Autonomous Systems

Raul Rikk, Capability Development Director, MILREM Robotics

Raul Rikk is the Capability Development Director at Milrem Robotics. His areas of responsibility include strategic planning, the development of military robotics concepts, and the execution of long-term development projects, including those for the EU and NATO.

Previously, he served as the Estonian Director of National Cyber Security, where his primary role was to manage, organize, and coordinate the provision of national cyber security both domestically and internationally.

Raul has been involved in developing digital society and cyber security capabilities in various countries. He is one of the founders of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence. He also created the National Cyber Security Index.

Raul holds a master's degree from the Finnish National Defense University and a master's degree in IT Management from Tallinn University. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.

Rihards Mikelsons, Head of Autonomous Systems Industry Development Section, Ministry of Defence, Latvia

Rihards Mikelsons is the head of Autonomous Systems Industry Development Section at Autonomous Systems Centre of Competence in Latvia, where he oversees unmanned areal vehicle tests.

With previous experience of governing the Drone Capability Coalition international cooperation, he actively promotes international cooperation between drone specialists and believes that cooperation is important to fully exploit the potential of drone technology in a security context. In addition to his professional achievements, he is a father of two great children, always prioritizing the most important life values.

Marco Lotz, Business Development Manager, Quantum Systems 

Marco Lotz has been Business Development & Governmental Relations Manager at Quantum Systems since September 2024. He contributes to the companies growth by identifying strategic opportunities at the intersection of policy, security, and innovation.

He brings a strong background in international security, public sector consulting, and geopolitical analysis. Prior to joining Quantum, he held consulting roles at Agora Strategy Group and Partnerschaft Deutschland, where he advised on security and defense sector initiatives.

He holds a Master’s degree in International Security from Sciences Po Paris, with a focus on global risks and strategic foresight, and a Bachelor’s degree in Politics, Administration, and International Relations from Zeppelin University.

Dário Pedro, Chief Executive Officer, Beyond Vision 

Dário Pedro is the CEO @ Beyond Vision, an European company specialized in the development  of AI algorithms and manufacturing of advanced UAVs. Since 2020, he has led the company’s growth into a reference player in the European drone ecosystem, combining strong R&D capabilities with commercial success across both civilian and defense markets.

He holds a background in AI and autonomous systems and has been recognized with several distinctions, including the Altice International Innovation Award for the best PhD in Europe. Under his leadership, Beyond Vision has developed state-of-the-art UAV platforms such as the HEIFU Pro, VTOne, and BVQ418, as well as the beXStream C4ISR platform, supporting NATO operations and EU innovation projects.

Dário is passionate about advancing AI-driven autonomy, multi-drone systems, and modular UAV design, with the goal of modernizing defense capabilities and enabling new commercial applications.

Representative, Ministry of Defence, Ukraine (name tbc)

Moderator: Stephen O’Sullivan, Project Officer UAS Airspace Integration, EDA

Stephen comes from an operational background where he served with EUFOR as an ISR commander in Chad. Stephen recently led the United Nations ISR capability development team in Valencia where over 500 UAS across all classes were deployed on peace operations globally.

Possessing an MSc in Aerospace sciences as well as being a UAS instructor, Stephen now works to integrate UAS in EU airspace as part of the EDA's Single European Sky unit. 

PART 1: João Caetano, Project Officer UAS Programmes, European Defence Agency

Dr. João Caetano joined the Portuguese Air Force Academy at 18. He served at the Portuguese Air Force for 20 years. He holds a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Delft University of Technology. His career focused on research and operations of Unmanned Aircraft Systems at the Portuguese Air Force Research Center, where he was also an assistant professor. He was head of UAS operations for the Portuguese Air Force, and UAS Remote Pilot instructor.

