** Top Ranked GlobalThought Leader, Author, and Keynote Speaker for Cybersecurity, Cloud, and AI **

Mark Lynd is an accomplished executive with over 2 decades of experience, and 4x CIO & CISO for global companies including a global financial services organization operating in 27 countries. He is the Head of Executive Advisory & Corporate Strategy at Netsync, a global technology reseller, and part of the executive leadership team, helping public and private sector clients worldwide.

Mark is a sought-after and top ranked thought leader and speaker, frequently presenting on topics such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, generative AI, cloud computing, STEM, and veteran affairs for organizations like T-Mobile, Oracle, IBM Watson, Cisco, HP, Dell, AT&T, Intel, and other leading organizations.

Mark's achievements include being a finalist for Ernst & Young's "Entrepreneur of the Year - Southwest Region, presenting the Doak Walker Award on ESPN and being consistently ranked in the top 5 for thought leaders for cybersecurity, security, cloud, and Artificial intelligence for several years.

He's contributed his expertise to several academic and technology boards, including SMU's Cox School of Business.

Mark holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Tulsa and attended The Wharton School. Mark is a proud military veteran who served honorably in the US Army's 3rd Ranger Battalion & 82nd Airborne.

Specialties: CyberSecurity, IoT, Artificial Intelligence, Higher Ed, K12, EdTech, Cloud, Big Data, Mobile, Social, CIO, Governance, Due-diligence, Data Center, Military, Veteran, AI, Generative AI, AI Infrastrucutre

Chairman & Comm'r George Mentz is the Founder of GAFM ® and the CWM Chartered Wealth Manger ® Institute. Mentz is the CEO of the Global Academy of Finance and Management ® Certification and Education Institute Worldwide which is an EU Accredited and ISO 21001 and ISO 29993 Certified Educational Body. Mentz is a governmental Commissioner for the Civil Service Commission and also a Commissioner for the Airport Commission. In addition to his legal and corporate career, Counselor Mentz has taught and designed over 300 graduate and undergraduate courses specializing in finance, business, and law. Mentz enjoys teaching: Introduction to Financial Planning, Advanced Wealth Management, Ethics, and Financial Innovations. Mentz has an earned Doctor of Jurisprudence/JD from Loyola (EU - ( Doctorat en Droit - Doktor der Rechtswissenschaft ), an MBA in financial planning/international business and a CILS graduate Certificate in International Law. Mentz holds a B.A. degree with a focus in politics from LSU. Mentz earned and held clean FINRA/NASD licenses of Series 7. 63, and 65 in the late 1990s as an investment banker for a Wall Street Firm. Mentz has held various designations such as: ChMC, CFC, QFP, CWM, and completed a tax preparation certificate with Jackson Hewitt. Mentz has been recently ranked #2 in the world as a Wealth Management influencer and #5 in the world as a Management and project management "thought leader". Professor Mentz is a strategic advisor to the University of Colorado CU Leeds School of Business Executive Programs.

Hon. George Mentz was elected in 2025 as The Chairman for the Civil Service Commission for the Government - Police and Fire Officers with over 1,500 fire and police officers and staffs including SWAT teams and a budget of roughly $200 Million Dollars Per year. Mentz also serves on the TRE and other Boards that have facilitated over $100 million dollars in charity to those in need in the last 3 years.

Mentz has volunteered for several US presidents and in 2019-21 has served as a US Commissioner for the White House Presidential Scholars Program 2019-22 while Mentz has also volunteered as an economic analyst writer for the Dept. of Labor from 2007-21. Mentz is also a government Commissioner for the Colorado Springs Airport which is larger than JFK and Laguardia combined, and Counselor Mentz is also a Commissioner for the Civil Service Commission Colorado.

Mentz has written and published over 100+ books and audio books and has written for the US government, O-Books UK, eFinancialCareers, & National Underwriter. Mentz continues to write as a wealth & economics commentator for top news media outlets and has won several awards as an author and professor.

Mentz has been ranked in the Top 50 Thought Leaders for Project Management, HR, B2B and Wealth Management. Mentz was recently Honored to be Ranked as a #2 in the World as a Wealth Management. In 2021, Mentz won a "Best Books of All Time won a "Best Books of All Time" book award with his "Wealth Management Intelligent Investor" making it to BookAuthority's Best Wealth Management books in History!

