Eugene Kaspersky, a world-renowned cyber security expert and successful entrepreneur, is expected to headline the Transform Africa Summit 2019, due in Kigali next month.

He is co-founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Kaspersky Lab, the world’s largest privately-held vendor of endpoint protection and cyber security solutions.

The 5th Transform Africa Summit is scheduled be held in Kigali from May 14-17,  under the theme, "Boosting Africa’s Digital Economy.”

Kaspersky began his career in cyber security accidentally when his computer became infected with the ‘Cascade’ virus in 1989.

Kaspersky’s specialised education in cryptography helped him analyse the encrypted virus, understand its behaviour, and then develop a removal tool for it.

After successfully removing the virus, his curiosity and passion for computer technology drove him to start analysing more malicious programmes and developing disinfection modules for them.

In 1997, Kaspersky Lab was founded, with Eugene heading the company’s antivirus research. In 2007 he was named Kaspersky Lab’s CEO.

Today, Kaspersky Lab is one of the fastest growing IT security vendors worldwide, operating in almost 200 countries and territories. The company employs more than 4,000 professionals and IT security specialists in 35 dedicated regional offices across 31 countries, and its cyber security technologies protect over 400 million users worldwide.

Kaspersky Lab’s globally renowned team of experts has investigated some of the most complex and sophisticated cyberattacks ever known, including Stuxnet and Flame.

The company also cooperates extensively with INTERPOL, Europol, and national police bodies to actively assist them in their fight against cybercrime.

Others expected at the summit include Smart Africa’s Director General Lacina Koné, World Bank Vice President Makhtar Diop, Mozilla Chief Innovation Officer Katharina Bochert, AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina, and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Regional Director Cynthia Samuel – Olonjuwon.

Also to attend is Sophia, the first humanoid robot that is set to address the annual gathering.

Under the theme, "Boosting Africa’s Digital Economy”, the Summit is expected to attract over 4,000 participants, including Heads of State and Government, First Ladies, UN Broadband Commissioners, Ministers, African Mayors, Public & Private Sector, international organisations, industry leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, young innovators, civil society and academia.

The key summit streams for this year’s edition include, The Smart Africa Heads of State Leaders’ Summit, the Smart Africa Women’s Summit, FinTech and eHealth Forums, the Smart Africa Conference and Exhibition to name a few.

editorial@newtimesrwanda.com.