2023 Speakers

Ilana de Wild, Director of the Organized and Emerging Crime Directorate at INTERPOL, is leading international police collaboration with member countries to disrupt criminal networks and illicit markets, while supporting vulnerable communities worldwide. Her vision for a safer world has extended throughout her career where she has consistently contributed to strategic developments within policing regarding diversity, partnerships and inclusion. She has demonstrated a strong commitment to problem-oriented, community-driven, intelligence-led policing. 

Ilana is a Chief Superintendent of the Netherland Police, with 24 years of experience in security and law enforcement, notably in managerial positions with increasing levels of responsibility. Her career began in various frontline teams in the Amsterdam area, where she combined different roles and crime areas. She served as a Deputy Head, Project Leader, and Advisor to the Head of the Regional Detective Department on matters of people smuggling, identity fraud, drug and weapons trafficking. Ilana subsequently oversaw the Strategic and Policy Unit within the Amsterdam Regional unit of the Netherlands Police, where she aligned strategic organizational ambitions with day-to-day police work.

Ilana continued her passion for fighting injustice within the International Criminal Court, as a Senior Advisor. Her work built up a law enforcement network in the field of war crimes and she coordinated cooperation activities between international organizations. Ilana returned to the Netherlands Police and continued her work as a Strategic Liaison and Senior Advisor, liaising with international organizations like INTERPOL and NGO’s on the design, development, and implementation of improved methods to combat child sexual exploitation and Transnational Child Sexual Offences. In the years that followed Ilana joined the leadership team of one of the Dutch police regions, responsible for two organization-wide programmes: Organized Crime, and Innovation.

During her career, Ilana has been actively involved in capacity building towards a higher degree in fighting crime, for the Netherlands Police and organisations worldwide.

Additionally, Ilana holds a master’s degree in Public Administration obtained at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands, and an Executive Master of Tactical Policing from the Police Academy of the Netherlands. She has also authored several publications on child sexual offenders, inequality and security in policing, and the interconnection between fragile states and criminality in the Netherlands.