Annual LatAm & Caribbean Telecommunications & Media Forum – in person

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

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

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

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

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

Annie Baldeo is the Executive Officer, Policy, Planning and Economics at the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT). She has served with TATT for over seventeen years where she is responsible for policy development, statistical indicators, competition analysis and strategic planning. She contributes to the publication of Trinidad and Tobago industry’s Market Reports and was previously appointed vice-chair of the International Telecommunications Union international expert group on benchmarking telecommunications and ICT indicators.

Prior to this position, Ms Baldeo was employed with organisations both in the private and public sector including the National Information and Communication Technology Secretariat of the Ministry of Public Administration where she was involved in the development of Trinidad and Tobago’s first National ICT Plan.

Her academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management, Economics and Finance from the University of the West Indies, and an MBA in Strategic Planning.

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

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

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

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

Arturo Cabanas is currently Security Assurance Principal at Amazon Web Services (AWS) for the public sector in Latin America. In this role, Arturo creates programs that help Latin America Public Sector customers to move their workloads and regulated data to the cloud by meeting their specific cybersecurity, data privacy regulation, and compliance requirements.

Mr Cabanas’ work also includes enabling public sector and regulated industry adoption of the AWS cloud, compliance with complex privacy and data localization regulations. Prior to joining AWS, Arturo spent 15 years with Fortune 500 companies’ such as Oracle, Lenovo and Indra working directly with governments around Latin-American on IT procurement, cybersecurity and regulatory compliance, as well as designing and deploying cybersecurity and assurance software solutions.

Mr Cabanas holds a Bachelor of Computer Science and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from IE Business Institute in Madrid, Spain and is a frequent keynote speaker with experience in translating complex technical issues into the language of any audience.

Carlos Rebellón, “Rebe” is the current Director of Government Affairs for Spanish speaking countries and Canada at Intel Corporation, a world leader in manufacturing of essential technologies that power the cloud and the connected world.  Mr Rebellón leads multiple Intel policy priorities subjects in the region such as AI, 5G, IoT, AD, public procurement, and digital transformation.

Mr Rebellón is currently chairman or member of boards at several industry associations in Latin America (IADB BEST network, IADB FAIR LAC Costa Rica, ANDI Colombia, CCIT Colombia and AmCham Argentina).

Mr Rebellón previously served as President of The Colombian National Post Services and as Executive Director of the Colombia’s Communications Commission CRC.

Mr Rebellón has over 17 years of experience in government and multinational companies in telecommunications, technology, and services industries in the areas of regulatory affairs, public policy, public procurement and sales.  In addition to being a policy expert, Mr Rebellón has also taught ICT regulation and utilities regulation at Universidad de los Andes, and Universidad Externado in Colombia for more than 14 years.

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

Claudio Ambrosini was appointed President by the Executive Branch of National Communications Entity (ENACOM).

Mr Ambrosini previously served as Press Deputy Director at the Senate and also as Press Coordinator at the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
He was the Communications and Institutional Relations Manager at the National Social Security Administration (ANSES). Subsequently, he held the post of News Secretary at the Municipality of Tigre and of Strategic Communication Undersecretary at national level.
Between 2016 and 2019, Mr Ambrosini was a member of the Board of Directors of ENACOM representing the Frente Renovador party.

Ambassador David Gross co-chairs Wiley’s Telecom, Media & Technology Practice. He is widely recognised as one of the world’s foremost experts on international telecommunications and Internet policies, having addressed the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and led more U.S. delegations to major international telecommunication conferences than anyone else in modern history. Noted as bringing “innovation and vision to the rapidly changing TMT industry” by Who’s Who Legal and as one of the “Top 30 Telecommunications lawyers in the world” by Euromoney, Ambassador Gross draws on more than 30 years of experience as a lawyer, global policymaker, and corporate executive to assist US companies seeking to enter or expand international businesses. He also advises non-US companies, and industry organizations seeking to invest in, monitor, and understand the US and international markets, as well as national governments. Ambassador Gross advises companies and others on international and domestic telecoms, Internet, and high-tech strategy focusing on both specific markets and international organizations such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), as well as many regional organisations.

