Giuseppe Abbamonte, Head of Unit, Electronic Communications Policy Development, European Commission, DG Infso
Giuseppe Abbamonte is an Italian qualified lawyer ("avvocato"). He has been working as a Commission official since June 1992. Before joining the Commission he was an associate in the law firm Allen & Overy in Milan for four years (1989/1992). In his private practice he dealt mainly with commercial law and competition law.
In the Commission he has worked in five DGs (TREN, COMP, SANCO, JLS and INFSO). During his first five years (1992/1997) in TREN, he was responsible for State aid control in the air transport sector, where he was the desk officer in some major restructuring and recapitalisation cases (e.g. Air France, TAP and Aer Lingus). During this period he acquired a good grasp of business accounting, elements of corporate finance and microeconomics. He joined COMP in 1997 as State aid expert and for one year he was mainly responsible for some complex State aid cases in the French postal sector. He joined the Merger Task Force in 1998, where for four years he worked as desk officer on numerous prominent mergers and acquisitions cases. Those were the years of the "new economy" and the dot-com bubble, and he became an expert in mergers in digital media markets, particularly those involving online distribution of audiovisual content. He was the main case handler in AOL/Time Warner (at that time the largest merger in US business history) and in EMI/Time Warner. He worked on several mergers between telecoms companies (e.g. Telia/Telenor: the merger of the main Swedish and Norwegian telephone and TV operators). During these years he enhanced his understanding of microeconomics, and particularly industrial economics. He also obtained sound knowledge of the telecommunications industry and Internet economics.
He moved to SANCO in 2001 as deputy head of a legal unit, responsible for most of EU consumer laws. He became head of unit in 2005, and was promoted to AD13 in 2008. In SANCO he acquired deep knowledge and experience of EU policy making and the impact assessment culture. He was tasked with the revision of the existing old regulatory framework to bring it up to date with market developments, particularly on-line. Producing good legislation, which is principle based and technologically neutral has been a major challenge. His main legislative files were the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive -which regulates commercial practices on-line and off-line and the proposal for the Consumer rights Directive, which will set out the regulatory framework for consumer contracts, and in particular for on-line consumer contracts. As a result of the reorganisation of the Barroso II Commission, his unit was moved to JLS where he was responsible, in addition to consumer law, for developing general European contract law.
Since January 2011 he has been the head of the electronic communications policy development unit in INFSO. His main files include on-line privacy, universal service obligations, net neutrality and the CEO Roundtable on the sustainability of the Internet ecosystem and the broadband investment framework.
He is the author of several publications mainly in English law magazines. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Centre of Competition Policy of the University of East Anglia.
Fabio Del Alisal, Director for International Affairs, Comisión del Mercado de las Telecomunicaciones (CMT)
Mr. Del Alisal is Director for International Affairs at CMT (the Spanish Regulatory Authority). He is the Coordinator of the CMT international activity, focused primarily on the relationship with the BEREC (Board of European Regulators for Electronic Communications) and Regulatel (the Latin-American Regulatory Group), where he has chaired several work groups such as Convergence or Harmonisation.
As a Director of the International Department, Mr. Del Alisal has promoted the participation of CMT both on International Multilateral Forums on European level and Extra-European one, (EMERG, OCDE etc.) and on a bilateral basis throughout organization of Seminaries, Twinning Light Projects, etc.
Due to his wide expertise in the Telecommunications Sector, he has been appointed by the EU NRA Chairs as one of the four Interlocutors to lead the discussions with the European Commission for the implementation of BEREC regulation.
Mr. Del Alisal is a Lawyer and has Master’s Degree in “Business Administration (Telecommunications Sector)” and “International Affairs”. His previous professional experience includes working for the European Commission, in D.G. Comp., where he was a Member of the article 7 Task Force and Case-Handler in different competition law cases.
Bo Andersson, Chief Economist, Swedish Post and Telecom Agency (PTS)
Bo Andersson has been the Chief Economist of the Swedish Post and Telecom Agency (PTS) since 2006.
Mr Andersson has more than 15 years of experience from infra structure industries. Bo Andersson has a Ph.D. in economics from Stockholm School of Economics and has a background as a researcher. He has written several papers and journal articles on price formation and competition in deregulated markets. Prior to his current position he was a market analyst in the power sector and a consultant working for different government agencies and industries.
Acting for the Swedish Post and Telecom Agency, Mr Andersson is dedicated to strengthen and develop the Swedish IT infrastructure in order to continue to be one of the leading IT nations in the world.
Jørgen Bang-Jensen, CEO, PLAY
Jørgen Bang-Jensen began his career as an IT entrepreneur and then joined Tele Danmark as the Division General Manager. In 1993, when the GSM technology was only taking off with a few thousand users worldwide, Mr. Bang-Jensen was one of the pioneers of the global development of mobile telephony and took up the challenge of developing Tele Danmark Mobil. With Mr. Bang-Jensen as the president of the company, Tele Danmark Mobil grew to become a highly effective and competitive mobile operator.
Following the success of Tele Danmark Mr. Bang-Jensen decided to pursue his career outside of Denmark and undertook the challenge of launching ONE - the third mobile operator in Austria. As the president of ONE Mr. Bang-Jensen has led the company from the start-up stage, through intensified growth, up to its sale in 2007.
Further to the sale of ONE Mr. Bang-Jensen applied his expertise in ICT sector companies holding board member positions and conducting independent consultancy advisory.
As of May 2009 Mr Bang-Jensen is the CEO of PLAY, the fastest growing mobile operator in Europe.
Hande Bayrak, International and NGO Relations Supervisor, Avea
Hande Bayrak currently serves as the International and NGO Relations Supervisor at Avea. Founded in 2004, Avea has a nationwide customer base of 12.5 million as of November 2011. Reaching to 97.4 % of Turkey's population through its next generation network, the company is growing fast both in the corporate and individual services while constantly investing in technology and infrastructure.
In her role as International and NGO Relations Supervisor, Ms. Bayrak works within the Regulatory Group and she is responsible for coordinating the relations of the company with International and National NGOs.
Frank Bekkers, CEO, Mobile Vikings
Reading Frank Bekkers' resume, one gets the impression he is a serial entrepreneur. One is right. Mobile Vikings is his 13th company, preceded by various others like Tupperware, Creneau, Medical Software and the Living Lab i-City. As varied as all these companies were, there is one thing connecting them, one thing that is Frank's real passion. It encompasses creativity, new and different business models, in a word: innovation. Mobile Vikings is a fine example. Creating an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) without a brand, without points of sales, with a whole new approach and rapidly muscling his way into a market that was supposed to be saturated, for Frank it's just what he does. He is more an evangelist than a CEO. To quote George Bernard Shaw: "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."
Jonas Bengtsson, General Counsel, Tele2 AB
Jonas Bengtsson has more than 15 years of experience with business law and over 10 years within the field of IT and telecommunication law. Mr Bengtsson graduated (LL.M.) in 1995 and has worked as an associate at Swedish lawfirms Lagerlöf & Leman and Mannheimer Swartling and served as junior judge in the Stockholm District Court.
In 2000, Mr Bengtsson joined Utfors AB (publ), a start-up IT/datacommunication company listed on the Stockholm stock exchange, as its General Counsel. During 2002, he started working for Telenor’s Swedish subsidiary Telenor AB as General Counsel with responsibility, inter alia, for procurement, regulatory affairs and legal.
In 2007, Mr Bengtsson started in his present position as General Counsel for Tele2 AB (publ) heading the Tele2 Group’s legal and regulatory team. Tele2 operates in 11 countries, among them Sweden, Russia, Kazakhstan and the Netherlands, and has in-house legal and regulatory counsel in all its operations with its headquarter located in Stockholm, Sweden. Tele2 AB (publ) is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Nordic.
Richard Cadman, Director, SPC Networks
Richard Cadman MA is a senior strategy, policy, and market consultant specialising in the electronic communications industry.
He has a Masters Degree (with distinction) in Competition and Regulation Policy from the ESRC Centre for Competition Policy at UEA, where he is researching his PhD, and a degree in Politics and Economics from York University. Richard has 25 years work experience in both large and small businesses, including fifteen years as a consultant. His clients include major telecommunications companies, mobile phone networks, industry associations satellite and cable companies as well as national and supra-national government bodies.
Richard has excellent verbal and numeric skills and is a frequent presenter at leading industry and academic conferences.
Didier Casas, Corporate Secretary & Member of the Executive Committee, Bouygues Telecom
Didier Casas was born in 1970. He is a former student of ENA (“Valmy promotion” 1996-1998), has a “DEA” postgraduate diploma in law from the University of Grenoble (1993) and is a graduate of the IEP (Institute of Political Studies) of Grenoble. He is also a legal advisor (maître des requêtes) at the French Council of State.
Between 1994 and 1995, he worked as a parliamentary assistant to the Member of Parliament and Mayor of Grenoble. He was government commissioner to the litigation assembly and to the other divisions of the French Council of State (2004-2007), specialising in economic public law litigation in particular, after having served as rapporteur on the budget and finance disciplinary court of France’s Cour des comptes (2000-2004). At the same time, Didier Casas was also a legal advisor to several French state-owned entities and organisations such as the Energy Regulatory Commission and the Louvre museum.
He has been a lecturer at Sciences Po (1998-2000 then 2009-2011) and at the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (2001-2004) as well as an associate professor in the faculty of law at Poitiers University between 2005 and 2008.
Didier Casas was appointed Company Secretary and member of the Management Board of Dexia Crédit Local on 1 January 2008.
He joined Bouygues Telecom on 1 March 2011 as Corporate Secretary.
Alessandro Casagni, Head of EU Wireless Regulatory Policy, Huawei
Head of EU Wireless Regulatory Policy, managing the wireless regulation issues within Huawei Wireless Strategies & Business Development Department.
Alessandro holds a master degree in electronic engineering from Rome University.
During the period 2007 to 2009, Alessandro worked in Huawei WiMAX and LTE Product Line departments with special focus on the European regulation matters.
Prior to joining Huawei, Alessandro held several marketing and technical positions in Mediaset broadcasting company (2006 – 2007), Siemens mobile communications (2002 – 2006) and Accenture ICT consulting company (2000 – 2002).
