Archives: Speakers

Paul van Trigt is the CEO and owner of Aero-X AG. A Dutch national, Paul holds a MSc. degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA. After completing his studies in the Netherlands, he moved to Switzerland to begin his professional career as an R&D engineer specializing in gas turbine combustion technologies at a globally leading technology company in the power generation and distribution market. During his tenure, he held various management positions in Engineering, Operation & Maintenance, Marketing & Sales, Business Development, and General Management.

Paul later ventured into entrepreneurship, founding his own company in the fire protection industry, focusing on aerosol fire suppression systems. He established Aero-X AG, which has grown into a leading supplier of tailor-made solutions based on aerosol fire suppression systems. Aero-X AG is dedicated to globally protecting people and critical infrastructure against fire using the highly efficient, modular, environmentally friendly, extremely effective, and economical Stat-X® aerosol fire suppression technology. This technology is applied across various global markets, including:

• Tunnelling & Mining
• Industry & Automation
• Rolling Stock & Rail Infrastructure
• Marine & Offshore
• Automotive & Transport
• Power Generation & Distribution (including Battery Storage Systems)

Paul’s leadership and innovative approach have together with his dedicated team positioned Aero-X AG as a trusted name in fire protection solutions worldwide.

​​Rachel is a Modality Solutions SME, working directly with clients to ensure proper design of logistics networks and use of cold chain systems. She provides engineering guidance when conducting qualification and validation activities, including validation master planning and strategic facility planning. Rachel conducts product specific supply chain risk assessments and has experience supporting 10+ successful regulatory approvals including NDAs for small molecules and BLAs for mAbs, ADCs, vaccines, and a cell therapy in the US (FDA), EU (EMA), and UK (MHRA) with fast track and breakthrough therapy designations as well as accelerated approval pathways.

Rachel reviews and writes SOPs for cold chain related processes to meet regulatory requirements for transport validation, drafts protocols and reports for testing and validation of processes, reviews data packages for reports, and conducts in-person cold chain consulting services and GDP site assessments.

She was also part of the Modality team supporting emergency clinical trial operations with Ebola vaccines and treatments for the NIH and BARDA in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Liberia. Rachel was the lead engineer for the COVID-19 clinical trial project, coordinating with the trial sponsors, CROS, and clinical site staff, traveling to conduct cold chain assessments, recommend site-selection for clinical trials, and ensure adequate deep-frozen storage was available in the USA, India, South Africa, Peru, Colombia, Panama, and Puerto Rico. 

Eric Gotting represents Keller and Heckman’s clients in litigation and related matters, specializing in complex civil and appellate matters, internal investigations, and regulatory compliance. With an extensive background in environmental law, he has expanded his practice over the years to cover many of Keller and Heckman’s industry sectors and regulatory areas. Eric is a former Am Law 50 litigation partner and U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, Trial Attorney.

Eric’s practice spans a broad range of legal issues, including administrative and constitutional law, agency enforcement actions, toxic torts, product liability, general business litigation, and regulatory advice. He works with a diverse set of industries, including chemicals, plastics, pesticides, fuels and pipelines, food and packaging, consumer goods, telecommunications, and e-cigarettes.

As a litigator, Eric has tried cases to verdict and argued appeals before federal and state courts across the country. His experience includes class actions, mass tort litigation, AAA arbitrations, and agency proceedings. Eric has also litigated challenges to federal and state statutes, regulations, and orders. He has particular knowledge involving the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), the Dormant Commerce Clause, the First Amendment, the Due Process Clause, and federal preemption. He has also filed amicus briefs in litigation involving regulatory issues facing a variety of industry sectors.

Outside the courtroom, Eric has assisted clients in federal and state enforcement actions, internal investigations, and regulatory compliance. Relevant matters have involved chemical and pesticide control, hazardous waste, pipeline safety, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, occupational safety and health, Superfund cost-recovery actions, the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Chemical Weapons Convention, and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). He has also conducted extensive internal corporate investigations regarding potential regulatory compliance and litigation-related liabilities, including toxic torts, product liability, consumer fraud, and commercial contract disputes.

For his toxic tort clients, Eric has defended claims involving all environmental media, including drinking water, soil, groundwater, and air. He has worked with, and defended against, experts in numerous scientific and business-related fields, including toxicology, geochemistry, hydrogeology, structural engineering, neuropsychology, health physics, survey techniques, statistics, real estate appraisal, and environmental remediation. He has extensive experience litigating toxic tort cases involving claims of personal injury and property damage from alleged exposures to volatile and semi-volatile compounds, specialty chemicals, pesticides, gasoline, radioactive waste, and heavy metals.

Eric has provided pro bono services throughout his career, working with groups such as the Legal Counsel for the Elderly and serving as appointed counsel in federal habeas and 1983 prisoner cases.

Andrew gained his PhD in physics in 2008.  Since then he has been involved in numerous start-ups commercialising and bringing to market innovative technical solutions.  He joined Innovative Technology in 2019 where he heads up their Biometrics Division developing age and identity verification technology ICU Lite, MyCheckr and MyCheckrMini. These devices are now widely used across tobacco, retail and gaming to help control underage access to age restricted products and services. 

As Rabobank’s Dairy Strategist, Mary Ledman leads a team of analysts around the globe and is tasked with analyzing developments in the regional and global dairy markets, developing the bank’s medium-term dairy forecasts and advising the bank on its engagement with the dairy industry.

Mary has a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M University. In addition, she received Fulbright Scholarship to conduct comparative research on U.S. and European dairy policies at the University of Goettingen, Germany.

Katriina Leigh works as a Customer Development Manager at Valio Oy. With a Master of Science Degree in International Business from University of Hertfordshire, Katriina has a strong background in international sales and true passion for creating success together with the customers. She has previously worked at Solina Group,  Huhtamaki and S-Group.

Jessica Naga is a FinTech barrister and entrepreneur. She is a barrister of the Roll of the England & Wales Bar (2004) and Mauritian Bar (2007). She is the Group CEO of the Mauritian headquartered MINDEX Group of companies, which includes MINDEX Digital Custodian Limited, the first licensed Virtual Asset Service Provider of Mauritius, and MINDEX Limited, the first digital securities exchange of Mauritius. Jessica co-founded the MINDEX Group with the goal of addressing financial infrastructure deficiencies in Africa and using blockchain technology to optimise the creation, storing and trading of assets. In 2020, Jessica was the laureate of Women In Africa 54 (WIA 54) in the digital sphere, and in 2021 and 2022, formed part of the 100 International Women in FinTech Power list of Innovate Finance, UK. She was also the winner of the Most Innovative FinTech CEO 2024 award, by APAC Insider Magazine. In January 2025, she won the Crypto Infrastructure CEO of 2024 award for Africa.