Our experts
Prof. Sören Auer
Director of the Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology and Professor of Data Science and Digital Libraries, Leibniz University Hannover
Sören Auer is Director of the Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology (TIB) and Professor of Data Science and Digital Libraries at Leibniz University Hannover. His research focuses on knowledge graphs and neuro-symbolic and agentic AI, together with their applications in science and industry. The founder of the Open Research Knowledge Graph (ORKG) and co-founder of DBpedia, he has led numerous large-scale European research and innovation initiatives. His current work is exploring how trusted data, structured knowledge and AI agents can be combined to create AI systems that are more reliable, explainable and autonomous.
Adam Pustelnik
Pierwszy Wiceprezydent Miasta Łodzi
Adam Pustelnik studiował m.in. na Uniwersytecie Łódzkim, w Europejskiej Akademii Dyplomacji oraz na Uniwersytecie Oksfordzkim. Posiada tytuł magistra prawa oraz magistra stosunków międzynarodowych. Jego dotychczasowa kariera zawodowa obejmowała pracę w Ministerstwie Sportu i Turystyki, Urzędzie Miasta Łodzi oraz firmie doradczej Savills. Podczas pracy w Urzędzie Miasta Łodzi w latach 2015–2019 pełnił funkcję Dyrektora Biura Obsługi Inwestora, odpowiadając między innymi za wdrażanie strategii rozwoju Łodzi, pozyskiwanie inwestorów, promocję potencjału gospodarczego miasta oraz współpracę międzynarodową. Funkcję Pierwszego Wiceprezydenta Miasta Łodzi objął we wrześniu 2020 roku. Do jego obowiązków służbowych należy nadzór nad Wydziałem Planowania i Rozwoju Gospodarczego oraz Wydziałem Gospodarowania Majątkiem.
Aleksandra Nowak
Head of Digital Identity, Identt
Aleksandra Nowak is a digital identity specialist working at the intersection of technology, regulation and digital trust. At IDENTT, she leads initiatives focused on identity verification and fraud detection, helping organisations navigate the transition towards the European Digital Identity ecosystem. Her expertise includes the EUDI Wallet, biometrics, AI-driven identity solutions and the practical use of digital identity and electronic attestations of attributes in regulated industries.
Dr Mirek Sopek
Founder of MakoLab, CEO and founder of Quantum Blockchains, Inc.
Mirek Sopek’s background is in physics and he obtained his doctorate in the field of theoretical and quantum chemistry. He has been the elected chair of the University Council of Łódź University of Technology since 2021, actively supporting scientific development and collaboration between the academic and business worlds. He is also the founder and CEO of a start-up, Quantum Blockchains Inc., which is focused on quantum cryptography.
Prof. Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek, PhD., hab.
Institute of Philosophy, Faculty of Philosophy and History, University of Łódź (UoŁ), Vice Rector of Internationalisation, UoŁ AI Ethics Expert
Professor Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek has studied the subject of well-being, happiness and pleasure for the past twenty years. Philosophically, she argues for the maximisation of pleasure and diminishing of pain among as many beings as possible and believes in helping others to live a good and enjoyable life on the basis of philosophical, psychological and neurobiological research. Her main research interest focuses on the thinking of late Victorian philosopher Henry Sidgwick. She has written two books with Peter Singer, "The Point of View of the Universe" (Oxford University Press, 2014) and "Utilitarianism: A Very Short Introduction" (Oxford University Press, 2017) and edited John Stuart Mill’s "Utilitarianism" (Norton, 2021). Her "The Philosophy of Pleasure", the first introductory text of its kind on the subject of pleasure, was published by Routledge in 2024. In the field of AI ethics, her work includes "AI and Consumers’ Well-Being", with Peter Singer, published in “The Cambridge Handbook of AI and Consumer Law” (October 2024) and, most recently, talks and lectures on AI and philosophy at Freedom Games (October 2025). When she discusses AI. It is usually in connection with our well-being. In addition to her academic work, she is keen to convey philosophical ideas to a wide audience, writing for popular magazines. She and Peter Singer began running a podcast, "Lives Well Lived", in May 2024, interviewing a remarkable line-up of guests, including Daniel Kahneman, Yuval Harari, Jane Goodall, Judy Collins, Neil de Grasse Tyson and Ingrid Newkirk.
Marek Obuchowski
Chief Product Owner, PKO Leasing
Marek Obuchowski helps organisations leverage AI, automation and modern technology platforms to transform the way they work. As Chief Product Owner at PKO Leasing, he leads initiatives focused on intelligent automation, low-code development, robotic process automation and artificial intelligence. With a background ranging from enterprise infrastructure and IT operations to product management and AI strategy, his perspective is unique and connects technology innovation with real business outcomes. Marek is passionate about responsible AI adoption, building high-performing teams and turning complex technologies into practical solutions that create measurable business value.
Mateusz Rakusa-Suszczewski
IS/IT Director for CEE Region, Renault Polska sp. z o.o.
An experienced IT and business leader, Mateusz Rakusa-Suszczewski has a strong background in international project coordination and digital transformation. As Renault Polska’s IS/IT Director for the CEE region, he drives technology strategies that enhance customer satisfaction, optimise business processes and ensure secure, data-driven operations. Combining his extensive expertise in project management, ITIL-based service delivery and managing geographically distributed teams, he successfully leads complex initiatives across diverse markets.
Mateusz Kijowski
Head of Data Analytics and Engineering, MakoLab Consulting
Mateusz Kijowski began his career at PwC as a data engineering consultant. Today, he specialises in modern data architectures, helping organisations build scalable, future-ready data platforms. Passionate about technology, he focuses on turning complex data challenges into innovative solutions.
Jacek Popko
Head of AI Services, MakoLab
Jacek Popko set out on his digital career in 1999. At heart a user experience professional and user advocate, by profession he is a consultant who helps businesses to innovate successfully. He has been with MakoLab for five years.
Piotr Ignaczak
Chief Technology Officer, MakoLab
Piotr Ignaczak jest doświadczonym liderem technologicznym z ponad dwudziestoletnim stażem we wdrażaniu innowacji dla globalnych marek, w tym Cisco, NTT, Orange i Accenture. Ukończył studia magisterskie z informatyki na Politechnice Łódzkiej oraz Executive MBA na Politechnice Warszawskiej. Piotr obecnie pełni funkcję Chief Technology Officer w MakoLab, gdzie kieruje inicjatywami transformacji cyfrowej i wyznacza strategiczny kierunek rozwoju technologicznego firmy.
Agnieszka Walczak-Karbowska
Chief Product Owner, PKO Leasing
Agnieszka Walczak-Karbowska helps organisations turn complex business and regulatory challenges into digital products that deliver measurable value for clients, customers and companies alike. As Chief Product Owner at PKO Leasing, she leads the Omnichannel Platform, which includes customer self-service applications, digital portals and Automarket.pl. Throughout a career that spans banking, enterprise software and financial services, she has been responsible for scaling digital platforms, leading international product organisations and delivering large-scale transformation initiatives. Before joining PKO Leasing, Agnieszka held senior leadership roles at mBank and Atlassian, where she combined product strategy, technology and regulatory expertise to build solutions used by millions of clients and customers across multiple markets. Agnieszka is passionate about building high-performing teams, developing in-house technology capabilities and creating products that make complex processes simple, accessible and effective.