Advancing the geospatial ecosystem

Marius Swanepoel is Director of Geospatial Engineering within the Sourcing Division of TomTom, based in Lebanon, New Hampshire. TomTom is a global location technology specialist that shapes mobility and an autonomous future with navigation software, real-time maps, traffic, and services. After various Project Management roles in Europe, Marius joined mapping pioneer TomTom in Ghent in 2007. Excited by the company’s propulsion of mapping solutions to a global audience. His bold management style quickly led to international appointments in Southern Africa and North America consecutively. With more than a decade of experience in the mapping industry, ranging from leading large-scale software engineering programs to leading operational teams, Marius has a firm understanding of the mapping industry, the challenge is not building the map, but rather change detection and how and when to update the map

Jayant Sharma is Sr. Director, Product Management at Oracle and leads the Spatial and Graph PM team. He is currently focused on product strategy and design of spatial and graph offerings on the Autonomous Database platform. He works closely with business partners and customers, represents Oracle at the OpenGeospatial Consortium, and frequently presents at academic and industry conferences.

Dr. Siva Ravada is Vice President of Development at Oracle

Kristi is Planet's Chief People Officer(CPO), where she is responsible for leading the organization through rapid growth while maintaining a mission-driven culture and making meaningful progress on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). In her role as CPO, Kristi is responsible for overseeing a global People team with the mission of creating a globally integrated, progressive people function that supports leaders in attracting, engaging, developing, and empowering Planeteers to contribute, grow, thrive and change the world. Kristi is an accomplished professional with over 30 years of experience partnering with C-level executives to integrate people, process, organizational and culture strategies to solve complex problems, ignite growth and enable people to thrive. Prior to joining Planet, Kristi was a Partner and global HR leader at Accenture and held a variety of increasingly senior leadership roles. Outside of her experience at Accenture, Kristi has held Chief People Officer roles at ServiceSource, Uplift Education and Bazaarvoice. She has comprehensive experience building and leading world-class teams through periods of hyper-growth. She is an advocate and driver of inclusivity and equity in the workforce.

Dr. Simon Musaeus is today VP Business Development for Geospatial Content Solution of Hexagon. His main field of activity focuses on development of new partnerships in the private and public sector to implement next steps for access to high-value geospatial data and establishment of digital base-twins. As a former Military officer in the Federal German Army he dealt with civil-military cooperation in the build-up of a cadastre system in Eastern Germany after the Reunification. This is followed by 20+ years’ experience in IFI funded cadastre and base mapping projects in Latin America, Africa and Southern Europe. Simon held various executive and company CEO positions in El Salvador, Panama and India in the Engineering consultancy and Mapping sector. In 2019 he co-founded the European Association of Aerial Surveying Industries (EEASI) and is until 2023 the President. He teaches in graduate school at Hafencity University Hamburg, Germany. Musaeus holds a Master in Engineering Surveying and Geodesy and a Dr of Business Administration in Finance/International Business.

Jayant Sharma is Sr. Director, Product Management at Oracle and leads the Spatial and Graph PM team. He is currently focused on product strategy and design of spatial and graph offerings on the Autonomous Database platform. He works closely with business partners and customers, represents Oracle at the OpenGeospatial Consortium, and frequently presents at academic and industry conferences.

Brian Soliday has over 30 years of extensive experience working in sales, marketing, and channel development within the GIS and remote sensing industries. He currently serves as Chief Revenue Officer for Voxelmaps. His career includes CRO, VP, and director-level positions with leading Geospatial Organizations such as Autodesk, Trimble, Space Imaging, LizardTech, Intermap, and TerraGo. Mr. Soliday has presented at over 100 Geospatial events on an international basis and has written published articles in; Planning, Point of Beginning, GEOinformatics, The World & I, GEOEurope, Arc News, Space News, and Earth Observation Magazine. In a volunteer capacity, Brian currently serves as President/Founder of Rocky Mountain Heroes Foundation, a nonprofit focused on providing therapeutic outdoor adventures for combat-wounded veterans and their families. Mr. Soliday graduated Summa cum laude with a MA degree in geography specializing in remote sensing and GIS in 1987 and earned a BS degree in geography in 1983. Both degrees were earned from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Irene is a Senior Manager for European Affairs at Planet. She is also an EO Evangelist for the European Forum for Earth Observation, a position she has held since June 2021. Prior to joining Planet, Irene managed the Copernicus program at EIT Raw Materials (a body of the European Union) and She also worked as a policy analyst at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. Irene holds a Masters’s degree in Economics from the London School of Economics (UK).

