Agenda

Konstantinos Komaitis is a senior resident fellow with the Democracy + Tech Initiative of the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab. He is leading the Council’s work on Internet governance.

Komaitis has spent ten years in active policy development and strategy as a senior director at the Internet Society, where he led a series of projects, including the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority transition. Before joining the Internet Society, he spent seven years as a senior lecturer at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow where he was researching and teaching internet policy, with particular focus on internet governance, intellectual property, trade, and cybersecurity.

Komaitis has worked for the New York Times and provided strategic advice to a variety of companies and international organizations on internet governance and public-policy issues. Komaitis is a public speaker having spoken at several events worldwide, including TedX, and has written for various outlets and organizations including Politico, the Atlantic Council, Brookings, Slate, TechDirt, EuroActiv. He holds two master’s degrees and a doctorate, and he is the author of a book on domain name regulation. He sits on the board of IP Justice, a San Francisco-based nongovernmental organization, and he also co-hosts the Internet of Humans podcast.

She is responsible for ensuring the delivery of ICT-related capacity development activities and projects, with the objective to enhance knowledge and skills in the field of ICT, in particular in developing countries. She has also served as Head of the ITU Statistics Division at ITU where she was responsible for the collection, harmonization, analysis and dissemination of ICT statistics worldwide, and for the production of analytical reports on global and regional trends in ICT, including the annual ITU Measuring the Information Society Report and the ICT Development Index. Before joining ITU in July 2008, she was Chief of the ICT Policy and Analysis Unit, ICT and EBusiness Branch, of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Geneva. She holds a Ph.D. in Economic Geography in 1992 from the University of Washington (Seattle, United States).

Excellence Madame Léocadie NDACAYISABA, Ministre en charge des Télécommunications/TIC, de la Communication, des Médias et des Postes, a été nommée par le décret n° 100/26/du 18 novembre 2021. Depuis sa prise de fonction, elle a dirigé avec succès l'élaboration d'un cadre légal visant à redéfinir et à moderniser les missions et le fonctionnement de la Commission Nationale pour la Société de l'Information (CNSI) au Burundi.

Engagée à réduire les inégalités d'accès à l'information grâce aux nouvelles technologies, Excellence Madame Léocadie NDACAYISABA supervise des projets nationaux d'envergure, tels que le « PROJET D’APPUI AUX FONDEMENTS DE L’ECONOMIE NUMERIQUE AU BURUNDI – PAFEN  2023-2028 ». 

Dr. Makara KHOV is currently serves as secretary of state at the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications of Cambodia (MPTC). He also serves as Chairman of trustee board of Cambodia Academy of Digital Technology (CADT), Vice-Chairman of Capacity Building Research and Development Fund (CBRD), Vice-Chairman of Universal Service Obligation Fund (USO), Member trustee board of Techo Startup Center (TSC).

He received respectively, Engineer Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC), Master and Ph.D Degree in Automation and Decisional Computing from the Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse (INPT). He has worked as lecturer, researcher, Chairman of Trustee Board of Telecom Cambodia (TC), policy maker in the field of telecommunication and ICT.

Ms. Jūratė Šovienė is the Chair of the Council of Communications Regulatory Authority (RRT), Lithuania. She holds a master’s degree in Law (LL.M.) from Vilnius University, an Executive Master of Management from BI Norwegian Business School, and a Master of Business Management from ISM University of Management and Economics.

Jūratė Šovienė has 20 years of professional experience in competition policy (antitrust, mergers, and State aid control) and 16 years of experience as an executive manager. In May 2022, appointed Chair of the Council of the Lithuanian Communications Regulatory Authority. Prior to this, served as Chief Legal Adviser to the President of the Republic of Lithuania and Head of the Legal Affairs Group as well as Deputy Chair of the Lithuanian Competition Council. One of the 40 in their 40s Notable Women Competition Professionals in Enforcement in Europe, the Americas, Africa, recognized by W@Competition (2019). 

Dr. Aminu Maida is the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). He was appointed into office on the 11th of October 2023 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR. 

Dr. Maida holds a Ph.D. in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from Bath University, UK, a Masters in Engineering in Information Systems Engineering from Imperial College London, as well as a Post Graduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship from Cambridge Judge Business School. He is a highly accomplished technology executive with extensive experience spanning across the telecommunication and payments industries.

Prior to his appointment as the Executive Vice Chairman/ CEO of the NCC, Dr. Maida was the Executive Director, Technology and Operations at the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement Systems PLC (NIBSS) where he oversaw the day-to-day activities of the entire operations and IT infrastructure of NIBSS. Prior to this role he was the Chief Technology Officer at ARCA Payments Network, a Nigerian based FinTech, and before then he worked with the British Telecoms as a Lead Consultant as well as with Cisco Systems UK. 

Dr Gift Kallisto Machengete is the Director General of the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ). He has over 40 years working experience as an economist, strategist and diplomat, having worked as a senior Economist in the Government of Zimbabwe, Economic Counsellor at the Zimbabwean Embassy in China and Deputy Ambassador at the Zimbabwean Embassy in Malaysia. Prior to joining the Regulator, Dr Machengete was the Deputy Director General in the Office of the President and Cabinet in Zimbabwe. He has also worked as a part - time Lecturer for Research Methodology at Master’s level and a Thesis Moderator for the same course for the past 20 years.  He is a holder of a Doctorate in Business Administration, a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics.  

Isabelle Mauro is Director General of the Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA) that represents the interests of the satellite industry ecosystem. 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 full potential of the 5G & 6G ecosystem.

Isabelle has 25 years’ experience in the Telecoms and Technology sector, starting at the GSMA, where she was responsible for International & External 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 of over 60 Tech companies globally and leading initiatives on inclusive and sustainable digital transformation.

Isabelle is passionate about inclusion and sustainability. She is a Commissioner of the UN Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development. Isabelle is also Member of the Advisory Board of Access Partnership and of the High-Level Advisory Board of the DigitalGoesGreen Foundation. She also sits on the Advisory Board of Women in Tech.

Isabelle holds an MSc in European Politics and Policy from the London School of Economics. She is fluent in French, English, Italian and Spanish.