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

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

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

Dr Eliana Garcés is a Director in the Economic Policy group at Meta. She has a long experience in antitrust and regulatory issues in both the public and private sectors. She started her public career as a member of the Competition Chief Economist Team at the European Commission and later served in the Cabinet of European Commission Vice President for Competition Joaquin Almunia. Dr Garcés also served as Deputy Chief Economist in the European Commission’s Directorate General for Internal Market and Industry where she worked on European industrial competitiveness. From 2016 to 2017, she was a Visiting Senior Fellow at George Mason University, where she taught and researched regulatory aspects of digital innovation both in the United States and Europe. She was a Principal at The Brattle Group until she joined Facebook in 2019.

Dr Garcés holds a Ph.D. in Economics from University of California, Los Angeles.

Elizabeth Peña Jáuregui is an expert in ICT regulation and public policy.

With more than 18 years of experience, she has extensive knowledge on cybersecurity issues and spectrum. Ms Peña Jáuregui has contributed to the strategic design of the telecommunications regulatory framework in Mexico and helped launch the Telecommunications Investment Promotion Agency (PROMTEL) and the Federal Institute of Telecommunications (IFT) transformation. She works closely with the OAS Cybersecurity Laboratory for Parliaments.

Peña Jáuregui has a master’s degree in Applied Public Management from Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM) and holds a diploma in strategy and innovation from MIT. Currently, she works at Ericsson as Head of Government & Industry Relations for LATAM North & Caribbean

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

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

Felipe Senna is currently a partner at CQS FV Law Firm and a director for public policy & industry relations at LTAHub.

Mr Senna is a lawyer and legal executive working in the Entertainment and Software Industries for the last 20 years.  He has worked at top-tier law firms and taken leadership positions on anti-piracy and content protection at companies like SKY Brazil and FOX Networks Group Latin America.  Mr Senna is skilled in Intellectual Property, Digital Law, Cybercrimes, Investigation, Software Licensing, Government Affairs and Legal Writing.

Mr Senna is a board member of anti-piracy public and private associations.

Mr Senna has Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) in Brazil and Master of Laws (LL.M.) in US Law,

Gerry E George has been a Commissioner with the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) of Saint Lucia for the past 6 years.

He is an ICT Consultant and had been providing technical solutions to businesses in the ICT space for over 20 years. Mr George’s background is in technology and economics. He is an active member of the Saint Lucia ICT Association (SLICTA) and the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG) and his advice is frequently sought after by fellow colleagues on technical matters. Mr George was a part-time lecturer for the University of the West Indies Management Information Systems program for more than 7 years.

An avid supporter of Open Source software and technologies, Mr George also takes an active role in Caribbean development and social issues and is always interested in exploring ways in which technology can be applied to improving the way of life in the Caribbean region.

Gianpaolo Peirano has been an industry regulatory leader for telcos in Chile since 1998 (Firstcom, AT&T, Telmex, América Móvil).

Mr Peirano joined DIRECTV in 2014.  He is currently leading Regulatory Strategy for TV and Internet Businesses in Latam (Brazil & SpanishSpeaking countries).

Mr Peirano has a Doctor in Laws and Sociology Graduate from Universidad de Chile.

Giovanni King, was appointed Chief Operating Officer by Regulatory Authority of Curaçao in 2016.

During the past 21 years he has held various top-level positions with the telecommunications and postal regulatory authority for the former Netherlands Antilles (2000-2002 and 2003-2011). He was the Business Development and Operations Director for a long-distance telecommunications service provider in Curaçao (2002-2003) and was the Chief Operating Officer for the Bureau of Telecommunications and Post of St. Maarten (2011 – 2016).

Mr King has eight years of experience teaching, telecommunications and ICT, at a secondary vocational school in Curacao and 21 years of experience in the telecommunications industry.

Mr King holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the Fonty’s University in the Netherlands and a Masters degree in Telecommunications Regulation and Policy from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.

Hector Marin is Senior Director, Government Affairs for Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and the Andean region. In this position, his main goal is to manage the regulatory policy and strategic initiatives for the deployment and advancement of Qualcomm’s technologies and services.

Mr Marin participates in the activities of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and other international forums.
He joined Qualcomm in August 2001 as Director of Business Development for Mexico and Central
America.

Mr Marin has more than 32 years of experience in wireless systems, and has written several articles for specialized telecom magazines.

Mr Marin his professional career in October 1989 as a Cell Planning Engineer at Ericsson. In January 1992 he started working for Lucent Technologies as a Wireless Systems Sales Subdirector and in September 1997 he was transferred to the Bell Labs in New Jersey. Two years later he rejoined Lucent Technologies in Mexico City as the Sales Technical Support Director. Hector is Communications and Electronics Engineer graduated from the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN).

