2nd Citiverse Assembly

Martin  Brynskov

Founding Board Director and Standardisation Lead, OASC

Martin Brynskov, PhD (CS), is an academic and digital standardisation expert at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, also leading standards efforts at the Brussels-based Open & Agile Cities & Communities (OASC) global network, of which he is the former and founding Chair. His research explores how machines and people – and everything in between – perceive, conceptualise, reason about and act in the worlds they co-inhabit, as individuals, as organisations and as communities/systems of all sizes. He refers to this as Interaction Technologies unfolding in a Place-Based Computing paradigm. Dr Brynskov co-chairs the Danish Standards Committee S-491 on Data Management and Data Spaces through which he co-leads the efforts in Europe to produce harmonised standards for data spaces (CEN-CLC/JTC 25/WG 2) and represents Denmark in the United Nations standards work for IoT, Digital Twins and Sustainable Smart Cities and Communities at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU-T/SG 20).

Cristina Bueti

ITU Focal Point on AI-powered Virtual Worlds

Cristina Bueti is the ITU Focal Point on Smart Sustainable Cities and AI-powered Virtual Worlds. She is also the Counsellor of ITU-T Study Group 20 “Internet of Things, digital twins and smart sustainable cities and communities” and serves as TSB/ITU focal point for Latin America. Cristina Bueti graduated from the Faculty of Political Science, Law and International Cooperation and Development of the University of Florence, where she completed postgraduate studies in International Cooperation and Telecommunications Law in Europe. In 2003, Ms. Bueti built on her academic credentials by completing a specialized course in peace keeping and international cooperation with special focus on telecommunications at the Faculty of Laws, University of Malta, before joining the International Telecommunication Union in Geneva in January 2004. As part of the International Women’s Day 2016, she was named as one of the ten Geneva-based inspirational women working to protect the environment. She has authored over 40 reports on telecommunication and emerging technology issues. A native Italian speaker, Cristina is also fluent in English, French and Spanish.

Karl-Filip Coenegrachts

Chair of the Board of Directors and Executive Director, Open & Agile Smart Cities & Cities (OASC)

Karl-Filip is Chair of the Governing Body and Executive Director of Open & Agile Smart Cities & Communities, an international network of 190+ local and regional authorities supporting its members in their digital transformation journey with a strong focus on interoperability.
He is also Head of the Data, Governance and Communities Unit at the imec research group SMIT of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (imec-SMIT, VUB). The main focus of the work of his unit is on governance and business aspects of urban digital transformation and urban innovation, including data spaces, local digital twins and personal data management. Currently, he also serves as Senior Policy Advisor Smart Cities, Data Spaces, Local Digital Twins and CitiVerse at FARI, the AI for the Common Good Institute in Brussels.
Before joining SMIT, he served in government for 24 years, working at the local level as Chief Strategy Officer of the City of Ghent and at the Belgian FPS Justice on digital policies and digital transformation programmes. He holds a master of laws degree, specialized in European and International Law.

Okan Geray

Chair, Steering Committee, Global Initiative on Virtual Worlds and AI – Discovering the Citiverse

Dr. Okan Geray has more than 25 years of experience in consulting and advisory roles across various industries. He has consulted for a number of organizations in Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany, South Africa, Turkey and Dubai. He worked at A.T. Kearney global management consulting firm for 6 years and was a member of the Global Telecommunications and Higher Technology core team before he joined Dubai Government in 2002. He has worked as the Strategic Planning Advisor in Dubai eGovernment, Dubai Smart Government, Smart Dubai Office and recently Dubai Digital Authority. His responsibilities include Strategic Planning, Strategic Performance Management and Policy Making among others.
Dr. Geray is the U4SSC Chair (U4SSC is a UN initiative coordinated by ITU, UNECE and UN-Habitat and supported by other 16 UN bodies, that help support the development of institutional policies and strategies which encourage the use of digital technologies to facilitate digital transformation and ease the transition to smart sustainable cities). He is leading several thematic groups globally for U4SSC namely “Guidelines on Strategies for Circular Cities”, “City Science Application Framework”, “AI in Cities”, “Enabling People-Centered Cities through Digital Transformation”, and “Digital Wellbeing”.
Dr. Geray is the Co-Rapporteur of the ITU Study Group 20, Question 7 on “Evaluation and assessment of Smart Sustainable Cities and Communities”. He is a member of the IEC-ISO-ITU Joint Smart Cities Task Force (J-SCTF). He is Co-Chairing the Working Group “Economic, regulatory & competition aspects” in the ITU Focus Group on metaverse (FG-MV). He was also the Co-Chair of the “Data Economy Impact, Commercialization and Monetization” Working Group, part of the ITU Focus Group on Data Processing and Management.
Dr. Geray holds a double major B. Sc. degree in Industrial and Computer Engineering from Bosphorus University in Istanbul Turkey, an M.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering and a Ph.D. degree in Systems and Control Engineering from the University of Massachusetts in the US. He has published several journal and conference papers and was an adjunct lecturer in management for 15 years.

