Lieven Raes is a distinguished professional holding master's degrees in Administrative Management and Land-Use Planning, showcasing a multifaceted expertise in public service innovation. Currently serving as a senior public servant at Digital Flanders within the Flemish government, Lieven has garnered extensive acclaim as a respected research and innovation consortium coordinator in the Smart City domain. Notably, Lieven spearheaded the EU (Horizon 2020) DUET project focused on Digital Urban European Twins, which received the prestigious Best Enabling Technologies award at the 2021 World Smart City Expo and Congress in Barcelona. Presently, Lieven assumes the role of coordinator for the EU COMPAIR Horizon 2020 consortium, facilitating the integration of Citizen Science with evidence-based decision-making through the utilisation of various domain-overarching IoT devices. Prior engagements include leading the (CIP) Open Transport Net consortium and the (Horizon 2020) POLIVISU consortium, all aimed at fostering data driven, evidence-informed decision-making. Alongside these achievements, Lieven played a pivotal role in driving the development of the Flanders e-government MAGDA platform, focusing on building permits and environmental permits. Continuously pushing the boundaries of research, Lieven is also engaged as a PhD candidate at the Public Governance Institute of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, further solidifying his commitment to advancing the realms of public administration and technological innovation.
Susie Ruston McAleer is an accomplished expert in research, innovation, and governance, dedicated to driving positive change and fostering inclusive digital innovation globally. For nearly two decades, she has empowered governments worldwide to leverage digital transformation for societal progress. As the founder of the digital innovation firm, 21C, Susie serves as a solution strategist, concept builder, and architect for award-winning digital research and innovation endeavours. Her exceptional track record includes securing over 20 multi- million Euro funding awards, notably Europe's inaugural Local Digital Twin project, recognised with a World Smart Cities Award. Currently, Susie contributes to research initiatives on AI trust (THEMIS 5.0), critical thinking elevation for combating disinformation (TITAN), responsible data sharing (DS2), and leveraging digital twins for positive energy districts (BIPED). In pivotal consultancy roles, she has shaped Microsoft's public sector strategy, and informed IBM's perspectives on public sector technologies. Susie's contributions also extend to the scientific community, where she has authored and edited numerous specialist papers and journals, including a seminal book on eParticipation published by the United Nations and the Council of Europe. With a blend of practical experience and scholarly insight, Susie continues to help drive the discourse on digital governance, shaping a more inclusive, efficient, and responsive public sector for the digital age.
Ingrid Croket graduated as a Commercial Engineer at the University of Antwerp in 1997 and obtained a master’s degree in Enterprise IT Architecture at the Antwerp Management School in 2022. She has broad experience in programme and IT project management in public and private companies. Ingrid has strong analytical skills and a good understanding of how to match digital technologies with business challenges, thus contributing to the strategic alignment between IT and business requirements. Ingrid has vast experience in managing complex digitalisation programmes, such as the replacement of mainframe IT infrastructure at the Province of Antwerp by a web-based document and process management system. As part of the Master in Enterprise IT Architecture programme she designed for her master project an enterprise architecture model identifying how smart services of a digital twin contribute to the achievement of the sustainability goals for a city. In her role as project lead and architect for the AI & Data team at imec, she was involved in the VLOCA project (Flemish Open City Architecture) and contributed to the design of the Local Digital Twin Toolbox project for the European Commission.
Pavel Kogut holds a Master's degree from the esteemed London School of Economics, underscoring his commitment to academic excellence and professional advancement. He is an experienced and meticulous researcher, data analyst, and project manager, boasting over a decade of comprehensive experience in the field of European research and innovation. Pavel's expertise extends across a diverse spectrum of European Smart City, Maritime, and Rural projects, encompassing notable endeavours such as DUET for digital twin supported decision-making, COMPAIR citizen science sensors for behaviour change, and PERMAGOV for enhancing marine governance. Pavel's contributions transcend mere participation; he is an active advocat
