Dr. Archana G. Gulati, Deputy to the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU
Opening Remarks
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Dr Archana G. Gulati is Deputy to the Director of the ITU’s Development Bureau.
With over 34 years of experience in policy making and regulation, she specialises in universal service, digital transformation, regulation of frontier technologies and competition regulation. Her journey began as an Indian Civil Services officer (1989 batch), and she continued to excel in her field after taking voluntary retirement in 2021. Her career milestones include serving as the Director, Public Affairs and Policy at Google, India, until October 2022.
Dr Gulati's academic journey is marked by her pursuit of excellence. She holds a BA Honours in Economics from Lady Sri Ram College, University of Delhi, an LLM (Telecom & IT law) from the University of Strathclyde, UK, and a PhD. from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
Her various posts in the Indian government include Advisor (Digital Communications) at the National Institute for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), Senior Deputy Director General / Officer on Special Duty to the Chairperson of the Telecom Commission of India, and Advisor and Head of the Combinations (M&A) Division at the Competition Commission of India. She has also held the position of Financial Advisor to the National Disaster Management Authority of India. Prior to joining the ITU, she was a professor of digital regulation at leading public policy and business schools in India. She has also previously served as an expert with the International Telecommunications Union.
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Mr. Naif Sheshah, Deputy Governor for Strategy and Digitalization, Communications, Space & Technology Commission, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Opening Remarks
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DNaif Sheshah serves as the Deputy Governor for Strategy and Digitization at the Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST).
In this capacity, he has played a pivotal role in shaping CST’s long-term vision, including the development of the CST 2030 strategy. Additionally, Naif leads CST’s sustainability efforts, driving key initiatives aimed at creating a positive environmental and social impact through technology and innovation, including the E-Waste Campaign — which promotes the recycling of electronic devices to support families in need — and the ICT sector’s sustainability report.
Naif served as Chief Transformational Officer at the Saudi Space Commission. Known for his strategic foresight and expertise in corporate strategy, he has a reputation for implementing complex technology solutions across demanding environments. His previous roles include General Manager of Planning and Development and Acting General Manager of Postal and Logistics Services at CST.
His achievements at CST include spearheading the 2019–2023 strategic framework and contributing to the development of the Saudi ICT Sector Strategy. Under his leadership, his team received the EFQM’s Certificate of Institutional Commitment to Excellence twice. As a Young Global Leader (YGL) recognized by the World Economic Forum in April 2022, Naif exemplifies forward-thinking leadership, applying his diverse experience across sectors like healthcare, education, aviation, telecommunications, and petrochemicals to drive growth and change.
Naif’s educational background includes participation in the Senior Executive Leadership Program at Harvard University and the Management Acceleration Program at INSEAD. He also holds a Master’s degree in Business Process Management from Queensland University of Technology and a Bachelor’s in Information Technology. Naif is a board member of the National Information Technology Academy and the IDC Saudi Arabia Advisory Council, and has represented ADAA, Saudi Arabia’s center of excellence for performance measurement, for several years.
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Ms. Vanessa Gray, Head, Climate and Emergency Telecommunications Division, ITU
Session Facilitator
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Vanessa Gray heads the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau’s (BDT) Division on Climate and Emergency Telecommunications.
She is responsible for developing and overseeing projects and technical assistance on disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. This includes the development of national emergency telecommunication plans (NETPs) and the organization of regional and national workshops and capacity building exercises for disaster management.
In the area of disaster response, Ms. Gray leads the work on the Disaster and Early Warning Connectivity Maps (DCM/EWCM) and the deployment of emergency telecommunication equipment to countries hit by disasters. Ms. Gray is the ITU focal point for the UN’s Early Warning for All (EW4all) initiative and coordinates the initiative’s pillar 3 on Warning Dissemination and Communication, to ensure that alerts reach people at risk. In the area of the environment, Ms. Gray coordinates the BDT's work on the circular economy and green digital transformation, which includes monitoring industry emissions, energy use and climate commitments from tech companies, and supporting countries in tracking ICT sector GHG emissions. This includes the publication of the Greening Digital Companies Report. In the area of circular economy, Ms. Gray manages the work on e-waste policies and data, which includes the publication of the Global and Regional E-waste Monitors. Her role is to build public-private partnerships, develop projects and strengthen the role of the BDT in terms of e-waste coordination and climate, including with the private sector.
Prior to this position, Ms. Gray was part of the ITU's Data and Statistics Division and contributed to the design and preparation of the Division's analytical publications, including the Measuring the Information Society Reports (MISR). She also contributed to and coordinated the analysis of information society developments, organized ICT-related meetings, and delivered national and regional trainings and workshops on ICT statistics to ITU member states. Ms. Gray holds a master’s degree in political science and economics from the Geneva Graduate Institute in Switzerland.
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Eng. Rakan Alsulaim,
Sustainability Director, Communications, Space & Technology Commission, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Presenter
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Eng. Rakan AlSulaim is the Director of Sustainability at the Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST).
In this capacity, he guides the integration of sustainability principles across the ICT and space sectors, ensuring that innovation goes hand in hand with environmental and social responsibility. He plays an active role in international dialogues on digital sustainability, advocating for approaches that promote inclusivity, circular economy practices, and climate-conscious technologies.