Graduated with a degree in Cartography at Babes Bolyai University of Cluj Napoca, Romania, and a degree in Land Surveying at the University of Alba, Iulia has joined Cyient in 2014 as a GIS Technician on the Rural Payments Agency project. For the past 6 years. She has been leading and training several teams from the position of GIS Team Leader. She has been a part of the D&I Ambassadors group since 2017 and helped organize relevant events. DEI is something that she is passionate about, and she will always try to build a working place that supports diverse thinking and help people reach their potential.

Agnieszka Lukaszczyk is a Senior Director for European Affairs at Planet. A Polish/American national, has worked at the European Commission, Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Space Data for Societal Challenges and Growth Unit. She also worked at the Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry, Space Policy, and Research Unit. Before she joined the Commission, Agnieszka was the Brussels Office Director for the Secure World Foundation. In addition, she is the former Chairperson and the former Executive Director of the Space Generation Advisory Council in Support of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications. Agnieszka also worked at the European Space Policy Institute as a research fellow. Agnieszka serves as the Vice President – Europe for the World Space Week And Sits on the Board Of Directors for the Women in Aerospace-Europe. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Space Security at the Polish Defence Academy. She holds a Master’s degree from the Warsaw School of Economics in Management of Space in New Economies and a Master’s degree from the American University School of International Service in International Politics plus a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Tennessee. She also studied at the Universite Catholique de Louvain in Brussels, Belgium; the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland and the World Trade Institute in Berne, Switzerland. She gained professional experience at the Political Section of the Polish Embassy in Washington DC, American Electronics Association in Brussels, European Department of the Polish Senate in Warsaw, and the Warsaw Business Journal.

Dr. Siva Ravada is Vice President of Development at Oracle

Dr Zaffar Sadiq Mohamed-Ghouse holds a pivotal role as an adviser to various National and International spatial organisations. He is President of Surveying & Spatial Sciences Institute, Australia’s peak professional body. Zaffar has 20 years of experience in client management, strategic consulting studies, business development, project management, systems review and integration for Utility Industry and Government, design, development and management of spatial databases, review data framework policies, develop spatial analyses techniques and technology including GIS applications development for major clients in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and Saudi Arabia. He has led several Multi-Million Dollar National Mapping projects for State and Federal governments globally. Zaffar has published research papers focusing on GIS applications to support such areas as: spatial data infrastructure, data quality, groundwater management, water resources, rural administration; asset management; field data capture; public health management and disaster management. He is also a member of several boards and technical committees in Australia and overseas.

Eva is the ESG (Environment, Social & Governance) Global Director in Hexagon Geosystems. She has been working in sustainability topics since 2007 with focus on driving business towards improving total value to society. Prior to joining Hexagon, Eva has worked in the chemical and building material industries, focusing on CO2 reduction, circular business models and business strategy.

James Van Rens is the Senior Vice President of RIEGL USA. He has been with the organization since 1997. With his total experience of over 18 years with LiDAR and other various forms of scanning technologies, Mr Van Rens has been key to the seamless leadership transition and the huge growth in the company’s US operations over the past five years. Considered one of the best experts in the applications of airborne LiDAR, mobile laser systems and ground LiDAR’s in the world, he holds a combination of BA and BS degree from Marquette University.

James Van Rens is the Senior Vice President of RIEGL USA. He has been with the organization since 1997. With his total experience of over 18 years with LiDAR and other various forms of scanning technologies, Mr Van Rens has been key to the seamless leadership transition and the huge growth in the company’s US operations over the past five years. Considered one of the best experts in the applications of airborne LiDAR, mobile laser systems and ground LiDAR’s in the world, he holds a combination of BA and BS degree from Marquette University.

Benoit Fredericque is a senior director of product management with Bentley Systems, leading an international team of product managers and application engineers responsible for product planning, development, and the go-to-market strategy of Bentley’s Reality Modeling & Mapping solutions and cloud services. He received his bachelor’s degree in land surveying and his master’s in GIS. In 2007, he received his doctorate from Université Laval, where he studied 3D GIS and 3D imaging. Having worked for Bentley for over 13 years, Fredericque has successfully managed teams specializing in geospatial, mapping and reality modeling technologies.

Shafik is the Executive Vice President for International GIS Business Development at Rolta, he has been fostering successes in the GIS industry for the last 30+ years. Prior to joining Rolta in 2007, Shafik was co-owner and Chief Operating Officer of Orion Technology Inc, a GIS technology company purchased by Rolta given its excellence in providing web-based GIS solutions. Prior to that, Shafik was part of building a Societal GIS in the State of Qatar through its early years with GIS technology, earning them international recognition. He possesses a dynamically evolving vision of what the GIS industry can become, he has the energy and drive to make it happen, and an inspiring integrity in leadership that invites the ingenuity of others.

