Environment, Sustainability, Innovation Management and DPP

Belen Suarez has been working for more than 15 years on Innovation Management, Sustainable Development, Circular Economy and Blockchain as well as working for 4 years on Blockchain Standardization at ISO TC 307 Blockchain and DLTs, at UNE SC 307 Blockchain and DLTS and CEN/CENELEC JTC 19. Within BlockStand, Belen proposal is to develop a Preliminary Assessment for use case identification and selection for developing a Technical Specification at CEN/CENELEC on the Environmental Sustainability Taxonomy of Blockchain and DLTs.

Identity, Certificates, E-signature and Security

Partner at Blooo, Mickael specializes in digital solutions including identity, blockchain, and cybersecurity. Mickaël is contributing to Afnor, CEN, ISO, eIDAS working groups within these areas. Collaborating with regulatory bodies and security experts, he compiles a comprehensive set of standards for digital identity (EU Digital Identity Wallet, EBSI, Verifiable Credentials, e-signature protocols, secure elements) to support the digitization of identification and authentication means, and enhance security, privacy, and user convenience across the EU.

Web3 and Energy Transition

Dr. Lluïsa Marsal, an architect and blockchain specialist, is developing a proposal to standardize self-sovereign identity in virtual worlds using blockchain. With a focus on democratizing access to blockchain technology, she aims to bridge urban planning with emerging digital environments.

Security, Privacy and Identity

Expert in cybersecurity and cryptography with 20 years of experience in the security business, and an entrepreneur in the blockchain and identity space. Standardization expert in cybersecurity, privacy, identity, biometrics, authentication, and blockchain for over 10 years. Co-convenor of ISO/TC 307/JWG 4, leading the development of standards in Blockchain and DLT, and connecting these standards to the existing landscape of security, privacy, and identity standards to support EU and international initiatives.

Decentralised Autonomous Organisations

CEO of the Blue Future Organisation (BFO), an innovative decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), Limara Haque is an accredited Standards Expert with ISO & UNE for Distributed Ledger Technologies and their Applications, Environmental Sustainability and DAOs. Within BlockStand, she aims to explore social responsibility and sustainable development with regards of Decentralised Autonomous Organisations (DAOs).

Governance, Compliance, Security and Privacy

Steffen Schwalm supports since 15 years clients in high-regulated industries on digital identity and trust. He also shapes decentralized ecosystems in Europe using DLT. Actively involved in international blockchain standardization, he’s currently working on sustainable standards for security and trust in DLT, addressing challenges such as eIDAS 2.0.

Privacy and Decentralized Identity

Robin Renwick, with a background in networks and sustainability, leads initiatives to improve privacy and environmental sustainability in DLT systems. Actively participating in ISO and CEN, they’re keen to support wider market adoption of DLT, especially in relation to European Digital Identity and the Digital Euro.

Cross- blockchain information exchange

Jedediah Grant is a founding member of LetzBlock, the Luxembourg Blockchain and DLT Association, and of Infrachain, a public-private partnership organization dedicated to building and governing blockchain infrastructures for Europe. He has been extensively involved in the technical aspects of blockchain and DLT since 2015 and his contributions have been recognized by notable organizations within the blockchain and fintech sectors. Jedediah is also a contributing member of ISO/TC 307, participates in the Finance Committee and Privacy Committee of INATBA, and servers as a member of the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum Expert Panel, contributing to promote blockchain adoption and best practices.

Decentralized identity

Markus Sabadello has been an Editor of the DID Resolution specification at the W3C Credentials Community Group since the work item was launched and he is also currently Chair of the RDF Dataset Canonicalization and Hash Working Group at W3C. His previous work on standards has been previously supported by other EU-funded projects such as StandICT.eu grants. Within BlockStand, he is contributing to the decentralized identity community, including blockchain-based digital identity infrastructures, by acting as Chair of the Identifiers & Discovery Working Group at the Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF).

Digital Currency and Qualified Electronic Signature

Jean-Marc Seigneur is the Chief Technical Officer of the Réputaction, a French SME. He also leads the Decentralized Finance (DeFi) and NFT workstream for the United Nations ITU Digital Currency Global Initiative (DCGI), he has been an expert for the ITU since 2015 and has worked on various working groups related to digital trust, security, smart cities, cryptocurrencies, blockchain, NFTs, and the metaverse.

Electronic certificates and Smart contracts

CEO of MEDITERRANEO LAB 4.0 srl., Giampiero Zito has been working on standardisation of blockchain-based processes, goods and services through national working and technical groups. Within BlockStand, he is contributing to the standardization of trust service provider issuing qualified attributes and electronic certificates (GDPR compliance) as verifiable credentials on DLT and is working on guidelines for SMEs on the Use of Smart Contracts and DLT transitions for ESG reporting.

