Annual Washington DC Conference: The restart agenda (Online)

Adam Candeub is Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, performing the delegated duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information​. He joined NTIA as Deputy Assistant Secretary in April 2020. Prior to his NTIA appointment, he was professor of law at Michigan State University College of Law, joining the faculty in 2004, and he also served as director of its Intellectual Property, Information, and Communications Law Program.

His earlier government service includes work at the Federal Communications Commission in its Media Bureau and Wireline Competition Bureau, Competitive Pricing Division. He was an associate at Jones, Day, Reavis, and Pogue.

He holds a JD magna cum laude from Penn Law and BA magna cum laude from Yale University. Immediately following law school, he clerked for Chief Judge J. Clifford Wallace, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. While in law school, Professor Candeub was an articles editor for the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. He received a Fulbright Fellowship in 2010-11 to teach and research internet law at the University of Rijeka, Croatia. He is widely published in the areas of communications regulation and antitrust.

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.

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.

Andrew Barendse is Head of Regulatory Affairs Vodacom SA where he is responsible for managing all regulatory issues in SA.

Dr Barendse offers over twenty five years’ experience in the telecoms sector, including five years at Board level (Telkom International [Pty] Ltd, International Institute of Communications) and over ten years in academia (Delft University of Technology, University of Witwatersrand). Dr Barendse is a published researcher presenting a global footprint in telecoms policy (including a five-year residence in the Netherlands).

He holds a Ph.D from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, an MBA from the University of Cape Town and a B.Ed from the University of Johannesburg.

Andrew Hall is Head of Government and Regulatory Affairs at NBCUniversal International in which position he leads the company’s government affairs, regulatory and content protection functions outside North America. He is a member of NBCUniversal’s Management Committee as well as the Senior Management Team at NBCUniversal International and is based in London.

Mr Hall was promoted to his current position in May 2015. Before this he was Chief Counsel, Legal and Business Affairs for NBCUniversal International. He started his corporate career working in the head office at PolyGram in London, before moving to lead the legal team in Universal Pictures’ home entertainment business.

Prior to moving in-house, Mr Hall qualified and worked as a lawyer at Slaughter and May, working in both the London and Hong Kong offices.

Ann LaFrance retired from Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP on 30 June 2022.  She was a senior partner in the New York office of Squire Patton Boggs and a founding member of the Firm’s global Data Practice. She was also an active participant in the Firm’s Communications Law Practice. Her experience covers a broad range of issues affecting the provision and regulation of advanced digital services and applications in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and the Caribbean.

Ms LaFrance began her legal career in 1980 with Squire in Washington, DC, where her practice focused on US and international telecommunications transactions, regulation and legislation. In 1996, she moved in-house to work as Chief International Counsel of MCI Communications Corp. (now Verizon), based in Washington, Brussels and London. Following her return to private practice in the Firm’s London office in 2004, she has advised a broad range of tech, telecom and multinational clients operating across a variety of sectors, as well as government and regulatory bodies, on data protection policy, GDPR compliance, international transfer agreements, AI ethical guidelines, blockchain, regulation of dominant operators, and the interplay between regulated “electronic communications” status and privacy laws in Europe, the U.S. and around the globe. Since her return to the U.S. in 2019, Ms LaFrance continues to advise on complex cross-border data protection, e-privacy and cybersecurity matters, including transfer risk assessments post Schrems II and integrated approaches to global data protection compliance. She is currently advising clients on the new wave of U.S. state privacy laws that will take effect in 2023.

Ms LaFrance served as the Firm’s first Data Protection Officer in the UK and the EU and on the Firm’s data governance board. She is a Member of the Board of the International Institute of Communications and currently serves as its Vice President.

She is admitted to practice in New York, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia and is a Registered Foreign Lawyer in England and Wales.

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.

Arisa Siong is a public and regulatory affairs professional with extensive experience in telecom and digital industries. She is currently Director of Public and Regulatory Affairs for Telenor Asia. Arisa has extensive experience in telecom policy and regulation, including in relation to spectrum. Previously, she worked on infocomm and technology policy matters for the Infocomm and Media Development Authority of Singapore and has prior experience as a consultant for DotEcon, a London-based economic consultancy specialising in networked industries. Ms Siong has special interest in digital/technology policy and has written on blockchain and competition policy in a World Scientific book on Blockchain Economics.

Aynon Doyle is Head of Policy Analysis and Research, in the Regulatory Affairs department at MultiChoice South Africa and has been with the group since May 2006. He has provided regulatory support in due diligence processes in Africa, the Middle East, Europe and South America, as part of the MIH Group. Mr Doyle’s main focus area currently is providing input and expert advice to government policy development processes and the Digital Broadcasting Switchover. In South Africa, he was the chairperson for the Policy Working Committee of the Digital Broadcasting Migration Working Group, established by the Minister of Communications to make recommendations on a digital broadcasting switchover strategy. Mr Doyle currently chairs the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) Commercial Rules of Operation Joint Committee established by the national terrestrial broadcasters (SABC, etv, and M-Net) to draft a South African operations manual for the commercial roll-out of DTT in South Africa and is a member of the sector regulators’ Joint Spectrum Advisory Group (JSAG).

