Speakers and panelists

Actor

Pilou Asbæk is a Danish actor who graduated from the Danish National School of Theatre in 2008. He debuted in Worlds Apart (2008) and he was awarded several awards for his performance in R (2010). From 2010 to 2013, he portrayed Kasper Juul in the internationally acclaimed political drama Borgen. His film and television credits include A Hijacking (2012), A War (2015), Lucy (2014), Ghost in the Shell (2016), Overlord (2018), Game of Thrones, The Investigation (2020), Outside the Wire (2021), Samaritan (2022), Hidden Strike (2023), Before It Ends (2023), and Foundation (Season 3, 2025).

Director - Media Policy. European Commission - DG for Communications Networks, Content and Technology

Giuseppe Abbamonte has been the Director for Media Policy at the European Commission since 2016. His directorate oversees EU policy on copyright and broadcasting, including the reform of the copyright framework and the update of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive. His directorate is also in charge of the MEDIA programme, supporting Europe’s audiovisual sector, and leads initiatives to counter online disinformation. Abbamonte played a key role in elaborating and implementing the European strategy to address fake news and disinformation.

Deputy Director, Head of Unit Audiovisual Industry and Media Support Programmes. European Commission, DG CONNECT - Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology

Lucia Recalde Langarica is Deputy Director for “Media Policy” and Head of the unit "Audiovisual Industry and Media Support Programmes" in charge of Creative Europe MEDIA and Multimedia actions in the European Commission. Prior to that, she was a part of the management of the DG for Education and Culture as Head of Unit for Higher Education, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and the EIT. Lucia Recalde Langarica joined the European Commission in 1995 and until 2006 served the DG for Employment and Social Affairs in various positions. She started her career as policy officer at the Directorate of European Affairs of the Basque Government.

Head of Practice, Cullen International

Michèle leads Cullen International’s media regulatory practice. She has worked for many years with digital and media topics and has developed extensive knowledge of the EU’s regulatory framework. She follows closely the implementation of the framework across Europe. She lectures on Online Platform Regulation at the postmaster degree course on digital law at the University of Namur and is a Research Fellow at CERRE.

Director of the Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia (LFM NRW) and European Affairs Commissioner of the Conference of Directors of the German Media Authorities (DLM)

Dr. Tobias Schmid is Director of the Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia (LFM NRW) and European Affairs Commissioner of the Conference of Directors of the German Media Authorities (DLM). Since April 1, 2021, he has been a member of the Communication and Information Committee of the German Commission for UNESCO. In 2020 and 2021, he chaired ERGA. From 2005 to 2016, he was Head of Media Policy at Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland and from 2010 to 2016 Executive Vice President Governmental Affairs at RTL Group, as well as Chairman of VPRT from 2012 to 2016. Dr. Tobias Schmid holds a doctorate in law.

Director General, Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

Thibaut Bruttin is a Franco-Swiss civil society activist, Director-General of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and President of the Forum on Information and Democracy (FID) since July 2024. He joined RSF in 2014 and contributed to the development of key initiatives such as the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI), the evacuations of Afghan journalists, the press freedom centers in Ukraine, the escape of Marina Ovsyannikova from Russia, and the Svoboda satellite package targeting Russian audiences. He began his career in the international development team at the Louvre Museum and later worked for Echo Studio, a production and distribution company focused on impact-driven cinema. A film historian as well, Thibaut Bruttin has published several works, the most recent of which is Michel Audiard – Jean Herman/Vautrin (Actes Sud – Institut Lumière, 2023).

Executive Director, European Video on Demand Coalition

Julia Maxwell is the Executive Director of the European Video On Demand Coalition. She has a strong background in Public Policy, Regulatory Affairs and Compliance having most recently been the Senior Vice President of Regulatory and Public Affairs for Viaplay Group AB, a Nordic entertainment streaming service. She previously also served on the Board of the Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand services in Europe, and on the Board and as Spokesperson of the European Video On Demand Coalition. A dual Irish/British citizen, Julia holds a Law degree at UCL.

