Annual Conference 2018

Dr Abel Hibert Sánchez is currently Director of Postgraduate Studies and Director of the Center for Applied Interdisciplinary Social Research at the Metropolitan University of Monterrey. He is also a consultant on economic competition and telecommunications issues.

Dr Hibert is professor of Industrial Organisation and Monetary Policy Theory at the Tecnológico de Monterrey; professor of Business Management, Regional Development and Strategy at the Graduate Division of the Metropolitan University of Monterrey.

Dr Hibert was previously a Commissioner at Federal Telecommunications Commission and a Director of Economics and Development at the Graduate’s School of Public Administration and Public Policy at Tecnológico de Monterrey.

He has also held several positions as Economic Consultant at CIEMEX-WEFA, Deputy Director of Analysis in Vector Casa de Bolsa and Chief Economist of Pulsar International Group.

Dr Hibert was President of the College of Economists of Nuevo León from 2000 to 2002 and from 2012 to 2013 and was also a member of the Business Council of the newspapers El Norte and Reforma.

He has been an editorialist for several national and local newspapers such as El Norte, Reforma AM de Nuevo León and El Financiero and co-author of books and academic articles on economic topics.

An Economist from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, Dr Hibert obtained an MA in Applied Economics from the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and a PhD in Philosophy in Administration from EGADE Business School.

Adriana Labardini Inzunza is currently an independent public interest lawyer and consumer rights expert, she has always acted afar from political, partisan and corporate interests and has fought to deter anticompetitive practices and eliminate barriers to competition. She has promoted initiatives to bridge the digital divide, promote rural and indigenous connectivity and media, at the same time as she has insisted to embed innovation in the agency, build consumer empowerment tools, work permanently towards gender equality and effective implementation and enforcement of regulation.

Ms Labardini served as Secretary of the Board of COFETEL, the former, telecommunications agency (1999-2003); practiced law in a major law firm, specialising in the areas of corporate, administrative and telecommunications law (1986- 1998). Upon her return to Mexico after completing the H. Humphrey Fellowship in North Carolina, UNC and Duke (2003-2004), she co-founded Alconsumidor, a nonprofit watchdog, pioneer in advocating for consumer rights and consumer class actions, a project that ended in a constitutional and legal reform.

Ms Labardini is a Fulbright scholar and a Hubert Humphrey and Ashoka Fellow. She is a professor at the Escuela Libre de Derecho LLM program in Mexico City and has lectured at CIDE, UNAM, ITAM, ITESM, UP as visiting professor.

She obtained her law degree cum laude from Escuela Libre de Derecho in Mexico City in 1987 and her Masters degree (LLM) from Columbia University in New York, on a Fulbright scholar in 1991. For four and a half years she has served as Commissioner at the Federal Institute of Telecommunications (IFT), the Mexican independent regulatory body and competition authority for telecommunications and broadcasting industries. She also chaired the IFT for an interim term in the fall of 2017. Her tenure ended on February 28th, 2018.

In such capacity she has successfully led efforts to create a research center within IFT, strengthen regional and international relations among regulators, such as FCC, CRTC, and through Regulatel, BEREC and IIC; she has fought for pluralism in media, truly independent public media as well as initiatives for inclusion & accessibility and innovating the regulator. During the first two years of her tenure, she was the Commissioner in charge of transparency and access to public information at IFT and a member of the Ethics Committee.

Prior to joining Searchlight in 2021, Ajit Pai was the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”), which he led from 2017 until 2021. He first joined the FCC as a Commissioner in 2012. During Mr Pai’s tenure as Chairman, he implemented major initiatives to help close the digital divide; advance US leadership in 5G, Open Radio Access Networks, Wi-Fi 6, and other wireless technologies; promote innovation; protect consumers, public safety, and national security; and make the agency itself more open, transparent, and data-driven.

Earlier in his career, he served in various positions of increasing responsibility at the FCC, the US Department of Justice, and the US Senate. Before becoming a Commissioner, he worked as a Partner at the law firm of Jenner & Block and served as in-house counsel at Verizon.

Mr Pai graduated with honors from Harvard University in 1994 and from the University of Chicago Law School in 1997.

Alberto Jácome Espinosa was appointed Vice Minister of Information and Communication Technologies of the Ministry of Telecommunications and the Information Society on 20 June 2017.

He has extensive knowledge of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry, a field in which he has accumulated more than 35 years of working experience. His wide career in the technology multinational IBM (Ecuador) stands out, where he held different positions such as Systems Engineer, Project Manager and Service Delivery Manager.

From 1997 to 2002, Mr Jácome led a team of 15 engineers as a Service Delivery and Solutions Manager nationwide, and he participated in the successful implementation of technological solutions in the following areas:

• Software Services
• Hardware Services and Site Preparation
• Connectivity, Networking and Telecommunications Services
• Recovery and Business Continuity Services
• Infrastructure Services and Systems Administration

The services provided included the design, support and implementation of telecommunications, interconnection of networks, installation of optical fiber for the connections, solutions of Voice over IP (VoIP) and provision of Internet.

These activities have allowed him to develop his managerial and leadership capacity in the promotion of projects related to the ICT field.

Mr Jácome, a professional engineer, graduated with honors from the National Polytechnic School where, in addition, he was a professor of Computer Science and Systems Engineering. He accounts, also, with several courses and capacities at national and international level in programming, software development and applications, project management, technological solutions, among others.

Alison Nemeth Steger advises Chairman Ajit Pai of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on media issues, including broadcast radio and tv, cable, and the broadcast incentive auction. Before joining the Chairman’s office, Ms Steger served as a Legal Advisor in the Media Bureau’s Office of the Bureau Chief at the FCC. She originally came to the Commission through the FCC’s Attorney Honors Program, and has worked on a variety of legal and policy issues in both the Media and Wireless Telecommunications Bureaus relating to broadcast television licensing, transactions, the broadcast incentive auction, privacy, and device security. Previously, Ms Steger served as an interim legal advisor for media issues in then-Commissioner Pai’s Office.

Ms Steger received her JD from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law and obtained a certificate from its Institute for Communications Law Studies. She also has an undergraduate degree from Lafayette College.