Mr Doyle’s career has spanned a wide spectrum of industries with a specific focus on policy development and analysis since 1994. In that period he has worked for the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) where he was responsible for overseeing the development of policy and regulations for the broadcasting sector in South Africa. He also worked for the South African National Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) where he engaged in the areas of intellectual property, consumer protection, competition and the development of national standards; the Consumer Institute South Africa (CISA) as a researcher in the area of consumer protection policy; and the University of Port Elizabeth where he was a lecturer in the Political Studies department.

Mr Doyle completed his graduate and postgraduate studies at the University of Port Elizabeth (now known as the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University). He currently holds a Masters degree (MA) in Political Studies and is a member of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR).

Brian Hendricks is Head of Policy and Public Affairs for Nokia in the Americas Region, responsible for regulatory and legislative developments impacting technology, innovation, and deployment, including: spectrum allocation, infrastructure policy, privacy, and emerging policy on technologies critical to connected healthcare, intelligent transportation, and SmartCities. Mr Hendricks has nearly two decades of regulatory and legislative experience dealing with technology policy issues in the private sector, as a senior congressional staffer, and as an enforcement lawyer with Federal Communications Commission.

Prior to joining Nokia, Mr Hendricks served as Staff Director to the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation where he also served as General Counsel. He was the Committee’s lead legal and policy advisor in the areas of commerce, science, space, telecommunications, and emerging technology. Earlier in his career, Mr Hendricks served in the Enforcement Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission. Before joining the FCC, he spent six years in a variety of management positions with Ameritech and SBC Communications.

Mr Hendricks is a graduate of the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary where he also earned a Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree specialising in regulatory policy. He is an adjunct professor in the law school and graduate Public Policy program at William and Mary. He is a past Visiting Lecturer at the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado.

Carlos Lugo Silva currently serves as Executive Director and Commissioner for the Communications Regulation Commission, a position that alternates with researcher and teaching activities related with Innovation and Technology for La Sabana University.

Mr Lugo has previously served as Manager of Innovation and Development for the National Learning Bureu (SENA), the Head of the Educational Innovation Office of the Ministry of National Education and the ICT Appropriation Director of the Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies.

He has been a member of several board of directors of the ICT and Education sectors.

Mr Lugo is the author of several books and publications regarding regulation and digital public policy.

Mr Lugo has a Doctor and Masters degree in Social Studies of Science and Technology. He also has a graduated degree in law with a Telecommunications Law specialisation.

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 Wilson possesses over 20 years of public policy experience covering a wide-range of subject matters, including the last seven years focusing on Internet governance policy.

Mr Wilson currently serves as Senior Manager, Public Policy, for Amazon where he coordinates the company’s policy engagement at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the United Nations, and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Prior to joining Amazon, Mr Wilson represented the interests of the media company 21st Century Fox before various Internet governance bodies, including ICANN. While at 21st Century Fox, Mr Wilson served as Chair of ICANN’s Business Constituency.

Additionally, Mr Wilson worked for Time Warner Inc. where he advocated for the company before Capitol Hill on general telecommunications and media policy matters.

Mr Wilson’s early career began on Capitol Hill in the office of the late US Senator Arlen Specter and subsequently at two law firms, Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP and Wiley Rein LLP, where he worked on a variety of telecommunications legal matters, and the Technology Association of America.

Mr Wilson earned his Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy Studies from Vanderbilt University and his JD, cum laude, from American University’s Washington College of Law.

Professor Christopher Yoo is recognised as one of the most cited scholars in administrative and regulatory law as well as intellectual property. Professor Yoo’s major research projects include studying innovative ways to connect more people to the Internet; using technological principles to inform how the law can promote optimal interoperability; protecting privacy and security for autonomous vehicles, medical devices, and the Internet’s routing architecture; comparing antitrust enforcement practices in China, Europe, and the U.S.; copyright theory; and network neutrality. He is also building innovative integrated interdisciplinary joint degree programs designed to produce a new generation of professionals with advanced training in both law and engineering. The author of more than 100 scholar works, Professor Yoo testifies frequently before Congress, the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the US Department of Justice, and foreign governments.

Daniel Wilson heads the team responsible for BT’s engagement with policy debates and policymakers on innovation and trade. The team – across London, Brussels and Washington – is focused on creating the best policy environment for growth. This includes how businesses and policymakers can support R&D, innovation and skills, as well as latterly, how these can be harnessed in response to Covid-19. He serves as a member of the UK Government’s Expert Trade Advisory Group for Digital & Telecommunications. Prior to joining BT, Daniel spent over a decade at the BBC, as head of its EU policy team and then its UK policy team.

Daphne Keller directs the Program on Platform Regulation at Stanford’s Cyber Policy Center, and was formerly the Director of Intermediary Liability at CIS. Her work focuses on platform regulation and Internet users’ rights. She has published both academically and in popular press; testified and participated in legislative processes; and taught and lectured extensively. Her recent work focuses on legal protections for users’ free expression rights when state and private power intersect, particularly through platforms’ enforcement of Terms of Service or use of algorithmic ranking and recommendations. Until 2015 Ms Keller was Associate General Counsel for Google, where she had primary responsibility for the company’s search products. She worked on groundbreaking Intermediary Liability litigation and legislation around the world and counseled both overall product development and individual content takedown decisions.

