President
Valentino Megale
President
Valentino Megale
Tech entrepreneur focused on digital health and mental well-being, TEDx speaker, and writer.
Biologist, Ph.D. in Neuropharmacology, with International academic research experience in pharmacology, organic chemistry, and molecular biology in the fields of oncology and neuronal metabolism.
Since 2017, CEO and co-founder of Softcare Studios, a digital health startup specialized in developing virtual reality solutions for stress management and therapy education in patients undergoing medical treatments.
Advisory Panel
Monika Manolova
Key Advisor
Monika Manolova
Monika Manolova is an expert in the development of systems in the sphere of international corporate telecommunications with extensive experience in database management, big data, and data analytics. She holds a PhD in geographic information systems (GIS) from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and has experience on a number of Horizon2020/HorizonEurope projects(full cycle - from proposal development to implementation). Monika is a digital ecosystems expert for the Digital National Alliance Bulgaria(DNA) and a project expert in the Bulgaria-Romania Chamber of Commerce and Industry(BRCCI).
She is a member of the Stanford and IEEE initiative “Planet Positive 2030” in the committees on Cities and Regions, Economics and Global Methodologies(editorial group). Monika is a member of the European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities(EIP SCC) working groups “Last Mile Solutions”(2018) and "Citizen control of personal data”(2021). She is also a champion of the UN-backed Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES) and a leader of the Morality and Knowledge Artificial Intelligence (MKAI) Green AI Focus Group (2021) as well as an author and contributor to multiple international publications, projects, and initiatives on the topic of AI and Ethical AI.
Francesco Pagano
Key Advisor
Francesco Pagano
Francesco Pagano (Modena, 1974), immediately after graduating in Political Science at the University of Bologna (major in International Politics Analysis and Relationship Management), moved to New York, where he obtained a Master of Arts in International Affairs at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), with a major in International Business and Finance. He then worked as a University Assistant at Columbia University, and a Researcher at Institutional Investor, a US corporation.
He has held various roles, at a global, regional and national level, in the Marketing Department of large consumer and fashion corporations, such as Barilla, Kraft Foods - Mondelez International and Fossil Group, covering, by the end of his twenty-year corporate experience, the role of CMO - Vice President, Head of Brand & Marketing EMEA for Fossil Group Europe until July 2020. In 2020 he joined qiibee, a Swiss start-up specialized blockchain technology, as Global Head of Sales, while working as a Contributor & Author for Il Sole 24 Ore, for which he curates the 'CEO Confidential’ editorial, publishing books on leadership and technology. As of summer of 2022 he is Advisor to Una Terra Venture Capital Fund, Innovators Serendipity Academy and Jakala.
Hanna Linderstål
Key Advisor
Hanna Linderstål
Hanna Linderstål is the CEO and founder of the Earhart Business Protection Agency, a cyber intelligence specialist agency that supports authorities, organizations and the private sector with management advice regarding cyber threats, disinformation, and training on these issues. With over 25 years of experience in combating digital and virtual threats, she has previously been an advisor to various government agencies and international organizations. Linderstål is co-chair of the ITU working group for metaverse cyber security. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the UN's specialized agency for information and communication technology - ICT.
Linderstål also has the role of vice chairman of the Swedish Psychological Operations Association, a voluntary defense organization that supports authorities with training on what disinformation is and how to increase the public's knowledge of disinformation. In her engagement as a European advisor for XRSI, she provides knowledge about virtual threats, disinformation challenges and the EU's regulatory framework vis-à-vis information handling actors and platforms in the EU.
Team Members
Kavya Pearlman
Global Strategy and Impact Lead | XRSI Global CEO
Kavya Pearlman
Well known as the “Cyber Guardian,” Kavya Pearlman is an award-winning cybersecurity professional and the founder & CEO of the X Reality Safety Intelligence (XRSI), a Standard Developing Organization with the mission to help build safety and inclusion in emerging tech ecosystems. Kavya is the pioneer of the novel XRSI Privacy and Safety Framework for the Immersive Technologies Domain, Metaverse Safety Week Annual Awareness Campaign, and various baseline security, privacy, and ethics standards for Emerging Technologies. She has won several awards for her work and has been named one of the Top twenty Cybersecurity influencers for three consecutive years, 2018-2019-2020, and again for the year 2022 by IFSEC Global.
Kavya has previously advised Facebook on third-party security risks during the 2016 US presidential elections and worked as the head of security for the oldest virtual world, “Second Life” by Linden Lab. Kavya is the leading voice in cybersecurity, privacy, and Ethics for Emerging technologies including AR, VR, and XR, exploring cross-sections of 5G, AI, and BCI - leading Standards development and promoting Diversity and Inclusion in Immersive Technologies. Kavya serves as the key member of the Global Coalition for Digital Safety at the World Economic Forum (WEF), former co-chair of the Privacy, Cybersecurity & Identity Working Group at the Metaverse Standards Forum, former co-chair of the International Telecommunication Union(ITU)’s Metaverse Focus Group’s Working group on Data Protection and PII, and a subject matter expert at several Security and safety-focused multidisciplinary groups including INTERPOL’s Metaverse Experts Group (i-MEG), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Nations Business and Human Rights Working Group and the Metaverse Initiative at WEF. Kavya currently advises over 60 global governments and several big tech corporations on cybersecurity and global policymaking to safeguard humans in emerging tech ecosystems.
Kavya is one of the Top 50 speakers in the cybersecurity industry and constantly shares knowledge via webinars, conference talks, and blog posts around Application Security, Cloud-native technologies, Machine Learning, and the global challenges that come along with the next iteration of the internet, the Metaverse and web 3.0.
