Day 1
Day 2
Main
Air
Land
Sea
Opening
11:05
Opening of DRIFTx Welcome Speech
Keynote Addresses:
H.E. Mansoor Al Mansoori
Chairman
Space42
H.E. Abdulla Al Marzouqi
Director General
Integrated Transport Centre (Abu Dhabi)
H.E. Dr. Mohamed Hamad Al Kuwaiti
Chairman
UAE Cyber Security Council
11:20
Fireside Chat
Urban Mobility Revolution: The Abu Dhabi Blueprint
H.E. Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa
Chairman
Department of Municipalities and Transport
Moderator:
Hasan Ahmed Al Hosani
Managing Director
Bayanat
11:50
Fireside Chat
Introducing SAVI
Nayef Shahin
Head
SAVI Cluster
Moderator:
Dr. Philipp Gneiting
Partner Innovation Services
Plug and Play
12:05
Panel:
The Future of Urban Air Mobility and Transportation
JoeBen Bevirt
Founder & CEO
Joby Aviation
Adam Goldstein
Founder & CEO
Archer Aviation
Aqeel Ahmed Al Zarouni
Assistant Director General
Aviation Safety Affairs
Moderator:
Sergio Cecutta
Founder
SMG Consulting
12:35
Panel:
Redefining Last and Middle Mile Logistics: Drones, Autonomous Solutions, AI, and Micro-Hubs
Abdulla Alashram Group CEO 7X Mohammed
Group CEO
7X
Nicolas Petrovic
Chief Executive Officer
Etihad Rail Mobility
Dr. Nourai
CEO, Digital Cluster – AD Ports Group
Maqta Gateway
Svilen Rangelov
Chief Executive Officer
Dronamics
Moderator:
Abdulla Al Shamsi
Chief Operating Officer
Bayanat
1:05
Fireside:
Entangled Efficiency: Weaving a Web of Connected and Intelligent Mobility Networks
Taavi Roivas
Former Prime Minister of Estonia, Chairman
Auvetech
Dr. Paul Newman
CTO and President
OXA
Moderator:
Mustafa Alrawi
Group Director, Editorial Partnerships
International Media Investments
1:20
Panel:
Urban City Hacks: Accelerating Widespread Mobility Adoption
William Guo
Deputy GM
Shenzhen Smart City Group
Minsang Yu
Chief Strategy Officer
Autonomous A2Z
Frederic Werner
Head of Strategic Engagement
ITU
George Zakhem
Director, Business Development and Partnerships
EDC
Moderator:
Joseph Constanty
Director of Global Strategy and Development
Niu Technology
1:50
Fireside:
Intelligent Infrastructure: Building the Backbone of Tomorrow's Smart Cities
Shannon Miller
President, Strategy, Growth & Digital
Jacobs
Ali Dallou
Vice President, Azure AI Platform
Microsoft Corporation
Moderator:
Mustafa Alrawi
Group Director, Editorial Partnerships
International Media Investments
2:05
Networking Break
2:30
Panel:
The Sky’s the Limit: Public Perception and Acceptance of Urban Air Mobility
Dr. Neo Kok Beng
ounder and CEO
NEO Aeronautics
Axel Radermacher
Co-Founder
Odys Aviation
Lu Weiyao
Co-Founder
Flare Dynamics
Don Berchoff
Chief Executive Officer
TruWeather Solutions
Moderator:
Chuck Martin
Author
Flying Vehicles
3:00
Lightening Talk:
Reaching Tomorrow's Potential, Today
Anant Maheshwari
President and CEO, Global High Growth Regions
Honeywell
3:15
Panel:
Skyport Futures: Management, Design and Functionality of Urban Airports and Air Traffic
Jürgen Greil
CEO & Co-founder
FlyNow Aviation
Eric Allison
Chief Product Officer
Joby Aviation
Paolo Colombo
Global Aerospace and Defense Strategy Director
Altair
Moderator:
Laura Buckwell
Broadcast Journalist and International Event Host
3:45
Break
3:45
Panel:
Electrifying Altitudes: Pioneering Battery Tech in Air Mobility
Dr. James Wang
Professor and Director of eVTOL Research and Innovation Center
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Nikhil Goel
Chief Commercial Officer
Archer Aviation
Paul Cassé
Chief Executive Officer
CAPS
Hans-Christian Stuber
President & General Manager
UASystems SA
Moderator:
Ben Goldstein
Managing Editor
Aviation Week
4:30
Panel:
Drones in Urban Landscapes: Safety, Ethics, and Integration
Lucas Marchesini
Chief Executive Officer
Manta Aircraft
Rolf Stuber
Chief Executive Officer
Smartflyer
Yvonne Winter
Co-Founder and COO
FlyNow Aviation
Juan Carlos Campbell
Director, Boeing Research and Technology
META
Moderator
Ben Goldstein
Managing Editor
Aviation Week
5:00
Fireside:
Green Skies: Sustainable Solutions for Urban Air Mobility
Hooi Hing Lee
Executive Chairman & Founder
Volar Air Mobility
Santh Sathya
Santh Sathya Founder
LuftCar
Moderator:
Jack Daleo
Journalist
Flying Magazine
2:30
Panel:
Eco-Driven: Forging Sustainable Lanes with Electric and Autonomous Vehicles
Robert Ziegler
General Manager EMEA
Einride
George Shao
Senior Director, Financing, Investment & Strategy
y Pony.ai
Mike Smeed
Managing Director
InMotion Ventures
Moderator:
Sebastian Blanco
Editor
SAE Media Group
3:00
Lightning Talk:
Sun-to-Wheel: Powering World Class Electric Vehicle Charging Networks
Toddington Harper
Chief Executive Officer
GRIDSERVE
3:15
Panel:
Pedestrian and Vehicle Coexistence: The Convergence of 5G and AI for Urban Traffic Management
Hua Zhong
Senior VP
Weride
Jassem Nasser
Chief Business Development Officer
Thuraya
Thomas Van der Ohe
CEO & Founder
VAY
Dr. Prashanth Marpu
VP - R&D
Bayanat
Moderator
Ahmed Elbermbali
Managing Director - MENA
CharIN
3:45
Panel:
On the Fast Track: Reimagining Public Transportation
Sid Venkatesan
Head of Corporate Strategy & General Counse
May Mobility, Inc.
Joerg Hofmann
Chief Operating Officer
Endeavour Advisory
Dr. Ray O.
Chief Executive Officer
Technology Innovation Institute
Uma Subramanian
Chief Operating Office
Glydways
Moderator:
Nadira Tudor
Journalist & conference moderator
4:15
Panel:
Navigating New Norms: Ethics and Privacy in Autonomous Mobility and Transportation
Fan Zhu
Chief Technology Officer
Bayanat
Emile Armour-Heselton
Member Relations & Business Development
ITU
Hugo Fozzati
Chief Business Officer
AutoX
Moderator
John Quain
reelancer for NYT
PC Mag, Road to Autonomy
2:30
Panel:
Ports of the Future: Automating Logistics in Maritime Hubs
Saif Al Mheiri
Chief Executive Officer
Abu Dhabi Maritime
Andrew Streord
Executive Director- Business Development
Aspire
Enrico Natalizio
Chief Researcher
Autonomous Robotics Research Center
Moderator
Mustafa Alrawi
Group Director, Editorial Partnerships
nternational Media Investments
3:00
Lightening Talk
Revolutionizing Coastal Mobility: The Dawn of Sea Gliders
Billy Thalheimer
Chief Executive Officer
Regent Craft
3:15
Panel:
Expanding Sea Horizons: Autonomous and Advanced Navigational Systems, and Deliveries to Remote Destinations
Liané Thompson
Chief Executive Officer
Aquaai
Thierry Carlin
Chief Executive Officer
Marine Tech
Ross Macfarlane
Remote Operations Center Manager
FUGRO
Stefano Malagodi
Co-Founder
OCEANDRONE
Santh Sathya
Founder and CEO
LuftCar
Moderator
Kelsey Warner
UAE Editor
The Circuit
3:45
Lightening Talk
Uncharted Waters: Navigating the Seas Without Autonomous Systems
Commander Abhilash Tomy, KC, NM (Retd)
Adventurer and Bayanat Ambassador
4:00
Lightening Talk:
AI at Sea: Steering the Course of Oceanic Urban Mobility
Sandith Thandasherry
Adventurer and Bayanat Ambassador
Navalt
4:15
Lightening Talk:
Aquatic Frontiers: Exploring Amphibious and Submersibles
David Vincentelli
Remote Hydrography Business Development
Exail
11:00
MLG Panel:
eVTOL and Low Altitude Economy in the UAE and MENA
Conor Yang
CFO & Director of Board
Ehang
Haiyan Li
Head of
Investments and Portfolio Manager
Alberto Araque
Chief Executive Officer
e& enterprise IOT & AI
Moderator
Laura Buckwel
Broadcast Journalist and International Event Host
12:30
Lightening Talk:
AI Leading us to Net Zero, decarbonizing Mobility and Automonous
Sergey Kiselev
CBO
ZeroAvia
12:45
Lightening Talk:
Past, Present, and Future of eVTOL: from 2010 to 2040
Dr. James Wang
Professor and Director of eVTOL Research and Innovation Center
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
1:00
Lightening Talk:
Micro-skies: Crafting the future of augmented data acquisition with unmanned micro aerial technology
Lu Weiyao
Co-Founder
Flare Dynamics
1:15
Lightening Talk:
Industry-Focused Research and Training for Adavanced Air Mobility
Prof. Roberto Sabbatini
Aerospace Engineering
Khalifa Univeristy
14:00
Panel:
Abu Dhabi Future Mobility:
Hana Al Kokhardi
Section Head - Aviation Transport Planning & Regulations
ITC
Eng. Sumaya Al Neyadi
Head of Traffic Safety Section
ITC
Fatma Hantoubi
Transport Services Planning Section Head
ITC
Alia Al Nuaimi
Strategic Planning Manager, Strategic Planning & Performance Management Division
ITC
Mohammed Al Dere
Director – Maritime Transport
ITC
Moderator:
George Zakhem
Director, Business Development and Partnerships
EDC
11:00
UAEU Panel:
The Future of Electric Vehicles
Prof. Hussain Shareef
Head of Green Mobility, Emirates Center for Mobility Research
UAE University
Dr. Manar Almazrouie
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
UAE University
Dr. Luqman Ali
Research Associate, Emirates Center for Mobility Research
UAE University
12:00
Panel:
Accelerating Urban Transportation
Dr. Xucheng Li
Solution Director
Shenzhen Urban Transport Planning Center
Steve Fambro
Founder
Aptera
Hendrik Kramer
CEO & Founder
Fernride
Abdel Khader Ahmed
Implementation and Design Traffic System Project Expert
ITC
Domenick Yoney
Host
Batteries Included Podcast
13:00
Panel:
Leveraging data to support professionals drive safe, green and efficient mobility in the AI and digital era
Enes Redja
Managing Director
Performise Labs
Patrick Philipp
Director of Certification and Standards
IRU
Daniel Avdagic
Chief Executive Officer
AI Driving Metaverse Group
George Zakhem
Director, Business Development and Partnerships
EDC
Moderator
Cristiana Pace
Founder and CEO
Enovation Consulting
14:00
UAEU Fireside:
FUAE’s Workforce and Research Readiness for Sustainable Mobility
Prof. Ahmed Murad
Associate Provost for Research
UAE University
Dr. Hamad Al Jassm
Director – Emirates Center for Mobility Research
UAE University
Moderator:
Eng. Nadia Maksoud
Transportation Planner
Alburj Engineering Consultants
14:15
Panel:
Driving the Future: Digitlized Urban Mobility, AI, Talent & Education Landscape
Dr. Antonio Feraco
Senior Industry Advisor
Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development
Dr. Dieter William Joenssen
Executive Dean, Faculty of Engineering, Higher Colleges of Technology
CERT
Dr. Haya Aldaghlas
Strategy Director
Abu Dhabi Maritime
Moderator
Prof. MARC Rjeily
Director - Corporate Development and Strategic Partnership
CERT
14:45
Lightening talk:
Dubai Autonomous Mobility: The Journey
Dr. Ismail Hisham Abdallah Zohdy
Dubai Smart Mobility Expert
14:55
Break
15:00
Panel:
Conducting Science & economic development through the vehicle of Sport
Stephane Timpano
Chief Executive Officer
ASPIRE/A2RL
Markus Stampfer
Chief Executive Officer
DCL
Najwa Aaraj
Chief Researcher, Autonomous Robotics Research Centre and Cryptography Research Center
TII
Moderator
Tim Stevens
Freelancer
TechCrunch, MotorTrend, The Verge, Jalopnik, Yanko Design, Engadget
15:30
A2RL Panel:
Gamification
Khurram Hassan
Director - Business Development
ASPIRE/A2RL
Karen Hubbard
Detroit AI Team Principal for the
Boys & Girls Club Southeastern Michigan
Jonathan David Newth
Founder and CEO
Focal Point VR
Tim Stevens
Freelancer
TechCrunch, MotorTrend, The Verge, Jalopnik, Yanko Design, Engadget
16:00
Lightening Talk:
Building the Future of Connected Mobility with Infrastructure-Ready, Service-Driven, and Software-Defined Solutions for Autonomous Driving
Minsang Yu
Chief Strategy Office
Autonomous A2Z
12:00
EK LAB Panel:
AI Horizons: Exploring Innovation Across Start-ups,Robotics & Web 3
Amna Al Redha
Ventures & Programmes Manager
Aviation X Lab & Intelak
Tipusultan Abdul Khader
Head of Robotics & Tech Futures - Innovation
Emirates Airlines
Ismail Issa
Head, Web3 & Metaverse
Emirates Airlines
Moderator
Lubna Hamdan
Senior Editor and Presenter
Smashi Business
17.15
Led Dancers for 15 Mins
18.00
Outdoor Parade for 10 Mins Final Performance
Why Should You Attend DRIFT x ?

Listen in to DRIFTx Talks and be part of the conversation of how we shape the future of autonomous mobility

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