Hernán Verdaguer is currently Regulatory Affairs Director at Telecom Argentina.

Mr Verdaguer is an active Board member in several business chambers representing the Argentinian and Latin American ICT industry, such as the recently renamed Argentinian Association of ICT, Video and Connectivity (ATVC); the Interamerican Association of Telecommunications Enterprises (ASIET); or the GSMA Association (GSMA).

Mr Verdaguer holds a degree in Law (Universidad de Buenos Aires) with postgraduate studies in corporate law, telecommunications regulation and business administration.

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

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

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

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

Héctor Lizárraga is a Specialist Engineer of the Regional Telecommunications Technical Commission (COMTELCA) where he directs, coordinates, and executes specialized activities associated with the technical assistance provided to all countries and organizations members of the Commission and all those related to the cooperation of other institutions or required by them. He also administratively coordinates the work of the four Technical Committees of the Commission and monitors the development of their activities.

He has held management positions in private companies that provide telecommunications services and, in the Telecommunications Regulatory Body of Nicaragua.

Mr Lizárraga is an Electronics Engineer graduated from the Engineering National University of Nicaragua and holds a Master’s Degree in Management and Administration of Telecommunications Companies from José Simeón Cañas Central American University of El Salvador.

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

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

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

James Bellis, a Director in the Telecommunications Practice of Frontier Economics, has over 16 years’ experience advising world leading operators, regulators and policy makers across the globe. Much of his work focuses on market liberalisation, competition assessments, retail and wholesale pricing, cost accounting, spectrum pricing and policy, universal service and policies to promote high speed broadband services.

Mr Bellis leads much of Frontier’s telecommunications work outside Europe, focusing on Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean and he has managed a number of complex assignments working with other experts and client teams.

Joshua Forman is General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer for GlobeNet. Mr Forman joined GlobeNet bringing multiple years of experience representing clients in significant merger, joint venture and commercial transactions involving the United States, Canada and Latin America. He has represented several financial technology and telecommunication companies in commercial, corporate and regulatory matters and is now responsible for the legal, regulatory and compliance departments at GlobeNet.

Mr Forman was previously Legal Director & Senior Counsel at GlobeNet where he was responsible for legal and regulatory issues along with managing the company’s legal department.

Mr Forman holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the George Washington University and a Juris Doctorate from the St. Thomas University School of Law.

Juan Ignacio Cacace is the Head of Global Market Access in Access Partnership, a government affairs and public policy consultancy. Mr Cacace leads a team that gains regulatory market access for telecommunications and digital technologies worldwide, by helping companies to comply with regulations as well as obtain licenses and permits for their products and services.

Before joining Access Partnership, Mr Cacace worked ten years in the Legislature of the City of Buenos Aires and in the Argentine National Senate.

Mr Cacace holds two bachelor’s degrees, one in Political Science and another in Law, and an MBA from the University of Cambridge.

Julio Spiegel is Vice President of Government Affairs of Liberty Latin America.

Mr Spiegel previouslu held the position of Executive President of the Sonitel Group until it was acquired by Cable & Wireless Panama (CWP) in 2014. Upon joining CWP, he led the Executive Direction of the Corporate and Government Business Unit, for Panama and the markets of Nicaragua and El Salvador. From April 15, 2015 to March 8, 2021, he held the position of Executive President and General Manager of the Company and President of the Board of Trustees of the Cable & Wireless Panamá Foundation.

Mr Spiegel was promoted as of March 8, 2021 as President of the Board of Directors of Cable & Wireless Panama and became Vice President of Government Affairs of Liberty Latin America.

Mr Spiegel is a Panamanian executive who has demonstrated his experience in handling complex negotiations with government leaders and building critical business relationships, combined with his vast experience and knowledge in broadband, television, mobile and corporate and government businesses.

Julio Spiegel graduated in Electrical Engineering from the University of Missouri and has a postgraduate degree in Business Administration from Harvard University.

Kim Grinfeder is a multidisciplinary media maker and designer who uses immersive technologies to communicate timely social and environmental issues. He’s an Associate Professor and the Chair of the Department of Interactive Media at the University of Miami. He directs the XR Initiative, an initiative that aims to position the University as a leader in research and applications of immersive technologies. He is also the Co-Director of Creative Computing and Information Design at the Institute for Data Science and Computing which aims to support teams of faculty and students from across academic disciplines to address grand challenges and creative opportunities in computing, ranging from large societal problems to industry-specific issues.

