On this page you will find an overview of the Gaia-X General Advisory Board.
General Advisory Board
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Canada
Michelle Robitaille
Chief Executive Officer of Digital Trust Canada
Michelle Robitaille is known for her ability to bring together diverse sectors and for her commitment to strengthening digital trust in Canada. Throughout her career, she has contributed to initiatives that reinforce innovation ecosystems, encourage collaboration across sectors, and support Canada’s participation in global innovation.
Today, as Chief Executive Officer of Digital Trust Canada, Ms. Robitaille works with government, industry, academia, and community organizations to advance trusted digital transformation and strengthen Canada’s trusted and interoperable digital infrastructure. Through her involvement in the GAIA-X Hub Canada initiative and as a voting member of the GAIA-X Policy Rules Committee, she contributes to international discussions on trust frameworks, governance, and trusted data ecosystems.
Ms. Robitaille holds a degree in Communications and Information Technology from the Université du Québec en Outaouais and an Executive MBA from the University of Ottawa. She is passionate about building a trusted, sovereign, and collaborative digital future by connecting Canadian strengths with international opportunities.
Brazil
Cristiane v. Rauen
Director of Department of Digital Transformation
Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services
Since November 2024, Ms. Rauen has served as Director of the Department of Digital Transformation and Innovation at Brazil’s Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC), where she leads initiatives related to industrial innovation and digital transformation. Prior to this role, she was General Coordinator of Technological and Productive Innovation within the same ministry, overseeing technological innovation policies and programs.​
​Between 2023 and 2024, Rauen worked at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, contributing to digital science, technology, and innovation policies within the Secretariat of Science and Technology for Digital Transformation. From 2021 to 2023, she was a Coordinator at EMBRAPII (Brazilian Company for Industrial Research and Innovation), where she managed innovation networks and developed new funding mechanisms to support innovation.​
Earlier in her career, she served as General Coordinator at the Ministry of Education (2019–2020), promoting innovation and entrepreneurship within Brazil’s professional and technological education system. She also worked as a Technical Advisor at the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications (2017–2019), helping to develop key national initiatives including Brazil’s Digital Transformation Strategy (E-Digital) and the national 5G strategy.
Brazil
Flávio Maeda
Vice President, ABINC (Brazilian IoT Association)
Director of Digital Services & Industry 4.0, AFRY Latin America
Leader, Open Industry Program (ABINC + CNI initiative)
Active Contributor, IDSA / Gaia-X Hub Brazil
MSc-level background in Mechatronics Engineering from University of São Paulo (USP), with postgraduate studies in Entrepreneurship (FGV-SP) and MBA in Data Science & Analytics (USP/ESALQ). Entrepreneur in digital technologies, founder of companies such as Konitech and Phacton, focused on manufacturing digitalization, Industry 4.0, IoT and Artificial Intelligence.
Co-founder of the Brazilian IoT Association (ABINC) in 2015, serving as President for two terms and currently Vice President. Actively involved in national public policies, including participation in the Brazilian National IoT Plan and collaboration with federal government initiatives on digital transformation and data economy. Leads the Open Industry Program, a joint initiative between ABINC and CNI, aimed at positioning Brazil within the global Data Economy through the adoption of Data Spaces aligned with Gaia-X and IDSA principles, fostering interoperability, data sovereignty and cross-sector industrial collaboration.
Active contributor to the Gaia-X and IDSA ecosystem in Brazil, supporting the establishment of the Gaia-X Hub Brazil and promoting alignment between European and Brazilian data strategies, including collaboration with public institutions such as MDIC, MCTI and the Central Bank of Brazil (Open Finance / Drex integration use cases).
Currently Director of Digital Services at AFRY Latin America, leading large-scale industrial digitalization initiatives, including Digital Twins, data platforms and AI-driven solutions across sectors such as energy, pulp & paper, mining and infrastructure.
Caribbean
Giovanni M. King
Chairman, Caribbean Datacenter Association – Curacao
Advisory Board Member, Telbo N.V. – Bonaire
CEO, DATAPLANET N.V. – Curacao
Since 2024, serves as Chairman of the Caribbean Datacenter Association (CDA), providing regional leadership on data sovereignty, digital infrastructure development, sustainability, and interconnectivity. Since 2022, serves as Chief Executive Officer of Blue NAP Americas, leading the strategic growth and operations of a Tier IV and ANSI/TIA 942 Rated-4 data center, with a focus on sovereign cloud services, AI-ready infrastructure, and regional partnerships. Also serves as Advisory Board Chairman of TELBO N.V. (since 2022) and has been a Member of the Ministry of Education’s Digitalization Working Group (since 2020).​
Previously served as COO of the Bureau Telecommunications & Post (BT&P) Curaçao and BT&P St. Maarten, overseeing telecommunications regulation, cybersecurity, policy implementation, and infrastructure development. Earlier roles include Policy Advisor / Manager Technical Affairs & International Relations at BT&P Netherlands Antilles and Business Development & Operations Director at Antillean Network Management N.V. / Scarlet N.V.. Also chaired Curaçao’s National Consultation Committee, leading national socio-economic recovery and public engagement initiatives.​
Japan
Hiroshi Mano, Phd.
