
Newframes Film Festival Pre-Launch
Digital Trust Summit Brussels 2026
June 24, 2026 9:00 AM
The Merode
Brussels
Speakers
Event Description
This event is part of the pre-launch of NewFrames International Film Festival of Advocacy.
NewFrames is co-organising, in partnership with Global Data Innovation and ACTE, the first European edition of the Digital Trust Summit in Brussels. After the success of the US edition, the summit comes to the heart of the European capital — where the AI governance conversation that will define the decade is taking place.
The Digital Trust Summit comes to Brussels for its first European edition, bringing the same high-level, outcomes-driven format that has defined the US edition — now at the centre of European policy, transatlantic cooperation and the AI governance conversation that will define the decade.
The programme is designed for working outcomes, not traditional panel discussions. It includes closed-door strategic dialogue, mixed tables of policymakers and executives, and Policy Scenario Labs — structured simulations to stress-test governance frameworks in real time. Without cameras. Without prepared remarks.
Program
8:30 AM — Registration, Executive Breakfast & Networking
ACT I — THE STAKES
9:00 AM — The State of Digital Trust Dominique Shelton Leipzig, CEO Global Data
Innovation Remarks: Aline Muylaert, VP ACTE
9:15 AM — RSL Media Standard — Global Launch Cate Blanchett, actress, producer & RSL Media co-founder 9:20 AM — Fireside: Media, Storytelling & Trust in the AI Era Cate Blanchett · Nikki Hexum (RSL Media) Moderated by Dominique Shelton Leipzig
9:45 PM — Readout From Parliament by MEP Eva Maydell
9:55 AM — Europe & the Future of AI Governance Erika Staël von Holstein (Re-Imagine Europa) Christopher Weissberg (French National Assembly) Moderated by Amaia Echevarria (Euronews)
10:15 AM — Morning Networking Break
ACT II — THE FORCES
10:45 AM — Cybersecurity & AI Kavitha Mariappan, Chief Transformation Officer, Rubrik
11:10 AM — Fireside: Cyber & Agentic AI
Despina Spanou, DDG DG CNECT, European Commission
Kavitha Mariappan, Rubrik
Moderated by Gian Volpicelli, Bloomberg
11:25 AM — Geopolitical Strategy & AI Damien Bruckard, former Head of Global Engagement, ICC
11:40 AM — Executive Leader Remarks Stijn Christiaens, co-founder, Collibra
12:00 PM — Executive Leader Remarks Christine Durinx, Managing Director, VIB
ACT III — THE PEOPLE
12:15 PM — How Teams Can Rapidly & Effectively Adopt AI
Guylaine Saint Juste (CEO NABA)
Rand Morimoto (Convergent Computing)
David Timis (AI & Future of Work)
12:45 PM — Executive Lunch
ACT IV — THE SOLUTIONS
1:40 PM — Fragomen: Fireside Chat :Proving You Are Real: Verified Identity in the Age of DeepfakesJo Antoons, Senior Counsel · Vladimir Jankovic, Managing Director FragomenAmit Sharma, Head of Global and Digital Strategy & Ecosystem Growth, Idemia
2:00 PM — Diligent AI Board Member — Innovation Demonstration
Dottie Schindlinger · Kira Ciccarelli, Diligent Institute
Katarina Wallin Bureau, General Manager, Strategic Relations European Government Affairs
2:20 PM — Crisis of Trust Simulation: The Agentic Age Cal Al-Dhubaib, Principal Technologist, Rubrik
3:05 PM — Afternoon Networking Break
ACT V — THE FUTURE CONTRACT
3:35 PM — The EU Omnibus: How to facilitate EU Act and digital laws Implementation and Innovation for business
MEP Brendo Benifei
MEP Sergey Lagodinsky
Renate Nikolay, DDG DG CNECT, European Commission
Moderated by Gian Volpicelli, Bloomberg
4:00 PM — Digital Rights, Child Protection & AI Safety
MEP Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová
4:10 PM — Storytelling, Power & Trust in the Digital Age
Darren Aronofsky, filmmaker ·
Moderated by Adam Leipzig
5:00 PM — Closing Reflections Dominique Shelton Leipzig
5:15 PM — Cocktails & Art Exhibition
Founder of Global Data Summit:
Dominique Shelton Leipzig
Co founder Global Data Innovation
Dominique Shelton Leipzig is the CEO of Global Data Innovation, a legally privileged AI governance practice. She built it on one conviction: the AI, cyber, or privacy failure that defines a CEO's legacy has already happened somewhere else — and a CEO or board that cannot prove it governed responsibly before it arrived has no defense. Thirty-three years of Big Law experience, $3 trillion in companies advised across life sciences, genomics, financial services, and retail, and decades of pre-legislative intelligence from Washington to Brussels later, that conviction is now the foundation of a practice whose sole focus is to make sure the AI failures studied in other companies stop there.
