Grand Jury 2011

The World Summit Award Grand Jury 2011 in Hong Kong is hosted by the Internet Professional Association (iProA) and supported by a multitude of international and local partners. The World Summit Award expresses gratitude to all the organizations supporting this unique selection process and the accompanying opening conference.

JURY CHAIR & MODERATOR

Mr. Peter A. Bruck, Austria, Chairman

Peter A. Bruck works as CEO and Chief Researcher of the Research Studios Austria Forschungsgesellschaft which is mandated by the Austrian Ministry for Science and Research to manage the innovation from universities into markets. He is Honorary President of the International Centre for New Media (ICNM), Salzburg, Chairman of the Board of the European Academy of Digital Media (EADiM), Netherlands, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the World Summit Award. Mr. Bruck studied at the universities of Vienna, Iowa and McGill, Montreal. He holds doctorates in Law and Communications, and master degrees in Sociology and Economics. He has taught at universities in Canada, the US, and Western Europe plus Israel and Poland and had over 25 years of experience in research and consulting in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Portugal, the US, and Canada. Mr. Bruck has founded the University of Applied Sciences in Salzburg, headed research institutes at universities and national research organizations in Canada and Austria, and initiated EUROPRIX, Europe’s leading multimedia award. Mr. Bruck has worked in business and industry and on the Board of Management of the Telekom Austria as the Chief Content Officer for the Group and the head of the business division of interactive media for two years. Within the framework of the UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), Mr. Bruck has organized the World Summit Award in e-Content and Creativity as a global event and process since 2003.

JURORS

Mr. Christian Rupp, Austria
Federal Executive Secretary for e-Government
Austrian Federal Chancellery

Christian Rupp was appointed as the Federal Executive Secretary for the eGovernment initiative of the Austrian Government in spring 2003 and is since autumn 2005 the spokesperson of the federal platform „Digital Austria“ in the Federal Chancellery, which coordinates the ICT and eGovernment activities between local and national governments, municipalities as well as industries. He is also member of the advisory board for information society in the Federal Chancellery, which coordinates the i2010 activities in Austria, as well as in the advisory board of saferinternet.at, the strategic consulting group ICT in the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labor, and the eVoting advisory council of the Federal Minister of Science and Research.

Before his activities in the Austrian Federal Chancellery, he was nearly ten years long the eBusiness representative of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber. Beyond that, he was vice-director communication and marketing, director of the eCenter, adviser for international technology- and know-how-transfer in the Federal Chamber Organisation.

In the last fifteen years Christian Rupp was involved in various committees of the EU-Commission, among others in the i2010 high-level group, eEurope steering committee, management committee for pan European government services, eSkills working group, as well as an evaluator and external supervisor for eEurope initiatives and the IST program. He was also the organizer of the “eInclusion EU Ministerial Conference & Expo 2008”. Beyond that, he serves for many years as a jury or board member for different national and international awards, like the United Nations World Summit on Information Society Award in eContent and Creativity, or organizations, like the International Council for Information Technology in Government Administration.


Mr. Nariman Hajiyev, Azerbaijan
Project Director, National E-Governance Network Initiative

Nariman Hajiyev is the Director of the joint project of UNDP and the Ministry of Communications of Azerbaijan, entitled “National E-Governance Network Initiative.” He has already provided his invaluable assistance while working over the National E-Government Contest in the year 2005. He is the member of many institutions, like “VITA” ICT Academy, and also is involved in many in-country ICT initiatives as an expert. Mr. Hajiyev has also been involved in the process of development of the first automated translation system from Azeri into many European languages. Also, at the moment, the working group of the project under his supervision is performing over the pilot “Info booth” project, which is targeted to enable all the citizens of the country to use the e-Gov applications through the specific info booths to be installed in all the regions of the country.

Also, he is performing the Ph.D., and the topic is also dedicated to the E-Governance.


Mr. Rudi Vansnick
President, Internet Society Belgium

Since 1998, Rudi Vansnick has been a member of ISOC (Belgian Chapter), and he currently serves as the Society’s Chairman. He worked on several projects (Internet, Intranet, and Extranet) for Belgian companies as well as for government and national associations.

