| Ms. Julia Jasinska, Head of international relations and strategic advocacy, Nokia Julia heads International Relations and Strategic Advocacy team at Nokia, within Government Affairs International department. She drives advocacy activities on topics of global importance, including trade, supply chain issues, digital for development and digital inclusion. She also coordinates company's engagements with leading international organizations. Currently she serves as Vice Chair of Market Access Working Group at Digitaleurope, and prior to that she was Vice Chair at Trade Policy Group of the same organization. She is a member of Nokia's CEO Advisory Board. Before joining Nokia over 9 years ago, Julia led trade policy at Digitaleurope secretariat and worked as PR consultant. Julia holds Master degree in European Politics and Policies from KU Leuven and Masters degree in International relations with specialization in international economic relations from University of Warsaw. |
| Dr. Lidia Stępińska-Ustasiak, Member of The Group on Capacity Building Initiatives (GCBI), T-Mobile Polska Deputy director, Department of Foreign Affairs in Office of Electronic Communications, Republic of Poland, chairwoman of Group on Capacity Building Initiatives ITU. In charge of the International Organizations Unit as well as the Social and Economic Cooperation Unit, responsible for NRA's relations with entrepreneurs including Polish and international SMEs and startups, chambers of commerce, units of public administration, academic institutions. In 2019 Chairwoman of Steering Committee of International Telecommunication Union Centres of Excellence network of partners specializing in telecommunications and ICT training. Since 2018 member of the Group on Capacity Building Initiatives, advising the Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau and appointed to a position of chairwoman in 2019. Member of IGF 2021 Program Committee. Sociologist (PhD in sociology, 2017) focused on social impact of technology, digital skills and implications of ICT for human and institutional capacity building. Received her MA in Social Science from University of Warsaw and a British MA degree in Social Sciences awarded by the University of Lancaster. CSR, public affairs and communications expert with more than 15 years of experience in telecommunication and ICT sector. Co-author of reports, author of publications, lecturer and public speaker. |
| Dr. Agnė Vaiciukevičiūtė, Deputy minister of Transport and Communications of Lithuania Agnė is a Lithuanian politician and the current Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Lithuania. In the ministry Agnė is the charge of several lines of work: - Innovation
- 5G
- Telecommunications
- Open data
- Sustainable mobility
- Urban mobility
- Innovative and green transport.
Previously she worked as a Vice-Dean for Strategic Partnership of the Faculty of Business Management at VILNIUS TECH. Agnė's career has taken her to four continents including North America and Australia where she worked as a researcher at the Center for European Policy Analysis, Washington DC and Australian Science Council Competence Center, Sydney, Australia. She has a PhD in Social Sciences (Economics) from VILNIUS TECH. |
| H.E. Valeriya Ionan, Deputy Minister for Eurointegration for the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Deputy Minister for Eurointegration at Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. Before working in the Ukrainian government, Valeria had been an entrepreneur. She and her partner launched “Quadrate 28", the first company in Ukraine which implement the “Team on request" model in the areas of marketing, sales, HR, and financial management. Also, Valeria was a co-founder of “MC Today" - the first online magazine for entrepreneurs. Valeria together with her partners launched Academy for entrepreneur SMEA. Also, she brought to Ukraine the format of Disrupt HR Kyiv and Lviv, which takes place in 166 cities worldwide. She's got the MBA program certificates at Edinburgh Business School Eastern Europe in Marketing, Organizational Behavior, Negotiations. And today she keeps studying at the MBA program in Project Management and Economics. In the ministry Valeriya is the charge of several lines of work: - Diia. Digital Education. One of the main tasks of Valeria is to teach digital literacy to six million Ukrainians.
- Diia. Business, a national project, aimed at helping entrepreneurs.