Allan Ruiz Madrigal currently serves as Executive Secretary of COMTELCA (Regional Telecommunications Technical Commission), and has had the distinction of working with several global corporations, including Lucent Technologies, Alcatel, Intel, General Electric and ICE (Costa Rica’s incumbent telecom operator).

Mr Ruiz offers more than 25 years of experience worldwide in the development of ICT projects and telecommunications in both the public and private sectors. He is an expert in digital technologies, radio spectrum management, microwave and wireless networks, mobile telephony, rural telephony, broadcasting, digital television, satellite and broadband plans. He is also an expert tutor, coordinator at CEABAD and has represented the Republic of Costa Rica in the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) and in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

He has been Director of Radio Spectrum and Vice Minister of Telecommunications at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications, Costa Rica. He has also been a professor at the University of Costa Rica in telecommunications.

Mr Ruiz has a BS from the University of Costa Rica in Electronics and Telecommunications and hold a master’s degree in Telecommunications from the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid.

Ana María Magaña Rodríguez is a Lawyer in Intellectual Property, specialising in the area of Copyright. She currently serves as the General Director of the Motion Picture Association Mexico, representing the intellectual property interests of the six leading Hollywood studios (Disney, Sony / Columbia, Paramount, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal and Warner Bros.).

Ms Magaña is also President of the Committee on Intellectual Property in the American Chamber of Mexico and serves as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Coalition for Legal Access to Culture, and is a Commissioner of Communication in the Interinstitutional Committee for Care and Protection of Copyright and Industrial Property of the Attorney General of the Republic.

Ms Magaña has a degree in Law from the ITESM (Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey), Campus Estado de México and a Master’s Degree in Law from the Universidad Tecnológica de México (UNITEC).

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.

Carlos Sánchez is responsible for the planning, integration, engineering, performance, deployment and operations of AT&T´s wireless assets in Mexico with the objective of transforming the network to world class level with an excellent cost structure.

Before his appointment as CTO of AT&T in Mexico, he was VP for the Antenna Solution Group, responsible for the nationwide deployment of DAS, Wi-Fi and Small Cells. Mr Sánchez held positions as CTO for América Móvil, RAN AVP for the SouthEast Region and several leadership roles in Latin America covering Network, IT and Business Planning.

Mr Sánchez earned his Bachelor of Science in Electronic Engineering from Simón Bolívar University and his Executive MBA from Institute of Higher Administration Studies (IESA), both located in Caracas, Venezuela.

Cecilia Hurtado Valdez is currently an Innovation Strategist and Project Manager at the University of Guadalajara, promoting and developing projects related to Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain.

Ms Hurtado an enthusiast of innovation processes, has worked on the implementation of several SW development projects for the Vice Presidency of the University of Guadalajara and for the Government of Jalisco, Mexico. She has participated as a mentor in programs to shorten the gender gap, by encouraging the participation of girls in technological projects. Ms Hurtado has participated in systematisation projects for Federal Program Mexico Conectado.

Ms Hurtado is an Industrial Engineer with an MSc in Economics from the University of Guadalajara

Chris Chapman was appointed President of the International Institute of Communications on 1 April 2016. He is also Chair of the IIC Nominations Committee.

Mr Chapman previously held the position of Chairman and CEO of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). He was appointed in February 2006 and was re-appointed for a 2nd five year term in October 2010 until April 2016. He was appointed an Associate Member of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in September 2007.

Mr Chapman is a seasoned executive with experience in the media, broadcasting and film, internet, telecommunications, sports rights and infrastructure development worlds.

Before joining ACMA, Mr Chapman held a number of senior management positions with the Seven Network, Stadium Australia Management, Optus and Babcock & Brown. He has also been the Chairman of Film Australia and Sports Vision Australia, and a previous member of the National Film and Sound Archives’ Advisory Council.

Mr Chapman has a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of New South Wales and has completed the Harvard Business School AMP program.

Chris Woolford is Ofcom’s Director of International Spectrum Policy where his responsibilities cover the UK’s international spectrum interests, especially in relation to the ITU, CEPT and EU. He has closely engaged for the UK on a number of key European regulatory initiatives in the field of electronic communications and participates in many European spectrum groups. He leads UK engagement with the ITU and led the UK delegations to WRCs in 2019, 2015 and 2012. He is currently preparing to lead the UK delegation to WRC-23.

In 2019 Mr Woolford took on the role of Chairman of the Electronic Communications Committee (ECC) of CEPT and was re-elected for a second term in 2022. He has also been a Director of the International Institute of Communications since 2018.

Mr Woolford has 25 years’ experience of working on spectrum and communications regulation, both at Ofcom and its predecessor (Oftel). He has a degree in mathematics and statistics from Manchester University.

Clara Luz Álvarez is a member of the Mexican National Researchers System (level II) and researcher of the Universidad Panamericana (Mexico). She received the National Journalism Award for spreading democratic culture for her program Código Democracia at the Congress Channel (2014).

Ms Álvarez is author of the books Telecomunicaciones y Radiodifusión en México (2018), Telecomunicaciones en la Constitución (2017), El Regulador de Telecomunicaciones (2017), Derecho de las Telecomunicaciones (3rd edition 2014) and Internet y Derechos Fundamentales (2011), and coordinator of the book Telecomunicaciones y Tecnologías de la Información (2012).

Ms Álvarez was rapporteur for the International Telecommunications Union’s study group of ICT accessibility for persons with disabilities (2006-2011), and Commissioner for the Mexican Telecommunications Commission.

Claudio Bermúdez Aquart is General Manager of REDCA, the company responsible for the management of their regional OPGW Network of SIEPAC project.

Mr Bermúdez has previously held the positions of Manager and Vice-manager of the Telecommunications Sector of ICE from 2004 to 2012 and Director of Mobile Services, Director of the Planning Division and Director of Network Telecommunication Management in ICE Costa Rica.

At the international level, he has been Vice-President of the AHCIET organisation and acting Chair of the OAS Inter-American Telecommunication Commission COM/CITEL.

Mr Bermúdez graduated with a Master´s Degree in Business Administration from National University, San Diego, California, Industrial Engineering from the University of Costa Rica, and has been engaged in specialised courses on telecommunications and management.

