Connecting the world and beyond

Biographies

Sarah Halko
Director of Regulatory & Industry Affairs, iconectiv

Sarah Halko is Director of Regulatory & Industry Affairs at iconectiv, where she leads global engagement with regulators, policymakers, and standards bodies on issues spanning digital identity, numbering, and AI governance. She represents iconectiv in ATIS, CTIA, US Telecom, GSMA, and the UK’s NICC, helping shape trusted communications frameworks across both technical and policy domains.

At iconectiv, Sarah co-chairs the ATIS Next Generation Interconnection Interoperability Forum (NGIIF) and SMS/800 Number Administration Committee (SNAC), and serves on the company’s AI Board, helping guide enterprise adoption of responsible and secure AI tools. Her work bridges technology and regulation to promote secure, interoperable, and privacy-preserving communications networks worldwide.

Sarah is also pursuing her Juris Doctor at the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, with concentrations in telecommunications, national security, and technology law. She is a member of the Law and Technology Institute and the Journal of Law & Technology.

Laurence Nivot
Manager, Cullen International

Laurence Nivot leads Cullen International’s research on consumer protection in Europe, producing in-depth reports and country comparisons on key regulatory issues. She has over 13 years of experience in the telecommunications sector.
Prior to joining Cullen International in 2012, she worked for the European Commission’s news website.
She holds a Master’s degree in European Law from Aix-Marseille University in France.

Sanjeev Kumar Sharma
Deputy Director General, Ministry of Communications, India

With nearly three decades of senior-level service in the Government of India, Sanjeev Kumar Sharma brings together a distinguished combination of engineering expertise, advanced management education from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and Syracuse University, and a strong foundation in law. His career reflects a consistent record of leadership and impact across the telecommunications sector, encompassing regulatory affairs, operations, cellular network development, organizational restructuring, licensing administration, and policy formulation. Through these roles, he has made significant contributions to the modernization and strategic advancement of India’s telecom industry. Among his notable achievements, Mr. Sharma played a pioneering role in developing India’s cellular mobile networks from inception, formulating and implementing key telecom policies that fostered competition and sectoral growth, and leading major organizational reforms that strengthened governance and operational efficiency. He has overseen licensing frameworks affecting millions of users and has been instrumental in promoting constructive engagement between government and industry to ensure progressive and balanced telecom regulation.In his current role as Deputy Director General at the Department of Telecommunications, Mr. Sharma leads national initiatives on Artificial Intelligence and the Digital Intelligence Unit, focusing on enhancing cyber resilience and advancing digital governance reforms. His work underpins India’s vision of a secure, intelligent, and technology-driven telecommunications ecosystem.