Over the years, many of Mentz’s books have been Amazon bestsellers on in areas of Wealth Management, Personal Growth, Management, Finance, Education and Training, Money and Monetary Policy, Comparative Religion, Developmental Psychology, Metaphysics & Philosophical Criticism, Cognitive Neuroscience & Cognitive Neuropsychology, Mysticism, Project Management, Civil Service Test Guides, Religion, and in Spirituality.

Mentz is a licensed counselor of law LA/EDLA and Fed Cts Colorado, and he is the Seigneur of the Ancient Norman Fief Blondel which is one of the oldest legally recognized privatly owned fiefs in the UK Crown Dependencies. Mentz is an Associate of St. George House Windsor Castle UK 2020-21, and he serves on the Board of Directors of Loyola University Alumni Association 2020-2. Mentz is a distinguished member of the Order of St. Georg Habsburg Lorraine and has been approved as The Chancellor of the Worldwide Anglican Church. Professor Mentz is an award winning professor for the Top Ranked Texas A&M Law School Graduate Programs where he received professorial excellence recognition from students & veterans 2023.

Mentz and his companies have trained and certified thousands of professionals in over 150 countries and Mentz has served on the advisory board of the World e-Commerce Forum in London, and the GFF Global Finance Forum in Switzerland. Mentz has been featured or quoted in the AP, The Hill, National Law Journal, Forbes, Reuters, Wall St. Journal, The Hindu National, El Norte Latin America, the Financial Times, NYSSA, The China Daily, & The Arab Times. Mentz enjoys tennis, travel and spending time with his 3 children. www.GMentz.com

Counselor Mentz's recent Judicial, Diplomatic, and Law Professor Work Include:
* Judicial Chancellor for WAC Worldwide Anglican Church - Presiding Legal Officer over Law and Cases.
* Judge for White House Presidential Sholars Awards for the US Federal Government (Commissioner & Federal Awards Judge)
* Election Judge for Election Integrity - Colorado USA, El Paso County, State USA
* Expert Witness on Financial Banking Securities Law - NASD FINRA Arbitration Mediation - Federal Issues
* Editor of Canon Law and Disciplinary Law for Patriarch and Seminary and House of Bishops
* Crafting diplomatic agreements with NGOs, Charities, Fortune 500 Style Companies, Non Profits, and International Organizations
* Teaching various sections of Banking, FinTech, & Wealth Management Law to Post Doctoral Students in a National Top Tier Accredited Law School Graduate Program.

2024 - I am honored serve as the New Secretary of The Council for Business Teaching and Research of the National Business Education Association via appointment by the President. The Council for Business Teaching and Research (CBTR) works with post-secondary education worldwide serving as GWA's or good will ambassadors to boost relations worldwide. www.NBEA.org

2024 - George Mentz was honored with the Title of: "Datuk Seri" * This is very rarely granted to Europeans or Americans ! *His Royal Highness Sultant and Sovereign of the Diraja Airtiris Melayu Kampar Sultanate, Bestows the Noble Title of "Datuk Seri" to American Lawyer Comm’r George Mentz, JD MBA. This esteemed title, *Datuk Seri, represents the **Order of the Noble Seri Mahkota* of the Diraja Airtiris Melayu Kampar Sultanate (D.M.S.M.K.D.), bearing the honorific title of YBhg *Yang Berbahagia (YB) to Mentz* Datuk Seri Diraja Airtiris Melayu Kampar . The conferment signifies high recognition of Commissioner Mentz’s educational contributions to society and is a symbol of cross-cultural and interfaith unity. The award also is conferred to the wife of the recipient, and she has the title of Honourable and "Datin Seri".

