Meet the Speakers

A former Executive Director of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy and a retired U.S. senior foreign service officer, Dr. Vivian S. Walker is Co-President of the Public Diplomacy Council of America.

Stephan Mündges is the Coordinator of the EFCSN, the association of Europe's fact-checkers. He previously worked as the general manager of the Institute of Journalism at TU Dortmund University.

Emmanuel Colombié holds degrees from a management school in Marseille and the Institut Français de Journalisme (IFJ) in Paris.

Sam Jeffers is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Who Targets Me, which produces software and analysis to help people understand how political campaigns use advertising to win votes.

An AI leader before the hype, Alexsai serves as a distinguished Data and Artificial Intelligence Advisor, bringing extensive expertise across Computer Science, Business Administration, AI, and Entrepreneurship.

Oleksandra is a project director at Centre for Information Resilience and an information security expert with 9 years of experience.

Nino Robakidze is a freedom fighter, advocate for freedom of expression, and media enthusiast, with over 15 years of experience.

Artur Papyan is the President of the Yerevan Press Club and previously worked for more than a decade as a journalist and multimedia editor.

Zsófia Fülöp is a Hungarian journalist at Lakmusz, Hungary’s only independent fact-checking site.

Salome Giunashvili is a Research Projects Coordinator at the MDF, where she focuses on disinformation, propaganda, and Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference.

Aistė Meidutė has nearly a decade of experience countering disinformation, specialising in Kremlin-backed propaganda, foreign information manipulation and democratic resilience.

Jan manages fact-checking at Demagog.cz, where he oversees operations within Meta’s Third-Party Fact-Checking program and the fact-checking work of CEDMO.

Diana Kuryshko is a correspondent at BBC Ukraine. With more than 15 years of experience in digital and broadcast media, she specializes in investigative journalism, social issues, and disinformation.

Tamar Kintsurashvili is the Executive Director and co-founder of the MDF, a leading Georgian civil society organization specilizing in disinformation research, fact-checking, and media literacy.

Ola Myrovych heads the Lviv Media Forum, a Ukrainian NGO supporting independent media and amplifying Ukrainian voices internationally.

Natalia is a Google Trainer in Central and Eastern Europe.
Before joining the Teaching Team at Google News Initiative, Natalia worked as a Senior
Investigative Editor at Fundacja Reporterów.

Lisa Mobrand is a senior analyst, specializing in societal resilience, comprehensive defence, cultural heritage, and Media and information literacy.

Jeanne Cavelier is a journalist who started at specialized magazines before working as a Moscow correspondent covering Russia for the French media.

Salomé Petit-Siemens is a Public Policy Officer at Fundación Maldita.es, where she focuses on building evidence and advocating for policy to strengthen the online information ecosystem.

Dr. Mamuka Andguladze chairs the Media Advocacy Coalition, which brings together 16 non-governmental organizations working on media-related issues.

Sandro Gigauri has extensive professional experience in disinformation analysis, fact-checking, media literacy, and media development.

Tinatin Gogoladze is an accomplished professional with extensive experience in media analysis, monitoring, and training. Currently serving as the Head of Media Monitoring Department at the MDF.

Marta Ardashelia is a Georgian journalist, media executive, and Editor-in-Chief and co-founder of SOVA News, an independent Russian-language media outlet covering Georgia, the South Caucasus, and Eastern Europe.

Rusudan Dzigrashvili is Programs Director at the Media Development Foundation, where she has been developing and managing programmes across Myth Detectorand MDF.

Vazha Tavberidze is a staff writer with RFE/RL's Georgian Service. As a journalist and political analyst, he has covered issues of international security, post-Soviet conflicts, and Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

Dr. Maxim Ryabkov is Head of Unit Europe at Deutsche Welle Akademie since 2020.

Nelly Pailleux is COO and co-founder of Checkfirst, a Finnish organisation tackling information manipulation through OSINT investigations and platforms accountability.

Dr Thomas Colley is a Senior Visiting Research Fellow in the Department of War Studies and a Senior Lecturer in Defence and International Affairs at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

Eto Buziashvili is a Research Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s DFRLab, where she leads its work on Russia.

Victoire Rio is the founder and executive director of WHAT TO FIX, a tech policy and accountability nonprofit, and a leading expert on social media monetization and its impact on information integrity.

Folke Kayser is a consultant in the Advocacy, Research and Public Affairs Unit at DW Akademie, Germany's leading organization for international media development.

Narine Yeganyan is a strategic communications expert and researcher specializing in hybrid threats, FIMI, gendered disinformation, conflict studies, and social solidarity and resilience.

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Ani Grigoryan is an Armenian investigative journalist and disinformation researcher with over 13 years of experience.

Mihai Avasiloaie is the editor-in-chief of Stopfals.md, a fact-checking media outlet from Moldova specialized in fighting disinformation.

Alina Radu is an investigative journalist, co-owner and manager of Ziarul de Gardă (ZdG), the largest investigative reporting outlet in Moldova.

Stella Mehrabekyan is a Senior Editor at CivilNet, with nearly 15 years of experience in journalism and media.