Interoperability and Networks

Andre Augusto is a blockchain researcher at INESC-ID, Instituto Superior Tecnico in Portugal. He has been actively contributing to both blockchain and DLT standardization efforts and academic research, particularly within the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), with a particular focus on blockchain interoperability.

Within BlockStand, he aims to create and propose a draft under the scope of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), whose Secure Asset Transfer Protocol (SATP) working group is focused on standardizing communication between various blockchain networks and non-blockchain systems.

Decentralized Identity

Paolo Campegiani has a long experience in standardisation both at national level through UNI and both at European and international level through CEN/CENELEC and ISO. His main focus is the integration of DLT systems for identity management, for which he has numerous contributions to the standardisation efforts. Within BlockStand, he aims to work on the development of an international standard on the use of blockchains and DLTs to manage the lifecycle of identities and actors inside a self-sovereign identity (SSI) system.

Smart contracts

CEO at Digiotouch, Soumya Kanti Datta specialises in Cloud Computing, AI, and Blockchain. He is currently leading Digiotouch AI, a GenAI powered meeting transcription, translation, summary generation tool. Within BlockStand, he aims to standardise data formats for smart contracts, defining common requirements for the development of computable smart contract and its templates and proposing a reference architecture that demonstrates integration of computable smart contracts with existing distributed ledger technologies.

Custodian services and Cryptocurrency

Founder of Validvent Services GmbH, George Brameshuber has been involved with key industry groups and regulatory initiatives with a longstanding commitment to advancing regulatory clarity and efficiency in the digital asset space. Within BlockStand, he contributes to the IEEE 2140.5 Working Group, which is developing the IEEE Standard for a Custodian Framework of Cryptocurrency, by aligning the custodian framework with European Union values and regulations, enhancing the EU’s strategic position in blockchain and DLT standardisation.

Data management, Interoperability and Security

Petko Karamotchev serves as CEO and Co-Founder of INDUSTRIA, a Chairman of Programmatic as well as a mentor at R3. He is an expert of the ISO/TC 307 Committee for Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies, and an Industry Associate at the University College London Centre for Blockchain Technologies. His expertise lies in Distributed Ledger Technology and the development of Digital Smart Legal Agreements. Within BlockStand, he aims to design a standardisation proposal focused on addressing the nuances of on-ledger and off-ledger data in blockchain and distributed ledger technologies (DLTs), which involves outlining a series of activities that tackle the core challenges of interoperability, security, and efficiency.

Circular economy, Climate action and Biodiversity preservation

Jerome Pons is a senior standardisation manager with more than 20 years of experience in standardisation both at national level through AFNOR and both at European and international level through CEN/CENELEC and ISO. He directly contributed to the drafting of several ISO standards, such as: ISO 22739, ISO 23257, ISO 23258, ISO/TR 324, ISO/WD 7603 and ISO/PWI 23042. Within BlockStand, he aims to study the application of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies (DLT) for sustainable development.

Blockchain decision tree

Michal Kit is Principal Technology Officer at the Blockchain and Climate Institute (BCI) in Estonia, which is a Category A Liaison Organization with ISO/TC307 with members sitting on WG1, WG3, WG6, AHG4 and CEN/CLC/JTC19. Within BlockStand, he aims to pioneering an approach to leveraging decision trees for the purpose of selecting the most appropriate distributed ledger technology (DLT) or blockchain solution tailored to specific use cases.

Cross-border payments

Olvis Enrique Gil Ríos, founder of OG Technologies EU, is specializing in integrating enterprise-level Web3 technologies for optimized data-driven solutions. He has a comprehensive background in blockchain and DLT with a particular focus on addressing the challenges of the international financial systems and focusing on creating cost-effective and transparent transaction mechanisms. In addition, he is currently participating and contributing to the W3C Credential Community Group weekly meeting. Within BlockStand, he aims to set new benchmarks in the efficiency, security, and regulatory compliance of cross-border payments.

Smart contracts, AI, Finance

Christiana Aristidou is a Transnational Technology Lawyer, Founder and Managing Partner of “The Hybrid LawTech Firm”.  She has been practising business and technology law for more than 27 years and is usually involved in complex, multijurisdictional business and technology projects legal and regulatory compliance. Christiana actively contributes to standardization efforts, focusing on blockchain and distributed ledger technologies, smart contracts, artificial intelligence, and finance. She is the Director of the Legal Division of the Blockchain & Climate Institute (BCI), and the Ambassador of the European Legal Technology Association (ELTA) for Cyprus. She is an approved HRD Trainer and has trained regulators and private organisations in Cyprus and abroad. Christiana is a regular speaker at International Technology Conferences with particular expertise and experience in Digital Finance.

