Dr. Amir Kaki is the Director of Mechanical Circulatory Support and Complex PCI at Ascension St John Hospital in Detroit, MI. He is also an Associate Director of Interventional Cardiology at St John and an Associate Prof of Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine. Dr. Kaki arrived in Detroit in 2012 from New York City where he was Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Greenberg Division of Cardiology at Weill Cornell Medical School/New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Kaki’s area of expertise includes complex coronary intervention, chronic total occlusions, transradial intervention, mechanical circulatory support, and large bore vascular access. Dr. Kaki’s clinical research activities have been published in peer-reviewed journals and he is frequently a speaker at numerous national and international meetings.

Bernardo Cortese, MD is an Italian Interventional Cardiologist, Director, Interventional Coronary Center, Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute (08/2024-Present), University Hospitals of Cleveland; Visiting Professor of Medicine and Cardiology (08/2024-Present), Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio; President of the Scientific Committee of Fondazione Ricerca e Innovazione Cardiovascolare, Milano, Italy. Prof Cortese is an operator dedicated to complex procedures, and a pioneer in minimally-invasive percutaneous procedure with the use of drug-coated balloons, and has >400 publications in peer-reviewed Journals indexed in Pubmed.

Prof. Scheller is one of the world's leading experts in the field of interventional cardiology. He is a senior consultant for internal medicine, cardiology, and intensive care as well as head of interventional cardiology and deputy clinic director at Saarland University Hospital. Bruno Scheller is a full professor for Clinical and Experimental Interventional Cardiology at the Medical School of Saarland University. His research group is at the forefront of preclinical and clinical research on local drug delivery and new catheter based interventional therapies. In 2024, he was honoured with the Clinical Research Excellence Award at the Global Cardiovascular Awards.

Ernest Spitzer is a cardiologist deeply rooted in cardiovascular research. A decade ago, he joined Cardialysis, a renowned cardiovascular research organisation and cardiac imaging core laboratory, after completing a research fellowship in interventional cardiology in Switzerland. Before becoming the CEO in 2023, he functioned in different roles including medical director and chief medical officer. Dr Spitzer’s experience in cardiovascular research is characterised by international exposure and collaboration, having studied and practiced in Peru, United States of America, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, and The Netherlands. He is board member at the Academic Research Consortium (ARC), the EU-MDR Cardiovascular Collaboratory (EU-MCVC), and the European Cardiovascular Research Institute (ECRI). He has authored 80+ articles in peer-reviewed journals and is academically affiliated to the Thoraxcenter, Erasmus University Medical Center, in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Nigel Job is the CEO of Remtec Talent Management Ltd, a specialised HR consultancy service to the life science sector. Nigel started his career in diagnostics and then moved into the cardiovascular field within Medtronic, specialising in Implantable Defibrillators/ICDs where he was part of a small European team that worked on the early commercialisation of ICDs in UK and Europe. During this time Nigel supported the first pectoral implant of an ICD in Europe and also the implant of an ICD into the youngest patient outside the USA. This initiated a lifelong fascination with cardiovascular medical devices and although his career moved him into a focus in HR and leadership, he maintained his networks in the cardiovascular markets through advising numerous companies in the field and set up the Cardiovascular Medical Device Group on LinkedIn that now has 67000 members worldwide.

Dr. Peyman Sardari Nia, MD, PhD, serves as a Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Maastricht University Medical Center and associate professor at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, with a specialized focus on minimally invasive cardiothoracic procedures. He spearheads the Mitral Valve Program in Maastricht, positioning the center at the forefront of innovative surgical an transcatheter techniques. An alumnus of the University of Antwerp in Belgium, Dr. Sardari Nia earned both his MD and PhD degrees before completing his residency in general surgery in the same city. He further honed his expertise through a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at St. Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein, the Netherlands. As a versatile cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Sardari Nia holds particular interests in valvular heart disease, lung cancer, and cutting-edge adult cardiothoracic procedures like endoscopic mitral valve repair, beating-heart mitral valve repair, and VATS lobectomy. His work transcends conventional surgical methods, evolving toward the concept of "Smart Surgery" — a paradigm that integrates surgical craft with mathematical precision in planning and execution. A pioneer in his field, Dr. Sardari Nia has significantly contributed to surgical simulation, 3D printing, and endoscopic mitral valve repair training. He received the esteemed EACTS Techno-College Innovation Award in 2014 for inventing a high-fidelity endoscopic mitral valve surgery simulator.

