The future of digital platforms
AI, REGULATION, APP ECONOMY
Next Event Coming Soon
Next Event Coming Soon
An initiative by Launchworks & Co
Platforms and their ecosystems are now part of our daily lives. They are redefining the way we work, the way we learn, how we innovate and how we collaborate. As a community of platform leaders, how do we ensure that the full potential of these digital ecosystems is realised for all?
What is Platform Leaders?
Platform Leaders brings together entrepreneurs, policy makers, academics, investors and practitioners to exchange insights and best practices on the future of digital platforms and ecosystems. These communities don’t always talk to each other, yet are collectively building the platform economy. Platform Leaders provides strategic insights into key topics and allow experts to share complementary perspectives to shape the debate so that the potential of digital markets can be unlocked for all.
Agenda
The last conference on 11 July 2024 with speakers from OpenAI, Google, Aptoide, Italian and French Competion Authorities, Dazi Avocats and Launchworks & Co, focused on 3 key themes: Generative AI, the future of the App Economy, and AI and Platform Regulations.
Here are our confirmed speakers.
Arka Dhar
ARKA DHAR
Arka Dhar is Head of Human Data at OpenAI, the organisation that created ChatGPT.
Arka is also co-founder of Zinier and is responsible for driving the company’s overall strategy and expanding to new verticals and global markets. Zinier is an intelligent field service automation platform that helps organisations work smarter, faster, and more efficiently. Zinier is Arka’s second company started with co-founder Andrew Wolf. At age 23, the pair founded and sold Lift12, a Singapore-based data-driven supply chain management solution for retail brands.
Prior to Lift12, Arka led market development at TripAdvisor and was a venture partner at Rocket Internet, a leading European venture capital incubator.
Arka is an MIT-trained engineer and a graduate of London Business School’s Sloan Programme.
Fayrouze Masmi Dazi
Dazi Avocats
Fayrouze Masmi Dazi
Dazi Avocats
Fayrouze Masmi-Dazi is the founding Partner of Dazi Avocats and a Non-Governmental Advisor to the French Competition Authority at International Competition Network (ICN). Before that, she used to be a Partner at Frieh Associés. Fayrouze’s main speciality covers French and EU competition law including mergers, State aid and antitrust. She notably worked in high-ranked law firms in Paris and Brussels, and on collective redress and alternative dispute resolution at the European Commission. She regularly advises and represents clients before national and European Courts and authorities in the energy sector, financial, insurance and IT services.
Ben McOwen Wilson
Ben McOwen Wilson
Prior to being in charge of Google Play’s App Store in Europe, Ben spent 11 years at YouTube in a number of roles, including Regional Director, EMEA, and Managing Director YouTube UK and Ireland at YouTube.
Prior to starting with YouTube, Ben was a Management Board Director at ITV Plc—the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster—for six years, where he oversaw the launch and growth of ITV’s digital and new media businesses. During his tenure, he co-created, launched and was Chairman of Project Kangaroo - the proposed VoD joint venture between BBC, Channel 4 and ITV.
Previously a Partner in a strategy consulting firm, Ben has over 20 years’ experience in the field of media, entertainment, telecommunications and the internet. He has lived and worked on five continents. Ben is married with two children.
Jennifer Schenker
Jennifer Schenker
Jennifer L. Schenker, an award-winning journalist, has been covering the global tech industry from Europe since 1985, working full-time, at various points in her career for the Wall Street Journal Europe, Time Magazine, International Herald Tribune, Red Herring and BusinessWeek. After leaving BusinessWeek Schenker founded Informilo, a U.K.-based media company that published print magazines about the global tech sector. She is currently the founder and editor-in-chief of The Innovator, a global subscription newsletter about the digital transformation of business (www.innovator.news). Jennifer was voted one of the 50 most inspiring women in technology in Europe in 2015 and 2016 and was named in Forbes 2018 list of 30 women leaders disrupting tech in France. She has been a World Economic Forum Tech Pioneers judge for 20 years. She lives in Paris and has dual U.S. and French citizenship.
Andrea Pezzoli
Andrea Pezzoli
Andrea Pezzoli is Vice Secretary General at the Italian Competition Authority. He was previously Director General for Competition (2014-2022) Chief Economist (2012-2014) and Head of the Investigative Directorate “Food, Pharmaceutical and Transport” (1997-2012).
He also worked at the Centro Europeo Ricerche (1986-93) as Head of the Industrial Policy Unit and at the Research Department of Istituto Mobiliare Italiano (1981-86) as Senior Economist.
Andrea Pezzoli held a course in Economics of Competition Policy (2018-2019) and in Industrial Economics (2022-2023) at the University La Sapienza and teaches in specialized master courses at the University of Tor Vergata and Luiss University in Rome. He published several articles on antitrust issues and regularly speaks at national and international conferences on competition law and policy.
Andrea is a graduate in Economics at the University La Sapienza in Rome and holds a M.Sc. degree in Industrial Economics from Lancaster University.