He has occupied teaching positions in the Engineering Faculty of the University of Costa Rica and the Business Administration Programs of the Technological Institute of Costa Rica (ITCR).

Captain and co-founder at AtomiCo (Kichink, Puentes, BipBip, Kash, Iconus +)
Product enthusiast, tech architect, business leader.
Endeavor Entrepreneur, Google Launchpad Mentor, Founders Institute Alumni.

Cordel Green is Executive Director of the Broadcasting Commission, which regulates radio, television and cable in Jamaica, and he is helping to lead Jamaica’s Digital Television Transition process.

Mr Green has been appointed to the Jamaica National Commission for UNESCO and represents Jamaica on UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Council for the Information For All Programme (IFAP). He is also Vice-Chair of the International Bureau for IFAP and Chairman of the IFAP Working Group on Information Accessibility. His other affiliations include being a Vice-Chair (Caribbean), International Centre for Information Ethics (ICIE); Member of the Law Committee for the IEEE Global Initiative for Ethical Consideration in Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems; Member of the IEEE Working Group on Trustworthiness in News; Member of the IEEE Working Group on Recommended Practice for Organizational Governance of AI; Advisory Board member of the Society for Scientific Advancement (SOSA); and honorary member of the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (Washington DC).

Mr Green holds Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) and Bachelor of Laws (Hons.) degrees from the University of the West Indies, a Master of Laws Degree with distinction, from the University of Sheffield in England, a Master of Business Administration degree from the Mona School of Business, and is an alumnus of the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education Programme and a Chevening Scholar.

Cristian Aguilar was appointed as the Vice-Minister in charge of Telecommunications and Transports of Guatemala in January, 2016. Previously, from 2013 to 2015, he worked for the Superintendence of Tax Administration as a Systems Analyst and Project Manager.

Mr Aguilar graduated in Science and Systems Engineering from the University of San Carlos of Guatemala. He also holds a Masters in Business Administration specialising in Strategic Management from the Superior School of Higher Management of the Mesoamerican University.

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Derek Wilding is based in the Faculty of Law at University of Technology Sydney where he is the Co-Director of the Centre for Media Transition.

Dr Wilding has worked in statutory and industry-based regulatory positions, specialising in media and communications regulation. He was Executive Director of the Australian Press Council, manager of media ownership and control at the Australian Communications and Media Authority and Director of the Communications Law Centre at University of New South Wales. He has also worked for the Office of Film and Literature Classification and the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance.

Dr Wilding is currently a chief investigator on a three-year research project examining media pluralism and online news (funded by the Australian Research Council) and a two-year research project on consumer and public participation in industry rule-making in the communications sector. The Centre for Media Transition is conducting externally-funded research into the impact of digital platforms on news and journalistic content and the state of trust in news media.

Dr Wilding is Chair of IIC Programme and Market Insight Committee.

Appointed in April 2017, Edgar Olvera is the Undersecretary of Communications at the Mexican Ministry of Communications and Transportation (“SCT”).

Prior to his appointment as Undersecretary, Mr Olvera served as Coordinator of Technical-Regulatory Projects of the Undersecretary of Communications; in this position, he participated in several projects like the acquisition of the Mexican satellite program (“MEXSAT”), the bidding of the dark fiber of the Federal Electricity Commission (“CFE”) and the largest PPP project in Mexican history, Red Compartida. Mr Olvera has held several positions within the public service such as Deputy General Director of Sanctions at the SCT, as well as Deputy General Director and Area Directorates at the Federal Attorney’s Office of Consumer (“PROFECO”), where he began the contact with the telecommunications sector.

Mr Olvera holds a law degree from the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Querétaro.

Dr Elisa Mariscal Medina has worked in competition matters for almost 20 years. She is managing director with Global Economics Group, a firm specialising in economic analysis of legal, regulatory and policy matters throughout the world. She is an Economics and Law Adjunct Professor at CIDE (Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas), and an associated fellow of its Interdisciplinary Program in Competition and Regulation (PIRCE). She is currently serving her second year as a member of the Federal Telecommunications Regulator’s (IFT) advisory council.

She has been Editor-in-Chief of Competition Policy International (CPI) since 2013, which publishes a bi-annual academic journal, bi-monthly magazine, and a daily newsletter, covering antitrust and competition policy issues around the world.

Prior to this, Dr Mariscal headed the General Directorate for Unilateral Conduct Investigations at the Federal Competition Commission (CFC) of Mexico. In this role, she led one of the largest unilateral conduct investigations for the CFC into exclusive dealings and fidelity rebates programs. During her seven-year tenure at the CFC, she was advisor to the Chairman, Deputy General Director of Economic Studies and Deputy General Director of International Affairs.

Before working with the Mexican competition agency, Dr Mariscal was an economic consultant at Cornerstone Research and LECG, where she worked in in antitrust, regulation and intellectual property issues in the US, Canada and Latin America,

Dr Mariscal received her bachelors degree with honours from ITAM (Instituto Tecno lógico Autónomo de México), and a PhD. and MA in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She is the author of a number of papers and studies.

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.

Fernando Borjón is currently in charge of the Telecommunications Investment Promotion Agency (PROMTEL), by appointment of the President of Mexico. On this responsibility, he leads Promtel as part of the Public Private Partnership the is in charge of deploying Red Compartida, the Wholesale wireless network of Mexico. He also leads the promotion activities to increase investment for the deployment of telecommunications and broadcasting infrastructure.

Mr Borjón has more than 30 years of professional experience, working in the academic sector as well as in the Federal Public Administration. In September 2013, he held the position of Commissioner at the Federal Institute of Telecommunications, a chair for which he was appointed by the President and ratified by the Senate of Mexico. During his term at the Institute, he actively participated in the implementation of various constitutional and legislative goals establishd from the Telecommunications Reform of 2013, that were focus on increasing competition in the telecommunications and broadcasting sector.

In compliance with the international commitments acquired by Mexico, he has chaired the Expert Group on the International Telecommunication Regulations, from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), which is responsible for ITRS revision, since 2016. He has also been the Chairman of the ITUs Plenipotentiary Conference on 2010 and Chairman of the ITU Council from 2010 to 2012.