Dorothy Attwood was named Senior Vice President of Global Public Policy for The Walt Disney Company in September 2010. She is responsible for the development of Disney’s strategic global public policy initiatives and also manages the company’s privacy legal department across all its business segments.

Prior to joining Disney, Ms Attwood was Senior Vice President for Public Policy and Chief Privacy Officer for AT&T, where she led AT&T’s public policy strategy and enterprise-wide policies governing the privacy of customer information.

Prior to joining AT&T in 2002, Ms Attwood spent six years at the Federal Communications Commission in a variety of senior policy-making positions. She was the Senior Legal Advisor to Chairman William Kennard on all common carrier, enforcement and consumer matters, and served as Chief of the Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau under both Chairman Kennard and Chairman Michael Powell. She also served as Chief of the Enforcement Division of the Common Carrier Bureau.

Before joining the FCC, Ms Attwood was a partner in the Philadelphia law firm Cozen & O’Conner, specialising in commercial litigation. She clerked for the Honorable Walter K. Stapleton of the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Ms Attwood received her bachelor’s degree from Brown University, a Master’s Degree from The Wharton School and her JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Ed Gillespie most recently served as chairman of Sard Verbinnen & Co.’s public affairs group. Previously, he was a longtime top aide on Capitol Hill, served as Counselor to the President for President George W. Bush in his second term, and chaired the Republican National Committee in 2003-2004. He is on the board of advisors at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics and on the board of directors of America’s Kids Belong, a charitable organization that encourages adoption and foster care.

Mr Gillespie has had a twenty-year consulting relationship with AT&T. In 2000, he founded Quinn Gillespie & Associates with Jack Quinn, former White House Counsel to President Bill Clinton. In 2009, he formed his own firm Ed Gillespie Strategies.

Gregory Smolynec is Deputy Commissioner, Policy and Promotion Sector in the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. The Promotion Program is future-looking and aims to inform Canadians of their rights and how to exercise them, and to bring organizations toward compliance with the law. As Deputy Commissioner Policy and Promotion, Gregory leads the OPC Policy and Promotion team in developing and promoting general, yet practical, information and guidance, and in developing advice on specific initiatives. Prior to his appointment, Gregory served as Director General Strategic Initiatives in the Strategic Joint Staff at National Defence Headquarter. As DGSI, he led the Strategic Outlook function for the Canadian Armed Forces. Strategic Outlook is an analytical, decision support process designed to identify and analyze the central military and technological challenges facing Canada and to inform strategic decision-making and advice to government. Gregory began his career with the Department of National Defence as a Strategic Analyst in Defence R&D Canada. He has worked in several organizations within the Department of National Defence as an analyst and has held a series of progressively responsible executive positions the Public Service.

He has a Bachelor of Arts in History from McGill University, a Master of Arts in Russian and East European Studies from Carleton University and a Doctorate in History from Duke University.

Dr Heidi Tworek is Associate Professor of Public Policy and International History at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. She is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation as well as a Non-Resident Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

Her work examines the history and policy of media and communications regulation in Europe and North America. She has published widely on transatlantic relations, media policy, communications history, and online harassment. Her latest book is the award-winning News from Germany: The Competition to Control World Communications, 1900-1945 (Harvard University Press, 2019). Her latest policy report examines health communications around Covid-19 in nine democracies on five continents.

Dr Tworek received her PhD from Harvard University and BA from University of Cambridge.

As Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Ian Scott supervises and directs the work and staff of the Commission. He also chairs Commission meetings and participates in public hearings and consultations.

Mr Scott has over 25 years of policy and regulatory experience in broadcasting and telecommunications both in the public and private sectors.

After working at the Competition Bureau, he joined the CRTC from 1990 to 1994, where he collaborated on the development of a framework for long-distance telephone service competition in Canada. Between 2007 and 2008, as part of the Executive Interchange Program, he was Senior Policy Advisor to the Chairman at the CRTC.

Before rejoining the CRTC in 2017, Mr Scott held various executive positions in the communications industry, including at Telesat Canada, Telus and Call-Net Enterprises, one of the first companies to offer competition in the Canadian long-distance market. He also provided leadership on broadcasting policy and regulatory issues as an executive at the Canadian Cable Television Association.

Mr Scott has served on various boards, including Women in Communications and Technology and Ski Quebec Alpin.

Mr Scott has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, McGill University

His Term ends January 4, 2023

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. Since February 2019 she has been a consulting counsel at the law firm of Wiley Rein where she provides legal, regulatory and public policy guidance on international issues impacting telecom, media, and technology industries.

Previously, Ms Ruff was 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.

Dr Janka Oertel is the Director of the Asia Programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Dr Oertel previously worked as a Senior Fellow in the Asia Program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States’ Berlin office, where she focused on transatlantic China policy including on emerging technologies, Chinese foreign policy and security in East Asia. Prior to joining GMF, Dr Oertel served as a program director at Körber Foundation’s Berlin office.

