Featured speakers at Oracle Defence Tech Summit

Paul Jenkinson

CEO and Co-Founder, Whitespace

Paul Jenkinson is CEO and Co-Founder of Whitespace, the UK’s sovereign AI company for Defence and National Security. He leads the development of Collective, a sovereign AI operating system that enables secure, governed AI across cloud, edge and air-gapped environments. His focus is on moving AI from experimentation into real-world operational deployment with government and defence partners.

Doug Russell

Global Aerospace and Defence Lead, Cohere

Doug Russell is a 23 year Canadian Armed Forces veteran and leader in the defence innovation space. With extensive operational experience and deployments in eastern Europe, Afghanistan, and the Middle East, Doug most recently built a transformative digital program for the Canadian Armed Forces that delivered advanced technology to the tactical edge, enabling both decision advantage and operational outcomes. Now leading Cohere’s Aerospace and Defence initiatives, he leverages this experience to scale Cohere’s models and solutions into the Aerospace and Defence sector.

Ivan Zhang

Co-Founder, Cohere

Ivan Zhang is a co-founder at Cohere, the security-first enterprise AI company. At Cohere, Ivan oversees key technical product development and is closely involved in the company’s public sector and government customers. Prior to co-founding Cohere alongside Aidan Gomez and Nick Frosst, Ivan founded for.ai (now Cohere Labs), Cohere’s research lab. Ivan also worked in biotech and MLOps space as a software engineer and studied at the University of Toronto.

Jan Fras

Research Scientist, Marlin Intelligence

Jan Fras is a Research Scientist at Marlin Intelligence, holding a PhD in soft robotics from Queen Mary University of London, where his research centred on the design, fabrication, and stiffening of soft pneumatic robots. He went on to develop groundbreaking robotic solutions as a Robotics Research Engineer at Ocado Technology, and has worked on autonomous submarine robots, soft surgical manipulators, and Facebook Reality Labs' AR Glove team, blending academic rigour with real-world engineering.

Jinghua Guo

Commander Singapore Armed Forces C4 and Digitalisation Command, The Digital and Intelligence Service, Singapore Armed Forces

Jinghua Guo is Commander of the Singapore Armed Forces C4 and Digitalisation Command, which operates the SAF’s core communications networks, enterprise cloud infrastructure, platform services, and key software and AI applications that support the full spectrum of defence missions.

He previously served as Head of Plans and Chief Digitalisation Officer of the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS), the SAF’s dedicated Service responsible for Intelligence, Digitalisation, Cyber Defence, Psychological Defence and Electronic Protection. In this role, he led the masterplanning of capability development, organisational transformation and resource management during the DIS’ formative years following its inauguration in 2022. As Chief Digitalisation Officer, he also drove major investments and organisational changes to strengthen the critical digital enablers across DIS mission areas.

An Intelligence officer by profession, Jinghua has served in multiple command and staff appointments across his career, bringing together operational experience, strategic planning and digital transformation leadership. He is also a certified Cloud and AI professional, with a strong interest in building resilient, secure and high performance digital foundations for modern defence, including cloud, software and AI capabilities. Jinghua received his undergraduate and postgraduate education from University College London, the University of Cambridge and Stanford University.

Amanda Gustave

Chief Data Officer, TF MAVEN Lead, NATO

Lt Col Amanda Gustave is active duty US Air Force currently serving at NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), in Mons, Belgium, as the Chief Data Officer (CDO) and Task Force Maven Lead. As CDO, she is enabling the Alliance to leverage the power of data as a strategic asset for Defence through implementation of advanced software capabilities. Other notable roles include: CDO, Joint Staff (J35) Global Force Management; Chief Analyst, U.S. Air Forces Europe and Africa. She is also currently serving on the Executive Committee of the Military Operations Research Society (MORS).

