Communications Policy & Regulation Week 2022 – in person

Aboubacar Sidiki Condé is an Economist.  He joined the Regulatory Authority of Posts and Telecommunications (ARPT) of the Republic of Guinea in June 2013 through the Directorate of Economy & Prospects of this institution. Since 2013 he has held the positions of:
✓ Head of Universal Access and Services;
✓ Acting Director in charge of Economics & Foresight;
✓ Senior Advisor to the Director General.

In his current position, Mr Conde represents ARPT in strategic bodies (Board of Directors, Executive Committee and General Assembly) of partner institutions and international meetings, accompanies the Director General in its interactions of a strategic nature with local and international partners and provides support to the functional Directorates as needed in the accomplishment of their missions.

Mr Conde previously worked for the Regional Council of Auvergne in France and two international Belgian and Swiss NGOs operating in the Republic of Guinea in the field of Local Economic Development and Protection of Minors’ Rights, respectively as Advisor in charge of Planning and Monitoring & Evaluation of Projects and Project Coordinator,

Mr Conde has a Master’s degree in Economics & Finance from the University of Conakry in the Republic of Guinea and a Master 1 and a Master 2 Professional Economics-Management, Option “International Development and Project Analysis” from the University of Auvergne in France.

In addition to his academic certifications, Mr Conde has benefited from several other certifying trainings on, among others, Telecommunications Regulation, Tariff and Quality of Service Control, Taxation of the Telecommunications Sector, Policies and Practices of Information and Communication Technologies Regulation, Strategic Planning and Monitoring & Evaluation of Projects, etc.

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.

Alicia Barin has over 20 years of experience in the Canadian media industry, Alicia has developed expertise in the fields of strategic planning, policy and regulatory affairs.

From 2000 to 2013, Ms Barin  served as the Vice-President of Strategic Planning at Astral Media. She had direct input in most major operational and regulatory initiatives, the launch of new services and corporate acquisitions.

In particular, Ms Barin successfully led the start-up of new pay and specialty channels and helped establish new business models for multi-platform television services as well as the coordination of Canadian content program and investment spending. During her time with Astral Media, she provided strategic planning support across the entire company.

Since 2013, she has worked in corporate affairs for a project management firm as well as an architecture firm to grow these businesses as they served a variety of private and public-sector clients.

Ms Barin has a Bachelor of Laws, McGill University and an Honours Business Administration, Western University.

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

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

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

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

Andrea Sanders-Winter has been heading the subdepartment “Internet, Digitisation – especially in SMEs, Market Analysis” of the Federal Network Agency for Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Post and Railway (Bundesnetzagentur) since August 2020.

Ms Sanders-Winter was previously responsible for the international coordination in telecommunications and railways where she was head of unit since 2010. In this function, she managed the activities of the Federal Network Agency in BEREC (Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications).

From 2005 until 2010 Ms Sanders-Winter was responsible for the European ICT Policy in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. From 1993 to 2005 she worked for the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in various units including “European Coordination”, “Twinning Programs” and “Posting of workers”. In 1997/1998 she joined the Permanent Representation of the Federal Republic of Germany to the EU in Brussels and in 1996/1997 she worked for the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group on labour and social affairs.

Ms Sanders-Winter holds a degree in law from the Westfälischen-Wilhelms-University in Münster, where she also completed her legal traineeship, including periods abroad and traineeships in Seville and Madrid.

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.

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.

Anna Brakey was appointed a Commissioner of the ACCC in December 2020. She is also an Associate Member of the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

Ms Brakey has extensive experience in regulatory economics and public policy with over 25 years of experience working with regulators, government and within the private sector. She has had broad exposure to a wide range of infrastructure industries, including energy, water and transport. Additionally, she has worked on economic reform to social policy.

Prior to starting at ACCC,  Ms Brakey worked as an economist at Frontier Economics and held a number of roles at the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART), including being a deputy Tribunal Member, the Executive Director of Strategy and Economic Analysis and the Chief Operating Officer.  Ms Brakey’s expertise includes the Parliamentary Committee process, the New South Wales Department of Transport, the Australian Productivity Commission, the Bureau of Industry Economics and the Australian Bureau of Statistics.  Additionally, Ms Brakey has worked for the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) on reforms to economic regulation and with the New South Wales Treasury on the sale of assets.

Ms Brakey chairs the ACCC’s Infrastructure Committee, Communications Committee, Electricity Markets Inquiry Board and East Coast Gas Market Board, and is a member of the ACCC’s Competition Exemptions Committee and Agriculture Board.

Ms Brakey holds a Bachelor of Economics from Australian National University and a Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance and Investment from Securities Institute of Australia. She is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Annemarie Sipkes has been director for Telecoms, Postal and Transport at the ACM, the Dutch authority for markets and consumers, since 2018. This year, she is the BEREC chair. Before working as a telecoms regulator, she held different posts in the Dutch government, working from an economic perspective on strategic issues in the field of Education, Culture & Science and in Social Affairs & labour market policies. After completing her MSC in economics and an MA in General Arts in Maastricht, she started her career at the Dutch Central bank and also spent several years in consulting at KPMG.

Bio coming soon ……

Benoît Loutrel is an economist engineer, specializing in industrial economics, economic development, digital transformation and regulatory economics.

After working at the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee) as a research officer in environmental economics in 1993, Mr Loutrel was appointed in 1996 technical advisor to the administrator representing the France at the World Bank in Washington and then, in 1999, chargé d’affaires and head of the European office (in Paris) of the infrastructure department of the International Finance Corporation, a subsidiary of the World Bank Group until 2003.

In 2004, he joined the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications and Posts. (Arcep) where he was Director of Fixed and Mobile Market Regulation, then Deputy Director General. From 2010 to 2013, he was Director of the “Development of the Digital Economy” program of the “Investments for the future” to the Commissioner General for Investment. From 2013 to 2016, Mr Loutrel was Director General of Arcep. In 2017, Mr Loutrel became Director of Institutional Relations and Public Policy at Google France. From 2018 to 2020, he carried out various missions within the INSEE General Inspectorate, and in particular, he was General Rapporteur of the interministerial mission “regulation of social networks”.

Mr Loutrel joined the Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel in February 2021. He chairs Arcom’s “Supervision of Online Platforms” working group. He is also Vice-President of the working group “Televisions, SMAD, distribution and digital uses”.

Mr Loutrel studied industrial economics and regulation at Ecole Polytechnique, ENSAE, and Toulouse School of Economics.