His 30 years experience in ICT was a perfect basis for the study ISOC Belgium together with EROV made on the usage of ICT in the Social Profit sector in East-Flanders. In 2005 Rudi got for the first time involved in the World Summit Award organization (national expert and grand jury member). December 2006 Rudi participated in the International Conference in Washington focusing on the Rights and Protection of Children in the Web 2.0 World.

2007 became the year of his presence in ICANN structures. Founding member of EURALO, he participates actively in the ALACAt Large Structures. Involved in national matters about domain names, registry, and registrars, he focuses specifically on issues of cybersecurity about registries and registrars.

April 2008 the general assembly of TIK vzw (users group Telecom & Internet customers in Belgium – some 10.000 members) elected a new board chaired by Rudi for a mandate of 3 years. During the 33rd ICANN meetings in Cairo, Rudi got elected ALAC liaison ccNSO.


Mr. Hermann Aplogan, Benin
Founder and Managing Director
MobileTech Africa

Hermann Toffodji Aplogan is Founder and Managing Director of MobileTech Africa, a mobile application development agency focused on Mobile Marketing and Mobile Commerce, as well as on the WSA-Mobile implementation in Benin.

Hermann is the former president of Afrique Emergence, an NGO which specializes in the empowerment of African young people in ICT sector. He was selected to represent Benin at the ITU-International Telecommunication Union World Youth Forum at Geneva in 2003 and obtained in 2005, the ITU VODAFONE YES SCHOLARSHIP to complete his Master degree in Management and Communication. He also took part in the ITU TELECOM ASIA 2008 event in Bangkok as the ITU Youth Forum Alumni.

In 2008, he worked with Positivo Informatica (Brazil) as Benin-based Independent Vendor of the E-Blocks® software, a multi-sensory learning approach for beginners. In 2005, E-Blocks® received the prestigious WSA Award for the best e-Learning solution.

Mr. Aplogan is also co-founder of CarWash Africa Inc., a group of companies dealing and working with WashTec Group (Germany), the world market leader in car washing technology, to modernize the car wash industry in West and Central Africa.


Mr. George Sharkov, Bulgaria
Director, ESI Center Bulgaria

George Sharkov is the Director of ESI Center Bulgaria – the regional excellence center of European Software Institute in Sofia. He graduated Mathematics and Computer Science at Sofia University in 1986, obtained Ph.D. in Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence), specialized in applied informatics and applied research in biophysics and genetics (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and University of Gent – Belgium). Since 1994 he is leading international teams and projects for software and information systems in the fields of banking and finances, online trading, e-business and e-commerce solutions, internet exchanges and B2B markets, interactive and cross-media systems. Among the initiators of BASSCOM (Bulgarian Association of Software Companies – www.basscom.org) and Chairman since the year of2001. Founder and manager of ESI Center Bulgaria (www.esicenter.bg) since 2004. Qualified instructor in SPI (Software Process Improvement), implementation of CMMI, accredited ITMark instructor and appraiser. Initiator and promoter of the international initiatives for ICT regional branding and competitiveness. One of the initiators of the ICT Cluster Bulgaria.


Ms. Catherine Warren, Canada
President, FanTrust Entertainment Strategies

Catherine Warren is president of FanTrust Entertainment Strategies, the international management consultancy for digital distribution and media industries (www.FanTrust.com). Her work has influenced Fortune 500 clients, game companies, producers, and portals, providing them with new ways to captivate audiences, build revenues, secure financing and strategic partnerships and capitalize on innovation and intellectual property. A digital media veteran celebrating 25 years, Catherine leads due diligence on M&A for the major game and animation companies, creates fan strategies for blockbuster television franchises such as CSI and advises mobile leaders including Nokia and Orange Telecom on premium game models. Working in North America, the UK, and Europe, Catherine has served as a senior manager for both publicly traded and privately held media companies. She has published more than 25 titles for adults and children on science and computing as well as produced numerous award-winning Web sites and interactive broadcasts, including the Gemini Award-winning CTVNews.com. In addition to WSA, Catherine serves on various digital media boards, including the Bell Broadcast & New Media Fund, which has contributed more than $70M to convergence production, including two recent interactive Emmy-award winners. A member of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, she has also served as a judge for the digital Emmys. Catherine has a degree in physics from Reed College and a master from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York, where she broke the original story of new media on location at MIT.


Mr. Stanislav Miler, Czech Republic
Documentarist, Futurola Ltd.

