Valerie Bihet

Director, VIBE Agency Valerie Bihet has more than 27 years of experience in the management, design and production of special events that communicate and achieve her client’s objectives. Her event experience spans high-profile social occasions, non-profit fundraisers, corporate meetings, conferences, product launches, and incentive trips.

Ewandro Magalhaes

Co-Founder | Chief Language Officer Ewandro brings to KUDO 20+ years of unparalleled experience as a world class linguist and language services executive. As a former Chief Interpreter in the United Nations system, he staffed, mentored and led top-shelf professionals in large conferences throughout the world. A prolific writer, trainer and speaker with a strong social media following, he has become a trend-setter among his peers. He is also the go-to person for technology solutions in language services. Ewandro has a Master’s Degree in Conference Interpretation from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS). He has lived and worked on three continents and speaks four languages in addition to his native Portuguese.

Parham Akhavan

Co-Founder | Chief Technology Officer Parham brings over 21 years of product design and software engineering to KUDO. In that time, Parham has led many startups, including his own. He has successfully delivered scalable service-oriented architecture for enterprise and consumer platforms. Parham has a wealth of experience building healthcare platform, content delivery for web and mobile applications for high profile clients. His expertise lies in building high performing teams and aligning business needs to product in order to artfully deliver challenging technical projects. Parham has lived in five countries and speaks three languages. He is an avid runner and mindfulness evangelist.

Nader Vasseghi

Advisor Nader is an entrepreneur, CEO and executive coach based in Silicon Valley, California. He is the founder of Cnergist Inc., an executive coaching firm, committed to transforming and elevating the lives of business leaders and high achievers, and the founder of SelfOptima Inc. a web platform for optimal health. He was the founder and CEO of AuroraNetics which was acquired by Cisco where he went on to lead a business unit. Nader has over 35 years of experience in executive roles in public and private companies. He is an author, Vistage Chair, speaker and transformative workshop leader.

Fardad Zabetian

Founder and CEO A visionary entrepreneur, Fardad has founded and placed another two companies among the fastest growing business in America. He has also expanded to key markets over Europe and Asia. Fardad is no stranger to big challenges. In 2012, he was part of the design and roll-out a complete makeover of the United Nations’ meeting facilities, including the general assembly hall in New York. He has also played a key supporting role as a high-end equipment provider to various iterations of the IMF/ World Bank Annual Meetings and several European Institutions. With KUDO, Fardad now takes the meeting experience beyond the room to connect business and people in true borderless fashion, without language or geographic constraints.

Kirsten Nelson

Advisor Kirsten Nelson is a writer and event content generator with a focus on creative and engaging uses of audiovisual and immersive technologies. She connects audiences with stories about the expertise and passion of experience designers in a variety of entertainment, business and educational applications. Kirsten was the editor of SCN magazine for 17 years, and has written for numerous publications about technology, culture and motorcycles. She believes that the best stories are found where technology meets personality, and seeks to elevate the efforts of innovators who design with the human experience in mind.

Alex Brick

Advisor Alex is a Senior Advisor to SWaN. Mr. Brick brings decades of extensive experience as a retail entrepreneur and executive both in North America and Europe. Previously, Mr. Brick spent 5 years as Investment Director at LTG Capital sourcing and managing a portfolio of both direct and fund investments in private and public companies across the consumer sector. During his tenure, he led investments in a variety of brands including Mint Velvet, Evereve and Everyman Media Group, among others. Mr. Brick held several Board positions across the portfolio throughout his time at LTG. Prior to LTG Capital.

Mandana Javaheri

Advisor With more than 20 years of experience in cybersecurity and networking industries, Mandana Javaheri currently leads Microsoft Cybersecurity Business Development team. Before joining Microsoft, Mandana served as the CTO and head of technology alliances at Savvius, a network forensics company, where she defined product and technology directions as well as led strategic partnerships, product management and development. Mandana has a BS in Electrical Engineering and a MBA with concentration in finance and management. She also holds certifications in security, product management and leadership.

Paul Milligan

Moderator A Media Studies graduate of London Metropolitan University, Paul Milligan has been a journalist since 1999, and has been writing about the proAV industry since 2005, including six years in his current position of editor of InAVate EMEA Magazine.

Arch. Giampiero Peia

Panelist CEO and Chief Architect at Peia Associati, Giampiero Peia’s design was selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar to modernize and renovate the Room XIX, i.e. the renewed 800 seats Assembly Hall in the United Nations of Geneva. The State of Qatar funded the full cost of the renovation, estimated at 20 million CHF. Peia’s project highlights the identity of Qatar with the most advanced technologies (first Assembly Hall in the world with circadian light) and the architectural expressivities that symbolize the environmental and cultural values of the country: the dune of the desert in the giant wooden dome, the arabic Calligraphy and the Qatar Masharayba patterns reinterpreted along the elevations.

Fardad Zabetian

Panelist A visionary entrepreneur, Fardad Zabetian has founded and placed two companies among the fastest growing business in the United States of America. In 2012, he was part of the design and roll-out a complete makeover of the United Nation’s meeting facilities, including the General Assembly Hall in New York. He has also played a key supporting role as a high-end equipment provider to various iterations of the IMF/ World Bank Annual Meetings and several European Institutions. In 2016, Fardad co-founded AVAtronics, a Swiss technology company focusing on active noise canceling technology. In 2017, he founded KUDO, where he now takes the meeting experience beyond the room to connect businesses and people in true border-less fashion, without language or geographic constraints.

Jack de Keyser

Panelist Jack de Keyser is the lead project manager in charge of the United Nations Room XIX technology upgrade delivered in September 2019. From the initial design stages to the current installation work, he manages the deployment of the solution according to all requirements, monitors technical compliance, coordinates the staff and sub-contractors, and ensures appropriate reporting. Jack De Keyser’s career in the audiovisual industry encompasses 30 years of experience in multidisciplinary fields including systems integration, broadcast, and technical product development. Jack De Keyser’s deep knowledge of congress technologies has established his recognition amongst European-based international organizations.