Bill Davenport is Senior Director for Technology and Spectrum Policy at Cisco Systems, Inc. In this role, Mr Davenport is responsible for advising and representing the company on a wide range of US and international communications issues, including wireless spectrum, universal service, and equipment marketing. Prior to joining Cisco in May 2022, Mr Davenport worked at the Federal Communications Commission as Chief of Staff and Senior Legal Advisor to Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, where he oversaw the office’s operations and advised the Commissioner on wireless and international issues. Mr Davenport has also served in senior leadership positions throughout the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau, most recently as the manager responsible for spectrum enforcement investigations. In addition to his FCC experience, Mr Davenport has worked as a senior executive at a satellite company as well as an associate at two major law firms.

Bio coming soon ……

Joining the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada in 2012, Brent Homan is currently Deputy Commissioner, responsible for the enforcement of Canada’s federal public and private sector privacy laws.

Mr Homan’s accomplishments in Privacy include key investigations such as: Tim Hortons Location Tracking (2022), Facial Recognition – Clearview, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Cadillac Fairview (2020/1), Facebook Cambridge Analytica (2019), Statistics Canada (2019), Equifax (2018), the World Anti-Doping Association Breach (2017), Ashley Madison (2016), the Bell Advertising Program (2015), and Google Behavioural Advertising (2014).

A global leader in International enforcement, Mr Homan has joined forces with partners, co-leading numerous international investigations including two Global Privacy Award winning joint investigations against Clearview and Ashley Madison, and the first ever international joint-investigation in the field of Privacy (against Whatsapp) with the Dutch Privacy Authority. Mr Homan created and spearheaded the Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN) Privacy Sweep, and co-chairs the International Enforcement Cooperation Working Group for the Global Privacy Assembly.

A leader in digital economy, Mr Homan co-chairs a Global Digital Consumer Working Group examining the growing intersection of privacy, consumer-protection and competition, and seeking to advance collaboration across regulatory spheres.
Prior to his appointment at the OPC, Mr. Homan was Assistant Deputy Commissioner at the Competition Bureau of Canada where he led numerous high profile misleading advertising investigations in the Digital Economy. In the area of health, Mr Homan led Canada’s Tobacco Inquiry into the use of Light and Mild descriptors, culminating in the removal of Light and Mild labelling from cigarette packaging across Canada.

Mr Homan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Political Science from Carleton University, and a Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Ottawa.

Catherine Tait was appointed President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada on April 3, 2018, for a five-year term. She began her mandate on July 3, 2018. Catherine is also the Chair of the Global Task Force for Public Media, an initiative of the Public Media Alliance launched in September 2019.

As President and CEO, Catherine is responsible for overseeing the management of CBC/Radio-Canada to ensure that Canada’s national public broadcaster can deliver on the various aspects of its mandate and continue to offer Canadians a broad spectrum of high-quality programming that informs, enlightens and entertains, and that is created by, for and about Canadians.

Prior to her appointment, Ms Tait co-founded New York-based Duopoly Inc, an independent film, television and digital content company, which she led as President from 2002 to 2018. She also co-founded iThentic, a digital content company, in 2006 and Hollywood Suite in 2010, a broadcasting company in Canada. Catherine was also previously the President and COO of Salter Street Films from 1997 to 2001. She has experience working for the Government of Canada as Director and Cultural Attaché with the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris, and as Manager of Policy and Planning for Telefilm Canada where her passion for Canadian film and television content was ignited.

She’s been a member of a number of industry-specific boards including Comweb Group, DHX Media LTD, Hollywood Suite (which she co-founded), iThentic Inc, eOne Entertainment, CHUM Ltd, Aliant Inc, Rogers Mobile Film Fund and the Canadian Film and Television Production Association.

Ms Tait holds a Diplôme d’Études Approfondies, Communications Theory from the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas (1983), a Master of Science from Boston University’s School of Public Communication (1982) and a Bachelor of Arts (Hon) in Literature and Philosophy from the University of Toronto (1979).

Ms Tait was named Playback’s Executive of the Year in 2019 and Woman of the Year 2021-2022 by Women in Communications and Technology.

Chaucer Leung was appointed Director-General of Communications of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in July 2019.

As the Director-General of Communications, Mr Leung heads the Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA), the executive arm of the Communications Authority (CA), and is the ex-officio member of the CA.

The CA is an independent unified regulator for both telecommunications and broadcasting sectors in Hong Kong.

Mr Leung provides support to the CA in the exercise of the CA’s statutory functions under the relevant Ordinances. These mainly cover licensing matters for both the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors, management of radio spectrum and enforcement of the provisions safeguarding market competition and fair trade practices, as well as giving advice to the Government with regard to telecommunications and broadcasting matters.

Mr Leung is also appointed as the Director of Films, Newspapers and Articles Administration and is responsible in that capacity for enforcing the Control of Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance (COIAO) and overseeing the work pursuant to COIAO, as well as acting as the Film Censorship Authority and the registrar of newspapers.

Chenda Thong has more than 20 years of experience in public sector.  After working at the central level of government, in November 2020 he was appointed Chairman of the Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia.

Prior to joining the TRC, Chairman Thong held various positions such as a Secretary of State for the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, an advisor to the Office of the Council of Ministers, a legal advisor to the Chairman of the Third Committee of the National Assembly and the Vice President of the Royal Academy for Judicial Professions, one of the first state institutions to offer a fair and transparent national judicial entrance examination.

As a renowned leader within the public entity, Chairman Thong creates a culture of solidarity and harmony with the core value of high integrity in the working place. His previous background powered his aspiration to lead the TRC to be one of the world class regulators, finding practical answers for some of the nation’s complex questions and to ensure good governance and transparency in management and operations.

Chairman Thong holds qualifications in Law from Norton University and English literature from the Institute of Foreign Languages in Cambodia.

Chris Chapman was appointed President of the International Institute of Communications on 1 April 2016.

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 is a member of Ofcom’s Spectrum Executive Team and sits on various Ofcom Steering Groups.

Mr Woolford is active in various European spectrum committees and is currently Chairman of the CEPT Electronic Communications Committee (ECC). He has closely engaged for the UK on a number of key European initiatives, including the development of the Radio Spectrum Policy Programme, and UK initiatives in relation to the ITU. Mr Woolford led the UK delegations to WRC-15 and WRC-12 and is currently preparing to lead the UK Delegation to WRC-19.

Before joining Ofcom, Mr Woolford worked in various UK Government Departments, including 6 years at Oftel, where he worked on different aspects of telecommunications regulation.

Mr Woolford has a degree in mathematics and statistics from Manchester University.

Chris Ferguson regularly advises on mission critical technology issues and technology transactions, including negotiating and drafting technology services, cloud, data and AI, and outsourcing agreements. Mr Ferguson advises on privacy compliance and risk management, the privacy and cybersecurity implications of novel products and services, and on the privacy and cybersecurity dimensions of technology and M&A transactions, including on legal and regulatory developments in those fields and on practical compliance solutions tailored to new technologies and evolving laws. Mr Fergusons’ privacy practice includes advising on health privacy and public sector privacy matters.

