Agenda

Tomas Lamanauskas is Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union, elected at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference of 2022, and taking up duties as of January 2023. 

His 25 years of experience spans across sectors of telecoms and digital policy, regulation and strategy, stemming from executive level positions in agencies, companies, and organizations across Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean and the Pacific region. 

As Deputy Secretary-General of ITU, Tomas focuses on the financial sustainability and operational excellence of the organization. He also works to raise the digital industry's ambition in fighting the climate crisis through the Green Digital Action initiative and promotes investments into the digital infrastructure as well as digital resilience through the Digital Infrastructure Investment Initiative and other efforts. Additionally, Tomas contributes to the global efforts to harness the opportunities and mitigate challenges of new technologies, in particular Artificial Intelligence, including through his role as a co-chair of the United Nations Inter-Agency Working Group on AI. He is also playing a key role in ensuring ITU's support to other UN-wide development and governance efforts, including through the World Summit of the Information Society process and membership at the Operational Steering Committee of the UN Joint SDG Fund. 

Tomas holds Master's Degrees in Public Administration (Harvard), Leadership and Strategy (London Business School), Telecommunications Regulation and Policy (The University of the West Indies) and Law (Vilnius University).

Deputy Minister Mondli Gungubele was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa as the Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies of the Republic of South Africa at the start of the 7th democratic administration with effect from 30 June 2024 after serving in the same portfolio as Minister from 6 March 2023 to the end of the 6th democratic administration. He previously served as Minister in the Presidency responsible for the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME), the National Planning Commission (NPC), Statistics South Africa (StatsSA), the Government Communication Information System (GCIS) and the State Security Agency (SSA).

Deputy Minister Gungubele has extensive experience in local, provincial, and national government and believes in strategic planning and effective monitoring of systems to ensure that government is held accountable to deliver services to the people. He is a political activist who spent much of his youth fighting for a liberated and just South Africa which is united in diversity.

Deputy Minister Gungubele became involved in the trade union movement in the ‘70s and it is this experience that sharpened his political and negotiation skills. In 1982, he became a member of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and would later be elected as a Chairperson of his Local Branch of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in 1989. In 1992, he was elected as the Chairperson of the African National Congress (ANC) Vosloorus Branch, and later became the founding Chairperson of the ANC East Rand Region. In the same year, he was elected to the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) of the ANC in Gauteng.

In 1994, Deputy Minister Gungubele was deployed as a Member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature and was subsequently appointed as the MEC of Health in the Gauteng Provincial Government in 1997. He held this position until 1999. He was then deployed to lead Gauteng’s Sports, Recreation and Arts and Culture agenda as its MEC where he worked tirelessly to unite all sporting codes and contributed to the development of grassroots sports in Gauteng. He held the position until 2004 in the year South Africa was awarded the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup showpiece.

After the 2004 Provincial and National Elections, Gungubele became the Chairperson of the Economic Affairs Portfolio Committee in the Gauteng Legislature where he was responsible for political oversight and ensuring that the Department of Economic Affairs fulfilled its mandate to the people.

In 2009, he was deployed to the National Assembly as an ANC Member of Parliament, where he served as the Whip of the Justice and Constitutional Development Portfolio Committee. He was later redeployed to the City of Ekurhuleni as the City’s Executive Mayor in 2011. It is during this time where he drove the City’s Governance and Administrative record to clean audits and numerous awards on good governance.

In 2016, he was deployed back to Parliament and served on the Portfolio Committees on Communications and Public Enterprises respectively. Mr Gungubele was part of the collective which led SABC Inquiry and the Eskom Inquiry – both processes which paved the way for the turnaround of these two State Owned Enterprises.

Deputy Minister Gungubele was then appointed as the Deputy Minister of Finance from February 2018 until the general elections in May 2019. After the commencement of the 6thParliament in June 2019, he was deployed as the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee of Social Development and the Convener of the Social Transformation Cluster.

Deputy Minister Gungubele holds a BCom (Law) Degree and a National Diploma in Nursing with various certificate courses. He also serves as a member of the National Executive Committee and National Working Committee of the African National Congress as elected in December 2022.

