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Advisory Board Members biographies

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD


H.E. Eng. John Nasasira
Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Uganda.

Hon. John M. Nasasira has held the following portfolios in the Government of the Republic of Uganda:
Minister of Information and Communications Technology (May 2013 to date)
Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development (November 2012 – to May 2013)
Minister for General Duties in Prime Minister's Office (August - October 2012)
Government Chief Whip/Cabinet Minister (June 2011 – July 2012)
Minister of Works and Transport (June 2006 – May 2011)
Minister of Works, Transport, Housing and Communications (August 1998 – May 2006)
Minister of Works, Transport and Communications (July 1996 – July 1998)
Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (July 1995 – June 1996)
Minister of State for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (Dec. 1994 – June 1995)
Deputy Minister of Works, Transport and Communications (April 1992 – Nov. 1994)
Presidential Advisor on Public Works (July 1991 – March 1992)
Deputy Minister of Works (April 1989 – June 1991)
Delegate to the Constituent Assembly (1994 – 1995) that debated, adopted and enacted the 1995 Uganda Constitution.
First elected to Parliament to represent Kazo Constituency in February 1989 and has since been re-elected in 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011. Hon. John Nasasira graduated in 1976 with BSc (Hons) Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Nairobi. He then qualified as a Chartered Engineer (UK) in 1986 and in the same year became a Member of Institution of Engineers, UK (MICE), a Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, (MASCE) and a Member of Institution of Engineers of Kenya (MIEK). He is a Fellow of Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers (UIPE) and is the current Patron of this Institution.
Hon. John Nasasira worked with several International Firms of Consulting Engineers engaged in the design and supervision of buildings, water, airports, roads and bridges projects in Eastern African and Middle East (June 1976 – February 1989).

 

 
H.E. Mr. Anudith Nakornthap
Minister, Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Thailand.

H.E. Group Captain Anudith Nakornthap took office as Minister of Information and Communication Technology of Thailand on 9 August 2011. Prior to taking his political career, H.E. Anudith Nakornthap was a distinguished pilot serving in the Royal Thai Air Force.
He was repeatedly awarded for his outstanding performance and academic achievements while in the Air Force. Although H.E. Anudith Nakornthap became well known as a politician in Thailand when he was elected as Member of the House of Representatives from 2007-2011, his role in the Parliament, in fact, began as early as in 2005 when he dually served as a political secretary for Minister of Defense and advisor to Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives from 2005-2006.
He was also actively involved in the energy sector while he was a member of the Committee on Energy of the House of Representatives in 2007-2011, during which he was appointed as Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Renewable Energy Promotion of the House of Representatives.

  


H.E. Mr. Phillip Paulwell, M.P.
Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Jamaica

Hon. Phillip Paulwell M.P. is Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, leader of Government Business in the House of Representatives and Member of Parliament for the constituency of East Kingston and Port Royal. Minister Paulwell is also the current President of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union, and is one of six Regional Chairmen of Jamaica's governing People's National Party.
An attorney-at-law by profession, he first entered Gordon House as a Senator in 1995. In the General Election of 1997, he contested and won the East Kingston and Port Royal seat, and took his place in the Lower House. He has never lost an election since, and is currently in his fourth consecutive term of political representation. Minister Paulwell served as a Cabinet Minister from January 1998 to September 2007, and his portfolio responsibilities over the years have included Commerce, Industry, Telecommunications, and Energy, and, since his appointment as Minister in January 2012, Science, Technology, Energy and Mining. In this term of office, Minister Paulwell has announced bold plans to introduce tablet computers to schools, to revitalise the bauxite alumina sector and to reduce the high cost of energy.
These goals may seem ambitious, but his record of performance indicates his commitment to successfully executing visionary projects. Among his many achievements, Minister Paulwell is credited with the leading liberalization of the telecommunications sector, and in 2000 received the Gleaner Honour Award for implementing historic measures to introduce competition, breaking the 25-year Cable and Wireless monopoly. More recently, Minister Paulwell piloted the 2012 Telecoms Amendment Act through Parliament, resulting in a historic reduction of mobile call rates from as high as $18.99 per minute to as low as $2.49 in less than 12 months. Also in 2012, Minister Paulwell successfully negotiated to prevent the closure of WINDALCO's Ewarton alumina refinery, preserving over 600 direct jobs, and hundreds more indirect jobs.
Minister Paulwell is a graduate of the University of the West Indies, the Norman Manley Law School, and Excelsior High School.

