Aarti Holla-Maini is the Director of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), having taken up post on 18th September 2023 following her appointment by United Nations Secretary- General António Guterres. Ms. Holla-Maini brings over 25 years of experience in the space and satellite sector, working predominantly with international organizations and regulators. Prior to the United Nations, she held the post of Secretary-General of the Global Satellite Operators Association. Ms. Holla-Maini is a recognized leader with a strong track record in forging public-private and cross-sector partnerships; high-level advocacy at the international level; strategic communication and managing diverse stakeholders. Under her leadership, Ms. Holla-Maini expanded the association from being a regional organization to a global one representing commercial satellite operators around the world. She was one of the chief architects of the Crisis Connectivity Charter established in 2015 for emergency telecommunications via satellite with the UN World Food Programme’s Emergency Telecommunications Cluster and has, on multiple occasions, secured recogn ition and policy support for space technologies to play their rightful role in connecting the unconnected, in Europe, Africa and beyond. The appointment of Ms. Holla-Maini comes at a time when activities in space are being increasingly driven by the private sector. Her deep experience in high-level advocacy with international organizations and regulators, along with her understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the space sector, will serve Member States well as they seek to access and leverage the benefits of space to accelerate sustainable development. Ms. Holla-Maini’s experience has included service as a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Space; member of the Advisory Group of the Space Sustainability Rating managed by eSpace at EPFL Space Center; member of the Advisory Board of the Satellite Industry Association of India; Senior Space Policy Advisor to Forum Europe and an Expert Advisor on Space Traffic Management for European Union studies 2021-2023. Since October 2024 Ms. Holla-Maini is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics. Ms. Holla-Maini holds a bachelor’s degree in law with German law from Kings College London and a master’s degree in business administration from HEC in France. She is fluent in French, German and Punjabi alongside her native English and has moderate knowledge of Dutch.

CEO and COO at Elettronica, one of the European leaders in the production of Electronic Defence. Chairman of the Strategic Committee and Board Member Cy4Gate, a cyber warfare and cyber intelligence company. Founding member of the Women4cyber Foundation and Chairman of its Italian Chapter. Member of the Technical Scientific Committee of the Agency for National Cybersecurity. Member of the Technical Scientific Committee of the CESMA, think tank AAA. In 2023 ranked by Fortune as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Italy. In 2019 ranked by Forbes as of the 100 female leaders in Italy. In 2019 ranked by SC Media as one of the top 50 Most Influential Women in Cyber Security. LinkedIn Top Voice on Aerospace & Defense.

Born in Catania in 1972, Dr. Salamone is a senior Italian civil servant, holding a law degree and a degree in political science. He is a lawyer and specialized in public administration. He earned a PhD in Public Law from the University of Rome Tor Vergata and holds master's degrees in "Economic Lawyer and Public Manager" from the University of Pisa, in "International Studies" from SIOI, and in "Public Administration Management" from the Bocconi University School of Management in Milan. Dr. Salamone, a former senior officer in the Armed Forces, has studied at important national and international training institutions and boasts almost thirty years of experience in various roles at the service of the State, allowing him to delve into both administrative and economic as well as technical-scientific issues. Before his appointment as Director General of ASI, Dr. Salamone was the Coordinator of the Task Force for Maritime Policies at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. Previously, as a manager at the Ministry of Defence, he worked at the General Secretariat of Defence and National Armaments Directorate, mainly dealing with procurement and research and technological innovation in the military and dual-use sectors, both nationally and internationally. In this context, he dealt, in particular, with NATO agreements, as well as other international agreements in the field of defense and aerospace equipment (including Sicral II, Athena-Fidus, and the dual system of radar satellites for Earth observation COSMO-SkyMed). He has also held various positions in the offices of the Minister for Economic Development, the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, the Minister of the Environment and the Protection of the Territory and the Sea, and, most recently, the Minister of Defence. Dr. Salamone has also been a lecturer in international law, maritime administrative law, judicial police, and shipping law at the Naval Academy of Livorno and a teaching fellow in the Public Management course at the Higher School of the University of Catania, as well as at numerous university and post-graduate training institutes. He collaborates with various scientific journals for which he is the author of numerous scientific publications on public law - also with reference to the protection of strategic sectors - and international law. Dr. Salamone has been awarded the title of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic for his merits acquired in the performance of his duties. Since November 2023, he has been the Director General of the Italian Space Agency (ASI).

Rosanna Hoffmann leads the “Space Law for New Space Actors” project at the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), supporting UN Member States in drafting and implementing national space laws to promote responsible, safe and sustainable outer space activities. Previously, she was Executive Officer of the European Centre for Space Law (ECSL) at the European Space Agency (ESA), overseeing operations, representing ECSL at the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), and organizing space law workshops. As Associate Legal Officer in ESA’s Public International Law Division, she provided legal advice on international and national space law to ESA Member States. Earlier, Rosanna was a lecturer at the University of Vienna, teaching public international law and coaching the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court team. She also worked at Austria’s Ministry of Justice, responsible for labour law.