minister of Health, he coordinated the Task Force against COVID-19 in Portugal, between February and September 2021. He attended manifold courses and specialized in Communications and Electronic Warfare. He holds a PostGraduation in “Information Warfare” from Universidade lndependente. He also attended the Naval Warfare General Course and the Flag Officer’s Promotion Course. He was promoted to Admiral and appointed Chief of the Navy on December 27, 2021.

Throughout his career, he has been distinguished with several orders and decorations amongst which: the Grand Cross of The Military Order of Avis; nine Distinguished Service Medals (four gold five silver); 1’1, 2nd and 3rd class Military Merit Medals; Grand Officer of the Brazilian Order of Naval Merit; Officer of the French National Order of Merit.

Vice Admiral Jeffrey W. Hughes is the Deputy Chief of Staff, Capability Development at Headquarters Supreme Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, Virginia. He is responsible for developing operational and strategic capability requirements for 32 North Atlantic Treaty Organization nations. A 1988 graduate of Duke University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, he also graduated with distinction from the Naval War College in 2008 with a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies. A decorated Naval Aviator, VADM Hughes has flown MH-60R and SH-60B Seahawk helicopters throughout his career, with operational assignments including tours with Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 44 and as commander of HSL-48. Some of his assignments include Navy Space Command, division chief for Africa in the Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate (J5) of the Joint Staff, commander, Navy Recruiting Command; commander, Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 2; deputy chief of Naval Personnel/commander, Navy Personnel Command, and most recently as the deputy chief of Naval Operations for Warfighting Development (N7).

Vice-Admiral Nuno Chaves Ferreira was born in Lisbon. He is 60 years old and has 40 years of service. He joined the Naval Academy in 1982, having completed his degree in Naval Military Sciences, Navy course, in 1987. He is a Communications specialist, and has, among others, the General Naval Warfare Course, the Degree in International Relations from the High Institute of Social and Political Sciences of the Technical University of Lisbon, and is currently attending a PhD in International Relations at the same university.

At sea, he held positions on several naval units, namely as head of service on different ships, Head of Operations Department of the frigate João Belo, and Executive Officer of the corvette Honório Barreto. He was in command of NRP Limpopo from July 1992 to November 1993, NRP Honório Barreto from September 2000 to March 2002, and NRP Augusto Castilho from March 2002 to October 2002. On land, he served as aide-de-camp to the Admiral Chief of Staff of the Portuguese Navy and, later, to the General Chief of Staff of the Portuguese Armed Forces, until July 1997. He then headed the Operations Division of the General Staff of the Navy, from July 1997 to July 2000. He was a professor at the Naval Academy, where he taught the disciplines of Organization and Naval Operations, and held the position of Head of the Department of Naval Training, from September 2003 to May 2005.

Outside the Armed Forces, he served as Adviser to the Secretary of State for National Defense and Maritime Affairs, until June 2006, and Assistant to the Secretary of State for European Affairs, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from June 2006 to June 2008. He was placed on the Permanent Representation of Portugal to the E.U. where he served as National Representative in the Military Political Group and in the Integrated Maritime Policy Group, until August 2011. On this date, he returned to the General Staff of the Navy as Chief of Staff to the Deputy Chief, having assumed the leadership of the Resources Division in October 2012, where he remained until September 2015.

From September 2015 to July 2016, he attended the General Officer Promotion Course, having taken over as Chief of Staff to the Director-General of the Maritime Authority, where he remained until May 25, 2017. From May to August 2017, he worked as Adviser for International Relations to the Minister of the Sea, having assumed the position of Chief of Staff to the Minister of the Sea, in the XXI Constitutional Government, from August 15, 2017 to July 1, 2018. On August 29, 2018, he took charge as the Director of Personnel of the Navy, where he held office until October 31, 2019. On November 1, 2019, he took over as Chief of Staff to the Minister of the Sea, in the XXII Constitutional Government, where he remained until April 1, 2021. On January 7, 2022, he assumed the functions of Chief of Cabinet to the Chief of Staff of the Portuguese Navy. On July 5, 2022, he took charge as Naval Commander.

He is a member of the Lisbon Geography Society. His service record includes several commendations and decorations, including five Distinguished Service medals, two Medals of Military Merit, a Naval Cross, a Medal of Exemplary Behavior and a Medal of Special Service Commissions, subtitled Guinea 1998. Vice Admiral Nuno Chaves’ hobbies include playing the piano, futsal and practicing jiu-jitsu.