GDI operates where AI legislation is written — advising at the U.S. Congress and EU Parliament before bills are introduced — so clients see what is coming before their competitors do.
With 33+ years leading data practices in international Big Law, she has trained 50,000+ professionals in AI, privacy, and cyber governance. In addition to legal advisory, Shelton Leipzig provides fractional Chief AI Officer and data governance services. Her track record enabling AI ROI across life sciences, genomics, biopharma, financial services, and retail is documented in Global Data Innovation’s case studies.
Dominique's fourth book, Trust: Responsible AI, Innovation, Privacy & Data Leadership, won the 2024 getAbstract Business Impact Award. Her TEDx talk was the fifth highest viewed in 2024, with over 1.6 million views. She is the creator of the patent-pending TRUST AI governance framework, designed to embed successful AI practices at the human operations and tech stack level.
An ADWEEK AI Trailblazer Power 100, a Financial Times Agenda Board Future 50, a Forbes ‘50 Over 50 Innovator.” a Diligent Modern Governance 100, and an LA Times “Legal Visionary,” Dominique has received 39 awards over her career. She is the founder of the Digital Trust Summit. She is certified in AI and board governance. Her appearances include Bloomberg TV and CBS News.
She sits on the Board of Directors of Harris & Associates, a 100% employee-owned consulting and engineering firm based in Concord, California. Dominique Shelton Leipzig is a member of RSL Media’s Policy Governance Board, where she also serves as Designated Rights Protection Advisory Counsel.
RSL Media:
Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett is an internationally acclaimed actor and producer, and a co-founder of RSL Media, a non-profit building a human consent framework for AI's use of creative work, names, images, and likenesses. Launched in May 2026 alongside co-founders Nikki Hexum, Doug Leeds, and Eckart Walther, the organization is built on the principle that consent must come first, offering free, machine-readable tools that let anyone—not just public figures—declare how their identity and work may be used by AI systems. Its launch drew support from figures including George Clooney, Viola Davis, Tom Hanks, Helen Mirren, Steven Soderbergh, Meryl Streep, and Emma Thompson, as well as Creative Artists Agency and the Music Artists Coalition. A longtime advocate on AI and creative rights, Blanchett frames the initiative around the conviction that for humans to stay ahead of these technologies, consent must be the first consideration.
Nikki Hexum
Nikki Hexum is Co-Founder and CEO of RSL Media, a nonprofit developing practical standards for consent, identity verification, and creative rights in the age of AI. With more than two decades across film, music, visual effects, and entertainment—including early work on projects for Tom Petty, Faith Hill, and LEGO Star Wars, and years alongside actor Val Kilmer and producer Robert Evans—she saw firsthand how creative contributions and personal identity can become separated from the value they generate. She is also Co-Founder and CEO of SKP, a music company built around artist ownership. At RSL Media, Hexum works with artists, rights holders, technology companies, and policymakers to make human consent and identity machine-readable, helping AI systems and platforms identify authorized use and respect the rights tied to human likeness, voice, performance, and creative work.
