IIC Italy Chapter Webinar: Regulating Digital Markets – what enforcement challenges for the new rules? (Online)

An economist by training, Alberto Bacchiega joined the European Commission’s Directorate General for Competition in 2000. He has since then held a number of positions mainly in State aid and merger control. From 2009 to 2014 he co-led DG Competition’s Financial Crisis Task Force dealing with the restructuring of the banking sector in European countries including Ireland, Portugal and Spain. From 2014 to 2021 he led the unit in charge of merger control in the financial, pharmaceutical and chemical sectors. He was appointed director in April 2021, and joined the directorate ‘Information, Communication and Media’ of DG Competition in November of the same year.

Alexandre de Streel is professor of European law at the University of Namur, Hauser Global Fellow at New York University Law School and visiting professor at the College of Europe (Bruges) and SciencesPo Paris. Dr de Streel is also academic director at the Brussels think-tank Centre on Regulation in Europe (CERRE), chair of the expert group on the online platform economy advising the European Commission and part-time judge at the Belgian Competition Authority.

His main areas of research are regulation and competition policy in the digital economy as well as the legal issues raised by the developments of artificial intelligence.

Previously, Dr de Streel worked for the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister, the Belgian Permanent Representation to the European Union and the European Commission.

Dr de Streel holds a PhD in Law from the European University Institute and a Master Degree in Economics from the University of Louvain.

Mr Antonio Manganelli is professor of Antitrust and Regulation at LUMSA University (Rome, Italy). Since March 2021, Mr Manganelli has worked as Advisor to the Italian Minister of Economic Development on policies for telecom, media, and digital markets. Mr Manganelli previously served in other public institutions, i.e., the Italian Regulatory Authority for Telecom, Media, and Postal sectors (AGCOM); the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the European Commission, at the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC); the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); the Research department at the Italian Central Bank (Banca d’Italia).

Mr Manganelli was also research associate at the European University Institute, in Florence (Italy), where he coordinated the Florence School of Regulation and the Centre for media freedom and media pluralism. Mr Manganelli holds a M.Sc. in Political Science and Economic Policy and a Ph.D. in Law and Economics from the University of Siena (Italy).

Antonio Nicita is a Professor  of Economic Policy at Lumsa University, Italy.

Professor Nicita was previously Commissioner of the Italian regulatory authority (AGCOM) until October 2020.  He has also been Associate Professor of Economic Policy at the University of Siena and Visiting Fulbright Professor at Yale University. From 2005-06 he was a Non- Governmental Adviser to the International Competition Network (ICN) for the report on telecommunications sector. From 2006-07 he was an economic adviser to the Italian Minister of Communications and member of the Governmental Unit for the Improvement of Regulation. He was Economic Adviser for the 2009 OECD Regulatory Report on Italy.

Professor Nicita is a member of the Regulatory Scrutiny Board, European Commission, as well as the Board of Directors of the Italian Society of Law and Economics, European Association of Law and Economics and of the International Society for New Institutional Economics (ISNIE).

He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Siena, Italy. His research interests cover industrial organisation, law and economics, competition economics and regulation.

Augusto Preta is a consultant, economist and market analyst, with long-established experience in the field of content media and digital markets. As Founder and CEO at ITMedia Consulting, he has assisted and advised for almost 30 years, public institutions, authorities and major companies in media, telecommunications and the internet industries.

Mr Preta is Member of the SIE (Società Italiana degli Economisti).  He has been a visiting professor on Media Economics at Urbino University, Sassari University e Università Cattolica di Milano for almost 20 years, and has been involved in many research projects, writing influential papers and cooperating with organisations such as: Aspen Institute, European Law and Economics Society, Luigi Einaudi Foundation. He is author of “Economia dei contenuti” (2008) and “TV and relevant markets” (2013). He co-authored with Gerard Pogorel the Fondation Robert Schuman research report  “Convergence in Media and Telecom in face of Covid-19” (2020).

Mr Preta is President of the Italian Chapter.

Chiara Caccinelli is Co-Chair of BEREC EWG for Market and Economic Analysis. She works for the French regulator for electronic communications, postal and print media distribution services (Arcep)where she is Deputy Head of the Economic Analysis and Digital Affairs Unit.

Before joining Arcep and BEREC, Ms Caccinelli was Deputy to the Director of the Governance and Regulation Programme and the Club of Regulators in Paris (2015-2019). Previously, she was Programme Manager and Research Associate at the Florence School of Regulation (European University Institute, 2011-2015) and Analyst and Consultant in European Affairs in Milan and Brussels (2009-2011).

Ms Caccinelli holds an MSc in Economics of Network Industries and Digital Economy from the University Paris Dauphine – PSL, and an MA in European Affairs from the University of Perugia.

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. Prof. Giomi also teaches at the MA course in Cultural Leadership Research, a double postgraduate degree programme (University of Groningen and Roma Tre University) and coordinates the Media and Communication module of the MA in Gender and Political Studies.

Prof. Giomi is the author of more than 60 publications for major italian and international publishers and peer-reviewed journals.  Her latest publication is “Male and Female Violence in Popular Media” (Bloomsbury 2022) and “The Media today. Technologies, markets, socio-cultural issues and regulatory responses” (forthcoming).

Prof. 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.

Prof. Giomi has collaborated with the “Commission of enquiry on feminicide, as well as on all forms of gender-based violence” of Italian Parliament; 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, Prof. Giomi was appointed on 15 September 2020 as a member of the Board of AGCOM- Authority for Communications Guarantees.

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’.

María (Marisa) Luisa Tierno Centella is Competition Director of the Spanish Competition Authority. Previously she has led cartel investigations at DG COMP, such as Forex, European Government Bonds and SSA bonds, Gas Insulated Switchgear and Animal Feed Phosphates (a record 35-year cartel). She drafted the legislative package introducing EU settlements and the 2006 Leniency Notice. She was previously an official of the Dutch Competition Authority for seven years, having practised law for five years at Gómez-Acebo & Pombo (Brussels office). Marisa has a law degree (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) and a Master’s degree in European law (Université Libre de Bruxelles).

Roberto Viola is Director-General of DG CONNECT (Directorate General for Communication Networks, Content and Technology) at the European Commission.

Dr Viola was the Deputy Director-General of DG CONNECT, European Commission from 2012 to 2015. He served as Chairman of the European Radio Spectrum Policy group (RSPG) from 2012 to 2013, as Deputy Chairman in 2011 and Chairman in 2010. He was a member of the BEREC Board (Body of European Telecom Regulators), and Chairman of the European Regulatory Group (ERG). He held the position of Secretary General in charge of managing AGCOM, from 2005 to 2012. Prior to this, he served as Director of Regulation Department and Technical Director in AGCOM from 1999 to 2004.

From 1985 to 1999 he served in various positions including Head of Telecommunication and Broadcasting Satellite Services at the European Space Agency (ESA).

Dr Viola holds a Degree in Electronic Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA).