Speakers
Dr Gergely Deli
Rector, Ludovika University of Public Service
Dr. Gergely Deli, recipient of the Pro Cultura Humana, Hajnóczy, and Junior Prima awards, is a jurist, university professor, and Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He was born in 1980 in Pécs. He obtained his degrees from Eötvös Loránd University, the University of Cambridge, and New York University. His field of research is Roman law. Since February 1, 2022, he has been the Rector of the Ludovika University of Public Service. He is an honorary citizen of the town of Bátonyterenye.
Prof Dr András Koltay
President, National Media and Infocommunications Authority
András Koltay is Research Professor at the University of Public Service and Professor of Law at Pázmány Péter Catholic University in Budapest, Hungary. Between 2018 and 2021, he served as Rector of the University of Public Service. He has been the President of the National Media and Infocommunications Authority of Hungary since 2021. He is the author of New Media and Freedom of Expression (Oxford: Hart, 2019) and Media Freedom and the Law (Abingdon: Routledge, 2024).
Marjolijn van Deelen
Special Envoy for Space, European External Action Service
Marjolijn van Deelen assumed the position of EU Special Envoy for Space in February 2024 following 3,5 years of executing the function of EU Special Envoy for Non-proliferation and Disarmament. Her primary mission is to represent the EU in multilateral fora dedicated to space with a focus on promoting responsible behaviour in space. To that end, she engages with third States through dialogue and consultations. The Special Envoy also has operational responsibilities as to the response to possible threats to or through the systems and services deriving from the EU Space Programme as well as concerning the EU Satellite Centre. She cooperates with European Commission services and contributes to the development of the security aspects of the EU Space Programme as well as all other related matters. Marjolijn van Deelen is a career diplomat of the Netherlands. Before joining the EU External Action Service (EEAS), she headed the Non-proliferation, Disarmament and Nuclear Affairs Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands with the title of Ambassador. She held several posts abroad (to the international organisations in Vienna, at the Dutch Embassies in Bucharest and San Jose), as well as positions in The Hague (Europe Division, Middle East Division, UN Division, Development Assistance). Ms. Van Deelen holds a Masters in Geophysics from the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands, as well as a BA in Economics from the American University in Washington DC.
Tomas Hrozensky
European Engagment Lead, European Space Policy Institute (ESPI)
Rosanna Deim-Hoffmann
Head of Space Law, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs
Rosanna Deim-Hoffmann is the Lead for Space Law at the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), where she heads the Global Space Law Project and serves as Secretary of the Working Group on Legal Aspects of Space Resource Activities and Secretary of the Expert Group on Space Situational Awareness. Her work focuses on assisting countries in developing national space legislation and strengthening the global governance framework for outer space. She regularly lectures at universities worldwide and contributes to capacity-building, legal research, and policy discussions on the peaceful and sustainable use of outer space. Previously, she served as Executive Officer of the European Centre for Space Law (ECSL) and Junior Legal Officer at the European Space Agency (ESA), working on international agreements and national space law matters.
Dr Andrew Aldrin
CEO and President of the Aldrin Family Foundation
Executive Director for Space Programs at Embry-Riddle Worldwide
Dr. Andrew Aldrin serves as the Director of the Buzz Aldrin Space Institute (BASI) and is an Associate Professor at Florida Institute of Technology (FIT). Prior to FIT, Dr. Aldrin was President of Moon Express, responsible for day to day operations for the company. Prior to coming to Moon Express, Dr. Aldrin was Director of Business Development and Advanced Programs at United Launch Alliance where he oversaw development of corporate strategies, business capture, senior customer relations and advanced program development for civil space markets. Before ULA, Dr. Aldrin headed Business Development and Advanced Programs for Boeing’s NASA Systems, and Launch Services business units. He has also served as a Resident Consultant at the RAND Corporation and Professional Research Staff Member at the Institute for Defense Analyses. Dr. Aldrin holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from UCLA, an MBA from TRIUM, a MA in Science Technology and Public Policy from The George Washington University, and a MA in International Relations from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He is an Adjunct Faculty member at International Space University and has been Adjunct Faculty at the University of Houston and California State University at Long Beach.
Szilvia Balázs
Head of Unit, Disarmement and Non-proliferation at Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Hungary
Szilvia Balázs is a senior Hungarian diplomat specializing in disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms control. She currently heads the Disarmament & Non-Proliferation Unit at Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, overseeing nuclear, chemical, biological, and conventional arms issues, export control regimes, and emerging security challenges such as AI in military domain and outer space security. She has held leadership roles at the UN, including Vice-Chair of the First Committee and Chair of the UN Disarmament Commission Working Group on space security. With prior service at Hungary’s UN Mission in New York, she has extensive experience shaping policy in multilateral forums .