I have spent more than 26 years inside the technology industry, working across complex systems, large-scale platforms, and global organizations. Across industries and regions, one pattern is consistent: transformation efforts fail not because of technology, but because decision-making structures, governance models, and human behavior are not designed for change at scale. In the AI age, this gap has become a material business risk. AI amplifies bias in systems, accelerates poor decisions, and exposes fragile leadership and operating models. What many organizations frame as an “AI challenge” is, in reality, a decision quality, governance, and organizational resilience problem.
My work focuses on neuroscience-driven transformation — applying evidence-based insights on how humans think, decide, respond to risk, and collaborate under uncertainty. Neuroscience is not a soft discipline; it is a performance lens. Organizations that understand attention, motivation, fear, and cognitive bias build better systems, make better decisions, and execute transformation more effectively.

Since founding Lardi & Partner Consulting, I have led more than 50 major transformation initiatives worldwide, including strategic programs for governments and Fortune 500 organizations. My experience spans multiple industries and exponential technologies — including AI, data platforms, blockchain, IoT, and emerging digital architectures — always with a focus on measurable outcomes and long-term enterprise value.

I am the author of Artificial Intelligence for Business, a comprehensive guide to AI and its practical application in organizations, as well as the bestselling The Human Side of Digital Business Transformation. Both reflect my focus on translating complex technologies into strategic, operational, and governance decisions that deliver real business impact. I am a recognized global voice on digital transformation and leadership, with my perspective grounded in execution, not theory, and shaped by decades of working where technology, power, and organizational reality intersect.

I work with senior leaders and boards who want to strengthen decision-making, reduce systemic risk, and build organizations that are resilient, adaptive, and fit for the AI era.

Editor in Chief of netzpalaver.
More than 30 years Editor in Chief of the german leading it-publications Netzpalaver, Funkschau, Network Computing, Datacom.
Living in Brazil

JC Gaillard is the Founder and CEO of Corix Partners, a UK-based Boutique Management Consultancy Firm and Thought-Leadership Platform, focused on assisting CIOs and other C-level executives in resolving Cyber Security Strategy, Organisation and Governance challenges.

He is a leading strategic advisor and a globally-recognised cybersecurity thought-leader with over 25 years of experience developed in several financial institutions in the UK and continental Europe, and a track-record at driving fundamental change in the security field across global organisations, looking beyond the technical horizon into strategy, governance, culture, and the real dynamics of business transformation.

French and British national, he holds an Engineering Degree from Telecom Paris and has been co-president of the Cyber Security Group of the Telecom Paris alumni association since May 2016.

He runs the Corix Partners blog and the “Security Transformation Leadership” publication on Medium.

He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Information Security (FCIIS) in the UK, a member of the Forbes Business Council, an expert contributor and cybersecurity evangelist on the CIO Water Cooler platform, and an Executive Fellow with the Digital Growth Collective.

He contributes regularly to the TechNative website and has had articles published on CSOonline, InfoSecurity Magazine, Computing, the C-Suite.co.uk, Info Sec Buzz, Disruption Hub, and the IoD Director websites. He has also posted regularly in the past on the London Tech Leaders, Business Transformation Network, Digital Transformation People, IoTforAll, Business 2 Community, and Experfy platforms,

He was involved with techUK as part of their Cyber People Series, which explores how CISOs should engage at C-Suite and Board level, with two reports on the theme released in December 2020 and December 2021.

He has also collaborated with leading analysts firm Kuppinger Cole in Germany, the Association for Data and Cyber Governance in the US, the Edutec Alliance in Brazil, and the Institute of Risk & Compliance in France.

He was listed in the top 10 of UK 30 most influential thought leaders on Risk, RegTech and Compliance by Thomson Reuters in April 2017, and in the top 100 global social media influencers for Financial Services by Refinitiv in July 2019.

He is a 2022 Onalytica Cyber Security Influencer, and was also identified by them as “Social Media Amplifier” on Risk Management in April 2021, and as a “Key Opinion Leader” on Data Management, IoT Connectivity and RPA in December 2020 and January 2021, as well as an influential voice and sub-topic expert on hybrid work and the future of work in January 2022.

He has been ranking consistently in the top 5 of global influencers with Thinkers360 on Cyber Security and GRC, in the top 10 on Leadership, and in the top 25 of overall thought-leaders for EMEA. He was listed as one of their overall Top Voices for 2023, 2024 and 2025, and selected as their Ambassador for GRC in 2025 .

