TMF Miami 2019

Alee Fa’amoe is an independent consultant.  He was the Deputy CEO and Executive Director ICT for OfReg, the newly formed (January 2017) converged utilities regulator overseeing ICT, fuels, electricity, and water industries in the Cayman Islands until August 2020.

Mr Fa’amoe has a broad background in technology, operations, and management and has spent 20 years in the telecommunications industry, working as an industry expert on telephone numbering and network operations. He spent several years at Deloitte Cayman as Chief Operating Officer where he was responsible for HR, marketing, IT, operations, and finance departments. He also served as a subject matter expert on client consulting engagements, and worked with Deloitte offices in several Caribbean locations with operational matters.

Mr Fa’amoe was previously appointed Managing Director of the Information and Communications Technology Authority (ICTA) in 2013, which has since become part of OfReg.

Alejandro Peralta Vierci has almost 30 years of professional experience focused on the area of management and business management, especially those related to the world of telecommunications. After having held high positions in one of the most important business groups in Paraguay, both in the country and abroad, in 2006, he assumed the position of Director of the Media Holding of the Vierci Group, made up of 4 television channels, 4 radios, 2 newspapers, a magazine publisher, a digital products company and a gaming company.

As Director of one of the most important multimedia in the country, Mr Peralta worked in the field of telecommunications, print and digital media, developing comprehensive solutions to facilitate the achievement of strategic objectives through the use of the most advanced technology available. He led a human team made up of more than 1300 employees.

Among its main achievements we can mention the achievement of leadership in the Paraguayan market, for more than 10 years with the Telefuturo air channel. Its role in the expansion of the media holding was of vital importance, incorporating the Latele and Red Guaraní open television channels, and the Noticias Paraguay cable channel with a 24-hour uninterrupted transmission.

In the radio aspect, Mr Peralta led the creation of Radio Monumental 1080 AM and Palma FM 106.9. He achieved leadership in the FM radio market for the last 10 years at Radio E40. As for the print media, he contributed his experience to Diario Última Hora, Diario Extra and several leading regional magazines in its segments. In the digital world he was in charge of the management of leading content portals such as UltimaHora.com and Paraguay.com, as well as the leading free classifieds portal in Paraguay called Clasipar.com.

With the company Servicios Digitales, it obtained leadership as a provider of value-added services for the 4 telephone operators in Paraguay and launched the e-commerce site Wevia.com in February 2018.

Bio coming soon…

Dr Allyson Leacock, Chairman of the Barbados Broadcasting Authority and Director of National Transformation Initiative, Government of Barbados, is also an independent media and human development consultant. She led a coalition of 112 Media Houses in 24 Caribbean countries for 12 years and trained over 2000 Caribbean broadcasters. She served on the Executive Board of the Global Media AIDS Initiative (GMAI) and was elected for 2 terms as Chairman of the Global Steering Committee for the World AIDS Campaign. She was also Cultural Affairs Specialist at the US Embassy covering the Caribbean and Officer-In-Charge and Student Coordinator at the University of the West Indies Distance Education Centre (UWIDEC), now the Open Campus.

Dr Allyson Leacock was conferred with the Order of the Republic (OR) in Barbados National Honours on 30 November 2023. The award was given by the President of Barbados – In ‘recognition of sterling contribution to broadcasting, media relations, corporate communications, training, human resource development and educational technology, as well as distinguished service to Barbados as Head of National Transformation Initiative’.

Dr Leacock has a wide-ranging professional background including in executive management in corporate communications, media, needs assessment, training, human resource development and leadership, as well broadcast media including production and presentation as TV News Anchor, and as General Manager of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation.

She holds Masters and Ph.D. degrees in Educational Technology, Concordia University, Canada and BA (Double First Class Honours) in English and Education and the Diploma in Education (Dip.Ed with distinction) from Stirling University, UK. Her training also includes Diplomas in Human Resource Management, Facility Management, Arts Management and Alternative Dispute Resolution.

A Former national athlete, gymnast, dancer and actress, Dr Leacock is trained in sign language, is a volunteer with Special Olympics and Barbados Council for the Disabled.

Dr Leacock is also Former Chair of the International Institute of Communications Small Nations Regulators Forum 2021-2022.

Andrea Gita Millwood Hargrave is an independent consultant in the field of regulation across the communications ecosystem, with particular emphasis on emerging trends in technologies and consumer behaviour.

An Associate of the Programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy, University of Oxford, and a Member of the Working Group on Information Access (part of UNESCO’s IFAP Programme), Andrea stepped down as the IIC’s Director General in 2020, having run its regulatory programme for over twenty years. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Andrea served as a regulator for content delivery organisations in the UK for many years and has published widely on communications policy in an international context, having acted as an Expert for both the European Union and the Council of Europe.

Andres Maz’s current role is Public Policy – Latin America for Amazon Web Service.