David Cattler

Former Assistant Secretary General, Intelligence and Security, NATO

David Cattler is a senior transatlantic security leader operating at the intersection of national strategy, intelligence, and technology. He advises governments and industry on how to translate innovation into operational capability across allied systems, with a focus on speed, interoperability, and resilience.

He previously served as NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence and Security, where he integrated intelligence and security activities across 32 nations, and as Director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), leading a $3.2B global enterprise responsible for the security of the U.S. government’s trusted workforce and defense industrial base.

Today, he leads Ironhelm Works LLC, advising on alliance cohesion, defense industrial resilience, and the application of dual-use technologies in contested environments. He is a frequent speaker on defense innovation and the evolving character of conflict.

David Kelly

Managing Director, Red Reply

David is an expert in cloud solutions for highly regulated, secure, and sovereign environments. He leads an AI-enabled managed services organisation delivering mission-critical Oracle Cloud Infrastructure at enterprise scale across defence, automotive, and telecommunications — combining operational rigour with a pragmatic approach to cloud transformation where compliance, control, and continuity are non-negotiable.

Kim Lynch

EVP, Government, Defense & Intelligence, Oracle

Kim Lynch is an accomplished business executive with a distinguished career dedicated to advancing national security tradecraft and developing innovative programs for the Intelligence Community (IC), the Department of War (DoW), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

As the Executive Vice President of Oracle’s Government, Defense & Intelligence business, Kim is passionate about strengthening customer relationships, delivering innovation and value, and building a world-class team. Her position on Oracle’s senior leadership team further exemplifies the company’s long-standing commitment to supporting our nation’s security.

Kim brings over two decades of executive experience leading mission-critical programs and implementing new technologies across the defense and intelligence sectors. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Women’s Center of Metropolitan Washington, DC, was recognized as a member of Fortune Magazine’s Most Powerful Women Next Gen Summit, and was named a 2025 Washingtonian Tech Titan. Kim is also an active member of the Potomac Officers Club 4x24 Intelligence Leadership group.

She has a bachelor’s in political science from Johns Hopkins University and a master’s in international affairs from George Washington University.

Colonel Stoica

Colonel, Communications and Informations Technology Directorate/Defence Staff/ROU MoND

He began his career in 1986 as a 14-year-old student in the Military High School and after high school he chose to continue his studies at the Military Institute of Communications. After graduation, Cornel Stoica opted to work at Navy Signal Regiment, which was and still is one of a kind in the Navy, a very big, complex and important unit of this Service, with the mission to operate and maintain both static and deployable communications systems, both for land-based naval forces (e.g. ROU Marines) and in support of maritime and riverine military ships.

As the Executive Vice President of Oracle’s Government, Defense & Intelligence business, Kim is passionate about strengthening customer relationships, delivering innovation and value, and building a world-class team. Her position on Oracle’s senior leadership team further exemplifies the company’s long-standing commitment to supporting our nation’s security.

He started from the bottom, from the position of platoon commander, later he was assigned as Chief of Staff and almost 1 year before leaving this unit he have been appointed Deputy Commander. Since April 2017 Cornel Stoica have chosen to fulfill the position of Head of the communications and information planning office at N6/Naval Operational Command.

He was promoted to colonel on July 31, 2017.

As for professional experience, in addition to the current tasks and responsibilities of the positions hr have held in his career, he have been involved as a subject matter expert, technical lead or PM in almost all major development projects in the field of communications and information in the Navy in the last 20 years, from HF Navy radio network infrastructure based on shore, integrated communications and IT systems for different types of ships to deployable communications shelters, brand new telecommunication centers or NDN radio relay network modernization in entire Navy AOR.

To implement these projects, he worked with national budgets, financed from NATO common funds or through strategic partnerships. Due to his experience, since 2021 Cornel Stoica was nominated by CHOD to represent the interests of ROU MoND as a National Technical Expert (NATEX) at NCIA, and held this position at NATO HQ for 4 years, until 2025.

Since September 2025 he have been serving as Branch Head in Communications and Information Directorate at ROU MoND Defence Staff.