From 1987 – 1990 Stanislav Miler lived in the US where he studied theatre design and worked as a costume designer in Santa Barbara. 1990 he returned to the Czech Republic and started a collaboration with the Linhart’s foundation co-organizing and documenting several international art festivals. Since 1997 he is the co-owner of the Futurola – Prague based multimedia company. From 1995 – 1999 he was head of the multimedia program and studio at the Prague film school (FAMU). From 2000 – 2002 he was teaching multimedia production at the ICCM – International Center For Culture and Media in Salzburg. Since 2005 he has been traveling in his “Eco auto,” small mobile studio and cinema powered by renewable energy. His Eco journeys are presented in the form of online blogs, photographs, audio and video podcasts and also as live performances.


Mr. Witmann Hung, China
Executive Vice President
Next Horizon Ltd

Witman Hung is currently the co-founder and Executive Vice President of Next Horizon Ltd., a company that provides back-office process outsourcing to global companies. Witman has worked in the computer industry for more than 22 years. A well-known figure in the industry, Witman has extensive experience in management consulting, project management and outsourcing services, including senior management and consulting positions with Jardine OneSolutions, Atos Origin, KPMG, and AT&T.

Witman is the Vice President of Internet Professional Association and the Chairman of its e-inclusion committee. He has been appointed by the HK SAR government as a member of various committees, including the Legal Aid Services Council, Information Technology Industry Training Advisory Committee and Home Affairs Sub-committee of Community Care fund, etc. He is also a member of the Audit Committee of the Council of Lingnan University. Witman is well respected in the social services circle for his dedication to helping the underprivileged. In 2008, he was given the Award of Ten Outstanding Young Persons of Hong Kong by Junior Chamber International.

Originated from Shanghai, Witman earned a BA (Honours) from the University of Bolton and an MBA from the University of Hull. He also earned a degree of Master of Arts in Public and Comparative History from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and is completing his Law Master from the Renmin University of China in 2011. He is also a Chartered Information Technology Professional and a fellow of the British Computer Society, the Hong Kong Computer Society and the Hong Kong Institute of Directors.


Ms. Effat El Shooky, Egypt
Advisor to the Minister of Communication and Information Technology for International Relations

Effat El-Shooky is the National Project Director of UNDP-MCIT Project “Empowering and Connecting the Community through ICT,” and Director of the GDLC-Egypt (Global Development Learning Center) of the World Bank at RITSEC (Regional Information Technology & Software Engineering Center). Effat El Shooky was awarded by the President of Finland“ Knights Award, First Class “Lion of Finland,” based on her achievements in initiating, activating and coordinating the Finnish-Egyptian partnership initiatives, programs, and projects in the area of information and communication technology (ICT), Mrs. Effat El Shooky has been very active and instrumental in the field of Information technology for more than 25 years. In 2005, she was the Advisor of International Cooperation at ITIDA (Information Technology Industry Development Agency).

In 1992, she was the Executive Manager for RITSEC. By mid 80’s she was the Manager of International Cooperation at IDSC (the Cabinet Information and Decision Support Center), at the Cabinet of Ministers. In the 70’s, she worked for IBM and the Arab League Industrial Development Information Center. During her professional career, Effat El Shooky provided advisory and consultation to a number of UN Agencies as UNDP, UNESCO, UNIDO, ECA, ESCWA, UNCTAD, ILO, UNICEF and the World Bank, DANIDA, JICA, CIDA, EU, WIPO, EFTCA (Egyptian Fund for Technical Cooperation with Africa-Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Arab League, and others. She has been greatly involved in developing regional projects and providing technical assistance in ICT and e-Learning programs for Arab countries as Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Morocco, Tunisia and African countries as Cote D’Ivoire, South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal, and Nigeria. She also represented the Government of Egypt in many global and regional initiatives for the Groups of G8, G15, G77 and CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States), NEPAD (New Partnership for the Development of Africa), and the UN ICT Task Force.