Giuseppe Conte, Member of Cabinet of Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes, European Commission
Giuseppe Conte
Date of birth: 1 April 1972
Nationality: Italian
WORK EXPERIENCE
Since February 2010 - Cabinet of Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes, Member of Cabinet responsible for telecoms regulation
May 2008 – February 2010 - Cabinet of Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes, Member of Cabinet responsible for State aid
February 2007- April 2008 - European Commission, Legal Service, Member of the State aid team
April 2004 – January 2007 - European Commission, DG Competition, Case handler in the “Merger Network”
October 2000 – February 2004 - Court of Justice of the European Communities, Legal secretary (“référendaire”) in the Cabinet of Advocate General Tizzano
June 1998 - September 2000 - Studio Legale Tizzano, Brussels/Rome, Lawyer specialising in EC law, mainly in the field of antitrust and State aid
EDUCATION
March 1999 - March 2003 - Università di Napoli “Federico II”, PhD in EU law
September 1997 - June 1998 - Université Libre de Bruxelles - Institut d’Etudes Européennes, Master in EU law
November 1991 - March 1997 - Università di Roma “La Sapienza”, Law degree
Publications: I procedimenti in materia di pubblicità ingannevole e le situazioni soggettive di derivazione comunitaria, in Rivista di diritto dell’impresa, n. 1/1998, p. 87; Commentary to the CFI judgments of May 1998 on the cardboard cartel, in Revue des affaires européennes, n. 2/1999, p. 539; Aiuti di Stato e procedure concorsuali nazionali: il caso della legge Prodi, in Il diritto dell’Unione europea, n. 3/1999, p. 539; Commentary to the CFI judgment Breda Fucine Meridionali, in Revue des affaires européennes, n. 1-2/2000, p. 180; Commentary to Article 255 EC, in Trattati dell’Unione europea e della Comunità europea, edited by A. Tizzano, Giuffrè, Milano 2004; chapters on Judicial review and Ancillary restraints, in EU Merger Law, edited by G. Drauz and C. Jones, Claeys & Casteels, Leuven 2006; Existing Aid: Substantial and Procedural Aspects, in EC State Aid Law (Liber Amicorum Santaolalla), Kluver, London 2008
Member of the Rome Bar
Dr. Luis Correia da Silva, Managing Director, Oxera Consulting
Luis leads the Corporate Finance and Regulation teams at Oxera and applies his economic expertise to finance, competition, regulation and policy issues across the financial services, energy, telecommunications, postal and transport industries in Europe. His areas of specialisation are corporate finance, regulatory design, the impact of corporate taxation, corporate governance and econometric modelling. He has also directed policy and research studies for the European Commission, Competition Commission and the Office of Fair Trading in the UK, and published on economics and finance matters. He has been involved in UK Competition Commission cases and European Commission regulatory and competition analysis, and has provided written and oral evidence. He has directed two studies for the European Commission on state aid securities market, economics of innovation and corporate governance, and has advised financial institutions on state aid matters arising from the global financial crisis.
Luis is a Trustee of Trust for London, an independent charitable foundation which aims to tackle poverty and its root causes among the people of London. He is also a Member of the Advisory Board of the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management.
Qualifications
– DPhil Economics, University of Oxford
– MBA European Studies, Solvay Business School, Belgium
– MSc Economics, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
– BA Economics, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
Selected publications
– ‘Asset Management in Europe’, with J. Franks and C. Mayer, in Freixas, X., Hartmann, P. and Mayer, C., Handbook of European Financial Markets and Institutions, chapter 13. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008
– ‘An Incentive Regime for Quality of Service of Universal Service Providers in the Postal Sector’, with L. Mautino, P. Dudley and E. Payling, part IV, chapter 16 in Competition and Regulation in the Postal and Delivery Sector, 2008
– ‘Trends in Dividends, Payers, Payouts and Yields’, with M. Goergen, C. Andres and
A. Betzer, in Baker, K. (ed), Blackwell Companion on Dividends, chapter 3, 2008
– ‘Occupational Retirement Provision: Are the Risks of Defined-contribution Schemes Overstated?’, with F. Barnes, Revue Bancaire et Financière, 4, 2008
– ‘External Financial Markets Policy: Europe as Global Regulator?’ with M. Becht,
in Sapir, A. (ed), Fragmented Power: Europe and the Global Economy, chapter 7, 2007
– ‘The Cost of Capital: An International Comparison’, City of London Corporation and the London Stock Exchange, 2006
– ‘Is Debt Replacing Equity in Regulated Privatised Infrastructure in LDCs?’, with A. Estache and S. Jarvela, Utilities Policy, 14, pp. 90–102, 2006
– ‘When do German Firms Change their Dividend?’, with M. Goergen and L. Renneboog, Journal of Corporate Finance, 11, 1–2, pp. 375–99, 2005
– Corporate Governance and Dividend Policy, with M. Goergen and L. Renneboog, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004
– ‘Assessing Profitability in the Context of Competition Law’, with G. Niels and S. Chua, Competition Law Journal, 2:3, pp. 248–58, 2004
– Asset Management and Investor Protection: An International Analysis, with C. Mayer and J. Franks, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003
– ‘RPI – X Price Control Regulation in The Postal Sector’, with L. Mautino, P. Dudley and S. Richard, in Crew, M. and Kleindorfer, P. (eds), Competitive Transformation of the Postal and Delivery Sector, Boston, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003
– ‘Assessing profitability in competition policy analysis’, Office of Fair Trading, 2003
– ‘The Capital Structure of Utilities’, with T. Jenkinson and C. Mayer, in Helm, D. (ed), Water, Sustainability and Regulation, chapter 10. Oxford: Oxera, 2003
– ‘Regulation and Asset Management’, with C. Mayer and J. Franks, Financial Times Mastering Investments, 2001
Language skills English, French, Portuguese and Spanish
Olivier Cousi, Partner - Intellectual Property, Telecommunications, Media & Technology , Gide Loyrette Nouel
Olivier Cousi has helped set up and develop the Firm's Intellectual Property, Telecommunications, Media and Technology department. His expertise covers the fields of media, the press, publishing, audiovisual, music and cinema and he advises on issues of copyright and related rights, art law and matters relating to sponsorship and advertising. He is widely acknowledged for his experience in handling both criminal and commercial disputes with regard to the press, intellectual property, the right of personal portrayal, disparagement, advertising, telecommunications and the Internet.
Olivier has built up a strong reputation as counsel in matters of press law, copyright and regulations governing the audiovisual and telecommunications sectors. He regularly advises French public institutions, governments worldwide and leading French and US private communications groups. The development of the Internet and new technologies has prompted Olivier Cousi and his team to offer advice to French and foreign telecommunications operators concerning on-line services, access provider services and data exchange on the Internet. With his comprehensive knowledge of the communication and media sectors he has successfully represented major institutions facing disparagement claims.
Tom Dailey, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Verizon Corporation
Mr Dailey is Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of Verizon where he is responsible for providing legal and strategic level advice to Verizon’s Global Strategy group on the future direction of the corporation in numerous areas including video, cloud, identity management, security, health care and M2M. Mr Dailey also serves as chief Internet counsel responsible for developing Verizon’s US and global Internet policies and business practices for Verizon’s world-wide operations in a wide array of areas, including security, law enforcement compliance, net neutrality, online safety, anti-piracy, content regulation and privacy. In addition, he oversees the legal team responsible for all programming acquisition for Verizon’s FiOS TV and multi-platform content delivery services.
Mr Dailey has testified multiple times before the U.S. Congress and various state legislatures on Internet safety, security and anti-piracy issues, including most recently before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the Protect IP Act. He is the Chair of the Center for Copyright Information, the organization jointly created by the major content rightsholders and ISPs to oversee the industries’ recently announced anti-piracy agreement in the US. Mr Dailey is also a member of the of the board of directors of the US Internet Service Provider Association (USISPA), an industry organization based in Washington, D.C. comprised of many of the largest Internet service providers and network companies in the United States. He is the former Chair of USISPA and continues to serve as Chair Emeritus of the organization.
Prior to his current position, Mr Dailey served as lead counsel to Verizon’s Chief Marketing Officer, where he was responsible for providing legal advice regarding the advertising and marketing of the company’s consumer and business mass markets products and services. He has been Verizon’s chief Internet counsel since 1998 and before that he spent six years in the state regulatory organization serving as General Counsel of Bell Atlantic Vermont, and two years as Labor and Employment Counsel. Before joining Verizon, Mr Dailey was an Associate with the Boston law firm of Goodwin Procter LLC. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Colby College and his Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law School, where he graduated cum laude and served as an editor on the law review and as a member of the national moot court team.
Philippe Defraigne, Director, Cullen International
Philippe Defraigne is a director of Cullen International, a company monitoring regulatory developments in telecommunications, media and electronic commerce. He is an economist by training and has spent the last 20 years monitoring telecommunications regulation and market developments across Europe. He started his telecommunications career as a researcher at the University of Namur in 1988. Between 1991 and 1994, Philippe worked for the European Commission where he was mainly involved in the legislative process that lead to the adoption of the ONP Leased Lines Directive.
Michael Dithmer, Permanent Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs, Ministry for Business and Growth, Danish Presidency
Michael Dithmer was born in 1954. He is married to Director General Charlotte Münter and has two children.
Career
2011 Permanent Secretary of State for Business and Growth
2001-2011 Permanent Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs
1995-2001 Permanent Secretary of State for Economic Affairs
1993-1995 Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance
1987-1993 Head of Division, Ministry of Finance
1987-1990 Head of Section, Ministry of Finance
1984-1987 Head of Section, Ministry of Trade and Industry
1972-1974 Employment in shipping, Great Britain and Germany
Memberships of Boards and Councils
Present
1995 Vice chairman of the Committee of Directors of the Danish Central Bank
1995 Member of the Board of Directors of the Danish Central Bank
1995 Alternate Governor, European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
2002 Member of the High Level Group of Competitiveness and Growth, EU
2006 Member of the Steering Committee of the cross-sector works committee
2007 Chairman of the Board, the cross-ministerial innovation unit MindLab
2007 Vice chairman of the Board of The Marketing Denmark Fund
2008 Vice chairman of the Climate Consortium
2008 Board member of the Danish Centre for Leadership
Former
1995-2001 Alternate Governor, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
1995-2001 Member of the Economic and Financial Committee, Alternates, ECOFIN, EU
1998-2001 Member of the Economic Policy Committee, Organisationfor Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
1999-2001 Member of the European Securities Committee, ECOFIN, EU
1999-2001 Member of the Financial Service Policy Group, ECOFIN, EU
2000-2001 Chairman of the Economic and Financial Committee, Alternates, ECOFIN, EU
2001-2005 Member of the Board of The Digital Taskforce
2003-2010 Member of the Board of the non-profit foundation; BG Foundation
1995-2011 Member of the Council of Danish Economic Advisors
Education and Training
1992- External Examiner, Faculty of Economics and Political Science, University of Copenhagen
1984 M.A. in economics, University of Copenhagen
1978-1990 Lecturer, University of Copenhagen
Honours’ list
2007 Commander of the Order of Dannebrog.
Martin Duckworth, Manager, Frontier Economics
Martin Duckworth has worked in telecommunications regulation since 1995, first as an employee of Oftel, the then regulator in the UK, and since 1998 as a consultant in Belgium and in Spain.
Martin has worked extensively in the field of telecommunications regulatory costing advising regulators and operators on the appropriate valuation and cost attribution approaches for interconnection, access and retail price control.