Kyle Dull is a senior associate in the Data Privacy, Cybersecurity & Digital Assets Practice and a Certified Information Privacy Professional (IAPP CIPP/US). A former Assistant Attorney General, he advises industry-leading companies on domestic and international privacy laws, as well as on consumer protection, advertising, and retail and e-commerce laws and self-regulation.

Clients regularly turn to Mr Dull for his knowledge and know-how in defending and resolving federal and state regulatory and enforcement actions. Informed by his prior position in the Florida Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, Mr Dull has extensive experience in investigating and litigating privacy and advertising law violations. During his time in the AG’s office, Mr Dull focused on singular and multistate enforcement actions involving advertising, marketing, price gouging, consumer finance, privacy and cybersecurity. He now draws on that experience to share insights with and advise clients on their own data privacy, cybersecurity and advertising risks.

Mr Dull also helps clients develop and implement effective e-commerce business and marketing strategies. He routinely advises clients on technology, data privacy and security, intellectual property, advertising and marketing, and website development matters. In addition to regulatory counseling, Mr Dull negotiates and drafts a broad array of contracts, including licensing, joint venture and data sharing agreements.

Mr Dull is a member of the Florida Bar Association’s Consumer Protection Law Committee and Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Subcommittee.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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’.

Mario de la Cruz Sarabia is the Senior Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs at Cisco for Latin America, position that allows him to drive IT, regulatory and corporate policies through institutional relations with national governments across the region. He has a 20+ year career in the private sector and public service, excelling in his knowledge and contribution to innovation, competitiveness and ICT policies in Mexico and Latin America.

His leadership in the ICT industry has been recognized as Chairman of the National Chamber of the Electronic Industry, Telecommunications and Information Technologies (CANIETI) in Mexico from 2016 to 2019. Currently he serves at the Chamber as member of the board and Vice President of Cybersecurity. He also serves as Chairman of the ICT Committee of the American Chamber Mexico.

Through his career, he has participated in the financial sector in Citi and the World Bank in Washington, D.C. Has also served as Secretary of Economic Development of the state of Tabasco and President of the Mexican Association of Economic Development Secretaries, being the first President to be elected unanimously.

Mr De la Cruz holds a BA in Economics from the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de México (ITAM); he also graduated with honors from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (USC), where he obtained his MBA degree. He also has studies in the telecommunications sector from ITAM, business development from IPADE and energy industry at the University of Texas at Austin.

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

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

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

Maryleana Méndez Jiménez is a professional with an outstanding career in Telecommunications and Information Technologies.  In 2009, she became a member of the first Council of the Superintendency of Telecommunications (SUTEL), the regulatory body for telecommunications in Costa Rica, a position Ms Méndez held for 8 years, in two consecutive periods. During this time, she led and organized the process of opening the telecommunications market and the development of regulatory institution.

Before this position, Ms Méndez worked for 6 years directly in the telecommunications industry, as project director in Latin America. In 2017 she joined ASIET as an expert advisor on regulation, an organization that she now leads since August 2019.

Ms Méndez is a Systems Engineer from the University of Costa Rica with a master’s degree in Information Technology Management from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, México.

Miguel Calderón is currently Director of Public Policy Strategy at Telefónica HISPAM. Mr Calderón joined Telefónica México in 2007, where he was in charge of different areas such as Public & Regulatory Affairs, Strategic Planning, Regulatory, Quality & Processes, and the Wholesale Market in Mexico.

Previously, Mr Calderón worked at Avantel, a former telecom operator, as CTO and CMO. He has also had experience in the financial sector, where he worked in the areas of Communications Engineering, Systems, Strategic Planning, and Credit Cards of Banamex (now Citibanamex).

Mr Calderón is currently the President of the Digital Economy chapter at ICC Mexico, where he is coordinating the Diploma program in Digital Economy in collaboration with Escuela Libre de Derecho.  In addition, Mr Calderón writes technology articles for Forbes magazine.

Mr Calderón has a BSc in Electronics and Communications Engineering at the Universidad Iberoamericana and has Diplomas in Marketing and Regulation. He also has given seminars on telecommunications at the Universidad Anáhuac, Iberoamericana and Tecnológico de Monterrey.