 

H.E. Mr. Tifatul Sembiring
Minister, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Indonesia    

H.E. Mr. Tifatul Sembiring is an Indonesian politician and minister of Communication and Information Technology of Indonesia. He is chairman of the moderate and Islamic Prosperous Justice Party and Minister of Communication and Information in the Second United Indonesia Cabinet.
He has a degree in computer engineering from the Information and Computing Management School, Jakarta, and was active in a number of Indonesian Islamic organizations from his student days, such as PII, the Indonesian Student's Association. 
 
 
 
 
H.E. Mr. Masahiro Yoshizaki is the Vice-Minister for Policy Coordination of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan.
1979   Entered the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT).
2001   Director of ICT Accessibility and Human Resources Development Division, Information and Communications Policy Bureau, MIC, Director of Information Policy Division, Information and Communications Policy Bureau, MIC.
2002   Director of Municipal Tax Planning Division, Local Tax Bureau, MIC.
2004   Director of General Policy Division, Information and Communications Policy Bureau, MIC.
2005   Director of the General Affairs Department, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT).
2006   Director of Policy Planning Division, Minister's Secretariat, MIC.
2007   Deputy Director-General for IT Strategy Commerce and Information, Policy Bureau, Ministry of    Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).
2009   Vice-President, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology.
2010   Director-General of the Kanto Bureau of Telecommunications, MIC.
2011   Director-General for Policy Coordination, Minister's Secretariat, MIC.
2012   Director-General of the Information and Communications bureau.
2013   Vice-Minister for Policy Coordination (International Affairs) (incumbent).
 
 

VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

Mr. José Manuel do Rosário Toscano
Chief Executive Officer, International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO)
ITU Broadband Commission Member

As Chief Executive Officer and Director General of the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (“ITSO”), an intergovernmental organization based in Washington, DC, with 149 member nations, Mr. Jose Toscano is committed to assuring the provision of affordable satellite telecommunications services to all countries of the world.
A telecommunications engineer by training, Mr. Toscano has more than twenty five years’ experience in the telecommunications sector, and has been actively involved in the definition, development and work of numerous regional and international regulatory initiatives in the telecommunications and satellite communications fields, including with the International Telecommunications Union, the European Commission, and the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations.
Mr. Toscano, one of the founding members of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, also has firsthand knowledge and understanding of the critical importance of broadband to the successful promotion and development of innovative information and communication technologies on a global basis.

 


Mr. Flavien Bachabi
Vice President, Business Operations and Intergovernmental Initiatives, Intelsat S.A, Luxembourg

 Flavien Bachabi serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Intelsat (Luxembourg) S.A. Also, Mr. Bachabi has been Vice President of Business Operations and Intergovernmental Initiatives at Intelsat S.A., and head of Intelsat's corporate headquarters in Luxembourg since January 2011. In this capacity, his responsibilities include oversight of all major business operations, joint venture agreements and regulatory filings. He is responsible for managing new business activities with intergovernmental entities and development banks.
Prior to his current position, Mr. Bachabi served as Regional Vice President for Africa and Head of Intelsat Africa (Pty) Ltd., where he was responsible for building Intelsat's leading position in Africa with the Continent's premier service providers. His other prior positions included: Regional Vice President for Africa and Middle East and Group Director, Africa sales. Prior to joining Intelsat in 1996, he spent more than 15 years in senior management roles with the Benin Telecommunications administration, where he led both domestic network and international services. He also has served on the Board of Directors of the Multinational School of Telecommunications of Dakar (ESMT), the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), and the Regional African Satellite Communications Organization (RASCOM).
Mr. Bachabi has over 30 years of experience with communication and technology companies, and he earned degrees in Mathematics and Physics from the University of Benin, as well as a Master of Science Degree in Telecommunications Engineering from the Technical Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications of St. Petersburg (LEIS).


Mr. Khalid Ahmed Balkheyour
President and Chief Executive Officer, ARABSAT

With over 30 years of experience in the telecoms industry, Mr. Khalid Balkheyour has held the role of the President and CEO of the Arab Satellite Communications Organization (ARABSAT) since 2003.Mr. Khalid Balkheyour came to Arabsat from Lucent Technologies where he was the Executive Vice President for Marketing and Sales from 1999 to 2003. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of Operations and Maintenance in the Saudi Ministry of PTT, later known as Saudi Telecommunication Company (STC).He holds Master degree in Electrical Engineering from California State Polytechnic University Pomona in 1981.


