Speakers
Julissa Cruz Abreu
Executive Director of the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (INDOTEL)
Julissa Cruz has more than two decades of experience in public service. At INDOTEL, she has been Director of International Relations, Compliance Commissioner and Head of the Regulation Department, playing a fundamental role in the creation of the regulatory framework and leading the implementation of number portability in 2009. She has directed significant projects, such as the National Broadband Plan of the Dominican Republic, the Radio Spectrum Tender for the deployment of fifth-generation networks (5G), being the second country to have this technology in the region, and the coordination of the Connectivity and Access Axis of the 2030 Digital Agenda. Her management has stood out for the promotion of regulatory measures to strengthen competition and innovation, including the identification of relevant markets and the implementation of the Regulatory Sandbox.
Ms. Cruz is currently a member of the ITU’s Board of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Alliance for Digital Development and Ambassador of the Inter-American Dialogue on Connectivity for Education. Cruz Abreu has made an impact at the international level by leading the Dominican Republic’s active participation in the ITU P2C initiative. Was nominated as a finalist for the CONECTA LATAM AWARDS 2023 in the “Most Connected Woman of the Year” category. This award honors women who have truly made a difference in their company, telecommunications industry and community.
With a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a master’s degree in Corporate Finance from the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC), has specialized her knowledge in Regulatory Economics, Regulation of Public Utilities, and Price Regulation in the Telecommunications Industry. In addition, she completed the Innovation and Government Leadership program at Georgetown University’s Business School.
Carlos Baigorri
Executive President and President of the Board, Anatel
Graduated in Economics from the University of Brasília (UnB), with master’s and doctoral degree in Economics from the Catholic University of Brasília (UCB). In the telecommunications field since 2006, he worked as a consultant and sectoral information analyst for an association of mobile operators. He also served as an undergraduate professor at the Catholic University of Brasília (UCB), at the Institute of Higher Education of Brasília (IESB), and at the Brazilian Institute of Capital Markets (IBMEC). He has written articles and book chapters published in Brazil and abroad. He has been a tenured civil servant at the National Agency of Telecommunications of Brazil (Anatel) since 2009, where he held positions such as Executive Superintendent, Competition Superintendent, Chief of Technical Advisory, and Control of Obligations Superintendent. He served as a Commissioner from October 2020 to April 2022, when he became the Executive President and President of the Board of Anatel.
Manuel Barreiro
CEO & Founder, Aston Group
Manuel Barreiro Castañeda is the founder and chairman of the Aston Group, a private equity firm with $1 billion in investments to date. The firm develops real estate projects and makes private equity investments with a focus on North America and Europe. Mr. Barreiro Castañeda is a strategic leader with over 20 years of high-level experience in international real estate, successfully advising public and private sector stakeholders on the intersection of technology, sustainability, mobility, and smart cities. Committed to sustainability, he works to ensure that his firm’s development projects benefit the local community by improving quality of life, reducing inequality gaps, and positively impacting the environment according to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Actively involved in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), he serves as Vice Chairman of the ITU’s “Working Group 8 on the Metaverse – Sustainability, Accessibility & Inclusion,” addressing sustainability, accessibility, and inclusion. Complementing his industry experience, he completed the Oxford Real Estate Programme and the Oxford Programme on Valuation of Private Assets at the University of Oxford. He also holds an Executive Master of Science (MSc) in Cities from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), where he further developed his knowledge in sustainable urban development, mobility, and water management to enhance the quality of life in large cities and small urban areas. This degree also sparked his interest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), which will be at the center of his projects in the near future.
Mr. Barreiro Castañeda also holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business and a Bachelor’s in International Business from Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey. He completed academic exchange programs at higher learning institutions in Japan and Argentina, where he realized the importance of using technology for the benefit of vulnerable groups. This realization became his life’s mission — to create better cities for the future, starting in his native Mexico
Philip Besiimire
Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Vodacom Tanzania, Tanzania
Philip is currently the MD of Vodacom Tanzania Plc and is responsible for running all facets of the business.
Prior to that, Philip held various senior roles across sub-Saharan Africa including Chief Sales, Distribution and Regional Operations Officer in South Africa, Executive Regional Operations in South Africa, Chief Executive Officer in South Sudan, Chief Marketing Officer in Zambia and Chief Marketing Officer and Acting Chief Executive Officer in Swaziland.
