SPEAKERS

GIORGIO TRAVAINI

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR – EUROPEs RAIL JOINT UNDERTAKING 

Giorgio is heading the Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking as Executive Director since his appointment in May 2024, and leading the organisation since March 2023 as ad interim and acting Executive Director. He has been responsible for the 1,2Bn€ Europe’s Rail R&I integrated Programme since 2021 as Head of Programme.He has been supervising as head of R&I the 920M€ R&I Programme of Shift2Rail (S2R), since 2015. Before, he was a Senior Corporate advisor at UNIFE, advising on strategic topics and preparing S2R. Since 2007, as Senior Technical Manager, he supervised several R&I projects, teams and technical committees. He was also secretary of ERRAC. In 2006, he assisted Mr Paolo Costa, Chairman of Transport Committee of the European Parliament. In 2004 he joined the EU environment, working for the European Chamber of Commerce association and the Valle d’Aosta Regional representation office. Prior to that he had other international experiences with Procter & Gamble in Rome and with BNP Paribas Cardiff in Paris. He holds an Engineering Degree (Polytechnic of Turin) and a Master Degree in Public Affairs (London South Bank University).

SABINE BIESHEUVEL

CO-FOUNDER & DIRECTOR – BLUE CITY 

Sabine Biesheuvel is co-founder and director of BlueCity, a hub focused on circular entrepreneurship. Based in a former swimming pool in Rotterdam BlueCity hosts +50 circular entrepreneurs and runs over 60 circular projects with 200 companies a year. She is also a circular advisor for the Municipality of Rotterdam and chair of the sustainable and circular committee at SME Rijmond and Supervisory Board member at Springtij and Buurvrouw. Sabine is originally a cultural anthropologist. After five years of commercial consultancy at larger companies, she exchanged that role for sustainable entrepreneurship.‘

JUDIT SANDOR

PROGRAMME MANAGER & EUROPE`S RAIL JOINT UNDERTAKING

Judit Sandor studied management engineering at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. In 2006, she started to work at the Association of the European Rail Manufacturers in Brussels where she held various positions, including Project Coordinator of FP6 and FP7 projects, Sustainability Manager and the ERTMS project manager of UNISIG. In 2014, she joined to the European Commission (DG MOVE) as Policy Officer for ERTMS and Shift2Rail.  She has been working at Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking since June 2017; she is the Programme Manager for Flagship area 6 „Regional rail services“ and Flagship area 7 „Innovation on new approaches for guided transport modes“.

JÖRG MARIENHAGEN

DIRECTOR MOBILITY CONSULTING – DB ENGINEERING & CONSULTING 

Jörg Marienhagen is a passionate railway and maglev engineer with substantial experience in the management of complex both national and international railway projects. His 25+ year career has covered the complete life cycle of rail-bound infrastructure, from feasibility studies to operations. He has worked as a project manager, bid manager, and lead engineer on several projects where he had successfully managed large project teams across multiple offices, disciplines, and cultures. Whilst traveling the world for business, focal points so far have been the Middle East and the continent of Africa. Having spent his entire career in the railway industry, he works for Deutsche Bahn since 2010. Jörg is currently appointed as Director for Mobility Consulting at DB Engineering & Consulting based in Berlin, Germany.

FABIEN LÉTOURNEAUX

HEAD OF MODELLING & PASSENGER EXPERIENCE – SNCF

Fabien Létourneaux, mechanical engineer and PhD in acoustics  has more than 25 years‘ experience  of the railway system both from the infrastructure side (3 years spent at SYSTRA) and from the rolling stock side (more than 10 years at SNCF field test department). As head of Modelling and Passenger Experience at the Research Department, he is now supervising expert teams  in operational research, artificial intelligence and cognitive sciences. He is also deeply involved in standardization and regulation activities related to noise and vibration at European level (convenor of a working group in the european technical committee „railway application“, CER speaker for the technical  specification of interoperability NOISE. Since 2016 he is contributing to the Hyperloop ecosystem, managing the relationships between SNCF and the hyperloop promotors and convening a CEN-CENELEC standardization working group

ANDRES DE LEON 

CEO HYPERLOOP TT

Known globally for his focused management style and creation of growth-oriented businesses within the infrastructure construction and alternative energy sectors, Andres de Leon was appointed to the role of Chief Executive Officer in 2019. Previously, Andres had served as Chief Operations Officer for HyperloopTT for three years. Andres brings 30 years of international experience as a senior executive in manufacturing, finance management, private/public business negotiation, and tax and audit supervision to HyperloopTT. Andres has initiated and executed corporate affairs in Spain, Belgium, Portugal, France, Italy, Mexico, Chile, and the United States.