Dr Oertel was a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP Berlin) and worked at United Nations Headquarters, New York, as a Carlo-Schmid-Fellow. She has published widely on topics related to EU-China relations, US-China relations, security in the Asia-Pacific region, Chinese foreign policy, 5G and emerging technologies.

Dr Oertel holds a PhD from the University of Jena. Her dissertation focused on Chinese policies within the United Nations.

The Office of International Affairs is responsible for the Commission’s engagement of international regulatory authorities, including multilateral and regional organizations. As Deputy Chief, Mr Carlson coordinates the FCC’s participation and involvement in international standards-setting efforts.

Mr Carlson has recently returned to the FCC after having spent 19 years in industry – at a U.S. operator (NEXTEL, which was acquired by Sprint during Mr Carlson’s time there) and at Ericsson, heading regulatory policy in Ericsson’s Washington, D.C., office. He has been a board member of the United States Telecommunication Training Institute (USTTI) and in that capacity organized, and spoke at, multiple training sessions for officials from developing countries on the topics of spectrum policy, cybersecurity, net neutrality, and broadband buildout.

Mr Carlson holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Virginia, and an Juris Doctor from the College of William and Mary School of Law.

Johan Keetelaar joined Oxera in 2022, and is a member of its senior digital leadership team. He has spent most of his career working in the digital, telecoms and transport sectors, including more than 15 years as a strategic leader in competition and sector-specific regulation. More recently, he worked as a digital practitioner at Meta Inc.

Mr Keetelaar spent more than 15 years at the Authority for Consumers & Markets (the Dutch competition and regulatory authority), as well as one of its predecessors (OPTA) where he was Director Markets, Director of Transport, Telecoms and Post, and Director Competition. He was also a member of BEREC, the group of EU telecom and digital regulators.

Prior to joining Oxera, Mr Keetelaar was the Director of Economic Policy and Head of Connectivity and Access Policy in the EMEA region at Meta Inc. for four years.

Mr Keetelaar holds an MSc. in Econometrics from the University of Amsterdam.

Karim Lesina was appointed Executive Vice President, Chief External Affairs Officer, Millicom in October 2020.

Mr Lesina was previously Senior Vice President, International External & Regulatory Affairs, AT&T Services Inc. from 2018 until  October 2020. He has also held the position of Vice President of AT&T, covering International External Affairs for the European Union, Caribbean, Central and Latin America Regions and was in charge of Trans-Atlantic Relations. In this role he led AT&T’s advocacy in those regions.

In addition to developing and implementing market access strategies to enable AT&T’s global expansion to satisfy customer needs, responsibilities for Mr Lesina included ensuring compliance with international telecom regulations, and advocacy on a wide range of policy matters related to the stable growth, innovation and investment by the information and communications technology sector.

Mr Lesina was based in AT&T’s Washington DC office. He is an active member in several industry and community organizations, including current service as: Vice Chair of the Board of the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU and Chair of the Presidency Group of the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU. He is a Board Member of the European Internet Foundation, of the Transatlantic Business Council, of the EU Brazil Association, of AHCIET and member of the GSMA Chief Regulatory Officer Group for Central and Latin America.

Prior to joining AT&T, Mr Lesina held senior positions with another leading US-headquartered ICT company (Intel Corporation), and a number of leading public affairs agencies in Brussels. Mr Lesina also recently joined the Advisory Council of the “Global Free Speech and the Internet” of the Media Institute.

Mr Lesina has a Master Degree in Economics of Development from the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve in Belgium.

Karla Velasco Ramos is the Latin America Regional Coordinator of the project “Connecting the Unconnected” implemented by the Association of Progressive Communications (APC) and Rhizomatica, which contributes to an enabling ecosystem for the emergence and growth of community-based connectivity initiatives in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

With a background on International Relations by the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM) and SciencesPo Paris, she is a specialist in regulation, policy and gender with multiple publications on Internet access, community networks, gender and technology. She coordinates the International Affairs Area at Redes por la Diversidad, Equidad y Sustentabilidad (REDES A.C.)

Ms Velasco is an associate rapporteur of the Rapporteurship on Broadband, Universal Access, Digital Inclusion and Gender Equality of the Policy and Regulation Working Group of the Permanent Consultative Committee 1 (PCC.I.) of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL). Moreover, she has been a speaker at high-level multi-stakeholder events on access and Internet governance such as the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), RightsCon, Stockholm Internet Forum, among others.

Kathleen Grillo leads Verizon’s public policy and government affairs team. She is responsible for the company’s public policy positions on a wide range of issues, including 5G deployment, spectrum, privacy, and internet governance. She represents the company before Congress, the Federal Communications Commission and other federal agencies, and state governments.Ms Grillo’s passion is creating a workplace that values, accepts and inspires employees. She has led several efforts at Verizon and in the communications and technology industries aimed at supporting, mentoring, and developing women leaders.

Before joining Verizon, Ms Grillo was in private practice at Williams & Connolly LLP, a Washington, D.C.-based law firm. She was a law clerk to Judge Harold H. Greene of the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

Kathryn Condello represents Lumen at the Federal level in all policy, planning and operational issues related to National Security, Emergency Preparedness, Disaster Response, Cybersecurity, Critical Infrastructure Protection, and Continuity of Operations.