Detlef Eckert, Director "Policy Coordination and Strategy", European Commission, DG Infso
Detlef Eckert is Director "Policy Coordination and Strategy" in the Directorate General “Information Society and Media” (DG INFSO) of the European Commission in Brussels (Belgium). In this function he is responsible for developing and incubating policies, notably with respect to the Digital Agenda, the ICT component of the 7th Framework Programme (FP7), and the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP). His Directorate is also responsible for economic and statistical analysis as well as evaluation and monitoring of all planned programmes and actions of DG INFSO.
From 2007 to 2009 he was Senior Advisor to the Director General of DG INFSO.
From 2002 to 2006 he took personal leave to work for Microsoft as Director responsible for the implementation of the Trustworthy Computing (TWC) initiative in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Before 2002, Detlef Eckert was Head of Division responsible for analysis and policy planning in the Directorate General Information Society; he launched a number of key policy initiatives that contributed to the full liberalisation of the European telecommunications markets in 1998. Other activities included the launch of the eEurope2002 and 2005 Action Plan which in the meantime has become the i2010 initiative. He was also responsible for a new network and information security policy at EU level leading inter alia to the foundation of the "European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA)".
Detlef Eckert joined the European Commission in 1988 as officer for State Aids in the agriculture sector. Before, from 1985 until 1988, he worked for the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Federal State of Bremen (Germany) responsible for regional policy and restructuring measures.
Born in Germany, Detlef Eckert graduated from the University of Siegen with a degree in Economics. He also obtained a Doctorate in Economics from the same university where he was assistant professor from 1979 until 1985.
Christian Engström MEP, Swedish Pirate Party, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Christian Engström was born in Högalid, Stockholm. He graduated from Stockholm University in 1983 with a degree in mathematics and computer science. While studying, Mr Engström worked as a tutor at the university, teaching object-oriented programming in Simula. From 1978 he also worked part-time as a programmer at a small company which specialized in phonetic similarity searches for trademark names. After finishing his studies he started working full-time at the company. He became a partner in the firm in 1987 and in 1991 he became vice president. In 1997 the company was sold to the leading European trademark search house CompuMark. Mr Engström stayed on in a similar capacity as before until 2001, when he left the company to set up his own consultancy firm Glindra AB.
For five years Mr Engström worked as an unpaid activist within the Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII), lobbying against software patents. He was active in the campaign against the EU software patent directive, which was rejected by the European Parliament in July 2005. He also co-founded the Swedish section of FFII and served as its deputy chairman during the first year.
In the late 1980s, Mr Engström became a member of the Swedish Liberal People's Party. He served as a lay assessor for the party in the Stockholm District Court between 1992 and 1998 and was active in local politics in Bromma, Stockholm. He left the Liberal People's Party on 1 January 2006, following the founding of the Pirate Party.
Mr Engström was elected a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in the election held on 7 June 2009, in which the Pirate Party won 7.1 % of the votes and received one mandate. Mr Engström was placed as his party's top candidate and received 43,808 votes (19 % of the Pirate Party's total votes). After negotiations with some of the political groups of the European
Parliament it was announced on 25 June 2009 that Mr Engström would join the green group (Greens-EFA).
Dr. Rudolf Eyberg, Director AVC Langen Development Center, Panasonic
Rudolf Eyberg (1960) is Director of Panasonic AVC Development Centre based in Langen/Frankfurt (Germany) since 2008. He is responsible for software development, for SW and product verification/testing, for EU technical market investigation and for monitoring and contributing to European standards and industry associations. Key product focus is on implementation of new technologies (based on DVB-T/S/C) and interactive services in Panasonics integrated TVs (VIErA) and DVD/BluRay recorders (DIGA) for European Market.
From 1981 to 1992 Rudolf studied and received his diploma and doctorate in electrical communications engineering at the University of Stuttgart (Germany). Between 1992 and 1999 he acted at ALCATEL in Germany and Belgium as engineer for CATV/HFC network technology in the areas of development, corporate management and international sales support. From 1999 to 2005 he was Director at BOSCH Broadband Networks in Berlin (Germany) and responsible for the HFC expansion of national broadband cable networks with triple-play services. From 2005 to 2008 he was in charge as Group Manager Electronics for optical disc storage (DVD, BluRay & Holography) at THOMSON Corporate Research in Villingen (Germany).
Rudolf has a extensive background of technical, commmercial and operational issues of broadband networks/services and consumer electronics products. Rudolf is personal member of the associations FKTG, IEEE, VDE and VDI. He can be contacted by email on rudolf.eyberg@eu.panasonic.com
Lisa Di Feliciantonio, Head of Regulatory Policy, Fastweb
Lisa is in charge of regulatory policy at Fastweb, the first alternative telecom operator in Italy to roll out an all-IP network and a triple play offer in the country, as well as Secretary general of the Italian Association of IPTV operators.
In her current position she monitors regulation and policy making in order to identify and track decisions that have the potential to affect Fastweb’s business interests and makes strategic recommendations regarding policy areas at national and EU level. Before joining Fastweb, Lisa has worked for the Italian Regulatory Authority for Communications (AGCOM) as counsellor to one of the Commissioners and, later, as executive officer in the Regulatory Department, where she was in charge for the implementation of the regulatory framework for electronic networks in the television sector. In her role, Lisa has directly taken part to the drafting of existing regulation for licensing, content regulation, obligation of broadcasters and the transition to digital television.
Before then, she was in charge for strategic planning and network development at Orbit, the first digital satellite network for Middle East and North Africa. She writes for specialized economic publications and has published two books, “I media della convergenza”, Perugia 1998 and “Switchover”, Milan 2004.
Erzsébet Fitori, Director, Regulatory Affairs, ECTA
Erzsébet Fitori is currently Director, Regulatory Affairs at ECTA, the trade association representing over 100 competitive operators across Europe.
Prior to joining ECTA in February 2008 she was Head of Regulatory Affairs at Pannon GSM (Telenor Group) in Budapest.
Erzsébet’s early career saw her as an Assistant Professor in the Department of European Law and Private International Law at the University of Miskolc in Hungary, following traineeships at the European Central Bank in Frankfurt and at law firm Baker & McKenzie in Budapest.
Erzsébet holds an LL.M. in European Community Law from Leiden University and a Degree in Law from the University of Miskolc, Hungary. In addition to her native Hungarian she speaks excellent English and intermediate level German.
Chris Fonteijn, BEREC 2011 Chair, Chairman of Netherlands Competition Authority (NMa) and Chairman of the Independent Post and Telecommunications Authority (OPTA)
(1955, Den Haag), studied law in Leiden; during his years in military service, he worked in the Military Intelligence Service. From 1980, until his appointment as Chairman of the Commission of OPTA on September 1st 2005, Chris worked as a lawyer at NautaDutilh in Rotterdam, where he became a partner in 1988. He specialized in Business and Energy Law, and over the years he held a variety of positions at NautaDutilh; for several years he worked for NautaDutilh in the Middle East. During his last years at NautaDutilh, Chris was director of the Energy & Utilities Group.
In 2011, Chris Fonteijn was appointed chairman of BEREC.
As of 1 July 2011, Chris Fonteijn has been appointed as Chairman to the Netherlands Competition Authority (NMa).
Antoine Fournier, Partner, TERA Consultants
Antoine Fournier has more than 10 years of experience in providing economic and strategic expert-appraisal and consultancy services for telecoms and other network industries. He has developed a deep understanding of technical and economic issues and worked for number of operators and regulators throughout Europe, in particular on the design and implementation of costing methodologies, the definition of regulation mechanisms, the calculation and review of regulated tariffs. He is specialised in fixed broadband and NGA access technologies. Antoine holds a Master‘s degree in Engineering (TELECOM ParisTech) and in Industrial Economics (Paris Dauphine University).
Magnus Franklin, Chief Correspondent, Mlex
Magnus Franklin is Chief Correspondent for MLex ITM since October 2008, providing comprehensive coverage of regulatory and legal developments in the telecoms, media and IT sectors both in Brussels and across Europe. He was previously an analyst and reporter on Mobile Communications Europe and Telecom Markets. Magnus studied journalism and economics in London, and works in English, Spanish, Swedish and Norwegian.
Magdalena Gaj, Deputy Minister, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Infrastructure, Polish Presidency
Born in 1974 in Chelm (Poland).
Master of Laws - graduated from the Maria-Curie Sklodowska University in Lublin (faculty of law).
Legal advisor - legal training at the Regional Chamber of Legal Advisors in Lublin (1998-2002).
Until 2001 - legal training at the Legal Advisors Office.
Between 2001-2009 at the Legal Department of the Office of Electronic Communications (UKE) – Head of Department since 2005. Carried out extensive legal service for the President of UKE in the filed of telecommunications, post, administration, civil rights, European law.
Currently in charge of telecommunications as Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Infrastructure.
Chair of Interministerial Group for Digital Television and Radio
Co-chair of the Digital Poland Group
Luigi Gambardella, Chairman of the Executive Board, ETNO
From 1996-99 Luigi Gambardella ran the regulatory and Institutional affairs for Olivetti. In 1999 he joined the Telecom Italia Group, in charge of relations with the National Regulatory Authority, and he is currently their Vice President Relations with International Institutions
and Organisations. He is also the Chairman of the Executive Board of ETNO, BIAC Vice Chair to the OECD ICCP Committee, President of EUBrasil - the Association for the development of the relationship between Europe and Brazil, a member of the Advisory and Support Group of BUSINESSEUROPE, a member of the board of the European American Business Council, a member of the board of the European Internet Foundation, a member of the Competitiveness Working Group of the European Round Table of Industrialists, President of Puntoit - the Italian Association for the development of the digital economy, and a member of Comitato Europa of CONFINDUSTRIA.
Mr Gambardella graduated in economics from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy.
Ilsa Godlovitch, Director Brussels office, ECTA
Ilsa is responsible for developing and delivering on the regulatory and policy agenda at ECTA, the trade association representing 150 competitive (non-incumbent) operators across Europe.
Prior to joining ECTA in June 2005, she was EU Affairs Director at Cable & Wireless and also represented C&W's international businesses in developing countries outside Europe during a period of widespread liberalisation in the sector. Whilst at Oftel (the UK Telecoms Regulator), Ilsa was responsible for European Affairs and negotiated for the UK Government on the current EU Framework for Communications. She was previously a technology journalist.
She holds an MA in Classics from Oxford University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Economics from London University.
Monique Goyens, Director General, BEUC
As Director General of BEUC, Monique represents 43 independent national consumer associations in 31 European countries acting as a strong consumer voice in Brussels, ensuring that consumer interests are given weight in the development of policies and raising the visibility and effectiveness of the consumer movement through lobbying EU institutions and media contacts.
Having a background in law she has published numerous articles in scientific journals on consumer and European law.