Kavya has founded The CyberXR Coalition, which focuses on diversity and inclusion and the cross-section of Cybersecurity and XR, helped launch a trustworthy XR news platform, ReadyHackerOne, established a Medical XR Advisory Council, and Metaverse Reality Check (The MRC). Kavya is constantly exploring new technologies to solve current cybersecurity challenges and currently advises several governments and big tech corporations on technology policymaking and program development globally. Kavya is a category Queen who has pioneered the XR Safety Domain and won many awards for her work and contribution to the security community including:
• International Women Entrepreneur 2024 by Great Companies
• Security Leader of the Year 2023 by Women in IT Award
• Top 50 Business & Marketing Visionaries 2023 by Adello
• Top 50 Cybersecurity Leaders 2022 & Top 50 Privacy Pioneers 2023 by Ingatica
• The Trailblazer in XR 2021 by XR Women Global
• Cybersecurity Woman of the Year 2020 by Cybersecurity Excellence Award Series
• Cybersecurity Professional of the Year 2020 by Cybersecurity Excellence Award Series
• Most Influential Cyber Security Leader 2020 by Acquisition International
• 40 under 40 Top Business Executives 2019 by San Francisco Business Times
• Rising Star of the Year 2019 by Women in IT Award Series
• CISO Women Security Leader Award from the Middle East CISO Council
• Minority CISO of the Year 2018 by Cyversity previously known as ICMCP
• Top twenty Cybersecurity influencers for three consecutive years, 2018-2019-2020, and again for 2022 by IFSEC Global.
Kavya holds a master’s degree in Computer, Information, and Network Security from DePaul University, Chicago, and many prestigious Information Security certifications including CISM (Certified Information Security Manager) from ISACA and PCIP for Payment Card Industry Security Standard Council. Kavya is truly passionate about her work and inspires many around the world including women and underrepresented communities in security and emerging technologies.
Andrea Panero
Founding Member
Andrea Panero
Andrea Panero is a distinguished philosopher, innovator, and cultural project manager renowned for cultural, social, and digital innovation expertise. Serving as the Project Manager for the monumental complex of the former cemetery of San Pietro in Vincoli in Turin, Panero has demonstrated exceptional leadership and vision. As the Vice President and a founding member of Generativa APS, an association dedicated to cultural innovation for individuals under 35, Panero's commitment to fostering creativity among the youth is evident. Furthermore, as a founding team member of XRSI Europe, Panero is at the forefront of implementing safety and privacy policies within the field of Extended Reality, positioning the association as a leader in Europe. Known for being a hardened dreamer and a tireless visionary, Panero continues to inspire and influence cultural and digital innovation.
Alina Kadlubsky
Founding Member
Alina Kadlubsky
Alina is a project manager and XR researcher for 3DInteractive, a Swedish XR and Spatial Computing content creation Studio. She specializes in spatial computing and XR research, leveraging the creation of a human-centered future of computing while contributing to publications and standards. Besides that, she’s been serving as Director of Communication at the Open AR Cloud Association. She is also a founding team member of XRSI Europe. Alina has set up and is currently leading the EU activities of Open AR Cloud Europe gUG as managing director through EU-funded research projects like NGI Atlantic and the recently Horizon Europe-funded project XR4Human.
Luis Bravo Martins
Vice President | Key Advisor
Luis Bravo Martins
Luis is the Vice President of XRSI Europe. He started working with XR in 2014 and, since then, has become committed to its impact on business and society. He holds the role of Chief Marketing Officer at KIT-AR, a startup enabling augmented workers in manufacturing. He is also a public speaker and the co-author of "Metaversed - See Beyond the Hype" (Wiley, 2023)
Oliver D’Adda
Founding Member
Oliver D’Adda
Oliver is a chartered physiotherapist and VR developer. As a physiotherapist, he focuses especially on the areas of hydrokinetic pool therapy, telerehabilitation, and robotics at the Don Gnocchi Clinic in Torino, Italy.
As a programmer, he founded XRehab and has developed VR Kinesis, a VR app for rehabilitation, exergaming, and accessibility for fitness in VR.
With a solid background as a sound engineer & multi-instrumentalist, and as a bilingual who has worked many years in the field of English teaching & translation, he is working with various dev teams towards the creation of VR/AR apps in the areas of language learning, fitness, and music production.
He is the host of the Singularity Watch podcast by Ready Hacker One.
Bhanujeet Choudhary
Operations Lead
Bhanujeet Choudhary
Bhanujeet Chaudhary (Bhanu) is a strategist with more than 7 years of experience and tremendous working knowledge of technology and operations. Bhanu is the Chief of Staff of XRSI and is passionate about creating a sustainable future using emerging technologies. Around the age of 20, while helping his father with environmental analytics and reporting, Bhanu realized the potential of technological solutions for the future of the planet Earth.
Ten years later, Bhanu finds himself utilizing innovative technologies to help build safety and inclusion in various domains intersecting with the immersive ecosystem. The mindset of creating a sustainable future is what drives Bhanu and helps him navigate the uncharted territories of emerging domains. Bhanu’s actual journey started a few years ago when he confronted the challenges of the climate crisis first-hand in India. Bhanu decided to move to Canada and position himself to create a global impact by utilizing emerging technologies to solve complex global challenges. The mistakes of human civilization and empathy towards fellow humans now guide him to make pragmatic decisions to help create sustainable XR and emerging ecosystems.
XRSI’s Chief of Staff, Bhanujeet Chaudhary, has a deep understanding of statistics, economics, psychology, machine learning, and organizational development. Fairly recently, Bhanu started using decentralized ledger technologies to create democratic decision-making apparatus for learning and development. Seeing the disparities between east and west first-hand, Bhanu aspires to learn and create inclusion and protection for all humankind. With all the resources and knowledge at his disposal, he continues his mission into the uncharted territories of XR technologies.