Graduated with a degree in Cartography at Babes Bolyai University of Cluj Napoca, Romania, and a degree in Land Surveying at the University of Alba, Iulia has joined Cyient in 2014 as a GIS Technician on the Rural Payments Agency project. For the past 6 years. She has been leading and training several teams from the position of GIS Team Leader. She has been a part of the D&I Ambassadors group since 2017 and helped organize relevant events. DEI is something that she is passionate about, and she will always try to build a working place that supports diverse thinking and help people reach their potential.

Kristi is Planet's Chief People Officer(CPO), where she is responsible for leading the organization through rapid growth while maintaining a mission-driven culture and making meaningful progress on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). In her role as CPO, Kristi is responsible for overseeing a global People team with the mission of creating a globally integrated, progressive people function that supports leaders in attracting, engaging, developing, and empowering Planeteers to contribute, grow, thrive and change the world.

Kristi is an accomplished professional with over 30 years of experience partnering with C-level executives to integrate people, process, organizational and culture strategies to solve complex problems, ignite growth and enable people to thrive. Prior to joining Planet, Kristi was a Partner and global HR leader at Accenture and held a variety of increasingly senior leadership roles. Outside of her experience at Accenture, Kristi has held Chief People Officer roles at ServiceSource, Uplift Education and Bazaarvoice. She has comprehensive experience building and leading world-class teams through periods of hyper-growth. She is an advocate and driver of inclusivity and equity in the workforce.

Eva is the ESG (Environment, Social & Governance) Global Director in Hexagon Geosystems. She has been working in sustainability topics since 2007 with focus on driving business towards improving total value to society. Prior to joining Hexagon, Eva has worked in the chemical and building material industries, focusing on CO2 reduction, circular business models and business strategy.

James Van Rens is the Senior Vice President of RIEGL USA. He has been with the organization since 1997. With his total experience of over 18 years with LiDAR and other various forms of scanning technologies, Mr Van Rens has been key to the seamless leadership transition and the huge growth in the company’s US operations over the past five years. Considered one of the best experts in the applications of airborne LiDAR, mobile laser systems and ground LiDAR’s in the world, he holds a combination of BA and BS degree from Marquette University.

Brian Nicholls has over 25 years’ experience in the geospatial industry, and has been has been at the forefront of AAM’s technology leadership, as well as the expansion of AAM internationally over the past 15 years. Brian has a particular passion for promoting geospatial technology as a fundamental ‘enabler’ for business, government, and society in general.

Dr Zaffar Sadiq Mohamed-Ghouse holds a pivotal role as an adviser to various National and International spatial organisations. He is President of Surveying & Spatial Sciences Institute, Australia’s peak professional body. Zaffar has 20 years of experience in client management, strategic consulting studies, business development, project management, systems review and integration for Utility Industry and Government, design, development and management of spatial databases, review data framework policies, develop spatial analyses techniques and technology including GIS applications development for major clients in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and Saudi Arabia. He has led several Multi-Million Dollar National Mapping projects for State and Federal governments globally. Zaffar has published research papers focusing on GIS applications to support such areas as: spatial data infrastructure, data quality, groundwater management, water resources, rural administration; asset management; field data capture; public health management and disaster management. He is also a member of several boards and technical committees in Australia and overseas.

Dr. Siva Ravada is Vice President of Development at Oracle

Dean Angelides joined Esri in 2005 and is a Corporate Director with responsibilities of overseeing all aspects of the company’s international operations, and relationships with global alliances and partnerships. He is dedicated to ensuring that Esri’s technology and methods are successfully used to resolve the toughest challenges around the world. In his 30-year plus career in the geospatial industry, he has worked with hundreds of organizations to implement GIS technology to improve their operations and decision-making. He has also served on a variety of advisory councils for GIS at local, regional and national levels. Mr. Angelides is currently on the Advisory Board for the Geospatial Innovation Facility at the University of California, Berkeley, where he did both graduate and undergraduate study.

Ken Mooyman has been a part of Hexagon since 2000 and is currently in the role of EVP at Hexagon Geosystems. He has held several positions in the company including President of the Scanning Division and of the NAFTA region. Mr. Mooyman has won many awards including an Honorary Doctorate for his work in mainstreaming GPS and scanning in the Geospatial industry. He graduated from the Surveying Program at Algonquin College (Canada), Leadership Development at IMD (Switzerland), and holds a Bachelor of Science in International Marketing.

Robert Hoddenbach is Fugro’s Global Business Line Director for Land Asset Integrity. Together with a 1000+ team, he is supporting critical asset (roads, rail, utilities) owners reducing risk and cost of operation. Focused on finding geospatial data solutions for global challenges in Energy Transition, Sustainable Infrastructure and Climate Change adaption, to contribute to a safe and livable world. As an all-round collaborative business leader, with a 18 year career of managing geospatial and information service businesses in the age of digitalization, Robert is leading Fugro’s global strategy to unlock insights from Geo-data by integrated digital solutions for our Land Asset Integrity Business Line.