Ms Condello is an operations-focused leader within Lumen and the Communications Sector, with extensive, executive-level experience in managing and directing broad corporate and industry initiatives in the areas of strategic planning, policy development, government relations, network deployment/operations, and business marketing functions. Ms Condello has more than 20 years experience in industry level initiatives associated with national security, network reliability, and emergency preparedness programs, planning and policy initiatives.

Ms Condello holds a BA from the University of Virginia, an MBA from Loyola College, served as a Principal Associate (Research Professor) with George Mason University’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Program, and is currently an Adjunct Professor with the University of New Hampshire M.S. program in Cybersecurity Policy and Risk Management. Ms Condello started her career in the public safety radio business, was one of the first commercial wireless pioneers, and gathered more than 20 years commercial wireless experience prior to joining Lumen.

Dr Keabetswe Modimoeng was appointed the Executive Chairperson of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) in August 2020. He is a former award-winning Sunday Times journalist, fulfilled a Communications role at Anglo American then joined Samsung Electronics Africa as Public Affairs and Corporate Citizenship Manager. He joined the Council of ICASA in 2016 where he led various regulatory projects including Type Approvals, Elections Monitoring to name a few. He also served as a member of the Complaints and Compliance Committee of ICASA, a tribunal tasked with adjudicating a wide range of regulatory non-compliance matters.

Dr Modimoeng has corporate governance experience from a decade of cumulative practice serving in Presidential and Ministerial appointed boards in South Africa.

Dr Modimoeng holds an MBA (Regent Business School) and PhD in Management Sciences (Durban University of Technology) . He also completed a Senior Executive Fellows programme at the Harvard Kennedy School as well as an Executive Development Programme from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Kim Mallalieu is Deputy Chairman of the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago, TATT, a Fulbright Fellow and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of the West Indies where she leads the academic, commercial and outreach programmes in Communication Systems.

Dr Mallalieu has previously held the position of Head of Department and led the development of the Master’s in Telecommunications Regulation and Policy, MRP (Telecommunications), coordinating its delivery to participants from over thirty developing countries around the world. She has led many institutional, national and regional initiatives designed to build capacity for ICT-enabled developmental interventions and innovation and was a founding member of Diálogo Regional sobre Sociedad de la Información (DIRSI). As Principal Investigator of the Caribbean ICT Research Programme, she is engaged in multidisciplinary action research revolving around regionally appropriate strategies and technologies in support of development, with an emphasis on longitudinal pathways for equity and inclusion.

Dr Mallalieu holds a BS Electrical Engineering from MIT; MS Optics from the University of Rochester (Institute of Optics) and a PhD in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from University College London. She is a licensed amateur radio operator and the recipient of local, regional and international teaching awards as well as several other awards of distinction.

Lynn Robinson became Director General of the International Institute of Communications (IIC), in March 2020.

Lynn is an experienced senior director and trustee / non exec-director, having held key senior leadership positions in the technology, built environment, regulation, accreditation and dental industries. She has extensive experience of professional membership bodies working within the full spectrum including, Regulatory bodies, Industry associations and Chambers of Commerce. Lynn is a well-known and established ambassador in these areas having led on many strategic programmes to aid engagement, growth, retention, change management, stakeholder and political engagement.

An experienced Trustee / Non-Executive Director as Vice Chair at Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust, a unique heritage site in the heart of Bristol (UK), Lynn is also a Trustee / Non-Executive Director at The Bristol and Bath (UK), Parks Foundation.

Reflecting on becoming Director General at the IIC at the outbreak of a pandemic, Lynn said, ‘these last two years have been like no other we have known, with many challenges coming our way. In 2020 we successfully pivoted the organisation through a digital transformation programme to maintain a full schedule of events and by increasing the outputs delivered. Transforming the programme enabled us to continue to deliver the professional service and increase our engagement with IIC members and stakeholder community to remain connected to them through such a difficult time.

As we move through 2022, I am delighted to return to a combined in-person and online programme and to continue to evolve the IIC in to the next phase, with the vision and strategic focus to deliver our objectives and to build on our growth, engagement and retention’.

Madeleine Lottenbach provides legal counsel and strategic advice to technology, media, telecommunications, and space and satellite  clients on domestic and international telecommunications matters. Her representation includes some of the largest and most successful telecommunications and edge providers, satellite operators, manufacturers, and industry trade associations before U.S. regulatory agencies and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Ms Lottenbach has a JD from Georgetown University Law Center and a BA cum laude from George Washington
University.

Manuel Kohnstamm is Senior Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer for Liberty Global. He is responsible for developing and implementing Liberty Global’s regulatory strategy, public policy, government affairs and corporate communications. Mr Kohnstamm is an executive officer of Liberty Global and sits on Liberty Global’s Executive Leadership Team and the Regulatory Committee.