 
  
 
Ms. Donna Bethea-Murphy serves as Vice President, Regulatory Engineering at Iridium Communications Inc., a leading satellite communications company that offers truly global voice and data coverage.   In this capacity, Ms. Murphy is responsible for the company's domestic and international technical regulatory activities, including those related to policy, standards, licensing, and spectrum management.
As a leader and advocate within the satellite community, Ms. Murphy has consistently highlighted the importance of satellite services during emergencies and times of disaster.  In particular, she has promoted in-country preparedness and disaster planning within the United States and at the United Nations.  In part due to these efforts and Iridium's work in disaster preparedness, the ITU selected Iridium as the recipient of its 2012 ITU Humanitarian award for which Donna accepted the award.
Donna has taken on a leadership role within the industry in other areas and currently serves on the FCC's Communications Security Reliability and Interoperability Council and on the boards of the Satellite Industry Association and the Mobile Satellite Users Association. While working on behalf of satellite companies, both for Iridium and previously for PanAmSat, Ms. Murphy has worked to establish regulatory policies to facilitate the successful roll-out of satellite-based Internet, broadband, Direct-to-Home broadcasting, aeronautical, maritime and telephony services.
Prior to joining PanAmSat, Ms. Murphy worked for a leading mobile terrestrial operator and advocated company regulatory policy positions before United States government agencies on issues such as Caller-ID, E-911, radio frequency radiation hazards and Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement. Ms. Murphy began her career working for the United States Federal Communications Commission where she negotiated bilateral coordination agreements between the US-based satellite operators and foreign administrations, and she represented the US government before international intergovernmental bodies.
Ms. Bethea-Murphy holds a Bachelors of Science in electrical engineering from Clemson University.
 
 

Ms. Charlotte Lindsey Curtet
Director of Communication and Information Management. International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) 

Director of Communication and Information Management the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) a post she has held since July 2010.
Deputy Director of Communication, ICRC, January 2004-July 2010.
Deputy Head of Division for Policy and Cooperation within the Movement, ICRC, 2003.
Head of Women and War Project, ICRC, 1998-2003.
Between 1993 and 1998, missions for the ICRC in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kenya, Rwanda, Tajikistan and Croatia in a range of functions from Head of office and programme Coordinator.
Ms. Lindsay Curtet holds a Masters degree (MSc. Hons.) in Communication Management. She has honours degree (BA Hons.) in Business Studies majoring in law and marketing.

 

 
Mr. Timothy S. Ellam
President, International Amateur Radio Union.

Timothy St. John Ellam is a partner in the Litigation and Intellectual Property Groups at McCarthy Tetrault LLP and is also a member of the Firm's Board of Partners. Mr. Ellam advises clients over disputes relating to intellectual property, related commercial matters and with international arbitrations. He has appeared as senior litigation counsel in patent, licensing, copyright and technology related trials, arbitrations and hearings. Recent cases where he was lead counsel are recognized in Chambers Global (2011, 2012 and 2013) and Lexpert (2010).
He frequently works with the Firm's London office on significant international arbitration matters and on litigation proceedings in the High Court of Justice (Commercial Court). Mr. Ellam is also a Solicitor Advocate (Higher Courts – Civil) in the Law Society of England and Wales and holds Rights of Audience in the Higher Courts in that jurisdiction. He is an IBA Fellow in International Legal Practice; a distinction granted by the International Bar Association and the College of Law of England and Wales in 2005. He is the first lawyer in Canada to be awarded this designation. Tim is a recognized speaker in a number of areas relating to intellectual property including privacy and data protection. He has been a speaker and moderator at a number of ITU Telecoms.
Mr. Ellam is also the co-author of Dispute Resolution in the Telecommunications Sector, published by the International Telecommunications Union and the World Bank Mr. Ellam is also President of the International Amateur Radio Union, a sector member of the ITU. He became a special technical advisor on legal matters to the IARU in 1999. In 2001 he was elected to the IARU Region 2 executive committee and subsequently as IARU Vice President (2004) and President (2009). Tim served as counsel and in other executive positions to Canadian IARU Member society, Radio Amateurs of Canada and one of its predecessor organizations from 1990 to 1999. He has held a Canadian Advanced Amateur License since 1977 (VE6SH) and a British Amateur License since 1978 (as G4HUA). Mr. Ellam has represented the IARU at a number of ITU meetings since 2001.


Mr. Samer Halawi
Chief Executive Officer, Thuraya Telecommunications Company.