As the immediate past president of URISA Caribbean chapter, and member of the UN-GGIM Americas Caribbean project Technical Committee Valrie Grant stands out as an effective contributor to the geospatial community in her region. Using her over 15 years of experience in the realm of Geospatial, Ms Grant actively engages in helping government and corporate entities develop data driven solutions to address organizational challenges and meet corporate goals. This award winning entrepreneur is passionate about the geospatial industry, entrepreneurship, education and in general making a difference.

Arnout Desmet is currently Vice President in the Maps unit responsible for global sourcing in TomTom. He joined the company in 1998. The TomTom high-quality, navigable maps cover over 140 countries and are used by thousands of automotive manufacturers, governmental and enterprise customers worldwide. Throughout his long career with TomTom, Mr Desmet took up several leadership roles in project and operations management as well as business and new market development through partnerships with local and regional content providers and aggregrators. Prior to TomTom, Mr Desmet was active in agricultural development and irrigation engineering programs in Africa where he started to appreciate the importance of mapping and location technologies. He holds a master degree in Agricultural Engineering and a postgraduate degree in Economics.

Brian Soliday has over 30 years of extensive experience working in sales, marketing, and channel development within the GIS and remote sensing industries. He currently serves as Chief Revenue Officer for Voxelmaps. His career includes CRO, VP, and director-level positions with leading Geospatial Organizations such as Autodesk, Trimble, Space Imaging, LizardTech, Intermap, and TerraGo. Mr. Soliday has presented at over 100 Geospatial events on an international basis and has written published articles in; Planning, Point of Beginning, GEOinformatics, The World & I, GEOEurope, Arc News, Space News, and Earth Observation Magazine.

In a volunteer capacity, Brian currently serves as President/Founder of Rocky Mountain Heroes Foundation, a nonprofit focused on providing therapeutic outdoor adventures for combat-wounded veterans and their families.

Mr. Soliday graduated Summa cum laude with a MA degree in geography specializing in remote sensing and GIS in 1987 and earned a BS degree in geography in 1983. Both degrees were earned from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Jayant Sharma is Sr. Director, Product Management at Oracle and leads the Spatial and Graph PM team.

He is currently focused on product strategy and design of spatial and graph offerings on the Autonomous Database platform.

He works closely with business partners and customers, represents Oracle at the OpenGeospatial Consortium, and frequently presents at academic and industry conferences.

Irene is a Senior Manager for European Affairs at Planet. She is also an EO Evangelist for the European Forum for Earth Observation, a position she has held since June 2021. Prior to joining Planet, Irene managed the Copernicus program at EIT Raw Materials (a body of the European Union) and She also worked as a policy analyst at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. Irene holds a Masters’s degree in Economics from the London School of Economics (UK).

Willy Govender is CEO of Terra Analytics. He originates from Durban, South Africa, and has over 30 years of experience in the technology, land administration, valuation, and consulting-related sectors. He is an accomplished entrepreneur, having founded multiple start-ups in his career, and has a vast amount of international experience. Mr. Govender started out in the mapping industry, and initially built his career around spatial technologies, before branching out into software development, consulting, and property valuations. He has won numerous awards, including the coveted Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Award. As a director on several company boards, he provides excellent leadership and strategic direction. He is experienced across many sectors, including the public sector and government, local government, telecommunications, and education, especially in developing countries.

Brian Nicholls has over 25 years’ experience in the geospatial industry, and has been has been at the forefront of AAM’s technology leadership, as well as the expansion of AAM internationally over the past 15 years. Brian has a particular passion for promoting geospatial technology as a fundamental ‘enabler’ for business, government, and society in general.

Dr. Simon Musaeus is today VP Business Development for Geospatial Content Solution of Hexagon. His main field of activity focuses on development of new partnerships in the private and public sector to implement next steps for access to high-value geospatial data and establishment of digital base-twins.

As a former Military officer in the Federal German Army he dealt with civil-military cooperation in the build-up of a cadastre system in Eastern Germany after the Reunification. This is followed by 20+ years’ experience in IFI funded cadastre and base mapping projects in Latin America, Africa and Southern Europe. Simon held various executive and company CEO positions in El Salvador, Panama and India in the Engineering consultancy and Mapping sector. In 2019 he co-founded the European Association of Aerial Surveying Industries (EEASI) and is until 2023 the President. He teaches in graduate school at Hafencity University Hamburg, Germany.

Musaeus holds a Master in Engineering Surveying and Geodesy and a Dr of Business Administration in Finance/International Business.