Vedran Lalić has been with the United Nations University (UNU-EGOV) since 2025. Vedran's core expertise includes the intersection of regulation, technology, and governance, combining policy leadership with deep technical expertise.
Vedran Lalić is a senior expert in digital identity and trust services with more than a decade of experience delivering large-scale digital transformation initiatives for governments and international institutions.
He currently serves as Project Manager and Digital Identity Expert at the United Nations University – Operating Unit on Policy-Driven Electronic Governance, leading two flagship national programmes supporting Saudi Arabia in strengthening the legal, strategic, and technical foundations of its digital identity ecosystem.
As Digital Transformation Adviser at the World Bank (2024–present), Vedran drives multi-country initiatives across Europe and Central Asia on digital identity, trust services, and foundational digital infrastructure. He provides end-to-end technical assistance – from project structuring and policy design to institutional reform and large-scale technology implementation – supporting governments in the Western Balkans to move from regulatory ambition to operational and interoperable systems.
Working at the intersection of regulation, technology, and governance, Vedran combines policy leadership with deep technical expertise. He advises senior decision-makers on digital identity strategies, governance and institutional models, and implementation approaches, supporting governments in aligning policy ambition with technical and organisational realities.
He is widely recognised as one of Europe's leading policy-technical authorities on digital identity, best known for his central role in shaping eIDAS 2.0 – the EU's landmark reform of digital identity legislation affecting more than 450 million citizens. As Lead Expert at the European Parliament (2020–2024), Vedran was a principal architect of the EU Digital Identity Framework, steering both the technical design and high-level political negotiations – directly shaping the quality and accessibility of public services, strengthening cross-border interoperability, and enabling private-sector participation across the European Union.
Vedran holds an M.A. (with Distinction) in Economy, State and Society from University College London in the U.K. and a B.A.(Magna Cum Laude) in Political Science from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in the U.S.A.