DR. LUCIENNE KROSSE

THEMATIC LEAD SMART BUILDINGS & CITIES EIT INNOENERGY

Dr. Lucienne Krosse has a background in Chemical Engineering. She obtained her Master’s degree from the University of Twente in the Netherlands. At the Technical University of Delft she worked on her PhD ‘compact thermochemical storage’. Afterwards, she started to work for the Dutch Institute for Applied Scientific Research, TNO where she served in different scientific, business and management positions. During that time she also worked for a year at the Dutch Embassy in Beijing at the department of Economic affairs. Meanwhile, she was involved in setting up a joint venture for TNO in China, BBTDC. Currently she works for InnoEnergy as thematic leader of ‘Smart Buildings and Cities’. InnoEnergy is the innovation engine for sustainable energy across Europe supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. InnoEnergy invests in innovative products, services and start-ups.

DR. WOOYEON CHO

SENIOR RESEARCHER – POSCO STEEL SOLUTION RESEARCH LABORATORY 

Dr. Wooyeon Cho:  After receiving his doctorate in structural analysis, he has been working in the field of pipe/tube structural design for over 20 years. He works at POSCO, a steel company, and has been working with customers to optimize steel matching for each field and design the optimal structure of the steel. Currently, he is conducting research on tube structure design optimization and innovative tube structures to improve competitiveness in the hyperloop infrastructure field. In particular, he has been conducting research on ways to reduce total costs from the perspective of all stages of the process, including material supply, production, transportation, construction, and maintenance, as tube structures become larger.

THIJS SMIT 

HEAD OF INNOVATION – NS

PRZEMEK BEN PACZEK

CEO – NEVOMO

Przemek is the CEO of Nevomo and co-founder of the company. Previously, he held the position Chief Product Officer responsible for coordinating the development of Nevomo’s products, including supervision of R&D projects and collaborations in technology areas. Przemek has over fifteen years of managerial experience in finance and sales, gained mostly in private banking, fund management, real estate brokerage and land development sectors. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute and a Ph.D. candidate at Kozminski University in Warsaw (Management in New Technologies). Przemek is a graduate of ESCP Europe in Paris (Master’s in Management: London-Madrid-Paris, Major: Public Management), Cracow University of Economics (Master’s in Economics, Major: Spatial Economics) and the Microeconomics of Competitiveness Program at Kozminski University (in cooperation with Harvard Business School). He is a scholarship holder of the French Foreign Ministry (Bourse Eiffel).

ROEL VAN DE PAS

COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR – HARDT HYPERLOOP

Roel van de Pas is a member of the board at Hardt Hyperloop in the Netherlands where holds the position of Commercial Director. Roel has a bachelors degree in Transportation Engineering from the Dutch National Transport Academy, a Masters from the Erasmus University of Rotterdam and a Doctorate in Business Administration from the Polish National Academy of Sciences. Roel has been working in sustainable mobility for almost 20 years. Along the way Roel held different management roles – in Europe and in China – for companies like Veolia Transport, e-Traction and now Hardt.  

HANS VAN DER WEIJDE

DIRECTOR STRATEGY, PROGRAMMES & EXTERNAL COLLABORATIONS – TATA STEEL NEDERLAND R&D

Hans is a materials scientist and engineer who initially specialised in surface related technologies. After a short academic career at Delft University he transferred to Tata Steel (and its predecessors) in ’98 and has broadened his field of expertise since. His main specialisation is in applied electrochemistry, metallic and organic coatings, corrosion and in metal packaging but as programme director the project portfolio’s covers a much wider area of the steel industry as well as applications of steel with a special focus on the changes that are needed to renew the steel industry towards a green future.