Lawyer

Peter Schønning runs his own law firm in Copenhagen specializing in copyright and media law. In 2002-2008, he was the Head of Division, responsible for copyright and later also sport and general legal matters, in the Danish Ministry of Culture.

Director of News – European Broadcasting Union

Liz Corbin is EBU Director of News, a career-long public service journalist and committed advocate for trusted, quality journalism. Her time at the EBU has coincided with one of the most challenging periods for global news. She has overseen a record-breaking Eurovision News Exchange, covering major stories including the Covid-19 pandemic, the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and two US elections. Liz has fostered a newsroom driven by technological innovation: launching A European Perspective (an AI-powered exchange of online news content), developing the EBU Investigative Journalism Network, transforming the Eurovision News Events service—which delivers major stories to global media—and producing industry-shaping EBU News Reports on climate journalism and trusted news in the age of generative AI. Before joining the EBU, Liz spent 18 years at the BBC, most recently as Head of News at BBC World News. She also served as Editor of BBC Reality Check, where she led a major team

Policy Manager

Jordan Ogg is a Policy Manager in Ofcom’s International Team. His work focuses on broadcasting and online content regulation, and he is particularly interested in policy thinking on public interest media and information integrity. He previously worked for the British Council and the National Galleries of Scotland, and before that as a journalist with the BBC.

Director General at DR - Danish Broadcasting Corporation

Bjarne Corydon was appointed Director General at Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) first of august 2025. Prior to this, he served as CEO and Editor-in-Chief of the Danish business daily Børsen from 2018 to 2025, and as Senior Advisor at McKinsey & Company from 2016 to 2018. From 2011 to 2015, Bjarne Corydon was Denmark’s Minister of Finance. Earlier in his career, he served as Head of Secretariat to the Social Democratic Parliamentary Group in the Danish Parliament. Bjarne Corydon holds a master’s degree in political science from Aarhus University.

Director General - ACT

Grégoire Polad has been the Director General of the Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand Services in Europe (ACT) since 2015. Prior to working for ACT, he was Managing Partner of True Political Communications where he coordinated the Wider Spectrum Group, a group bringing together trade unions, employers and viewer organizations. Greg also represented application developers as Head of European policy for The App Association. He is a former Associate of McKinsey & Co and holds an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business as well as an MSc and BSc from the London School of Economics.

Head of Future Media Hubs & strategic innovative partnerships (VRT)

Sarah Geeroms has built a diverse 20-year career, combining over a decade in private sector business development, negotiation, and networking with coordinating events, partnerships, and volunteer coaching at an NGO. Since May 2017, she has been with VRT. Sarah founded Future Media Hubs, uniting 55+ European public and commercial media leaders to drive transformative innovation and strategic collaboration. Building on this success, she now leads the launch of the Future Media Initiative (FMI), a cutting-edge program empowering the European media sector to pioneer next-generation storytelling, technology adoption, and sustainable business models for the digital age.

Assistant Director of Policy, Research and Strategy – Coimisiún na Meán

Calum Fabb is Assistant Director of Policy, Research and Strategy in Coimisiún na Meán, Ireland’s regulator and development agency for the media landscape. He works specifically in the area of democracy and fundamental rights, with a focus on policy and strategy for media pluralism, media freedom, and consumer protection.

Head of Unit, Audiovisual and Media Policy – European Commission

Anna Herold is currently Head of the Audiovisual and Media Services Policy Unit at the European Commission. She was previously Member of Cabinet of Günther H. Oettinger, European Commissioner responsible for Digital Economy and Society, and subsequently, Budget and HR. Prior to that, she was Assistant to Deputy Director-General of DG Communications Networks, Content and Technology of the European Commission, Roberto Viola. Anna Herold has worked for the European Commission since 2003, dealing with media, audiovisual and telecoms policy as well as competition law. She holds a PhD in Law from the European University Institute in Florence and has written on media law and policy, international trade and competition law.