Until March 2017, Mr Maz was Executive Director of Public Policy in Cisco’s Global Policy group where he lead Cisco’s Digitization Policy Strategy and global policy initiatives. Mr Maz played a vital role in crafting Cisco’s policy vision and strategy and he is also member of Cisco’s Latin America Senior Leadership Team.

A recognized global business and thought leader in the ICT space, Mr Maz has a strong track record in P&L management, international business, risk management, corporate finance, business development, negotiations, M&A, and strategy. Over his career, he has worked in the US, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, and Latin America and previously worked for Verizon Business, where he focused on corporate and regulatory strategy, and M&A.

Mr Maz holds a BA in Economics, an MA in Telecommunications, and an MBA from Columbia and London Business School.

Andrew Haire has been associated with some of the industry’s most successful telecom initiatives and his portfolio includes architecting major policy frameworks in the telecoms, technology, and postal sectors, as well as serving as regulator and ICT policy for 10 years at Singapore’s IDA, soon after its inception in the year 2000.

Previously, his experience included senior management roles with regulatory and public policy portfolios at one of the world’s largest telecom operators and before that, various engineering and management positions at the world’s largest computer company.

Mr Haire holds a degree in engineering in the United States, and attended the advanced management program from Harvard University.

Andrew Haire is also an Advisory Council member at the International Institute of Communications.

Professor Antonio García Zaballos is Lead Specialist on telecommunications in Institutions for Development and also leader of the broadband initiative. He has more than 15 years’ experience in the telecommunications sector where he has worked for various companies.

Additionally, Professor García Zaballos is member of the steering committee at the IEEE on connectivity and the Internet for All Initiative at the World Economic Forum. He has an extensive experience in the telecom sector where has been working in different positions of responsibility.

At Deloitte Spain he led the practice of regulation and strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean, and previously he was the Head of the Cabinet for Economic Studies of Regulation in Telefónica of Spain, and also was Deputy Director of Economic Analysis and Markets at the Spanish Telecom Regulator (CMT). Professor García Zaballos has provided advisory services to Regulators, Telecom Operators and Governments in countries such as Saudi Arabia, China, Ecuador, Argentina, Dominican Rep., Paraguay, Polonia, and the Czech Rep.

Professor García Zaballos holds a PhD in Economics from the University Carlos III of Madrid and is an associated professor of applied finance to Telecommunications at the Instituto de Empresa Business School. He is author of several publications on economic and regulatory aspects of telecommunications.

Arturo Robles Rovalo is a Commissioner at the Federal Institute of Telecommunications in Mexico.

Dr Robles previously worked for European telecommunications operators – such as Airtel-Vodafone in Spain – in areas related to strategic development and technological evolution, and for global consultancy firms specialized in technological, economic and political-regulatory analysis of multinational projects in telecommunications and information technologies. In addition, he was Senior Consultant at Détente Group for the deployment, evaluation, policymaking and international coordination of satellite systems for national security. In 2015, he started working at the Federal Telecommunications Institute as Deputy General Director for Prospective.

Dr Robles holds a Bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). He completed the Joint Doctorate in Telecommunications from Polytechnic University of Madrid and also earned a Masters degree in Signal Theory and Communications from the same University. In addition, he has taken postgraduate courses in Management of Telecommunications (Spain) and Regulation in Digital Markets (Belgium).

Carolina Limbatto is an economist specialising in regulatory and competition issues. She has worked for Cullen International since 2014 monitoring, reporting and benchmarking on regulatory issues and policy developments in telecommunications, media and digital economy in the Americas. Ms Limbatto is lead author of the Telecoms Cross-Country Analysis report and the spectrum service in the Americas. Ms Limbatto also regularly participates in regional relevant forum and engages with main stakeholders providing a neutral and accurate assessment and provides training and briefings on policy and regulatory issues. Before joining Cullen, Ms Limbatto worked at the Argentinian telecoms regulator for five years, advising on regulatory and economic issues.

Drew FitzGerald is a telecom reporter for The Wall Street Journal based in Washington, DC. His coverage focuses on trends in media, network infrastructure and technology policy around the world.

His recent work covered the protracted court battle over AT&T’s purchase of Time Warner and the factors that led T-Mobile to bid for rival Sprint. He has also written about the roadblocks hindering 5G network deployment, competitive forces buffeting the pay-TV industry and the impact deep-pocketed Silicon Valley companies have made on the Internet’s plumbing. Previously, as a retail industry reporter, he wrote extensively about e-commerce and chronicled RadioShack’s decline and ultimate bankruptcy.

Mr FitzGerald holds a bachelors degree in journalism from Boston University and is a Dow Jones News Fund alumnus.

Eduardo Guzmán represents telecommunications, media and technology (TMT) companies on regulatory and dispute resolution matters in the US and Latin America. He regularly advises carriers and providers on the implications of regulatory policy involving telecommunications, broadband, video services, and emerging technologies. On the dispute resolution front, he defends TMT companies in litigation, administrative proceedings, appellate matters, and arbitration proceedings that require a deep understanding of the telecommunications industry and its regulatory frameworks.