Doug Leeds
Doug Leeds is co-founder of RSL Standard, RSL Collective, and RSL Media—nonprofit initiatives building open licensing and consent infrastructure for the AI era, designed to help AI companies license content at scale while ensuring creators and rights holders are fairly compensated. RSL Media extends that framework to human creativity, identity, and likeness, giving artists a practical way to set terms for how their work, voice, image, or persona may be used by AI. Working at the intersection of media, technology, and law, Doug previously served as CEO of Dictionary.com and Ask.com and founded IAC Publishing (now People Inc.), after earlier serving as Associate General Counsel at Yahoo. He also teaches leadership at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business.
Members of EU Parliament
MEP Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová
Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová is a Member of the European Parliament representing Slovakia in Renew Europe. She works on digital policies with a primary focus on the protection of minors in the online environment. In this context, she advocates for greater algorithmic transparency and clearer rules for artificial intelligence to ensure safer digital spaces for all. She is also active on issues related to health, rule of law, and gender equality. As an avid social media user, she uses her platform to voice important societal and political matters.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronika-cifrov%C3%A1-ostriho%C5%88ov%C3%A1/
Official websites:
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/257014/VERONIKA_CIFROVA+OSTRIHONOVA/home
https://veronikaostrihonova.sk/
MEP Dr. Sergey Lagodinsky
Dr. Sergey Lagodinsky is a German lawyer and author. He serves as Vice-President of the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA) in the European Parliament, responsible for foreign affairs and digital policy.
He is Co-President of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly and a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI), as well as a substitute member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE). Dr Lagodinsky also acts as the Greens/EFA spokesperson on transatlantic relations and Russia.
He holds a law degree from the University of Goettingen and a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University, and obtained his doctorate in law from Humboldt University of Berlin. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Program Director and later as consultant at the Berlin office of the American Jewish Committee. He subsequently worked as an attorney at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. From 2012 until his election to the European Parliament in 2019, he was Director of the Department for the EU, North America and Turkey at the Heinrich Boell Foundation.
During the 9th parliamentary term, Dr Lagodinsky served as Chair of the EU–Turkey Delegation and as Vice-Chair of the Committee on Legal Affairs.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sergey-lagodinsky-109b00b6/
Official websites: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/197460/SERGEY_LAGODINSKY/home
MEP Eva Maydell
Eva Maydell is a third-term Member of the European Parliament from the European People’s Party. She serves on the Industry and Economic Affairs Committees and is Deputy Spokesperson on industry policy for her political group. She is also Vice President of the Parliament’s delegation for relations with the United States.
She was a lead negotiator on the EU Chips Act and Artificial Intelligence Act, with a focus on innovation, technology, and global democratic cooperation.
Maydell is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, sits on the WEF Digital Europe Board, and co-founded the Council on the Future with the Munich Security Conference.
Her work has been recognized with two MEP of the Year Awards, Forbes 30 Under 30, FT’s New Europe 100, and multiple POLITICO rankings of influential European leaders.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eva-maydell/
Official websites:
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/98341/EVA_MAYDELL/home
EU COMMISSION AND OTHER GOVERNMENTAL LEADERS
Christopher Weissberg
Member of the French National Assembly representing French citizens living in the United States and Canada
Christopher Weissberg is a French-American politician and entrepreneur serving as a Member of the French National Assembly representing French citizens in the United States and Canada, where he chairs the France–United States Friendship Group. A leading advocate for transatlantic relations and expatriate communities, he focuses on issues affecting French citizens abroad, including education, consular services, social protection, and economic opportunity. Before entering Parliament, he was a restaurateur and small business owner in upstate New York and later served as Director of International Development for Groupe Bertrand, one of France's largest hospitality groups, leading its expansion across North America, Asia, and the Middle East. Dividing his time between France and North America, Weissberg remains deeply engaged in both public service and international business.