Mr. Juan Carlos Solines Moreno, Equador
Partner, Solines &Asociados / Gobierno Digital

Juan Carlos Solines Moreno is a partner at Solines & Asociados Abogados, a full-service law firm based in Ecuador, where his professional practice focuses on technology and telecommunications law, patents & intellectual property, e-Commerce, and entertainment law. Currently, Juan Carlos is a Professor of Technology & Law and Telecommunications Law at San Francisco de Quito University (USFQ). Previously Juan Carlos served as President of the National Telecommunication Commission (CONATEL), agency that is also in charge of ICT policy in Ecuador. In 2002 he was appointed as the first Director of the National Digital Agenda and before that he worked for the Presidency of Ecuador as Undersecretary General for Public Administration (Deputy Chief of Staff), where he supervised operations of the executive branch and worked with the Cabinet. He was also a member of the Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG), and he actively participates in regional and global forums on ICT, including Internet Governance Forum (IGF) where he was a speaker and panelist at the Athens and Rio de Janeiro meetings. Furthermore, he is founder and partner of Gobierno Digital, a consulting firm that provides advice to public and private sector clients on ICT applications, impact, and opportunities in government.


Ms. Katri Ristal, Estonia
Organiser, “The Best e-content” and “The Best m-content” competitions in Estonia.”

Katri Ristal has been involved in many innovative activities in Estonia. She is one of the founders and CEO (1999-2003) of wireless broadband company Norby Telecom, today operating in all three Baltic countries. In 2004 she headed to a “softer” field to kick-start Design Innovation Center. Katri is one of the authors of vision document “Creative city – creative Tallinn” and is a representative of World Summit Award in Estonia.

Today Katri is working as Director of Marketing at Estonian Open Air Museum realizing her slogan “Tradition is well-introduced innovation.”


Mr. Alexander Felsenberg, Germany
CEO, Alexander Felsenberg Consulting

Since 1980 different Jobs in film production, production management for TV, later director for Corporate Videos and TV-Commercials. Freelance writer and editor for TV-Programmes.

1990 – Director and later producer at Pütz und Partner GmbH Düsseldorf
1993 – Corporate developer and Manager of the first Multimedia Department at MEDOX Medien GmbH.

1995 – Research Scientist at Germans largest media research program conducted by the German Research Society (DFG) at the University of Siegen on Interactive Media. Assistant Professor at the University of Siegen in the media faculty; later he was the Founder and Managing Director of the German Multimedia Association

1999- Managing Director dmmv-service GmbHa Group Marketing and service development company for the Internet Service Companies.

2005 – Appointed as Conference Director of the ICT Africa and the 3rd African PrepCom for the UN-WSIS.

2006 – Appointed CMO for “Systaic.” Further, he was in charge for Europe’s largest online-marketing exhibition and congress OMD in Düsseldorf.

Since 2008 he works as a media- and marketing strategy-consultant.


Ms. Dorothy Gordon, Ghana
Director General
Advanced Information Technology Institute – Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT

Dorothy K. Gordon is the first Director-General of Ghana’s first Advanced Information Technology Institute (AITI), the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT. She is a specialist in international development with over 20 years experience working throughout Africa, the US, Europe and Asia in Executive and Consulting positions – principally with the United Nations but also working with private sector and civil society organizations. Ms. Gordon’s work includes support to the drafting of key policy documents and providing systems design and implementation support to the launch of Ghana’s first Community Information Centres. She also supports training and research initiatives in India and Africa. Ms. Gordon, who has degrees from Ghana and the United Kingdom, serves on many international and national boards and also works with a range of NGOs and community-based organizations to support economic empowerment and good governance.


Mr. Madanmohan Rao, India/Singapore
Chief Researcher
Mobile Monday

Madan Rao graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology at Bombay and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, USA, with an M.S. in computer science and a Ph.D. in communications. He has been Communications Director at the United Nations Inter Press Service bureau in New York, and Vice President at IndiaWorld Communications in Bombay. He is currently the Director of the InfoComm Observatory at the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore. Madan is a frequent speaker at international conferences, having given lectures in over 60 countries. Furthermore, he has edited books such as: “The Asia Pacific Internet Handbook,” “The Knowledge Management Chronicles” “AfricaDotEdu,” “Transforming e-Knowledge” and “Asia Unplugged.” His articles have appeared in DestinationKM.com, The Economic Times, Electronic Markets magazine, Economic, and Political Weekly, and the Bangkok Post.