Dr Julia Balm
Research Associate, Freeman Air and Space Institute at King's College London
Dr Julia Balm is a Research Associate in the Freeman Air and Space Institute at King’s College London specialising in space strategy and emerging disruptive technologies in the space domain. She researches contemporary space power and advocates for an interdisciplinary approach to the space domain; she works across the House of Lords, Ministry of Defence, and the Defence Academy to deliver research on cross sector strategy and pan-governmental approaches to security challenges. She also teaches officer courses on air and space power at the Joint Services Command and Staff College for the Royal Air Force. She was a Junior Associate Fellow at the NATO Defence College across 2024-2025 specialising on space power and disruptive technologies.
Prof Dr Heinrich Kreft
Professor, Ret. Amb.
Program director of the International Diplomatic Academy (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany)
Prof. Dr. Heinrich Kreft is Program Director in the Diplomatic Academy of the German Foreign Ministry and a Visiting Senior Fellow at the Istanbul Policy Center. From Summer 2020 until August 2024 Dr. Kreft held the Chair for Diplomacy and was Program Director “International Relations and European Studies” at Andrássy University Budapest and Director of its Center for Diplomacy. Previously, he was Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (July 2016 - August 2020), Special Ambassador for Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue and for International Academic Relations, and Deputy Head of the Policy Planning Staff of the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. Other assignments in his 40-year long diplomatic career have taken him to Washington, Tokyo, Madrid and La Paz. In between, he was a visiting fellow at the Henry L Stimson Center, the Heritage Foundation, the Brookings Institutions, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Transatlantic Academy of the German Marshall Fund of the United States in Washington, DC. Heinrich Kreft studied political science, modern history and sociology at Juniata College, Huntingdon, PA (USA), at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris and the Institut des Hautes Etudes de L`Amérique Latine of the Sorbonne Nouvelle as well as at the University of Münster. He has published extensively on international relations. Most recent publications on European Security and the new “Race to Space”.
Don Koulaouzos
Managing Director, Skytrek Limited
Don Koulaouzos has over 35 years of international business and technology experience in the telecommunications and aerospace industries holding executive management and consultancy positions including Non-Executive Director on the Board of two global satellite communications providers (Inmarsat and Satellite Aircom). He played a key role in the strategic planning phases of two civil and two military multi- billion dollar geostationary satellite constellations. In addition to his corporate career, Don’s entrepreneurial ventures began with making and selling electronic equipment, aerial photography/charter pilot, creating a social networking platform, and now leading a business management consultancy and training centre. He also shares his knowledge and expertise by helping startups with training and mentoring support. He is a regular guest lecturer on space topics at several universities, and is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Aerospace and Telecommunications Law, at the Ludovika University of Public Service. Don has an MBA from the University of Sydney as well as Australian and American commercial pilots’ licenses.
András Edl
Researcher, Institute of Aerospace and Telecommunications Law at Ludovika University of Public Service
European Security and Defence College
András Edl is a historian, an East Asia analyst and a space security and defense advisor. He is currently a researcher at the Institute of Aerospace and Telecommunications Law, and a lecturer of the UNISPACE program, while also completing his studies as a PhD fellow at the European Security and Defense Collage and the LUPS Doctoral School of Military Sciences. He is also enrolled as a psychology student at the Fernuniversitat in Hagen. He enjoys supporting new talent, therefore he regularly gives lectures, trainings and participates in mentoring. His research focuses on the security aspect of space activity, including the space programs of the biggest geopolitical actors, deterrence and decision-making, supply chain security and critical minerals, the Moon programs and disrupting technologies in the field.
Prof Dr Gábor Sulyok
Professor of International Law, Széchenyi István University (Győr, Hungary)
Gábor Sulyok is a full professor of international law at Széchenyi István University Deák Ferenc Faculty of Law and Political Sciences in Győr, a senior research fellow at the Institute for Legal Studies of the ELTE Centre for Social Sciences, and an external researcher at Ludovika University of Public Service Institute of Aerospace and Telecommunications Law in Budapest, Hungary. He is also involved as a lecturer in the UniSpace postgraduate specialist training course, and as a faculty advisor/coach at the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition. His academic interests include the prohibition of the threat or use of force, humanitarian intervention, the sources of international law, the history of international law and space law. His research in space law focuses, inter alia, on the military use of outer space, space resource utilization and space debris mitigation.