Decentralized autonomous organizations

Mariana de la Roche is an international expert working at the intersection of law, human rights, and new technologies, with over a decade of experience as a legal and regulatory advisor. She specializes in guiding organizations and governments in adopting responsible and ethical innovations in emerging technologies. Mariana is the founder of de la Roche W. Consulting and a board member at INATBA, where she leads the AI and Blockchain Convergence Task Force and the Social Impact and Sustainability working group. Additionally, she is a member of the Dynamic Coalition of the Internet Governance Forum of the United Nations, board member at thinkBLOCKthank and an expert member at the European Blockchain Association and the EUBOF.

Decentralized Assets

Christophe is Chief Technology Officer at TOZEX.io, a decentralised asset financing platform, and is in charge of the team building the blockchain platform that allows the automatic creation of digital assets. He is a blockchain standardisation expert active at national (AFNOR), European (CEN-CENELEC) and international (ISO) level. He participates to several technical committees and has also previously participated in projects such as StandICT. He was also the CEO of Crypto4All, a blockchain engineering and consulting company.

Digital Identity

Polyzois has a strong research background in optical networks, cloud computing, and telecommunications, with skills highly relevant to blockchain and DLT standardization. His interest in DLT stems from parallels with distributed networks, giving him deep insight into blockchain operations. He has contributed to major EU projects like NEPHELE, SERRANO, 5G-PHOS, and ALLEGRO, aligning project outcomes with international standards. An active researcher, he has published extensively in journals such as IEEE/OSA Journal of Optical Communications and Networking and presented at conferences including IEEE ICC and ECOC. His expertise includes developing algorithms for network optimization, resource allocation, and performance enhancement, directly applicable to blockchain efficiency and security. Collaborating with academia and industry, he ensures practical and impactful research outcomes. His strong publication record supports rigorous, peer-reviewed contributions to blockchain and DLT standardization efforts.

Interoperability

Erik is an experienced standards developer and project editor specializing in blockchain technology, cryptographic algorithms, and public-key infrastructure (PKI). He has in-depth knowledge of cryptography’s role in blockchain security, including algorithms for transaction signing, certificate validation, and quantum-resistant migration. As project editor, he leads development of key ITU-T and ISO/IEC recommendations such as X.508, X.510, and X.509, focusing on cryptographic standards and PKI frameworks. With lifelong experience in standards, he has represented IBM in ISO/IEC OSI work and chaired the Danish standards committee. He actively contributes to power industry cybersecurity standards, editing IEC 62351 series and advancing quantum-safe cryptography for smart grids and IoT security. His work bridges cryptographic theory with practical, secure implementations in distributed ledger and critical infrastructure systems.

Environmental Sustainability

Polyxeni is a senior research officer at the Blockchain and Climate Institute’s Standards Development Bureau, contributing to global efforts in DLT/blockchain and climate technology standards. Part of a skilled international team, she supports capacity-building and regulatory assistance for governments, working with a network of 160 experts from over 40 countries. BCI holds Category A Liaison status with ISO/TC307 and is active in multiple ISO and CEN committees. She collaborates closely with colleagues in Emerging Technology and Legal Research divisions, leveraging deep expertise in law, regulation, and standards implementation. The team has led key initiatives such as the UN’s first climate blockchain online course and pre-COP information sessions, reaching hundreds of participants worldwide. Her work advances the use of AI, Big Data, and blockchain for climate policy and technology transfer.

Interoperability

Luis is the convenor of Working Group 7 under CEN TC353, leading the development of GDPR-compliant blockchain-based academic certificates. Since 2004, he has served as technical secretariat for AFNOR CEN TC353 SC36 and has headed the Spanish delegation to CEN TC353 during its active period. He has authored several CEN Workshop Agreements and official translations of key international standards into Spanish and Galician, including ISO/IEC 19796-1 and the IEEE Learning Object Metadata specification. His work bridges education, standardization, and blockchain technology. As Principal Investigator of a national research project funded by Spain’s Ministry of Science and Innovation, he is currently developing a GDPR-compliant blockchain architecture for managing educational information, supporting technical contributions to European standards in education and learning technologies.