Mr. Ehssan Riazi Esfehani, Iran
IT Consultant
Hamsafar eSolutions

Ehssan Riazi Esfehani, born in 1982, is an IT consultant and eSolutions project manager working with governmental and private organizations in Iran and abroad to help develop better e-contents and e-solutions. He has helped in the development of e-contents and narrowing the digital gap by writing in different IT and financial papers, having many media interviews, working closely with ICT reporters, speaking at conferences and writing on the web. Ehssan has been the co-founder of “e-solutions festival” (IranWSA.com) since 2004, the first contest on e-content and digital media in Iran which has also served as the national approved contest for WSA05, WSA07, and WSA09. He is the current chairman of “e-solutions festival.”

Ehssan has also organized the first WSA Road Show in Iran to help Iranian experts and solution developers get better understandings of the WSA key matters and get more familiar with the world’s best in e-content. Ehssan encourages Iranian developers to promote their products and show them opportunities to have a bigger share in e-Activities in the world through.


Mr. Alfredo Ronchi, Italy
General Secretary
MEDICI Framework

Alfredo M. Ronchi is the General Secretary of the European Commission-MEDICI Framework, Secretary of the European Working Group on “EU Directives and Cultural Heritage” and head of the representative of OCCAM NGO at UNO International Centre in Vienna.

He is appointed by ICNM as a member of the World Summit Award Grand Jury and President of eContent Award Italy the Italian pre-selection of the World Summit Award.

Alfredo M. Ronchi is the Program Chair of the Cultural Track of the IX International World Wide Web Conference, May 2000 Amsterdam (NL), Chair of panels “On culture in a worldwide information society” WWW Conferences 2001-2004 Founding Chair of the International Conference Cultural Heritage Networks Hypermedia, September 96- 06 Milan, Co-Chair of Infopoverty Conferences 2001-07 Founding Chair of the panel “Business opportunities from cultural heritage” CeBIT 98-07 Hannover (D). Alfredo M. Ronchi is appointed as an expert c/o, the Norwegian Government, the European Commission, the Council of Europe, CNR and member of the Scientific Committee c/o Infopoverty, Fondazione Italiana Nuove Comunicazioni, Global Forum, Sacred World Foundation.


Mr. Andrew Gakiria, Kenya
National Coordinator
KENYA e-LEARNING CENTRE

Andrew leads a team that is facilitating the development and implementation of e-Learning programs in over 50 training and educational institutions in Kenya. KeLC is a collaborative initiative of the Government of Kenya, inWEnt, UNEP, UNESCO and other local and international partners. From 2004 – 2006, Andrew served as founder chairman of the East African Regional working group on e-Government; a joint initiative of the five East Africa Countries to leverage e-Government for faster regional integration in EAC region. He also previously served as Africa representative to the Youth Advisory Council of the G8 in 1999. As Senior Policy Analyst at the Office of the President, his role includes policy and strategic advice on the implementation of Kenya’s e-Government strategy.

E-Learning is a key element in capacity building for e-Government and hence Andrew’s role in KeLC on secondment from Central Government. Currently, he is coordinating the implementation of e-learning blended learning programs in Africa in conjunction with in WEnt and Namibia e-Learning Centre. The program has presently trained over 100 African experts and managers in e-learning technical subjects, with a target of 100 more in 2008.


Mr. Nawaf Abdulrahman, Kingdom of Bahrain
Chief, Information Technology
Ministry of Housing

Nawaf M. Abdulrahman is Chief, Information Technology, Ministry of Housing, Bahrain, Vice President of Bahrain Internet Society and Head of the Jury & Technical Committee in Bahrain eContent Award Nawaf oasts 12 years of experience in the IT field with proven ability to manage large-scale projects through the entire lifecycle.

Nawaf has an MBA with a concentration in Finance & Bachelor in Information Technology; he is also CISA, ITIL & MCSE. He worked in many projects through Bahrain Internet Society such as IT Future Leaders pr the eCitizens which aim to train the citizen in basic computing. Furthermore, he worked in many projects through his professional career such as a unique unified communications solution which is considered the first of its kind in the Middle East.

Nawaf conducted several courses, workshops and lectures in IT related topics such as “Users Awareness in Information Technology,” “How Information Technology Empowering People” and “The Information Technology and The Youth Opportunities.”