Prof Dr Philippe Achilleas
Professor of Internation Law; Director of the Telecommunications and Space Law,Univeristy Paris Saclay
Dr Balázs Bartóki-Gönczy
Associate professor
Director, Institute of Aerospace and Telecommunications Law, Ludovika University of Public Service
Balázs Bartóki-Gönczy is a lawyer, he obtained a Hungarian law degree from Pázmány Péter Catholic University, a French law degree from Panthéon-Assas Paris II and Paris Saclay universities, specializing in telecommunications and space law at the latter. He earned an MBA degree at the University of Lyon III and a PhD degree at the Pázmány Péter Catholic University School of Law. He is the Vice-Dean of Academic Affairs of the Faculty of Public Governance and International Studies of the Ludovika University of Public Service (Budapest), associate professor director of the Institute of Space Law and Policy. His field of research is electronic communications and space law, which he teaches in Hungarian, English and French. On December 14, 2021, the Hungarian Parliament elected him as a member of the Media Council of Hungary.
Dr Zsolt G. Pataki
Senior Policy Analyst
Directorate-General for Parliamentary Research Services, Policy Foresight Unit
As Senior policy analyst in the Policy Foresight Unit of the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), he manages various foresight projects (space, quantum, dual use tech, etc.) and contributes to scenario developments. Prior to that, Zsolt was Head of the STOA Secretariat (European Parliament's scientific body), carrying out interdisciplinary research, technology assessment and foresight projects, and providing scientific advice to policymakers. Previously, at the Joint Research Centre (European Commission's in-house science service) he was secretary of the Modelling Task Force. He coordinated modelling activities and scientific inputs to the Commission's various impact assessments. Earlier he was Head for External relations and Economic analysis at the Euratom Supply Agency (DG Energy), after being energy and science advisor in Paris at the OECD ecosystem. Prior to that, he had worked in the team preparing his country’s accession to NATO. Zsolt has background in physics, economics and holds a PhD in geopolitics from the University of Paris.
Dr Csaba Krasznay
Associate professor, Department of Cyber Security and e-Government, Ludovika University of Public Service
Dr. Csaba Krasznay is an Associate Professor at the Department of Cybersecurity and e-Government of the Ludovika University of Public Service. His research focuses on cybersecurity and cyber warfare. He obtained his degree in electrical engineering in 2003 from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics and earned his PhD in military technical sciences at the Ludovika University of Public Service in 2012. In addition to his academic work, he has been continuously active in the private sector as well.
Alicia Brown
Executive Director, US Commercial Space Federation (CSF)
Alicia is a veteran space policy and legislative affairs professional. Before joining CSF, she served at NASA as Associate Administrator of the Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, leading the agency’s engagement with Congress and other elected officials. Prior to joining NASA, she served as a professional staff member for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, advising members of the Senate on policy related to U.S. civil space programs, commercial space, science policy.
Chehineze Bouafia
Head of Regulatory Affairs, Space & Telecommunications, Eutelsat Group
Jordi Casanova Tormo
Head EUPP Ads, Telecom & Space, Amazon
Currently Head of Telecom and Space for Amazon’s EU Public Policy team, Jordi Casanova has over a decade of experience in competition and regulatory economics across a wide range of fields. Before joining Amazon in 2023, he was a senior economist at the EFTA Surveillance Authority, following on from roles focusing on competition at the European Commission, Ofcom and the Spanish Market and Competition Authority. Jordi holds degrees in economics from the University of Valencia and Universite Libre de Bruxelles, as well as an LLM from the College of Europe. In addition to his interest in all things competition, regulatory and policy, Jordi enjoys identifying promising startups to invest in and took his interest in viticulture to the next level as a co-owner of a start-up winery in his native Valencia.
Fruzsina Tari
Head of Legal Team supporting Space and Defence Technologies, 4iG Space and Defence Technologies Plc.
Fruzsina Tari, being passionate for space law, IP Rights and technology, was always working on the support of innovation. After she became qualified lawyer and industrial design engineer, she specialized to space and telecommunication law. She gathered experience in diverse sectors from being associate as IP lawyer in an international law firm through legal counsel position in a major telco company and being the Head of the Hungarian Space Office than becoming innovation manager at a start-up company. Finally, she has synthetized all her experiences and joined 4iG Group as Head of Legal at 4iG Space and Defence Plc.
Dr Kálmán Kovács
President, Hungarian Astronautical Society