Agenda

Stephen Bereaux is the Deputy to the Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau since 7 March 2020. Mr. Bereaux is an experienced regulator, with more than 20 years of executive and senior management experience in regulatory bodies in the Caribbean region. Prior to joining ITU, Mr Bereaux was Chief Executive Officer of the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA), Bahamas which regulates the ICT and Electricity sectors, advises the Government on policies relating to those sectors, and represents The Bahamas at international sector related organisations such as the ITU. Prior to joining URCA in 2010, Mr. Bereaux served in senior management roles at the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) from 2004. Before becoming a Regulator, Mr. Bereaux, an Attorney by profession since 1996, practiced law at multinational firms based in London and Hong Kong, specialising in Information Technology and Telecommunications Law.

H. E. Jama Hassan Khalif is a seasoned politician, entrepreneur, and management professional who has served in several roles, including technical advisor, political advisor, and most recently as the Minister of Communications and Technology since August 2022. Previously, Mr. Jama has served worked with the Housing and Urban Development Agency in the United States in management and advisory roles and later on advised the Federal Government of Somalia, where
he started his political career.
As a politician, Jama has been instrumental in serving as a mediator and a peace-builder and was driven to run for the highest office in the country during the last presidential elections in Somalia. In this regard, he is considered a reformist and an agent dedicated to pursuing political stability and progressive development.
Jama is also an entrepreneur who has been involved in business for over 2 decades and advocates for youth empowerment through entrepreneurship in the digital space.

Steve Lang has been the Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Information and Communications Policy since November 2022. Previously he served as the Minister-Counselor for Economic Affairs at U.S. Embassy Tokyo (2020-2022) and in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs’ Office of International Communication and Information Policy as Director of both the Office of Multilateral Affairs (2017-2018) and the Office of Bilateral and Regional Affairs (2015-2017).
From 2013 to 2015, Steve was the Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. Previously, he served as Deputy Director of the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs at the Department of State (2011-2013) and as a Senior Analyst in the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office of Japan, Korea, and APEC Affairs (2010-2011). Prior tours include the U.S. Consulate-General in Guangzhou, China; the American Institute in Taiwan in Taipei; the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs; the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok; and the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, Cuba.
Before joining the State Department, Steve worked as an economist for the Department of Labor and is a graduate of Georgetown University. He is married to Karin Lang and has two daughters.

President of the Communications Service Regulatory Unit (Ursec) Uruguay.
PhD. in Legal Science from the University of Granada, Spain; LLM in Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship from Cornell Law Scholl, Cornell Tech, United States of America; MBA from the University Camilo José Cela University - EAE Business School, Madrid, Spain; Lawyer and Master in Administrative - Economic Law from the University of Montevideo. 

Dr Gift Kallisto Machengete  is the Director General of POTRAZ , having been appointed as such ,with effect from 1 December 2016. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from the University of Zimbabwe, a Diploma in Purchasing and Supply from Harare Polytechnic and a Master of Business Administration Degree (MBA) from Southern Cross University, Australia. He attained   a Doctorate in Business Administration from Southern Cross University, Australia, for which he graduated with distinction and was awarded the University Plaque for outstanding achievement. He also holds a Certificate in Telecommunications Policy, Regulation and Management from the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa.

He served on the Traffic Safety council of Zimbabwe Board from  2015 to 2021 with the years 2018 to 2021, having been served in the capacity of acting Board Chairperson. 
Dr Machengete worked for more than three(3)decades  in the civil service, having started his career in 1985 as a Research Economist for the Government of Zimbabwe. 

Ms. Ekaterine Imedadze is a Commissioner of the Georgian National Communications Commission (ComCom) since March 2021. Prior to taking up her position, she headed the Telecommunications Market Regulation Department at ComCom. 
Ms. Imedadze has the 14-year of professional experience in the telecommunications field, including international experience. Ms. Imedadze occupied several leading positions at the telecommunications group company VEON Ltd. Where she headed the Global Project Management and was the Head of Internal Control and Risk Management. Further, Ms. Imedadze was Head of Finance of several leading private companies.
Ms. Imedadze holds a Master of Business Administration from Bradford University School of Management and completed the Innovation Leadership program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She also holds a Master of Science in Physics and a Postgraduate degree in Artificial Intelligence and Fuzzy Logic from Tbilisi State University. 
 She speaks Georgian, English, German and Russian.

Tom Coughlin, President, Coughlin Associates is a digital storage analyst and business/ technology consultant.  He has over 40 years in the data storage industry with engineering and senior management positions.  Coughlin Associates consults, publishes books and market and technology reports and puts on digital storage-oriented events.  He is a regular contributor for forbes.com and M&E organization websites.  He is an IEEE Fellow, 2023 IEEE President Elect, Past-President IEEE-USA, Past Director IEEE Region 6 and Past Chair Santa Clara Valley IEEE Section, and is also active with SNIA and SMPTE. For more information on Tom Coughlin go to www.tomcoughlin.com.

Andrew Wilson is the Permanent Observer of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to the United Nations, a position which he has held since 2018.
In March 2020, Mr. Wilson took charge of ICC’s Global Policy and External Affairs Department and COVID-19 response. In
this role, Mr. Wilson oversees ICC’s engagement with international organizations and processes, including the United Nations, the European Union, the World Trade Organization and the Group of 20 while leading the development of ICC’s policy recommendations, practical guidance and standard setting activities.
Prior to his appointment, Mr. Wilson was, from 2015 to 2018, Chief of Staff and Director of Global Communications at the ICC’s headquarters in Paris – during which time, he ran numerous global campaigns, including ICC’s application to obtain Permanent Observer status to the United Nations General Assembly.
Previously, he held several roles at ICC’s national committee in the United Kingdom, including Interim Executive Director and Director of Policy, as well as policy roles in the private sector and the Government of the United Kingdom.
Mr. Wilson holds degrees from the London School of Economics and the University of Leeds

Sally believes the Internet can change people’s lives and is a strong advocate for an open, global Internet.  Throughout her over 20 years in the Internet policy field, Sally has built coalitions within the Internet community and among developed and developing countries on Internet public policy issues. 

At the Internet Society she works to build, promote, and defend Internet and to position the Internet Society as a key thought leader and advocate for the open Internet worldwide. She authored articles in leading technology publications, testified twice before the U.S. Congress on Internet governance issues, engaged in treaty negotiations in the United Nations and has spoken at numerous industry and technical conferences.  As Managing Director, Sally is responsible for the overall management of the Internet Society and ensuring that the Internet Society is a strong and effective advocate for an open, globally connected, secure and trustworthy Internet.

Prior to joining the Internet Society in 2009, Sally served in the U.S. Government, first in the State Department and then in the White House.  She helped shape U.S. negotiating positions on Internet issues in the United Nations, including at the UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the OECD and APEC.  Her domestic work included government-wide coordination and implementation of policies related to Internet governance; cybersecurity; telecommunications policy; digital television transition; broadband deployment; and other information technology policies.