Keynote Speakers

Dr. Paul Thurkettle

NATO e-Learning Programme Manager NATO Allied Command Transformation, Norfolk   

Paul Thurkettle is a British NATO civilian working at one of the two NATO strategic commands, Allied Command Transformation, based in Norfolk, Virginia. 
His thirty-one-year NATO career and 12 year Royal Air Force service have covered telecommunications, command and control systems, technology and training. In his role as the lead for NATO in adopting technology for education and training, he introduced e-Learning into NATO, covering all aspects of this field from serious games/virtual worlds (Immersive Training) to mobile learning to Transmedia Learning. 

Florian Tolk is a SETA contractor and Software Engineer with the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative. 
In this role, he provides technical knowledge to working groups focused on the development of data specifications and standards, and he designs internal systems for testing education and training technologies.

Florian Tolk SETA Contractor Advanced Distributor Learning Initiative, USA

Tohmas AX
Major and Project Manager, Swedish Armed Forces

Major Tohmas Ax serves as a Project Manager at the Swedish AF Development Unit for Leadership and Pedagogy. For the last ten15 years, he has worked with pedagogical development at Military Schools, Centers, and Units within the SAF and been responsible for the procurement and implementation of an internet-based Learning Management System. As a member of the ADL Global Partnership Network, NATO Individual Training/Education Developments and NORDEFCO ADL Forum of Experts, he also works closely with the international community. 

He graduated from Kharkiv Institute of Air Force in 2003. In 2013 completed Ph.D. studies at the National Defence University of Ukraine named after Ivan Cherniakhovskyi, scientific specialty is Information Technologies. His research and educational activities are focused on Advanced Distributed Learning implementation into the process of military training. He is a member of several international working groups dedicated to using information technologies in military education and training. He is Director of the Ukrainian Partnership Centre of the Advanced Distributed Learning Partnership Network under the US government program Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative and responsible for Advanced Distributed Learning implementation in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He is the author of numerous publications on questions of information technologies and e-Learning.

Lt.Col Maksym TYSHCHENKO  
"Ivan Cherniakhovskyi" National Defence University, Ukraine

Agnieszka Wierzbicka   

e-Learning Training Manager EEAS/ESDC European Security and Defence College

Ms. Agnieszka Wierzbicka is a delegated National Expert currently serving the European Security and Defence College in a role of an e-Learning Training Manager. 

She used to be a National Expert delegated to the European External Action Service (EEAS) CYBER Sector and her focus was on cybersecurity of the new technologies, cybercrime, cyber resilience and digital.  She supports the Program on Cyber Security Studies for the George C. Marshall European Centre for Security Studies in the development of e-Learning content. She used to provide learning and training on cybersecurity for neighborhood countries (Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Georgia) via Commissions’ TAIEX program. In Poland, she used to be part of a team working on e-Learning modules focused on building cyber awareness and resilience. She is a former scholar of the U.S. Department of State program focused on cybersecurity.