Renate Nikolay
Renate Nikolay is Deputy Director-General of the European Commission's DG CNECT, overseeing enforcement of the EU's digital rules (the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act) along with digital connectivity, data, and media and audiovisual sectors. From 2014 to 2022, she was Head of Cabinet to Vĕra Jourová, helping shape major initiatives including the data protection reform and the EU-US data transfer arrangement. Earlier, she held senior roles in DG Justice and DG Trade and served on the EU's negotiating teams for the WTO Doha Round and the EU-South Korea Free Trade Agreement. She holds a law degree from the Free University of Berlin and a master's earned as a Fulbright Scholar in Washington, D.C.
AI, Innovation and the Arts
Adam Leipzig
Award-winning producer, Author, Business Strategist, Faculty Haas School of Business, Berkeley
Storytelling Strategist, Innovation Leader, and Producer Bridging Creativity, Business, and Technology
Adam Leipzig is one of the rare people who has lived fluently on both sides of the wall that separates creative vision from business reality, and spent his career teaching others how to move between them.
As a senior executive at Walt Disney Studios, he supervised films that changed culture, among them Dead Poets Society and Good Morning Vietnam. As President of National Geographic Films, he brought March of the Penguins to the world, the highest-grossing nature documentary in history, by understanding that the most powerful stories are not made, they are recognized and released.
As a producer of A Plastic Ocean, the most impactful environmental documentary ever made, with more than 150 laws changed worldwide in its wake, he has seen firsthand how story becomes policy that transforms the world we live in.
He serves as Professional Faculty at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, where he teaches executives and MBA candidates how narrative shapes decisions, moves organizations, and builds trust across every level of complexity. His corporate work has taken him inside the leadership teams of some of the world's most consequential companies.
His book Fearless Persistence: Creative Life, Creative Work, and the Ten Laws of Culturenomics, has been called "the best business book I have read in ten years" by a Fortune-level executive, and "an instant creative classic" by the literary world.
At the intersection of storytelling, strategy, and the ethics of influence, Adam Leipzig does not choose between art and commerce, between creativity and responsibility, between human narrative and technological power. He builds the bridges between them.
Darren Aronofsky
Award-winning filmmaker
Darren Aronofsky is the award-winning filmmaker born and raised in Brooklyn. Aronofsky founded Protozoa based in Chinatown NYC. His credits include π, REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, THE FOUNTAIN, THE WRESTLER, BLACK SWAN, NOAH, mother!, THE WHALE, the Sphere Experience POSTCARD FROM EARTH and, most recently, CAUGHT STEALING.
As a producer his credits include JACKIE, THE FIGHTER, THE GOOD NURSE, SOME KIND OF HEAVEN, VIKTOR, HOLDING LIAT, Peabody and Emmy-winning THE TERRITORY, National Geographic's LIMITLESS, starring Chris Hemsworth, WELCOME TO EARTH, ONE STRANGE ROCK, and POLE TO POLE starring Will Smith.
In 2023, Aronofsky founded Primordial Soup, a tech & story company shaping the future of storytelling.
Speakers
Erika Staël von Holstein
Erika Staël von Holstein is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive of Re-Imagine Europa (RIE), a Brussels-based think tank specializing in innovative thinking for a stronger, fairer, and more competitive Europe. A leading expert in depolarisation and the role of narratives, Erika has developed numerous analyses and methodologies to better understand these phenomena and propose practical solutions. She has two decades of experience in bridging science, society, and policy, and serves as an advisor to numerous national and European organizations, including the Spanish government’s International Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council. She also participates in various European expert committees, including the EU Science Diplomacy Working Groups and is a member of the Board of the European Conclave.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erika-sta%C3%ABl-von-holstein-42240b136/
Website: https://re-imagine.eu/bio/erika-widegren
Stijn Christiaens
Founder and Chief Data Citizen Collibra
Stan leads Collibra’s Data Office and is responsible for overall data strategy, data infrastructure and translating internal learnings into value for our customers and partners. He is also Collibra’s product evangelist and drives future innovation. Previously, Stan launched various departments within Collibra including Product, Presales, Postsales, Partnerships, Marketplace, and Research and Education. Prior to cofounding Collibra, he was a senior researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, where he focused on application-oriented research in semantics. Stan holds a Master's of Science degree in Information Technology, a Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and a Postgraduate in Industrial Corporate Governance from Europese Hogeschool Brussel. He is a sought-after expert resource, industry speaker and author on the topic of Data Intelligence.