Prior to BEUC, Monique led the Belgian Commission Universitaire pour le Développement with international and national donors and partners in developing countries.
She had been BEUC’s Senior Legal Adviser and contributed to the promotion of consumer interests through research as Project leader for European Affairs at Centre de droit de la consommation–UCL.
Dr. Annegret Groebel, Acting Chair of the Regulatory Accounting Working Group, BEREC and Head of Department International Relations/Postal Regulation, BNetzA
1986 Diploma in Economics, University of Heidelberg
1996 Dr. rer. pol., University of Mannheim
2004 M.A. (Master of European Administrative Management), FH Bund (Bruehl)
Dr Annegret Groebel, born 1960, has been Head of Section ‘International Co-ordination’ in German Regulatory Authority for Telecommunications and Post since 2001. She also holds key positions at the Independent Regulators Group (IRG, a group of European National Telecommunications Regulatory Authorities created in 1997) since 2001 and was appointed IRG Coordinator in September 2004 and hold this position until end 2008. She is also actively involved in the work of the European Regulators Group (ERG) and of the newly created Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC). BNetzA was I/ERG Chair 2009.
Since 1997 Dr Groebel has been working for the German Regulatory Authority for Telecommunications and Post, which was renamed Federal Network Agency for Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Post and Railway in July 2005. She started as a member of the Ruling Chamber for Interconnection and Access and took over the unit for International Coordination directly reporting to the President in 2001. Since then she is responsible for all contacts to other European and non-European regulatory bodies as well as for the contacts with the European Commission. Since July 2005 the coordination with the energy regulators including the relevant groups (CEER/ERGEG) were added. Since October 2005 she was promoted to become Chief of Staff (Managing Director) for all staff units reporting to the President (such as the litigation unit, press office etc.). On November 2 2009 Dr Groebel was promoted to become Head of Department “International Relations / Postal Regulation” adding postal regulation both national and international to her responsibilities.
Apart from her professional duties, she has also been lecturing for a considerable time on different subjects in economics, finance, social policy, trade policy and European Integration, as well as the subject on the regulatory framework in the German telecommunications market at different universities and vocational training academies in Germany and Switzerland.
She has an excellent knowledge of the European regulatory framework for electronic communications and its implementation. She has experience in advising public authorities on regulatory reform and sector specific regulation.
Dr Annegret Groebel is the author of various publications in the field of telecommunications and regulation.
Dr. Bernd Hartl, Senior Analyst, Business Analysis Division, Austrian Regulatory Authority for Broadcasting and Telecommunications (RTR)
Dr Bernd Hartl has been working for the Austrian NRA since 2000. He is currently engaged in the fields of market analysis, pricing and cost accounting issues.
He also acts as an advisor and is regularly called upon to give written expert testimonies to the Austrian Telekom-Control Commission.
Bernd Hartl graduated from the Vienna University of Economics and Business where he studied Business Administration and received his doctorate in ‘Social and Economic Sciences’.
He has written several papers and journal articles on price regulation and competition in the telecommunication markets.
Prior to his current position he was employed as an SAP consultant at Asea Brown Boveri AG.
Andrew Heaney, Executive Director, Strategy and Regulation, TalkTalk Group
Andrew Heaney is TalkTalk Group’s Executive Director, Strategy and Regulation. He is responsible for developing TalkTalk’s position and influencing Ofcom and Government on regulation and legislation issues including LLU products and prices, Openreach’s NGA product, consumer protection, Government policy for NGA, illegal filesharing, net neutrality and parental controls.
Prior to joining TalkTalk, Andrew was a Competition Policy Director with Ofcom responsible for developing and implementing Ofcom’s strategy and policy for LLU and broadband products. Andrew also played a leading role in developing the equivalence and functional separation model and BT’s undertakings.
Before Ofcom, Andrew was a Partner with Spectrum Strategy Consultants leading their fixed telecoms group advising operators, regulators, investors, major customers and government on policy, strategy and business development both in the UK and other major economies.
Andrew is married with five children.
Luc Hindryckx, Chairman of the Council, BIPT
Luc Hindryckx (1967) was appointed Chairman of the BIPT Council in November 2009.
An Industrial engineer and holder of a MBA degree in General International Management at the Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School, he started his career in 1991 at a telecommunications manufacturer as a development engineer. Later he was put in charge of the sales department for Benelux.
In 1996 he joined Global One where he was, amongst other,s responsible for the Regulatory Affairs for Benelux.
In 2000 he joined Telenet to head the operators’ section. He was then responsible for different areas such as corporate market strategy and interconnection.
From 2008 onwards he worked on several projects as an independent consultant in the telecommunications and media sector.
Hein Hobbelen, Counsel, Antitrust, competition and trade (ACT) group, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
Hein is a Counsel in Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s antitrust, competition and trade (ACT) group, based in the Brussels office. Hein is a Dutch qualified lawyer and a member of the Brussels Bar. His practice focuses on EC and Dutch competition law, with a particular focus on the telecommunications, media and technology (TMT) sector where his specialised experience spans some 15 years. Prior to joining Freshfields, Hein worked with the Dutch law firm Stibbe and also served as an assistant to an MEP who played a key role in telecoms liberalisation in the European Parliament.
Hein’s recent TMT experience includes advising: a national broadcaster on certain practices in the advertising sector; broadcasters and infrastructure providers on State aid issues related to the digital switchover as well as broadband projects in various European countries; one of Europe’s leading entertainment companies on a proposed acquisition; and a new media player on the regulatory aspects of the introduction of personal handsets. He is a regular contributor to the annual Getting the Deal Through: Telecoms and Media handbook and is a co-author of the EU State aid chapter in Telecommunications, Broadcasting and the Internet: EU Competition Law and Regulation, published by Sweet & Maxwell. Other recent publications in the TMT sector include: ‘Presentational issues in the Microsoft II case: fair chance for all browsers or a European Commission imposed advantage for existing market players?’, ECLR, Issue 4, 2011; ‘Over een Weense zwarte lijst en "krantachtige" diensten: De nieuwe Commissiemededeling inzake publieke-omroepfinanciering’, Mediaforum, Issue 2, 2010; and ‘The increasing importance of EC State aid rules in the communications and media sectors’, ECLR, Issue 2, 2007.
Gunnar Hökmark MEP, Vice-Chair, Group of the European People's Party, European Parliament
Gunnar Hökmark has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2004 and Vice-Chairman of the EPP Group. Mr Hökmark is the Parliament´s Rapporteur on the Radio Spectrum Policy Programme and active in the Committee of Industry, Energy and Research. Mr Hökmark is also active in the Committee of Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Special Committee on the Policy Challenges and Budgetary Resources for a Sustainable European Union after 2013. Chris Holden, President, FTTH Council Europe Chris Holden is the President of the FTTH Council Europe, appointed by the Board of Directors on 22 April 2010. Chris continues in his current role as Strategic Marketing Manager Carrier EMEA with Corning Ltd. Chris Holden started his career in mechanical engineering, working on specialist engineering projects and moved to the telecommunications industry in 1995. Since then Chris has held various management positions in R&D, manufacturing, training, quality and OSP Services. On the onset of FTTH he has been leading initiatives in the development of new products, systems and services for FTTH deployments. Chris has been active in the FTTH Council Europe since 2005, initially as a member of the Infrastructure and Architecture Committee, then of the Deployment & Operation (D&O) Committee. In April 2008 Chris was elected as Chairman of the D&O Committee and in April 2009 as Board member of the FTTH Council Europe. In addition to his Board activities, he was active as Board liaison with the D&O Committee and Regulatory Committee and is also a member of the Council’s Business Committee. Danielle Jacobs, Chairman, INTUG Danielle Jacobs was appointed Chairman of INTUG in May 2011; before that she was INTUG’s Vice President Europe. She is also General Manager of BELTUG, the Belgian user group representing the Belgian professional users of communications technology and services. Danielle is a member of the Board of DNS.be. This is a Beltug, ISPA and Agoria established non-profit organization. It's mission is to register domain names under the top level dot.be. Marisa Jimenez, European Privacy Policy Counsel, Google Spanish lawyer by the University of Zaragoza, Marisa Jimenez is specialized in EU law by the Europa Institut of Saarbrucken, Germany. Marisa has 14 years of public policy experience in Brussels. She worked for the EU Commission at the beginning of her career and before joining Google, she was Public Policy Director at GS1 and held various positions at Time Warner and Deutsche Post World Net Brussels Corporate public policy offices, dealing with a variety of public policy matters focusing on Privacy and Data Protection, Internet and RFID policy related issues leading the completion of the EU Privacy Impact Assessment Framework for RFID Applications. Marisa joined Google in November 2010 as European Privacy Policy Counsel. Top Kerstin Jorna, Deputy-head of Cabinet of Commissioner Michel Barnier, European Commission, DG Internal Market and Services Kerstin is a German national. She joined the Commission in 1990 as a civil servant. Over the last 20 years Kerstin held various positions in the internal market directorate, amongst others as assistant of the director general as well as in the secretariat general as member of the negotiating team for the Nice treaty. After a stint as commission spokeswoman for regional policy and institutional affairs, Kerstin joined successively the cabinets of Michel Barnier, Günther Verheugen and Jacques Barrot. Kerstin studied law in Bonn, Hamburg and Bruges. She is married and has four children. Rob Kenny, Founder, Communications Chambers Achim Klabunde, Policy Officer - Data Protection, European Commission, DG Justice Before this assignment, he was leading the team in charge of the review of the ePrivacy Directive in the Telecom Reform. He has a degree in informatics and communications, and worked more than fifteen years in the private sector as a software engineer, IT manager and consultant, in the IT, telecommunications, finance and chemical sectors, inter alia on IT security and data protection.