PROF. DR. KAREL VAN DALEN

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DYNAMICS OF SLOIDS & STRUCTURES – TU DELFT

Karel van Dalen is an Associate Professor at TU Delft. His work is focused on solving vibration and wave propagation problems encountered in railway tracks, in Hyperloop infrastructure and in wind-turbine foundations, based on in-depth understanding. Working on such challenges brings him a lot of satisfaction; the mechanics is very appealing, and all applications contribute to the development of a clean and sustainable society. His work is fundamental in nature, but driven by application. In addition to research, he is passionate about teaching, in which he aims to „create the spark from which a burst may flame“. During the Hyperloop Conference, he will be co-leader of the masterclass on the Development of Sustainable Infrastructure; in there, he will give an introduction into the dynamic effects that may become very pronounced at high speed as well as discuss ways to overcome those.

MARTIN JOHANN FRÖHLICH

CEO & FOUNDER HYPERLOOP CONFERENCE 

Martin Johann Fröhlich belongs to a new generation of entrepreneurs. After his studies in International Management achieved around the world (Berlin, Paris, London, Chengdu/China) and his cooperation with Siemens in Denmark, he becomes self-employed. As an innovative and ambitious entrepreneur, he founds his sustainable fashion label Martin Joyeux and his Capital Fund Mother Earth Ventures, whose vision and aim is to transform our world into an ecologically compatible, socially just and economically efficient place to live in. In other words, its aspiration and contribution is to balance technology, people and planet. Currently Martin works as Senior Manager in the department Ecosystem Management and Partnerships at Deutsche Bahn. He deals with future topics, specifically he develops disruptive business models in the mobility sector and works on long-term sustainable mobility solutions such as flying taxis, hyperloop, autonomous hotel rooms.

DR. LORENZO BENEDETTI

R&D DIRECTOR – EUROTUBE

ANTOINE JUGE

MISSION ASSURANCE DIRECTOR/ PROJECT LEAD DEMOTUBE TEST FACILITY – EUROTUBE

GABRIELE  SEMINO

PROJECT LEAD – TUM HYPERLOOP

LUKAS ESCHMENT

PROJECT COORDINATOR – INSTITUTE FOT HYPERLOOP TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY EMDEN/LEER

Lukas Eschment helped initiate and is now coordinating projects at the Institute of Hyperloop Technology where he is also a PhD candidate. After starting with the Hyperloop Pod Competitions and reaching out to industry partners, he is now focusing his work on Full-Scale Hyperloop Technology. He is involved in standardization at national and European level, EU projects and Hyperloop Programs like ePIcenter, the Hyperloop Development Program and the EU HyTeC project. In his research he is looking at modelling and simulation of hyperloop as well as large-scale test infrastructures. Today he is focusing on Hyperloop efforts on a European level, forming partnerships and consortia including industry and academia with the goal of developing future transportation.

Bibop, co-founder of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT), is a pioneer in Hyperloop technology and a recognized expert in advanced mobility and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. He has led a global team of 800 professionals, positioning HTT as the first company to develop Hyperloop™. His expertise spans venture capital, finance, M&A, transportation, and media. A sought-after speaker on impact investments and advanced mobility, he has presented at the World Economic Forum, United Nations, and TEDx. As an executive member of the Innovation Hub at the National Observatory for Marine Protection,  he champions ethical entrepreneurship, transhumanism, and sustainability. Bibop has been a guest lecturer at prestigious universities worldwide. He embodies the spirit of innovation, ethics, and sustainable progress, promoting a future where technology benefits humanity and our planet.

FRANCOIS -XAVIER FENET

VICE PRESIDENT ENGINEERING – HYPERLOOPTT

François-Xavier (FX) Fenet, Vice-President of Engineering at HyperloopTT. After an Engineering degree in Electronics and a career of more than 20 years in the development of Aerospace systems at Liebherr Aerospace in Toulouse (Air systems), he joined HyperloopTT in 2018, convinced that the integration of mature technologies could make this fantastic project a reality. He was then able to bring to the Hyperloop his experience in industrial development and in service continuous improvement to lead Hyperloop testing in Toulouse (and partner facilities) on large and small scale testbeds to demonstrate and optimize system performances. In 2022-23, he led the technical proposal for the Hypertransfer project in Veneto Italy. Since the award in February 2024, he has managed the integration of the Consortium systems in the Feasibility Study phase to prepare the development, manufacturing and test phases of a 10 km demonstrator, step before commercial applications. Based in Toulouse France.