Kavitha Mariappan
Chief Transformation Officer at Rubrik; Global Board of Directors, USIBC; Advisory Board Member, New York University School of Law Center for Cybersecurity
Kavitha Mariappan is a seasoned go-to-market executive with more than two decades of experience helping industry-leading companies translate technology into business value and growth. She has held senior roles across enterprise software and services, spanning strategy, marketing, product and engineering, at companies including Zscaler, Databricks, Riverbed, Cisco, and Philips Electronics.
Currently Chief Transformation Officer at Rubrik, Kavitha drives global transformation and innovation across all facets of the business, with a strong focus on customer value creation, resilience, and new revenue opportunities. She has deep expertise in shaping customer engagement at the board and C-suite level, mobilizing global teams, and scaling new business models.
In addition to her role at Rubrik, Kavitha serves on the Global Board of Directors for the US-India Business Council (USIBC), and as an Advisory Board Member for the NYU School of Law Center for Cybersecurity. She holds a B.Eng. in Communication Engineering from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia, and a Master of Science in Cybersecurity Risk and Strategy from New York University School of Law and Tandon School of Engineering.
Guylaine Saint Juste
CEO NABA.
Guylaine Saint Juste is a transformational CEO with over 30 years of executive leadership across financial services, technology, and nonprofit sectors. As President and CEO of NABA, Inc.—representing more than 200,000 accounting and finance professionals—she quadrupled revenue and achieved a six-fold increase in membership between 2021 and 2024, unifying the organization under a "One NABA" structure and introducing risk, cybersecurity, and AI governance frameworks. Previously, as SVP and Virginia Market Executive at Capital One, she built the nation's top-ranked Business Banking group, overseeing a $1.1 billion deposit base and $650 million loan portfolio. Named one of the 2024 Most Powerful Women in Accounting by the AICPA, she holds degrees from George Mason University and the University of Virginia, carries CAE and SHRM-SCP designations, and is a sought-after speaker featured in Forbes, Accounting Today, and Crain's New York Business.
Damien Bruckard
Founder and CEO of Geopolitical Strategy
Damien is the founder and CEO of Geopolitical Strategy, a firm specialising in advising corporates and financial institutions on geopolitical risk. Prior to founding the firm, Damien held senior positions at the International Chamber of Commerce and served as a diplomat in Moscow as well as a foreign policy advisor, trade negotiator and international lawyer with the Australian foreign service. Damien writes regularly for Geopolitical Dispatch on the intersection of international affairs and business.
David Timis
David Timis is the Global Communications & Public Affairs Manager at Generation, one of the world's largest skilling and employment nonprofits, where he leads global storytelling and EU-level advocacy. A frequent writer and speaker on the risks and opportunities of AI, he serves as a Senior Fellow in AI Governance at the Global Governance Institute in Brussels, an International Strategy Forum Fellow at the SCSP in D.C., and an AI Energy Impact Fellow at the World Economic Forum in Geneva. Within the WEF's Global Shapers Community, he is the Community Champion for the BeNeLux & France region and Co-Lead of the 2025 SHAPE Europe & Eurasia edition. He previously led EU Civics Outreach at Google during the 2019 and 2024 EU Elections and served as a UN Youth Delegate for Romania, with earlier roles spanning L'Oréal, Mars Inc., Burson, Chatham House, and the Council of Europe. Working at the crossroads of technology, workforce development, and policy, David brings a perspective grounded in both leading research and real-world implementation.
Dottie Schindlinger
Executive Director, Diligent Institute.