Gert Jan Koopman, Deputy Director General for State Aid, European Commission, DG Competition Since 1 November 2010, Gert Jan Koopman has been Deputy Director General for State Aid at the European Commission's Directorate General for Competition (DG COMP). In this capacity he is responsible for the Commission's control of State Aids and the co-ordination of the 1000 State Aid cases managed by thirteen units in DG COMP. Prior to this Gert Jan Koopman was Director for "Policy Strategy and Co-ordination" and before that for the "Economic Service and Structural Reform" Directorate at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN) which he joined on 1 May 2008. In this capacity, he led the work on the structural reform agenda and provided economic advice to all Commission services. Mr Koopman was also a member of the Commission's Impact Assessment Board which vets all Impact Assessments produced by Commission departments. From 1995 to 2004, Gert Jan Koopman advised Commissioner Neil Kinnock, initially as a Member of his Cabinet with responsibility for Transport and later as Head of Cabinet when Mr Kinnock was Vice-President for Administrative Reform. He studied Economics and Latin and Greek at the University of Amsterdam and worked as a Researcher and Policy adviser for the University of Utrecht and the CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis before joining the European Commission’s Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs in 1991. He was born in 1966, is a Dutch national and lives with his family in Brussels. Thomas Kristensen, Head of Public Policy, Facebook Nordic Neelie Kroes, Vice President and EU Commissioner for Digital Agenda, European Commission Neelie Kroes, born on 19 July 1941 in Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, is a Dutch politician and businessperson. In 1971 she was elected to the lower house of parliament, where she became spokesperson for education. She remained a member of parliament until 1977, when she became junior minister of Transportation and Water Management in the First Van Agt Cabinet, responsible for Postal and Telephone Services and Transportation. In 1981 she briefly returned to the lower house of parliament, while her party, VVD, was in the opposition. In 1982 she returned to office in the First and Second Lubbers Cabinets, as the minister for Transportation and Water Management, a post that she held until 1989. As a minister she was responsible for the privatization of the Post and Telephone Services, as well as the commissioning of the Betuwe-railway. After her time as minister, Ms Kroes became a member of the Rotterdam Chamber of Commerce, furthermore she served as a board member for Ballast Nedam (shipping), ABP-PGGM (a pension fund), NIB (an investment bank), McDonald's Netherlands, Nedlloyd, and Nederlandse Spoorwegen (the privatized Dutch railroad company). In 1991 she became chairperson of Nyenrode University, a private business school. In 2004 Neelie Kroes was appointed European Commissioner for Competition. Since February 2010 Neelie Kroes has been Vice President responsible for the Digital Agenda at the European Commission. Tim Kuik, Managing Director, BREIN Foundation (Anti Piracy) Mr T J Kuik is an international Intellectual Property lawyer with extensive worldwide civil and criminal enforcement experience regarding both the illegal distribution of infring-ing content and counterfeit goods on the Internet as well as the manufacture and distribution of pirate and counterfeit goods. Since 1999 he has been the managing director of the BREIN foundation and developed the optical disc and internet content protection strategy for the entertainment industry in the Netherlands. BREIN is the Dutch private cont- ent protection and enforcement organisation for music, film, games and digital books. Its strategies are considered exem- plary by international and nat- ional enforcement programs. The top three results of the BREIN program are: 
Rob Kenny is a founder of Communications Chambers, an association of leading TMT strategy and policy advisors. He is the author of numerous papers on key TMT issues such as net neutrality, FTTH policy, operational and structural separation, spectrum policy and PSB regulation.
Previously he was MD of Human Capital, a consulting firm. Past roles include heading Strategy and/or M&A for Hongkong Telecom, Reach and Level 3 (all multi-billion dollar telcos). He was also a founder of IncubASIA, a Hong Kong based venture capital firm investing in online businesses
Achim Klabunde is a policy officer at the European Commission and works in the data protection team at the Directorate-general for Justice on the reform of EU data protection law. 
He joined DG ECFIN from the Commission's Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry where he was Director for the “Industrial policy and economic reforms” from 1 January 2005. He worked on Industrial Policy and Better Regulation – notably the management of the Commission's Action Programme to reduce Administrative Burdens by 25% by 2012. 
Thomas Myrup Kristensen is Head of Policy for Facebook Nordic and is responsible for driving Facebook's public policy engagement and outreach in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway. His focus is on Innovation and the Internet Economy, Online Advertising and Privacy. Before joining Facebook in 2011 Thomas spent six years in Brussels with Microsoft Europe and previously worked at the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation in Copenhagen.
BREIN’s focus is on the take down of illegal intermediaries structurally facilitating in-fringement.
Kuik graduated at the University of Amsterdam in 1982 in Dutch Law (LLM) with specialisation in Intellectual and Industrial Property. As a law student he created the enforcement work of Burafo, the newly formed legal aid bureau for professional photographers.
After his study he worked as counsel in business and legal affairs for CIC Video Inter-national, a worldwide home video joint-venture between the motion picture studios Paramount and Universal, first Amsterdam and later London.
From 1992 to 1999 he led the anti-piracy work of the Motion Pictures Association represen- ting the major film studios. First in Brussels for Europe, Middle East and Africa –inter alia creating anti-piracy programs for Eastern Europe- and from 1996 as senior vice president and worldwide director in Los Angeles supervising 69 national programs in the Americas, Asia and Europe.
Kuik also headed the Dutch Special Criminal Investigation Authority BumaStemra (ODBS), i.e. the Intellectual Property crime unit in the Netherlands, from 1999 until 2003 when it transferred to the public law enforcement agency for fiscal and economic crime FIOD-ECD. Under his tenure the share of organized crime in IP fraud in the Netherlands decreased with over 80 percent.
Ann LaFrance is Coordinating Partner, Communications Law, Squire Sanders
Ann LaFrance is Coordinating Partner for the Squire Sanders communications law team in EMEA and leads the firm's global Privacy and Data Security group.
Ms LaFrance has over two decades of experience working on regulatory, policy, competition and commercial matters involving the TMT sector in Europe, the United States and key emerging markets around the globe. She began her career as a telecommunications lawyer in Washington, DC, and from 1996-2004, she served as Chief International Counsel for MCI Communications Corp. (since acquired by Verizon) in Brussels and London/Reading.
Now based in London, Ms LaFrance's practice covers a wide range of telecommunications, media and data protection issues involving EU, UK and international law, policy and regulation.
Daniel Lebeau joined GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Biologicals as Head of IT in September 2000. GSK Biologicals is the global market leader in human vaccines with a revenue of €5 billion and a market share of 25%. In 1984, Daniel graduated with a degree in Engineering Sciences from the Polytechnic Faculty of Mons, Belgium. In 1991, he was awarded a PhD in Plasma Physics from the same faculty. Daniel also holds a Diploma in Management from the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Belgium. From 1991 through to 2000, Daniel held a number of important roles at Kraft Foods Belgium, including Logistics Manager and Information Systems Manager. In 2009, Daniel was named among the top 50 global CIOs by InformationWeek. The following year, he was elected CIO of the Year by a jury of Belgian IT professionals. In 2011, Daniel was awarded European CIO of the Year by a panel of judges from INSEAD. He was also named in the 2011 list of 25 Top Information Managers, as chosen by Information Management Magazine. 
Daniel Lebeau, Vice President of Management and Information Systems, GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals
Wolter Lemstra, Senior Research Fellow, Delft University of Technology
Wolter Lemstra is Senior Research Fellow Economics of Infrastructures at the Department Technology, Policy & Management of the Delft University of Technology (TUDelft), and Senior Lecturer at the Strategy Academy, Rotterdam, both based in The Netherlands.
His research interests are the developments of the telecommunication sector in relation to firm strategy and government policy, and the role of governance regimes and the institutional environment. He thereby links his academic interests to 25 years of experience in the telecom sector. He occupied senior management positions in the field of engineering and product management, sales and marketing, strategy and business development at Philips and AT&T. Most recently he was a Member of the Senior Management Team and Vice-President at Lucent Technologies, responsible for marketing and business development in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.
Since 1995 he has been a Faculty Member of Delft TopTech, the School for post graduate and executive education at the TUDelft. He is a Faculty Member of the e-Governance Masters program at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), in Switzerland.
In 1978 Wolter received his ‘Ingenieurs’-degree Cum Laude at the Department of Electrical Engineering of the TUDelft. In 2006 he successfully defended his PhD dissertation exploring and explaining the impact of the Internet/telecom bubble on the development path of the telecommunication sector, and assessing the implications for strategy and policy formation in the aftermath.
His current research domain is telecommunications, with a focus on sector governance, industry structure developments, firm strategic behaviour and innovation trajectories. Current research themes are: the dynamics of broadband markets in Europe, radio spectrum governance and internet governance. In the field of innovation research his most recent co-authored and co-edited book is: “The innovation journey of Wi-Fi – The road to global success” published by Cambridge University Press. He is a co-founder of the Cognitive Radio Platform NL.
Ian Livingston, CEO, BT Group
Ian Livingston became CEO of BT Group on June 1st 2008 after holding two key executive roles in the company which he joined in April 2002. He has served on the Board as Group Finance Director, and CEO BT Retail.
After going to school in Scotland, Ian studied Economics at Manchester University. He graduated at the age of 19 and qualified as a Chartered Accountant. He worked for Bank of America International and 3i before joining Dixons Group plc in 1991. He was appointed Group Finance Director in 1996 at the age of 32, making him the youngest FTSE 100 director by some distance. During this time, Dixons grew revenue and profits strongly, became market leader across a number of countries and created and floated Freeserve, the UK’s first major internet IPO.
Ian joined BT as Group Finance Director in 2002. During the three years Ian spent in this post the company’s financial position was transformed with debt reduced by £6 billion.
In 2005 Ian was appointed CEO of BT Retail. Under Ian’s leadership the division profits turned around from an annual rate of double digit decline into double digit profit growth, with annual profits of around £1 ½ billion. This was achieved in a ferociously competitive market.
Since becoming Group CEO, BT’s cashflow has more than tripled to and through a programme of customer service and process improvements costs have been reduced by over £3billion.
Ian lives in Hertfordshire with his wife, his son and daughter. He is a keen football fan, and is a director of Celtic football Club. He was also previously a director of Hilton Group plc (now Ladbrokes plc).
Robert Madelin, Director-General for Information Society and Media, European Commission
Robert Madelin became Director-General for Information Society and Media at the European Commission in April 2010.
Robert was educated in England at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe and at Magdalen College, Oxford. He has also studied at the Ecole Nationale d’Administration in Paris.
Born in 1957, a British civil servant since 1979, Robert has served in the Commission since 1993: as Director General for Health and Consumer Policies from 2004 to 2010, as a Director in DG Trade, and in the Cabinet of Sir Leon (now Lord) Brittan, European Commission Vice-President.
Vincent Maillard, Director of Economic Research, SFR
After graduating as an engineer and economist, Vincent Maillard spent 5 years at the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) in Paris where he was responsible for statistical surveys and cyclical macro-economic analysis.
He joined EDF in 1994, the company where he works on international projects. From 1996 he worked on how to open energy markets. In 2002, he joined in London, EDF Trading as Chief Economist and returned to EDF in France in 2005 as Director in charge of tariffs. Vincent Maillard joined SFR in 2006 as Director of Economic Research in 2010 and took responsibility for the regulated contractual relations (including purchases from the incumbent).
He chairs the Committee of AFORST (Association of alternative operators) in charge of accounting separation and recovery of the assets of the incumbent.
Erika Mann, Former MEP, EU Affairs and Head of Brussels office, Facebook
Erika Mann will join Facebook’s Global Public Policy Team end of October 2011; she will be heading up a new Facebook office in Brussels and will be the company’s lead spokesperson for EU affairs.