Dr Nicholas Tsinoremas is the Vice Provost for Research Computing and Data and Founding Director of the University of Miami Institute for Data Science and Computing which was established to catalyze intradisciplinary collaborations using computation. He also holds faculty appointments in the Miller School of Medicine and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Before joining the University of Miami, he served as Head of Informatics and Chemoinformatics at The Scripps Research Institute- Florida. In the past, he was Director of Computational Genomics and Genomic Discovery at Rosetta/Merck where he directed the project that combined data science and computational approaches with gene expression profiling, high throughput screening and genetics to discover, prioritize, and define new drug targets and novel therapeutics. Prior to working for Merck Research Laboratories (MRL)/Rosetta, Dr Tsinoremas was the Vice-President of Genomics at DoubleTwist Inc., where he determined the scientific direction and development of DoubleTwist¹s bioinformatics applications and databases. At that time, he also led a team that developed the first annotation of the Human Genome.

Dr Tsinoremas received his B.A. in Chemistry from the University of Athens, Greece, and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Leeds, UK.

Pedro Lucas da Cruz Pereira Araújo is the Director of Investment and Innovation at the Ministry of Communications of Brazil, in charge of initiatives to promote infrastructure investments and technological development in the Brazilian telecommunications sector.

He holds a PhD in Economics and has been a civil servant since 2003, with experience in advisory, coordination and project management roles in the Presidency of the Republic, the Ministry of Planning and the Ministry of Economy.

Priscilla Delgado Argeris serves as Chairwoman Rosenworcel’s Chief Legal Advisor. She joined the Chairwoman’s office from Meta Platforms, Inc. where she has focused on spectrum policy issues for the company across the globe.

From 2012-2015, Ms Delgado Argeris previously served as then-Commissioner Rosenworcel’s Legal Advisor and Senior Legal Advisor covering wireline and wireless issues for the office during her tenure. Prior to joining the FCC, Ms Delgado Argeris worked at the law firm Wiley Rein, where she focused regulatory and litigation matters involving federal and state communications law.

Ms Delgado Argeris received her undergraduate degree from Princeton University and her law degree from New York University School of Law.

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.

Reuben Smith-Vaughan serves as the Head of Public Policy for Latin America in Amazon’s Washington, DC office, leading the company’s engagement with policymakers across the region. Reuben joined Amazon in December 2017 from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where he was senior director of the Americas Department, International Affairs Division.  Mr Smith-Vaughan also served as executive director of the U.S-Mexico Economic Council (USMXECO), where he led initiatives to both enhance commercial and investment opportunities for U.S. companies in Mexico and strengthen economic growth during the process to modernize NAFTA. In addition, Smith-Vaughan’s portfolio included executive management of the U.S.-Cuba Business Council (USCBC) and the Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America & the Caribbean (AACCLA).

Previously, Mr Smith-Vaughan worked for the World Bank, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Spanish Department at American University.

Mr Smith-Vaughan is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., with a B.A. in international economics.

Rodney Taylor has worked most recently with the Barbados Ministry of Innovation, Science and Smart Technology (MIST) as the Chief Digital Technology Officer. In this position he was the technical lead on Barbados’ digital transformation, improving public sector service delivery through strategic use of innovation, science and SMART technology.

Mr Taylor’s professional experience includes management of the Information Systems Unit in Barbados’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and its overseas missions. He has also served as the Business Development and Operations Manager at the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), where he worked with regional governments in the development of policies to govern information and communications technology (ICT), led the work to operationalise the CTU’s Caribbean Centre of Excellence to offer consultancy services to the Member States and also represented the region in many international ICT conferences.

Mr Taylor is an advisor on Internet Governance and has published research on e-Commerce diffusion in small island developing states in the Journal of Information Systems for Developing Countries. He is a founding member and former Chairman of the Barbados Chapter of the Internet Society, an organisation whose aim is to promote the open development, evolution, and use of the Internet for the benefit of all people throughout the world.

Mr Taylor holds a Masters in Management and Information Systems from the University of Manchester, UK and a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Sector Management from the University of the West Indies.

Sally Ng is responsible for overseeing business and legal affairs matters for NBCUniversal International Networks, Latin America, and providing legal advice on a range of subjects from channel regulatory compliance, programming licensing and acquisitions, channel distribution, advertising, and marketing, among other areas.