Mr Guzmán also has experience advising international companies and government entities in the development of public-private partnerships (“P3s”) and similr projects in the telecommunications and technology sectors, including projects for the deployment of fiber optics, conduit, and infrastructure to support broadband deployment.

Mr Guzmán has extensive experience in the Caribbean, where he has more than 15 years of experience represent government entities, corporations, and industry groups in Puerto Rico and has counseled companies considering entering the Cuban market.

Enrique Iglesias is a Telecommunications Specialist in the Division of Connectivity, Markets and Finance of the Inter-American Development Bank. His functions are based on support to the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean to develop agendas of broadband and digital economy through mechanisms of technical assistance and loan operations.

He previously worked as a strategy and operations consultant based in Madrid where he had the opportunity to provide services to the leading telecommunications companies in Europe and Latin America.

Mr Iglesias is a Telecommunications Engineer from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and holds a Master’s Degree in Banking and Financial Markets from Universidad Carlos III in Madrid.

Enrique Medina Malo is currently Chief Policy Officer at Telefónica S.A.

Mr Medina Malo joined the Telefónica Legal department in 2006, as Head of Public Law and with responsibilities in the field of Regulation and Competition legal affairs.

In 2008 he was appointed Chief Legal Officer of Telefónica, S.A., reporting to the Group´s General Counsel and in September 2011, General Counsel of Telefónica Europe, reporting to the regional CEO.

Before joining Telefonica, Mr Medina Malo served as in the Spanish Government Legal Service in different posts: Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Industry and Energy and the High Court of Cataluña. He also served as General Director for Legislation (Secretario General Técnico) of the Ministry of Science and Technology (2002-2004) and Chief Legal Officer of the Spanish Broadcasting Corporation RTVE (2004-2006).

Mr Medina Malo has a law degree from Carlos III University of Madrid (1994) and was admitted to the Spanish Government Legal Services in 1997 (Abogado del Estado).

Ernesto Estrada Gongález is an expert economist in competition policy and economic regulation. He has lead competition and regulation studies in several sectors: telecommunications, finance, transport, energy, public tenders, pharmaceuticals, notarial services, food and beverages and manufacturing, among others. He was the leading economist in multiple complex competition cases at the Federal Competition Commission.

Mr Gongález is a Partner at E.H. Economic Analysis. Previously, he was Commissioner at the Federal Telecommunications Institute; and Chief Economist at the Federal Competition Commission.

He holds a Ph. D. in Economics from The University of Chicago, an M.A. in Economics from El Colegio de México, and a B.A. in Economics from the Instituto Politécnico Nacional.

Ernesto Orozco has previously served as an advisor at the National Television Commission (CNTV) and a member of the Board of the National Television Authority (ANTV), as well as a professional at the National Broadcasting Network –Inravisión.

Mr Orozco is an electrical engineer graduated from the Universidad del Norte of Barranquilla, Specialist in Engineering Management Systems from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana University, Specialist in Regulation and Management of Telecommunications and New Technologies from the Univeridad Externado de Colombia and Master in Business Administration (MBA) from INALDE Business School of the Universidad de la Sabana.

Gabriel Solomon is Head of Government & Industry Relations, Europe & Latin America. He runs Ericsson’s regulatory and policy practise across some 110 countries. He has more than 25 years international experience of the communications industry, in roles spanning the different business functions.

Before joining Ericsson, Mr Solomon served as Vice President, Public Policy at the GSMA where he developed a comprehensive portfolio of policy and regulatory strategies and led multiple advocacy initiatives. Earlier in his career, Mr Solomon worked in management consultancy and established commercial technology ventures in Africa, Asia and Europe.

He has a MBA from INSEAD and volunteers as Chairman of the UK Telecommunications Academy.

Germán Darío Arias Pimienta is an Expert Commissioner for Commission for Communications Regulation of Colombia. He has acquired experience in the public and private sectors to building the telecommunications regulatory policies in Colombia.

His professional career started in 1995 with Empresas Públicas de Manizales in Colombia (Public utility companies of Manizales), where he played a key role in restructuring the institution, as a result of the entry into force of the Public Utility’s Act.

In August 2003, Mr Arias joined the Sector’s Development Directorate team of the Ministry of Communications. In that tenure, he contributed to the achievement of various regulatory challenges, namely: the opening of the long distance market, the interconnection between operators; the allocation of additional spectrum to mobile operators as a response to the growing service demand and to the freeing of frequency bands for the use of wireless access technologies, such as Wi-Fi.

Mr Arias returned to the private sector between 2007 and 2013, as Regulatory Affairs Manager with Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Bogotá (ETB), (Bogota’s Telecommunications Company), where he led the definition of a comprehensive regulatory strategy combining economic, legal, financial and technical elements and their implications on the company´s business strategy.

Mr Arias also served as Manager of the ICT and Agro Initiative at the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies, intended to ensure that ICTs improve the quality of life of peasants while they help increase land productivity in Colombia.