Maria Giuffrida
Project Coordinator, StandICT.eu 2029

Maria Giuffrida is a Senior Research Analyst at Trust-IT Services, where she supports EU-funded research and innovation actions with a focus on communication, dissemination, stakeholder engagement and impact-driven community building in the areas of ICT, standardisation and open science.he coordinates StandICT.eu 2029, the fourth edition of the European initiative that funds and supports expert contributions to ICT standardisation, and contributes to shaping its outreach, sustainability, and ecosystem engagement activities. Maria also leads communication, dissemination and engagement activities for TerraDT.eu, supporting visibility and stakeholder mobilisation around Destination Earth-related digital twin developments, including the production of key communication and engagement outputs. Across her broader portfolio, she works with multiple European projects to translate technical results into clear narratives and practical engagement pathways, connecting research outputs with relevant industrial communities, policy discussions and multiplier networks. She holds an MSc in International Management from Bocconi University and a PhD in Management Engineering from Politecnico di Milano (Italy). Before joining Trust-IT, she gained academic research experience in digital innovation, including applications to supply chain management and logistics.

Bilel Jamoussi
Deputy Director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU

Tunisian born, Dr Bilel Jamoussi is Deputy Director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU in Geneva Switzerland. Since 2010, he has been leading the bureau’s standards-making activities into a new era characterized by rapid convergence and the need for increased collaboration with vertical sectors and partnership between developed and developing countries. Prior to 2010, Jamoussi worked for a Telecommunication equipment and solutions provider for 15 years in Canada and then in the United States where he held several leadership positions and was granted 22 US patents in diverse areas including packet, optical, wireless, and quality of service. He holds a BSc, MSc and PhD degrees in Computer Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University, USA. He is fluent in Arabic, French, and English and speaks some Spanish and German.

Hyoung Jun Kim
Chair, ITU-T Study Group 20 “IoT, digital twins, and smart sustainable cities and communities”

Dr Hyoung Jun Kim is a Research Fellow at the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), where he has served since 1988, including as Senior Vice President leading the Intelligent Convergence Research Laboratory. With 37 years of experience, he has contributed across multiple divisions of ETRI and currently serves as Chair of ITU-T Study Group 20 and the APT Standardization Program (ASTAP). He has held numerous leadership roles in ITU, including Vice-Chair of SG20 and SG13, Working Party Chair, and Rapporteur since 2004.
Dr Kim has submitted over 450 standardization proposals, published 150+ papers, holds 100+ patents, and transferred 20 technologies to industry. His achievements have earned him three Presidential Citations of the Republic of Korea (2003, 2009, 2023) and multiple international recognitions, including ITU-T Certificates of Appreciation.

Helen Köpman
Deputy Head of Unit, European Commission

Helen Köpman is Deputy Head of Unit for AI for Societal Good, at DG Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG Connect) at the European Commission in Brussels. The unit is developing and showcasing AI-driven digital twins, delivering tangible solutions for efficient and sustainable operation of cities and communities, and is responsible for the Citiverse – European Digital Infrastructure Consortium. It is also implementing the international engagement of the AI Office in delivering AI solutions for the public good. Prior to this position she was leading development of innovation across digital policies and programmes in DG Connect, with particular focus on EU support to deployment of blockchain technologies and on scaling up of European deep tech startups. She has also been managing EC supported research and innovation in ICT applied to mobility including electric and automated driving and supported International Scientific Cooperation. She has a M.Sc. in Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering, from the University of Linköping, Sweden. Ms Köpman joined the European Commission in 2003 following thorough industrial experience in the management of ICT systems integration and service development in several international companies. Her core interest is to support ICT based European tech companies to reach their full market potential with product and services that benefits the citizens.

