Toomas Hendrik Ilves

Toomas Hendrik Ilves turned Estonia into one of the most digitally advanced societies in the world when he served as its President between 2006 to 2016.

During his ten years in office, Ilves championed bold reforms that digitised everything from voting to tax returns. He also created the “e-Estonia” model, which has inspired other governments on how they can use technology to empower citizens rather than control them. His leadership during Estonia’s 2007 cyberattacks helped put cybersecurity on the global agenda, and was one of the first heads of state to speak publicly about the political implications of data, digital infrastructure, and hybrid threats.

Today, Toomas Hendrik Ilves stands as a vocal advocate for European renewal and resilience. He calls for sweeping reforms across defense, technology, and governance. As a visiting fellow at Stanford University and an advisor to the WHO-Europe, Ilves continues to push for smarter, more secure digital solutions to public challenges. In 2025, Ilves broke his decade-long silence on party politics to join Volt, a pan-European movement that believes in an integrated, forward-looking, and technologically capable Europe.

His message is blunt but vital: Europe must reform or risk decline. From warning about regulatory overreach that stifles innovation, to calling out the absence of a European capital market that drives talent and investment abroad. Ilves speaks candidly on the future of AI in Europe, the need for a strategic Zeitenwende in defense and finance, and the urgency of defending Enlightenment values from both external adversaries and internal populists.

As a reformer and realist, he understands firsthand, how digital innovation can serve democracy and how easily democracy can be undermined by digital threats. He emphasises the value of alliances, having shepherded Estonia into the EU and NATO and warns against complacency in an era of transatlantic drift and rising authoritarianism.