Mr Arias is an Economist with a Masters Degree in Information Technology Management from Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey and Specialisation in International Business Management.

Gustavo Pupo-Mayo is Chairman of the Television Association of Programmers Latin America (TAP), an industry trade association, that represents more than 120 Pay TV channels throughout Latin America in regulatory and legal matters.

Previously, he was founding President and CEO of MGM Networks Latin America and has held various positions in the media industry such as founding President of CBS TeleNoticias; Senior Vice-President of News and Public Affairs for Telemundo Network; General Manager of El Nuevo Herald; and News Director of WLTV Channel 23, the Univision flagship station in the Miami market. Indeed, Mr Pupo-Mayo, a lawyer and journalist with more than 40 years’ experience in television and print media, has founded and led a number of international media properties throughout his career. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Americas Society/ Council of the Americas, a business association dedicated to education, debate, and dialogue in the Americas.

Mr Pupo-Mayo is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Law and has a bachelor’s degree in journalism, also from the UM.

Dr Heber Damian Martinez is an attorney by profession and Professor at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina (UCA) (Argentine Catholic University). Previously Dr Martinez was the corporate affairs and institutional relations manager for the Telefe Group, as well as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Argentine Association of Television and Radio Broadcasters (ATA). He was also a member of the Board of Directors at the International Broadcasting Association and Chairman of the Employers’ Commission of Independent Communication Media (CEMCI). Dr. Martinez is one of the Vice-chairmen of the Study Group 16 – “Multimedia coding, systems and applications” of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector.

Horacio Romanelli has over 19 years of experience in external, regulatory, and government affairs in diverse industries. He has served in both the public and the private sector. One of his main areas of expertise is the telecommunications sector, where he has more than 14 years of experience.

At Millicom (TIGO), he has led government, regulatory, legal, corporate responsibility, and institutional affairs at the country level. He is currently in charge of Millicom’s (TIGO) regulatory and sustainability affairs for Latin America, coordinating activities, designing regulatory and relationship strategies for nine countries, and representing Millicom before different institutional entities such as the ITU (International Telecommunications Union) and CITEL (Inter-American Telecommunications Commission).

Mr Romanelli is Chair of the Policy Group for Latin America of the GSMA and he recently served as President of the Inter-American Association of Telecommunications Companies (ASIET), of which he is currently Vice-President and forms part of its board of directors.

Mr Romanelli is an Industrial Engineer, has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, and various specialties in regulatory matters, antitrust, finance, digital business, and negotiation.

Héctor Huici over the last 32 years has achieved a vast experience in regulation and ICT public policy both in the public and private sector

He has served as former ICT Secretary of Argentina (2016-2019) and former Undersecretary of Connectivity and Communications (2024). During the times of the privatization of the telecommunications services in Argentina during the 90’s he was legal and regulatory manager of the regulatory agency.

He has also been independent consultant of the IDB, ITU and Access Partnership. He has also been partner in the law firms Bomchil, Pinedo, Huici & Asociados and Sanchez Elía, Pinedo & Huici.

He is teacher in both private and public universities in graduate and post graduate courses and author of more of 50 articles of his expertise (administrative law, public utilities, telecoms, energy) in local and foreign publications.

He currently serves as Undersecretary of Simplification and De-Regulation of the Ministry of Deregulation and State Transformation.

Ivana Kriznic is Verizon’s head of public policy for Canada, Latin America and Emerging Markets. She started her legal career in private practice at the law firm of Morrison and Foerster and worked thereafter in different legal, regulatory, compliance, privacy, government affairs, and policy positions for AT&T, BT and Orange.

Ms Kriznic has been recently appointed Co-Secretary of the Hispanic National Bar Association Corporate Counsel Division. She is also part of Verizon PPLS Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council, co-leading the International Committee and of SOMOS (Verizon Latinx employee resource group) acting as one of the Communications Coordinator.

Ms Kriznic received her LL.M. from Columbia University School of Law and her legal degree from Universidad de Buenos Aires in Argentina. She also holds a master degree in Telecommunications Management, a bachelor degree in International Affairs and she has been certified as an information privacy professional by the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

Jacquelynn (Jackie) Ruff has more than 25 years of experience in global law and public policy around policy frameworks for digital services, Internet governance, digital trade, expansion of broadband connectivity, and women and technology.

Previously, Ms Ruff was a consulting counsel at the law firm of Wiley Rein where she provided legal, regulatory and public policy guidance on international issues impacting telecom, media, and technology industries.

Ms Ruff was also Vice President of International Government Relations and Policy at Verizon Communications. Her responsibilities included leading work in international organisations such as the UN International Telecommunication Union, the OECD, ICANN, and the Internet Governance Forum, and regional organisations CITEL and APEC.

She also represented Verizon on federal advisory committees to the US Department of State, the US Trade Representative, and the US Department of Commerce. Ms Ruff was a board member of the US Telecom Training Institute and co-chair of the Digital Trade group of the US Council for International Business, and she participated in the Policy and Spectrum Groups of the GSM Association. She is currently a Director of the International Institute of Communications. She is also a professorial lecturer at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs.

