Comply.Land

Trudy Kerr

Trudy Kerr is an award-winning interviewer, presenter, and founder of "The She Word," a groundbreaking podcast that focuses on conversations women rarely have but really should. With over 20 years of experience in the design and communications industry across 4 countries and 3 continents, Trudy has established herself as a leading voice in Maltese media. Beyond "The She Word," which launched in September 2022 and has spawned multiple successful seasons including a Young Women's Edition, Trudy hosts "The Interviewer" podcast where she speaks with local personalities from all walks of life. She has held leadership positions as Head of Strategy and Marketing at CORSA, iGen, and Head of Media and Reporting at SiGMA. An accomplished ultra-runner and motivational speaker, Trudy is recognised for empowering women through open discussions on topics including mental health, body image, fertility, menopause, and women in business. She continues to be a prominent live events MC and advocate for women's voices in Malta and beyond.

Christian (Fukami) Horchert

Christian “fukami” Horchert leads CrabNebula’s Brussels office, bridging cybersecurity practice with EU policy and standards. He serves as Special Rapporteur at ETSI (EN 304 623 boot manager standard) and co-chairs FIRST’s AI Security SIG, focusing on LLMs for security and incident response. Previously a member of the European Commission’s CRA Expert Group on behalf of OpenSSF and an EU policy advisor to OpenSSF, he brings deep experience across critical intrastructure, and product security. With a background spanning risk management, pentesting, and compliance auditing, Christian works at the intersection of open source, regulation, and European standardization to enable secure, compliant innovation. 

Panel | Keynote 

Dr. Ian Gauci

Dr Ian Gauci is the Managing Partner at GTG and a technology and commercial lawyer with over 25 years of experience in advising governments, authorities, and private clients in the evolving technology and cybersecurity landscape.
In addition to the legal practice, Dr Gauci actively contributes to the sector as an academic, director, author, lecturer, and international speaker. This allows him to bring both depth and perspective to the intersection of law, innovation, and digital transformation. Dr Gauci is also contributing to the MFSAC Strategy for Financial Services, where he chairs the AI in Fintech working group.

Ian Deguara

Ian Deguara has served as Malta’s Information and Data Protection Commissioner since 2020, following more than 18 years at the national data protection authority. Among its earliest team members, he helped shape Malta’s GDPR implementation as part of the national taskforce and has led extensive public outreach on the reformed data protection framework. With degrees in information technology and management from the University of Malta, Ian brings deep expertise at the intersection of privacy governance, regulatory enforcement, and freedom of information.

Nathaniel Falzon

Nathaniel Falzon is a lawyer specializing in cybersecurity, data protection, and technology law. He currently serves as Legal Advisor at MITA, where he provides strategic counsel on legal issues at the intersection of law, technology, and public administration and has been actively involved in the drafting of legislation and regulations on various technology-related topics. Previously, he served as a prosecutor specializing in cybercrime and complex financial crime involving cryptocurrency and represented Malta as a member of the European Judicial Cybercrime Network within Eurojust. Nathaniel holds Master of Laws degrees in International Maritime Law from the IMO International Maritime Law Institute and in Computer and Communications Law from the University of London, as well as a Master of Advocacy and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Malta. In addition to his academic background, he holds industry certifications including ISC² CGRC, IAPP CIPM and CIPP/E, along with specialized credentials in blockchain investigations and the international law of cyber operations.

Prof. André Xuereb

André Xuereb is a full professor of quantum physics at the University of Malta, where he established the quantum research group, and Founder & CEO of Merqury Cybersecurity. He read for an undergraduate degree in mathematics and physics at the University of Malta, a PhD in theoretical physics at the University of Southampton in the UK, and a master’s degree in entrepreneurship at the University of Malta; he is currently reading for a master’s degree in diplomacy. Since 2021, André is Malta’s Ambassador for Digital Affairs. In addition to this, he is also Chief Scientific Officer of an artificial intelligence start-up, married to a lawyer, and the proud father of three wonderful children. 

Daniel Thompson-Yvetot

Daniel Thompson-Yvetot is a cybersecurity expert and CEO of CrabNebula Ltd., specializing in software compliance and the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA). Co-founder of the security-first Tauri framework, he advocates for secure-by-design principles in software development. As former Senior Architect at IOTA Foundation, he focused on hardening security postures and designing secure systems. Based in Malta, Daniel regularly speaks about CRA implementation and helps organizations navigate European compliance requirements. His expertise spans cryptography, security principles, and privacy-focused engineering, making him a leading voice in preparing software manufacturers for the evolving regulatory landscape.