He has a bachelor’s degree in management and management of the organization. He also studied for a master's degree at the Land Forces Academy, specializing in management and technology and at the Faculty of Command and Staff from National Defence University. He have been married since 2002.

Andrew Roughan

CEO, Defence Holdings PLC

A senior executive with experience across government-aligned technology, defence and critical infrastructure. Formerly the CEO of Plexal, a Government innovation company from 2018, leading innovation programmes with defence and national security partners and overseeing organisational growth.

He was also part of the founding team at Here East- a technology and innovation campus built alongside the UK Government’s 2012 Olympic legacy planning. Earlier in his career he held senior roles in telecoms and data centres, including at Cable & Wireless, focused on strategy, operations and infrastructure delivery.

Dr. Constantinos Hadjisavvas

Director for Digital Resilience and Defence, DIGITALEUROPE

Dr. Constantinos Hadjisavvas is Director for Digital Resilience and Defence at DIGITALEUROPE, where he leads industry engagement to advance defence interoperability, accelerate dual-use technology adoption and scale digital capabilities across Europe's defence ecosystem. A retired Lieutenant Colonel and Hellenic Army Academy graduate, he holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Cyprus and an MA in International Conflict Analysis from King's College London. His 27-year career spans the European Defence Agency, Cypriot ministries of defence and foreign affairs, and the African Union mission in Sudan.

Fiona Bradley

Deployment Strategist, Palantir

Fiona Bradley is a Deployment Strategist at Palantir Technologies, where she has been working since 2020. In her role, Fiona helps organisations operationalise complex data and implement AI-enabled solutions with Palantir’s software. Since 2024, she has based from Palantir's London office. She holds a Bachelor's degree in German Studies and International Relations from Brown University, where she also served as a Research Assistant at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. Her academic background is grounded in a strong foundation in global affairs and cross-cultural communication, which she brings to her work at the intersection of technology and real-world deployment.

Mikołaj Firlej

Co-Founder, General Partner, Expeditions

Dr Mikolaj Firlej is an investor, academic and policy expert in security and defence, specialising in the application of autonomous systems and AI. He completed his D.Phil at Oxford University with a thesis on ‘The Problematisation of Autonomous Weapon Systems’, and has been a deep tech investor since 2016. Miko co-founded Firlej Kastory, a private investment firm, and launched Expeditions, the leading early-stage investor in the future of European security, in 2021.

Miko has advised both the UK and Polish governments, working as a security analyst and policy advisor, and was also part of a UN Group of Governmental Experts on the regulation of autonomous weapons. He established the Centre for Technology and Global Affairs at Oxford University and has taught at the University of Surrey on AI Law and Regulation. He holds three Masters degrees in addition to his doctorate.

Beth McGrath

Global Government and Public Services Industry Leader, Deloitte

Beth McGrath is Deloitte’s Global Leader for Government and Public Services. In her role she is committed to strengthening synergies across global Industries and Government and Public Services with a focus on client mission needs and solutions. Ms. McGrath advises government clients on a broad range of issues reflecting the breadth of government services including: global trends impacting mission priorities and business imperatives; strategies that help drive transformation and improve operations; leadership; IT portfolio management; and workplace, workforce, and digital transformation.

Clark Parsons

Managing Director, IE.F, Innovate Europe Foundation

Clark Parsons leads the Innovate Europe Foundation, an independent Berlin think tank working for more European tech sovereignty and for a rapid transition in how defence capabilities are developed and deployed. He also is the CEO of the European Startup Network, the umbrella organization of nearly 40 European startup associations. He also serves as a Venture Partner for United Founders, a community-driven early stage investment fund backed by a Founders Force of more than 100 successful European founders. Clark is a non-operational Partner in iconomy, a digital consultancy. A former startup founder, he came to Germany nearly 30 years ago on a Robert Bosch Fellowship. He lives in Berlin.