- Online-safety for children
- European integration
Valeria speaks fluent English and Spanish and is learning Chinese. She has swum across the Bosphorus and half-Oceanman Lago D'orta. She is a boxer of the White Collar Boxing League. Also, Valeria is a boxing ambassador in Ukraine and a friend of the Boxing Federation of Ukraine. |
| Ms. Belén Sanz Luque, Regional Director for UN Women Europe and Central Asia A national of Spain, Belén Sanz has more than 20 years of experience in development policies, with special emphasis on gender equality and women's rights policies and evaluation of public policies in international fields. Prior to joining UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, Belén Sanz served as UN Women's Representative in Mexico between 2017 and 2024, where she led flagship initiatives to advance gender equality in partnership with Mexico, such as the historic Generation Equality Forum, the Global Alliance for Care, and the Spotlight Initiative to end femicide. Between 2013 and 2017, Belén Sanz served as UN Women's Representative in Colombia, where she accompanied the historic peace process in Colombia, supporting women's participation and promoting a gender-sensitive approach to peacebuilding. During February - August 2016, she served as the Resident Coordinator, a.i., of the United Nations System in Colombia. Before joining UN Women Colombia, Belén Sanz served as the First Evaluation Director of UNIFEM, and later UN Women, from the organization's headquarters in New York. Her main functions under this responsibility were the evaluation of policies and programs and creation of strategies in different regions of the world, including the consolidation of evaluation as an strategic function for accountability, learning and the definition of evidence-based policies. In addition to this, she assumed the role of the Chair of the United Nations Evaluation Group, promoting a human rights and gender approach in the United Nations system evaluation, which earned her many awards. Prior to joining the United Nations, she worked as Head of Development Policy Evaluation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain, where she led the development of the Evaluation System in Spanish cooperation, and previously as Advisor of gender programs and policies in the same entity. Belén Sanz holds two Master's degrees, one in Anthropology from the University of London, and another in Public Policy Evaluation by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. She graduated in Social Anthropology from the National School of Anthropology and History of Mexico. She has served as a speaker and a lecturer at various academic institutions and in international forums focusing on International Cooperation, Public Policy Evaluation, Human Rights and Gender Equality Policies. |
| Ms. Despina Spanou, Head of Cabinet, European Commission Despina Spanou is the Head of the Cabinet of the Vice-President of the European Commission overseeing the European Union's policies on security, migration and asylum, health, skills, education, culture and sports. Previously, she was Director for Digital Society, Trust and Cybersecurity at DG CONNECT. In this capacity, Mrs. Spanou was responsible for the EU's cybersecurity policy and law, digital privacy, connected cities and mobility, digital health, eGovernment and electronic identification. As Director for Digital Society, Trust and Cybersecurity, she was also responsible for the implementation of the EU legislation on security of network and information systems (NIS Directive) and for the negotiations of the EU Cybersecurity Act, which recently entered into force across the EU. Mrs. Spanou has served as a member of the management board of ENISA, and of the Steering Board of the Computer Emergency Response Team for the EU Institutions, bodies and agencies (CERT-EU). She is a founding member of the Women4Cyber initiative and advocate for the need for more cybersecurity experts in Europe. Despina Spanou has also been Director for Consumer Affairs at the Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers (2013-2017) in charge of consumer policy, consumer and marketing law, redress and enforcement, and product safety. Prior to this position, she was Principal Adviser in the Directorate-General for Health and Consumers responsible for communication and strategies on managing chronic diseases including the EU's contribution to the UN General Assembly on Health. She was the Deputy Head of Cabinet for the European Commissioner for Health and Consumers Mr. Kyprianou (2004-2008) and for the Commissioner for Health Mrs. Vassiliou (2008-2010). Despina Spanou started her career at the European Commission at the Directorate General for Competition (in 2003). She had previously practiced European law with the Brussels branch of a US law firm. Despina Spanou is a member of the Athens Bar Association and holds a Ph.D. in European law from the University of Cambridge. She is Greek/Cypriot. |