Dottie Schindlinger is the Executive Director of Diligent Institute, the corporate governance research and programs arm of Diligent - the leading AI-powered provider of secure board communication and governance, risk and compliance software. She co-authored the book, “Governance in the Digital Age: A Guide for the Modern Corporate Board Director,” co-hosts, “The Corporate Director Podcast,” and co-created Diligent’s certification programs for directors, including AI Ethics & Board Oversight. Dottie was a founding team member of the tech start-up BoardEffect, acquired by Diligent in 2016.
Currently, Dottie serves on the boards of the Foundation for Delaware County and the Pennsylvania School Safety Institute (PennSSI). She is a guest lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Business Executive Education program and a fellow of the Salzburg Global Seminar for Corporate Governance. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and lives in suburban Philadelphia, PA.
Kira Ciccarelli
Head of Research, Diligent Institute.
Kira Ciccarelli is a senior manager of research and programs for Diligent Institute, the global governance research arm and think tank of Diligent Corporation. In her role, Kira researches and produces high-level thought leadership on a variety of topics in governance, risk, compliance and AI. Her work has been featured in a wide array of publications including the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, and Bloomberg, and she is a frequent contributor to Corporate Board Member magazine. Kira is also the lead producer of the fortnightly show, The Corporate Director Podcast.
Before joining Diligent, Kira worked in a variety of data-driven research roles, including analyzing global aid funds to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and compiling a meta-analysis of political experimental findings for the Analyst Institute. She holds a B.A. in public policy from the College of William & Mary.
Rand Morimoto
Ph.D., CEO of Convergent Computing
Dr Morimoto is an expert in A.I. and cybersecurity, and a pioneer in the tech industry with over five decades as an entrepreneur in the San Francisco Bay Area (CEO of Convergent Computing, a global strategy consulting organization).
Dr.Morimoto has written over 50 international bestselling books on topics including global regulatory compliance, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and A.I. His doctoral research in motivational systems theory and human development has created a unique blend of expertise in the role and impact that A.I. is playing in jobs, careers, and employment opportunities in the current market environment.
Dr.Morimoto served as a Y2K advisor to President Clinton, cyber-security advisor to President Bush, Trustee on the governing board for Saint Mary’s College, and a Board member of the Scientific Research Council for the Institute of Human Origins @ Arizona State University.
Christine Durinx
Managing Director, VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology),Belgium
Former Executive Director, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics
Dr Christine Durinx is Managing Director ofVIB, a leading European life sciences institute in Flanders, Belgium, with over2,000 researchers and staff. She leads VIB at the intersection of molecular biology,AI, and technology, driving the integration of AI across research processes andinnovation workflows in human and planetary health.
She has initiated major investments in AI andcomputational biology, including a dedicated research center and a central datacore facility to enable data-driven and personalized health approaches.
Previously, she was Executive Director of theSIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics. With a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences,she brings experience across academia, industry and research infrastructures,focusing on translating science into societal impact.
Host Commitee
Alexis Prokopiev
Vice President of the Association Civic Tech Europe (ACTE)
Alexis Prokopiev is Vice President of the Association Civic Tech Europe (ACTE), a non-profit representing the civic tech sector at European level. He leads the organisation's advocacy and communications strategy, shaping the future of democratic innovation across the continent, with a particular focus on how AI is transforming citizen engagement and public governance.
Based between Paris and Brussels, Alexis led Make.org's European initiatives from 2019 to 2026, where he worked on AI-powered participatory democracy solutions and data-driven governance frameworks at scale. Over more than 15 years, his career has spanned academia, public institutions and civil society: he has taught Public Economics at Sciences Po Paris, served at the French National Assembly, and partnered with leading European NGOs.
Aline Muylaert
Co-founder of GoVocal, VP of ACTE, ACTE
Brussels-based impact entrepreneur and the Co-Founder of Go Vocal
Aline Muylaert is a Brussels-based impact entrepreneur and the Co-Founder of Go Vocal. Go Vocal is a community engagement platform used by +500 local governments worldwide. She has been recognized as Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe leader, and is Vice-President of ACTE.
Keep me updated
Photo Gallery