Mr Ferguson has advised on and negotiated key strategic partnerships, services and cloud agreements for essential systems, and mission critical outsourcing arrangements and privacy, data protection, Canadian anti-spam legislation (CASL), and communications law matters. In addition, Mr Ferguson has advised on legal advocacy before regulators and policy makers, including representation on matters relating to intellectual property, CASL, and communications law, and dealings with regulators, administrative boards, public servants, and ministerial staff. Mr Ferguson has participated in proceedings before the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the Copyright Board of Canada, and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr Ferguson was in-house at a media and technology company, where he worked with executive and business stakeholders to consistently deliver results.

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. He is also President of the Australian Chapter of the IIC.

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.

Elena Scaramuzzi leads regulatory services and research activities with a global reach. At Cullen International since 2009, Ms Scaramuzzi led and contributed to new service developments, including, more recently, the Global Trends service, covering the most wide-ranging trends shaping the future of the communications sector. Most of Ms Scaramuzzi’s previous work at Cullen International focused on regulatory research in the Americas.
With over 25 years’ work experience in the sector, before joining Cullen International Ms Scaramuzzi worked for Telecom Italia and the World Bank.

Elisa Giomi is an Associate Professor at Roma Tre University, Department of Philosophy, Communication and Performing Arts, where she teaches Sociology of Media and Communication, Television Narrative, and Advertising. She coordinates the Media and Communication module of the MA in Gender and Political Studies.  Ms Giomi also the MA course in Cultural Leadership Research, a double postgraduate degree programme (University of Groningen and Roma Tre University).

Ms Giomi is the author of more than 50 publications for major Italian and international publishers and for Italian and foreign peer-reviewed journals.

Ms Giomi has coordinated national and international scientific projects aimed at studying the media and identifying good practices in the sector, on behalf of various bodies and institutions including: European Parliament, EJC-European Journalism Center, EIGE-European Institute for Gender Equality.  She has coordinated television content analysis projects on behalf of Italian broadcasters, including monitoring the representation of women in public programming.

Ms Giomi collaborates with the parliamentary commission of enquiry on feminicide, as well as on all forms of gender-based violence; she is a member of the board of the “Gender Studies” Section of the AIS-Italian Association of Sociology and of the magazine “AG. About Gender. International Journal of Gender Studies”.

By decree of the President of the Republic, sMs Giomi was appointed on 15 September 2020 as a member of the Board of Authority for Guarantees in Communications.

She is the Agcom Representative in the Italian Chapter of the IIC International Institute of Communications.

Emmanuel Gabla was nominated as Membre du Collège at the board of Arcep at the beginning of 2019. He was previously the Head of the Economic Section of France’s embassy in Norway from 2016 until his appointment at Arcep.

Mr Gabla began his career in 1993 at the Ministry of Post & Telecom, which developed the 1996 Act that opened the telecoms sector up to competition. Starting in 1999, Mr Gabla served as an advisor on telecoms, the information society, postal affairs and industrial aspects of the internal market to the Permanent Representation of France to the European Union, as Technical Advisor to the Prime Minister, Jean Pierre Raffarin, in charge of telecoms and postal affairs, industrial property and space, and the head of the Technologies and Information Society department at the Directorate-General for Enterprise.

From 2009 to 2015, Mr Gabla was a member of the Board of the French broadcasting authority, CSA, and a member of the General Council for the Economy, Industry, Energy and Technologies from 2015 to 2016.

Mr Gabla is a former student at the Ecole Polytechnique, a graduate of the Ecole nationale supérieure des télécommunications (ENST), and a Chief Telecommunications Engineer.

Bio coming soon …..

Farhan Mohamed is the co-founder and CEO of Overstory Media Group, a Canadian media company focused on rebuilding community news. Since launching the company in May 2021, Overstory now owns and operates more than a dozen community publications and employs more than 50 people – majority of whom are in editorial roles. Their publications include Capital Daily, The Georgia Straight, The Coast in Halifax, Vancouver Tech Journal, and Fraser Valley Current. Overstory focuses on delivering high quality, in-depth news and thought-provoking storytelling produced by journalists and creators from the communities they serve. They centre their distribution and engagement around email newsletters.

Prior to Overstory, Mr Mohamed was the Editor-in-Chief and co-owner at Daily Hive, growing the company from a passion project to fully functioning newsroom across Canada with over 6.5 million monthly readers.

Fiona Gilfillan was appointed Executive Director of Telecommunications in November 2021. Her extensive and broad experience in the Telecommunications field combined with her strategic planning and leadership skills contribute to ensuring that Canadians have access to a world-class communications system by leading most of the CRTC’s telecommunications regulatory activities.

In 1993, she began her public service career with the CRTC as a rates project officer.

From 1996 to 2002, she gained management, planning and leadership experience working with various private telecommunications companies including Call-Net Enterprises Inc. and AT&T Canada Corp.

Ms Gilfillan returned to the CRTC from 2002 to 2007 as Director General, Industry Analysis, Policy and Consumer Affairs. Among her many accomplishments and contributions, she was instrumental in attracting, hiring and retaining new graduates at the CRTC. She led key telecom policy files including the establishment and implementation of the National Do Not Call List, forbearance from regulating the incumbent telecommunications providers, price cap regulation, and a policy framework for the regulation of voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP).

She then joined Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, where she led spectrum operations, spectrum auctions and policy. Most recently, from 2017 to 2021, Fiona was the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Spectrum Telecom Sector, where she was responsible for, among other things, spectrum management, the Communications Research Centre, and standards and certification of telecommunications equipment in the spectrum and telecommunications sector.

Ms Gilfillan has a Master’s in Business Administration, emphasis in strategic planning, York University and a Bachelor of Mathematics, University of Waterloo.

Dr George Houpis is a Director at Frontier Economics.  His main areas of expertise are the theory and application of regulation and competition policy, market research and forecasting in the telecoms, postal and other sectors.

Examples of his recent project work include advising regulatory authorities and operators on the application of the EU telecommunications regulatory framework, fixed and mobile interconnection, regulation and costing of NGNs, margin squeeze cases in the broadband internet services market, and advice on auctioning of spectrum.  Mr Houpis has also advised on postal sector reform, including advice on access pricing and costing, competition issues in the postal sector, and costing and funding of universal service.

Dr Houpis has also extensive quantitative experience, including the production and review of forecasts for fixed and mobile revenues, penetration and usage and has provided support to a number of bids for telecommunications, TV and radio licences.’