Mr Kohnstamm joined the Europe operations of Liberty Global’s predecessor in September 1999 and held several positions in corporate affairs, public policy, and communications. He was appointed to his current position in January 2012. From 1992 until he joined Liberty Global, Mr Kohnstamm worked at Time Warner Inc., most recently as Vice President of Public Affairs in Brussels for its subsidiaries Time Inc., Warner Bros., and Turner Broadcasting. Prior to joining Time Warner, Mr Kohnstamm worked with the consulting group European Research Associates in Brussels where he conducted macro-economic and policy studies on the telecommunications and defense industries.

Mr Kohnstamm is a member of VodafoneZiggo’s Supervisory Board as well as a member of the Board of Directors of Liberty Global’s subsidiary Telenet Group Holding NV, a Liberty Global subsidiary and a Belgian public limited liability company.

Mr Kohnstamm is Co-chair of GIGAEurope, an industry association bringing together independent private telecoms companies. In addition, Mr Kohnstamm is a trustee of the non-profit organisation Street Child, a charitable organisation focused on improving the lives of some of the poorest and most vulnerable children in the world.

Mr Kohnstamm graduated in Political Science and holds a Doctorandus Degree in International and European Law from the University of Amsterdam. He also holds a Postgraduate Degree in International relations from the Clingendael Diplomat School in The Hague, and successfully completed the Cable Executive Management Program from Harvard Business School, Boston (MA).

On September 10, 2013, Mario Germán Fromow Rangel was ratified by the Senate of Mexico as Commissioner of the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) until February 28, 2021.

At present, he is also the Chairman of the Permanent Consultative Committee II: Radiocommunications (CPP.II) of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) and a Vice President of the Committee on Digital Economy Policy (CDEP) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Commissioner Fromow Rangel’s career spans of over 26 years in both the public and private sectors at national and international level in technology and knowledge transfer, public policy and regulation on Broadcasting, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Telecommunications.

Commissioner Fromow Rangel was a member of the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers (IEICE) of Japan.  He has participated as Deputy Head of Delegation of Mexico in the following International Telecommunication Union (ITU) World Conferences; World Radiocommunications Conference 2019 (WRC-19) in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt; Plenipotentiary Conference 2018 (PP-18) in Dubai, UAE; Plenipotentiary Conference 2014 (PP-14) in Busan, Republic of Korea;World Conference on International Telecommunications 2012 (WCIT-12) in Dubai, UAE, with Full Power granted by the President of the United States of Mexico to sign ad referendum the Final Acts and Plenipotentiary Conference 2006 (PP-06) in Antalya, Turkey.

He is a Communications and Electronics Engineer from the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) of Mexico and has a Master of Science in Engineering from Keio University in Japan. He was a Researcher on Optical Communications at the Research and Technology Development Laboratories of the Japanese company Kokusai Denshin Denwa (KDD) and also a Research Associate at the Media Lab of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Mark F. Dever is a partner in our Communications Practice. He was previously head of the Communications team at Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. He works on major regulatory and transactional matters for the communications industry, calling on nearly 25 years of experience in the field.

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Markham Cho Erickson leads Google’s Centers of Excellence—a global team of subject matter experts focused on the application of law and policy to technology and the Internet. The CoE is a hub for strategy and expertise on global government affairs and public policy issues affecting Google’s business today and in the future.

Prior to joining Google, Mr Erickson was an attorney in private practice in the United States, where he represented Internet, media, and telecommunications companies in regulatory complaints, investigations, rule-makings, legislative and policy matters, trial and appellate
advocacy, and merger investigations. In private practice, he represented Internet companies from the inception of the commercial Internet in the mid-1990s and was involved in crafting the global regulations that apply to Internet and technology companies.

Mr Erickson has been widely recognized as one of the nation’s top Internet and media lawyers. He served as co-chair to the annual Broadband and Cable Law Seminar at the Practicing Law Institute in New York City. He was ranked in Chambers USA in Telecom, Broadcast & Satellite –
District of Columbia; Super Lawyers in communications law; and The Legal 500, which described him as a “substantive legal expert with great connection and understanding of the regulatory process, as well as a command of the political, policy, and relations aspect of regulatory work.” In recognition of his authority in the field, Mr Erickson was appointed by the White House to represent the United States before the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development on Internet speech and regulatory matters.

Mr Erickson graduated from George Washington University Law School, with Honors, and Wheaton College, where he majored in English Literature.

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).

Matt Allison is Senior Public Policy Manager at Vodafone Group, covering Data, Platforms and Artificial Intelligence. Mr Allison has worked at the cutting edge of tech public policy for a decade in a variety of roles spanning industry, consultancy and NGOs. During this time, he has grappled with some of the key public policy challenges facing the technology sector and helped shape the policy landscape as governments and regulators look to confront and harness the rapid growth of digital services. At Vodafone Mr Allison is responsible for developing policy and regulatory strategies for data, AI and digital platforms, influencing new regulation and creating alignment between Vodafone’s local market activities.

Prior to joining Vodafone Mr Allison was a Manager in the International Public Policy team at Access Partnership, a leading government affairs consultancy in the technology sector, as well as working in the NGO sector focused on the development of Internet safety policy.

Mr Allison holds a Masters degree in Politics, Security and Integration from the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES), part of University College London. His studies focused on Russian and Eastern European politics, European integration and national identity. Prior to this he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in History at the University of East Anglia where he specialised in Soviet history and the economic and social history of early modern England.

