Speaker Biographies
Please see speaker biographies below.
Speakers
Moderators
Speakers
Tariq Al Awadhi
Chairman, Arab Spectrum Management Group (ASMG)
Mr. Tariq Al-Awadhi is the Executive Director Spectrum Affairs in the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority.
Mr. Al Awadhi has 17 years of experience in spectrum management. He is the Chairman of the Arab Spectrum Management Group and has been the head of the delegations of the UAE to various international meetings and conferences and in 2012 he had been elected to chair the World Radiocommunication Conference 2012 (WRC-12).
His achievements in the field of spectrum management have earned him accolades from his contemporaries and the TRA. His professional acumen has further been groomed through leadership and excellence programs.
Francois Rancy
Director, ITU Radicommunications Bureau
Mr François Rancy was elected Director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau by the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2010 (PP-10) in Guadalajara, Mexico. He took office on 1 January 2011. He was confirmed in a second term by the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2014 (PP-14) in Busan, Republic of Korea.
François Rancy is an engineer, a graduate of the École Polytechnique (1977) and the École Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications (Paris, 1979).
From 1979 to 1997, he worked as systems engineer and subsequently Head of Department in France Télécom's research laboratories, where he was in charge of studies on national and international satellite systems and activities relating to the spectrum and the regulation of satellite systems. As from 1992, his responsibilities expanded to cover the entire radiocommunication sphere.
From 1997 to 2004, he was Director of Spectrum Planning and International Affairs at the National Frequency Agency (ANFR).
From 2004 to 2010, he was Director-General of ANFR, responsible for frequency management in France.
In October 2010, he was elected Director, BR by the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference.
At the international level, he led the coordination of European delegations (CEPT) at WRC-03 and chaired the European Union group on spectrum management policy (RSPG) in 2007. He chaired the ITU–R Special Committee on Regulatory and Procedural Matters from 1997 to 2003, and the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2007.
François Rancy has been awarded the ITU Silver Medal (2007) and the titles of Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (1998) and Ordre national du mérite (1992).
Philip Marnick
Chair, RSPG
Philip is Group Director, Spectrum at Ofcom, where he is responsible for setting and implementing the strategy for managing spectrum including clearing, awarding, licensing, monitoring and enforcement.
Philip is also Chairman of the EU’s Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) bringing together all the EU’s national spectrum authorities and the Commission.
Philip has over 30 years’ experience within the wireless communications industry. He has held senior executive positions covering technology, operations and strategy in both. Philip has worked in both start-up (from initial concept to sale) and large corporates in companies ranging from UK Broadband, O2, Orange, BT, J-Phone in Japan (now Softbank Mobile), Extreme Mobile and SpinVox (now Nuance).
Abdoulkarim Soumaila
Secretary General, African Telecommunications Union
Mr. Abdoulkarim Soumaila is the current Secretary General of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) since January 2011, having been elected at an Ordinary Session of ATU plenipotentiary Conference held in Brazzaville - Congo, in September 2010. He is leading the continental body entrusted with building consensus within African countries and coordinating African Common Proposals in international fora. Prior to his election as the Secretary General of ATU, he was the Director of Information Technologies at the Ministry of Communication, New Information Technologies and Culture in Niger from 2007 to 2010.
Mr. Soumaila in his 20 years as a Telecommunication expert and professional, has acquired a solid experience in Management of Telecommunication networks and services development strategy and has contributed immensely to the implementation of sectorial policies and innovative investment projects in several African countries. He has also diligently managed the affairs of the Union for the period he has been the Secretary General.
Mr. Soumaila holds a Master of science in Operational Telecommunications from the University of Coventry (UK) and Telecommunications Application Diploma from National Institute of Posts and Telecommunication in Rabat (Morocco).