Samer Halawi was appointed as Thuraya's Chief Executive Officer in January 2011. Drawing upon his extensive experience in ICT and the global satellite communications industry, Samer is responsible for leading Thuraya's strategic positioning and driving its growth as a prominent global mobile satellite operator. Before joining Thuraya, Samer played a leading role in starting-up and growing a new venture involved in the digital space and focusing on mobile content, IPTV, mobile advertising, and web management. Prior to that, Samer held during an eight-year tenure various positions at Inmarsat in global strategy and running operations for the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific.
Samer's other telecommunications experience relates to his roles at Flag Telecom and ICO Global Communications. His role at ICO followed a private placement for the shares of the company that he led during a three-year period he spent in investment banking in the Middle East. Samer started his career in the automotive industry where he occupied several positions with Chrysler Corporation and Ford Motor Company.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Lawrence Technological University and an MBA with a concentration in Finance from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in the U.S.


Mr. Rashid Khalikov
Director, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs(OCHA).

Rashid Khalikov joined the Russian Foreign Service in 1976. He worked in New Delhi, Moscow and New York handling humanitarian, political, economic and environmental issues. Mr. Khalikov joined the United Nations in 1993. He has worked as a Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer, Chief of the Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Inter-Agency Standing Committee/Executive Committee on Humanitarian Affairs secretariat, and Deputy Director of OCHA Geneva.
In 2005 he became the Head of the OCHA Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, and the Area Humanitarian Coordinator in the aftermath of the South Asia earthquake. From September 2006 to April 2010, as the Director of OCHA New York, Mr. Khalikov oversaw OCHA's work on policy development, information management, external relations, the Central Emergency Response Fund and other humanitarian financing issues.
In 2009 and 2010, at the request of the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Khalikov led missions to Pakistan, Yemen, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Kyrgyzstan to evaluate in-country humanitarian conditions, and to develop recommendations on the UN's humanitarian role in these crises. In March 2010, the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, appointed Mr. Khalikov as the Director of OCHA Geneva. In March and April 2011, Mr. Khalikov was the Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, as designated by the ERC. In August 2011, he led a UN humanitarian mission to Syria.
Mr. Khalikov is a graduate of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and holds a Master's degree in International Law and International Relations.


Mr. Jones A. Killimbe
Director General, Regional African Satellite Communications Organizations (RASCOM)

Dr. Jones A. KILLIMBE is an M Sc and a PhD holder of Telecommunications Engineering from the University of Telecommunications Dresden/Germany. He joined the Tanzania Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (TPTC) in 1989 and later the Tanzania Telecommunications Company (TTCL) in 1994.
Between 1994 and 2003 he held a number of senior positions in the Company including Director of International Operations, Director of Network Construction, Deputy Managing Director, Acting Managing Director and Executive Director. He joined the Regional African Satellite Communications Organizations (RASCOM) in January, 2004 as the second DG/CEO since its establishment in 1993. He was also at one time a member of the Board of Governors of INTELSAT and Board Director/Chairman of RASCOM. He is Chairman of the African Regional Working Party on Private Sector Issues to the Forum on Telecom/ICT Regulation and Partnership in Africa (FTRA). RASCOM is an African Continental Organization with the mission to launch a dedicated communication satellite for Africa and it brings together 44 African countries plus the West African Development Bank (BOAD). Its headquarters is in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

 
Mr. Olof Lundberg
Former Chairman and CEO of ICO Global Communication, Former Director General of INMARSAT

Mr. Lundberg started his career with Swedish Telecom where he gained broad experience in telecommunications and in particular radio. During his time with Swedish Telecom he developed Maritex, an automated HF Telex System and he was involved with several generations of mobile radio. In different assignments he managed HF Radio and Satellite Services, and also spent time in the regulatory area managing spectrum policy. During this period he participated actively in ITU and CEPT work. In 1979 he was appointed Director General of Inmarsat which he managed from creation through 1995. At Inmarsat he led the pioneering development of mobile satellite communications in all forms, at sea, on land and in the air. He was CEO and then Chairman and CEO of ICO Global Communications 1995-2000 and Chairman and CEO of Globalstar around 2001-2002. Mr Lundberg has received the CCIR Award d'Honneur and the ITU Gold Medal. He was awarded the Arthur C Clarke Award, has twice received the Aviation Week and Space Technology Laureate Award and has been inducted into their Hall of Fame. He has received the Tsiolkovsky Medal and is inducted to the SSPI Hall of Fame.

 


Mr. Christian Roisse
Executive Secretary, European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (EUTELSAT IGO)
ITU Broadband Commission Member.