Mr Borjón holds a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the Universidad Iberoamericana, with a Master in Sciences in Industrial Systems of Measurement from Brunel University, where he obtained the Best Master’s thesis in Great Britain, awarded by the Institute of Measurement and Control from United Kingdom. He has also received degrees in Management and Leadership, as well as in Strategy and Innovation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Sloan School of Management, Cambridge, MA, USA, respectively.

Commissioner Gabriel Contreras Saldívar is President of the Federal Institute of Communications (IFT) in Mexico and is a professor at the Escuela Libre de Derecho (since 2009), where he lectures on subjects such as administrative, constitutional and civil law.

Commissioner Contreras Saldívar has served as Adjunct Advisor of Legislation and Regulatory Studies at the Legal Counsel of the Federal Executive branch in Mexico, where he also held the positions of Adjunct Advisor of Consultation and Constitutional Studies, and Adjunct Advisor of Control and Constitutional Litigation.

He was Technical Secretary and General Director at the Presidency Office, Legal General Director for Regulation and Consultation at the Institute for the Banking Savings Protection (IPAB), Liaison Director for the Health, Education, Labor, Fiscal, and Financial Sectors at the Federal Regulatory Improvement Commission, as well as Director of International Legal Assistance in the Attorney General’s Office.

He is a lawyer from the Escuela Libre de Derechoin Mexico, and has a Masters Degree in Law, Economics and Public Policy from the Instituto Universitario Ortega y Gasset, Spain.

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.

Gabriel Székely is Managing Director of the National Telecommunications Association in Mexico (Anatel, A.C), representing the leading mobile telephone and Internet service providers, as well as all major manufacturers of telecom networks and cell phones. Dr Székely’s mandate includes developing the leadership and creativity to put together new initiatives, and to generate consensus amongst competitors in Mexico’s single institution where business executives seat and agree to pursue common goals in areas such as regulation and corporate responsibility.

Dr Szekely’s senior advisory roles have included consulting to Cisco Systems, Ericsson, the Government of Sweden and the World Bank at the time of the privatisation of Telmex and the rapid evolution of Mexico’s mobile industry. Dr Székely also advised both the Government and the business sector of California, Japan’s Sumitomo and Mitsubishi Trading Companies and the Government of Japan on the expected impacts of NAFTA.

Dr Szekely’s experience in public service in Mexico includes one year as advisor at the Office of the President, serving as Chief of Staff of the Secretary of Tourism (2003 to 2010), and Mexico’s Representative at the OECD Committee on Tourism in Paris.

Dr Szekely was Associate Director of the Research Center on US and Mexican economies at University of California, San Diego (1985-1993). He was Tenured Professor at El Colegio de Mexico for 14 years and has worked as Senior Fellow at the Overseas Development Council in the US capital, Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies in England, and at The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

Dr Székely earned a PhD at The George Washington University, and received his MA from The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, SAIS, in Washington, DC.

Gita Sorensen is the Founder Director of GOS Consulting, specialising in regulatory and commercial strategy in electronic communications. Ms Sorensen has 29 years’ experience including 12 years in senior management and director roles before becoming a consultant. Ms Sorensen provides consultancy and expert witness services. She has worked for fixed and mobile operators, service providers, governments, regulators, suppliers and investors worldwide.

Giuseppina Curreli  has over 15 years’ experience in international affairs and government relations. An Italian national, she unfolded her professional path operating in different countries. Prior to joining Millicom as Political Relations and Education Programs Director she worked at AT&T developing the international regulatory affairs strategy covering Canada, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean. She held the position of Chief of Staff to the Secretary General of the European People’s Party in Brussels. She has a degree in International and Diplomatic Sciences from the University of Trieste and a Master of Arts in Nationalism Studies from the Central European University in Budapest.

Gonzalo de Dios serves as Head of Global Licensing for Project Kuiper, Amazon’s initiative to increase global broadband access through a constellation of satellites in low earth orbit (LEO). The Kuiper System will deliver high-speed, low-latency broadband connectivity to unserved and underserved communities around the world.

Mr de Dios has over 25 years’ experience in domestic and international regulatory, market access, licensing, compliance, spectrum management, government affairs, corporate/ transactional and business development matters. He has worked in-house with multinational corporations as well as with law firms, advising customers on both domestic and international telecommunications and regulatory matters.

Mr de Dios is a frequent speaker on international telecommunications regulatory topics, has served as a Board member of the United States Telecommunications Training Institute (“USTTI”), a non-profit organization that brings together industry and government to provide intensive tuition-free ICT training to participants from developing countries, and the Board of Directors of the US ITU Association (“USITUA”). He has also served as a member of the Advisory Board of the ITU-D’s Smart Sustainable Development Model (“SSDM”) Initiative and as a member of the U.S. Department of State’s Advisory Committee on International Communications and Information Policy (“ACICIP”).

Mr de Dios is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center and of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, and has completed other legal and business academic course work at the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, the Boston University School of Management, and the Harvard University Law School.

Hannia Vega is the Commissioner of the Council of the Superintendency of Telecommunications (SUTEL) in Costa Rica. During her presidency thus far, she has promoted issues such as the first regulatory agenda in the country, open sessions of the SUTEL Council with the participation of users and operators in several communities of the national territory and follow-up of issues related to competing markets, indicators of the telecommunications industry and measurements of the quality of services, inside the INTERACTIVE SUTEL platform.

She has been in several public positions, including the first Vice Ministry of Telecommunications of Costa Rica (2008-2012) and the Vice Ministry of National Planning and Economical Policy (2006-2008). She has also been a parliamentary adviser in the periods from 1994 to 2006 and 2012 to 2016, where she developed the “Open Parliament” project.

To her name, she has a number of achievements including the development of the First National Telecommunications Plan of Costa Rica (2009-2014) with a fulfillment of 90% of its goals; the design and implementation of a “Digital Divide Index” (IBD), which links the dimensions of access, use, quality and appropriation of telecommunications as well as defining the National Broadband Strategy. She also represents her country at a number of inter-institutional and international commissions.

She studied political science and has a Public Administration Master from the University of Costa Rica. She has been professor at the University of Costa Rica in the Schools of Public Administration and Political Science (1997-2003), as well as academic researcher of the Organization for American States (OAS) from 2000 to 2003.