Elsayed Azzouz
Vice President, Radio Spectrum Management Affairs, Board Member, National Telecom Regulatory Authority, NTRA, Egypt
Dr. El Sayed Azzouz is currently the Vice President for Radio Spectrum Management affairs
at National Telecom Regulatory Authority of Egypt (NTRA) and Assistance Professor at the Military Technical College (MTC). He has participated in many national activities for telecom industry and recently he was a member of 4G committee that offered the 4th Mobile Operator license and developed regulatory modes to facilitate 3 mobile operators to upgrade its 2G and 3G networks into 4G. he also was the responsible for developing the Egyptian national frequency allocation table and chart. He also was responsible for granting the first Egyptian telecom satellite adequate international recognition for its frequency assignments in accordance with Radio Regulations. At the international level, he is the vice chairman of the Arab Spectrum Management Group (ASMG), ITU-R Study Group 1, and ITU-R JTG 4-5-6-7. He has also participated in several international meetings including WRC-07, WRC-12, RA-12, WRC-15 and RRC-06.
Dr. Azzouz is an Assistance Professor in Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the Military Technical College (MTC). He got a B. Sc. in Electronic and Electrical Engineering (With Grade Excellent) from the MTC in1984, M. Sc. in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from MTC in 1992, and Ph.D. in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from Strathclyde University in 1996. Dr. Azzouz has published tens of papers in journals and conferences. In addition, he has published a book named "Automatic modulation recognition of communication signals” in 1996. Moreover, he was awarded the Mountbatten Premium Prize from IEE Society in 1998.
Mohammed Sadeq
Spectrum Manager, CRA Qatar
As Spectrum Manager, Mohammad Sadeq is both diligent in spectrum practice and committed to the profession. He joined ictQATAR in 2007 after ten years of serving with a large and well-respected telecom operator and regional regulator firms.
Involved in the radio regulatory and spectrum management field for over 18 years and participated in spectrum management forums worldwide. Head of Spectrum Management for 7 years within ictQATAR and responsible for Qatar frequency and spectrum policy and plan. A firm believer in modern spectrum management techniques. Developed various elements for smooth running of spectrum management in Qatar and GCC Region.
In addition to spectrum management activities, active in the field of EMC and RF Exposure as well as in the field of HAM amateur radio and QoS.
Abdulla Al Madani
CEO Corporate Technology Support Services, Dubai Roads and Transport Authority
Abdulla Al Madani has intensive experience of over 24 years in senior management roles in the public sector. Currently he is the CEO of Corporate Technology Support Services Sector at Roads and Transport Authority (Government of Dubai), Dubai (UAE).
He is in charge of providing technology direction to RTA and supporting business agencies and sectors to ensure adequate working environment through utilization of state of the art technologies, reducing operational cost and improving productivity through Information and Communication Technology solutions and services.
He headed numerous steering committees and teams such as RTA Smart City Committee, Smart Transformation Committee, Enterprise Command and Control Center Committee, Technology Strategy Committee, IT Governance
Committee, Customer Satisfaction Committee etc.
He chaired Dubai Open Data Committee tasked with delivering Dubai Data Strategy, Dubai Data Law, and Dubai Data Roadmap. He is a member of RTA Board of Executive Directors. He is also a member of the Board of Smart
Dubai Office.
He holds a Bachelor's degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Colorado, Denver (USA).
Shiv Bakhshi
Vice President, Industry Relations, Ericcson
Shiv K. Bakhshi, Ph.D., is Vice President, Industry Relations at Ericsson. He is charged with the responsibility of technology and regulatory strategies for Africa and the Middle East. In his role, he works closely with industry and policy leaders in those regions.
A recognized expert in mobile technology and markets, Dr. Bakhshi is a strong believer in the role mobile broadband can play in economic development and in helping unleash the digital vitalities of the peoples in emerging economies.
Earlier, as an industry analyst and consultant, Dr. Bakhshi was a director at IDC, a global research and advisory firm, where he headed the company’s worldwide mobile network and device practices for several years. A frequent speaker at industry and academic conferences, he has presented on a broad range of topics pertaining to the structural transformation of the mobile industry.