Ms Ruff joined Verizon in 2004 from the International Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), where she was Associate Chief and Chief of Staff for the Bureau. Previously she practiced with the communications and Latin America groups of an international law firm and served as staff for a US Senate Committee.

She has a BA from Radcliffe College/Harvard University, MA from Harvard University, and JD from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Jorge Fontevecchia is President & CEO of Perfil Network S.A., but also holds the post of Rector of the School of Communication, Perfil, and is a Member of the National Academy of Journalism, holding the Manuel Laínez Chair.

Mr Fontevecchia began his journalistic career in 1975, and went on to found a number of publications in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and on into Portugal and, through licensees, in Angola and Russia, and directly in China. News reporting has been the cornerstone of his work and his publications have been banned (and the bans overturned by the Supreme Court), he and his colleagues have been threatened and he has survived a kidnapping.

In 2015, Mr Fontevecchia obtained two open television licenses by tender, and a radio station is scheduled.

Mr Fontevecchia is the Director of the Academic Committee of Postgraduate Studies in Journalism of Investigation Perfil-USAL and of the Diploma in Scientific Journalism Perfil-Favaloro. He himself studied (1973 -1975) at the School of Business Administration – Universidad Argentina de la Empresa; read Studies of Television at the New York University and from 2009-2013 completed a Masters in Interdisciplinary Studies of the Subjectivity in the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the University of Buenos Aires. He has published and spoken widely.

He has been honoured with a number of awards for his work , including the Cabot Award in Journalism 1997, Columbia University; Río Branco´s Order to the Knight Commander, from the government of Brazil, for his contribution to the cultural exchange between both countries in 2000 and most recently, Legislatura, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Declaración de Ciudadano Ilustre (Declaration of Illustrious Citizen), 2019.

Juan Antonio Ketterer is the Chief of the Connectivity Markets and Finance Division of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). He is responsible for the financing programs of the Bank in the areas of fintech (including digital payments and financial inclusion), digital connectivity infrastructures and green investments.

He also leads an extensive research program on the interaction between the financial services industry and digital change, and in applying digital technologies to find innovative solutions to the problems of long-term financing.

Mr Ketterer has worked extensively with the international financial sector, with emphasis on financial engineering, capital markets, and digital finance (fintech). This includes managing positions with different financial and trading firms, and with the Spanish Derivatives Exchanges.

Mr Ketterer has a PhD in Financial Economics from the University of Minnesota. He became professor of finance at the Tepper Business School of Carnegie Mellon University and at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management of Northwestern University.

Karim Lesina was appointed Executive Vice President, Chief External Affairs Officer for Millicom in November 2020. In this role, Karim oversees the group’s Government Relations, Regulatory Affairs, Corporate Communications and ESG functions. His focus is on developing and driving Millicom’s global engagement to support of business objectives and particular responsibility for special situations and reputation strategies.

Before joining Millicom, Karim held the position of Senior Vice President, International External and Regulatory Affairs at AT&T, directing the internal international and regulatory affairs teams, as well as the external and regulatory affairs teams across AT&T and its global affiliates.

Before his term at AT&T, Karim was at Intel as the Government Affairs Manager for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Rounding out a strong portfolio, he acquired extensive agency experience through his work with multinational public relations and communications firms at the commencement of his career.

Karim is an active member in several industries and community organizations, including current service as Co-Chair of the Corporate Council of the Meridian International Center, as Board member of IREX, a nonprofit organization committed to global development and education, as Vice-Chair of the US-Colombia Business Council, as Board Member of the United States Telecommunication Training Institute, and as member of the GSMA Chief Policy & Regulatory Officer Group. He is also a member of the Board of Cogni, a digital banking app based in NYC and Co-Founder of the Centre for Latin America Convergence (CCLATAM), a pioneering think tank dedicated to advancing the realms of policy discussions and transformative change across the diverse landscape of Latin America.

Born in Dakar (Senegal), Karim is an Italian-Tunisian national and has a master’s degree in Economics of Development at the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.

Mr Lesina also served as a International Institute of Communications Board Director 2013-2022.

Laurent Therivel is the Chief Executive Officer of AT&T in Mexico, a wireless company that operates under the AT&T and Unefon brands. He leads a team of over 18 thousand employees, focused on connecting Mexican consumers through innovative offers and solutions. This is possible because of its advanced 4G LTE network that today covers nearly 100 million people in Mexico.

Prior to this role, he served as Senior Vice President of Finance responsible for all financial operations of AT&T Business. He was also Senior Vice President of Business Solutions for AT&T, where he was responsible for leading a national sales and service team delivering integrated solutions to small and medium businesses. His responsibilities included sales, service, customer experience, employee development, and the operational and financial performance of the business unit.

Mr Therivel also served as Senior Vice President of Strategy, where he was responsible for setting the company’s long term plans for the Mobility and Business groups, including wireless, internet, voice, network, and services.

