AI + Disaster Risk Reduction Conference 2026

Ricardo Mena is a globally recognised leader in disaster risk reduction, resilience, and risk governance, with decades of experience shaping international policy and operational frameworks for governments and multilateral institutions.

He previously served as Director at the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), where he played a pivotal role in advancing global DRR strategies and supporting countries in translating international frameworks into national and regional action. His work has consistently focused on bridging global frameworks with practical implementation.

As Co-Founder of WCMR – Withstanding Crisis: Managing Risk, and Global Advisor to ALERTSim, Ricardo brings a strategic and governance-focused lens to the AI + DRR dialogue. As both a featured speaker and panelist, he will contribute insights on how emerging technologies such as AI can strengthen institutional preparedness and decision-making—while remaining aligned with policy intent, accountability, and long-term resilience objectives.

Walter Cotte is a distinguished humanitarian leader with extensive global experience in emergency response, disaster preparedness, and resilience building across complex crisis and humanitarian environments.

He previously served as Under-Secretary General at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), where he led large-scale emergency operations and supported national societies in strengthening response and preparedness capabilities under real-world constraints. His leadership reflects deep, hands-on engagement with crisis response at scale.

As Co-Founder of WCMR – Withstanding Crisis: Managing Risk, and Global Advisor to ALERTSim, Walter brings a strong operational perspective to the AI + DRR conversation. As a featured speaker and panelist, he will ground discussions on AI-enabled solutions in the realities of field operations, coordination challenges, and human-centred decision-making under pressure.

Ashish Kulkarni is the Founder and Executive Lead behind Bell Immersive and ALERTSim, where he focuses on applying artificial intelligence to strengthen crisis and disaster risk management across complex, high-risk environments.

With a practitioner's background spanning energy, infrastructure, aviation, ports, and public-sector emergency systems, Ashish works at the intersection of technology, operational decision-making, and preparedness. His work centres on moving organisations beyond static plans toward measurable readiness, using AI-enabled simulation, decision intelligence, and live incident support.

At the AI + DRR forum, Ashish brings a systems-level perspective on how AI can be operationalised across the full emergency management lifecycle—from planning and preparedness to real-time response—ensuring that innovation translates into practical, field-ready capability rather than theoretical promise.

Ashwina Kulkarni is Director – Strategy & Growth at Bell Immersive and ALERTSim, where she leads the strategic adoption and scaling of AI-enabled solutions for disaster risk reduction and emergency preparedness.

Her work focuses on helping governments, enterprises, and humanitarian organisations translate advanced technology into organisational readiness, ensuring that AI is implemented responsibly, effectively, and in alignment with governance, policy, and operational realities. Ashwina plays a key role in shaping how emerging technologies are embedded into real-world decision environments.

As both a featured speaker and panelist, Ashwina brings a critical lens on strategy, adoption, and impact—addressing not only what AI can do for DRR, but how institutions can successfully integrate it into their people, processes, and leadership structures to deliver sustained resilience.