Speaker Biographies

Confirmed Speakers

Kelly Gillis

Associate Deputy Minister, Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Canada

Kelly Gillis was appointed Associate Deputy Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) in January, 2015.

In this role, Kelly works with the Deputy Minister in supporting three Ministers for a large department of about 5,000 staff. They lead a Department playing a key role in developing Canada's Inclusive Innovation Agenda, which will help develop an economy that promotes clean growth, high-quality jobs and increased prosperity.

Kelly also provides leadership and policy advice on key sectors, with a particular focus on the digital economy, telecommunications policy and regulation, tourism and small business. She also plays a principal role in many of the department's policy matters, such as Connect to Innovate, Canada's new Tourism Vision, and defence procurement.

Prior to this appointment, Kelly served as Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunications (SITT) Sector.

In her role as Senior ADM of SITT, Kelly supported the development and use of world-class information and communications technologies, including management and oversight of Canada's radio spectrum frequencies, research at the Communications Research Centre, cyber security and Connecting Canadians. Kelly has also held the position of Assistant Deputy Minister, SITT, where she focused on policies that supported Canada's ICT industry and advanced the digital economy.

From September 2009 to March 2012, Kelly was Industry Canada's Chief Financial Officer. In this role, she was responsible for providing financial oversight, advice and corporate services. Prior to joining Industry Canada, Kelly was the Assistant Secretary and CFO, Corporate Services Sector, at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, where she led the creation of the new Corporate Services Sector. Kelly was also the Executive Director and Deputy CFO at the Department of Finance Canada.

Kelly holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Graduate Diploma in Public Accounting from McGill University and is also a qualified chartered accountant.

Kelly is originally from Montréal. She and her husband have three children.

Philip Marnick

Chairman, RSPG; Director of Spectrum, Ofcom

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).

Corinne Charette

Senior Assistant Deputy Minister for Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunications, Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Canada

Corinne Charette was appointed to the position of Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of the Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunications (SITT) sector on March 16, 2015. The SITT sector is housed within the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED), which is tasked with helping make Canadian industry more productive and competitive in the global economy.

In her role as Senior ADM, Ms. Charette supports Canada's transition to a digital economy by promoting the development and use of world class information and communications technologies and infrastructure for the economic, social and cultural benefit of all Canadians. Her oversight responsibilities include managing the radio spectrum (including spectrum auctions, licensing and compliance), supporting the security and protection of the telecommunications infrastructure, ensuring the availability of telecommunications during emergencies, increasing the availability of broadband Internet, improving Canada’s online privacy and data protection framework, and research in communications technologies in support of government mandates and policy development.

In addition to her responsibilities as Senior ADM, Ms. Charette was also named Chief Digital Officer (CDO) for the Department (effective December 2015). As CDO, she will establish a digital roadmap to drive the adoption of the Business Number across ISED and other government departments, ensuring that the various digital transformation initiatives within the portfolio and OGD’s, are aligned.

Before joining ISED, Ms. Charette was the Chief Information Officer of the Government of Canada, Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS), a position she held since May 4, 2009. She came to the TBS from Transat A.T. Inc., where she was Vice-President and Chief Information Officer from 2006 until 2009. She also served as Senior Vice-President, Internet Channel, for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and was a Partner with KPMG Consulting, leading their e-Business practice.

Ms. Charette holds a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from Concordia University and is a professional engineer. On June 21, 2011, she received an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Concordia University.