Dr. Bakhshi started his career as a journalist in India. Later, as an academic, he taught international telecom policy and strategy, and directed graduate and doctoral research, at the University of Kentucky. A political economist by training, he has a bachelor’s in Economics from Calcutta University. He earned his master’s as well as his doctorate in Communication from The Ohio State University. He is based in the United Sates.
Steven Doiron
Global Spectrum Regulatory Policy , ESOA
Steven Doiron is the Head of Regulatory Affairs and Spectrum at Yahsat, the UAE based Satellite Communications Operator, a wholly owned company of Mubadala Development Company.
Steven joined Yahsat in 2015 to manage the Regulatory and Spectrum Affairs within the Strategy & Business Development Department.
Steven brings 24 years of experience in the Satellite and Spectrum field. He started his career as a Project manager in the Canadian Forces supervising the deployment of multiple military satellite networks. He then moved to Telesat Canada, Intelsat General, and later in 2003 worked in Hughes Network System (HNS).
His most recent position has been Senior Director-Regulatory Affairs at HNS. In that position Steven managed HNS’ orbital strategy in regards to its Ka-band satellites and earth stations.
Steven holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering from McGill University and has continued his training in the Canadian Forces School of Communications and Electronics.
Chris Weasler
Head of Global Connectivity, Facebook
Chris is Facebook’s lead on spectrum policy and mobile access and in this role is one of the key stakeholders driving Internet.org’s connectivity strategy. Previously, Chris managed Facebook's partnerships with mobile operators. Prior to Facebook, Chris was VP of Business Development at LightSquared and VP of Global Development and Roaming at Sprint Nextel. During his career he has consulted with start-‐ups, wireless operators and also provided consultation to the FCC on a host of roaming and spectrum issues. Early in his career, at Palm he helped launch the first wireless PDA, and at OmniSky, Chris led the product and business development for its wireless portal. He has an undergraduate degree from Marquette University and an MBA from Dartmouth's Tuck School.
Ben Wallis
Regulatory Policy Analyst, Microsoft
Ben is a Regulatory Policy Analyst focused on connectivity including spectrum policy, as well as Internet governance and related issues. He previously worked at UK communications regulator, Ofcom, where his roles included Vice-Chair of the OECD’s Communications and Infrastructure Services Policy working party, and Co-Chair of BEREC’s Net Neutrality working group.
Fethi Filali
Head of Technology Development & Applied Research, Qatar Mobility Innovations Center (QMIC)
Dr. Fethi Filali is the Head of Technology Development & Applied Research at Qatar Mobility Innovations Center (QMIC). He is leading the technology development of QMIC's solutions in the area of Smart Cities, Wireless Communications, Intelligent Transportation Systems, Road Safety, Internet of Things, and Connected/Autonomous Cars solutions. He has invented technologies and developed algorithms that have been shipped in many QMIC products, including Masarak®, Labeeb® and WaveTraf®, creating commercial impact in the order of millions of dollars. Dr. Filali received his Ph.D. in Computer Science and Habilitation degrees from the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, France, in 2002 and 2008, respectively.
Prior to joining QMIC in 2010, Dr. Filali was with the Mobile Communications department of EURECOM, Sophia-Antipolis, as Assistant then Associate Professor for 8 years.
His research grants include 15 competitive awards from several funding agencies (European Commission, The French National Research Agency, and Qatar National Research Fund).
He is the Ph.D. Director of ten Ph.D. students in the area of intelligent transportation, wireless sensor and mesh networks, vehicular communications, big data analytics, internet of things, and mobility management.
Dr. Filali co-authored more than 130 research papers in international peer-reviewed conferences and journals and (co-)filed more than 10 patent applications.
