Mr. Tomas Lamanauskas
Deputy Secretary-General
ITU
Tomas Lamanauskas is Deputy Secretary-General-elect of the International Telecommunication Union, elected at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference of 2022 and due to commence his duties as of 1st January 2023.
His 25-year experience in telecoms and digital policy, regulation and strategy includes positions of Member of the Board, CEO and Deputy General Director of national communications regulatory authorities in Europe, the Middle East and Caribbean, and senior government advisor on information and communications technologies policy in the Pacific. He also served as Head of Corporate Strategy as well as Special Advisor for Crisis Strategy (COVID-19) and Partnership Initiatives for the International Telecommunication Union, and Group Director Public Policy at VEON, a multinational technology and communications company.
Tomas has Master's degrees in Public Administration (Harvard), Leadership and Strategy (London Business School), Telecommunications Regulation and Policy (The University of the West Indies) and Law (Vilnius University).
Ms. Akanksha Sharma
Head of Climate and Digital Utilities
GSMA
Akanksha works as the Head of the ClimateTech and Digital Utilities programmes at the GSMA. She specialises in the use of information and communications technology for social good and effective climate action. Akanksha has led key research pieces and investments focussed on tech business models linked to energy, water, sanitation, climate resilience and adaptation as well as climate finance in low- and middle-income countries across Asia and Africa.
An avid reader and a public speaker, Akanksha has been with the GSMA for over a decade. Prior to this, Akanksha worked with a power and utilities research firm in India. A psychology graduate, Akanksha did her Master's in Business Management in India, the country she was born and raised in.
Ms. Maya Ormarzabal
Director of Sustainability
Telefonica
Maya Ormazabal is Telefónica's Director of
Sustainability, she leads the company's strategy on issues such as climate change, circular economy and the sustainable supply chain. She also coordinates sustainability aspects of the company's sustainable financing initiatives and the Taxonomy reporting. Has worked on environmental topic at Telefónica for 20 years and is also part of the board of directors of organizations such as the Spanish Green Growth Group, the international sectorial initiative JAC and leads international working groups on sustainability in the ICT sector. She has a degree in Environmental Sciences, Master in protected areas and Executive programme PDG by IESE Business School.
Mr. Alexandre Freire
Commissioner
National Telecommunications Agency of Brazil, Anatel
Visiting Scholar at the Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main's Faculty of Law. Commissioner of the National Telecommunications Agency - ANATEL (Telecom Regulator in Brazil). President of the Center for Major Studies in Digital Communications and technological innovations - CEADI/ANATEL. Ph.D. in Law from PUC-SP. Master in Law from UFPR.
“I dedicate myself to the issue of digital inclusion, smart cities, and fighting the spread of fake news in the digital ecosystem. I have published articles on the digital inclusion of vulnerable groups and meaningful connectivity."
Ms. Isabelle Mauro
Director General
Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA)
Isabelle Mauro is Director General of the Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA) that represents the interests of 28 global and regional satellite operators. She reports directly to their Chief Executives, who form the Board of Directors.
Under Isabelle's leadership, GSOA and its member CEOs lead the effort to showcase the benefits of satellite communications for a more inclusive, sustainable and secure society - vital to bridging the world's digital divide, achieving the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and realizing the 5G ecosystem.
Isabelle has 25 years experience in the Telecoms and Technology sector, starting at the GSMA, where she was responsible for government and international Affairs for fifteen years. In 2015 she moved to New York to join the World Economic Forum as Head of the Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) Industry, managing the portfolio for 60+ Tech companies globally and leading initiatives on inclusive and sustainable digital transformation.
Isabelle is passionate about inclusion and sustainability. She is Chair of the High-Level Advisory Board of the DigitalGoesGreen Foundation. She also sits on the Advisory Board of Women in Tech and is a member of the UNESCO Advisory Group for the Declaration on Connectivity for Education.
Isabelle holds an MSc in European Politics and Policy from the London School of Economics. She is fluent in French, English, Italian and Spanish.
Mr. Jassem Nasser
Chief Business Development Officer
Yahsat
As Chief Business Development Officer, Jassem Nasser heads Thuraya's role, Jassem is responsible for business strategy, business development, product management and marketing activities. He explores and leads new ventures outside Thuraya's core MSS business through partnerships and alliances.
Prior to his current assignment, Jassem led Thuraya's strategy, marketing and business development streams as Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer. He has more than 20 years of experience in the satellite industry, imparting strategic direction and overseeing functions including business development, corporate planning spectrum and regulatory affairs. Jassem's engineering background and expertise has been applied to a business environment that specializes in satellite communication technologies and other radio communication systems. He was actively involved in setting up and managing Thuraya as a start-up satellite organization, and was thereafter part of its various stages of development by formulating objectives, priorities and selecting strategic directions and business initiatives.
Jassem graduated with first class honours from the UAE's Khalifa University with a Bachelor's degree in communications engineering.
Mr. Dominic Hayes
Space Programs Frequency Manager
European Commission
Dominic Hayes works for the European Union’s executive arm, the European Commission, as the frequency manager for the EU Space Programme. He joined the Commission in 2007 working initially for Europe’s Galileo and EGNOS satellite navigation systems, but more recently, as the EU has extended its space programme, this now includes: the Earth-observation system, Copernicus; and the Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite, IRIS2, a global secure connectivity constellation. He worked previously for the UK government supporting Galileo in its infancy, and before that as an engineer at University College London, working on research projects based at CERN in Geneva. He holds a masters in satellite communications and a bachelors in electronic engineering. He is representing his Galileo colleague, Eric Guyader, who oversees development of Galileo’s Emergency Warning Service.