Gerry McQuaid is the Director for Telecoms and Internet Security at Ofcom with a focus on regulating the technical aspects of security within the regimes of the Telecoms Security Act and NIS Directive. Prior to Ofcom he took a detour spending two years in The Hague securing an international organisation’s operations under the chemical weapons convention. Working for a global operator and a vendor, he was responsible for managing the various national security obligations globally. He has chaired or participated in a number of ETSI/3GPP/GSMA technical security committees, ERNCIP, ENISA and EuroPol EC3. Additionally, he has invested time advising various international bodies particularly on capacity building and specific vendor related oversight e.g. evaluation centres and supply chain security.

Bio coming soon …..

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

Jacob Glick is the Vice President, Public Policy at TELUS, a senior executive fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, and a global leader on complex issues at the intersection of technology, public policy and law. He brings more than 15 years of executive experience in technology and telecommunications law and policy.

Before joining TELUS, Mr Glick was general counsel of North Inc., a world-leading smart glasses start-up, funded by Intel Capital, Amazon and others, and acquired by Google. He also served as chief corporate affairs officer at Rogers Communications Inc.

Mr Glick was the head of Google’s central public policy and government relations team, based at Google’s headquarters in California. Prior to that, he founded and led Google Canada’s public policy and government relations team.

He also served as general counsel, director of policy at the Canadian Internet Registration Authority and was a litigator with McCarthy Tétrault LLP.
Mr Glick was a distinguished visiting executive fellow at the Centre for Law, Technology and Society in the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law. Called to the Bar in 2003, he holds a bachelor of arts with high distinction and a bachelor of laws, both from the University of Toronto.

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.

James Cameron is an Authority Member with the Australian Communications and Media Authority, having been appointed in August 2013.

Mr Cameron has over 25 years Australian Government public policy experience, including senior executive roles in the telecommunications, radio communications, broadcasting and digital economy fields. Mr Cameron has also held executive positions managing government policies and programs supporting Australia’s arts and sports sectors and, immediately prior to joining the ACMA, was Chief Executive Officer of the National Water Commission.

Bio coming soon …..

Bio coming soon ……

John Pecman is an economist with an MA from McMaster University and worked at the Competition Bureau as an investigator, manager, and executive for more than 34 years. Mr Pecman served as the Commissioner of Competition of the Competition Bureau Canada from June 2013 for a five-year term. Under Mr Pecman’s leadership, the Bureau’s enforcement actions preserved competition and drove innovation in a variety of major areas of the Canadian economy, including the automotive, manufacturing, e-commerce, telecommunications, and retail sectors. John was responsible for reinvigorating the Bureau’s role in advocating for Canadians by promoting the benefits of increased competition in regulated sectors of the economy. Mr Pecman’s philosophy of a more open, transparent, and collaborative Bureau led to many initiatives including a realignment of the organization, prioritization of corporate compliance programs and building many trust relationships with domestic and international partners. Mr Pecman held executive positions with the OECD Competition Committee and the International Competition Network (ICN) and served as ICN/OECD Liaison to ensure coordination of work by these international bodies. Presently, Mr Pecman holds several appointments, including as a Non-Government Advisor (NGA) to the ICN, Fellow at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Senior Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute, as well as the TMX Industry Professor at DeGroote Business School at McMaster University.

Josh Korn is the head of global technology and innovation policy at Netflix, the world’s leading streaming entertainment service. He leads a team of policy experts in various technology policy fields.

Mr Korn is an expert on the intersection of technology and entertainment including issues related to artificial intelligence, protection of minors, net neutrality, and media law. He Works to promote policies that support a competitive, open and dynamic internet entertainment ecosystem with
vibrant choice for consumers.

Mr Korn has held many positions at Netflix including head of policy in Australia and New Zealand, global protection of minors policy lead, and manager of US state and federal policy.

Prior to joining Netflix, Mr Korn investigated anticompetitive conduct and mergers as a part of the Telecommunications and Media Enforcement Section of the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust

Julie Inman Grant is Australia’s eSafety Commissioner. In this role, Julie leads the world’s first government regulatory agency committed to keeping its citizens safer online.

Julie has extensive experience in the non-profit and government sectors, and spent two decades working in senior public policy and safety roles in the tech industry at Microsoft, Twitter and Adobe.

The Commissioner’s career began in Washington DC, working in the US Congress and the non-profit sector before taking on a role at Microsoft. Julie’s experience at Microsoft spanned 17 years, serving as one of the company’s first and longest-standing government relations professionals, ultimately in the role of Global Director for Safety & Privacy Policy and Outreach. At Twitter, she set up and drove the company’s policy, safety and philanthropy programs across Australia, New Zealand & Southeast Asia.

As Commissioner, Julie plays an important global role as Chair of the Child Dignity Alliance’s Technical Working Group and as a Board Member of the WePROTECT Global Alliance. She was recently designated one of Australia’s most influential women by the Australian Financial Review and a leading Australian in Foreign Affairs by the Sydney Morning Herald. In 2020, the World Economic Forum and Apolitical designated the Commissioner as one of the #Agile50, the world’s most influential leaders revolutionising government.

Kalana Prince-Wilson is an Attorney-at-Law, Certified Mediator and founder of Kalana Prince-Wilson & Company, Attorneys-at-Law – a general law practice with experience in civil, conveyancing, estate and succession, family and land law and other non-criminal contentious and non-contentious matters.

Currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad & Tobago since 2016, Mrs Prince-Wilson serves on two sub-committees of the Board, the Board Review Committee which reviews all consultative documents of the Authority for approval prior to consultation and the Board Tenders Committee.

Mrs Prince-Wilson has over ten (10) years’ experience in the telecommunications industry having served in several positions including Product Manager at the Telecommunications Services of Trinidad & Tobago (TSTT) the incumbent provider of mobile and fixed telecommunications and subscription television broadcasting Services.

Mrs Prince-Wilson is a charismatic choir director, youth leader and inspirational speaker.  She is also a very patriotic servant and citizen of the great Republic of Trinidad & Tobago and has a passion for driving persons and organizations toward achieving excellence through promoting change and improving approaches and/or processes.

Bio coming soon …….

Kevin Chan is the Global Policy Campaign Strategies Director at Meta Platforms, where he is focusing on the future of the internet, including the metaverse, AR/VR/MR, and the creator economy. In this role he is responsible for Meta’s $50 million XR Research and Programs Fund, and is Meta’s representative on the World Economic Forum’s Global Collaboration Village.

A former government executive and university administrator, Mr Chan launched Facebook’s Canadian public policy function and spent 7 years as its Head and then Director of Policy. His work fighting white nationalists made NOW Magazine’s 2019 Year In Review, and he was awarded a 2020-21 Harvard Technology and Democracy Fellowship for his leadership of Facebook’s Canadian Election Integrity Initiative.

