Government & Startup Collaboration: The Relevance of Public-Private Partnership

Chief Research & Innovation Officer • SICPA

Nicolas Cudré-Mauroux joined SICPA in January 2024 as Chief Research & Innovation Officer and member of the Executive Committee. He is based in Lausanne, Switzerland. After completing his MSc and PhD in materials science at the Swiss Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), Nicolas joined DuPont where he spent 27 years in R&D, business development, marketing, M&A and general business management roles based in Switzerland, US, Canada and Denmark. In 2015, he joined Solvay in Brussels, Belgium, as Chief Technology Officer. During these 35 years at DuPont and Solvay, Nicolas was mainly active in polymers, composites, food ingredients and fine chemicals businesses serving a broad spectrum of industries like automotive, aeronautics, military, nutrition & health, electronics and consumer goods. Nicolas was awarded the "European CTO of the year - Large Companies" award of EIRMA in 2019 and is a member of the Royal Academy of Belgium. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of CNRS, the largest French research organization and of the Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago, US.

Global Director • World Bank

Commissioner-General • Ghana Revenue Authority

Anthony Kwasi Sarpong is a Ghanaian finance and tax expert with over 25 years of experience in audit, advisory and public-sector revenue reform. In January 2025, he was appointed Acting Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), where he leads national efforts in tax digitalisation, revenue mobilisation and organisational transformation. Before joining the GRA, he built a long and distinguished career at KPMG Ghana, rising to Senior Partner and overseeing major audit, risk management and financial-services portfolios across West and Southern Africa. He holds degrees and postgraduate qualifications in accounting, business administration and financial risk management from the University of Ghana, the University of Manchester and London Metropolitan University. He is also a Chartered Accountant and member of multiple professional institutes.

Head of the Economic Cooperation and Development Division at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs • SECO

Pietro Lazzeri is a Swiss diplomat with extensive experience in international relations, development cooperation and trade policy. Since September 2025, he has served as Head of Economic Cooperation and Development at SECO and Delegate of the Swiss Federal Council for Trade Agreements. He previously served as Ambassador of Switzerland to Brazil (2021–2025) and to Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Equatorial Guinea (2017–2021). Earlier postings include Deputy Head of Mission in Italy and Venezuela, as well as work with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the ICRC, and the United Nations mission in East Timor. Trained in history, economic history and international relations, he brings deep expertise in diplomacy, development policy and global economic affairs.

Executive Vice Chairman • Rothschild & Co Bank AG

Manager Governance Global Unit • The World Bank

Experienced manager with over 25 years in international development and governance. Led large teams, programs, and budgets. Skilled in Public Sector Reform, Civil Society and Citizen Participation, Public Policy, Transparency, Open Government and Anti-corruption, Coalition Building, Innovation and Organizational Learning. Fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Hebrew. Strong professional with a master’s in public administration in Public Administration Johns Hopkins University and Executive Training from Harvard University and Stanford University.