Ms. Manar Alhashash, Kuwait
General Manager & Secretary General Kuwait e-Award

Manar Alhashash is the Founder and General Manager of Dot Design, a software development company. She has also launched the IT magazine Dot, of which she is the owner and Chief Editor. In 2004, Ms. Alhashash launched and managed a local e-Content contest, the Ghiras Electro Contest 2004, which was aimed at youths in Kuwait (14-22 yrs old), competing for best website design, best presentation, and best graphic design. She was awarded an IEEE for her outstanding Internet and e-Commerce projects in 2000. Ms. Alhashash is in charge of and presents the weekly IT programme Compunet World on the Kuwait Satellite Channel in Arabic and an IT programme on KTV2 in English called Zero Ones. She also writes a weekly IT column for the Al-Watan newspaper.


Mr. Rodolfo Laddaga, Mexico
CEO & Co-Founder
U-TOUR

Rodolfo Laddaga, or “Rudy,” was born in 1972 in Mexico City. From childhood on, he showed interest in film and computers. At the age of 13 years, he finished a technical course as Programmer and Systems Analyst, since then the technology has been part of his professional life. He graduated with honors from the Tecnológico de Monterrey with a Bachelor in Communication Sciences and later started a master’s degree at New York University (NYU) in the Interactive Telecommunications Program. In 2000, he partnered with Alejandro Machorro to found Media Innovations, the first Digital Signage Company in Latin America. In 2007, he and Alejandro founded U-TOUR to develop multimedia guided tours. The company was awarded the 2009 WSA in the e-Culture category and the 2009 Dell American Express Small Business Award for the most innovative company. Rudy recently became WSA Board Member.


Mr. Jak Boumans, NetherlandsBoumans
Director
V.O.F. ELECTRONIC MEDIA REPORTING

Jak Boumans is the principal consultant with Electronic Media Reporting in Utrecht, which is specialized in content strategy. He worked previously for TNO Centre for Technology and Policy Studies and the publishers Wegener, VNU and Kluwer. He brought the first European daily newsletter for the computer industry online on behalf of VNU BPL in London in 1984. He was part of the team which produced the first commercial legal CD-ROM for Wolters Kluwer and other primers of Dutch CD-ROMs.

As a consultant he is involved in strategy studies for government and institutes, is part of research teams in studying the market and organizes conferences and workshops.

Mr. Boumans has been an evaluator, reviewer, and rapporteur with the EC. In 2002 he became a WP leader in the ACTeN project (accompanying measure). In 2003 he was involved in the X-Melina project, a cross-media project, and in 2004 in INYOP, a project for interactive movies; both projects are partly funded by the EC Media program.

He is General Secretary of the European Academy of Digital Media (EADiM), a network organization of EUROPRIX jurors and nominees with 125 members in 28 European countries. EADiM has recently founded the Instructors’ Network, a network for multimedia instructors in Europe with 90 members in 20 countries. He is the author of several books and many articles for national and international trade magazines. Presently he is editor of the Content Market Monitor monthly newsletter (www.acten.net).


Ms. Jan Bieringa, New Zealand
Director
BWX Productions

Jan Bieringa works independently as a creative producer in both new media and with feature documentaries. The opportunity to work across both sectors is immensely satisfying & provides the best of both worlds. Jan has primarily worked in and around the cultural sector, and during the 90s she was Program Director at Creative New Zealand, responsible for programming and funding short film, documentary and new media. Jan, with a small dedicated team, set up and ran (e)-vision Digital Media Centre for Communication Art and Technology in the late ’90s.

From (e)-vision came her engagement with WSA in ’03, and she is now working with both New Zealand & the Pacific to ensure submissions from both regions are available. In September last year, she took the WSA Roadshow to Rarotonga to the PacInet conference. Simultaneously she is working to realize a Digital Content Showcase in 2009 in NZ. The WSA Roadshow will provide a central component to this event which will seek to engage with a broad cross-sector audience with the aim of showcasing new media practice beyond the parameters of the ICT world. The philosophy of the WSA makes it the perfect vehicle to encourage and demonstrate digital content in the fullest sense. She is currently the program coordinator for an ideas forum – see http://www.7x7nz.net/ – a forum for people ambitious for what the world might be and New Zealand’s role in this framework.