Ms. DIOP Blondin Ndeye Fatou NDIAYE is a recognized expert in the fields of information technology, communications, and digital development. An engineer by training, she holds a degree in Electronics and Communication Systems Engineering from the Mohammadia School of Engineers in Morocco (1991), as well as a Master's degree in Information Systems, Networks, and Telecommunications Management and Design from the National Institute of Telecommunications (Évry, France), delivered in partnership with the France Télécom Group (1996–1997).

She began her career with France Télécom Research and Development, where she worked from 1996 to 2005. She subsequently held several senior-level positions, particularly in Africa, serving as an ICT consultant in Central Africa (2007–2010) before being appointed Minister of Information and Communication Technologies of Senegal in 2010. In this role, she led major reforms, including the revision of the telecommunications code, while supporting the digital private sector and representing Senegal internationally on broadband policy matters.

From 2010 to 2013, she served as Chairperson of the Telecommunications and Postal Regulatory Authority (ARTP), where she worked to expand universal access to telecommunications services across the country, regulate the postal sector, and standardize communication protocols. She later continued her international career as a consultant for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), leading projects such as mDiabetes, an initiative aimed at raising awareness of non-communicable diseases through SMS messaging in Senegal.

She has also held several Chief Executive Officer positions, notably at Monétis (2017–2021), a company specializing in financial inclusion and payment services in West Africa, and at INPIAF (International Political Intelligence for Africa), where she supported the implementation of digital public policies driven by artificial intelligence.

Since July 2024, she has served as Coordinator of the FDSUT (Universal Telecommunications Service Development Fund), overseeing efforts to connect underserved areas and promote digital inclusion throughout the country.

On the political and social front, Ms. DIOP Blondin is strongly engaged in public service. Since 2022, she has been a Departmental Councillor in Mbour, where she chairs the Transport and Infrastructure Commission. She is also President of JAPALANTE MBOUR DÉVELOPPEMENT (since 2018), an association that supports women's groups through training, literacy, and entrepreneurship initiatives. Since 2023, she has also led the AFED (Alliance of Women for Equity and Development), which advocates for greater women's representation in decision-making bodies.

With excellent management skills, strong expertise in project leadership and services marketing, and working proficiency in English, Ms. DIOP Blondin combines technical expertise, social commitment, and strategic leadership. She also has a personal interest in sports, architecture, and design.

Antonio García Zaballos is the Director of Digital Sector Office at the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Before joining the ADB, he was a Lead Specialist in Telecommunications for the Institutions for Development and also led the broadband initiative at the Inter-American Development Bank. Antonio has extensive experience in the telecom sector, having held various positions of responsibility. At Deloitte Spain, he led the regulation and strategy practice for Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to that, he was the Chief Economist at Telefónica's Cabinet for Economic Studies of Regulation in Spain. Before joining Telefónica, Antonio served as Deputy Director of Economic Analysis and Markets at the Spanish Telecom Regulator (CMT).Throughout his career, Antonio has provided advisory services to regulators, telecom operators, and governments in countries such as Saudi Arabia, China, Ecuador, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Poland, and the Czech Republic, among others.Antonio also serves as a member and expert on several committees, including the World Economic Forum and the International Telecommunication Union. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University Carlos III of Madrid and has been an associate professor of applied finance for telecommunications at the Instituto de Empresa Business School, as well as a professor of economic regulation at American University and Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of numerous publications on economic and regulatory aspects of the telecommunications sector.

Zhiping Chen (Summer) has extensive experience in the telecoms industry for over two decades. She has been engaged in R&D, operation and branding for many years, gaining profound and unique insights into business areas such as industry trend, business model innovation, management of branding and PR strategies in the international telecommunications field.

Summer joined ZTE in 1999. She currently serves as the Chief International Ecosystem Representative, and plays a pivotal role in enhancing ZTE’s global presence and driving its commitment to sustainable business practices. Before that, she successively assumed management positions in charge of wireless system R&D, global marketing and branding.

Building on her expertise and leadership, Summer has developed close ties with global organizations such as the United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), contributing to key initiatives that advance digital transformation and sustainable development. She has delivered speeches at high-profile events, including the UN Summit of the Future, AI for Good Summit, Partner2Connect (P2C) gathering and CDP Global Disclosure Dialogue, emphasizing ZTE’s dedication to bridging the digital divide, harnessing AI for industry innovation, and promoting a green and sustainable future.