Fabien Migneret
Senior Manager, Government Affairs Middle East and North Africa, Qualcomm
Fabien Migneret serves as Senior Manager of Government Affairs Middle East and North Africa for Qualcomm. Fabien is currently based in Qualcomm office in Dubai to develop and implement Qualcomm’s spectrum and public policies in the region.
He has more than a decade of experience in regulatory policies within multinational companies, trade associations and international organisations of the telecommunication sector. Prior joining Qualcomm in 2012, he was in charge of the Government Affairs in Europe for Huawei in 2011/2012 and for Orange from 2002 to 2011 where he coordinated spectrum strategies and positions across the operator businesses footprint.
Fabien holds 2 master’s degrees from ESIEA and ENST Paris in wireless communications as well as in electronic and computer sciences.
Ulrich Rehfuess
Head of Spectrum Policy, Nokia
Ulrich Rehfuess holds a diploma degree in Electrical Engineering of Technical University of Munich, Germany and one in Industrial Engineering of Fernuniversität Hagen, Germany. Of his more than 20 years of professional experience in Siemens, Nokia Siemens Networks and lately Nokia Networks, he spent more than 15 years in R&D, business strategy, system architecture and product management of mobile radio network systems covering GSM, EDGE, UMTS with HSPA, Flash OFDM, WiMAX, LTE and LTE Advanced. Starting June 2011, he assumed responsibility for spectrum policy and regulation within Nokia Networks' industry environment team. Ulrich Rehfuess is vice chair of the BITKOM Spectrum working group in Germany and chairs the DIGITALEUROPE spectrum working group in Brussels.
Alexandre Serot
Head of Regulatory, Vodafone Qatar
Alexandre leads the Regulatory function of Vodafone Qatar. Before joining Vodafone Qatar in 2016, Alexandre was the Head of Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs for Fixed Services at the Vodafone Group where he was responsible for developing Vodafone Group’s position and regulatory strategy in relation to fixed services (NGA, etc) and National Broadband Plans as well as providing support to operating companies across Vodafone footprint. Before joining Vodafone in 2013, Alexandre spent over ten years working for regulators and the World Bank in various parts of the world.
An Economist by training and profession, Alexandre also has a PhD in Public Policy from the European University Institute of Florence.
Istvan Bozsoki
Head of Spectrum Management and Broadcast Division, ITU
Mr Istvan Bozsoki joined the ITU in 1997 to work at the Space Department of the Radiocommunication Bureau and he was dealing with coordination and notification of satellite systems. In 2007 he moved to the Telecommunication Development Bureau and is responsible for spectrum management and broadcasting issues. Since April 2013 he is Head of Spectrum Management and Broadcasting Division. After obtaining his degree in telecommunication engineering at the Technical University Budapest in 1980 he spent 17 years at the Hungarian Communication Authority and he was dealing with technical and regulatory aspects of the spectrum management. Among others, he was responsible for the development of a computerized spectrum management system. Later, he was appointed as director of international affairs. He has a master degree in radiocommunications and broadcasting.
Noel Kirkaldy
Lead Coordinator MEA, GSA, Head of Technology MEA, Nokia
Noel Kirkaldy is Head of Technology for Nokia Siemens Networks in the Middle East and African Region. Noel has gained close to 25 years in the telecoms industry, having begun his career working in Europe and the US he has spent the past 20 years based in the Middle East and Africa Region.
He works with operators to provide commercial and market-facing expertise and engagement support for Wireless Broadband end-to-end solutions. He has also been working with Regulators and associated organisations to enable the allocation of additional spectrum that will be required to develop the Mobile Broadband Market in the MEA region.
Noel Kirkaldy was instrumental in developing for the use of Wireless Technologies to provide Voice and Data solutions in a number of countries in the MEA region. As such Noel has contributed to Nokia Siemens Networks strong market position in the Middle East and African Region.
Khalid Al Awadhi
Manager Space and Broadcasting Services, TRA UAE
Khalid Al Awadhi is the Manager of International Organizations in the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of the UAE (TRA). The UAE TRA has been established according to the UAE Federal Law by Decree No. 3 of 2003 - Telecom Law. It is responsible for the management of every aspect of the telecommunications and information technology industries in the UAE.