With a background that bridges strategy, performance, and sustainability, Eng. Rakan is dedicated to shaping frameworks and initiatives that reflect Saudi Arabia’s global leadership in digital transformation. His work emphasizes not only regulatory excellence but also the creation of long-term value for people, the planet, and future generations in line with Vision 2030.
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Mr. Ángel González Mongelós,
Head of International Department, Comisión Nacional de Telecomunicaciones, Paraguay
Presenter
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Ángel González Mongelós, a Paraguayan national, is an official with the National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL), the regulatory body for the telecommunications sector in the Republic of Paraguay.
He is an attorney who graduated from the National University of Asunción. He holds a Master’s degree in Telecommunications / ICT Law and Data Protection from Carlos III University in Madrid, Spain.
He has served as Head of the Legal Department and Secretary General. He currently serves as Head of International Relations at CONATEL.
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Ms. Jean Cox-Kearns, Product Enf of Life Management Engineer, Lenovo
Panelist
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Jean Cox-Kearns has more than 25 years of experience across environmental compliance, policy development and implementation, corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and the circular economy.
She spent 17 years with Dell, where she implemented WEEE, battery, and packaging compliance programmes across Europe and globally. From 2019 to 2021, she ran her own sustainability consultancy, supporting global IT brands with corporate social responsibility strategies and regulatory and standards compliance activities. From 2021 to 2023, she served as Chief Sustainability Officer at TES. She now works with Lenovo as part of the Global ESG Team focused on Circular Economy programs.
Education and Leadership Roles:
o M.Sc. in Executive Leadership
o Postgraduate qualification in Design Thinking for Sustainability
o Chair of the International Electronics Recycling Congress, now in its 25th year
o Chair of the Board of an Irish mental health charity
o Member of the SERI Technical Advisory Committee for the R2 Standard and the new SERI ESG Standard
Over the past 25 years, Jean has worked extensively across Europe, the United States, South America, Asia, Australia, and West and East Sub-Saharan Africa.
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Ms. Carolien van Brunschot,
Director Purchaser and Supplier Engagement, Global Electronics Council
Panelist
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Carolien leads strategic engagement and program development with global suppliers, purchasers, and manufacturers to expand and enhance participation in the EPEAT system, driving adoption through business development, stakeholder coordination, and market insights.
She has 20 years of experience in the electronics industry, in both corporate as well as non-profit sector. Prior to joining GEC she led the Circular Electronics Partnership (CEP), a collaboration platform for global NGOs and businesses in the electronics sector, actively working together on the transition to a circular electronics industry.
She also worked as Circular Economy Manager with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) where she supported WBCSD member companies advance inclusive and sustainable business solutions for the circular economy, in particular through the development of the Circular Transition Indicators, a measurement framework for corporate circular performance.
Before deciding to fully focus on sustainability and circularity, Carolien had a first career in product design and brand licensing with Philips. She holds a degree in Product Design and Engineering as well as an MBA in Sustainable Business. She is based in Geneva, Switzerland.
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Ms. Yaxuan Chen,
Sustainability Services Expert, Universal Postal Union
Panelist
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Yaxuan Chen is a Sustainability Services Expert at the Universal Postal Union (UPU), where she leads work on climate finance, climate knowledge, and the green–digital twin transition in the postal sector. She supports member countries in designing and implementing low-carbon, digitally enabled infrastructure solutions, with a focus on data-driven decarbonization, clean technology adoption, and climate-aligned service innovation across postal networks.
Her role at the UPU builds on more than a decade of experience at the intersection of green economic policy, digital transformation, and international governance. Prior to joining the UPU, Yaxuan served as a Senior Consultant at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), working on green economy transition pathways and emerging technologies. She previously worked as a Dispute Settlement Lawyer in the Legal Affairs Division of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and as a Programme Manager at the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), where she focused on trade, innovation, and sustainability.
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Ms. Francesca Cenni, Programme Officer, Basel Convention Secretariat
Panelist
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Ms. Cenni is a programme officer of the Science and Technical Assistance Branch.
She the focal point for technical assistance for the Basel Convention and is responsible for technical assistance on emergencies, in the Secretariat. She coordinates the Partnership for Action on Challenges relating to E-waste (PACEII) and she also serves as focal point for BRS activities in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Ms. Cenni is one of the authors of the E-waste Challenge MOOC and in the past, she coordinated the Probo Koala assistance programme in Africa, the E-waste Africa programme and the Mercury and Lead programmes of the Basel Convention, facilitating projects in cooperation with the Basel Regional Centres.
Prior to joining UNEP, Ms. Cenni was the environmental manager of a chemical company in the wastewater treatment sector, where she was responsible for the environmental management system, according to the ISO 14000 standards. In UNEP she participated in the Palestinian-Israeli portfolio of activities of the Post-Conflict and Disaster Management Branch. Ms. Cenni, an Italian national, holds a Master's degree in environmental sciences and studied at Bologna University, in Italy and Lund University in Sweden, where she specialized in marine toxicology.
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