Among other roles at AT&T, he served as Vice President and General Manager of AT&T’s Mobility and Consumer Markets in the Carolinas, responsible for the successful operation and overall performance of wireless and wireline sales, as well as network strategy and investment prioritization.

Prior to joining AT&T, Mr Therivel served as Chief Operating Officer for IPcelerate, Inc., a Voiceover- IP applications development company. At IPcelerate, Laurent was responsible for all areas of the company’s business operations, including sales, customer support, channel management and financial oversight.

Before IPCelerate, he was a management consultant at Bain & Company, where he focused on assisting top executives in driving change in their organizations.

He also served as a Communications Officer in the US Marine Corps. Laurent has been awarded the Naval Commendation Medal and two Naval Achievement Medals for leadership and initiative.

Mr Therivel received an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a BBA double major in Marketing and Business Administration from Texas A&M University.

Lester Garcia, Head of Connectivity and Access Policy, LATAM, Meta has more than 20 years of experience in the ICTs Regulation and Policy in Latin America.  Mr Garcia is also a Public Policy consultant and researcher.

Mr Garcia previously held the position of Chief of Regulatory Policy at COFETEL (the Mexican Telecom Regulator), where he was in charge of the coordination of regulatory decisions design for the Mexican telecom market. He was also the Government Relations Manager for Axtel from 1998 to 2001 and from 2001 to 2002, Corporate Affairs manager for Philip Morris Mexico.

Mr Garcia has been a lecturer and Professor in Economics and Public for different schools and universities in Mexico, and a regular speaker and panelist in National and International Events and Fora on Telecommunications and ICT Markets and Regulatory Issues. He currently holds the position of Head of the Masters in Economics and Public Policy at the Graduate School of Public Policy and Public Administration (EGAP) of ITESM, Monterrey.

Mr Garcia holds a PhD in Public Policy (Universidad Anahuac 2003-2008), a Masters in Public Policy (University of Chicago 1994-1996) and a BA degree in Economics (ITESM).

Lorenzo Montanari is Director of the international advocacy & affairs at the Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) and Executive Director of the Property Rights Alliance (PRA), an advocacy group affiliated with ATR for the protection of physical and intellectual property rights, both domestically and internationally. At Property Rights Alliance, he is in charge of publishing the International Property Rights Index, an international comparative study focussed on intellectual and physical property rights.

As Director of international advocacy, Mr Montanari has developed advocacy networks such as the Taxpayers Leaders Forum (TLF); the Coalition Leaders Forum (CLF) and the International Coalition Meeting (ICM) in partnership with Atlas Network. On the international stage, PRA works closely with famed property rights champion and President of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy (ILD) in Lima, Peru, Hernando de Soto and a further 91 think tanks.

Previously, he worked for a public affairs firm and for the international department of the GSPM/George Washington University in Washington, DC as well as a political analyst and electoral observer in Latin America.

Mr Montanari holds a BA in Political Science, a MA in International Relations from the University of Bologna and MA in Political Management from the George Washington University.

Lucas Gallitto is the Head of Latin America for the GSMA, leading a highly experienced cross-functional team to advance the impact, growth, and sustainability of digital economies by collaboration between the mobile industry, policymakers, technology ecosystem and international organizations.

He is a telecommunications executive with over 15 years of commercial, operational, regulatory and external affairs experience working for multinational companies in the digital ecosystem.

He leads the advocacy initiatives, contributing with new ideas and analysis to the regional policy dialogue at a time when emerging digital technologies and widespread broadband connectivity are reshaping society and the economy. His areas of responsibility include securing critical spectrum resources for mobile, promoting best practices in matters such as regulation, taxation, security and privacy, as well as fostering digital empowerment for citizens.

Mr Gallitto holds a Master in Business Administration (MBA) and has a degree in Telecommunications Engineering.

Bio coming soon…

María Dolores Souza has been with the broadcast regulator, the ‘National Television Council’ of Chile (CNTV), since 1993. As Head of Research, she is responsible for the development of research aimed at stimulating social debate on broadcast regulation; and for producing information for decision making and public policy. Ms Souza has developed the cultural and educational syllabus at CNTV; and initiated a Network of Regulatory Authorities in the Ibero- American region (PRAI).

Ms Souza earned her Doctorandus (Drs), from the Royal University of Leiden, The Netherlands, and has a Master’s degree in Communications from Diego Portales University (Chile) and Pompeu Fabra University, (Barcelona, Spain).

Melesia Sutherland heads Regulatory and Government Affairs for Liberty Latin America’s (Flow) North Caribbean region.

With over 20 years of experience in the Caribbean telecommunications industry, she is a leading regulatory expert and a chartered director who effectively identifies emerging threats and opportunities in the policy and regulatory space to shape business strategy and technology policy.

She is a trusted advisor, thought leader and big picture thinker who builds relationships with governments, regulators and industry peers. She is motivated by the mission of delivering innovative and affordable solutions that connect and empower people across the Caribbean.