As the Vice Chair of the International of Affairs Committee (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) at China Public Relations Association, Summer was recognized as the Annual China Brand Globalization Communication Influence Leader by PR Newswire and the ESG Observation Alliance Recommender by China Time, and she also received the “Technical Person of the Year” Award from the China Association of Communication Enterprises (CACE), was among the members of the “Top 10 Leaders in 5G” by Communications World.

Summer holds a master degree in engineering from Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
 

Christopher Sharrock is the Vice President of United Nations and International Organizations at Microsoft, based in Paris. Launched in 2020, the team has continued to demonstrate not only the value of multistakeholderism but how it can be harnessed to advance solutions to global challenges. Mr. Sharrock is committed to strengthening partnerships across key organizations and advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals as we work to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

Previously, he led work to establish a Data Science strategy at HM Treasury in the United Kingdom and spent 5 years as the United Kingdom’s Permanent Representative, and Dean of the Ambassadors, at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and International Energy Agency in Paris. Prior senior roles include Deputy Director of Debt and Reserves Management at HM Treasury, and Chief Economist at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Mr. Sharrock has worked across domestic, financial, European Union and International policy, including in the Private Office of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Before joining the UK Civil Service, he taught in schools in the United Kingdom. In August 2022, Mr. Sharrock joined United States Council for International Business’s Board of Directors.

Alex has over 30 years professional experience in a series of leadership roles that has consistently focused on building partnerships to address the world's biggest development challenges. Alex currently serves in the Office of the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialized agency for digital technologies, where he is responsible for developing and managing key engagements between the ITU and its partners. He also oversees and coordinates several ITU wide initiatives including Giga (the ITU/UNICEF joint initiative to connect every school to the internet) and Partner2Connect, and ITU’s work in digital infrastructure investment and digital public infrastructure. 

Prior to joining the ITU, Alex worked in both the private and not-for-profit sectors. From 2018-2019, he served as President of CG/LA Infrastructure, a US based company that promotes and develops infrastructure projects around the world. From 2000 to 2018, Alex was a member of the Executive Committee at the World Economic Forum, an international organization for public private cooperation with a mission to improve the state of the world, where he held several leadership roles including the development and rollout of the Forum’s Global System Initiatives; heading the ICT, Media & Entertainment, Basics, and Infrastructure industry teams and related projects (including the Global Education Initiative); and heading the Center for Global Industries Geneva. From 1988-2000, Alex worked in a variety of professional roles at Accenture as a Strategy Consultant, General Motors as a Quality Control Engineer, and the US National Parks Service. 

He is a licensed Professional Engineer with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toronto and a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University.

Nan Li Collins has over 25 years of experience leading international investment, sustainable finance, and enterprise development in the UN and the private sector across Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America.
She currently leads the United Nations’ global agenda on investment and enterprise— providing strategic analysis, policy guidance, investment facilitation and capacity building to governments in over 100 countries. She is the Chief Editor of the World Investment Report, the UN’s flagship publication on global investment trends and policy. She chairs the the Global Alliance of Special Economic Zones and heads the World Investment Forum. She represents the UN on the IFRS Advisory Council and chairs the Board of the UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative to align capital markets with
sustainability, resilience, and inclusive growth objectives. She leads the UN
intergovernmental Working Group on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting, positioning corporate governance, sustainability, and capital market reform at the core of global development agenda.

Previously, Nan served as Global Director for Sustainable Investments and Innovation at UNOPS, where she led infrastructure investments in developing economies, working closely with development finance institutions and private investors. Earlier, at UNDP, she
led global initiatives on innovative finance and South-South investment cooperation,
helping establish UNDP as a system-wide pioneer in sustainable and blended finance.

Before joining the United Nations, she spent a decade in senior roles in multinational corporations in China and the United States, focusing on investment strategy, market entry, mergers and acquisitions, and sustainability integration.

She holds an MBA from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and has completed executive leadership and finance programs at IESE Business School and Tsinghua University.