Dr Rasha Al-Lamee is an Interventional Cardiology Consultant at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and a Reader at the National Heart and Lung Institute within Imperial College London. She is a British Heart Foundation intermediate clinical research fellow and clinical trialist with expertise in stable coronary artery disease, coronary intervention, invasive physiology and invasive intravascular imaging. She leads a research group with a focus on clinical trials that impact the care of patients with cardiovascular disease. She believes in rigorous testing of clinical practice and the use of evidence-based medicine in all aspects of medical care. She designed and led the only placebo-controlled trials of coronary angioplasty, ORBITA and ORBITA-2, published in The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine respectively. She is also the chief investigator of the ORBITA-COSMIC trial, published in The Lancet, and the ORBITA-STAR, published in JACC. She is currently leading the ORBITA-FIRE and ORBITA-MOON trials and has over 150 peer-reviewed publications and a h-index of 39. She is actively involved in the development and recruitment for many multi-centre international clinical trials. She is a deputy editor at JACC and EuroIntervention, and a previous associate editor at the European Heart Journal. She is Deputy Director and head of the second year of Medicine at Imperial College London. She is the NIHR CRN North West London Cardiovascular speciality lead and co-head of the cardiovascular theme of the Imperial Biomedical Research Centre.

Sonja Dietzsch is a highly accomplished professional with extensive experience in marketing, business development, medical affairs, and innovation within the healthcare industry. She holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and Medical Technology, with distinction, from Dresden University of Technology. Sonja currently serves as the Head of Global Marketing for Cardiovascular Care at Siemens Healthineers, Advanced Therapies, where she leads marketing efforts in alignment with the company’s strategic objectives through innovative, customer-focused approaches. Previously, she held various roles at Siemens Healthineers, including Business Development Manager, where she successfully managed a wide range of internal and external business projects aimed at identifying new business opportunities, expanding into new markets, growth areas, and emerging clinical trends. Her expertise spans market access, evidence-based marketing, innovation, and partner management. Throughout her career, Sonja has demonstrated strong leadership in managing complex projects, guiding teams, and fostering partnerships. With her technical expertise and contributions to product development and prototyping in healthcare technology, she brings a unique combination of skills to her role. Sonja’s ability to collaborate across cross-functional international teams, paired with her passion for innovation and strong customer focus, makes her a key driver in advancing healthcare solutions.

Teri Sirset is the Co-founder and CEO of DASI Simulations, a medical technology startup based in Columbus, Ohio. Driven by a personal connection to heart disease, Teri is passionate about leveraging technology to improve patient outcomes. DASI Simulations' innovative AI-powered simulation platform is revolutionising surgical planning and training, enabling physicians to make informed decisions and enhance patient safety. With over 25 years of experience in medical device sales and marketing, Teri has a proven track record of success in the cardiovascular and neurovascular space. Before founding DASI Simulations, she held leadership positions at a prominent medical device startup, including Vice President of Sales and New Business Development. Teri holds a B.S. and M.S. from Ohio University and has completed an Entrepreneurship Accelerated Program at the Wharton School of Business.

Wil spent 12 years at the Big Lottery Fund, holding key roles as an assessor, outreach officer, and policy lead. He was then appointed Executive Director of Heart Valve Voice in 2016, where he has grown the charity to a team of 5 full time staff, an advisory group made up of the heads of the UK’s major cardiovascular Professional Societies, and a team of expert advisors from across the valve space. Wil has driven significant progress in heart valve disease awareness and care. He led the charity’s ‘5 Year Plan,’ ensuring valve disease was included in the NHS Long Term Plan. He also played a pivotal role in influencing NICE guidelines by bringing together a group of over 100 patients and amplifying patient voices. As a founding chair of Global Heart Hub, Wil helped launch the first global Heart Valve Disease Awareness Week, uniting 80+ organisations. Wil is an experienced public speaker, speaking at major Conferences, in Parliament for the APPG for heart valve disease, as well as providing the patient voice at Cardiac Networks, MTG, ABHI and World Heart Federation.