Ms Sutherland is Director of the 110 member strong trade association for telecoms operators across the Caribbean region, CANTO, and past Chair of its Regulatory & Emerging Technologies Committee. An active member of the CTU Spectrum Harmonisation Taskforce, Melesia has spoken at several spectrum management events and is currently involved in the Caribbean Fair Share lobby.

Ms Sutherland holds a first degree in Government from the University of the West Indies, Jamaica, and MBA. Finance, from the Universities of Manchester and Wales, United Kingdom. She is a curious person, a lifelong learner who savors the simple joy of reading.

Mr Oscar Giovanni León Suárez is Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Telecommunications Commission.  In this role he has been a fundamental ally in the development of agreements, execution of projects, and telecommunications programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. Mr León has promoted and supported the development of the telecommunications industry in Latin America, which has attracted a greater number of American companies as associate members of the Inter-American Telecommunications Commission. ICT Ministries, Head of Regulators, and telecommunications companies of the Americas seek the technical advice of Mr León to improve the conditions of their telecommunications industries in the Americas and massify the use of information technology.

Mr León previously held the position of former General Director of National Spectrum Agency of Colombia. He was also Regulatory Manager of Claro Colombia (America Movil) and he has been advisor of multiple ICT Ministers and Regulatory Authorities in Latin America. He has worked for the Colombian Telecommunication Regulator and as Project Director in Solutions Providers of Microsoft.

A resourceful strategic leader with trackable successes over 25 years of ICT experience, Mr León’s major strengths include planning and execution of policy and regulatory strategies: team management for technology projects and an active network of contacts (government, regulatory, private sector, industry associations, civil society organizations and other multilateral organizations). He is recognized for strong result orientation, high degree of integrity, transparency and responsibility. He has a great ability developing and implementing successful solutions for corporate responsibility and social investment.

Mr León is an Electronic Engineer with post grade in Telecommunications Project Management and a Master in Business Administration.

An expert on telecommunications public policies and digital development, Mr Bello worked for the Chilean Government from 1997 to 2010. Between 2002 and 2006, he was Head of the Division of Regulatory Policy and Studies of the Telecommunications Sub-Secretariat and, during the Presidency of Michelle Bachelet (2006-2010), he was the Telecommunications Vice Minister. He was part of the Global Commission on Internet Governance and is currently a member of the MultiStakeholder Advisory Group of the Internet Governance Forum and the High-Level Advisory Group of Internet Jurisdiction.

Mr Bello is an Economist from the University of Chile and has an MBA from the ESADE Business School.

Pau Puig Gabarró  holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Telecommunications Engineering, as well as a Postgraduate Degree in Business Management and a Master’s Degree in International Business Administration. Since 2016 he has worked at the Inter-American Development Bank as a Telecommunications Specialist, supporting governments in Latin America and the Caribbean to reform public policies in digital technologies and to plan and execute investments in telecommunications infrastructure.

Ramiro Camacho Castillo was appointed Commissioner of the Federal Telecommunications Institute of Mexico (IFT) in March of 2019 for a period of nine years.

Commissioner Camacho has worked as an economist at the competition and telecommunications authorities of Mexico for the past twelve years. He was General Director of Economic Consulting at IFT and Deputy General Director of Economic Studies at the Competition Commission (COFECE). Previously, he was an Associated Professor at the University of Guadalajara for eleven years.

Commissioner Camacho holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics from the University of Guadalajara, and three master’s degrees: In Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; in Operations Research from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM); and in Energy Economics from Scuola Superiore Enrico Mattei in Italy.

Ricardo Sheffield took up his post as General Prosecutor of the Mexican Federal Consumer Agency in December 2018. Prior to that he was Executive President of the Chamber of the Footwear Industry.

He was City Councilman in Leon from 1994-1997, State Congressman from 1997-2000 and Federal Congressman over two separate periods (2000-2003 and 2015-2018). Additionally Mr Sheffield was Undersecretary of Land for the Federal Government and Mayor of the city of Leon between 2009 and 2012. During this time, the city of Leon received the “Sustainable Transport Award 2011” from the UN, the “Ciudad campeona del agua” award in 2012, and was recognized as one of the ten best cities to live in in Latin America in 2012.

Mr Sheffield ran for Governor of Guanajuato with the Morena Party in 2018, finishing second in the election.

Mr Sheffield has a degree in law from the Universidad Iberoamericana, a Master from Harvard Law School, and is a candidate for a Doctorate in Procedural Law from Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon. As a specialist in private international law, he has been a professor and taught in many public and private universities and government institutions.

A leading voice and advocate for the multistakeholder internet governance model in Latin America and the Caribbean, Rodrigo de la Parra is a Regional Vice President for ICANN. Based in Mexico City but frequently travelling through the region, Mr de la Parra is responsible for outreach, support and engagement with user groups, governments, private sector and civil society throughout the region. In his role, he works closely with the Latin American technical community to build a robust internet infrastructure in the region. Under his leadership, ICANN has opened an engagement centre in Montevideo, Uruguay, in the House of the Internet.

