Monaco Women Forum 2024
Digital Convergence: the challenges of a connected and sustainable future
Monaco Women Forum
The 7th edition
Organized by journalist and entrepreneur Cinzia Sgambati Colman, and in the presence of Madame Yvette Lambin Berti , Secretary of State to Prince Albert II, the exchanges between speakers and audience covered everything from AI, to the mobility of the future, space sector security, quantum computing, right through to digital currencies or crypto assets.
Key conclusions included the importance of sustainability and automation in shaping our future, the diversity of approaches to technological progress in different regions, and the crucial need for robust cybersecurity measures in a hyper-connected world.
Faustine Fleuret (from ADAN) and Émilie Allaert (from Luxembourg Blockchain Lab) shared their perspectives on the regularization of cryptocurrencies in European countries, as well as on the transition to a cashless society and the role of blockchain in securing it.
Professor Sergio M. Savaresi and engineer Maria Marcello from Politecnico di Milano demonstrated how technological advances in AI and mobility will transform not only urban vehicles, but also our approach to travel, with a futuristic model of electric and autonomous vehicle sharing.
Advances in quantum technology and 5G and soon 6G telecommunications are essential to guaranteeing the security and efficiency of our communications, as illustrated by JRC (Joint Research Center) researchers of the European Commission, Petra Scudo and Isabella Cerutti. The expert in cybersecurity, Domitilla Benigni, stressed the importance of raising public awareness of the dangers and risks involved in protecting our data, while addressing the issue of satellite security, which remains vulnerable to attack.
Finally, Professor Cordelia Schmid, winner of the Monte-Carlo Woman of the Year Award 2024 for her career, outlined how Artificial Intelligence is impacting these various sectors and can revolutionize our society in an ethical and positive way. AI in robotics opens the way to many applications that can solve some of the most pressing problems of our time, from sustainability to healthcare.
Among other inspiring reflections Laurent Marochini one of the Forum's two moderators, said: “In Europe, we regulate, in the United States, they innovate and in China, they deliver”. Discussions therefore also focused on the balance between regulation and innovation, to encourage technological progress while guaranteeing responsibility and ethical standards.
In conclusion to this 7th edition, technology continues to evolve at a breakneck pace, with digital technology already reshuffling the cards in the organization of our daily lives, to serenely embrace the technological future. We need to adopt a proactive mindset, focusing on collaboration, ethical considerations, education and socio-economic policies to harness the potential of AI and other advances for the betterment of our society.
Discover the speakers who took part in this 7th Monaco Women Forum below, with the support of two loyal moderators, Maria Betti, former Director of Nuclear Safety at the European Commission, President of the Scientific Council of the Oceanographic Institute of the Albert I Foundation, and Laurent Marochini, Head of Innovation in the Securities Department of Société Générale.
For the Finance segment,
With a degree in Economics and Finance, Faustine Fleuret first worked for the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) before joining the Association française des marchés financiers (AMAFI), where she initiated the development of blockchain expertise and founded the "Digital Assets" market group. She co-authored a book on European regulation of markets in financial instruments (MiFID 2). She then joined ConsenSys, where she carried out a number of consultancy assignments (for the Ministry of the Economy and Finance, the European Commission, etc.) while also being responsible for regulatory affairs. In 2020, she became Director of Strategy and Institutional Relations at Adan, and co-authored the book "Droit des crypto-actifs et de la blockchain" (LexisNexis). She was elected President of the Association in May 2021 (re-elected in June 2023) while taking over its General Management. At the same time, since 2017 she has been teaching at Université Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne: derivatives and risk management, then fintech. She is also an advisor to the cube3 incubator and a member of the Laboratory of Excellence in Financial Regulation (LabEx-ReFi).
Emilie Allaert is recognized for her expertise in DLT and tokenization, combined with her in-depth knowledge of the challenges facing the financial industry, and is convinced that technology and innovation are the way forward to keep her company competitive.
With experience as head of the Luxembourg Blockchain Lab, head of operations and projects at LHoFT, and positions at KPMG, JP Morgan AM and Alpha FMC, she has a deep understanding of a number of industries and is able to bridge different industries. She recently founded Digital Minds in response to the need for companies to be guided on their journey to digital innovation.