Erika Mann was the Executive Vice President for the Computer&Communications Industry Association in Brussels between December 2009 and October 2011. Erika Mann joined in December 2010 the board of ICANN/California (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers); since summer 2011 she is the chair audit committee. She is a non-resident Senior Fellow of the Atlantic Council/Washington, a Trustee of Friends of Europe/Brussels and the Vice President of the advisory board of the European Policy Center/Brussels. Erika Mann is a member of a newly build Transatlantic Task Force on Trade, created by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the European Centre for International Political Economic (ECIPE), and the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF). She was the Chairperson of the evaluation group for the Risk-Sharing-Finance Facility (RSFF) in 2010, a risk based loan financing instrument governed by the EU and the European Investment Bank. In 2010 she created her own consultancy ErikaMann SPRL in Brussels in December 2009.
Erika Mann was a German Member of the European Parliament between 1994 and 2009. As a MEP, she concentrated on trade and World Trade Organization (WTO) related policies, research policy, transatlantic economic relations, digital economy, telecommunications and Internet policy. She has a degree in social science from the University of Hannover/Germany and run her own consultancy PhilTec until summer 1994.
Erika Mann has extensive knowledge in economic and foreign policy related matters. She was a member of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with the United States (Transatlantic Legislative Dialogue) until summer 2009. She was the European Chairperson of the Transatlantic Policy Network (TPN) between 2003 and 2008. Erika Mann conceived the notion of a “Transatlantic Market” between the EU and US which lead to the foundation of the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC) and sat as member of the advisory board until 2009. She was the Speaker of the Committee for International Trade in the European Parliament between 2004 and 2009, and a member since 1994. As an MEP, she was the Chairperson of a Joint Board which coordinates WTO matters between the Parliament Committee on International Trade (INTA) and the UN-based Interparliamentary Union (IPU). She has also served as the Chairperson of the European Parliament Delegation with Mexico between 2005 and 2009, and has worked on EUROLAT, Free-Trade Agreements with various Asian, Latin-American and African States. She served on European Parliament delegations to Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, EFTA-Countries, and South Asia. End of 2008 she was captured in the Taj Hotel in Mumbai (Bombay) for many hours, when various hotels, the Leopold café, a Jewish centre and a nearby railway station where for days under attack.
Erika Mann was a member of the Committee if Industry, Research and Energy in the European Parliament between 1994 and 2009. Through this role and others she has intensive knowledge of security-related technologies and policies, telecommunication- and Internet related legislative frameworks. She has intensive knowledge about European research programs and shaped European research framework programs since 1994 in many ways. Ms. Mann was a Senator of the Max Planck-Society in Germany until 2008 and continuous to serve on the board of the Max Planck Institute for Sonnensystemforschung (solar science) in Germany. Ms. Erika Mann worked extensively on matter relating to Internet policy; she was a founder of the European Internet Foundation and chaired the EIF until summer 2009. The International Informatization Academy (associated UN member) selected her as academician.
Ms. Mann is a lecturer and author of numerous publications on trade, research, transatlantic relations, and Internet-world related topics. She has received awards from the European-American Business Council for exceptional transatlantic commitment, and the German Bundesverdienstkeuz am Bande.
Marie-Françoise Marais, President, Hadopi
Mrs Marais is specialized in intellectual property. She is justice at the French Court of cassation, and vice-president of the Council for Literacy and Artistic Property (CSPLA).
She is also president of the National Employees Inventions Commission (CNIS) and member of Commission review of business practices (CEPC).
Mrs Marais graduated from the French Magistracy National School. She began her career as a judge before becoming President of the 1st chamber in the High Court of Nanterre. In 1993 she become president of the 4th chamber of the Appeal Court of Paris, specializing in intellectual property matters. Since 2003, she has been justice of the 1st chamber at the French Court of Cassation.
From 2007 to 2009, she was a member of the Regulatory Authority for Technical Measures (ARMT), before being appointed president of the Hadopi by the Court of cassation.
Gordon Moir, Partner, Webb Henderson
Gordon is head of the London office of Webb Henderson, a premier legal and consultancy practice focused on the regulated industries and particularly telecommunications and ICT. Gordon was previously both General Counsel of BT Retail in the UK as well as having responsibility for BT's global antitrust and regulatory activity. During his ten years at BT, he secured access to markets and wholesale facilities across the world as well as dealing with a vast array of commercial, legal and regulatory matters. At BT, Gordon also had responsibility for engagement with regulators and antitrust officials worldwide, he interfaced with the World Economic Forum and led the Washington DC office of BT plc. He spearheaded BT's entry into many core emerging markets, in particular India. Gordon also has substantial experience in media access and IPTV, including the work on access to Sky content in the UK and the creation of new IPTV ventures. He is a global leader in the delivery of complex projects involving aligned legal, regulatory, public affairs and media strategies and the leading of multi disciplinary teams. He has provided strategic advice on most of the consolidations in the global telecoms sector in the last decade, either as a participant to the consolidation or as challenge.
He was Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Task Force on Telecoms and ICT from 2005 to 2009, driving their work on international market access, internet policies and dispute settlement and resolution models globally, as well as internet policy.
Gordon, a graduate of Aberdeen University, has a master's degree (LLM) in advanced European Law, cum laude, from the College of Europe in Belgium. He went on to work in Brussels, Auckland and London as well as at the European Court of Justice. He also worked at the law firm of Ashursts in London on corporate finance and competition law. He has written and presented extensively on legal and regulatory matters. He was recognised as one of the Hot 100 Lawyers in the UK in 2010 by Lawyer Magazine.
He is a dual qualified solicitor in Scotland and England and Wales.
Gordon also served on the executive of GHA, one of the largest social housing landlords and factors in Europe. He championed the creation of one of the largest social broadband delivery programmes in Europe and successfully worked to reestablish the organisation following substantial challenges.
About Webb Henderson
Webb Henderson lawyers are recognised specialists and experts in their field. We deliver informed and insightful legal advice and a breadth of perspective, derived from our experience and understanding in our specialist areas and cutting-edge nature of the projects that we have worked on internationally.
Telecommunications
We offer unrivalled legal and industry expertise in advising telecommunications clients around the world on the critical regulatory and commercial issues that affect their businesses. These issues include:
• deployment of next generation access networks, particularly fibre-to-the premises, new forms of access regulation for these networks and the provision of broadband wholesale services. We have acted for key players on all of the major NGN projects in the Asia Pacific
• passive and active network infrastructure sharing transactions, including the sharing of mobile network infrastructure, domestic roaming and collocation agreements among telecommunications operators
• regulatory developments that fundamentally alter the existing industry structure, particularly the imposition of functional and structural separation as a regulatory remedy across a range of telecommunications markets
• investment in international connectivity and undersea cable capacity, including consortium arrangements, landing party agreements, cable systems procurement and IRUs and leasing of cable capacity, as well as satellite capacity arrangements
• the procurement and implementation of key OSS/BSS systems, network infrastructure rollouts and managed service projects, including billing, CRM and ESB solutions, radio and core network rollouts for voice and data, next generation HLR solutions and network management outsourcing
• competition law, including bundling of competitive and non-competitive services, on-net pricing discounts, vertical price squeeze and predatory pricing, price discrimination and contractual restrictions that limit competition.
Paul Nemitz, Director, European Commission, DG Justice
Paul F. Nemitz is the Director responsible for Fundamental rights and Union citizenship in the Directorate-General Justice of the European Commission. Before joining DG Justice, he held posts in the Legal Service of the Commission, the Cabinet of Commissioner Nielson, and in the Directorates General for Trade, Transport and Maritime Affairs. Nemitz has a broad experience as agent of the Commission in litigation before the European Courts and he has published extensively on EU law.
He was admitted to the Bar in Hamburg and for a short time was a teaching assistant at Hamburg University. He obtained a Master of Comparative Law from George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C., where he was a Fulbright grantee. He also passed the first and second cycle of the Strasburg Faculty for comparative law, with the support of a grant by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
Dr. Karl-Heinz Neumann, General Manager and Director, WIK-Consult GmbH
Dr Karl-Heinz Neumann, born November 24, 1953, is a graduate of the University of Bonn with a Ph.D. in Economics, he rejoined WIK in April 2001 as General Manager and Director of WIK GmbH and WIK-Consult GmbH, a position he had previously held until 1995.
From 1995 to 2001 he worked for RWE Telliance AG as Executive Director for strategy, regulation and national projects. In the last two years he was Member of the Management Board of the company. In this position he also acted as Member of the Board and as Member of the Supervisory Board of several national and international telecommunications companies.
Besides his telecommunications industry experience, Karl-Heinz Neumann has a broad experience in the consultancy of regulatory authorities, governments and telecommunications companies. He acted as a member of many expert and advisory commissions, related to German telecommunication authorities.
Dr Neumann has led and is leading WIK-teams in more than 50 European regulatory policy consultancy studies. His main focus of work is related to cost modelling licensing, pricing policy, interconnection and ULL pricing, market structures and regulatory policy.
Since 1990 Dr Neumann is Member of the Board of Directors of the International Telecommunications Society and since 1992 he is Member of the Research Committee of the Münchner Kreis – Supranational Association for Communications Research.
Since 2001 Dr Neumann has been a Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the German NRA BNetzA.
From 1992 to 1995 Dr Neumann was the editor of Information Economics and Policy. Since 1999 he is member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Info – The Journal of Policy, Regulation and Strategy for Telecommunications, Information and Media and since 2001 member of the Scientific Council of Communications and Strategies.
Dr Neumann has written more than 150 articles in journals, books and readers on telecommunications economics, policy and regulation. He was editor/coeditor of 7 books on telecommunications and postal policy topics and author of 4 books on telecommunications economics and policy. He has given more than 250 speeches or presentations on telecommunications policy and regulation, information and communications, postal policy.
Randolf Nijsse, Managing Partner, Communication Infrastructure Fund.
Randolf Nijsse is Managing Partner at Rabo Bouwfonds Dutch Communication Infrastructure Fund (CIF). CIF is an investment fund for institutional investors and focusses on investments in passive communication infrastructure like towers, fixed infrastructure and housing facilities. Prior to joining CIF Mr. Nijsse worked for KPN where he was responsible for the Wholesale Access portfolio. From 2005 until 2007 Mr. Nijsse was responsible for KPN’s wholesale pricing and regulation strategy. Prior to that Mr. Nijsse has worked for Xantic satellite communications as manager corporate finance.
Matthew O’ Connor, Chief Operating Officer, Avanti Communications Group plc
Matthew O’Connor joined Avanti in 2005. He has worked in the telecommunications industry for more than 20 years, initially for BT, where he held a number of sales and marketing roles within the UK and International Divisions. During his time at BT he acquired his MBA.
He joined Telewest in 1996 as a Director of its Business Division. He went on to be Managing Director of the Wholesale Division with customers that included T-Mobile, 3, Cable and Wireless, NTL, and many telecoms re-sellers. In the course of his career he has also consulted widely across the industry for a range of clients, including Vodaphone, Ericsson, the DTI and a number of software applications businesses and ISPs.