Before his current role, Khalid Al Awadhi was manager of space services, where he was responsible for regulating spectrum use, developing, and protecting space services in the UAE.
In the domain of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Khalid is the Chapter Rapporteur for Chapter 5 "Satellite Regulatory Issues" of the World Radiocommunication Conference 2015 (WRC-15). He is the chairman of the Arab Space Services Group in the Arab Spectrum Management Group (ASMG) since 2012. Also, he leads the UAE in ITU meetings on space radio services and in Administration-level satellite coordination meetings.
Khalid lead the development of regulatory instruments for the space services in the TRA, including Earth Station Regulations, Guidelines for the Coordination of Satellite Networks, Earth Station on board Vessels Regulations, study on VSAT Regulations, and study on the use of spectrum/orbital resources.
Khalid obtained his Masters of Science (MSc ) degree in Modern Digital and Radio Frequency Wireless Communications from the University of Leeds in the UK in 2004, and Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the American University of Sharjah in 2003. He is a member of the American University of Sharjah Electrical Engineering Advisory Board.
Abdulhadi AbouAlmal
Head of Sector, Technology Standardization & Spectrum, Etisalat
Dr. Abdulhadi has held various leadership roles in ETISALAT, UAE, since 2008. He is currently the head of Technology Standardization, Spectrum Management, IoT / Smart City development and Radio Access Transformation (e.g. NB-IoT, 5G). Before 2008, he joined three UAE universities and research centers. In addition, he has been leading several national and international projects including propagation modeling for the Gulf region, cost modeling of telecom services, analysis of business challenges/opportunities, and modeling/optimization of wireless systems/networks. With over 10 years of wide experience in the work of international organizations (e.g. ITU, 3GPP and GSMA), he has been chairing various technical groups such as ITU-T SG20/Q4 on IoT / Smart City and candidate for 3GPP RAN Vice chairman. Also, he is the Liaison Rapporteur of ITU-T SG20 with ITU-R and 3GPP on IoT and Smart City issues.
He is the coordinator of Arab Spectrum Management Group (ASMG) for ITU-R WRC-19 agenda on MTC / IoT (AI 9.1.8) and Mobile 5G/IMT2020 (AI 1.13, CPM Group), and he has been ASMG coordinator for relevant agenda in previous ITU-R WRC’s (e.g. 700 Band in Region 1).
Dr. Abdulhadi obtained his PhD degree in wireless and mobile communication from University of Bradford, UK, MSc degree in Engineering Systems Management, and BSc in Communication Engineering. He is the author and co-author of many journal and conference papers.
Daniel Hamadeh
Director Government Affairs, Spectrum and Regulatory, Middle East – North Africa, Motorola Solutions
A technology and regulatory executive with 18 years of experience across the Middle East and Africa having worked in both private and public sector and in the development of public policy for managing radio spectrum, a key asset for mobile and ICT development and for the protection of public safety.
As an advocate of future of public safety broadband communications, Daniel works closely with regulators and public safety and emergency communication agencies to develop policy decisions 'today' that allow for modernizing public safety and disaster relief readiness through advances in technology.
He is featured speaker at public events such as the CCME, LTE World Summit, IEEE COMSEC, and Mobile Broadband events on spectrum and technology regulatory policy issues.
Fatima Karim-Peters
Technical Director, Spectrum & Regulation, Huawei Technologies
Fatima has recently joined Huawei Technologies as Technical Director on Spectrum & Regulation with a special focus on Middle East and Africa among other areas. Prior to joining Huawei, Fatima worked for almost 2 decades on wireless systems as senior technical manager, technology strategist and transversal projects’ leader.