Bio coming soon …..

Irely Aquique Pineda is the Director of IP Enforcement at IMPI, which she joined in 1994. She has collaborated with different divisions such as the Department of Substantive Examination in the Directorate of Trademarks and at the Directorate of IP Enforcement and was Head of the Department of Lapse and Cancellation at the Department for Prevention of Unfair Competition. From 2006 – 2013 she was Deputy Director of Well Known Trademarks, Investigation, Control and Processing of Documents within the same Directorate.

Ms Aquique Pineda has participated in several national and international IP courses, including some organised by WIPO, APEC and others by the INTERPOL.

She holds a degree in law from the “Universidad Internacional”.

Jeffrey A Campbell is Vice President, The Americas, Global Government Affairs for Cisco Systems, Inc., the global leader for networking for the internet. He leads government affairs activities for Cisco in the western hemisphere. Since 2001, he has been responsible for developing and implementing Cisco’s public policy agenda with respect to telecommunications, trade, energy, environment, security and technology issues.

In addition to his expertise in telecommunications regulation, Mr Campbell has been involved in public policy with respect to intellectual property law, internet regulation, energy regulation, international trade and information technology regulation.

Mr Campbell is a member of the Board of Directors of the California Emerging Technologies Fund, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, and the Telecommunications Industry Association.

Prior to Cisco, Mr Campbell headed the Washington government affairs office of Compaq Computer. He began his career as a telecommunications regulatory attorney with the Washington, DC office of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey.

Mr Campbell received his BA in History from Yale University and his JD from Georgetown University Law Center.

Jose Luis Ayala, Director Government and Industry Relations for Latin America at Ericsson, is responsible for leading Ericsson’s strategy regarding telecom policies, which favour the massive adoption of broadband services in the region. He joined Ericsson in the USA in 2000, and moved to Latin America operations in 2002. In his position, Mr Ayala has supported several governments, developing successful strategies in areas of spectrum management, national ICT plans and, mobile broadband strategies.

Prior to joining Ericsson, Mr Ayala worked with leading telecom operators based in Central America, United States, and Spain.

A telecommunications engineer with over twenty years of experience in the industry, Mr Ayala holds a Master Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology University under a Fullbright Scholarship. In addition, he received a fellowship from AHCIET.

José María Rodríguez is an Associate Director of Frontier Economics. Prior to joining Frontier in 2007, he was responsible of the telecommunications team of the Madrid office of NERA Economic Consulting, leading the consulting work of the office in the areas of post and telecommunications in Spain and Latin America.

In telecommunications, Mr Rodríguez has been involved in the main regulatory and competition policy issues in the industry. This includes market definition and competition analysis, financial and cost modelling, retail and wholesale price regulation and universal service cost estimates. Other regulatory experience includes the development of an appropriate regulatory frameworks for promoting UFBB networks, vertical separation, and the economics costs and benefits of net neutrality.

In antitrust, Mr Rodríguez has worked in mergers and in the analysis of anticompetitive practices such as price squeezes, excessive prices, anticompetitive bundling and price discounts. He has testified in damage valuation cases in the telecommunication and other sectors. Mr Rodríguez has appeared as an expert witness on numerous occasions and has submitted expert reports before regulators and courts in Spain, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Guatemala, Brazil, Portugal and the European Commission.

Mr Rodríguez lectures frequently before economic and industry forums. In the Carlos III University, he teaches Economics of Telecommunications.

Juan Manuel Wilches’s work experience began in Colombia in 2000 as Advisor for the Telecommunications Regulation Commission – CRT where, for a period of almost 7 years, he led and advised several projects on telecommunications regulation, carrying out activities such as the definition of interconnection conditions, termination rates and conflict resolution, as well as performing market analysis, and developing models for fixed and mobile network costing.

In 2010 he was contacted to be part of the team that created the National Spectrum Agency (ANE) in Colombia, joining as Senior Advisor to the Director General. He was subsequently promoted to Deputy Director for Spectrum Management and Planning, a position in which, with his team, he developed the National Spectrum Management Policy adopted in 2012 and the comprehensive spectrum management and planning framework currently in place in Colombia.

His recognized experience in regulation and spectrum management led him to be appointed by the Minister of Information and Communications Technologies as Commissioner in 2013 and Executive Director in 2014 for the Communications Regulation Commission (CRC)

Mr Wilches has represented Colombia in several international meetings such as the ITU-R Study Groups and Working Parties, as well as the World Radiocommunications Conference in 2012. He also has been President of the Spectrum Management Group at the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (OAS-CITEL).

Mr Wilches has a Bachelors degree in Electronics Engineering from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Colombia and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, York University, in Toronto, Canada, where he graduated with honours in 2009. During his stay in Canada, he worked at Kazam Group as a consultant in telecommunications, where he specialised in wireless communications.

Lina Ornelas is Head of Public Policy & Government Affairs for Mexico in Google.

Ms Ornelas worked in the public sector within Mexico and Europe for over 12 years. She has previously held the positions of General Director for Classification and Personal Data in the Transparency and Data Protection Authority (Federal Institute for Access to Information and Data Protection, IFAI) and General Director for Self-regulation on personal data protection in the same institution. Ms Ornelas has also worked for the European Commission and the Ministries of Economy and of the Interior.

Ms Ornelas is a member of the Advisory Board of the Mexico Institute of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation in Washington, DC; of the “Future of Privacy Forum” alongside experts on Internet privacy, and of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). She presides the Digital Economy Commission of the International Chamber of Commerce Mexico, and is Vice-president of the Mexican Internet Association (Internet.MX). She was research professor in the Center for Investigation and Economics (CIDE), where she dedicated herself to matters related to the law and new technologies.

Ms Ornelas studied Law at the University of Guadalajara, and has a Masters degree in International Legal Cooperation from the Université libre de Bruxelles. She is an expert in classified information, archives, data protection, privacy and Internet governance, and has published numerous books and academic articles on such topics.

Lindsey Fussell is Group Director for Networks and Communications. She leads Ofcom’s work in the telecoms, post and network sectors, where we aim to protect consumers’ interests and promote competition.