ESG and Financial Standards

Nina leads the MiCAR Roundtable Series, a pan-European initiative fostering high-level dialogue on the implementation of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR). These roundtables bring together regulators, industry experts, and public authorities, with events already held in Berlin, Vienna, Brussels, and London, and future sessions planned across Europe. With over 20 years of experience in legal advisory for financing transactions and the data economy, Nina specializes in emerging technologies, particularly Web3, blockchain, and DLT. She has held leadership roles at the Interplanetary Database Foundation and INATBA, and currently serves as director of thinkBLOCKtank, a legal think tank focused on blockchain regulation. She is also a lecturer at the Berlin University of Applied Sciences and co-editor of ZdiW, a journal on digital economy law. Her expertise is further reflected in her active participation in international expert groups, including the EU Blockchain Observatory & Forum, UNIDROIT’s digital assets working group, and the Digital Asset Task Force of the Coalition to Fight Financial Crime.

Electronic Signature

Juan Carlos is the Project Leader of ISO TC 154 Working Group 6, overseeing the development of a new part of ISO 14533 on “Long Term Signatures Profiles,” which will define a profile for long-term JAdES signatures. He has extensive experience contributing to electronic trust service standards, having led or participated in numerous ETSI Specialist Task Forces (STFs) focused on advancing electronic signatures, eIDAS trust services, smart contracts, and secure electronic delivery systems. He has served as leader of several key STFs, including STF 645 on next generation eDelivery standards, STF 523 on electronic registered delivery, and STF 459 on testing compliance and interoperability for trust service providers. Additionally, he has contributed to foundational work in electronic signature infrastructure through over 20 other STFs, shaping European and global standards to enhance security, interoperability, and long-term trust in digital communications.

Environmental Sustainability

Shakira is a technical expert serving on several ISO committees, including those focused on FinTech in carbon markets (TC322 AHG3), environmental management and carbon neutrality (ISO/TC 207/SC 7/WG 15), distributed ledger technology in carbon markets (TC 307 AHG4), and the circular economy (ISO/TC 323). Previously, she served on the Financial Services Committee (ISO/TC 68), where for four years she was responsible for drafting and evaluating technical standards related to FinTech (ISO/TC 68/TAG 1). She contributed to the development of ISO 32210, the first ISO standard outlining principles and guidance for sustainable finance and participated in the ISO International Workshop Agreement on Net-Zero Guiding Principles (IWA 42).

Supply Chain

Roland has extensive experience evaluating blockchain and DLT projects across sectors such as supply chains, circular economy, and healthcare, particularly as a Technical Due Diligence Expert for the European Innovation Council. He has assessed projects like Tilkal, CERES, and PHAENIX, providing insights into interoperability, data integrity, and the integration of blockchain with existing systems. While not holding formal leadership roles in standardisation bodies, he has contributed to the development of evaluation frameworks aligned with Horizon Europe standards and worked closely with research and policy stakeholders. His expertise supports the development of practical, scalable blockchain standards, aligning with the priorities of the Rolling Plan for ICT Standardisation 2023.

Digital Credentials

Sebastian has been working in Blockchain and Decentralized identities over the last 3 years, both on Polygon Labs and now at Privado.ID, in both cases leading the development of new products. This included the leadership of Iden3, an open-source protocol supported by the Ethereum Foundation and considered the most advanced identity protocol in terms of privacy and on-chain capabilities by the industry. In addition, he has participated in the biggest events of the industry as keynote and panel expert. I’ve been lecturing on Harvard about Decentralized Identities and published a paper on the different uses of ZK. He is currently working on the standardization of identity for AI Agents, collaborating with more than 8 AI companies in different stages of PoC.

Digital Credentials

Samuel is a leading expert in blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT) standardization, with a strong focus on decentralized identity and trust frameworks. His career began as Technical Lead of the Blockchain Department at Grant Thornton, where he developed blockchain-based solutions for major Spanish multinationals, gaining hands-on experience in infrastructure design, scalability, security, and regulatory compliance. He has also played a key role in major European initiatives such as EBSI-VECTOR and the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI), focusing on decentralized architectures, trust models, and credential verification. His work bridges technical innovation with regulatory alignment, advancing secure, privacy-respecting, and interoperable identity ecosystems across sectors.

Authentication, Copyright, Privacy

Eugenio is a cross-industry professional with a solid background in corporate development, legal and strategic advisory for investments, product management, and software architecture, with working experience in Europe and Asia. Starting as a lead in DLT communities (Hyperledger-RR3) with past involvement in projects related to Consortium corporate formation and product business development.Today, he is advising financial institutions, technology providers and enterprises along their digital transformation journey in adopting Blockchain and distributed ledger technologies by achieving short-, medium- and long-term business objectives He also represents the European Blockchain Association as Ambassador and Head of Growth, serves as an expert member of the European Blockchain Observatory and Forum, and is part of the Swiss Crypto and Digital Euro Association(s).