He is the author of:

- “Cyber Security: The Lost Decade – A Security Governance Handbook for the CISO and the CIO” first published in September 2017 with updated annual editions released every year up to 2021;

- "The CyberSecurity Leadership Handbook for the CISO and the CEO" first released on Amazon in February 2023 (updated edition released in July 2024);

- "The Cybersecurity Spiral of Failure" released on Amazon in January 2024, and

- "The First 100 Days of the New CISO", released on Amazon in November 2025.

He produces the Cybersecurity Transformation Podcast on Spotify, an independent podcast with a different take on what’s happening in the cybersecurity industry, which entered its 6th series in 2025.

He founded and animates the Security Transformation Research Foundation, a dedicated think-tank and research body affiliated to Corix Partners, aimed at approaching Security problems differently and producing innovative and challenging research ideas in the Security, Business Protection, Risk and Controls space.

He has held Board Advisory and Non-Executive Director positions with IAM Experts and Strata Security Solutions and has been a member of the NextWorld Capital European Advisors Network.

Big 4 Trained Management Consulting with Real-World Operational Experience

Executive, Management Consultant, Advisor
Digital Transformation, Cybersecurity, Privacy, Strategy, Operations, M&A
Speaker, Author

Work History.
Sharpe Management Consulting LLC
eForce, VP East Coast and Global Operations
The Hackett Group, Co-Founder
KPMG, Practice Leader
Booz Allen & Hamilton, Practice Leader
National Security Agency (NSA)

Formal Education.
Columbia Business School, two awards of merit
Digital Transformation, Finance, Strategy, Globalization
Value Investing
Johns Hopkins University, Masters
Systems Engineering, Operations Management, Program/ Project Management
New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), BSEE
Computer Science, Math

Executive Education.
George Washington University, Engineering Economics
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), Information Networking Institute (INI)
MIT
First Finance Institute (FFI)

Certifications.
CMMC RP
ISACA CDPSE (Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer)
INFOSEC (Cybersecurity) Analyst (NSA)
Cryptologic Engineer (NSA)
Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
Blockchain Technologies: Business Innovation and Application
Intellectual Property (IP)
Business Analytics
Globalization

Visionary Thought Leader | Awarded Top Global Leader | CEO | Founder | Leadership Expert | Board Advisor | Leadership Coach | Relationship Builder | Entrepreneur | Ethical Leadership | Business Strategist | Integrity Accountability | Credibility


Dr. Indira Bunic, awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Leadership and Governance and appointed Honorary Professor of Practice, is a globally recognized leadership strategist, board advisor, and founder of EmpowerU. With over three decades of cross-sector experience in law enforcement, diplomacy, corporate governance, media, and academia, her journey reflects a deep commitment to cultivating ethical leadership and unlocking human potential across complex systems.
At EmpowerU, she brings this lifelong inquiry to life through the EmpowerU Framework—an integrative model that helps leaders develop ethical presence, inclusive systems thinking, and sustainable purpose. Her work supports boards, executives, and institutions in building leadership cultures that transform challenges into meaningful impact.
Dr. Bunic is an active member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council, a Global Goodwill Ambassador, SDG Honorable Ambassador, and board advisor to global organizations. Her recognitions include Top 100 Overall Thought Leader (2025), Top Voice Overall and EMEA by Thinkers360, and her selection among the Top Global 200 Inspirational Leaders at the 2024 Dubai Conclave.
Her leadership philosophy integrates empirical research, cross-cultural insight, systems thinking, and human development. She draws on deep experience in stakeholder engagement, risk and crisis management, business development, and the ethical application of AI—allowing her to guide leaders and boards with strategic insight and purpose-led clarity. She believes in bridging structure with soul—where ethical governance creates the conditions for human flourishing.
Currently pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration with a focus on ethical decision-making, Dr. Bunic’s academic and practical contributions converge to empower leaders at every level. Her bestselling book, Rise Above and Empower Yourself, is both a guide and a testimony to her personal and professional transformation.
What distinguishes Dr. Bunic’s approach is not only her experience—but her authenticity. She writes and speaks from the heart, forging connection through shared humanity. Her voice reaches beyond sectors, inviting others into a conversation about what it means to lead with courage, clarity, and compassion.
As she beautifully expresses:
“Real leadership is not about asserting power, but about awakening greatness and possibility. When we stand at the intersection of governance systems and human potential, we conduct the symphony—where structure is the score, and the human spirit makes the music.”
Dr. Bunic sees education as sacred alchemy, where information becomes wisdom, and leadership shifts from identity to a practice of revelation. She lives by the belief that it’s not what we know—but what we help others discover—that shapes a meaningful legacy.

