Webinar - Women in ICT Standardisation, fourth edition

SLIDES 

The Women in ICT Standardisation webinar is back for its fourth edition, bringing together leading voices in the field of European standardisation. This year, StandICT.eu is proud to join forces with key EU-funded projects - HSbooster.eu, EDU4Standards, SNS-ICE, INSTAR, SEEBLOCKS.eu - alongside the Women4Cyber Foundation and the Women in Telecommunications and Research (WiTaR) working group of the 6G-IA.

Together, we aim to deliver comprehensive and content-rich discussions aligned with the priorities outlined in the Rolling Plan for ICT Standardisation, shedding light on the role of gender diversity in ICT standardisation and its impact on European policy and innovation.

The main objective of this webinar is to highlight the critical role of women in ICT standardisation, showcasing their success stories, achievements, and contributions to shaping key technical and policy documents. We will explore the challenges and opportunities faced by women in this traditionally male-dominated field and identify concrete pathways for greater inclusion and impact.

By sharing first-hand experiences, we aim to illustrate the tangible impact of gender diversity on the standardisation process, emphasising how a wider range of perspectives leads to more comprehensive, effective, and forward-looking standards. The webinar will also serve as an opportunity to derive preliminary recommendations for fostering broader and more sustainable engagement of women in standardisation.

Agenda & speakers

This edition will feature an outstanding panel of Standardisation Experts, with representation from various National, EU and global Standard Development Organisations (SDOs). 

• 10:30-10:40: Welcome and introduction - Maria Giuffrida, StandICT.eu (moderator)
• 10:40-11:45: Panel discussion "Engaging women in ICT standardisation: challenges, success stories and recommendations":
  • Nooshin Amirifar, CEN and CENELEC Team Leader and Account Manager.
  • Cristina Bueti, ITU-T Study Group 20 Counsellor on Internet of Things, digital twins and Smart Sustainable Cities.
  • Sylvia Cadena, Chief Development Officer W3C.
  • Claire Dalier, EDU4Standards project and Account Manager Policy & External. Affairs CEN and CENELEC.
  • Delaram Golpayegani, NSAI, ISO, CEN.
  • Susanna Laurin, e-Accessibility Joint Working Group Chair ETSI/CEN/CENELEC.
  • Silvana McMahon, Assistant Head of Research & Innovation DCU and NSAI, ISO.
  • Prachi Sachdeva, 5G/6G & Cloud Networks Consultant TNO, WiTaR and SNS-ICE project.
  • Johanna Sepúlveda, Airbus & INSTAR project Quantum European Task Force.
  • Diana Soeiro, HSbooster.eu expert and StandICT , ISO, CEN
  • Irina Tal, SEEBLOCKS.eu project and Assistant Professor in Computing DCU
• 11:45-12:00: Q&A session
• 12:00: closure

Target audience

The target audience for this webinar includes ICT Specialists and Professionals under the main Digital Single Market & Digital Europe domains, Standard Developing Organisations' representatives, Members of Research Institutes working in ICT Standard Development, Representative of National Standards Associations, general audience and civil society organisations involved in the promotion of women in STEM disciplines and education.

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Speakers

Cristina Bueti is the ITU Focal Point on Smart Sustainable Cities and Counsellor of ITU-T Study Group 20 at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). She also serves as TSB/ITU focal point for Latin America. As part of the International Women’s Day 2016, she was named as one of the twenty Geneva-based inspirational women working to protect the environment. She has authored over 45 reports on telecommunication issues.

Sylvia Cadena is the Chief Development Officer at W3C, leading efforts in internationalization, accessibility, privacy, and security for the Web. With 30 years’ experience across Latin America and the Asia Pacific, she previously led APNIC Foundation programs, including Information Society Innovation Fund (ISIF Asia) and the Switch! project, empowering women and gender-diverse engineers in Southeast Asia.

Claire Dalier joined CEN-CENELEC eight years ago, where she supported various CEN and CENELEC technical committees in the development of European standards in the field of consumer products and beyond. Since January 2025, she has joined the Research, Technology and Development team and supports CEN-CENELEC in deepening the integration of standardization in research and innovation activities. Her previous position was in a global organization in the field of supply chain standards.

Delaram Golpayegani is a post-doctoral research fellow at the ADAPT Centre, Trinity College Dublin. She holds a PhD in computer science, focusing on semantic web technologies for EU AI Act compliance. Active in AI standardisation, she contributes to NSAI, W3C DPVCG, and the EU AI Office’s code of practice for general-purpose AI.

Susanna Laurin is the Manging Director and Chair of the Funka Foundation. She has been a thought leader in the field of accessibility for more than 25 years and she is a frequent international lecturer and debater. Susanna is a technical expert in national and EU level standardisation bodies, currently Chair of the ETSI/CEN/CENELEC Joint Technical Body on eAccessibility. She is also the representative to the EU of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals, IAAP, and the UN-initiative G3ict.

Silvana Togneri MacMahon is an Assistant Professor at Dublin City University and Assistant Head for Research and Innovation in the School of Computing. She led ISO TR 80001-2-7, contributed to IEC 80001-1, and chairs Ireland’s Health Informatics Standards committee, playing a key role in medical device risk management and health IT standards.

Amirifar Nooshin is an Account Manager at the CEN and CENELEC Management Centre, leading a team focused on standardisation projects in electrotechnology and ICT. She joined CEN and CENELEC in 2020 after earning a PhD in semiconductor materials and working in high-tech chip development. Passionate about diversity, she advocates for greater female representation in ICT and standardisation.

Prachi Sachdeva is a Consultant at TNO, actively contributing to European 6G development and alignment, through projects such as the SNS ICE and SNS CO-OP,  and through the Dutch national 6G initiative Future Network Services.  As a delegate in 3GPP SA2, Prachi contributes to the standardisation of mobile networks. Prachi holds a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.

Johanna Sepúlveda is Airbus Senior Expert on Quantum-Secure Technologies and Technical Domain Manager for Quantum Technologies. She is chief engineer of different European quantum initiatives such as EuroQCI and is vice-chair of the Strategic Advisory Board of Quantum Technologies for the European Commission, and leader of the European Strategic Industry Roadmap at the Quantum Industry Consortium (QuIC).

Diana Soeiro is an academic researcher, consultant, and author specializing in sustainable cities, with expertise in management systems, standardization, governance, and technology integration. Her 2022 book, Cities, Health and Wellbeing (Palgrave), examines urban design and integrated policy frameworks. In 2025, she renewed her role as Honorary Ambassador for the UN 2030 SDG Agenda. She also collaborates on reviewing and developing standards with ISO, CEN, and IPQ.

Irina Tal is an Assistant Professor at the School of Computing, Dublin City University (DCU), and Academic Lead for the MSc in Blockchain – Distributed Ledger Technologies. Specialising in cybersecurity, she previously lectured at the National College of Ireland. Her research covers cybersecurity, blockchain, smart cities, and technology-enhanced learning, including projects on privacy and AI ethics.