Laure Claire Reillier
Laure Claire Reillier
Paulo Trezentos
Paulo Trezentos
Paulo Trezentos is a seasoned entrepreneur and the CEO and co-founder of Aptoide, one of the largest independent app stores globally. His career spans various roles in academia and the tech industry, marked by significant contributions to software development and digital market fairness.
Founded in 2011, Aptoide has grown quickly to become a significant player in the app distribution market, boasting over 430 million users and 10 billion downloads.
Following the sale of its stake in Faurecia Aptoide Automotive to Forvia in May 2024, Aptoide plans to enhance its platform, offering a unique experience for both Android and iOS app developers.
Paulo holds an MSc and a PhD from Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon.
Elodie Vandenhende
Elodie Vandenhende
After completing her law degrees in France and the United States, Elodie Vandenhende became a member of both the Paris and New York legal bars. She then began her career as a lawyer specializing in competition law at an international law firm.
In 2008, she took the role as advisor to the Secretary General of the French Presidency of the European Union after which she joined the cabinet of the Minister of Economy and Finance as advisor in charge of European affairs for three years.
In 2012, Elodie joined the DGCCRF within the Ministry of Finance to lead and win the first cases on behalf of the French government against some of the largest companies in the digital economy for unfair trading practices.
In 2018, Elodie Vandenhende was appointed Counsel to the President of the Autorité de la concurrence, where she was responsible for the follow-up of projects to modernise the institution and contributed to discussions on adapting competition rules to the challenges of the digital economy, in particular as part of the French Digital Conference (États généraux du numérique) and the interministerial working group on the regulation of digital platforms.
Since 2021, she is the deputy head of the digital economy unit of the Autorité.
In 2020, Elodie Vandenhende was selected for the French-American Foundation’s Young Leaders program.
Benoit Reillier
Benoit Reillier
Benoit Reillier specialises in strategy and corporate development for innovative high growth companies and platform businesses/ecosystems. He has been advising the boards and top management teams of many blue chip companies as well as regulators and Governments for more than 20 years. Prior to founding Launchworks Benoit was Director of Economics and Regulation at KPMG where he focused on Telecommunications, Media and Technology clients globally. Benoit is a guest lecturer in a number of top business and engineering schools and is in charge of the executive Platform Strategy module of the HEC Paris MBA. He is a graduate from IMT Business School in Paris and holds Master degrees in Management, Economics and Law. Benoit is also a graduate from Columbia University in New York and London Business School (MBA).
He is the co-author of Platform Strategy: How to unlock the power of communities and networks to grow your business and Mission BlaBlaCar.
3:30PM – 3:35PM
WELCOME TALK
Introducing Platform Leaders.
3:35PM – 4:00PM
FIRESIDE CHAT / AMA WITH OPENAI: AI AND THE FUTURE OF ORGANISATIONS
We’re excited to welcome back Arka Dhar from OpenAI for a fireside chat / AMA session on GenAI and its impact on the organisations of tomorrow. Arka will talk about OpenAI’s latest free model (v4o), the development of its GPT marketplace as well as future projects.
This session will also be an opportunity to ask questions to Arka, so feel free to send us your questions in advance. Here are some of the questions we've received so far: What are the key bottlenecks when deploying GenAI tools at scale? What is OpenAI’s long-term vision for the GPT store? How do you see agents working with people in the future? What kind of new organisational models does new LLMs such as ChatGPT enable? What interesting and surprising use cases have you seen recently?
4:00PM – 4:40PM
THE FUTURE OF THE APP ECONOMY
We increasingly use apps to facilitate our everyday life, from browsers to dating and gaming. App stores are today an almost infinite source of tools, distractions and our main interface to the digital world. This has led to the development of major app stores by leading platforms and a thriving app ecosystem globally. Yet with new devices (Virtual Reality headsets), new technologies (IA) and new regulations (DMA in Europe), new entrants as well as existing platforms are launching new types of app stores.
What will the app store of the future look like? What makes a successful app store in the first place? What do developers value in an app store? What do users really want out of an app store? How to strike the right balance between choice, trust and share value fairly amongst stakeholders?
4:40PM – 5:20PM
NAVIGATING THE FUTURE: REGULATION OF PLATFORMS AND AI
In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital platforms, regulatory frameworks must adapt to ensure fair competition, innovation, and consumer protection. Join us for a thought-provoking discussion that will explore the intersection of technology, regulation, and competition, aiming to chart a path forward that safeguards public interest while promoting innovation and economic resilience in the age of AI. This panel brings together distinguished experts to discuss the future of regulation in this dynamic environment. Panellists will share their views on the emerging regulatory environment, focusing on the coordination of policies across the AI Act regulations, the Digital Services Act (DSA), and the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
How can we ensure cohesive and effective regulation across AI, DSA, and DMA at both member state and international levels? How can regulators keep pace with the rapid advancements in AI technology? What strategies can balance the need for regulation with the necessity of fostering innovation, economic growth and competitiveness? What new approaches and frameworks are required to address the unique challenges posed by digital platforms and AI? How can we mitigate the risk of Europe falling behind in the global AI race while ensuring ethical and fair AI deployment?
5:20PM – 5:30PM
CONFERENCE WRAP UP
Closing remarks and key insights from the event by our conference co-chair.