Antonio Garcia-Zaballos

Telecommunications Lead Specialist - Leader of the Broadband Program, Inter-American Development Bank

Antonio García Zaballos is Lead Specialist on telecommunications in Institutions for Development and he is also the leader of the broadband initiative. He has an extensive experience in the telecom sector where has been working in different positions of responsibility. At Deloitte Spain led the practice of regulation and strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean, and previously he was the Chief Economist of the Cabinet for Economic Studies of Regulation in Telefónica of Spain, before joining Telefonica, Antonio was Deputy Director of Economic Analysis and Markets at the Spanish Telecom Regulator (CMT). During his career, Antonio was providing advisory services to Regulators, Telecom Operators and Governments in countries such as Saudi Arabia, China, Ecuador, Argentina, Dominican Rep., Paraguay, Polonia, Czech Rep. among others. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University Carlos III of Madrid and is an associated professor of applied finance to Telecommunications at the Instituto de Empresa Business School. He is author of several publications on economic and regulatory aspects for the sector of telecommunications.

Chih-Lin I

Chief Scientist, Wireless Technologies, China Mobile Research Institute

Chih-Lin I received her Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University. She has been working at multiple world-class companies and research institutes leading the R&D, including AT&T Bell Labs; Director of AT&T HQ, Director of ITRI Taiwan, and VPGD of ASTRI Hong Kong. She received the IEEE Trans. COM Stephen Rice Best Paper Award, is a winner of the CCCP National 1000 Talent Program, and has won the 2015 Industrial Innovation Award of IEEE Communication Society for Leadership and Innovation in Next-Generation Cellular Wireless Networks.
In 2011, she joined China Mobile as its Chief Scientist of wireless technologies, established the Green Communications Research Center, and launched the 5G Key Technologies R&D. She is spearheading major initiatives including 5G, C-RAN, high energy efficiency system architectures, technologies and devices; and green energy. She was an Area Editor of IEEE/ACM Trans. NET, an elected Board Member of IEEE ComSoc, Chair of the ComSoc Meetings and Conferences Board, and Founding Chair of the IEEE WCNC Steering Committee.
She was a Professor at NCTU, an Adjunct Professor at NTU, and currently an Adjunct Professor at BUPT. She is the Chair of FuTURE 5G SIG, an Executive Board Member of GreenTouch, a Network Operator Council Founding Member of ETSI NFV, a Steering Board Member of WWRF, a member of IEEE ComSoc SDB, SPC, and CSCN-SC, and a Scientific Advisory Board Member of Singapore NRF. Her current research interests center around “Green, Soft, and Open”.

Cindy Cook

Chairman, ITU TG 5/1, Government of Canada

Cindy Cook is the Chairman of the International Telecommunication Union’s Task Group 5/1 (ITU-R TG 5/1) which is responsible for conducting sharing and compatibility studies in frequency bands above 24 GHz for the introduction of IMT-2020 (5G). She has held progressively more senior Chairmanship roles within the ITU and led Canadian delegations to various International meetings.

Ms. Cook is Director of 5G Spectrum Projects in the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) in the Government of Canada where she is responsible for the development of Canada’s 5G spectrum strategy and managing Canada’s preparations for the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19). Previously she was the Director of Mobile Spectrum Engineering where she led a team responsible for engineering, standards and planning work for the use of mobile spectrum in Canada.

Prior to joining ISED, Ms. Cook worked for Nortel Networks, Bell Canada and Telesat Canada and has a broad technical background in radiocommunications, satellite and telecommunications gained over 25+ years. She obtained a B.A.Sc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ottawa and is a Professional Engineer in Ontario.

Robert Watson

President & CEO, Information Technology Association of Canada

Robert Watson is the President and CEO of the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC), the national voice of the information and communication technology sector in Canada.

Robert also serves as a Board Member for Tbaytel and StarTech. He was previously Chief Executive of the Bermuda Regulatory Authority, CEO SaskPower and CEO of SaskTel. Prior to that, he held several senior executive positions in the Canadian communications industry. Mr. Watson is a graduate in electrical technologies from Ryerson University. He has attended the international executive development program at the INSEAD Centre in Fontainebleau, France, as well as the executive management program at Ashridge Business School in the United Kingdom. He also holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

In the community, Robert is a recipient of the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal and the Ryerson Alumni Award of Distinction, serves on the Prostate Cancer Canada Board, One Life Makes a Difference and Dean’s Council for Ted Rogers School of Management.