Mr Chan graduated from Harvard Kennedy School, the Ivey Business School and the Royal Conservatory of Music. An Action Canada Fellow, he is the recipient of the Public Service Award of Excellence, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal.

Kevin McNamee founded Nokia’s Threat Intelligence Lab. This lab analyses hundreds of thousands of malware samples each day to create the threat intelligence that powers Nokia’s adaptive 5G end-to-end security solution. Previously he was director of Security Research at Bell Labs, specialising in the analysis of malware propagation and detection. He is an expert on mobile network security, holds ten patents in this field and has had speaking engagements on the topic at RSA, BlackHat and the (ISC)2 Security Congress.

Laura Berger is a lawyer with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. In her time with the CCLA, Ms Berger has contributed to research and advocacy on topics ranging from freedom of expression and privacy to police accountability and criminal justice reform. Previously, she worked as an advisor to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law, where she taught a seminar on the Charter protection of freedom of expression. A graduate of the University of Toronto (BA and JD), Laura was called to the Ontario Bar in 2014. Outside of work, she is an experienced wilderness canoeist and volunteers with an adaptive skiing program.

Biography coming soon.

Luc Tapella is the Director of the Institut Luxembourgeois de Régulation, a multi-sector regulator (electronic communications, frequencies, energy, postal services, rail and air transport, and network and information systems security) in the Grand-Duché of Luxembourg.

He is the 2022 Chair of FRATEL, the global network of French-speaking regulators, which this year is dedicated to the themes of cyber security and network resilience. He was also Vice-President 2021 of the Independent Regulators Group in Europe.

He previously worked in finance and the space industry (Société Européenne des Satellites and member of the executive committee of SATLYNX) and CFO of Wagner Management in Luxembourg.

Luc Tapella holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University III of Aix-en-Provence (France).

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Luc Tapella est le directeur de l’Institut Luxembourgeois de régulation, régulateur multisectoriel (communications électroniques, fréquences, énergie, postes, transport ferroviaire et aérien et sécurité des réseaux et des systèmes d’information) au Grand- Duché de Luxembourg.

Il est président 2022 de FRATEL, le réseau mondial des régulateurs francophones qui se consacre cette année aux thèmes de la cyber sécurité et la résilience des réseaux. Il a été également vice-président 2021 du groupe des régulateurs indépendants en Europe.

Il a travaillé auparavant dans la finance et l’industrie spatiale (Société Européenne des Satellites et membre du comité exécutif de SATLYNX) et CFO de Wagner Management au Luxembourg.

Luc Tapella est titulaire d’un Master en économie de l’Université III d’Aix-en-Provence (France).

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’.

Masego M. Jeremih is a Deputy Director Media and Content at Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA). Ms Jeremiah is a Broadcasting and Corporate Communications professional with more than ten (10) years’ experience in the industry. She was previously in the Digital Migration Task Force appointed to ensure a smooth transition from analogue broadcasting to digital platforms. Her roles and responsibilities have been developing, directing, and implementing industry codes, operation guidelines and licensing frameworks in the broadcasting industry. She is also responsible for monitoring and compliance of broadcasters with regulatory tools and licence conditions. Ms Jeremiah guest lectures at the University of Botswana on Media Regulation and also teaches Primary and Junior students Digital Transformation, Online Safety and Cyber Hygiene.

Possessing a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) as well as a Bachelor of Media Studies (BMS), with Majors in Video & Television Production and Public Relations, both attained from the University of Botswana. Ms Jeremiah also has a Diploma in Telecommunications Management, a Diploma in Economic Regulation and a Diploma in Broadcasting Regulation.

A dynamic, innovative and result oriented professional who has worked with decision makers in government institutions, regulators and operators across the Southern African region and experts in the field of regulation. Harnessed research skills and stakeholder engagement especially in developing regulatory instruments.

Ms Jeremiah is currently on the Communications Regulators Association of Southern Africa (CRASA) Working Group established to assess the impact of Online Broadcasters on Broadcasting Regulation and the Electronic and Communications Committee (ECC) to develop a template for data collection on broadcasting regulation requirements in SADC Region for the SADC TV Bouquet.

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.

Matthew Johnson is the Director of Education for MediaSmarts, Canada’s centre for digital and media literacy. He is the author of many of MediaSmarts’ lessons, parent materials and interactive resources and the architect of MediaSmarts’ Use, Understand, Engage: Digital Literacy Framework for Canadian K-12 Schools and is one of the authors of the Canadian Pediatric Society’s screen time guidelines for children and youth. He has served on expert panels including the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada, consulted on the K-12 curriculum of several provinces, and has been interviewed by outlets such as The Globe and Mail, BBC News Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, CBC’s The National and Al Jazeera.

Maureen James manages CIRA’s Community Investment Program which funds community-led internet projects across Canada. Her background is in fundraising, grantmaking and strategy development with non-profits internationally and in Canada. With the recent release of CIRA’s ‘How to Fund Digital Equity in Canada’ guide, her current obsession is working to build community and commitment around funding digital equity.

Mr Meddy Kaggwa Sebagala is the Ag. Director for Industry Affairs and Content at the Uganda Communications Commission.

Mr Sebagala has a wealth of experience in ICT regulation, broadcasting and content regulation, and consumer protection issues. He possesses a vast experience in the ICT sector spanning policy development, research and implementation in various aspects including content regulation internet development, licensing, as well as promotion of research and innovation. communications.

Mr Sebagala holds a Master of Science in Computer Science from Makerere University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics and Mathematics from Makerere University Kampala.

Meghan Chilappa is Policy Counsel in Access Partnership’s DC office. She focuses on global policy and regulatory issues encompassing AI, the metaverse, cross-border data flows, government access to data, and digital governance. Prior to Access Partnership, she was a Privacy Consultant at Deloitte. s Chilappa has developed policy strategies and advised global companies on child safety in the metaverse, algorithmic accountability, the human rights and national security impacts of data localization, and more.

In law school, she held positions at the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Justice. She is published in Slate about the long-term impacts of internet shutdowns and served as a 2020 LENS (Law, Ethics, and National Security) Scholar. Prior to law school, Ms Chilappa worked in public diplomacy and politics in Washington, DC.

Ms Chilappa holds a BA in International Relations and Spanish from Syracuse University and a law degree from American University Washington College of Law.

Dame Melanie Dawes joined Ofcom as an Executive Board Member and Chief Executive on 2 March 2020.

Prior to joining Ofcom, Ms Dawes was Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (2015-2020). She has held senior roles across the Civil Service, working in partnership across the public and private sectors. She became the overall Champion for Diversity and Inclusion in the Civil Service in 2019.