Her most recent position has been Senior Radio Standardization Manager and strategist within Orange Group. She was leading Orange delegation in 3GPP RAN and in charge of elaborating, promoting and building large consensus for the adoption of relevant Radio standard strategies with interest to Orange affiliates in Europe, Africa and the Middle-East.
When holding that position, Fatima became one of the most influential operators’ experts in 3GPP RAN where she actively contributed to shaping the last 5 releases of 3GPP standard in particular on 5G New Radio use cases, requirements and technical studies, LTE evolutions, Spectrum standardisation, M2M/IoT, Cellular D2D, LTE Public safety, Small cells, Broadcast, LAA, Cellular V2X, A2G communications, HSPA+.
Before joining 3GPP RAN in 2007, Fatima successfully managed numerous R&D projects for Orange Labs and contributed to European collaborative projects.
From 1997 and 2002 Fatima worked for various mobile operators (Orange Sweden, BLU Italy, SFR France and Maroc Telecom) for which she successfully delivered projects involving design, engineering, roll-out and optimization of operational networks.
Soren Sorensen
Associate Director, Nera Economic Consulting
Dr. Soren Sorensen is an Associate Director in NERA's Auction Group with more than 10 years' consulting experience, whose work spans spectrum auctions in more than 25 countries, and includes auction design and auction implementation for regulators as well as advice on bidding strategies for mobile operators. Dr. Sorensen has extensive experience with advising mobile operators in combinatorial clock auctions (CCA), and has also advised bidders on simultaneous multiple round auctions (SMRA), clock auctions, sealed bid auctions and various hybrid auction formats. During the majority of these projects, Dr. Sorensen has provided on-site strategy support during the auctions. He has also developed software tools for analyzing bidding behaviour, including efficient algorithms for determining winners and prices in combinatorial clock auctions.
Alongside his work on spectrum auctions, Dr. Sorensen has advised clients on auction design and auction strategy in diverse markets such as natural gas, electricity, terrestrial TV broadcasting licences, airport slots, water abstractions rights, rough diamonds, and flue ventilation systems.
Dr. Sorensen holds a PhD in economics from the University of Aarhus, Denmark, where he specialized in microeconomics, game theory, and auction design. Dr. Sorensen has published part of his PhD thesis in Economics Letters and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences.
Stefan Zehle
CEO, Coleago Consulting
Stefan Zehle, MBA, (CEO) Stefan is a co-founder of Coleago, was a Director Strategy, Marketing and Regulatory Affairs of a mobile operator. With 28 years telecoms experience, he is an expert in telecoms marketing strategy, spectrum valuation, and business planning. Stefan was responsible for many successful mobile licence bids and spectrum auctions and worked in 40 countries in developed and emerging markets. Stefan holds an MBA with distinction. Co-author of the Economist’s Guide to Business Planning.
Walid Sami
Senior Project Manager, Technology & Innovation, EBU
Dr. Walid SAMI is Senior Project Manager at the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Geneva, with responsibility for co-coordinating studies on frequency planning and spectrum sharing issues. He represents EBU in number of European and International Forums dealing with Spectrum Management. He is Vice Chair of ITU-R Study Group 6 (Broadcasting) and mostly active in Working Party 6A (Terrestrial broadcasting delivery) and 1A (Spectrum engineering techniques).
Prior to joining EBU, Dr. SAMI worked in spectrum management and frequency planning of Digital Broadcasting systems at Télédiffusion de France (TDF) and CSA (Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel) in France. Notable is his 7 years as head of Television Planning Department at the French Broadcasting Authority, where he was in charge of planning Digital Terrestrial Television in France.
Dr. SAMI received Electrical Engineering Degree from the Lebanese University in 1986 and a Doctorate in Physics from Supelec / Université de Paris Sud in 1991.
Patrick van Niftrik
Vice-President Spectrum Management and Development, EMEA, SES
Mr. Van Niftrik is Vice President Spectrum Management & Development, EMEA. In this role he is responsible for spectrum management and ITU related activities with focus on orbital assignment and spectrum utilization issues and proceedings for the EMEA region.