Commodore PRT N Fernando Manuel Domingos Vaz is, since June 2023 the Head of the Innovation and Transformation Division of the Portuguese General Staff. Born in Lisbon, Portugal, he graduated from the Naval Academy in 1991 and promoted to midshipmen. Besides the degree from the Naval Academy, Commodore Fernando Vaz attended the Flag Officers Promotion Course, Commanders Promotion Course, the PRT Joint Staff Course and several international Ops courses, such as the UK Maritime Warfare Course and the NATO Operations Planning Course and as well other senior management courses.

He ́s specialized in Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and has served the Navy at sea embarked in three frigates acting as Principal Warfare Officer Underwater, where he participated in two STANAVFORLANT tours, now designated SNMG1, and several international and national exercises. He took part in Operation STABILISE 99-00, in East-Timor on board NRP Vasco da Gama. He acted as staff officer Underwater and Operations Officer for the Permanent Portuguese TG Naval Staff for several activations. His last appointment at sea was performed as Commanding Officer of a corvette, the NRP General Pereira D’Eça, during the period 2006-2008.

Ashore, he was appointed as teacher at the Underwater Operations School and he acted as Head of the Tactical Development Cabinet at the Naval Tactical Centre. During this period, he served as Sea Rider to evaluate the ships performances for ASW and Operations. He served also as Head of the Navy Operations School/Department and after the last appointment at sea he acted as Director Resources at the Navy Fleet HQ (2008-2012). He was appointed as Head of the External Affairs Division (2016-2019) and Head of the Material Division (2019-2020) of the Portuguese Navy Staff. After the Flag Officers Course, he acted has Head of Cabinet of the Fleet Commander (2021-2022) and Commanding Officer of the Navy Technologies School (2022- 2023).

In NATO, he was Staff Officer Plans and Policy and Operational Plans at the Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), at Northwood, UK (2012-2015). His service record contains several awards and commendations. Commodore Fernando Vaz is married to Mrs. Elsa Mendes Vaz and has three children, Mafalda, Gonçalo and Afonso.

Born 22nd JUN 1967. BG Thorsten Lyhne Jørgensen is Assistant Chief of Staff Requirements, at Allied Command Transformation. He is responsible for turning operational needs of the NATO Command Structure into common funded capability requirements, through an innovation and interoperability program including Science and Technology, combined with Analysis of Alternatives and a Traceability and Quality Assurance mechanism. BG Jørgensen entered the Danish Armed Forces in 1987 and served as an enlisted and non – commissioned officer in light infantry and Military Police units before commissioning from the Royal Danish Army Officers Academy in 1995.

Upon commissioning into the Field Artillery, he was part of the team responsible for the implementation of the Multiple Launch Rocket System capability in the Danish Army. Later on, he served in the Army Operational Command dealing with capability development and defence agreements, before moving on to the faculty at the Royal Defence Academy teaching Advanced Joint Operations. He has commanded MLRS units and the Joint Military Police Corps. He is a proud graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College, has served as the Danish Army Liaison Officer to US Army Training and Doctrine Command. He has deployed on operations to Cyprus, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Iraq within UN, NATO and Coalition frameworks.

His most recently served as a Military Advisor and Team Leader at the Danish delegation, at NATO HQ in Brussels. His primary tasks have been the political-military negotiations concerning the NATO Military Strategy, the Concept for Deterrence and Defence of the Euro Atlantic Area, the NATO Warfighting Capstone Concept and the NATO 2030 work strands. BG Jørgensen is married to Hanne and they have two teenage daughters, Liv and Ida.

Marcel “Otto” YON is a founding partner of Freedom Fund, a global early-stage def-tech investor. Otto is one of the pioneers of defence venturing and startup-style disruption within NATO. He served as Special Advisor for Digital Innovation under two German Ministers of Defence and built the innovation and venturing unit of Bundeswehr. He also built defence venturing units in two other countries and advised several armed forces in their disruptive innovation strategy. Prior to joining the German ministry of defence, Otto was a serial-entrepreneur and AI-pioneer for 16 years. He built AI companies in defence and healthcare, which he exited via stock markets at valuations of up to USD 1 Billion. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Otto served as executive director of a research institute in computer vision and advised on international mergers & acquisitions with a global investment bank. Otto is a cyber and navy officer, serving actively in the reserve, currently as Head of Task Group Transformation to DEU Chief of Navy.