Before joining Ofcom in April 2016, Ms Fussell held a range of senior leadership roles at public bodies. She was Public Services Director at HM Treasury, where she led on devolution, education and culture, defence and criminal justice. Ms Fussell supported the Varney review for public service transformation, and led major aspects of the 2015 Spending Review.

Ms Fussell holds a degree in Modern History from Oxford University, and is a member of York University’s governing Council.

Luis Eliecer Cadenas Marin, is currently Executive Director of RedCLARA.

Mr Cadenas has previously held positions as: Co-founder, President, and a Member of the Board of the National Research Network in Venezuela (Reacciun,1996-2000); President of the Latin American Research Network Association (Enredo 1998-1999); Member of the Board of The National Supercomputer Center of Venezuela (Cecalcula,1997-1999); Member of the Board of the Technological Park of Sartenejas (1997-1999) and Venezuelan Representative at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) (1998). In addition, he held several positions as a consultant and commercial representative with Cisco (2,000-2017).

Mr Cadenas is a Computer Engineer with Postgraduate studies in economics, telecommunications, networking and computer sciences.

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Marie Iasoni was appointed Head of Regulatory Affairs for BT in MeCA and Andina, in addition to Legal Affairs for Telco procurement activity in LATAM (Spanish speaking), in August 2016.

Ms Iasoni joined BT in 2011 as Head of Regulatory Affairs for BT in France and for BT’s other jurisdictions in Europe and Africa.

Ms Iasoni has previously worked for the telecoms subsidiary of the Aéroports de Paris group (Hub One) as senior legal counsel, Telecom Italia’s mobile operations in Peru and also in private practice.

Dr Martha Suárez is President of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance and has over 15 years of experience in the telecommunications industry. In her current role at the DSA she advocates for laws and regulations that will lead to more efficient and effective spectrum utilization, which is essential to addressing key worldwide social and economic challenges.

Dr Suárez was General Director of the National Spectrum Agency in Colombia, for over 3 years, having originally joined the ANE in 2013. Before that, she was awarded with a Marie Curie Fellowship and worked at the Instytut Technologii Elektronowej ITE in Poland for the Partnership for Cognitive Radio Par4CR European Project.

Dr Suárez is an Electronics Engineer, with a Masters degree in high frequency communication systems and is Doctor in Electronics from the University Paris-Est.

General Coordinator of @prende.mx, an agency of the Ministry of Education, charged with the planning, coordination, execution, and periodic evaluation of the National Program of Digital Inclusion and Literacy, which focuses on the promotion and incorporation of new developments in the field of Information and Communication Technologies into the learning-teaching process.

Ms Cardenas previously worked in the Office of the Presidency to implement Pilots Programs for Digital Inclusion, which seeks to grow digital capabilities in Mexican schools, consistent with the President’s National Digital Strategy.

Prior to her work in the Presidency, Ms Cardenas worked at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, focusing on impact evaluation of projects in Central and South America. Ms. Cardenas has also worked for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she helped to design and implemented a pilot program for financial outreach in rural Mexico.

In addition to her time in the Office for the Coordination of the National Digital Strategy, Ms Cardenas worked for the Presidency in CONSAR, and has participated in diverse academic projects for COLMEX, ITAM, and CIDE.

Ms Cardenas received her Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Essex, and her undergraduate degree from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México

Dr Elena Estavillo Flores is a Commissioner at the Federal Institute of Telecommunications. She has more than 20 years’ experience in competition and regulation, having served in the Federal Competition Commission, the Ministry of Communications and Transport, as well as leading the specialized boutique Aequum and acting as an independent expert witness.

She holds a degree in Economics from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, as well as a Masters in Mathematical Economy and a PhD in Economics from the University of Paris, France. She is the author of various specialized articles and books on competition and regulation and was recognized by Global Competition Review as one of the 100 Women in Antitrust. Forbes Mexico has also included her in its Most Powerful Women list.

Michael Punke is Vice President for Global Public Policy, Amazon Web Services. He has more than 25 years of experience in international trade and regulatory issues.

Mr Punke served from 2010 to 2017 as Deputy US Trade Representative and US Ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva. He had lead responsibility for international trade negotiations including the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, the Trade in Services Agreement, the Environmental Goods Agreement, and all negotiations under the auspices of the WTO. Mr Punke also led the negotiations resulting in the 2013 Trade Facilitation Agreement, the first fully multilateral agreement in the WTO’s twenty-year history, and the 2015 Information Technology Agreement, the first WTO tariff reduction agreement in seventeen years.

During his tenure as US Ambassador, Mr Punke engaged on a daily basis with counterparts from more than 160 countries, with particular focus on China, the EU and its member states, India, and Brazil.

Mr Punke served previously in government as Senior Policy Advisor at the Office of the United States Trade Representative (1995-1996); Director for International Economic Affairs at the White House National Security Council/National Economic Council (1993-1995); and International Trade Counsel to Senator Max Baucus (1991-1992), then Chairman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on International Trade.

From 1998 to 2003, Mr Punke was a member of the International Trade and Regulatory Practice Group at Mayer, Brown and Platte’s Washington office, including three years as partner.

Mr Punke has worked as a writer, consultant, and adjunct professor at the University of Montana. He is the author of the novel, The Revenant, basis for the award-winning film, as well as two works of narrative nonfiction and several screenplays. The Revenant has been translated into more than twenty languages and was an international bestseller, including four weeks as a #1 New York Times bestseller.

Mr Punke received his BA with distinction in International Relations from George Washington University and his JD with Specialization in International Legal Affairs from Cornell Law School, where he was elected editor-in-chief of the Cornell International Law Journal.

Mindel De La Torre joined Omnispace LLC in April 2017, as Chief Regulatory and International Strategy Officer where she heads up efforts to obtain market entry for the company’s non-geostationary satellite system. Before joining Omnispace, she was Chief of the International Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for over 7 years where she managed a staff of 120 attorneys, engineers, economists and international relations specialists. In that role, she led the FCC’s efforts internationally – both on a bilateral and multilateral basis. She oversaw the International Bureau’s functions with regard to licensing of international and domestic satellites, international telecommunications and broadcast, and submarine cables.