He has over 15 years’ experience in leadership and commercial execution working with one of the largest telco companies in Africa. He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Netherlands and a Bachelor of Arts in Social
Sciences from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Philip brings international leadership experience and valuable knowledge to this important role. He has an exceptional track record of growing businesses and delivering strategic transformation. Philip is also sitting as chairman of the Tanzania Mobile Network Operations Association ( TAMNOA).
Paul J. Foster
CEO and Board Member of the Global Esports Federation
Paul J. Foster, CEO and Board Member of the Global Esports Federation since March 2021, leads the organization’s strategic growth. Previously, he served as Chief Operating Officer and Senior Advisor during the GEF’s establishment. With 30 years of global leadership experience, he’s acclaimed for convening and mobilizing partnerships, utilizing technology for sustainable development, and advancing inclusive global progress. Paul was a Vice President at World Expo 2020 Dubai, overseeing start-up operations, budgeting, and vision-setting. He dedicated over two decades to the Olympic movement, including significant roles at the International Olympic Committee. He consults for various entities, advising on vision setting and strategy. He holds degrees in Business, Economics, International Affairs, Diplomacy and Protocol, with additional studies in AI from MIT Sloan School of Management and the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). Fluent in English, Italian, French, and Spanish, Paul is also an Associate Professor in International Relations and a certified Yoga teacher. As Chairman of the Board of the World Technology Games Organization, he continues to shape the future of global esports and sports.
Daniel Goldscheider
Founder and Executive Director, the OpenWallet Foundation; Vice Chair, Supervisory Board of Valamar Riviera
Daniel Goldscheider is founder and Executive Director of the OpenWallet Foundation and serves as Vice Chair of the Supervisory Board of Valamar Riviera d.d., Croatia’s largest tourism company.
Before that he started yes.com, an open banking scheme and co-founded Mediaguide with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers as well as Aureus Private Equity (today Invision).
Andrey Koucheryavy
Professor of Telecommunication Networks and Data transmission, St. Petersburg University of Telecommunications
After graduating from Leningrad University of Telecommunications in 1974, A. Koucheryavy joined Telecommunication Research Institute LONIIS, where he worked till October 2003 (from 1986 to 2003 as the First Deputy Director). Dr. A. Koucheryavy holds Professor position at the Bonch-Bruevich St. Petersburg State University of Telecommunications (SUT) since 1998. There, in 2011 he became a Chaired Professor in “Telecommunication Networks and data transmission” department. Dr. A.Koucheryavy was an advisor of the Central Science Research Telecommunication Institute (ZNIIS) from 2003 to 2010. Co-founder of the International Teletraffic Seminar (1993, 1995, 1998, 2002); founder of the model network for digital networks at LONIIS (1997); co-founder of the model network for packet networks at ZNIIS (2004); co-founder of the Internet of Things Laboratory (2012) at SUT. Chair of the Scientific school on teletraffic theory in LONIIS (1990 – 2003); Founder and scientific school chair “Internet of Things and self-organizing networks” in SUT (2010 up to now); Steering committee member of IEEE technically co-sponsored series of conferences ICACT, NEW2AN and ICFNDS. SG11 ITU-T vice-chairman 2005 – 2008, 2009 – 2012. WP3/WP4 SG11 chairman 2006 – 2012, WP4 SG11 vice-chairman 2015-2016, Chairman of SG11 from 2016 up to March 2022. Host and technical program committee member of the “Kaleidoscope 2014” at SUT. Founder of the model network for telepresence services in SUT (2021). Honorary member of Popov’s society (2002).
Javier Juárez Mojica
Acting President of the Federal Telecommunications Institute of Mexico
Javier Juárez Mojica has been Commissioner of the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) since October 2016 and Acting Chairman since March 2022. He is an honorary member of the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has been member of the OECD Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence (AIGO), Vice-chair of the former Working Party on Communication Infrastructures and Services Policy (CISP) at the OECD (2019-2021), former president of the Technical Committee on 5G networks deployment in Mexico, and currently serves as Chair of the Small Operators Committee.
Commissioner Juárez has devoted a professional career of more than 15 years to the study of telecommunications and the promotion of innovation and competition in this sector. He has participated in conferences and lectures on interconnection, community and indigenous networks, local loop unbundling, virtual mobile operators, Internet of Things, AI, cybersecurity, and digital transformation, among others.
Author of the books Mi Neighbor is a Robot (Penguin Random House 2022), The Future of Computing in Mexico: Proposals from the Mexican Academy of Computing (2018), and several articles and book chapters on telecommunications regulation (2007) and the challenges of living with AI.