Steven Van Belleghem is an international keynote speaker, author of multiple bestsellers and an entrepreneur.
These past years Steven has given more than 1,000 keynote presentations at events in over 40 countries. His core expertise is the future of customer experience. The combination between customer-centric thinking, the latest technologies and the human touch is the guiding principle in Steven’s stories.

Steven is an entrepreneur. He is the co-founder of inspiration agency Nexxworks and social media agency Snackbytes. As an investor he is also involved in the fast-growing digital agency Intracto and AI scale-up Hello Customer. Finally, Steven is also on the board of directors of Plan International. In addition to his entrepreneurial activities Steven is also a part-time marketing professor at the Vlerick Business School and a guest lecturor at London Business School. His opinion is often shared in media like Forbes, Warc, The Guardian,…

Steven has authored five international bestsellers and has sold more than 150,000 books. His work has been translated into seven languages and he is the recipient of a variety of awards (most innovative marketing book, best marketing book, best international business book).

A man of two (or more) hats, 30 years in the #EdTech sector alongside 25 working in education. I’m a Multi Academy Trust chair, SEND board chair, DfE advisory board member for the East of England, education author and speaker.

I am the Group CEO of NetSupport, a global provider of evidence-informed solutions for education and corporate settings. With over 30 years of development, NetSupport has secured over 300 industry awards and has a broad portfolio of products, including IT Asset Management, Remote Control, Classroom Management, Notification, eSafety, Servicedesk, and assessment software. I am chair of the Cambrideshire & Peterborough Combined Authority business board, and on the board of the Oxford Cambridge Partnership, supporting economic and regional growth.

I am also hugely passionate about education on a wider scale, at all stages of life, and actively support others across the education and technology sectors wherever I can. I am an active EdTech advisor, mentor, author, and speaker, with multiple publications and recognitions, including the 2023 Edufuturist of the Year, the 2023 BESA "Inspirational Leader" Winner, ERA Outstanding Achievement Winner 2023 and the Forbes Technology Council Member. I also serve as the Chair of Hampton Academies Trust, a community-focused Multi-Academy Trust, the DfE Advisory board for the East of England and the Chair of BESA EdTech Special Interest Group. My mission is to help give a voice to others and to support and embrace innovation, economic growth and skills. In the spirit of supporting others, I am also a 2024/25 UK Department for Business and Trade Export Champion.

Awarded the honour of "Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)" by His Majesty the King in his 2025 New Year's Honour's list for services to education.

I’m an entrepreneur, futurist, digital strategist, podcast host, global keynote speaker, and a best-selling author with a specialty in helping business executives stay relevant in the digital economy. I am able to bring paradigm-shifting digital transformation by leveraging leading innovation practices through my experiences with Fortune 500 leaders around the globe.

I have found that my success has been driven from my pragmatic approaches to large scale problems, my ability to break down large complex challenges into something manageable, along with my insatiable need to bring teams together. What’s unique about me is that not everything has to be a major transformation to gain value, I understand how to maximize current business processes while also identifying new business models.

?Currently at Microsoft, I lead a cross-industry innovation team that focuses on advising senior leaders on how to digitally transform their business using concepts like digital ecosystems, digital twins, AI, IoT, and Blockchain. Previously, I worked at Gartner, as a Vice President of Technology Innovation research where my thought leadership is reflected in over 150 published research notes and over 5,000 client engagements.

My work can be heard, watched, or read in some of the following places:
My new book "REWIRE! Using the Digital Ecosystem Playbook to Reinvent Your Business"
Hosting my innovation podcast "V-Next: The Future is Now"
Reading my articles on Forbes
Gaining my perspectives on Enterprise Architecture on “Mike The Architect” blog