Mr. Kristian Bruarøy, Norway
Interactive Producer and Project Manager
TV2 Norway

Kristian Bruaroy studied and worked with digital media and content distribution since 1998 with key skills to focus on the user experience, including the content itself and how to interactively engage the user. His projects are deployed on several kinds of devices, from Handheld and Mobile products to computers and devices connected to the big screen. As a project manager, he also has the knowledge and skills to define and establish production chains for digital products and digital content delivery. Having a broad international contact network from all aspects of the broadcast media industry, he is often invited as speaker related to digital products and innovation which had helped him to establish a broad contact network inside media, software innovation, the governmental innovation institutions, and Universities.


Ms. Josephine Cacdac, Philippines
Program Director
Informatics Indonesia

Josephine Cacdac is the Programs Director of Informatics Indonesia (PT Lifelong Learning). Informatics Education Ltd. is a Singapore-based multinational corporation established in 1983, with a global network of 132 centers spanning more than 23 countries worldwide; its wholly-owned subsidiary NCC Education in the UK has 300 centers in 45 countries. Josie has worked with Informatics (the Philippines and Indonesia) for more than ten years, establishing partnerships with educational institutions to help promote and enhance the partners’ Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Language, and Business Management programs, among others. She is a member of numerous organizations and associations, such as the Rotary Club Jakarta Central, Philippine Computer Society, Phil. Society of IT Educators, and DigitalFilipino.com Club. She was awarded Best in Academics by Informatics Philippines and was recognized for her directorship in various projects of the Philippine Computer Society, notably in the aspect of IT curriculum re-engineering.


Ms. Anya Sverdlov, Russian Federation
Managing Director
Actis Wunderman

Anya Sverdlov is the Managing Director of Actis Wunderman, Russia’s top digital agency, member of the Wunderman network and part of the WPP family. Prior to joining the Actis team, Ms. Sverdlov’s professional experience included three years on Wall Street at Kemper Securities, Inc. and more than three years in strategy management consulting with A.T. Kearney (working in the US, Russia, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Denmark), where she managed large projects in the financial services and consumer goods sectors.

Ms. Sverdlov holds a BA degree in Economics and Political Science (magna cum laude) from Yale University and an MBA degree in Finance and Multinational Management (with Distinction) from Wharton Business School.


Mr. Saad Ali Haj Bakry, Saudi Arabia
Professor of Information Networks
King Saud University

Saad Ali Haj Bakry serves as Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering of the College of Engineering at the King Saud University in Riyadh. Aside from more than 200 journals, conference papers, and media articles, Saad Haj Bakry has also published eleven books, the most current being “Introduction to Networks: Architecture, Planning, Management and Security” (2010) and “The Ecosystem of the Knowledge Society” (2009). He also serves as a member of the editorial board of several journals, including the International Journal of Network Management, the International Journal of Arab Culture, Management and Sustainable Development and the International Journal of Knowledge Society Research.

Saad Haj Bakry holds a Ph.D. of the EE Department of the Aston University in Birmingham (UK), a CEng of the Council of Engineers (UK) as well as the title of FIET: Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (UK). He joined the King Saud University in 1980 and took over his current position in 1989. In the course of his duty, he has supervised 24 Master and 2 Ph.D. theses.


Ms. Borka Jerman-Blazic, Slovenia
Head of a Laboratory for open systems and networks
Organization: Josef Stefan Institute and Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana, Chair ISOC Slovenia

Prof. Dr. Borka Jerman-Blazic is holding MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ljubljana and a Ph.D. in natural and computing sciences from the University of Zagreb. Prof. Dr. Borka Jerman-Blazic is a full professor at the University of Ljubljana, Department of Economics and is heading the Laboratory for Open Systems and Networks at Josef Stefan Institute. She is teaching undergraduate courses in electronic communications and information security and postgraduate courses in Telecommunication Services and Technologies Legal aspects and standards in ICT and E-commerce.

Prof. Dr. Borka Jerman-Blazic is a member of the IEEE Computer Society, a member of the ACM, member of the New York Academy of science since 1991, member of IFIP. She is appointed member to UNECE/CEFAT UN (Economic Commission for Europe) group for Internet enterprise development, appointed member of eTEN management committee of EU and a member of EU FP7 Programming Committee on Security, Chair (2004-2007) of the Internet Society of Europe (www.isoc-ecc.org) , Distinguished Member of Slovene Society for Informatics, member of the editorial board of the international journal of Technology Enhanced e-Learning.