Pearse O'Donohue, Head of Unit, Radio Spectrum Policy, European Commission, DG Information Society and Media
Pearse O'Donohue is responsible for the development and implementation of policies for efficient spectrum use and a coordinated approach to frequency management in the EU. This also involves the development of spectrum harmonisation measures in the electronic communications field and in other internal market sectors such as transport and research. He is Chairman of the EU Radio Spectrum Committee.
Prior to taking over his current post in June 2008, Pearse O'Donohue was the Assistant to the Director-General of DG INFSO (Information Society and Media). Before that, he was Deputy Head of the Unit responsible for monitoring and enforcing implementation of the EU regulatory framework in electronic communications, where he dealt amongst other things with spectrum authorisation and broadband access issues.
Pearse O'Donohue began his career in the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, from which he was posted to the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU in Brussels. In 1991 he was appointed Assistant Director of the Brussels office of the Irish Business & Employers' Confederation. In 1995 he joined the European Commission and subsequently became adviser to the Commissioner for Social Policy and Employment.
Mark Page, Global Leader, Communications and High Tech Practice, A.T. Kearney
Mark has 17 years of management consulting experience in the telecoms and media sectors working on strategic, technical, organisational, financial, marketing and regulatory topics across fixed, mobile, cable/satellite operators in Europe.
He was a founding member of the Board of Directors that oversaw the return to private ownership via management buyout of A.T. Kearney in 2006; he chaired the board’s Compensation and Election committees for several years.
Educated at Cambridge University and Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, he previously worked in the telecommunications sector in Germany and Austria.
Dr. Ross Patterson, Telecommunications Commissioner, Commerce Commission New Zealand
Ross Patterson is New Zealand’s Telecommunications Commissioner. In that role he has the lead responsibility for the implementation of the regulatory regime in the Telecommunications Act 2001.
Since his appointment in 2007, he has overseen the regulation of local loop unbundling, unbundled bitstream access and mobile termination access, the implementation of the operational separation of Telecom, and the enforcement of the non discrimination obligations in Telecom’s Separation Undertakings. Currently the Commission is involved in monitoring the structural separation of Telecom as part of New Zealand’s Ultrafast Broadband Initiative.
Prior to his appointment he was a partner at Minter Ellison Lawyers first in Auckland and then in Sydney, where he headed the firm’s competition and regulatory practice group.
He has a PhD in competition law, and has regularly provided commentary and articles on competition and regulatory issues for publications and journals.
Dr. Robert Pepper Ph.D, Vice President, Global Technology Policy, Cisco Systems
Robert Pepper leads Cisco’s Global Technology Policy team working with governments across the world in areas such as broadband, IP enabled services, wireless and spectrum policy, security, privacy, Internet governance and ICT development
He joined Cisco in July 2005 from the FCC where he served as Chief of the Office of Plans and Policy and Chief of Policy Development beginning in 1989 where he focused on issues cutting across traditional boundaries and led teams developing broadband policy, implementing telecommunications legislation, planning for the transition to digital television, designing and implementing the first U.S. spectrum auctions, and developing policies promoting the development of the Internet.
Before joining the FCC, he was Director of the Annenberg Washington Program in Communications Policy. His government service also included Acting Associate Administrator at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and initiating a program on Computers, Communications and Information Policy at the National Science Foundation.
His academic appointments included faculty positions at the Universities of Iowa, Indiana, and Pennsylvania, and as a research affiliate at Harvard University. He serves on the board of directors of the U.S. Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI) and advisory boards for Columbia University and Michigan State University, and is a Communications Program Fellow at the Aspen Institute.
He is a member of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Spectrum Management Advisory Committee, the UK’s Ofcom Spectrum Advisory Board and the U.S. Department of State’s Advisory Committee on International Communications and Information Policy. Pepper received his BA. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Stanley Pignal, Brussels Correspondent, Financial Times Stanley Pignal covers European telecoms and media regulatory issues for the Financial Times, among other EU-related topics. He has been based in Brussels since early 2009. He previously wrote on the outsourcing sector in London for the FT, after gaining experience as a private-sector investment economist. 
Marta Plana, Member of the Board, Comisión del Mercado de las Telecomunicaciones (CMT)
Marta has had extensive experience in the legal field, with more than ten (10) years education and practice. She received a degree in law from the University of Barcelona and a Juris Doctorate from Nova Southeastern University in Florida where she graduated with Honors. Marta partook in the technology program at Stanford University, which focused on start-up companies. Her past work experience includes Microsoft Corporation (as Legal Cousel) as well as several prestigious international law firms such as Baker&McKenzie (where her practice was focused on the Internet and Telecommunications sectors). Marta also served on the Board Member of several high-tech start-up companies born in Silicon Valley, some of which are in the process of their initial public offerings.
Immediately prior to joining as a Commissioner at CMT, Marta was General Counsel for Digital Technologies headquartered in Barcelona where she provided international counseling to the portfolio companies on legal and business strategies, investments and day-to-day legal operational issues.
In addition, she also lectures at the Barcelona Bar Association and has written several articles on the internet and within the telecommunications sector, and has spoken at several international conferences.
Master in Computer Sciences, Management and Telecommunications, INT, Paris, France.
MBA, London Business School, London, UK.
MBA, Columbia University, New York City, USA.
Benoit has acquired wide international business experience in the telecoms sector over the past 15 years through his work for a number of strategy consulting firms, as well as regulators and operators.
Prior to joining KPMG Benoit was Director of the Telecommunications Media and Technology practice of LECG Europe where he advised operators, regulators and technology firms globally on a range of complex strategic, regulatory and competition issues and transactions.
Benoit is a well known industry commentator and guest lecturer. He taught modules on regulation of the telecoms and media sectors at the Office of Communications (Ofcom), the converged communications regulatory authority in the UK between 2006 and 2009 and is a guest lecturer at leading French business school ESCP-EAP.
Ed Richards, Chief Executive, Ofcom
Ed Richards is the Chief Executive of Ofcom, appointed in October 2006.
Previously Ed was Chief Operating Officer, responsible for Strategy, Market Research, Finance, HR and other functions.
Strategy responsibilities included Ofcom’s strategic thinking on the communications sector and covering economic issues and consumer policy.
Ed was previously Senior Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister (Tony Blair) for Media, telecoms, the internet and e govt and Controller of Corporate Strategy at the BBC.
He has also worked in consulting at London Economics Ltd, for Gordon Brown MP, for the N.C.U. and began his career as a researcher with Diverse Production Ltd where he worked on programmes for Channel 4.
Ed is currently a Director of Thames Water Utilities Limited, a Director of Donmar Warehouse, a Trustee of The Teaching Awards Trust.
Romano Righetti, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Wind
Romano Righetti has served as Head of the Group’s Regulatory Board of VimpelCom Ltd. since May 2011. Mr. Righetti has served as Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Director of the Regulatory Affairs and Institutional Relations department of Wind Italy since 2006. From 2000 to 2006, Mr. Righetti served as Vice President of Telecom Italia S.p.A. as Director of International Regulatory/Antitrust Affairs and International Institutions. From 1999 (Feb) to 1999 (Aug) Mr. Righetti served as Head of the Regulation department at AGCOM, Italian NRA, and from 1995 to 1999 (Feb) he served as General Director of the Ministry of Communications of Italy. From 1989 to 1994 partner of a consultancy firm (business planning and corporate evaluation) and Adjunct Professor for Economics and Industrial Organisation at the Faculty of Engineering, Università La Sapienza di Roma. From 1986 to 1988 he was auditor at Reconta Touche & Ross and from 1985 to 1986 compulsory Military Service: Lieutenant junior-grade in Italian Guardia di Finanza. Mr. Righetti graduated (1984) from L.U.I.S.S., private University in Rome, with a degree in Economics and Commerce. He is Qualified Chartered Accountant, registered at the Ordine dei Dottori Commercialisti (CPA equivalent), member of the Italian Financial Analysts Association and Qualified Accountant Auditor.
Kostas Rossoglou, Senior Legal Officer, BEUC
Kostas Rossoglou is a Greek qualified lawyer, member of the BAR of the Thessalonica, in Greece. Kostas holds the position of Senior Legal Officer at BEUC and is leading BEUC’ Digital Team. He has been working at BEUC’s Legal Department since January 2009 and his main areas of expertise are Intellectual Property Rights, e-commerce and data protection. He is also working in the field of contract law and consumer redress.
BEUC is a Brussels-based organisation representing forty three reputed independent consumer associations from some thirty European countries (EU, EEA and applicant countries). BEUC investigates EU decisions and developments likely to affect consumers, with a special focus on eight areas identified as priorities by our members: Energy & Sustainability, Financial Services, Food, Health, Safety, Consumer Contracts, Digital and Group Action.
Dr. Bart Schermer, Assitant Professor, University of Leiden
Bart W. Schermer PhD LLM is a partner and co-founder of Considerati, a research and consultancy firm with a specific focus on the information society.
In addition to his work for Considerati, he is an assistant professor in IT and Internet law for the eLaw@Leiden research group at Leiden University, and a fellow at the E.M. Meijers Institute for Legal Studies. He is co-founder and editor of the Journal of Internet Law (Tijdschrift voor Internetrecht) and a member of the Cybercrime expert group for the Court of Appeal in The Hague.
Bart speaks and publishes regularly on information society issues such as net neutrality, cybercrime, copyright and privacy.
Gita Sorensen, Director, KPMG LLP
Gita Sorensen is a Director in KPMG’s Economics and Regulation practice, based in London, but working world-wide. Gita is a specialist in regulation in the electronic communications industry, covering fixed and mobile telecommunications, media and broadcasting as well as suppliers and service providers to the industry.
Gita has extensive experience within industry, running interconnection, regulatory and strategic planning departments in the UK telecommunications industry for a total of 10 years. Additionally, Gita has advised governments and commercial organisations across the world for the last 13 years. Initially as Partner in Logica Consulting, then as Managing Director of GOS Consulting and the last 3 years within KPMG Economics Regulation.
Gita has, amongst many other activities, advised governments on complete regulatory review in the communications sector, including set-up of new regulatory bodies and setting of regulatory policies; developed references offers for interconnection and access services for both regulators and regulated companies; conducted and advised on market reviews for regulators, SMP operators and market entrants; developed Universal policies for governments and regulators; set-up or advised on regulatory accounting and costing for regulators, new entrants and incumbent operators.
Additionally, Gita has been involved in several commercial projects including company valuations, commercial and wholesale strategy development, operational optimisation reviews and strategic relationship negotiation and management.
Examples of jurisdictions where Gita had worked and advised include: the UK, The USA, Bahamas, Bermuda, Jamaica, Portugal, The Netherlands, Denmark, Jersey, Guernsey, Malta, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Kuwait, The UEA, Saudi Arabia and Hungary.