Mr. Van Niftrik has also worked in a number of other roles such as Sales- and Capacity Management engineering. He joined SES in The Hague, The Netherlands, in August 2000 after having worked for three years in Madrid, Spain, on the precursor of the European satellite navigation system GALILEO.
He holds a Masters degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands, and is currently working from the SES Dubai Office
Aamir Riaz
Program Officer, ITU
Mr. Aamir is as a Programme officer in International Telecommunication Union and is currently based in its Area Office for South East Asia in Indonesia. In-line with the Global Objectives of ITU and regional initiatives
of Asia-Pacific region Mr. Aamir has been working on development of ICTs in the region through country specific actions, sub-regional and regional activities across the Asia and Pacific region. He has implemented initiatives and projects in partnership and collaboration with international/regional organizations e.g. ASEAN, Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) and Administrations including, MSIP Korea and DoT Australia etc.
Mr. Aamir is currently involved in ITU development activities particularly on areas related to telecommunication policy, regulations and strategies and Spectrum related issues.
Prior to joining ITU in 2013, Mr. Aamir has been working in ictQatar from 2010 to 2013 as National Spectrum Manger. He was involved in implementing various regulatory and strategic planning initiatives.
From 2007 to 2010 he performed his duties as Assistant Director in Strategy and Development department of the Pakistan telecomm Authority.
Mr. Aamir is an Electrical Engineer from National University of Science and Technology (NUST) Pakistan and has advanced degree in Radio-communication from École Supérieure d'Électricité (SUPÉLEC) France.
Johann Adjovi
Principal, Analysys Mason
Johann Adjovi is a Principal at Analysys Mason. He heads up Analysys Mason’s Dubai office and is in charge of Analysys Mason's consulting activities for the Middle East.
Johann has close to 15 years' experience in telecoms, spanning engineering and consulting. He joined Analysys Mason in 2008, and has worked on multiple assignments related to spectrum valuation, spectrum strategy and spectrum policy. One of Johann’s particular areas of expertise is regulation and policy: he has assisted many operators and regulators in Europe and in the Middle East on topics such as regulatory lobbying, reference/wholesale offers, core regulation (dominance determination, numbering/number portability, etc.) and cost modelling.
Johann holds a Master of Science from Télécom ParisTech (formerly ENST), a Master's degree in telecommunications engineering from the University of Melbourne and a Master's degree in Corporate Finance from Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers.
Jawad Abbassi
Head of MENA, Acting Head of Africa, GSMA
Jawad’s career experience in ICT and Media spans 21 years. Before joining the GSMA as head of MENA in October 2015, Jawad managed the Arab Advisors Group which he founded in 2001. Jawad’s previous career experience included working as a senior telecommunications and technology consultant with the Yankee Group in Boston, USA. Between 1998 and 2000, Mr. Abbassi was a Senior Analyst with the communications research arm of the Economist Intelligence Unit in Boston.
In March 2013 Jawad acted as Chairman of Jordan’s information technology association. He is also a Member of the Arab Business Forum for Information and Communication Technology ABFICT, and a Member of the steering committee for UN ICT Task Force of the “Wireless Internet and the Arab-World” series. He was chosen for membership in the Young Arab Leaders Organization, and is a frequent guest speaker at conferences and seminars related to technology, communications and media in the Arab World.
Jawad holds an MSc in Information Systems from the London School of Economics, and a BSc in engineering from the American University in Cairo, Egypt (1993). In 2010, he attended Harvard Business School Executive Education.
