Speakers

Colonel Günter Povoden holds a master degree in chemical engineering and is a trained EOD operator. He has been working at the CBRN Defence Centre of the Austrian Armed Forces for more than 20 years. His current position is Head of Section Chemistry. In addition, he is a consultant for the European Union CBRN Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence Initiative as the on-site expert on CBRN safety and security issues for the Middle East Region, developing CBRN specific projects and supporting the partner countries improving their CBRN capabilities at tactical, operational and strategic level. He is regularly supporting other international organisations such as United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism, INTERPOL or OSCE in specific counter terrorism and CBRN related projects. In 2019 he was appointed member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the OPCW and elected as Chair of the Board 2022-2024. Col Günter Povoden provides his expertise at national and international level for projects, trainings, exercises and missions. He holds lectures related to CBRN safety and security, CBRN terrorism and proliferation control at several universities, the NATO Joint CBRN Defence Centre of Excellence and other institutions.