Agenda

Mr. Giacomo Mazzone Journalist 
Giacomo Mazzone is a seasoned media manager with 40 years of experience in news, sports, and international relations. Trained as a journalist, he has held significant roles at RAI, Euronews, Eurosport, and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Mazzone has expertise in European and multilateral negotiations, contributing to the UNESCO Cultural Diversity convention in 2005. His career highlights include founding Euronews, directing European Affairs, creating RAI's all-news channel, and leading international relations at RAI. Currently, he serves on the Advisory Board of the European Digital Media Observatory and holds various advisory roles with the EU, Council of Europe, Vatican Foundation CAPP, and the UN. He is also Secretary General of Eurovisioni and a board member of EuroDIG and of eu.MAG

Natalia Ilieva is global manager of the WBU´s Media saving lives project, managed by ABU, ASBU, AUB and CBU;  head of strategy development, members and external relations at the ABU since 2010. She is leading the ABU’s outreach campaigns Broadcasting for All: Diversity and Inclusion in the Media and Saving Lives: Building Resilient Communities, a media literacy campaign for climate change adaptation and disaster prevention. Her journalistic experience spans over two decades across print and electronic media working for public service and commercial organisations including ten years with the BBC. Natalia has worked for Thomson Foundation in transition management of media across Eastern Europe and former Soviet Union (Armenia, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine) and for Commonwealth Broadcasting Association before joining the Asia – Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development and later ABU. Natalia has a BS in Economics from Sofia University, Bulgaria and an MBA from the University of Ottawa, Canada and the University of Kent, UK.

Antonio Arcidiacono is the EBU’s Director of Technology & Innovation.

Antonio has extensive experience in conceiving, developing and taking new products and services to market.

He is an internationally acclaimed expert in digital television, satellite communications, IP-based multimedia services and mobile telecommunications. With strong knowledge of the European market, he has worked closely with the leading players in the fields of Digital TV and Multimedia Services, and with European institutions at a technical, standardization, regulatory and competition level.

Antonio was Director of Innovation, and a Member of the Management Committee, at Eutelsat from 2008 -2018 where he was responsible for launching innovative IP based satellite services. He joined Eutelsat in 1990 and took part in key phases of its development from an international organization to privatization in 2001 and to the IPO in 2005.

Before working at Eutelsat, Antonio worked for the European Space Agency and started his career working for Telespazio and Selenia Spazio.

Antonio has a Doctorate in Electronics & Telecommunications Engineering from the University of Pisa. He is fluent in Italian, English and French.

Abdallah Alsalmi is a Policy Advisor at the BBC World Service. His work focuses on internet freedom and circumvention, internet governance and future networks. His work includes building an encrypted proxy for the BBC on the Tor Network and contributing to the BBC position on the future of the internet at the ITU-T. 

Brigitte Perrin has been leading Strategic Communication at the World Meteorological Organization since 2021. After 15 years as a journalist for newspapers and the Swiss TV RTS, she has been supporting the digital transformation of communication at the UN both in UN Headquarters and in the field in Africa. She was the head of communication at the University of Geneva (Switzerland) for executive education before joining WMO. She is supporting scientists and researchers to deliver strong and meaningful messages about weather, climate and water, and encourages them to develop and engage in digital networks and explore innovative ways of communicating. She is advocating for a more accessible climate science, for a better understanding of the Earth system and its changes, by everyone, everywhere.