Ms Dawes started her career as an economist and spent 15 years at the Treasury, including as Europe Director. She was Director General of the Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat at the Cabinet Office between 2011 and 2015, and prior to that she served on the Board of HMRC as Head of Business Tax. Ms Dawes was Director General for Business Tax from November 2007, which involved responsibility for all the business taxes and duties as well as leadership of the department’s relationships with big business. From 2009, she also led the development of HMRC’s overall strategy as a department.

Ms Dawes has held non-executive roles including with the consumer body Which? and is a trustee of the Patchwork Foundation, which promotes the participation of under-represented young people in democracy.

Miriam Estrin is Senior Policy Manager at Google, working globally on intermediary liability and content regulation. She previously worked at the U.S. Department of State as Policy Director in the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS, as a policy advisor in the Office of the Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations, and at the Brookings Institution in Foreign Policy Studies.

Ms Estrin has degrees from The University of Texas at Austin and Yale Law School.

Natalie Campbell is Senior Director, North American Government and Regulatory Affairs for the Internet Society. She is passionate about analyzing how government and business actions could impact the Internet and drives advocacy efforts to grow, protect, and defend an Internet for everyone. Some of her recent work includes working with Indigenous Connectivity Summit advocates to promote an enabling environment for community-led solutions for fast, affordable and reliable Internet across North America.

Notachard Chintakanond is the Executive Director of the International Affairs Bureau at Office of The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission of Thailand (Office of the NBTC).

Mr Chintakanond is in charge of all international – related matters for Office of the NBTC. He has extensively in close cooperation with many international forums such as ITU, APT, APEC, ASEAN, WTO, ATRC as well other international collaborations. He has contributed greatly for Office of the NBTC’s work through his responsibilities covering all liberalizations and negotiations under various regional trading arrangements such as cooperation under ASEAN Telecom Regulators Council (ATRC); Spectrum coordination; Collaboration on regulatory issues with overseas regulators as well as Bilateral cooperation with other international regulatory bodies. He has also been main negotiator for Telecommunications issues under various FTA negotiations including the recently concluded RCEP 2020.

Mr Chintakanond joined the Office of the NBTC in 2009 as a Senior Analyst, Director of Policy and Planning Division, Senior Expert in Policy and Planning and Executive Director of International Affairs Bureau, respectively.

Previously, he has been Trade Negotiator at the Department of Trade Negotiations (DTN) where he was the US Desk Officer responsible, in particular, for all trade related matters and trade negotiations with the US. Later on, he worked as Foreign Relations Supervisor at the Office of SMEs Promotion (OSMEP) where his capability covered a wide range of issues including Internationalization, Innovation, Informal Sector, Intellectual Property, and Capacity Building.

Mr Chintakanond holds a Master Degree in International Political Economy from the University of Warwick, England and Bachelor Degree in Business Administration (Marketing) from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. Furthermore, He has completed The Civil Service Executive Development Program: Visionary and Moral Leadership.

Isaac Alcalá is a Mexican qualified lawyer specialized on Competition Law issues. He began his work in the Federal Economic Competition Commission (COFECE) in 2014. In October 2021 he was appointed by COFECE Board as Head of the Digital Markets General Directorate, where he was Executive Director since August 2020. Prior to this position, he collaborated as Executive Director at the Investigative Authority and as Director on the Legal Affairs General Directorate, where he participated in high-profile investigations and procedures for COFECE.

Before COFECE, Mr Alcalá participated in important local law firms and companies from the food industry and the energy sector, focused on Constitutional Administrative Law and Intellectual Property.

Mr Alcalá, a qualified lawyer from Universidad Panamericana, holds an LLM in Competition Law by King’s College London and he is currently lecturer in the Competition Law course at Universidad Anahuac Mexico.

Peter S Grant is an Adjunct Professor at York University, Toronto. In 2020, he retired as Senior Counsel at McCarthy Tétrault LLP, one of Canada’s largest law firms. For many years he was the head of its Communications Group. Mr Grant pioneered the field of communications law in Canada, and for over 50 years his practice was substantially devoted to this field, including broadcasting and cable television licensing, satellite services, copyright negotiations, cultural industries, and telecommunications regulation. Mr Grant is the author or co-author of numerous articles, books and publications, including Blockbusters and Trade Wars: Popular Culture in a Globalized World (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2004), Canadian Broadcasting Regulatory Handbook, now in its 14th edition, and Communications Law and the Courts in Canada, now in its third edition. Mr Grant was one of six experts on the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review Panel, which published its report, Canada’s Communications Future: Time to Act, in January 2020.

Pirongrong Ramasoota (Ph.D. – Simon Fraser University) is one of Thailand’s six National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commissioners (NBTC).

Prior to joining NBTC in April 2022, Dr Ramasoota was Vice President of Chulalongkorn University (2016 – 2020) and was professor of Communication at the Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, where she researched and taught in media policy and regulation and social implications of information and communication technologies (ICTs) with a special focus on Thailand and ASEAN. Her research interests include media reform, free speech issues and content regulation. Her past published works range from online game, hate speech, online intermediary, echo chamber to OTTs regulation. She has been an active contributor to the international journals and conferences of repute.

Dr Ramasoota has received many national awards and international appointments. She was given the Nationally Distinguished Researcher Award from the National Research Council of Thailand in 2017 and was on the board of several international think tanks such as Asian Media Information and Communication Center (AMIC), Privacy International (PI), and Communication Policy Research South (CPRsouth).

Dr Ramasoota has had trainings in media law and regulation from Oxford University and London School of Economics and Political Science. She has also received research grants from UNESCO, IDRC (Canada), Social Science Research Council (SSRC) (USA), Google, National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT), and the Thailand Research Fund (TRF).

Some of Dr. Ramasoota’s published works:
• https://mitpress.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.7551/mitpress/9780262016780.001.0001/upso-9780262016780-chapter-5
• https://publixphere.net/i/noc/page/OI_Case_Study_Internet_Intermediary_Liability_in_Thailand.html
• http://www.jlisjournal.org/abstracts/Ramasoota_Panichpapiboon.23.1.html
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308596121000604?dgcid=author#!

NBTC’s website: https://nbtc.go.th/

Bio coming soon ….

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

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

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

Robert Mourik  is Chairperson, the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg).

Mr Mourik has almost thirty years’ experience in the telecoms sector, as an industry executive and as Government official.

Prior to joining ComReg, he worked for Cubic Telecom, a new entrant in the automotive IoT space, where he was responsible for all wholesale activities. Robert spent almost 10 years in Telefonica as the European Regulatory Strategy Director at their corporate HQ in Madrid and as Strategy Director in Ireland.

He also worked for Vodafone Group, as its head of the Brussels Office and in the regulatory department in Newbury, UK.