Peiying Zhu

Fellow & Senior Director, Wireless Technology Lab, Huawei

Dr. Peiying Zhu is a Huawei Fellow. She is currently leading 5G wireless system research in Huawei. The focus of her research is advanced wireless access technologies with more than 200 granted patents. She has been regularly giving talks and panel discussions on 5G vision and enabling technologies. She served as the guest editor for IEEE Signal processing magazine special issue on the 5G revolution and co-chaired for various 5G workshops. She is actively involved in IEEE 802 and 3GPP standards development. She is currently a WiFi Alliance Board member.

Prior to joining Huawei in 2009, Peiying was a Nortel Fellow and Director of Advanced Wireless Access Technology in the Nortel Wireless Technology Lab. She led the team and pioneered research and prototyping on MIMO-OFDM and Multi-hop relay. Many of these technologies developed by the team have been adopted into LTE standards and 4G products.
Peiying Zhu received the Master of Science degree and Doctor Degree from Southeast University and Concordia University in 1985 and 1993 respectively.

Galiam Ouedraogo

Head of Radio Spectrum Planning and Coordination Service, ARCEP BURKINA

Galiam OUEDRAOGO is responsible of planning and coordination service in the Spectrum Management department of ARCEP Burkina and Vice Chair of ITU-R Study group 1.

He has worked on numerous Telecom projects in Europe (UPC Broadband in Holland, SFR and Bouygues Telecom in France) before joining ARCEP Burkina. He is working on spectrum planning, terrestrial and spatial coordination and several national projects studies.

He played an active role in Burkina Faso preparation and was agenda item 10 ATU coordinator during WRC-15, defending Africa positions related to 5G Topic. He is involved in WRC-19 preparation process.

Galiam holds an MSc Degree in Engineering – Electronics and Communication Systems from INSA de Rennes and an MSc in Management from Telecom and Management SudParis.

Brian O'Shaughnessy

SVP & CTO, Converged Networks, Shaw Communications and Freedom Mobile

Brian O’Shaughnessy has been leading the development and deployment of advanced wireless and video networks for more than 30 years, having started with the inception of cellular service in the mid 1980s.

Brian is currently the SVP and Chief Technology Officer, Converged Networks at Shaw Communications and Freedom Mobile, responsible for all Freedom Network, IT and Procurement activities, as well as creating Shaw’s next generation, end-to-end converged network strategy. Previously, as the Chief Technology Officer of startup wireless company Public Mobile in 2009, Brian established the network organization from scratch, successfully bringing the organization from the initial funding stage through the launch of wireless service in Montreal and Toronto in 2010 and its subsequent acquisition in 2014.

Brian was the first RF Engineer at Bell Cellular in 1985 and held numerous senior management positions with Bell, including Vice-President, Wireless Technology Development. Then, as the Vice-President, Video and Access Network Technology Development, he drove the development of FibeTV (IPTV) as well as DSL, fiber to the home and home networking technologies.

Brian has actively driven next generation standards in various organizations, including serving as President of the CDMA Development Group from 1998 to 2002, an organization promoting the development of CDMA based wireless standards around the world. He also held numerous industry leadership positions in CTIA as well as through a number of technology advisory boards in Canada and the US.

Brian holds a BSc in electrical engineering from Queen’s University, has been a licensed Professional Engineer since 1985 and has been an active Volunteer for more than 18 years with Scouts Canada helping youth discover their own direction and start down a path to reach their full potential.