Since July 2005, Christian Roisse has been the Executive Secretary of the European Telecommunication Satellite Organisation (EUTELSAT IGO). He was reappointed for a third mandate in May 2013. EUTELSAT IGO, which has 49 European Member States, has a twofold role. It maintains the rights to use radiofrequencies and orbital locations which were assigned collectively to the Member States by the International Telecommunication Union before the 2001 restructuring and monitors the operations of the Company, in particular to ensure that the Basic Principles are observed.
Prior to this, Christian Roisse was General Counsel of Eutelsat S.A., the world's third largest satellite operator, overseeing the legal activities of the company through the first 4 years of its operations as a French national law company. As Legal Adviser of EUTELSAT from 1988 to 2001, he played a key role in the restructuring of the organisation and the transfer of its commercial and operational activities to the French national law company, Eutelsat S.A. which was established for this purpose.
From 1977 to 1988, he was Legal Adviser to France Telecom and Counsellor to the Head of the General Directorate for Industry in the French Industry Department. Christian Roisse holds a Master's degree in law and a postgraduate diploma in Public Law. He is a founding Commissioner in the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, established in May 2010 by the International Telecommunication Union and UNESCO and a Member of the Working Group on Long-term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities established by the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS).
He is a member of the International Institute of Space Law, the European Centre for Space Law and a Board Member of the Association pour le Développement du Droit de l'Espace en France (ADDEF). He sits on the Boards of Directors of Eutelsat S.A. and Eutelsat Communications S.A. as Censeur.


Mr. Jean-Louis Schiltz
Former Minister of ICT, Etude Schiltz and Schiltz, Luxembourg
ITU Broadband Commission Member.

Jean-Louis Schiltz practices law in Luxembourg with focus on technology and finance. He is a Guest Professor at Luxembourg University, where he teaches Internet- and telecommunication law.
From 2004 to 2009, Jean-Louis Schiltz was a Cabinet minister in Luxembourg. He was in charge of media and telecommunications, including Internet. He was also the minister for international development cooperation during that period. In 2006, he was entrusted a third ministerial portfolio, that of Defense.
As the former Minister of Communications, Jean-Louis Schiltz actively promoted Luxembourg in the fields of telecommunications and ICT. He was also in charge of the development of the information and communication networks in Luxembourg. Thus he is the initiator of the LuxConnect project, a high bandwidth network between Luxembourg and primary foreign Internet access centers. LuxConnect is today one of the major actors in the sector and greatly contributes to strengthen the international Internet connectivity of Luxembourg.
Jean-Louis Schiltz is a member of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development. He is on the Board of CLT UFA, one of the major corporate entities of RTL, Europe's larger broadcaster. He is a former member of the board of Skype. He is the Chairman of Clinique Bohler, the largest obstetric hospital in Luxembourg.
 
 
   
  
 
Mr. Souto joined SES in 1998. His previous appointments include:
Senior Vice President Commercial Services, SES WORLD SKIES
Senior Vice President Strategic Market Development, SES
Positions at Intelsat and Embratel
He is also a member of a number of Boards:
Member of the Board of Directors of SES ASTRA
Member of the Board of Directors of O3b Networks
Member of the Board of Directors of Solaris Mobile
Mr. Souto graduated with MBA from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.  He holds MA in Telecommunication Systems from the Pontifical Catholic University in Brazil, and Bachelor's degree in Telecommunication Engineering, Federal Fluminense University, Brazil.
 
Mr. Andrew Sukawaty
Executive Chairman, Inmarsat Plc. United Kingdom


Andy Sukawaty became Executive Chairman of Inmarsat PLC (LSE) in January 2012, having been Chairman and CEO since 2003. He led the company through its privatisation and subsequent listing on the London Stock Exchange. During this period, Inmarsat launched new services on the back of the launch of a new global constellation of satellites and grew its revenues and profits dramatically. He has over thirty years' experience in the communications services arena including telephone, wireless, Cable TV and satellite.
He is a pioneer in mobile communications; involved in launching some of the first cellular mobile phone systems in the early 80s in the US. He then crossed the Atlantic to start a UK mobile operator (now T-Mobile UK). He went on to run NTL Ltd in the UK and in 1996 returned to the US to start up the US national mobile phone operator, Sprint PCS. After four years in which the company established the leading growth position in the US wireless industry he left to enter the Cable TV industry in Europe.
He has held various non-executive director roles including the Deputy Chairman of O2, Powerwave Technologies and others. He is the former Chairman of Xyratex (NASDAQ) and current Chairman of Ziggo (Euronext). In June 2013 he became an Independent Non-Executive Director of BSkyB (LSE).
A graduate of the University of Minnesota (MBA) and the University of Wisconsin (BBA), he is on the Board of Advisers of the University of Wisconsin Department of International Studies.