In 1991, Mr Mourik began his career in the Dutch Department for Transport and Telecommunication and from 1994 until 1999 he served, as Telecom Attache at the Netherlands’ Permanent Representation in Brussels. He was a Member and Chair of the Council Telecoms Working Group in 1998 when the first telecom regulatory package was adopted.

Mr Mourik studied Economics and Public Policy at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, and the University of Hull (UK).

Sashieka Seneviratne is Ericsson North America’s Director of Sustainability for Network Product Solutions based in Plano, Texas. Sashieka is responsible for driving sustainability initiatives across the organization, advising leadership and leveraging key stakeholder insights to identify opportunities where new sustainable network solutions for customers can be introduced.

Prior to her current role, she served as a Network Solutions Director at Ericsson Canada, where she brought together customer insight, business acumen and technology to create compelling strategic insights and network solutions for customers. She comes from a Research and Development (R&D) background with experience primarily in Radio Access Network (RAN) Hardware Development. She has 16 years of industry experience where she started her career at Nortel and then joined Ericsson in 2009. She has held several technical leadership roles, lead teams in product development and has additionally contributed to innovation through patents. She has served in the Advisory Board to the Head of R&D at Ericsson and currently serves on the Ericsson North America Sustainability Council working in areas of Climate Action, Digital Inclusion and Responsible Business.

As Executive Director of Broadcasting, Scott Shortliffe works with a diverse and talented group to provide Canadians with a wide range of Canadian programming that displays Canadian talent and serves the interests of Canadians across the country. This includes analyzing emerging trends in broadcasting, providing solutions to Canadian broadcasters and distributors, and working with all part of the Commission.

Mr Shortliffe joined the CRTC in 2017 as Chief Consumer Officer. In this role, he served as a focal point in ensuring that the interests and concerns of consumers are considered in the Commission’s decision making.

Before joining the Commission, Mr Shortliff spent 23 years at the Department of Canadian Heritage, including as Deputy Director General of Broadcasting and Digital Communications. As an executive, his duties included creating the Canada Periodical Fund and managing $75 million in grants and contributions, dealing with complex and sensitive ownership and control issues, advising senior officials and Ministers on issues related to CBC/Radio-Canada policy issues, the Canada Media Fund, and petitions to Cabinet of CRTC broadcasting licence decisions. From 2011 to 2017, Mr Shortliff was an observer on the Board of Women in Communications and Technology Canada (WCT) and the Canadian Heritage champion for the Jeanne Sauvé Professional Development Program.

Mr Shortliff has a Bachelors of History, Carleton University.

Sean Kennedy is a Partner at DT Economics LLP, based in the UK. He is a telecommunications regulatory specialist with more than 22 years of wide-ranging international commercial and regulatory experience in public and private sectors. Mr Kennedy has specialist skills in network economics, cost modelling, telecoms strategy development, interconnection agreement negotiations and the economic impact of regulatory interventions in digital markets. His clients include leading telecoms multinationals such as Vodafone, BT and Etisalat and regulators such as Ofcom (UK), ICASA (South Africa), NCC (Nigeria) and CRA (Qatar). Mr Kennedy is a IIC Board member and Treasurer.

Selina Chadha has worked at Ofcom for over 20 years. She currently leads Ofcom’s work on digital markets. Her areas of responsibility include Ofcom’s digital markets strategy, net neutrality and content gateways. Prior to her current role, she has led both telecoms and broadcasting competition and consumer protection work, including work on ensuring the availability of universal services and extending mobile coverage.

In his current role, Sheehan Carter leads the CRTC’s work on social and consumer policy; data collection and market intelligence; as well as strategic planning and international collaboration. He also plays a key leadership role in preparing the CRTC for significant legislative change.

Over his 25 years at the CRTC, Mr Carter has had the opportunity to lead or work on many of the most significant regulatory decisions made by the CRTC with respect to both broadcasting and telecommunications. He has also authored or co-authored a number of CRTC reports and other publications, including, most recently, its 2018 Harnessing Change report.

Mr Carter holds degrees in mass media communications and English literature from the University of Ottawa and a Master’s degree in communications from Carleton University.

Steve Reeder joined TikTok in May 2021, and leads on global antitrust and competition law matters, as well as other regulatory aspects of M&A. He manages all the company’s competition-related advice and regulatory engagement. This includes responding to government inquiries, advising on product, and managing competition and foreign investment filings. Prior to joining TikTok, Mr Reeder spent over six years working for the software company Oracle as the sole US-based attorney in their Antitrust group, contributing to competition responses across six continents. Mr Reeder began his career in the Antitrust department of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.

Steven was appointed Chief Compliance and Enforcement Officer (CCEO) at the CRTC in November 2016. He is responsible for the enforcement of the Unsolicited Telecommunication Rules, Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation, and the Voter Contact Registry.

As the CCEO, Steven Harroun’s leadership approach is to promote compliance with the applicable legislation and regulations through education and outreach and, when necessary, encourage and enforce compliance through both traditional and innovative approaches.

Mr Harroun joined Canada’s converged communications regulator in 2002 and has developed his expertise in both broadcasting and telecommunications through various positions of increasing responsibility. As Director General, Strategic Policy from 2012-2016, Mr Harroun led the development and implementation of key Commission policies, including the Wireless Code of Conduct, Video Relay Service, and Broadband Performance Measurement, through his leadership of the Social and Consumer Policy, Network Technology and Strategic Policy and International Affairs teams.

Mr Harroun began his federal public service career in 1999 with the Canada Revenue Agency, following several years in the private sector.

Mr Harroun has a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree (accounting and management double major), Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

After completing an Economics degree from the University of Kingston, London in 2001, Stewart Brittenden embarked on his career in regulation with the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority in 2004. Specialising in communications regulation, Mr Brittenden has witnessed the full transition of a telecoms monopoly to full competition over the course of 15 years. He has extensive experience in dealing with the European Commission on matters relating to Market Reviews and on the specific issues relating to the smallest jurisdictions both in and out of the European Union. Mr Brittenden has also dealt with matters on competition law and broadcasting and, more recently, postal service regulation.

Stéphanie Duquette has worked in the cultural and media industries for the past 25 years. She is a seasoned executive with a great depth of knowledge and expertise in privacy, data management, governance, and intellectual property. As part of senior Management, she has been involved in the transformation of the organizations she has worked for, combining her business and legal skills to ensure their sustainability. In her current role, as CBC/Radio-Canada’s Chief Privacy Officer, she has developed the public broadcaster’s national privacy program, grounding her actions in respect and transparency. The program covers a wide spectrum of business activities ranging from innovative digital products to strategic human resources initiatives.

Sékou Oumar Barry is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Agence Nationale de Service Universel des Télécommunications et du Numérique (ANSUTEN), Chairman of the Executive Committee and the General Assemblies of the Association of Telecommunications Regulators of West Africa (ARTAO) and sits on the Board of Directors of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) for the Republic of Guinea.