Alexander Kühn

Chairman of the Electronic Communications Committee’s Conference Preparatory Group, CEPT

After a state exam of law at the University of Osnabrück, Mr Kühn has been working since 1998 in the area of legal internship (e.g. at Regional Court) of the Federal Network Agency, Germany; changing to national and international spectrum regulation on different levels in 2005. Nowadays he is the deputy head of section for international affairs and utilization concepts. His responsibilities cover strategic frequency utilization concepts and the transposition of those to the international level of CEPT, EU and ITU. Doing this and having been active in the preparation of three WRC’s, national and on CEPT CPG level, Mr Kühn participated in a number of international Groups, also as Head of the German Delegation. He has also chaired several groups and subgroups in the ITU and CEPT. Since 2005 he is responsible for national preparation of the WRC’s and served as CPG Vice-Chairman from 2010 to 2013 and as CPG chairman from 2013 to 2015.

Mr Kühn has been appointed as Chairman of the CEPT CPG in March 2016.

Dr. Ann Cavoukian

3-term Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario; Executive Director of the Privacy and Big Data Institute, Ryerson University

Dr. Ann Cavoukian is recognized as one of the world’s leading privacy experts. She is presently the Executive Director of Ryerson University’s Privacy and Big Data Institute. Dr. Cavoukian served an unprecedented three terms as the Information & Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, Canada. There she created Privacy by Design, a framework that seeks to proactively embed privacy into design, thereby achieving the strongest protection possible. In 2010, International Privacy Regulators unanimously passed a Resolution recognizing Privacy by Design as an international standard. Since then, PbD has been translated into 39 languages.

Dr. Cavoukian has received numerous awards recognizing her leadership in privacy, most recently as of the Top 100 Leaders in Identity (January, 2017).

Rahim Tafazolli

Director, ICS & 5GIC, University of Surrey

Rahim Tafazolli is a Professor of Mobile and Satellite Communications, Director of Institute for Communication Systems (ICS), and the founder and Director of 5G Innovation Centre (5GIC) at the University of Surrey, UK.

He has over 25 years of experience in digital communications research and teaching. He has authored and co-authored more than 500 research publications. He is regularly invited to deliver keynote talks and distinguished lectures to International conferences and workshops. He is a co-inventor of more than 30 granted patents, all in the field of digital communications. He is regularly invited by many governments for advise on 5G technologies.

He is a Fellow of Wireless World Research Forum (WWRF) in recognition of his personal contributions to the wireless world as well as heading one of Europe’s leading research groups.

Dianne Carmichael

Board Member, Patients Canada; President & CEO, Carmichael Worldwide Inc.

Dianne Carmichael is an inspirational entrepreneurial leader with an exceptional track record of success in social impact and business, spanning multiple industries over 25 years.

She currently serves as Chief Advisor for the HealthTech division for CCI (Council of Canadian Innovators) created by RIM co-founder Jim Balsillie - bringing the voices of scaling Canadian CEO's to government and policy makers.

Previously, as CEO, Dianne led Best Doctors, a remote second opinion, navigation and advocacy company to become one of the most sought after employee benefits programs, covering over six million Canadians and 40 million worldwide - improving diagnosis 22% and treatment 61% of the time. As Founder & President of UHN Solutions, she developed a public/private funding model that advanced patient care. Dianne also served as Managing Director of MaRS Health & Innovation, working to scale disruptive health technology ventures globally. Prior to coming to healthcare following her Dad's death from cancer in 2004 to advocate for those touched by profound illness, Dianne was Chair and CEO of Worldsource Wealth Management, a subsidiary of publicly traded Guardian Capital Inc., where she built and then grew the company to more than $8 billion in assets.

Dianne also founded and sold a high net worth portfolio company to a large financial institution, co-founded a skin care company that was sold to a larger cosmetic company and recently built the foundation for a digital health technology company.

In her early career, she held senior roles at Procter & Gamble, RJReynolds Nabisco, Gillette and Memorex-Telex.

Dianne sits on the Boards of Holland Bloorview Kids Rehab Hospital, Patients Canada, Canadian Association of People-Centred Health, Dean's Health Advisory York University, CCRM Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine, and Closing the Gap Healthcare.