Ms De La Torre was president of the Telecommunications Management Group, Inc. (TMG), a consulting firm in the Washington DC area from 1998-2009. Her work at TMG included advising businesses, international organizations, and regulators on issues relevant to liberalisation and commercialisation of the telecommunications sector, as well as spectrum resources.

She has had leadership positions on US delegations to ITU conferences, such as World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRC), World Telecommunication Development Conferences, and Plenipotentiary Conferences. She has actively participated in regional telecommunications organizations, such as CITEL and APEC, as well as the OECD.

Ms De La Torre has a BA from Vanderbilt University and a JD from the University of Texas. She is a member of the Texas bar and the Federal Communications Bar Association.

Monica Desai is the interim head of the Global Connectivity Policy team at Facebook. Her team focuses on developing issues involving online communications service providers, infrastructure, net neutrality and accessibility.

Prior to joining Facebook, Ms Desai spent over a decade in senior positions at the Federal Communications Commission. Her positions included service as Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, which develops all policies and rules in connection with accessibility issues as well as other direct consumer-facing issues. Ms Desai has served as Chief of the FCC’s Media Bureau, which develops policies and rules in connection with video issues and which has oversight over broadcasters and cable companies. She also served as Deputy Chief to the Wireless Bureau, as an advisor to a Commissioner on spectrum issues, and as a special advisor to the General Counsel at the FCC. Ms Desai was previously a partner at the law firm of Squire Patton Boggs, where her practice included counselling clients on telecoms issues and representing clients at the FCC.

Ms Desai graduated from the Georgetown University Law Center cum laude, and has an undergraduate degree in Finance from the George Washington University, where she was a National Merit Scholar and graduated magna cum laude.

Ambassador Mónica Aspe took up her duties as Permanent Representative of Mexico to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in June 2017. In March 2018, she was elected by the 52 member countries of the OECD Development Centre as Chair of its Governing Board. She also co-chairs the group of OECD ambassadors on the digital transformation “Going Digital”. In addition, in coordination with the Ministry of Energy, she represents Mexico in the International Energy Agency (IEA).

From 2015 to 2017, Ambassador Aspe served as Mexico’s Vice-minister of Communications, in the Ministry of Communications and Transportation (SCT). During her tenure, she contributed to the implementation of the Telecommunications Reform of 2013, including the transition to digital terrestrial television, the innovative tender of the mobile wholesaler Red Compartida, and the consolidation of the Mexican satellite system. In this same Ministry, she served since 2011 as the Coordinator for the Information Society, where she implemented México Conectado, an initiative to provide Internet access to schools and hospitals. She also launched the network for digital inclusion, robotics and entrepreneurship Puntos México Conectado.

Previously, she was General Director of the National Broadcasting Chamber (CIRT), where she promoted the transition of AM to FM radio. She has also worked as a public policy consultant and has served as Advisor to the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE).

Ambassador Aspe has a Bachelor’s Degree from ITAM and a Master’s degree from Columbia University, both in Political Science.

Nick Morris leads KPMG’s Regulatory Finance practice, having joined KPMG in November 2012, and specialises in considering the financial implications of regulations. Mr Morris’s team currently works across 4 discrete areas: Regulatory compliance and strategy, Competition profitability analysis (particularly in market studies/investigations), Regulatory audit, and Business rates, and for clients such as BT, Vodafone, MTN, Royal Mail and the European Commission, where KPMG is working as an expert adviser monitoring Google’s compliance with the EC’s 2017 antitrust decision in relation to Google Shopping.

Prior to joining KPMG,Mr Morris was at Ofcom for nearly 7 years, and before that an Equity Analyst for 4 years, having qualified as an accountant. During his time at Ofcom Mr Morris was involved in numerous charge setting exercises, particularly focusing on profitability analysis, and cost of capital estimation, across fixed and mobile telecoms, postal services and broadcasting.

Mr Morris also holds an MSc and BSc in Economics from the University of Bristol

Néstor Navarro is Director of the Technical Unit of the Investment Fund of Telecommunications and Information Technology and Communication (FITT).

Through the Public Private Partnership model, FITT works on structuring processes, designs, financing, development and operation for the implementation of projects that reduce the digital divide and exploit technological skills; Mainly facilitating the access and universal service to telecommunications for those rural, urban-marginal, or sub-served regions of the national territory, developing strategies that contribute to the implementation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

Mr Navarro, an Electrical Engineer, graduated with a Master in Big Data and Business Intelligence from the Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, Spain.

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.

Pablo Francisco Muñoz Díaz was born in Mexico City and is currently a PhD candidate at the Escuela Libre de Derecho. He holds a Masters Degree in Law from the same institution and has specialised in Civil Law from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Mr Diaz studied Commercial Law at the Escuela Libre de Derecho. He holds a Bachelor degree in Law from the Centro Universitario México, División de Estudios Superiores.

Mr Muñoz Diaz was a professor at the Tecnológico de Monterrey and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. He is currently a professor on “Ethics and Legal Reasoning” at the Escuela Libre de Derecho. He has worked as a lawyer, advisor and Deputy Director General at the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation and was also part of the team in the defense of Mexico before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Mr Muñoz Diaz is the author of the book “Freedom of Expression, limits and restrictions” (Editorial Porrua) and is currently the Director General for Legal Affairs of Mexico’s National Institute for Transparency, Access to Information and Personal Data Protection.

Dr Rainer Schnepfleitner currently heads the Office for Communications in Liechtenstein, where he is responsible for the regulatory frameworks of Electronic Communications, Audio-Visual Media, Signature and Trust Services and Post.

Dr Schnepfleitner started his career in telecommunications with the Austrian Regulatory Authority. Later he gained expertise in European antitrust and state aid provisions while working with the European Commission in DG Competition. In 2003 he moved to Swisscom, where he was responsible for fixed and mobile regulatory accounting, before continuing his career as project and product manager where he introduced various mobile navigation solutions. From 2008 to 2018 Dr Schnepfleitner worked for the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) in Doha, Qatar, where he was responsible for the regulatory frameworks of Telecommunications, IT, Access to Digital Media and Post.

Dr Schnepfleitner received a Master of Business Administration and a PhD in Economics from Vienna Economic University. He also holds a post graduate degree in European Competition Law from King’s College in London.