Mr. Themba Phiri, South Africa
Act Deputy Director General, Presidental National Commission on Information Society and Development (South Africa)

Themba Phiri serves as Acting Deputy Director-General of the Presidential National Commission on Information Society and Development (PNC). The PNC is a body of the South African Department of Communications. It serves to advise on the use of ICTs to optimize the pace and the extent of addressing South Africa’s development challenges and enhancing South Africa’s global competitiveness as well as South Africa’s contribution to and benefit from the development of an inclusive Information Society in Africa and the world. The PNC aims to facilitate the coordinated and integrated development of an inclusive Information Society in South Africa and to support efforts aimed at making South Africa, and Africa integrated and equal members of the Global Information Society.


Ms. Chitranganie Mubarak, Sri Lanka
Senior Programme Head, ICT Agency of Sri Lanka

Chitranganie holds a degree in Chemistry from the University of Colombo. With over 20 years’ experience in formulating and implementing national programmes for export development and promotion, she has spear-headed key export-oriented initiatives besides coordinating donor-funded programmes of the EDB. As Director of TradenetSL, the e-commerce arm of the Sri Lanka Export Development, she was responsible for introducing several ICT solutions for facilitating the rural entrepreneur and has played a key role in launching the country’s pioneering online trading platform.
She is presently Programme Head at the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka, the apex body responsible for ICT policy and direction in Sri Lanka and the implementing organization for the e-Sri Lanka Initiative. Her main focus is the e-Society Programme which seeks to ensure that the dividends of ICT reach all sections of society.


Ms. Nibal Idlebi, Syria
Chief of ICT Applications Section
UN-ESCWA

Dr. Nibal Idlebi is the chief of the ICT Applications Section at ESCWA working on issues related to the ICT policies and strategies, enabling an environment for the Information Society, the development of ICT applications, e-Services, and Digital Arabic Content. She is supervising various activities at ESCWA, such as preparation of reports and publications, an organization of expert group meetings and workshops, implementation of field projects for the development of Information Society as well as providing advisory services to ESCWA member countries. Ms. Idlebi was recently a Jury member of various e-Content and e-government Awards in the Arab region.

Previous to her work with ESCWA, Dr. Idlebi was Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Communications and Technology (MCT) in Syria for two years, and ICT professor at the Higher Institute of Applied Science & Technology (HIAST) in Damascus for more than eight years.


Mr. Faouzi Zaghbib. Tunesia
General Manager R2i

Faouzi Zaghbib is expert in information technologies, General Manager of R2i (an IT firm) and Founder of ESPRIT (Tunisian university specialized in engineering & ICT). From 1981, Mr. Zaghbib conducted information systems projects and implemented ICT solutions for public services and enterprises in many countries. Mr. Zaghbib is an active member of numerous organizations. He is the Chairman of the Tunisian ICT Federation (UTICA-FED-TIC), and member of WITSA (the World IT & Services Alliance), founder member of IJMA3 (the Arab IT Association) and AFICTA (the African IT Association) and several national and regional committees in charge of capacity building, ICT governance, eCommerce, ICT4D, education and research.

Since 2003, he is a member of the WSIS organization and follow-up committee. Mr. Zaghbib is graduated in economic sciences (Tunis University – 1977), an engineer in computer science (Tunis University – 1981), certified in business management (Beyster Institute at the Ready School of San Diego, University of California– 2004) and certified for ICT security auditing (ANSI – 2006).


Mr. Suleman Bakhsh, United Arab Emirates
Senior ICT Analyst,
Telecommunication Regulation Authority (TRA)

Eng. Suleman Bakhsh, a young, experienced and active engineer, holds a Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) and a Bachelor degree in Electronic Engineering. He works for the UAE Telecommunication Regulatory Authority as a Senior Information and Communication Technologies Analyst.

As a project manager and technology analyst, he supervises and manages many projects including policy development, comparative analysis and benchmarking. He is also heavily involved in internet technologies, telecom market advancements, cybersecurity, and internet governance.

He has been representing UAE in various International Telecommunication Union Meetings and Conferences such as IPv6 working group and WSIS Annual conferences. He coordinates the work of the UAE National World Summit of Information Society Committee and is an active member in many other groups and committees.