Silvana Muscella
Strategic Advisor, StandICT.eu 2029 & CEO, Trust-IT Services

Silvana Muscella is a European entrepreneur and ICT strategic coordinator with over 25 years of experience in digital innovation, standardisation, and open science. Silvana leads on some  major international initiatives focused on the European research agenda – in ICT areas such as Cybersecurity, ICT Standards, EOSC-European Open Science Cloud. She is CEO & Founder of Trust-IT Services, a research and digitally-led SME specialising in digital marketing and communication for ICT and co-Founder of COMMpla, a software house delivering multichannel solutions. She was the prime author & designer of the StandICT.eu flagship standardisation CSA project funded by the EC back in 2017. Her strategic vision entails being actively involved in navigating geopolitics and innovation strategy to foster “European digital champions” in innovations in ICT tech adoption. She has served as an external expert evaluator and reviewer for the European Commission since 2003.

Seizo Onoe
Director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU

Seizo Onoe took office as Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB) at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on 1 January 2023. Known in the industry as “the father of LTE” (Long-Term Evolution mobile broadband), he now aims for global outreach to bridge standardization gaps, deliver the benefits of technology widely and speedily, and ensure meaningful and affordable broadband access for everyone. Before his election as TSB Director by ITU Member States, he completed an over 30-year career with Japanese mobile operator NTT DOCOMO. In 2021, he became Executive Vice President and Chief Standardization Strategy Officer for NTT Corporation and a Fellow of NTT DOCOMO. From 2017, he served as NTT DOCOMO’s Chief Technology Architect and President of its subsidiary DOCOMO Technology. From 2012 to 2017, he served as NTT DOCOMO’s Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President, a Member of the Board of Directors, and Managing Director of R&D Innovation Division. Earlier, he served as Senior Vice President and Managing Director of NTT DOCOMO’s R&D Strategy Department and Managing Director of the company’s Radio Network Development Department. Mr Onoe holds a Master’s degree in electronics from the Kyoto University Graduate School of Engineering.

Teppo Rantanen
Leader of the Strategic Guidance Track, Global Initiative on Virtual Worlds and AI – Discovering the Citiverse

Teppo Rantanen, Director for competitiveness and innovation at the City of Tampere, is responsible for several city-wide development programs, with a particular focus on smart city themes [such as the Data-Driven City for Citizens initiative], that shape the strategic economic policy of the city. He leads Tampere through collaboration in extensive international networks toward a metaverse city with a human-centric perspective. From 2002 to 2014 Teppo served as Deloitte Finland’s Chief Executive Officer and from 2014 to 2016 in London as a member of Global Technology, Media and Telecommunications Leadership Team. He is currently sitting on the board of Business Finland.
Teppo and his team from the City of Tampere were receiving the World Smart City Award in the Enabling Technologies category at Smart City Expo World Congress taking place in Barcelona in 2023.

Christoph Runde
Chair, Technical Working Group on Virtual Worlds, StandICT

Christoph Runde has amassed more than 25 years of industry experience and is a leading figure in the field of professional virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) systems and applications. After beginning his career at Porsche, he joined the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA) in 1999, where he spearheaded the institute’s endeavours in the domain of VR/AR. In 2006, he completed his doctorate with a thesis on the topic of “Conception and industrial implementation of virtual reality as a digital factory component”. From 2007, he developed the Virtual Dimension Center (VDC) into one of the largest and most successful cluster initiatives for VR/AR in Europe. Under Christoph’s leadership, the VDC was honoured with the European Cluster Management Excellence Label GOLD (2013, 2016, 2019, 2021) and numerous awards for its innovation and service quality. Christoph’s expertise is highly sought after by government agencies and venture capital funds, which he supports as an advisor. In addition to his role as Managing Director of VDC, Christoph is Vice President Industry of the European eXtended Reality Association (EuroXR). In 2017, Christoph was awarded an honorary professorship by Heilbronn University. Christoph is chairing the “eXtended Reality and Metaverse” working group at the German Institute for Standardization (DIN), the “Standards Registry Working Group” at the Metaverse Standards Forum, and the Technical Working Group (TWG) “Virtual Worlds” within standICT.