As a NATO appointee, he oversaw UAS research and chaired the Strategic Committee of the Applied Vehicle Technologies Panel at NATO’s Science and Technology Organization. Currently, he is honored and humbled to serve the EU Members States at the European Defence Agency as a Project Officer on UAS Programmes, supporting defence research, technology development, and the integration of UAS in airspace. He supports EDA’s roles, while supporting the development of defence capabilities and military cooperation among the Member States in the UAS domain.

PART 2: Nataliia Kushnerska, Chief Operations Officer, Roboneers

Natalia Kushnerska is a leader in the development of Ukraine’s defense tech sector, transforming innovations into real solutions for the Armed Forces. In 2023, she headed the Brave1 cluster, which united government, business, and engineers, delivering thousands of projects in UAVs, robotics, EW and AI.

This not only supported the military but also established Ukraine as the world’s most dynamic defense tech hub. She is now the Chief Operating Officer at Roboneers, one of the first Ukrainian companies specializing in multi-domain unmanned systems to defend and fight. Its combat RWS “Saber” and UGV “Lynx” have already proven their effectiveness on the frontline, reshaping the battlefield and saving soldiers’ lives.

PART 2: Eugene Yakovlev, Chief Partnership Development and Investor Relations Officer, Skyeton

Eugene Yakovlev is an experienced business leader with over a decade in strategic investments, M&A, and international business development, with a strong focus on the aerospace and defense sectors. He currently serves as Chief Partnership Development and Investor Relations Officer at Skyeton Holding, leading global expansion, fundraising, and investor relations. Previously, he was CBO and COO at Dragonfly Aerospace, a South African satellite manufacturer, and held senior roles at Noosphere Ventures, a US-based venture capital fund, where he managed a multi-sector portfolio.

Earlier in his career, he also led major port infrastructure investment projects. Eugene holds degrees in Economic Diplomacy and Enterprise Economics, along with executive training in business management.

PART 2: Representative, Armed Forces UxS Command, Ukraine (name tbd)

PART 2 Moderator: Luca Gargiulo, Project Officer Aviation/Air Superiority, European Defence Agency

He joined the Italian Air Force in 1990, becoming a military pilot in the USA in 1995. Assigned to a dual-role fighter squadron in Italy (fighter bomber and combat reconnaissance roles), he completed all the qualifications, including those for flight instructor and examiner. Having accumulated over 3,500 flying hours in service in Italy and abroad, he spent almost a decade working on the development of air combat capabilities at the Italian Air Force Staff.

Since 2023, he has been a member of the EDA Air Domain Unit at the Capability, Armament and Planning Directorate. As Project Officer Air Superiority, he is responsible for key areas of capability development, including Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Air Combat; Airborne Command and Inform Capabilities; and Next Generation Vertical Lift Capabilities.

PART 3: Jakub Fojtik, Vice President of Business Development, Primoco UAV

Jakub Fojtík, Ph.D. is a graduate of the Police Academy of the Czech Republic, he holds Master's, and Doctoral degrees in the security studies, complemented by studies in common law. Fojtík has worked extensively across aviation companies with leading managerial roles in the sales of LOM PRAHA and Aero Vodochody where he realized large international projects including foreign military pilots training or introduction of new military pilot training capabilities including launch of a new generation jet trainer. Currently holds a position of VP Sales and Head of certification of Primoco UAV SE, a leading European UAS design and production office. There he managed the first in the world STANAG 4703 certification of Primoco UAV.

He has also authored more than 50 books and published over 900 magazine articles focused on various aviation topics. He resides in the Czech Republic and remains open to collaboration in the aviation segment.

PART 3: Jakob Kirner, Senior Business Developer, ARX

Jakob Kirner leads the product team at ARX Robotics, a defense technology company specializing in the digital transformation of land forces and the development and deployment of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). Prior to joining ARX, he served as Product Manager for an advanced synthetic data and sensor simulation toolchain designed for perception-based AI in safety-critical environments, used by industry leaders such as Continental, Bosch and BMW. His earlier roles at Deutsche Telekom included solutions engineering for private 5G networks and R&D in AI-driven anomaly detection and spatial acoustics at Fraunhofer.

