Leading the mobility of the future

Academic background: Álvaro Rodríguez Dapena holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, specializing in Transport, from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. His doctoral thesis was awarded the Extraordinary Prize.

Career path: He has been working in Puertos del Estado since 1997 where he has held various positions: Deputy Director of External Relations, Head of the Intermodality and Logistics Area, Head of the Development and Regulations Department and from 2007 until his appointment as President of Puertos del Estado in December 2021, he has been Director of Planning and Development. Previously, he has been in charge of transport studies and projects in the consulting firm TEMA.

He is currently Chairman of the Madrid-Coslada Dry Port and a member of the Boards of Directors of Sasemar and Renfe Mercancías. He was also Chairman of the company Conte-rail between 2008 and 2013 and a member of the Boards of Directors of the Port Authorities of Bahía de Algeciras, Cartagena, and Marín, and Ría de Pontevedra.

He is a member of many national and international committees and is the author of articles and books on trade, logistics, and transport.

Before joining the NDC Transport Initiative for Asia and contributing to supporting countries in Asia achieving their NDCs, she worked in India in the Indo-German Energy Programme. Now she is using her experience working on the transport - energy nexus and to address climate change.

Francisco de Borja Carabante Muntada was born in Madrid in 1975. He holds a degree in Economics from the Complutense University (UCM) and a Diploma of Advanced Studies in History of Economic Thought.
He began his professional career in different departments of Caja Madrid, and he has subsequently held various positions in the public sector since 2003, including head of cabinet of the Education Councillor in the Community of Madrid, deputy in the Madrid Assembly during the VI, VII, VIII and IX legislatures and Roads general director in the Community of Madrid (2008 - 2011).
During 2011-2015 he was Deputy Councillor of Transport, Infrastructure and Housing. And from June 2015 to November 2016 he has been a councilman of the Popular Party in Madrid City Council.
From November 2016 to June 2019 he has been the Chief Executive Officer of Metro de Madrid, S.A.
From June 15, 2019 until June 16, 2023 he has been Councillor of Environment and Mobility in the Madrid City Council.
Since June 17, 2023 he is Councillor of Urbanism, Environment and Mobility in the Madrid City Council.

Chris Barton is the founder and creator of Shazam, a revolutionary app that changed the way the world identifies and discovers music, with over 2 billion downloads. In 2018, Shazam was acquired by Apple for $400 million, making it the company's sixth largest acquisition to date. Not only did the app become an essential part of everyday life for millions of people around the world, but it also paved the way for the consumer AI industry we know today.

In addition to being the mastermind behind Shazam, Chris has been an entrepreneur in three startups and is an advisor and investor in several startups in areas including artificial intelligence and therapies for inflammatory diseases. His impact on the tech industry is not limited to Shazam, as he was also the first Google employee responsible for mobile development, where he helped establish the framework for Android operator partnerships. He was also part of Dropbox, where he was one of the first 100 employees, and played a key role in the company's strategic partnerships with major mobile operators.

Chris has patented 12 technological innovations, including one used in Google's search algorithm, highlighting his contribution to the technology industry. He currently devotes much of his time to his latest start-up, Guard, which uses artificial intelligence to detect drowning in swimming pools, an unprecedented challenge that seeks to save lives through innovation.

In his lectures, Chris shares the story of how he turned an impossible idea into a globally used reality. From his early days of dreaming up a way to identify songs through mobile devices, to creating a technology that didn't exist, to building the world's largest music database, Chris has always shown an unwavering determination to overcome obstacles. Even when experts told him his idea was not feasible, he persisted and eventually created Shazam, which he launched as a phone service before the era of mobile apps. Years later, the launch of the App Store allowed Shazam to reach its true potential.

In addition to his success in technology, Chris is also a firm believer in the power of creativity and resilience, which is reflected in his personal story. The son of a French mother and British father, both university professors, Chris grew up struggling with academic difficulties due to undiagnosed dyslexia. However, he transformed this condition, which used to be a barrier, into what he now considers his ‘superpower’. This positive outlook has helped him tackle challenges in innovative ways, allowing him to excel in the competitive world of technology.

With degrees from the University of California, Berkeley and Cambridge University, Chris has a strong academic background. Today, in addition to his entrepreneurial responsibilities, he spends part of his time teaching innovation and entrepreneurship at various online universities, inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs. His passion for creating technological solutions that solve seemingly impossible problems has made Chris Barton an influential and admired figure in the world of technology.

In his talks, Chris not only recounts his inspirational journey, but also motivates audiences to take action and challenge the seemingly impossible. His lessons on innovation, persistence and breaking down barriers give attendees new ways of thinking and push them to do great things in their own organisations.With his ability to create technological magic and his focus on transforming difficulties into opportunities, Chris Barton is a living example of how determination and vision can change the world.

Monteriano born on April 16, 1981. Husband of Diana Sierra Márquez and father of Elías and Emilio.

Civil engineer and environmental engineer from the Universidad de los Andes, specialist in Finance from Universidad EAFIT, and Master’s in Civil Engineering from Universidad de los Andes.

In the last 18 years of his life, he has prepared himself to seek solutions. As Secretary of Planning (2020-2022), he led the process of constructing the 2020-2023 Development Plan, the 2021-2033 Land Use Plan (POT), as well as the design of projects that provided solutions to the Montería community.

His service vocation was evident in his role as head of the COVID-19 Management in Montería, where he outlined the strategy to assist the community during the difficult times of the pandemic. From there, aid was directed to each family, as well as care for the sick. It was a successful management that was taken as a national example.

She is the chair of the ITE Standing Committee on Health and Transportation and is co-chair of the ITE People-Centered Mobility Great Idea Group. Kelly also serves on the Transportation and Public Health Standing Committee at the Transportation Research Board. Kelly is currently serving on a National Academies of Science Consensus Study Committee regarding the data, metrics, and methods for evaluating transportation equity. Kelly has a PhD in urban studies, a master’s degree in landscape architecture, and an undergraduate degree in urban and regional planning.

Her passion lies in leveraging innovative solutions to address pressing urban challenges, particularly in the realms of mobility, sustainabilty, resource efficiency, and inclusive growth.

Sampo Hietanen is the visionary behind Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and the founder and CEO of MaaS Global Ltd, the company responsible for the Whim mobile application. With a strong background in executive roles within civil engineering and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), Sampo has founded and led international businesses in these fields. He has delivered over 2,000 presentations on MaaS, sharing his vision for the future of mobility. This vision is not just technological but deeply human-centered: "The technology is already here. All we need to do is understand our customers' dreams and build the services to match them."