Anish Sethi
Co-leader of Pillar 2 – Connecting Cities with the Virtual and Real Worlds, Global Initiative on Virtual Worlds and AI – Discovering the Citiverse

Mr. Anish Sethi was appointed Chief of Digital Solutions Centre in October 2022. Mr. Sethi was previously appointed Chief, Clients and Projects Division in October 2020 and was already serving as Chief, Clients and Projects Division since October 2018. In this role, he was responsible for professional services at UNICC, including oversight of new services and products as well as development of strategic partnerships with technology and international development organizations. He led the Business Relationship Management function, which manages, strengthens and grows UNICC’s Client base. He also headed the Project Delivery unit responsible for managing and delivering all Client and UNICC projects, including all consulting engagements. Mr. Sethi is the administrative head of the UNICC New York office.

Kyoung Jae Sun

Senior Researcher, Standards Research Division, ETRI

Kyoungjae Sun is a senior researcher at the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Republic of Korea, where he works in the Standard Research Division. He received his Ph.D. from Soongsil University, Korea. He is actively engaged in international standardization activities within ITU-T and ISO. In ITU-T, he currently serves as an Associate Rapporteur of Question 10 of ITU-T Study Group 20, which addresses IoT solutions for effective energy management in smart sustainable cities and communities. He also serves as an Associate Rapporteur of Question 12 of ITU-T Study Group 5, which focuses on climate action and adaptation to climate change through sustainable and resilient telecommunications/ICTs, including emerging technologies. He served as the editor of ITU-T Recommendation H.862.8, “Requirements and framework of occupational health service platform,” and currently serves as an editor of the draft Recommendation ITU-T Y.citiverse-reqts, “Requirements of citiverse platform for smart sustainable cities and communities.” Within ISO, he contributes to the development of standards on digital twins for manufacturing. His current research focuses on digital twins, digital health, and the citiverse.

AJan Wester
Director, European Digital Infrastructure Consortia (EDIC) on Local Digital Twins and CitiVERSE

Mr. Wester is a board level executive with a vast experience in developing and managing complex public-private multistakeholder programs. At the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs he held several positions and was responsible for the Dutch national policy on digital transformation. In 2008 Mr. Wester was appointed principal strategist at TNO (National Applied Research Institute). Recently Mr. Wester was appointed director of the LDT CitiVERSE EDIC. A Pan-European organisation with 15 EU member states, dedicated to: create a common European infrastructure for Networked Local Digital Twins, on the crossroads of Geo Data, AI and Virtual Worlds, with the ambition of building the European “Citiverse”; enhance Capacity building through a common set of advanced products, services and facilities, validated from practice, that harmonize implementation by cities and regions of member states; creating economies of scope and scale through the advancement of interoperability, replicability and portability based on international open standards, European Values, fuelling European Digital Sovereignty.

Christina Yan Zhang
Leader of Evaluation and Assessment Track, Global Initiative on Virtual Worlds and AI – Discovering the Citiverse

Christina is a pioneer in the metaverse. She started her master on the topic in 2006 develop universities’ global strategies. In 2012, she completed a PhD using digital twin for the AEC Industry. She worked for QS, the world university rankings as China Director. Starting from scratch, she grew the UK-headquartered firm’s success in China. In 2016, China’s Vice Premier highlighted the use of QS rankings, with the rankings impacting 5 years £750bn funding to 3005 universities. She has sat on 20+ committees for UNESCO, World Bank, EU. She contributed to the establishment of Commonwealth Students Association, representing 2bn youth from 56 countries. She was ITU’s Co-chair of TaskGroup on Pre-standardisation for the CitiVerse and authored 1st UN approved report on “People-Centered CitiVerse,” introducing 8 levels to develop a people-centered, planet-friendly digital future, leading to global standards. She is Leader of Evaluation and Assessment Track, Global Initiative on Virtual Worlds and AI – Discovering the Citiverse. She sits on Advisory Council for Centre for Science Futures of International Science Council, the world’s largest science body of 250 national/international academies of sciences; and advisory board on the AI economy for The Economist Impact. She is featured with Jeffrey Sachs as Cover People on Digital Equity.