Mathematician, cryptographer serial entrepreneur and leading industry commentator, Charles Hoskinson has been involved in the world or blockchain and cryptocurrencies since the early days of bitcoin. A visionary and pioneer in the development of blockchain technology since the industry’s formative times, Charles Hoskinson remains at the cutting edge of the industry. Founder of three blockchain-focussed startups, Invictus Innovations, Ethereum and IOHK, he was also the founding chairman of the Bitcoin Foundation’s education committee, as well as establishing the Bitcoin Research Group. Founder and former CEO of the world’s first ‘second generation’ blockchain platform, Ethereum, Hoskinson is co-founder and current CEO of the world’s leading blockchain engineering company, IOHK - a company focussed on the next generation of blockchain systems, designed to underpin all the world’s future financial and transactional needs, supporting all current and future means of financial exchange, on a global scale.

Hoskinson stands almost alone amongst the leading figures in the blockchain industry, through his particular focus on the utility benefits of blockchain technology, rather that the opportunities the technology provides for asset speculation via cryptocurrencies. That focus sees IOHK currently working with governments and organisations in the developing world, where the benefits of the technology can be particularly profound. Currently, IOHK is working in Ethiopia, Uganda, Mongolia and the Republic of Georgia, in pursuit of those ideals, where the company’s technology is allowing governments and organisations to deliver convenience to citizens by digitizing the provision of government services, providing accurate recording of transactions, whether for payment of government services or accurate monitoring of production supply chains. Via the Hoskinson Consulting Group, Charles is a consultant to many of the industry’s leading corporations, including Endor and Polymath.

Niklas Nikolajsen founded Bitcoin Suisse AG in mid-2013. Today he serves as Chairman of the Board and co-CEO. Niklas has a background of more than 15 years as a professional software architect & software developer, primarily in the financial , manufacturing and public sectors. In 2010 after discovering Bitcoin, he became one of the early adaptors, investors and proponents of crypto assets. In 2011 he moved from Denmark to Switzerland and worked for a major Swiss financial institution, as a consultant – until he founded Bitcoin Suisse AG in 2013, together with partners. He served as CEO of the company until the end of 2017.

John Watkinson is a Canadian computer scientist and digital artist. He holds an Electrical Engineering PhD from Columbia University. Together with Matt Hall, John created the Cryptopunks, the very first non-fungible tokens on the Ethereum blockchain, awaking the art world to blockchain's potential to create scarcity for digital works. He continues to work on art and tech projects involving blockchain, including the music streaming service Choon.

Hester Maria Peirce is an American lawyer specializing in financial market regulation. Peirce currently serves as a Commissioner on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). She previously served as the director of the Financial Markets Working Group at George Mason University's Mercatus Center. Peirce was confirmed by the United States Senate in December 2017 to fill a Republican vacancy on the SEC. She was sworn in on January 11, 2018, and her term expires in 2020. Peirce is a former staff member of the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and of the SEC. In 2016, she was nominated by President Barack Obama for Commissioner on the SEC, but the United States Senate did not act on her nomination.

Henri Arslanian is the PwC Global Crypto Leader and Asia FinTech Leader, the Chairman of the FinTech Association of Hong Kong and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Hong Kong where he teaches the first FinTech university course in Asia. Henri leads PwC’s crypto efforts and advises many of the world’s leading crypto firms on a broad range of crypto matters from regulatory and tax to governance and capital raising. He also advises many of the world’s leading financial institutions on their FinTech and crypto initiatives as well numerous governments, regulators and central banks on Fintech and crypto regulatory and policy matters.

Eva Kaili is an MEP and a member of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament. She is Chair of the STOA Panel, as well as Chair of the Delegation for relations with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, a member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, of the Conference of Delegation Chairs, She has, been working intensively on promoting innovation as a driving force of the establishment of the European Digital Single Market and has been particularly active in the fields of AI, blockchain technology, big data, fintech and cybersecurity. She has an undergraduate degree in Engineering from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and a Master's degree in International Relations from the University of Piraeus and has served as Member of the Greek parliament from 2007 to 2012.

Ryan Jesperson is a dedicated member of the Tezos community. Most recently he was the Chief Operating Officer at Divvy, a FinTech company. Prior to his work at Divvy, he helped launch the global Self-Reliance Services initiative of the LDS Church to alleviate poverty. Previous to that he was an executive, turnaround specialist and tech entrepreneur in the healthcare industry. He received a BS degree, cum laude, from Brigham Young University and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

Federal Councillor Johann Schneider-Ammann was born in 1952 and has a degree in electrical engineering from the ETH Zurich. In the Swiss government, he is at the head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research. Before he became a member of the Swiss Federal Council in 2010, he was president and delegate of the Ammann Group, a worldwide operating mechanical engineering company specialised on machines for the building industry and road construction based in Langenthal. Schneider-Ammann was a member of the National Council in Swiss Parliament. He is married and has two adult children.