Dianne has been recognized as one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women by Women’s Executive Network, and named among Canada’s Top 20 Business Women, Top Women to Watch, Canadian Women Transforming Healthcare and Schulich's Top 100 Canadian Business leaders.

She is a graduate of the University of Waterloo.

Adrian Scrase

Chief Technology Officer, ETSI

Adrian Scrase is CTO within ETSI with operational responsibility for all of ETSI’s standards production activities. He has more than 30 years of experience in the telecommunications field, which includes 25 years of experience in standardization.

He played a central role in the creation of the “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP) and is responsible for the operations of the 3GPP Project Co-ordination Group. He heads 3GPPs’ Mobile Competence Centre (MCC) which is an International team of 20 experts who provide comprehensive support to the Project.

He was also principally involved in the formation of the “oneM2M” Partnership Project and oversees ETSI’s support to that initiative.

Johanne Lemay

Co-President, Lemay Yates

Johanne Lemay is Co-President of LYA. She is a recognized expert in telecommunications and broadcasting ranging from the development of strategy and business plans, to due diligence, market research, spectrum valuation, spectrum licensing and spectrum auctions.

Ms. Lemay is actively involved in consultations for the development of public policy in telecommunications and broadcasting. She has acted as an expert witness in regulatory proceedings on numerous occasions. Recent expert evidence mandates were focused on the evolution of television and over-the-top services, benchmarking investment in broadband infrastructure and regulatory framework for MVNOs.

Ms. Lemay’s international experience includes leading mandates on spectrum licensing and auctions as well as investment due diligence in mobile services and broadband networks in countries ranging from Europe, Latin America, Asia to the USA and Canada.

Ms. Lemay is co-leader of the development of the LYA Auction Platforms. She brings expertise in all types of auction formats from SMRA to Clock auctions including Combinatorial Clock Auctions (CCA) and the clock format of the USA Incentive Auction. Ms. Lemay has conducted spectrum license sales on behalf of clients. Ms. Lemay also delivers strategy seminars and auction workshops to both private and public clients including telecommunications regulatory agencies in Europe, Canada and the US.

Ms. Lemay holds an Engineering Physics Degree from Laval University (Quebec City) and an MBA from Concordia University (Montreal).

David Farnes

General Manager, RABC

David Farnes is General Manager of the Radio Advisory Board of Canada (RABC). The RABC represents most sectors of the radiocommunication business in Canada ‑ including: manufacturers, wireless carriers and service providers, network operators, broadcasters, public safety and national security radio network operators, and users. The Board provides the Government of Canada with broadly based, unbiased and technically expert advice regarding the management and use of the radio frequency spectrum in Canada.

In addition to his work with the RABC, David is Principal at Farnes & Associates, a consultancy where he provides thought leadership in mobile healthcare, mobile marketing, spectrum management, mobile broadband, public safety & security, mobile commerce and telecommunications policy. He acts as a Strategic Advisor and Mentor to a number of corporations. With eighteen years’ experience influencing the strategic direction of Canada's wireless industry and over twenty-­five years’ experience with public policy and regulatory matters in the telecommunications industry, David is recognized as one of Canada’s leading telecom experts.

David serves as an Executive-­in-Residence and Mobile Health Lead with the Canadian Advance Technology Alliance, where he launched a Canadian Mobile Health Advisory Board. In addition to his focus on Mobile Health, he is helping CATAAlliance advance its Canadian telecom advocacy and business development in key areas of opportunity such as public safety & security and mobile communications. Prior to founding Farnes & Associates, David was Chief Operating Officer at the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), where he managed CWTA’s day to day operations and worked closely with industry leaders to develop and implement the strategic direction that the Association undertook on behalf of its members.

Before joining CWTA in 1996, David held various positions at the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

He began his career in the Economics Department of Bell Canada. David has a Master of Arts degree in Economics from Queen’s University at Kingston.

