Agenda

Shaharyar Jawaid is a Global Technology for Development Expert and has over 15 years of professional experience and learning in International Development, IT/Telco industry, Investment Advisory, International Public Speaking and successfully leading, developing, and managing development programs in over 20 countries across 5 continents.

Shaharyar is an experienced international development professional and currently looks after the IsDB’s ICT policy and strategy for its engagement in the ICT sector in the Bank’s 57 Member Countries. With over a decade of experience from around the world, Shaharyar is recognized as a Public Speaker and regularly organizes, and hosts webinars and events related to Digital & Financial Inclusion particularly with focus on emerging technologies and digital transformation.

Shaharyar started his professional career at Vodafone Group Services in Newbury, UK at Vodafone HQ in 2008 where he served as a Data Analyst. He has also served at the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Jeddah, KSA at various positions with the current being Senior ICT Specialist. He has been responsible for managing numerous infrastructure projects relating to telecommunication systems, fibre optic cables, submarine cables, e-government.

Golestan (Sally) Radwan (BSc, MBA, MSc) is UNEP’s first Chief Digital Officer. Sally is a Computer Scientist with expertise in AI and emerging technologies. Prior to UNEP, Sally served as Advisor to the Egyptian Minister of ICT, where she led the development and implementation of Egypt’s national AI strategy. During this time, she served as an expert and delegate of Egypt to several international organizations working on AI Policy and Regulation including UNESCO, WIPO, ITU, and OECD. She also championed and led two working groups within the African Union and League of Arab States to unify regional efforts around Responsible AI. Sally previously held several executive positions in the technology industry over 17 years, working in Germany, Austria, the UK and the US for companies including Novell GmbH, Avaya Inc. and NTT Data Europe. She earned a BSc in Computer Engineering from Cairo University and an MBA from London Business School, as well as an MSc in Clinical Engineering and Healthcare Technology Management from City University of London. She is currently finalizing her PhD thesis, focusing on AI explainability and its ethical considerations in metagenomics at the Royal Holloway University of London.

Widely recognized for his pivotal role in shaping Digital Bangladesh, H.E. Mr. Zunaid Ahmed Palak stands as a leading figure for realizing the newly adopted Smart Bangladesh Vision 2041.

Minister Palak's journey commenced at the grassroots through his active contribution in student politics. In 2008, he was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) from Bangladesh Awami League, the oldest and largest political party in the Country, which made him the youngest MP of the 9th Parliament. At his 33, Minister Palak made history when he took over as the Minister of State for Information and Communication Technology in 2014 making him the youngest member of the Cabinet.

During his tenure as the Minister of State for ICT, Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in digitalizing the nation, which includes, among others, government cloud services, expansion ofhigh-speed internet backbone up to village level, digitalization of 2500 public services, building around 100 hi-tech/ software/ IT parks, startup and innovation ecosystem and so on. In 2024, his responsibility was extended by inclusion of the responsibility of Post and Telecommunication Division in his portfolio. Minister Palak’s political influence and leadership promise were recognized through his nomination as a 'Young Global Leader' by the World Economic Forum in 2016 and featuring in the list of '100 Most Influential People in Digital Government' by Apolitical in 2018. His tenure has been marked by several enviable international accolades including ICT Sustainable Development Award from ITU, over 17 WSIS Awards, and several WITSA Awards.

Mr. Hassan Al-Sayed, the Minister’s advisor, has been the Assistant Undersecretary for the Information Technology Sector at the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT). He has managed the government ICT sector to implement the strategic plan of the e-government program (Digital Government Strategy 2020). With over 30 years of experience in Information Technology, Supervision and Participation in Digital Transformation plans in government institutions, as well as his experience in developing and enhancing its efficiency and strategic plans, He has supervised the implementation of many large-scale national projects. Mr. Hassan Al-Sayed chairs the General Assembly of Qatar Post. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Malomatia. He worked in Ooredoo as Technical Support Manger, IT Department before joining MCIT. Mr. Hassan has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Essex in UK and a Diploma in Computer Sciences from Qatar University.

Mr. Hassan serves as a chair of the AI Committee in the Ministry of ICT. Before that he was in charge of the implementation of the Digital Government Strategy and overseeing the implementation of many national ICT programs.

Bassam S. Hussein is a distinguished leader in Iraq's telecommunications sector. Since 2020, he has effectively steered the Communications and Media Commission of Iraq as Head of Commissioners, emphasizing strategic policy-making and technological integration. He earned his Master of Science in Computer Science in 2022, further solidifying his technical proficiency.

From 2018 to 2020, Mr. Hussein served as the General Director of the Communication Department at the Ministry of Communications, overseeing Iraq's telecommunications infrastructure, including the data gateway at the country's borders. His leadership enhanced the nation's communication capabilities and ensured robust, secure connectivity.

Simultaneously, from 2017 to 2020, he held the role of General Director of the Iraqi General Company for Post and Savings at the Ministry of Communications. In this position, Mr. Hussein spearheaded significant digital initiatives, modernizing the financial services landscape and driving the digital transformation agenda forward.

Prior to these roles, he was a member of the Management Council of the Communications and Information Company from 2015 to 2017. During this period, he played a key role in shaping national communication strategies, aligning them with global technological advancements and ensuring their effective implementation across the nation. His expertise in cloud computing has been pivotal in adapting advanced technologies to improve service delivery and efficiency across the nation.

Mr. Mahmut Esat Yıldırım is the Head of Information Technologies Department of the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) of Türkiye, Türkiye.

He started his university education at Selçuk University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, and then went to the United States, continued and graduated from Montana State University. He has worked in many areas of cyber security, including offensive and defensive, since his secondary school years. It has managed to enter the special thank you lists by detecting various vulnerabilities in dozens of companies such as Facebook, Yahoo, Microsoft and Dropbox. It has received OSWE, OSCP, GAWN, GXPN certificates, which are accepted in the field of informatics and cyber security. He started working at USOM in 2016 and served as penetration testing team leader, threat intelligence team leader and incident response team leader. He has also served as the advanced cybersecurity operations coordinator at USOM.

Anna Matamala, BA in Translation (UAB) and PhD in Applied Linguistics (UPF, Barcelona), is a Full Professor at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. 

Anna is the director of AccessCat Network (accesscat.net), a knowledge transfer network which supports 15 research groups and has the support of 50 organisation working on accessible communication in Catalonia. 

Leader of Transmedia Catalonia research group, Anna has participated (DTV4ALL, ADLAB, HBB4ALL, ACT, ADLAB PRO, IMAC, Traction, Mediaverse) and led (AVT-LP, ALST, VIW, NEA, EASIT, RAD) funded projects on audiovisual translation and media accessibility. She is currently leading the Spanish project WEL (with Carme Mangiron) and participates in the European project ATHENA. She has also published extensively in international journals and publishers and has taken an active role in the organisation of scientific events such as the Media for All conference or the Advanced Research Audio Description Seminar ARSAD. 

She is also actively involved in standardisation work at UNE, ISO, CEN-CENELEC, ITU.

Joan Coromines Prize in 2005, APOSTA Award to Young Researchers in 2011, Dr. Margaret R. Pfanstiehl Memorial Achievement Award in Audio Description Research and Development 2021.