Conference Overview
Please join ISOA for the Europe & NATO Conference on September 15-17 at the InterContinental Athénée in Bucharest, Romania, where the focus will be on public/private partnerships to support defense and stability projects in and around Europe, including Ukraine, Romania, and Eastern Europe.
Key reasons to attend this conference:
- Learn about the ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030, NATO countries’ commitment to increase defense spending up to 5% of GDP
- Receive briefings about the largest NATO base in Europe currently under construction in Romania
- Be on the leading edge of supporting the European Defense Industrial base to meet evolving security requirements
- Delve into the Black Sea area as a strategic anchor for the region, EU and NATO, and learn about specific contract opportunities
- Meet one-on-one with potential business partners
Plus, our popular Business Matchmaking Forum will return! It’s been compared to speed dating for business – 8 minutes with each company, ending with an exchange of business cards and commitments to follow up after the conference.
High visibility sponsorships are available – don’t miss out on the chance to get your company name and logo in front of hundreds of attendees. Contact ISOA Senior Vice President Roxanne Kaufman at [email protected] to reserve your sponsorship!
Lodging Options
Sheraton Bucharest Hotel
Monday, September 15 (subject to change)
4:00 pm
Early Badge Pickup and Registration Begins
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Opening Reception
Tuesday, September 16 (subject to change)
8:00 am - 9:00 am
Registration, Networking Breakfast and Industry Fair
9:00 am - 9:15 am
Welcome & Opening Remarks
- Howie Lind, President, ISOA
- Roxanne M. Kaufman, Senior Vice President, ISOA
- Chris Decker, President, Planate Management Group and Chairman, ISOA Board of Directors
9:15 am - 10:00 am
Keynote Speaker: Michael Dickerson, Chargé d’Affaires, U.S. Embassy, Romania
10:00 am - 11:00 am
Panel: The Black Sea as a Strategic Anchor of Opportunities for the region, the EU, and NATO
- Moderator: LTG Michael (Mike) Howard, USA (Ret)
- Mr. Gabriel Raicu, Rector Maritime University of Constantza (invited)
- George Scutara, CEO, New Strategy Center (invited)
11:00 am - 11:15 am
Networking Break
11:15 am - 12:15 pm
Panel: Opportunities for Partnering with NATO: The 2035 5% Commitment
- Moderator: TBA
- MG Matt Van Wagenen, DCoS O&I, NATO
- Horia Razvan Boris, Board of Directors, DIANA
- Emanuele Piffaretti, Chief Procurement Division Officer, NSPA (NATO) (invited)
- Marianne Roth, Chief of Acquisition, NCIA (invited)
12:15 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Panel: How the Private Sector Can Partner with Romania as a Regional Defense Hub
- Moderator: Rob Evans, President, Turnbull Services
- Marius Ghiba, CEO & Founder, INTERDILIGENCE
- Dan Soller, VP International Operations, Mission Essential
- Claudiu Vuta, Commercial Director, FRIAL S.A.
- Alex Serban, Non-Resident Senior Fellow & Senior Advisor, Atlantic Council
2:30 pm - 3:15 pm
Panel: How the Private Sector Can Support the ReArm Europe Plan and its Military Industrial Base
- Moderator: Dan Fata, President, Fata Consulting
- Olga Chirac, Project Europe Director, Irregular Warfare Initiative
- Additional panel participants TBA
3:15 pm - 3:30 pm
Networking Break and Industry Fair
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Panel: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
4:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Closing Remarks for the Day
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Mid Conference Reception
6:45 pm - 9:15 pm
President's Dinner (by invitation only)
Wednesday, September 17 (subject to change)
8:00 am - 9:00 am
Networking Breakfast and Industry Fair
9:00 am - 9:15 am
Welcome & Opening Remarks
- Mircea Pascu, Romanian Minister of Defense (invited)
9:15 am - 9:55 am
Keynote Speaker
9:55 am - 10:45 am
Panel: NATO Base in Romania
10:45 am - 11:00 am
Networking Break and Industry Fair
11:00 am - 11:45 am
Keynote Speaker TBA
11:45 am - 1:00 pm
Lunch
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Panel: Critical Minerals, Infrastructure and Energy
- Moderator: Glenn Goddard, Program Manager, Parsons
- Tony Pollak, Lead for Ukraine, DFC
- Irina Paliashvili, President & CEO, USUBC
- Vita Khyzhniak, Head of Foreign Economic Relations, BGV Group
- Brian Menell, CEO, TechMet Ltd
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Business Matchmaking
3:30 pm - 3:40 pm
Networking Break and Industry Fair
3:40 pm - 4:40 pm
Panel: Enhancing Resilience Through Contracting: The CAPS/WEXMAC 2.0 and more
- Moderator: Jeff Vittone, President, Winvale
- Other panelists TBA
4:40 pm - 5:10 pm
Closing Keynote Speaker: Charting the Future: A Unified Transatlantic Defense Industry
5:10 pm - 7:10 pm