Nate Williams is an expert on workforce technology and labor market information. At LinkedIn he is responsible for evaluating, defining, and executing policy partnerships that leverage LinkedIn’s technology as a means of completing the LinkedIn Economic Graph, a digital map of the global economy.

He previously worked at the US Department of Labor and is an active leader in US and global workforce policy issues.

Mr Williams holds a BA in Political Science from Brigham Young University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Columbia University.

Nerida O’Loughlin was appointed Chair and Agency Head of the ACMA from 14 October 2017 for five years.

Prior to joining ACMA, Ms O’Loughlin was Deputy Secretary in the Department of Communications and the Arts providing policy advice across telecommunications, broadcasting, online content and the arts. Ms O’Loughlin has also been responsible for major projects in the communications portfolio, including leading the Digital Television Switchover Program. Ms O’Loughlin served as interim CEO of the Digital Transformation Agency from 2016 to 2017. Over her career, Ms O’Loughlin has also held senior positions in the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments, predominantly across the technology and cultural sectors.

On 6 April 2019, Ms O’Loughlin was appointed as an Associate Member of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. On 10 June 2019 Ms O’Loughlin was awarded a Public Service Medal in the Queen’s Birthday honours for ‘outstanding public service through contributions to a more digital Australia and government’.

Pablo de Carvajal  was appointed General Counsel, Global Head Public, Regulatory Affairs and Responsible Business, Telefónica in February 2018.

He previously held the position of  Legal Counsel for “La Unión y el Fénix Español, Compañía de Seguros y Reaseguros, SA” (1988-1989).  In April 1991, he was appointed State Attorney and became the Legal Counsel of Jazz Telecom, SA in December 1999  and held the Secretariat of the Board and the Legal Department of YACOM INTERNET FACTORY, SA in March 2000.

Mr de Carvajal has also held the positions of General Counsel to Telefónica Spain in June 2001  and Director of Operators and Regulation in April 2013.

Mr de Carvajal  holds a Law Degree from the Complutense University of Madrid (1986) and a Master’s Degree in European Law from the Free University of Brussels (1988).

Rebecca Arbogast serves as Senior Vice President for Global Public Policy for Comcast Corporation. In this role she is responsible for the development and coordination of the company’s public policy efforts across the corporation.

Prior to joining Comcast in 2011, Ms Arbogast served as Managing Director at Stifel Financial where she provided advice to institutional investors on legal issues affecting communications, media, and technology industries. She joined Stifel from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) where she was Chief of the International Bureau Telecommunications Division, leading an office of attorneys, economists, and engineers shaping the agency’s policies for international communications services. Prior to this, Ms Arbogast served in the Office of Legal Counsel of the US Department of Justice, and she began her legal career as a corporate attorney with Wilmer Cutler practicing international and communications law.

Ms Arbogast holds a Law degree from Yale Law School and a Masters Degree from the University of Iowa. She has taught Constitutional Law at Johns Hopkins School of Public Policy and Global Communications at American University. She clerked for Judge Fletcher on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and was a Fulbright Fellow in European Community Law.

Robert Pepper was Head, Global Connectivity Policy and Planning, Meta until August 2024.  He helped lead Meta’s connectivity and technology policy activities focusing on new technology development, deployment and adoption. Dr Pepper previously was Cisco’s Vice President for Global Technology Policy for more than a decade working with governments across the world helping them develop their digital strategies and address areas such as ICT and development, broadband plans, IP enabled services, wireless and spectrum policy, the Internet of Things, security, privacy and internet governance.

As Chief of the Office of Plans and Policy and Chief of Policy Development at the FCC for 16 years beginning in 1989, Dr Pepper led teams designing and implementing the first US spectrum auctions, developing policies promoting the development of the internet, implementing telecommunications legislation, and planning for the transition to digital television.

Before joining the FCC, he was Director of the Annenberg Washington Program in Communications Policy. His government service also included Acting Associate Administrator at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and initiating a programme on Computers, Communications and Information Policy at the National Science Foundation.

His academic appointments included faculty positions at the Universities of Iowa, Indiana, and Pennsylvania, and as a research affiliate at Harvard University. He chairs the US Department of State’s Advisory Committee on International Communications and Information Policy and has served on the board of the US Telecommunications Training Institute, the US Department of Commerce’s Spectrum Management Advisory Committee and the UK’s OFCOM Spectrum Advisory Board.

Dr Pepper received his BA and PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Rod Sims AO is a Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University, Canberra; Chair of the Superpower Institute, a non-profit organisation dedicated to Australia moving quickly to, and benefitting from, the transition to net zero emissions; Chair of Opera Australia, Australia’s largest performing arts company; Chair of the Competition Research Policy Network at the Centre for Economic Policy Research, Paris; and Chair of Australia’s National Data Advisory Committee. He is also an Expert Adviser to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority on digital platform issues.

From 2011-March 2022 Professor Sims was Chair of The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Prior to that he had a range of senior corporate positions, including on Boards based in Australia, the UK and Singapore, and advising many major Australian companies on corporate strategy issues. He has also worked in the Australian Public Service including as the Deputy Secretary in charge of all domestic policy in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, one of three positions working to the Head of that Department. From 1988-1990 he was the Principal Economic Adviser to Australia’s Prime Minister Bob Hawke.