Gita can be contacted by email on gita.sorensen@kpmg.co.uk or by phone on +44 7789 004509
Dr. Bruno Soria, Regulatory Services Director, Telefónica SA
Bruno Soria holds a MSc degree in Telecommunications Engineering, a MBA and a PhD in Economics.
In 2001 he joined Telefónica as Director for Competitive Intelligence in the Corporate Strategy Team. In 2002 he moved to the Corporate Regulatory Team where he is now Director for Regulatory Services. He is in charge of providing support on economic analysis, intelligence and knowledge management for all regulatory units of the Telefónica group.
Before joining Telefónica, he was Technical Manager at AUTEL (INTUG Spain), Project Leader in The Boston Consulting Group and Business Development Manager for Spain in MCI Worldcom.
He has authored several books, articles and papers on telecommunications strategy and regulation.
Oliver Stehmann, Deputy Head of Unit, State aid in Communication, European Commission, DG Competition
Since 2009: DG COMP: Deputy Head of Unit in State aids for Communication, Media and Sport
2005 - 2009: DG COMP: Deputy to the Chief Economist.
2004-2005: DG COMP: Case handler in Merger Control in the services sector.
1999-2004: DG COMP: Case handler in anti-trust policy for the air and rail transport sectors.
1997-1999: DG TRADE: desk officer for trade negotiations in the large civil aircraft sector, WTO dispute settlement cases against Foreign Sales Corporations (FSC).
Nov 1993 - 1997: DG TRADE. Desk officer for WTO and bilateral FTA negotiations in telecommunications equipment and public procurement:
1991 - 1993: DG INFSO: economic analysis for the telecommunications equipment market.
Other activities:
External lecturer at Boston University in Brussels (1994-2003) and at Bonn University in the Master Programme of European Regulation of Network Industries (since 2005)
Education: PhD in economics from the European University Institute in Florence.
Dr. Ulrich Stumpf, Director, WIK-Consult GmbH
Ulrich Stumpf is a Director at WIK Wissenschaftliches Institut für Infrastruktur und Kommunikationsdienste GmbH / WIK-Consult GmbH, where he leads the e-communications regulation and competition practice.
Over more than a decade, Ulrich has been extensively involved in consulting National Regulatory Authorities and operators during regulatory reviews of e-communications markets and consultation procedures under the EU regulatory framework. Member States in which he undertook regulatory reviews include Belgium, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Romania and, outside Europe, in Turkey and Jordan. In addition, he provided expert advice in a variety of jurisdictions on multiple regulatory issues and in legal proceedings. He was one of the Economic Experts who advised the European Commission on the revision of the Recommendation on Relevant Markets Susceptible to ex ante Regulation. For over a decade he consulted the German NRA on spectrum policy issues.
Before joining WIK in 1990, Ulrich held positions as a Senior Economist at the Monopolkommission, an advisory body for competition policy to the German Ministry of Economics, and as Assistant Professor at the Technical University of Berlin.
He holds a doctoral degree of the Technische Universität Berlin.
Oliver Süme, EuroISPA
Oliver J. Süme has been deputy chairman of the Association of the German Internet Industry (eco) since 2000. He is responsible for the field of law and regulations as well as for representing the political interests of the association and its more than 550 member companies in the political arena. Since 2010, Süme has acted as vice-president of the world's largest providers' association, EuroISPA, which has its offices in Brussels.
Since 1997, Süme has also been active as a lawyer and partner at the offices of Richter • Süme in Hamburg. He advises and represents particularly companies active in the Internet and IT industry. As a lawyer, he specializes in IT law. Süme is a member of the expert committee for IT law of the Hanseatic Bar Association.
David Thomas, Partner, Economics & Regulation, KPMG LLP
MA (Economics) Cambridge.
Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
David is a former director of UK communications regulator and competition authority Ofcom. He joined KPMG six years ago and leads the firm's global economics & regulation practice. His particular sector focus remains communications and he works with leading operators, regulators and governments around the world on topics such as next generation access, price controls and market design. He has led a number of thought leadership initiatives in the sector and more widely in the area of regulation.
Joëlle Toledano, Board Member, ARCEP
With a PhD in mathematics and economics, Joëlle Toledano has had a dual career in academia and business. She began her professional life as a research associate with the CNRS, France’s national research council, after which she was named Associate Professor of Economics at the Université de Rouen.
At the same time, Joëlle has held various positions of responsibility with computing and telecommunications firms. She was the Executive Vice-president of Alcatel TITN from 1987 to 1989, and later the Managing Director of CCMC Human Resources. In 1993 Joëlle joined the Strategy Division of the French post office, La Poste, and in 2001 was named their Director of European and National Regulation. She then rejoined the academic world as a professor at the Ecole Supérieure d’Electricité (Supélec).
Joëlle Toledano has been a member of the ARCEP Board since her appointment in 2005. She has written a number of scientific articles on topics relating to macroeconomics, the industrial economy and postal regulation.
In December 2010, Joëlle Toledano was elected Chairman of the European Regulators Group for Postal services (ERGP) by the European Commission.
Martijn van Dam, Member of the House of Representatives , Dutch Government
Personal information
Full name: Dam, M.H.P. van (PvdA)
Place of birth: Zoetermeer, 01 February 1978
City: Utrecht.
Seniority: 3156.
Age: 33.
Gender: Male
Parliamentary Party: Labour party
Committees:
European Affairs
Kingdom Relations
Immigration and Asylum affairs
Interior
Education, Culture and Science
Thematic committee on Livestock Farming
Website: http://www.martijnvandam.com/
Education:
Pre-university education (vwo) Bisschop Bekkers College in Eindhoven, 1990 - 1996
Technical Business Administration at the Technical University of Eindhoven, 1996 – 2002
Career:
Member of the Eindhoven local council, 1998 - 2003 (party chairman since 2001)
Assistant/trainee at CEBRA BV (Centre for Electronic Business Research and Application), 2000 – 2002
Member of the PvdA executive committee, 2001 - 2003
E-business application consultant at Philips Lighting BV, 2002 - 2003
Adina Ioana Vălean MEP, Vice Chairwoman, Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, European Parliament
Adina Ioana Vălean (born February 16, 1968) is a Romanian politician, member of the National Liberal Party (PNL), part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. She was elected to the Chamber of Deputies on the Justice and Truth list for Călăraşi County (during the 2004 elections), and became a Member of the European Parliament on January 1, 2007, with the accession of Romania to the European Union.
Adina Vălean graduated from the University of Bucharest's Faculty of Mathematics in 1990, working as a school teacher of mathematics in Bucharest until 1997. She joined the Romanian Democratic Convention cabinet as a Head of Department in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, as well as representative in youth initiatives of the European Union. She later worked for think tanks (the Romanian Association for Freedom and Development and the Free Initiative Institute).
A member of the PNL since 1999, Adina Vălean was a member of its Bucharest Sector 1 Permanent Bureau (2002-2004), and later served on its Commission for Business Environment, Privatization, and Competitive Policies (until 2004). As a deputy, she served on the Committee for Labor and Social Protection, as well as on the Committee for Information Technology and Communications.
Vice-President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE ) Group from 2007, she is presently coordinator and member of the Committee on Petitions, member in the Industry, Research and Energy Committee and substitute of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety.
As an MEP, Adina Vălean has been responsible for 4 major reports, on Roaming, Free Movements of Citizens and Investment Projects in Energy Infrastructure, and the Citizenship report 2010.
David Wheeldon, Director of Policy & Public Affairs, BSkyB Ltd
David Wheeldon is Vice-President of the ACT Europe. He is also Director of Policy and Public Affairs for BSkyB where he is responsible for all aspects of public policy and government relations in Sky’s main markets of the UK and Republic of Ireland (including all external relations in the ROI) as well as for European Union policy and institutional relations. His role encompasses all of Sky’s business areas including its 30+ television channels, its digital satellite platform whose subscribers now number over 10 million, and its growing telephony and broadband business with over 3 million customers.
Prior to joining Sky in 2007, David was Head of Public Affairs at the London Stock Exchange where he led a team handling relations with the UK Treasury and the European institutions.
David has a background in government and public affairs, he has previously been a partner in a PR firm advising regulated industries on UK and European public policy and he started his career as chief adviser on education policy to the UK Liberal Democrat party.
Martin Whitehead, Director, GSMA Europe
Martin Whitehead is the Director of GSMA Europe, the European arm of the global mobile trade body. Based in Brussels, Martin oversees all the activities of GSMA Europe, which represents European mobile operators on a broad range of public policy matters covering everything from spectrum to EU regulation to making mobile services safer for children.
Martin is charged with implementing in Europe the GSMA’s global strategy of working with governments and international institutions to create a regulatory environment that maximises the mobile industry’s ability to invest in infrastructure and drive economic growth..
Born in the UK, Martin has been based in Brussels for fifteen years, most recently running his own business advising companies on how to shape EU policy and regulation. Prior to that he spent five years at the United States Department of Commerce in Brussels, advising American ICT and aerospace businesses on EU policies and legislation. His role included working closely with Washington-based government officials, other U.S. government representatives and Department of Commerce offices throughout Europe to engage EU policy makers and regulators to improve the operating environment for U.S. companies in Europe.
Martin’s Brussels career has also involved spells in the European institutions, in particular four years with the European Commission’s Single Currency Communication Task Force. He is a graduate in Economics and Sociology from Bristol University and speaks French and Spanish in addition to his native English.
Brian Williamson, Director, Plum Consulting
Brian Williamson is a Director of Plum Consulting focusing on regulatory policy and strategy in the areas of communications, media, radio spectrum and online. His focus is the transformation of the economy and society via the effective use of ICT, and the strategy, policy and regulatory challenges of convergence. Brian sees innovative thinking as essential in meeting these
challenges, and has contributed to the development and application of ideas including "equivalence", radio spectrum administrative incentive pricing (AIP) and "anchor product" regulation. In relation to the copper fibre transition Brian has advised regulators and operators on the appropriate policy approach and the role of fixed and mobile as both substitutes and
complements. He has worked on the question of whether and how to apply cost orientation to fibre and the relationship between regulation of copper and incentives to invest in fibre. Brian has a BSc in Physics and an MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics.
Hannes Wittig, Head of Telecoms Research, JPMorgan Cazenove
Hannes Wittig heads the JPMorgan Cazenove European telecoms research team which has been top-rated by its clients, institutional investors, in multiple surveys. He covers a number of European telecoms operators himself, including Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom, some of which have embarked on substantial efficiency drives in recent years. Major thematic publications include 'The Fibre Battle' (Dec 2006), 'The Power of Mobile Broadband' (May 2008), ‘WhatsApp in European mobile?' (June 2011), and ‘European fibre plans – potential implications’. Prior to his work as an equity research analyst Hannes worked for McKinsey & Co., the management consultancy, in various industries (including manufacturing, retail, broadcasting, electronics) and countries (including Germany, Italy, France, Austria, the US). Hannes holds degrees in Politics, economics, and philosophy.