| Ms. Cristiana Flutur, Co-President of CEPT; Chairman of Com-ITU; Head of International Affairs Unit, ANCOM Ms. Cristiana Flutur joined the National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) in 2012, as an expert in the Unit for International Relations and European Affairs. She has an active role in representing Romania in the ITU and other international foras. In June 2019, she was appointed Director for International Affairs within ANCOM, managing the activity of three units which cover issues such as relationship with international and regional organisations, translations and bilateral cooperation, EU affairs, the organization of events and travels, respectively. Ms. Flutur is the first woman to hold the position of chair of the Committee for ITU Policy (Com-ITU) and co-president of CEPT (The European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations), for a period of three years that started in June 2018. Furthermore, she has acted as European vice-chair of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2018 (PP-18) and main coordinator for the European Common Proposals and Positions for PP-18. Ms Flutur is an Economics graduate from the Faculty of Finance and Banking, Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies and holds a master's degree from the same university in European Economics. She has an extensive experience in the public sector, in both national and international institutions. |
| Ms. Blanca Gonzalez, Head of Unit at the Cabinet of the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation of Spain; TDAG (Vice-Chairman from Europe) Ms. Blanca Gonzalez currently serves as Head of Unit at the Cabinet of the Spanish Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Information Society. She has represented Spain in major ITU Conferences and meetings since 2000 and was the Head of the Delegation at the 2014 Development Conference and Plenipotentiary Conference. She was honored to serve as Chair of ITU Council Standing Committee in 2011 and 2012. Since 2010 she is the Vice chair of ITU-D Study Group 1 on behalf of Europe. Besides ITU, she has represented Spain in the European Communications Office and the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations. Ms. Gonzalez holds a MS in Physics from the University of Barcelona and an MBA from the University of California. Ms. Blanca Gonzalez currently serves as Head of Unit at the Cabinet of the Spanish Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Information Society. She has represented Spain in major ITU Conferences and meetings since 2000 and was the Head of the Delegation at the 2014 Development Conference and Plenipotentiary Conference. She was honored to serve as Chair of ITU Council Standing Committee in 2011 and 2012. Since 2010 she is the Vice chair of ITU-D Study Group 1 on behalf of Europe. Besides ITU, she has represented Spain in the European Communications Office and the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations. Ms. Gonzalez holds a MS in Physics from the University of Barcelona and an MBA from the University of California. |
| Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU Dr Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava took office as Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on 1 January 2023. With more than 30 years in telecommunications, including over 20 years in ITU's Development Sector, Dr Zavazava has promoted and implemented impactful information and communication technology projects around the world.
Prior to his election as BDT Director, he served as ITU's Chief of Partnerships for Digital Development, overseeing development-related projects, strategic partnerships, and resource mobilization between 2019 and 2022, while launching new initiatives that have boosted the engagement of industry, private-sector, and academia members in ITU's work. From 2010 until 2019, he was Chief of the Projects and Knowledge Management, responsible for ITU's project portfolio, statistics, capacity building, and emergency telecommunications activities, as well as coordinating special assistance to least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), and small island developing states (SIDS). Previously, as ITU's Chief of Projects and Initiatives, he oversaw development projects focused on gender, youth, and people with special needs, along with capacity building, emergency telecommunications, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and e-waste management. Earlier, Dr Zavazava headed the Republic of Zimbabwe's Government Telecommunications Agency and served as a senior diplomat. He also taught MBA classes at the UK's Nottingham Trent University.
Throughout his career, he has focused on closing the digital and skills divide and accelerating digital transformation to achieve socio-economic development for all. Dr Zavazava holds a PhD in Multilateral Trade from Business School Lausanne (Switzerland), and a Master of Laws degree in Telecommunications and Information Technology from the University of Strathclyde (UK), as well as a Master's in International Relations from Webster University (US), and an MBA from the University of Zimbabwe. He also holds a Bachelor's in Business Administ ration and diplomas in Telecommunications and Systems Engineering. |