Jakob brings several years of experience in product marketing for deep tech solutions at the intersection of perception-based AI, simulation and wireless technologies for autonomous edge devices. In addition to his technical background in Media Engineering, he specializes in agile product development, with a strong focus on rapid iteration cycles.

PART 3: Karl Liavag, Business Development Manager, Naval Surface Vessels, Kongsberg

Before Karl Liavaag joining Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace in 2024 Karl started his first career in the Norwegian armed forces. He enlisted in the Norwegian navy’s coastal ranger commando in 2008 and in 2014 he graduated from the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy as a warfare principal officer with major in navigation and littoral warfare. He is a specialist in littoral high speed special operations and has been commanding officer of various platoons, squadrons and divisions in the Norwegian navy and in the Norwegian special forces. During his years in the Norwegian armed forces Karl has experience from national and international special operations in Africa, Asia and Europe.

Today Karl is with the Naval Surface division of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace as a business developer in the naval business unit, primarily focusing on projects with smaller platforms, unmanned systems and special utilization.

PART 3: Representative, Drone Coalition, Latvia (tbc)

PART 3 Moderator: Martin Joesaar, Programme Officer, EU Defence Innovation Office Kyiv, EEAS

Martin Jõesaar is a Programme Officer at the European Commission, leading the EU Defence Innovation Office in Kyiv to foster EU–Ukraine defence industry cooperation. With 16+ years of military experience as an Officer in the Estonian armed forces he has first-hand experience with innovative technology as an end user.

After a successful military career, he joined the defence industry, helping to lead one of the biggest drone industry companies in Estonia as a COO. This was followed by a position in the Estonian Centre of Defence Investments to manage the EDIDP international national project iMUGS from the Member States side (with 7 countries, €32M budget) which opened up the road for the future work with EDF projects as a Project Officer already from DG DEFIS.

Oliver Cusworth, Senior Policy Advisor, European Investment Bank

Kateryna Mykhalko, Director General, Tech Force in UA, Ukraine

Christian Martens, Chief Executive Officer of Integrated Electronic Systems, Rheinmetall

Alexander Wolf, Head of Product Management Unmanned Systems, Diehl Defence

Dr.-Ing. Alexander Wolf is Head of Technology Management for Platforms & Unmanned Systems at Diehl Defence GmbH & Co. KG. He holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Stuttgart, where he also completed his doctorate at the Institute for Aerodynamics and Gas Dynamics, focusing on the reduction of trailing edge noise in wind turbines through active flow control.

Since joining Diehl Defence in 2013 as a technical trainee, Dr. Wolf has held several leadership positions in the fields of unmanned systems, technology, and product management. In his current role, he oversees the technological development and strategic direction of platforms and unmanned systems within Diehl Defence.

Born in Ehringshausen in 1981, Dr. Wolf is married and has three children.

Maurits Korthals Altes, Chief Executive Officer, Intelic

Moderator: Robbie Boyd, Senior Leader, Defence Security and Resilience Bank Development 
Group

Robbie Boyd is a Defence Security and Resilience Bank Development Group senior leader and CEO of Encompass BV. His 40 years of experience in Defence, Industry and Security includes over a decade on combat operations at every level and experience as a practitioner at the strategic and grand-strategic level. A soldier, innovation industry senior leader, NED and Strategic Advisory Board member for several European Defence and Innovation companies, he is a regular contributor to the United Kingdom’s Defence Academy, RUSI (where he holds a Fellowship) and IISS. He is a Senior Fellow at OPEWI; Europe’s War Institute.

Before establishing Encompass, he led Gartner’s consulting across NATO and EU Defence as a Managing Partner. Prior to that he was a Brigadier General in the British Army, serving as the principal political/military advisor to the Chair of NATO’s Military Committee, NATO’s most senior military appointee.

A U.K. and Irish citizen, he lives near Brussels.