Ms Ng is also responsible for establishing a corporate reporting structure and managing internal relationships between all NBCUniversal entities across the Latin American region. Her responsibilities additionally include leading the identification of business opportunities in jurisdictions with regulatory challenges that may impact the company.

Considered a natural leader with more than 15 years of experience in business and legal affairs, Ms Ng has extensive knowledge of international media and distribution services. Prior to joining NBCUniversal International Networks, Ms Ng held internal positions in other multi-national media companies such as Viacom and Fox, where she served as director and counsel of business and legal affairs, respectively, and was responsible for intellectual property, corporate affairs, and content licensing agreements.

Sally Ng is a licensed attorney in the State of Florida, USA, as well as an English Solicitor. She holds a degree from Oxford Institute of Legal Practice, and an Executive Education Certificate from Columbia University’s Business School. Sally is fluent in English, Spanish and conversational Portuguese.

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

Stephen (“Steve”) Seitz is a Senior Corporate Counsel in the Corporate External and Legal Affairs (CELA) group at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, where he specializes in telecom law as part of the Customer Security and Trust (CST) team. In this role, he provides product counseling on telecom compliance and shares responsibilities in developing and advancing Microsoft’s global telecom-related policies and practices.

Having spent many years at the intersection of technology, law, society, and government Mr Seitz has also worked on privacy and digital safety matters at Microsoft.  Before Microsoft, Steve held senior regulatory roles in a telecommunications company and a public safety organization.

Mr Seitz studied International Relations and Economics at Michigan State University’s James Madison College and earned his law degree from Seattle University.

Bio coming soon ….

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.

Vitelio Ruiz Bernal currently works as Verification Director at the General Direction for Investigation and Verification of the Private Sector at the National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data.

Mr Ruiz Bernal is a Visiting Professor at the Diploma of Transparency and Access to Information given by the Center for Graduate Studies in Law; August 2017. Visiting Professor at Master in Law of Information and Communication Technologies of Infotec 2019, Co-author of the book Puebla la Otra Batalla, The Protection of Private Life in Natural Disaster Situations and Contingency, Mexico 2018 Co-author of the Article Obligation to notify the authority in the case of security breaches regarding personal data differences between the public and the private in published in the Research Journal of the Escuela Libre de Derecho.

Mr Ruiz Bernal has a Law Degree from the Universidad Panamericana campus Mexico City; Master in General Regulations for the Protection of Personal Data, Uned 2020. Diploma in Privacy, Regulation and Data Governance given by the Center for Economic Research and Teaching, 2018; Diploma in Information Technology Law, Institute of Legal Research of the U.N.A.M, 2012.

Ángel Melguizo is a senior economist and independent consultant based in Colombia, specialized in public policies, economic growth and digital regulation.

Currently, Mr Melguizo is a regional advisor for UNESCO on artificial intelligence and ethics in Latin America, principal economist at Telecom Advisory Services, and board member of asw_Replica, a big data and analytics start-up.

Mr Melguizo has nearly 25 years of experience at both private and public sector. He was Vice-president for External and Regulatory Affairs at AT&T VRIO Latin America, responsible for the company positioning on digital regulatory topics, with focus on Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Caribe. During that period, he was elected president of the telecommunications association ASIET and co-chair of the OECD EMnet Digital Transformation working group. Previously, he was Head for Latin America at the OECD Development Centre coordination the flagship Latin American Economic Outlook, Lead Specialist at the InterAmerican Development Bank, and Principal Economist at BBVA Research, specializing on new technologies, economic growth, and fiscal policy. He also served as Senior Advisor at the Economic Bureau of the Spanish Prime Minister.

On policy making, Mr Melguizo has participated in several reforms across Latin Americas on telecommunications and digital policy, taxes, skills and social policies.

Mr Melguizo is an expert of the Lancet Commission on COVID-19 on the Regional Task Force for Latin America, full member of the US National Business Economic Issues Council (NBEIC), and Board member of Universidad del Rosario, Bogota (Colombia).

Mr Melguizo received his PhD and BA in economics from the Universidad Complutense, Madrid (Spain). He has published articles in academic journals including Journal of Cyber Policy, Journal of Economic Studies, Journal of Finance Economics and Pensions, and SERIEs – Journal of the Spanish Economic Association, and is a regular contributor to lead media platforms as CNN Latin America, Forbes and El Pais.