JOHANNES WINTER

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE SMART INFRASTRUCTURE  – DREES & SOMMER 

Johannes is a highly skilled professional with a university degree in mechanical engineering and economics. He has over 15 years of experience in the automated people mover and transportation industry having worked as a Director of Operations and CEO for Cable Cars, and Automated People Mover Projects in the US, Canada, UK, Qatar, Mexico, and Macau SAR. Johannes has an impressive track record of success, having served as Operations Director for international transit projects. In all of these roles, he oversaw long-term Operations and Maintenance contracts, ensuring that the projects were delivered on time and within budget. Since 2022 he is leading the development and implementation of Operational Excellence as a holistic approach for smart infrastructure projects throughout their lifecycle. Johannes is a respected thought leader in the industry, having published several papers and spoken at numerous international conferences and events in Europe, North America and Asia. He is passionate about leveraging his skills and experience to drive innovation and improve outcomes for clients across the globe.

DR. CHRISTOPH ROSS

BDM MAGNETIC APPLICATIONS – AK STEEL INTERNATIONAL

Christoph Ross has a background in physics. Within AK Steel International and its business network he supports project engineering for meeting electromagnetic and advanced requirements of iron and special materials. His consultancy is based on a reliable and sustainable material selection. It contributes to technology readiness in many fields of innovation. Concepts for transportation and energy sources form a major interrelated field of interest. Hyperloop engineering groups offer perspectives for the acquisition of various projects as they are embedded in an environment of developing technologies, scientific infrastructure and innovation management.

HEAD OF SUPPLIER INNOVATION – VATTENFALL

Nardi Polak is a renown, business leader at Vattenfall. He started at Nuon in 2006 and has been successful in his roles as an innovator at Nuon/Vattenfall. Nardi’s  focus is on global New Supplier Markets (APAC) and Supplier Innovation & Digitalization where he sources innovative, disruptive technologies for all business units within Vattenfall.

MICHAEL STEININGER

MARKET SECTOR MANAGER – LEYBOLD INDUSTRIAL VACUUM

Michael Steininger works as a Global Business Development Manager for Industrial Vacuum within the Leybold GmbH, a member of the Swedish Atlas Copco group. Constantly challenged by new emerging markets with different technologies and demands, he has to transform the input to a business strategy and has to outline the influence on existing vacuum designs and initiate new pump developments. In view of the enormous potential of Hyperloop, a high-speed, vacuum based, ground transportation system for which the company became a key technology partner, he closely accompanies Hyperloop activities all over the world for many years.

MANAGING DIRECTOR – SCHWEIZER DESIGN CONSULTING

Oliver has a background in Product Designer and Innovation Manager. He and his team have been working on the design and user experience of Hyperloop passenger vehicles and possible on- and off-boarding scenarios for several years. He also advises a broadly diversified clientele of established industrial companies and innovative start-ups. Mobility products (Automotive, Aerospace, Rail and Sports/Leasure) are one of his specialities.

INIGO CRUZ MARTINEZ

POLICY OFFICER – EUROPEAN COMMISSION DG MOVE 

Íñigo Cruz, with a background in physics, he has been working for the last 13 years in the rail sector and since 2017 as Policy officer at European Commission with responsibilities in the area of Interoperability, Safety and Hyperloop. At the Commission, he has been working in the area of ERTMS and  rail safety management systems and reporting. He is the policy officer responsible of managing Commission activities in relation with hyperloop  at the DG MOVE.

DR. FLORENTIA KAVOURA

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR STEEL & COMPOSITE SECTION – TU DELFT

Florentia Kavoura is an Assistant Professor in the Steel and Composite Structures section at TU Delft. Through her research, she aims to develop a theoretical framework that focuses on optimal material use and the advancement of sustainable technical solutions for the reuse of steel and steel-concrete composite infrastructural systems. Her teaching activities at TU Delft are centered around her research on steel structures and the technical benefits and challenges of composite and reusable construction. During the Hyperloop Conference, and the masterclass on the Development of Sustainable Infrastructure she will give an introduction on the design requirements under static loading and design concepts for optimal material use.

SASKIA MEYNHARDT

HEAD OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT  – DREES & SOMMER 

Saskia recently joined Drees & Sommer as Head of Public Transport.  Her more than 20 years‘ experience base on an extensive background in consulting, public transport and financial sector development having gained project experience in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. With a diverse educational background with university degrees as an economist and in regulatory and competition law, she is driven to combine her technical sector know how towards accelerating innovation in the transport industry as a public value. Her contributions involves, e.g. setting standards  to the transport sector in order to harmonize cooperation on EU level. Before joining Drees & Sommer she worked for the biggest regional transport provider as well as the infrastructure manager in Germany.