Piet de Vaere

Piet is an electrical engineer, computer scientist, and consultant specializing in product cybersecurity compliance, with a focus on the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and Radio Equipment Directive (RED DA). He contributes to EU cybersecurity standardization and helps companies translate legal and technical requirements into practical, risk-based decisions. Drawing on industry experience and PhD research, Piet bridges C‑suite, management, and engineering, assessing product posture, clarifying obligations, and guiding the implementation of security features, processes, and secure-by-design architectures.

Iva Tasheva

Iva is the CEO of CYEN, an award-winning business security risk and compliance consultancy. Ongoing project includes Confirmate (EU co-funded) that enables SMEs compliance with CRA through automation tool, trainings, and methodologies. Cyen is also launching a proprietary assess-once-comply-with many SaaS, integrating AI and expert know-how to automate standards and regulation assessments. Iva is a Member of the EU Cybersecurity Agency (ENISA) Ad-Hoc Working Group on Cloud Security and formerly, Enterprise security, author of the Bulgarian Guide for SME Cybersecurity, winner of the Benelux OSPAs Award 2024, shortlisted Belgium Cybersecurity Personality of the Year 2022 and listed ‘35 under 35’ by Santander/CODIB. Iva holds an MBA from KULeuven and a Master in Cybersecurity degree from the New Bulgarian University, she is certified ISO27001 LI, ISO27799 LM, DORA Senior LM.

Dean Zwarts

Dean Zwarts is a Senior Global Business Manager for Cybersecurity at UL Solutions, responsible for Consumer; IOT, Medical, Automotive and Payment Security. He has more than 20 years of experience in technology, innovation and security. He has led start-ups and held roles such as CTO and CIO and has led commercial teams in Cybersecurity. Dean has patents insecurity-based services, has contributed to standards organizations, and leads cybersecurity taskforces at UL Solutions. In his role as a Cybersecurity Business Manager in UL Solutions, and Chairman of the TIC Council Conformance Assessment (CACD) Working Group.

Gavril Flores

Gavril Flores is the Chief Strategy, Policy and Governance Officer at the Malta Digital Innovation Authority (MDIA). He brings over 15 years of expertise in regulation, strategic leadership and innovation policy. As the driving force behind Malta’s National AI Strategy and Vision, Malta’s cybersecurity certification authority and regulation of AI, data and cyber, Flores is helping shape the country’s position as a leader in ethical, trustworthy and compliant digital innovation through smart regulation and forward-looking governance. Gavril represents Malta in various international fora and is Malta’s representative on the Committee on Artificial Intelligence of the Council of Europe and alternate management board member of ENISA. He holds the position of Senior Visiting Lecturer at the University of Malta focusing on innovation management, ESG and marketing and web-science.

Sharon Xuereb

Sharon Xuereb is a Senior Associate at Camilleri Preziosi, specialising in privacy and data protection, intellectual property, and technology law. With a strong passion for IT and emerging technologies, she is particularly interested in how disruptive innovations are reshaping legal landscapes both locally and internationally. She previously served as Vice President and EU Projects Manager at the Malta IT Law Association, and has contributed to EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation projects focused on developing ethical and trustworthy AI technologies, and privacy-friendly software to counter radicalisation and crime. In these projects she provided legal guidance on GDPR and other non-personal data law, EU AI Act, and intellectual property law compliance. Sharon has co-authored several publications and is regularly invited to speak at conferences, where she helps shape discussions on digital regulation, compliance challenges, and business opportunities in the areas of intellectual property, consumer law, and data processing. Recognised as a Rising Star in intellectual property by The Legal 500 Malta Edition, she is widely acknowledged for her expertise in this field. She holds a Doctor of Laws from the University of Malta, and an LL.M. in Computer and Communications Law (with distinction) from Queen Mary University of London. Outside her legal practice, Sharon is devoted to raising her three children and enjoys discussing business ideas with her husband, a quantum physicist and professor at the University of Malta.

Matthew Yeomans

Matthew Yeomans is Director of Malta’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Directorate within the Ministry for Home Affairs, Security, and Employment. He helped transpose the EU NIS1 Directive (2016/1148) into Maltese law (L.N. 216 of 2018) and has represented Malta in European Commission multilateral meetings. A former team lead at the national CSIRT, he has supported CIIs, OESs, and CSIRTs, serves as Malta’s primary contact to the NIS Cooperation Group, and sits on the National Cyber Security Strategy Steering Committee, contributing to Malta’s 2023–2026 Cybersecurity Strategy.