Dr. Katie Bessette has 22 years of medical device research and development experience leading global regulatory strategies and submissions. Dr. Bessette received her PhD from UCLA and has previously served in leadership roles in Regulatory Affairs at both Fortune 500 and Start-Up Companies. She is responsible for oversight of regulatory strategies, regulatory operations, and compliance for new product and on market product development, including the regulation of clinical research studies.
Archives: Speakers
Andrea Cremoncini
Andrea Cremoncini has a Master degree in Physics and a broad technical background, implemented with a 40-year long experience as a Product Manager and Sales & Marketing specialist, developing and selling high-tech innovative products and systems.
He was one of the founders of I.S.E. Ingegneria dei Sistemi Elettronici, among the leading Italian producers of Fire Protection Systems for Rolling Stock, where he has covered the role of Sales and Marketing Manager for over 30 years.
On behalf of ISE he was part of the UNI technical committee for rail fire protection in Italy, and has contributed to shaping of the Italian technical standard for Rolling Stock fire Protection.
His presentation at FPRS 2026 will deal with considerations about the Legal Framework for development and validation of Safety Critical Products in the Railway field, and more specifically will review existing regulations and guidelines for implementing structured processes for achieving and demonstrating safety, as mandated by the European Regulation (EU) No 402/2013.
Blandina Szalay
Dr. Firas Nadim Habach
Head of Financial Crime Compliance at Revolut in Switzerland, Board Member of Mountain Protocol as well as Swiss Digital Development AG and lecturer at the HWZ University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration Zurich. As an expert on Banking Compliance and Anti-Money Laundering practices, Dr. Habach was previously the Head of Compliance & MLRO at Sygnum Bank and held similar roles at JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank. He is a CFA charterholder and has focused his academics on mathematical modelling of behavioural finance and information economics.
Picture: Attached.
Richard Gaster
Richard is an AI Business Process Specialist at Microsoft, working to partner with FS organisations on their digital transformation journey, all powered by Microsoft technology.
Oli Hymas
Oli leads strategic engagements across industries, helping clients harness the latest Microsoft technology to drive transformation. With a focus on AI-first initiatives and digital excellence, Oli has facilitated high-impact workshops and roundtables, including the “Quest for Business Excellence” and “AI in Financial Services” events.
Laurence Blazianu
Reinhard Rössler
Academic education
1985 – 1990 Federal Higher Technical Teaching and Research Academy in St. Pölten, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Business Technology
1990 – 1998 Course of study in Economics – Mechanical Engineering at the Vienna University of Technology
Professional career to date
since 3/2002 Managing director of Rail Services International Austria GmbH
Fabrizio Di Rienzo
Fabrizio Di Rienzo has a Mechanical Engineering degree and a strong technical background, gained along 10 years of experience first in automotive safety sector, then in firefighting systems for civil application.
Since 2017 is holding the role of R&D and testing manager for Railways market in Fir.Ex. S.r.l., Italian leader in the production of aereosol estinguishing systems, developing a lot of projects with the major players in the railways market.
Fir. Ex. Is currently supplying aereosol generators for firefightening systems for the main Italian trains as Alstom’s POP (Smart Coradia) fleets, Hitachi’s Rock, Caravaggio and Blues fleets, Frecciaorssa ETR 500, Frecciaorssa ETR 1000, Intercity coaches, Titagarh’s veicles for Metro Catania and others.
Tim Frank
Born in 1989, Tim studied Political Science and Public Law at Würzburg, earning a B.A., and completed his Master’s in Governance at Hagen.
A passionate railway enthusiast, Tim loves experiencing rail travel worldwide during his travels, deepening his connection to the industry.
He has been an expert in the railway sector since 2018. As the former Head of Export and SME Policy at the German Railway Industry Association, Tim gained extensive expertise and a profound understanding of the international railway market.
In 2023, he joined Diehl Aviation as Global Sales Representative Rail, where he is responsible for new customer acquisition and driving business development in the railway sector.