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Luukas Ilves

Non-resident Fellow / Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine International Center for Defence Studies / Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine

Luukas is non-resident fellow at the Tallinn (Estonia)-based International Center for Defence Studies and advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine on questions of AI and digital transformation. Luukas’ mission is the clever adoption of technology in pursuit of prosperity and security in free and open societies.

From 2022-24, Luukas was Undersecretary for Digital Transformation and Chief Information Officer for the Government of Estonia, where he was responsible for developing the country’s digital public services, infrastructure and cyber security.

Previously, Luukas held various roles in Estonia and Brussels, including at the European Commission, the crypto deep-tech Guardtime, the Lisbon Council (a Brussels-based thinktank) and for the Estonian government. During Estonia’s 2017 EU Presidency, Luukas led the EU Council’s legislative work on telecommunications, data and cyber security. He has contributed in expert or advisory roles to the Council of Europe, Stanford University, the EU Cybersecurity agency ENISA and other institutions.

Luukas has been decorated by the President of Estonia with the Order of the White Star. In 2022, his work in support of Ukraine during Russia’s full scale invasion was recognized by President Zelensky’s Ukraine Peace Prize. Luukas is a graduate of Stanford University, a reserve officer and a member of the Estonian Defence League’s Cyber Defence Unit.