Mr Barry works for the establishment of a sufficiently independent regulation and a development of the sector for the benefit of consumers.

His career started at Triad Financial in 2003 before joining the local team of the Nestle Group as Product Manager and entering the telecommunications sector through the Guinea Operation of the MTN Group where he held several positions at the national and international levels.

He continued his career in other Groups and in different countries with the Bharti Airtel Group as Vice President/Marketing and Communication Director in Zambia, the ORANGE Middle East Africa Group as Marketing, Communication and Innovation Director in Cameroon and the Vodafone Group where he held the position of Deputy Managing Director responsible for the Commercial Policy.

Since December 2021 out of patriotism and in response to the call of the current Authorities of the Country, Mr Barry suspended his international career to accept to lead the destiny of the Autorité des Régulations des Postes et Télécommunications (ARPT) as Director General of this institution.

He puts his expertise in business management and his knowledge of the telecommunications sector at the service of regulation both in Guinea and internationally.

Mr Barry holds an MBA in Telecommunications and a BS in Finance, Insurance and Real Estate from Saint Cloud State University, Minnesota. He has over 17 years of experience in the telecommunications industry both with operators and the Regulator.

Tebogo Mmoshe is the Director, Licensing at Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA), the position she assumed in 2021. Her main role is to facilitate the licensing of all sectors regulated by BOCRA being Postal, Broadcasting, Internet and ICT.

Ms Moshe’s experience spans 12 years in communications regulation as a member of BOCRA family. She has 18 years of experience in the Accounting and Auditing in various sectors of Botswana.

Ms Moshe was admitted as a Chartered Accountant in 2006 and was awarded an MBA by University of Derby in 2013. She is a Fellow Member of the Botswana Institute of Chartered Accountants (BICA). At National level, she was appointed as one of the founding Board Members of Botswana Geoscience Institute since 2016.

Owen Ripley is Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Cultural Affairs and works closely with the Senior Assistant Deputy Minister to advance the Department’s mandate in the area of arts, culture, information and media.

Over the last few years, as Director General of the Broadcasting, Copyright and Creative Marketplace Branch, Mr Ripley was instrumental in advancing the work on several complex initiatives which are now reaching maturity. These include: modernization of the Broadcasting Act, review of the Copyright Act, adapting the policy framework of the Canada Media Fund, establishment of the Digital Citizen Initiative and the Indigenous Screen Office program, and leading policy development related to online harms and news media remuneration.

Prior to this, he was Chief of Staff at the Office of the Deputy Minister where he provided daily operational support and strategic advice to the Deputy Ministers on all matters requiring their attention.

Mr Ripley has a Common Law and a Civil Law degree as well as a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from McGill University.

Thomas Spiller was named Vice President, Global Public Policy, Europe, Middle East & Africa of The Walt Disney Company in September 2011. Mr Spiller serves as head of the Brussels EU office for the company and drives the company’s global public policy initiatives throughout the region.

Previously, Mr Spiller was Vice President, Global Public Policy for SAS, the leader in business analytics software and services, a company he joined in 2007. Before working at SAS, Mr Spiller was Counsel, Transport & Energy, Europe, Middle East, Africa at General Electric. He joined GE in 2003 after over seven years working in the nuclear industry as International Affairs Manager for Orano, the global nuclear services company. Mr Spiller joined Areva from the Office of the French Prime Minister where he was a Policy Officer for two years.

Mr Spiller graduated from La Sorbonne University in Paris with degrees in Law, Political Science, Defense, and International Relations.

Tim Ringsdore has over 15 years extensive experience as a Managing Director within the telecoms industry, working at Board level across the Channel Islands, London and the Caribbean.

Mr Ringsdore was Managing Director of Jersey Telecom and was pivotal in setting up Wave Telecom in Guernsey. He had responsibility for consumers and corporate clients across both Islands. Mr Ringsdore was also instrumental in developing JT’s global business with the acquisition of Worldstone in 2012.

Mr Ringsdore moved back to the Channel Islands to join the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority (JCRA) after leading Cable & Wireless as Managing Director based in the British Virgin Islands. He had jurisdictional and overall financial responsibility for the Cable & Wireless business in the BVI and was responsible for developing relationships with government, the industry regulator and corporate clients. During this time, he successfully restructured and rebranded the business to help improve credibility and the customer experience.

As CEO for the JCRA, Mr Ringsdore is focussing on delivering strong results which will support the economic strategic objectives for the Island and its citizens. He will help ensure that Jersey receives the best value, choice and access to high quality services in addition to promoting competition and consumers’ interests.

Dr Tobias Schmid is Director of the Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia. He is also elected as the European Affairs Commissioner of the Conference of Directors of the German Media Authorities (DLM).

Dr Schmid is Member of the Board of the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA). In the years 2020 and 2021 he served as Chairman of the Group. Since 1st April 2021, he is also a Member of the Expert Committee for Communication and Information of the German UNESCO-Commission.

Prior to this, from 2005 until 2016, Dr Schmid was Head of Media Policy at Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland and from September 2010 until December 2016 he was Executive Vice President of Governmental Affairs at RTL Group. In addition, Dr Schmid was Chairman of the board of the German Association of Private Broadcasters and Telemedia (Vaunet, formerly VPRT) from November 2012 until September 2016. From 1999 until the end of 2004, he was working for Home Shopping Europe AG. Here, he was responsible for Law and Media Policy, Human Resources, Internal Audit and Public Relations as General Counsel.

Dr Schmid holds a doctorate in law.

Vivek Krishnamurthy is the Samuelson-Glushko Professor of Law and Director of the Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC).

Prof. Krishnamurthy’s teaching, scholarship, and clinical legal practice focus on the complex regulatory and human rights-related challenges that arise in cyberspace. He advises governments, activists, and companies on the human rights impacts of new technologies and is a frequent public commentator on emerging technology and public policy issues. Along with his former colleagues at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center, Prof. Krishnamurthy is the author of a landmark study for Global Affairs Canada that evaluates the risks and opportunities for human rights that artificially intelligent systems present.

Prof. Krishnamurthy was previously the Assistant Director of Harvard Law School’s Cyberlaw Clinic and Counsel in the Corporate Social Responsibility Practice at Foley Hoag LLP. He is a Rhodes Scholar and clerked for the Hon. Morris J. Fish of the Supreme Court of Canada upon his graduation from Yale Law School. Vivek is currently a Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, an Affiliate of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, and a Senior Associate of the Human Rights Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.

Prof. Krishnamurthy has a Hon B.A., Economics and Political Science, University of Toronto, 2002, M.Phil, International Relations, University of Oxford, 2004 and a J.D., Yale Law School, 2008.