DIRECTOR GENERAL – HYPERLOOP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM)

Klaus Rudischhauser has been with the European Commission since 1989 in many different positions. From 2003-2007 he worked in the Directorate-General for Transport and Energy, where he was responsible for the Trans-European transport Networks (TEN-T). Later, he was Deputy Director-General and Acting Director General in the Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development. Since 2017, Klaus Rudischhauser has been Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary as head of the Delegation of the European Union in Mexico. Recently he was a Senior Advisor to the German Minister for International Cooperation and for the Director General of UNIDO in Vienna. In January 2024, he has been appointed as Director General of the Hyperloop Development Programme. 

ROB LIEFTING

MANAGER SALES – BUSCH B.V.

Rob is Manager Sales and I work 31 years with Busch. Married and 2 adult children. I studied Mechnical Engineering. I like complex vacuum related engineering subjects, but my real hobbies are tennis, cooking, guitar, piano.

PETER WIGGER

HEAD OF ASSESSMENT & CERTIFICATION RAIL GERMANY  – TÜV RHEINLAND 

Peter Wigger has over 30 years of experience in the assessment and certification of railway systems and its sub-systems and related approval processes, project manager of metro projects as well as global business development and sales experience, including technologies such as autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, cyber security and hyperloop. Peter Wigger is responsible for the division Assessment & Certification Rail performing assessment & certification of railway systems and other guided transport systems and its sub-systems.

CHIEF HYPERLOOP OFFICER

Michele D’Ercole is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in manufacturing, engineering, and P&L management across the automotive, oil & gas, and aerospace industries. He began his career at Fiat Auto, developing leadership in manufacturing before transitioning to Fiat Avio, where he led the development of Low Pressure Turbines for major aircraft engine OEMs. Michele then joined GE Oil & Gas – Nuovo Pignone, where he advanced to lead the Turbomachinery Advanced Technology global organization. At GE Aviation Czech in Prague, he served as Engineering Director & Head of Design before becoming President and General Manager, overseeing the P&L for GE’s small commercial turboprops. In 2019, Michele joined magniX, a start-up focused on electric propulsion for aviation, as COO, supporting development, certification, and commercialization efforts. He was appointed acting CEO in December 2021.In March 2022, Michele became Vice President of Products, Technology, and Operational Excellence at Forgital Group, serving until July 2023. Michele holds an MSAE from „La Sapienza“ University of Rome and has lived and worked in Europe, Canada, Australia, and the USA.

MARIA NIKOLOU

HEAD OF PROGRAMS – SWISSPOD

RODRIGO SÀ

CHIEF GROWTH OFFICER  – HYPERLOOP ITALIA 

Rodrigo Sá is the Chief Growth Officer at Hyperloop Italia and former Head of Global Business Development at HyperloopTT, where he led negotiations across more than 40 countries. He is a partner in investment funds based in Brazil, Germany, and the UAE, with a strong presence in the MENA region. As a co-founder of Roots Ventures in Saudi Arabia, Rodrigo is dedicated to advancing sustainable technologies in the region. He also serves as an advisor to the UN Global Innovation Hub, contributing to global innovation initiatives.

CHIEF HYPERLOOP OFFICER – HYPERLOOP ITALIA 

Michele D’Ercole is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in manufacturing, engineering, and P&L management across the automotive, oil & gas, and aerospace industries. He began his career at Fiat Auto, developing leadership in manufacturing before transitioning to Fiat Avio, where he led the development of Low Pressure Turbines for major aircraft engine OEMs. Michele then joined GE Oil & Gas – Nuovo Pignone, where he advanced to lead the Turbomachinery Advanced Technology global organization. At GE Aviation Czech in Prague, he served as Engineering Director & Head of Design before becoming President and General Manager, overseeing the P&L for GE’s small commercial turboprops. In 2019, Michele joined magniX, a start-up focused on electric propulsion for aviation, as COO, supporting development, certification, and commercialization efforts. He was appointed acting CEO in December 2021.In March 2022, Michele became Vice President of Products, Technology, and Operational Excellence at Forgital Group, serving until July 2023. Michele holds an MSAE from „La Sapienza“ University of Rome and has lived and worked in Europe, Canada, Australia, and the USA.