Rebeca Servin Lewis I a senior attorney with over 20 years of experience, providing legal advice to Mexican subsidiaries of global ITC corporations such as Microsoft, British Telecom, Comsat and Telmex. Ms Servin has experience as an transactional in-house attorney collaborating with other teams in the drafting and negotiation of complex deals including Digital Transformation agreements. Collaborative with solid relationships with clients and colleagues. She is a well versed speaker, working with authorities, industry chambers, and other organisations representing the company. Ms Servin serves as a trusted advisor and business facilitator for the strategic areas of the company in a challenging and ever changing environment.

Roberto Martínez Yllescas supports the OECD to increase its relevance and impact in Mexico and Latin America, as he leads the activities of the OECD Mexico Centre. Mr Martínez Yllescas was previously Chief of Staff to Commissioner Labardini as one of the founders of Mexico´s Federal Telecommunications Institute. Prior to that he was a Senior Advisor in the Secretariat of Communications and Transport in Mexico. Mr Martínez Yllescas has over fifteen years of experience working in governmental, multilateral organisations and private sector companies as Government Affairs manager in Mexico at Intel Corp, as well as Central-Southern Regional Chief for the National Telecommunications, Electronics and IT Industry Association of Mexico. He has also been a senior consultant to the United Nations Development Programme, USAID and Mexico´s Centre for Intellectual Capital and Competitiveness.

Mr Martínez Yllescas, holds a BA in International Relations from El Colegio de México, a Master of Science degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvad´s J.F. Kennedy School of Government.

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.

Rosa Barcelo was appointed Partner, McDermott Will & Emery in April 2022.

Rosa Barcelo has nearly 20 years of experience in European data protection and privacy, including expertise in compliance and policy. Her experience covers diverse sectors and is drawn from working in private practice, as well as in public service with the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) and the European Commission.

Rosa Barcelo advises clients on data protection and privacy, including compliance with the GDPR and the e-Privacy Directive. She has a particular focus on cutting-edge ICT issues, including AI, machine learning, autonomous vehicles, programmatic advertising and online tracking technologies.

Prior to McDermott Will & Emery, Ms Barcelo was Partner and Deputy Co-Chair, Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Practice Group, Squire Patton Boggs.

Ms Barcelo was also Deputy Head of Unit of the Cybersecurity and Digital Privacy Unit of DG CONNECT in the European Commission, where she led legislative deliberations over the proposed e-Privacy Regulation.  During her tenure with the European Commission, Ms Barcelo also worked in the Data Protection Unit where she was responsible for international data transfer issues (BCRs and adequacy decisions). Ms Barcelo’s work with the office of the EDPS focused on a wide range of ICT-related issues. In these roles, Ms Barcelo worked closely with national supervisory authorities participating in the former Article 29 Working Party (now the European Data Protection Board).

Ms Barcelo has also worked in academia and as a private lawyer in the Brussels offices of various international law firms, where she advised on EU privacy and data protection issues, as well electronic commerce and technology laws.

Ms Barcelo is a frequent lecturer on data protection, privacy and cybersecurity.

Salomón E. Padilla Duarte studied at Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, presenting his thesis titled, “Constitutional Implications of the Internet”. He started his practice in 1995. He has taken courses in Telecommunications Law at Universidad Iberoamericana, Campus Santa Fé and “Antitrust” at Universidad Panamericana.

Mr Padilla Duarte specialised in Web, Water, Telecommunications, Transportation and Electricity Services Law at Universidad Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain. He has litigated before administrative authorities, local and federal courts, nullity and appeal trials. Today he is the advisor and legal representative of telecommunication companies, TIC’s, builders and infrastructure and marketing operators.

Mr Padilla Duarte is the Vice President and Advisor of the ATIM, Asociación de Telecomunicaciones Independientes de México, A.C. and Secretary of FATEM, Federación de Telecomunicaciones de Mesoamérica.

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.

Mrs Willie-Matoorah is a Senior Attorney-at-Law with over seventeen years of practice; fifteen of which have been spent in the telecommunications industry. Mrs Willie-Matoorah was appointed Commissioner, National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC), Saint Lucia in February 2022.   She previous served as its Director/Secretary to the Commission for seven years. Mrs Willie-Matoorah has also served as in-house Legal Counsel to the Commission for a five year period from 2003- 2008. During a 3-year period of detachment from the Commission, Mrs Willie- Matoorah established a private practice with a fellow Senior Attorney-at-Law and currently remains a Partner in the Law Firm-Willie-Trotman, Matoorah & Co.

Mrs Willie-Matoorah has attained a law degree with honours – LL.B. (Honours) Bachelors of Law, post-graduate qualifications, firstly as a graduate of Law School- Legal Education Certificate (L.E.C) followed by the completion of a Master’s Programme with merit – LL.M. (Merit). At Masters level, she pursued a Telecommunications Law specialisation in addition to a Corporate Finance and Management, Intellectual Property over the Internet, and Regulation and Infrastructure of Arbitration.

Thomas Dailey is Verizon’s Chief International Legal and Regulatory Officer responsible for strategic-level legal advice and regulatory and policy guidance regarding the corporation’s business operations outside the United States, including those in the European Union, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America and the Asia Pacific region. Mr Dailey manages a diverse team of legal and regulatory professionals based on five continents around the globe who advise on a wide variety of issues including privacy, commercial, corporate, product, employment and security.

Mr Dailey also serves as chief strategy counsel providing legal, regulatory and policy guidance to Verizon’s head of Corporate Strategy and her team on matters affecting the future direction of the corporation across all lines of business, including wireless, wireline, digital advertising, content and telematics. Outside his work at Verizon, Mr Dailey served from 2011 to 2014 as the Chair of the Center for Copyright Information, an organisation formed as part of a ground-breaking collaborative effort between US content creators in the movie and music industries and leading ISPs to help educate the public about legal content options and deter copyright infringement. Mr Dailey has testified numerous times before the US Congress and various state legislatures and is a periodic speaker on Internet, communications and other policy issues in the US and internationally.

Tim is an economic consultant at Oxera specialising in regulation and behavioural economics. He has worked for regulators and firms across telecoms and financial services, applying behavioural economics to improve consumer outcomes.