With more than 20 years’ experience, Mr de la Parra served as Director General of Prospective Regulation and Director General for International Cooperation of Mexico’s Federal Commission of Telecommunications (Cofetel) before joining ICANN in 2011. While at Cofetel, he leveraged his skills and knowledge of internet governance structures and ICT to develop public policy and regulation recommendations for new technologies. He was involved with various ICT groups of international organisations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Organization of American States, and the World Trade Organization, among others.

Mr de la Parra also represented Mexico on ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee which gives governments a voice in the organisation’s policy formation. He was a member of the Consultative Committee of NIC.MX, the non-profit operator of Mexico’s country-code Top-Level Domain and the registry that manages allocation of Internet Protocol address space to Mexican Internet Service Providers.

Mr de la Parra has a Master’s degree in political economy and international relations from the University of Essex in the UK. He has been a lecturer of International Organizations and Economic Negotiations and a consultant to the Latin American Cooperation for Advanced Networks.

Sebastian Cabello is an accomplished digital technology policy expert with vast experience driving collective action, public-private partnerships across Latin America. He serves as CEO at SmC+ Digital Public Affairs supporting different global digital players as well as advising the Inter-American Bank (IDB) and the Latin American Internet Association (ALAI). He is also research fellow at the Center for Technology and Society at Universidad de San Andres, Argentina. Between 2010 and 2018, he was Head of Latin America at the GSMA, the global association of the mobile industry, and led the organization’s advocacy activities in the region. He is one of the creators of the We Care Campaign, the capacity building center CE-Digital, the Latin American Congress on Telecommunications (CLT), and most recently the IDB BEST network. He has been part of the National Committee on Spectrum of Colombia and the Latin American Internet for All Advisory Committee of the World Economic Forum.

Sebastián Nieto Parra is the Head of Latin America and the Caribbean at the OECD Development Centre, and leads the annual flagship Latin American Economic Outlook as well as Revenue Statistics in Latin American and the Caribbean and the OECD Multi-dimensional Country Reviews in the region.

His research interests include financing for development, economic development, infrastructure and connectivity policies and political economy in emerging economies. Before joining the OECD, Mr. Nieto Parra was an economist for Latin America at Santander Bank, Madrid. Prior to that, he worked on the regulation of the financial sector and the development of the mortgage market, both at the Central Bank of Colombia and the Colombian Ministry of Finance.

In addition to his OECD position, he also teaches economic policy of emerging markets at Sciences Po, Paris. He holds a PhD in Economics and completed his graduate studies in Economics at Sciences Po, Paris and Toulouse School of Economics.

Bio coming soon

Dr Stephen Unger was until recently a Board member of Ofcom, the UK regulator responsible for digital communications. He had various responsibilities, including setting regulatory strategy for the UK, representing the UK internationally, and leading Ofcom’s technology programme. For a period he was Acting Chief Executive.

Before becoming a regulator Dr Unger spent several years in the private sector. He worked for a variety of high-tech start-ups who were developing and exploiting new wireless technologies.

Dr Unger’s current focus, working as a non-executive board member, consultant, and academic, is on the practical implications of disruptive technology change.

Dr Unger also served as a International Institute of Communications Board Director 2017-2022.

For more background see www.linkedin.com/in/ungersteve. Dr Unger can be contacted at swunger@swunger.com

Bio coming soon ….

Tiago Machado was appointed in 2017, as the Director of Government and Industry Relations at Ericsson for Brazil and Latin America South, representing the company towards local and foreign governments, industry trade associations, international bodies and the press.

Mr Machado has over 15 years of experience in the telecommunications industry and is an enthusiast when it comes to technology. Prior to joining Ericsson in 2016 as a Senior Strategy Manager, he held different technical, sales and business development positions at Siemens Communications and Nokia Siemens Networks in Brazil, Mexico and Italy.

Mr Machado holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of São Paulo (USP) and a full-time MBA degree from INSEAD, in France. He specialises in Internet of Things and 5G, wireless technologies, spectrum, data privacy, cyber-security, industrial policy, innovation, regulatory modernization and public policies to foster digitalisation.

Tobi-Ann Chang joined Digicel in 2016 and is the Legal and Regulatory Director for Digicel (Jamaica) Limited.

Ms Chang was called to the Bar in Jamaica in 2005 and has worked with three of Jamaica’s leading law firms in their Commercial Departments with primary focus on Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate Restructuring.

She graduated from the University of the West Indies having obtained a Bachelor of Laws Degree with Honours and then completed her studies at the Norman Manley Law School.

Yaël Ossowski is an economic journalist and deputy director at the Consumer Choice Center. He organizes global campaigns advocating for consumer choice, writing articles, testifying before lawmakers, and appearing on TV and radio. Previously, he worked as a national investigative reporter and Spanish translator for Watchdog.org, as well as reporter for local newspapers, online outlets, and TV.