José Manuel Leceta is the Chairman of the IFI High-Level Advisory Board. Former DG of Red.es from 2016-2018. Former Director of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) from 2011 to 2015. Former International Director of the Center for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) from 2004-2010.
Jose Manuel was Director General of Red.es, the Spanish Government Digital Transformation Agency from November, 2016 to July, 2018 where he revamped the 15 years old organization with a new Strategic Plan, Operational Plan and innovative culture. Before, following a European-wide competition involving circa 200 candidates, José Manuel was appointed Director of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) in 2011 nurturing partnership relations with EIT’s Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) and inspiring first offerings as an Institute for Europe which he codified later as visiting fellow of the European University Institute (EUI).
Formerly, before joining EIT, he was CDTI’s International Director from 2004 to 2010, where he successfully raised the Spanish participation in the EU R&D Framework Programs by 50 %. He also represented Spain in CREST, Eureka and TAFTIE – serving as Executive Secretary in 2010 – and widened CDTI´s Overseas Network with Delegations in India and the US, successfully launching a set of Bilateral Programs.
Having joined CDTI in 1992 to foster Spain´s role and leadership in the practical applications of space, he became Head of Department for Technologies and Space Programs at CDTI in 1996. From 200 to 2002 he was Chairman of the European Space Agency Ariane Board and Vice-Chairman of Telecommunication Board. Also, he played a pivotal role in pioneer space initiatives, notably ESA´s water mission SMOS, AMERHIS (first Hispasat on-board digital multiplexers) and EGNOS-Galileo.
A Telecommunications Engineer from the Technical University of Madrid, José Manuel also studied Business Administration and has diplomas in Space Studies (ISU), Strategic Management of ICT, Economics of Telecommunications, International Studies and Economics and Management of Innovation. He started his business career in Finland in 1987, working thereafter in space industry in France, Spain and Japan.
Ray Garcia is the managing director of Buoyant Capital, a global peer advisory think-tank addressing the growth challenges of small to medium sized enterprises. The firm coordinates its team of experts to help its clients improve competitiveness through talent management, global market expansion partnership access, technology asset management, capital investment and restructuring. Buoyant Capital was founded in 2000 in New York City and has helped launch several start-up companies and works as an advisor to company founders, CEO’s, and their investors. Ray has over 20 years of experience as a technology entrepreneur, as company CTO co-founder, for four venture-backed companies. Since 2015 he is serving as a business expert to EU Commission Horizon 2020 SME innovation instrument where he is evaluating commercialization grant proposals of technology ventures and coaching company executives who have received grant funding.
Professor Mariana Mazzucato (PhD) holds the Chair in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value, University College London (UCL) where she is establishing a new Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose (launching Autumn 2017). Mazzucato’s highly-acclaimed book The Entrepreneurial State: debunking public vs. private sector myths (Anthem 2013; Public Affairs, 2015) was on the 2013 Books of the Year list of the Financial Times. She is winner of the 2014 New Statesman SPERI Prize in Political Economy and the 2015 Hans-Matthöfer-Preis and in 2013 she was named as one of the 3 most important thinkers about innovation’ in the New Republic.
Dan Breznitz, is a Professor and Munk Chair of Innovation Studies, with a cross-appointment to the Department of Political Science. In addition, he is also Co-Director of the Innovation Policy Lab at the Munk School and the Director of Academic Research. Professor Breznitz is known worldwide as an expert on rapid-innovation-based industries and their globalization, as well as for his pioneering research on the distributional impact of innovation policies. He has been an advisor on science, technology, and innovation policies to multinational corporations, governments, and international organizations such as the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, TEKES, IFC, Fundación Chile, the United Nations, and the US-Israel Science and Technology Foundation. In 2001, he was awarded the GTRC 75th Anniversary Innovation Award for Public Service, Leadership, and Policy for this work. In 2008 Breznitz was selected as a Sloan Industry Studies Fellow.
