Dr George Sharkov holds a PhD in computer science AI and specialised in applied informatics and applied research in biophysics and genetics at Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and University of Gent, Belgium. He is the CEO of the European Software Institute Center Eastern Europe – the regional excellence center of European Software Institute in Sofia and head of Cyber Security and Resilience Lab. He lectures at 4 leading universities in software quality, cybersecurity and resilience and active security. He is also a member of the EU AI High Level Expert Group, SMEs voice at ETSI technical committees TC CYBER and ISG Securing AI, ENISA Group on Secure AI, ENISA Stakeholders Cybersecurity Certification Group. He was among the initiators of BASSCOM – Bulgarian Association of Software Companies and the ICT Cluster Bulgaria. He was an adviser to the Bulgarian Minister of Defence (2014-2021) and the National Cybersecurity Coordinator (2014-2017), leading the development of the national Cyber Resilience strategy. Since 1994 he has been leading international teams and projects for software and information systems in the fields of banking and finances, online trading, e-business and e-commerce solutions, internet exchanges and B2B markets, interactive and cross media systems.