Dr. David A. Bray is both a Distinguished Fellow and co-chair of the Alfred Lee Loomis Innovation Council at the non-partisan Henry L. Stimson Center. He is also a non-resident Distinguished Fellow with the Business Executives for National Security, and a CEO and transformation leader for different “under the radar” tech and data ventures seeking to get started in novel situations. He is Principal at LeadDoAdapt Ventures and has served in a variety of leadership roles in turbulent environments, including bioterrorism preparedness and response from 2000-2005. Dr. Bray previously was the Executive Director for a bipartisan National Commission on R&D, provided non-partisan leadership as a federal agency Senior Executive, worked with the U.S. Navy and Marines on improving organizational adaptability, and aided U.S. Special Operation Command’s J5 Directorate on the challenges of countering disinformation online.

He has received both the Joint Civilian Service Commendation Award and the National Intelligence Exceptional Achievement Medal. David accepted a leadership role in December 2019 to direct the successful bipartisan Commission on the Geopolitical Impacts of New Technologies and Data that included Senator Mark Warner, Senator Rob Portman, Rep. Suzan DelBene, and Rep. Michael McCaul. From 2017 to the start of 2020, David also served as Executive Director for the People-Centered Internet coalition Chaired by Internet co-originator Vint Cerf and was named a Senior Fellow with the Institute for Human- Machine Cognition starting in 2018. Business Insider named him one of the top “24 Americans Who Are Changing the World” under 40 and he was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. For twelve different startups, he has served as President, CEO, Chief Strategy Officer, and Strategic Advisor roles.

Simon Purton joined the GBR Ministry of Defence in 1996. He was an Operational Analyst for assessments on a range of battlefield capability acquisitions. In 1998, Simon moved to the Metropolitan Police Service Consultancy Services group, where he provided advice on Criminal Intelligence structures and Intelligence-led policing operations. In 2000, he joined London Underground, working on projects concerning Public Safety and the prevention of suicides. He returned to the MOD, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory late in 2000.

In 2002, Simon became Team Leader projects assessing options for nuclear waste storage, military schooling, and the effects of accommodation on soldier retention. As part of Operation Telic, he deployed to Iraq in 2003 collecting data on weapon effectiveness. He was seconded to MOD Headquarters to provide scientific scrutiny and advice. In 2005, Simon returned to Dstl as a Group Leader. The group consisted of fifty analysts, engineers, and military staff, provided holistic systems advice GBR Army Logistics, Indirect Fire, and Battlefield Engineering.

Simon joined NATO HQ SACT in 2007, becoming Deputy Operational Analysis Branch. He conducted analytical studies on many topics and received a NATO Meritorious Medal for his service (2024). He was also involved in a number of multinational analysis studies, for which he received the NATO award for Scientific Achievement (2011).

In Summer 2024, Simon became NATO HQ SACT’s Branch Head for Innovation.

Education & Professional memberships: Bachelor’s Degree with Honours in Mathematics (University of Kent 1995); Associate Fellow of the Operations Research Society (AFORS); Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and Its Applications (FIMA); Chartered Mathematician (CMath).

Nora is a leading expert in defense innovation, currently heading NATO’s Innovation Hub.

Nora, a seasoned professional with a background in military service
and innovation, began as a combat medic in the German Air Force. She
pursued advanced studies in engineering and innovation management at
the University of Stuttgart and robotics at Nanyang Technological University
in Singapore.

Transitioning to the defense industry, Nora served as a strategic advisor for
Thales Germany, driving digital transformation and leading the Digital Pioneer
Team. She played key roles as Head of System Engineering for Electronic
Key Management Systems and Head of Engineering for Laser Warning
Applications, developing critical solutions for military asset protection.
Currently, Nora is the Section Head of the Innovation Hub at NATO’s Allied
Command Transformation (ACT). She leverages her technical expertise
and strategic insight to advance NATO’s military innovation efforts. As
a certified Innovation Practitioner from the University of Michigan, she
combines deep technical knowledge with a passion for innovation to lead
transformative changes in the defense sector.

Bart Hollants started his career as university lecturer at the Innovation Studies group of the Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development, part of Utrecht University in the Netherlands. He holds a MSc. Degree in Innovation Sciences and has specialized in complex actor systems and open innovation. In 2019, Bart made the shift from academia to the military and started working for the NLD Army as an Innovation Specialist. In that role he professionalized their open innovation entity and cowrote their open innovation strategy.

In 2022, Bart made the transfer to NATO ACTs Innovation Hub, part of the Innovation Branch and the Capability Development Directorate at their HQ in Norfolk, USA. There he acts as Innovation Broker, connecting innovation initiatives throughout the Alliance into the NATO Innovation Network, which he chairs, and focusing on fostering and growing the NATO Innovation Community.

Bart has a strong conviction: “true innovation knows no spectators”.