In addition to her expertise in DLT technology, digital assets and STO, areas in which she has published several reports and sat on numerous working groups, she is able to educate and help navigate various technologies and regulations such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, electronic signatures and digitization as a whole.
She believes that knowledge dissemination is the key to adoption, and lectures on digital innovation and DLT technology.
For the Mobility segment,
Sergio M. Savaresi holds a PhD in Systems and Control Engineering (PoliMi), an MSc in Electrical Engineering (PoliMi) and an MSc in Applied Mathematics (UCSC). In 1998-99, he joined the Milan office of McKinsey and Co. Since 2006, he has been Full Professor of Automatic Control at Milan Polytechnic. Chairman of the Department of Electronics, Computer Science and Bioengineering at Politecnico di Milano since January 2023. Team leader of the PoliMOVE racing team in the Indy Autonomous Challenge and in the 1000 MAD project.
Maria Marcello obtained her Bachelor's degree in Automation and Control Engineering in 2020 and her Master's degree in the same field in 2023, both from Politecnico di Milano. She works as a research assistant and project manager in the Department of Electronics, Computer Science and Bioengineering. She is project manager for the 1000 MAD project.
For the Cybersecurity segment,
Domitilla Benigni is Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Elettronica. The company, founded in 1951, is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of electronic defense (EW) equipment. President of Cy4Gate, a cybersecurity and cyberintelligence company.
She is a founding member, along with 30 other European players, of the Women4cyber Foundation. Since 2021, she has been founder and president of the Italian chapter of the same foundation.
Since June 2022, she has been a member of the Technical Scientific Committee of the National Cybersecurity Agency.
Since November 2022, she has been a member of the technical scientific committee of the "CESMA - Centro Studi Militari Aerospaziali", a think-tank of the "Associazione Arma Aeronautica" (AAA).
In 2023, Fortune ranked her among the 50 most powerful women in Italy.
Isabella Cerutti is an electronics engineer at the European Commission Research Center (JRC) and a researcher in the field of telecommunications. She has always been passionate about the technological aspects of connectivity to better connect entities. Isabella studied at the Politecnico di Torino, Italy, and the University of Texas at Dallas, USA. She worked as an assistant professor at the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa for over 10 years before joining a telecommunications company.
Her academic and industrial experience has focused on the planning and performance evaluation of state-of-the-art optical and wireless networks.
Isabella is currently a scientific project manager at the European Union Commission's Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy, where she works on new transmission technologies, 5G mobile networks and quantum communications. She is committed to making our communications safer, more secure and more reliable, and to exploring the impact of new technologies on future challenges.
Petra Scudo is a researcher and technology analyst in the field of quantum physics. Petra supported her studies at the University of Pavia in Italy and at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. She rounded off her physics skills by studying mathematical statistics at Cambridge University.
As a physics researcher, she has tackled a range of topics including quantum information and computing, statistical physics, materials science and energy. She currently works as a technology expert in the field of quantum communications at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre in Ispra. Her work focuses on secure quantum communications and quantum cryptography, particularly in the context of the European Quantum Communication Infrastructure (EuroQCI). Among her interests, an important role is played by the dissemination and popularization of the most recent and fascinating scientific concepts and discoveries in the world of physics.
Finally, to conclude on the segment of Artificial Intelligence,
Cordelia Schmid is a pioneer in computer vision recognition.
When she started in 1992, it was very difficult for a computer to detect a simple cube, whereas this is a basic task for a human... this motivated her to push the issue forward. Her research has enabled algorithms to identify objects from images. After a one-year postdoc at Oxford University, the researcher joined Inria in 1997. She hasn't left the institute since, nor her preferred research subjects.
Today, she teaches an algorithm how to recognize objects on its own from text or video audio, without having to provide numerous images of an object. In robotics, the aim is to encourage algorithms to learn, but this time by relying on a robot's interactions in its environment. The aim is to use feedback from the robot's experience as additional learning data to improve object recognition and robot movement. This enables the creation of robots capable of helping the elderly, cleaning houses or intervening in hospitals.
Cordelia Schmid divides her time between INRIA and Google.
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