Bio coming soon ……..

Shawn Hakl is responsible for building and executing the product strategy and partnerships for Microsoft’s Azure for Operators portfolio. His team works across product, engineering and sales to help operators execute on the digital transformation of the core and edge networks. Prior to Microsoft, Mr Hakl served at Verizon as the Senior Vice President of Business Product, responsible for a $29B portfolio covering services such as enterprise networking, 4G/5G, cyber security, collaboration and IoT.

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. He is a member of the IIC Board.

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

Susan Ness is a former Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission and the founder of Susan Ness Strategies, a communications policy consulting firm. Ms Ness is a distinguished fellow at both the German Marshall Fund, where she works on transatlantic digital policy issues, and at the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania (APPC), where she convenes a transatlantic high level working group to address hate speech, violent extremism and viral deception online while protecting freedom of expression and a vibrant, global internet.

Previously, Ms Ness was a senior fellow at the SAIS Center for Transatlantic Relations (Johns Hopkins University). Ms Ness served on the US Federal Communications Commission from 1994 to 2001, playing a leading role on spectrum policy, competition and new technologies. She taught international and domestic communications policy at the Annenberg School for Communication (U.PA) after completing her FCC service. She was founder and CEO of GreenStone Media, which produced talk radio programming for women.

Ms Ness currently serves on the board of TEGNA Inc (NYSE-TGNA) a broadcast and multi-platform media company, and on the board of Vital Voices Global Partnership, an NGO that invests in women’s leadership worldwide.

Sébastien Soriano was apointed the Chairman of Arcep (the French telecom regulator) in 2015.

He was the BEREC Chair 2017 (the European telecom body) and was the BEREC Vice-Chair in 2016 and 2018.  In 2019, he was Chair of Fratel, the network of French-speaking telecommunications regulators.

Mr Soriano has spent most of his career in digital policies, competition and telecoms regulation areas. He started his career at the French Competition Authority, as a case handler (2001-2004) and then as Deputy General Rapporteur (2009 and 2012). Between 2004 and 2009, he held various positions at Arcep.

From 2012 -2014, he was Chief of Staff of Mrs. Fleur Pellerin, French Minister for SMEs, Innovation and Communication. Prior to his appointment as Chairman of Arcep, he was Special Advisor to the French Minister for Culture and Communication.

Sébastien Soriano has published several papers on the challenges of regulators and law makers in the digital era. He also teaches regulation and digital economy in the Master’s programme in Public Policy at SciencesPo. He is also member of the board of directors of the Centre on Regulation in Europe (CERRE).

Dr Wilhelm Eschweiler, one of the two Vice Presidents of the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur), is responsible for telecommunications and rail.

He was Chair of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) in 2016.

Prior to his current position, he worked in several senior positions in the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy. He was Head of Unit for the European ICT Policy from 2007 until April 2014 and Head of Unit for International Telecoms and Postal Services Policy from 2002 until 2006. Prior to that, he worked as an advisor for regulatory policy from 1998 until 2002.

After graduating from the University of Bonn with a degree in Law (Second State Examination) he started his career at the Federal Ministry of Post and Telecommunications from 1992 until 1994 including a mandatory secondment to the Directorate-General Information Society and Media of the European Commission in Brussels. From 1995 until 1997 he worked in the Office of the Minister Dr. Wolfgang Bötsch.

Dr. Eschweiler holds a degree in Law from the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University in Bonn and spent two terms at the University of Lausanne.

Yih-Choung Teh is Group Director, Strategy and Research at Ofcom. The group leads on setting Ofcom’s overarching strategy, drawing on insights from our research and analysis of the sectors we regulate. He has previously been a Director in Ofcom’s Competition Group, working on issues including Ofcom’s strategy to encourage investment in telecoms infrastructure, and overseeing Ofcom’s broadcasting and media competition programme.

Before joining Ofcom, Mr Teh worked for a strategy consultancy in the telecoms sector, providing policy and strategy advice to public and private sector clients globally. Prior to this he held an academic research post in the University of Oxford.

Zee Kin Yeong is the Deputy Commissioner of the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) and oversees the administering and enforcement of the Personal Data Protection Act (2012). His key responsibilities include managing the formulation and implementation of policies relating to the protection of personal data, as well as the issuing of enforcement directions for organisational actions. He also spearheads the public and sector-specific educational and outreach activities, to raise both awareness and compliance in organizations and individuals in personal data protection.

Mr Leong also holds the position of Assistant Chief Executive (Data Innovation and Protection Group), where he oversees the IMDA’s Artificial Intelligence and Data Industry development strategy. This is one of four frontier technology areas IMDA has identified for its transformational potential for a Digital Economy. The other three are cybersecurity, the Internet of Things, and immersive media. In his role as an AI and data analytics champion, Mr Yeong’s work includes developing forward-thinking governance on AI and data, driving a pipeline of AI talent, promoting industry adoption of AI and data analytics, as well as building specific AI and data science capabilities in Singapore.