CEO, EverySense,Inc./EverySense Japan K.K.
Secretary General, Data Society Alliance
Established Root Inc. in 1993.
Developed digital wireless communication devices and proposed a total network solution for converging analog and digital technologies. In addition, he has been participating in numerous public and private councils and R&D initiatives for WLAN-based high-speed mobile communications system development, technology enabling and commercialization, wireless adaptation and local information networking.
A chair for IEEE 802.11 TGai WG for international standardization since 2010. And awarded Japan Communication Minister’s Award 2017 for Information and Communication Technology Prize for the standardization efforts.
In 2014, established EverySense, Inc. In. EverySense developed an IoT Data trading platform.
Founder and Secretary General of Data Society Alliance (DSA) is an industry-academic-government alliance with the cooperation of Japan Cabinet Office, Japan Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan Ministry of Economy.
Has been deeply involved in Japan and overseas in standardization and rule proposals in wireless communications, Internet, data trading, etc. in Japan and overseas, and contributed to the Big Data strategy proposal in the G7 ICT Ministerial Meeting in Turin in 2017.
Also, he is in charge of the IEEE P3800 DTS(Data Trading System) Working Group chair and a member of IEEE SASB (Standard Association Standard Board).
Korea
Jun Beom Kim
Executive Director, NAVER Cloud
Jun Beom Kim is currently serving as Executive Director, NAVER Cloud and is responsible for government negotiations and external cooperation.​
He serves as a member of the Solutions Subcommittee of the Physical AI Global Alliance, which includes the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the National Assembly and the AI Strategy Committee.​
Jun Beom Kim, possesses extensive knowledge and over 20 years of expertise in data, cloud, and AI, and has made significant contributions to the innovation of digital government services in Korea.​
Previously, he led the establishment of strategic direction and the promotion of public projects in the cloud division at NAVER Group in Korea. Currently, he is responsible for the promotion of the cloud industry in Korea, AI sovereignty, and international cooperation with the United States, the EU, and Japan. ​
He is interested in activating the NAVER Cloud region established in Germany and strengthening the competitiveness his company.
Korea
Su Jung Kim
Assistant Secretary for AI and Future Planning, Office of President of the Republic of Korea
Su Jung Kim is currently serving as the Assistant Secretary for AI and Future Planning at the Office of President of the Republic of Korea, where she orchestrates and oversees comprehensive national policies across AI and emerging technology sectors. Prior to this role, she worked as the Director of the Data Promotion Division under the AI Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) from March 2024 to June 2025. ​
With over 20 years of public service in ICT-related fields, she has led the development and implementation of national policies in areas such as cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, and digital governance. ​
Her previous roles include Director of Digital Society Planning, Team Lead for AI Innovation & Convergence , and Policy Officer for AI and Software Promotion. ​
Ms. Kim has led strategic public-private initiatives to foster Korea’s data and AI industries, enhance national data capabilities, and promote policies for a responsible and trustworthy AI ecosystem.​
She holds a Ph.D. in Data Knowledge Service Engineering from Dankook University (2025), an M.A. in Mass Communication from Nanyang Technological University (2012), and an LL.M. from Yonsei University (2005).​
Beyond domestic policy work, Ms. Kim is actively engaged in international cooperation, contributing to Korea’s participation in multilateral initiatives with organizations such as the OECD and the United Nations. ​
Her interdisciplinary academic background—spanning law, media, and data science—combined with extensive government experience, enables her to design and lead digital policies that balance innovation, trust, and inclusion.
Japan
Takafumi Ochiai
Senior Partner, Atsumi & Sakai
Representative Director, Smart Governance Inc.
Since 2017, he has served as Auditor of the Data Society Alliance and as a member of Japan’s ISO/TC 68 (Financial Services) National Committee, while serving on the Board of the ISO/TC 307 (Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies) National Committee since 2018. He also contributes to international data governance initiatives through the International Data Spaces Association and the International Open Forum on Data Society.​
Internationally, he serves as Vice Chairman and Head of International Affairs of the Fintech Association of Japan and has been Treasurer of the Asia FinTech Alliance since 2026. In Japan, he has held several senior public-policy roles, including Deputy Chair of the National Strategic Special Zones Working Group (since 2022), Chair of the Startup and Innovation Promotion Working Group (since 2023), and Policy Advisor for Data Utilization Systems to the Cabinet Secretariat (since 2025). ​
Mr. Ochiai is since 2025 a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Keio University and, since 2024, a part-time lecturer at the University of Tokyo.​
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