Moderators
Mustafa Aykut
Head, Regulatory Strategy and Policy, SAMENA Telecommunications Council
Dr. Aykut has joined SAMENA Council as Policy Board Chairman and responsible for Regulatory Strategy and Policy since April 2015. He also serves as future technologies advisor to the CEO of TURKCELL. He was the International Affairs and Policy Co-ordinator at the Turk Telekom Group for global telecommunications policy, standards and regulations from 2008 till 2015. He worked at Alcatel in Germany to design and develop GSM technology in 1989 and took active roles at ETSI WGs for standardizations of GSM, GPRS, EDGE and UMTS (3G). As Product Line and Configuration Director at the Competence Center of Alcatel, he leaded communication network configurations for many countries in Europe, the USA, Latin America, Asia and Africa. Dr. Aykut worked as Director of 3G Marketing for Middle East including Turkey at Ericsson by 2001. He returned to homeland, Turkey in 2003 and established and headed the Wireless Broadband and R&D Divisions successively at TURKCELL. He joined Aneltech in July 2007 as the Director of Mobile Networks Business Unit in charge of different projects in Turkey and Azerbaijan prior to joining to Turk Telekom Group. He worked as an Executive Board Member of ETNO and a member of the Executive Management Committee of GSMA. He also served as the Chairman of the Health Policy WG and Regulatory Advisory Group reporting to the Executive Board of GSMA. He made substantial contributions to various studies at the ICTA, National Planning Organization, Ministry of Communications, Scientific and Technological Research Council in Turkey. He gives lectures related to the future technologies at different universities as guest speaker. He participated as speaker and panelist at many conferences, congresses and seminars in different countries. He has published plenty of articles in sectoral magazines. He is a member of varied associations in the ICT industry.
Marc Eschenburg
Partner, Aetha Consulting
Marc Eschenburg is a Partner at Aetha Consulting, a specialist telecommunications strategy consultancy which advises players in the industry on major strategic and regulatory decisions.
For the last years, Marc has been very active in the area of spectrum management, advising operators and regulators on issues such as spectrum valuation, spectrum strategy, auction support and spectrum pricing. His particular area of expertise lies in overseeing the development of spectrum valuation models ahead of auctions and he has supported spectrum managers and bidders in preparations for over 30 award processes across the world.
Imad Hoballah
Chairman and CEO, ICTTT Consulting
In 2012, Dr. Hoballah was appointed as Lebanon’s Representative to the "ITU", and Lebanon’s Representative to the "Government Advisory Committee (GAC)" of the "International Cooperation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)", Lebanon's representative to the "Arab Management Advisory Group of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF)", and served on the "Middle East Strategy Working Group (MESWG) of the ICANN".
In December 2011, Dr. Hoballah was elected as Vice President of the Executive Committee of the “Arab Infrastructure Regulatory Forum (AIRF)”.
Dr. Hoballah was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of OMNIX Media Networks, and had previously held a number of executive positions at Lucent Technologies and AT&T Bell Laboratories including appointments as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Executive Vice President (EVP) for Services & Program Management, MEA Region. He also held Executive Sales Director (Africa & Levant) and Director positions of Services and Software, Sales & Product Management, and Information, Operation, & Data Networking Systems at Lucent Technologies in Saudi Arabia. Dr. Hoballah was also Senior Manager of Operations Systems, and Operations Systems Architecture Group & Data Services Product Management at AT&T Bell Laboratories in the U.S. and the Middle East. Dr. Hoballah has also served on the Board of several corporations.
Dr. Hoballah has a noteworthy academic record. He received a "Program for General Development Diploma" from IMD Lausanne (Switzerland, 2000), a Master’s Certificate in "Project Management" from George Washington University (Washington DC, 1997), an "Executive Masters of Business Administration" from Columbia University (New York, 1994), a Ph.D. in "EE/Communications" from Syracuse University (NY, 1986), an MS in "Electrical Engineering" from Syracuse University (NY, 1982), as well as a B.S in "Chemistry" from the Lebanese University (Lebanon 1979).
Logistics
When
Tue January 24, 2017 09.00 to
Wed January 25, 2017 17.00
UTC+4
Where
InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Crescent Drive
Dubai Festival City
Dubai
United Arab Emirates
Downloads