You can follow David on Twitter @dfarnes or contact him through email at david@farnes.ca.

Nigel Jefferies

Chairman, WWRF

Nigel Jefferies is a senior standards manager with Huawei Technologies and Chairman of the Wireless World Research Forum, a global partnership between industry and academia to develop a research agenda for mobile communications. Previously he was Head of Academic Relationships within Vodafone Group Research & Development and a Principal Mathematician at Racal Research Ltd. In the past he led the European-funded IST project SHAMAN, which studied the security of future mobile systems, and ran the Secure Applications Steering Group for Mobile VCE. Other collaborative research projects on various aspects of security for mobile communications include 3GS3 in the UK-funded LINK programme, and ASPeCT and USECA in the European ACTS programme. His research interests include cryptography, security of systems and applications of mathematics to telecommunications. He received a PhD in functional analysis from Goldsmith's College, London, and an MA in mathematics from the Queen's College, Oxford. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications and a Chartered Mathematician.

Michael Ha

Deputy Chief, Policy and Rules Division, Office of Engineering and Technology, FCC

Michael Ha is the Deputy Chief of Policy and Rules Division, Office of Engineering and Technology at the Federal Communications Commission. Since joining the Commission in 2010, he has been engaged in various proceedings on spectrum allocations for wireless broadband services, mobile/fixed satellite services, public safety services and unlicensed services. Michael’s recent focus has been on Spectrum Frontiers where mmW band spectrum above 24GHz is being made available for 5G services. He has also been engaged in federal/non-federal spectrum sharing activities and Michael is the FCC’s liaison to the Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee (IRAC).

Michael held various technology and management leadership positions in R&D, Technology Development, Corporate Strategy and Product Management through his private wireless industry career. Prior to joining the Commission, he served as the Director of 4G Device Management at Sprint-Nextel, where his team was responsible for the WiMAX device development and portfolio strategy.

Michael received a Sc.B degree in Electrical Engineering from University of California, San Diego and Masters of Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University.

Jonathan Segel

Executive Director, Strategic Innovation Projects, Mobile Networks CTO Group, Nokia

Jonathan Segel is Executive Director Strategic Innovations in Nokia’s Mobile Networks CTO group, working on Mobile Network technology strategy with a particular focus on 5G. He has an MBA and BSc.(EE) from Queen’s University, and is a registered Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario. He was made a Distinguished Member of the Alcatel-Lucent Technical Academy in 2006.

In the past decade he has started multiple successful new products and two major new architectures. He also has had 7 patents granted and 6 more are pending. Prior to joining Nokia (formerly Alcatel-Lucent), he spent 16 years in the design and delivery of telecommunications services within Telecom New Zealand.

Takehiro Nakamura

VP and Managing Director of 5G Laboratory, NTT DOCOMO, Inc.

Takehiro Nakamura joined NTT Laboratories in 1990. He is now VP and General Manager of 5G Laboratory in NTT DOCOMO, Inc.

Mr. Nakamura has been working for research and development of the W-CDMA, HSPA, LTE/LTE-Advanced and 5G technologies.

He has been engaged in the standardization activities for the W-CDMA, HSPA, LTE/LTE-Advanced and 5G at ARIB in Japan since 1997. He is currently the leader of 2020 and Beyond Ad Hoc(20B AH) in ARIB and Acting Chairman of the Strategy & Planning Committee in 5G Mobile Communication Promotion Forum(5GMF) in Japan.

He has been contributing to standardization activities in 3GPP since1999.　He had contributed to 3GPP TSG-RAN as a vice chairman during March 2005 to March 2009 and as a chairman during April 2009 to March 2013.

Knud Erik Skouby

Professor and Director, Center for Communication, Media and Information Technologies, Aalborg University

Knud Erik Skouby is professor and founding director of center for Communication, Media and Information technologies, Aalborg University-Copenhagen - a center providing a focal point for multi-disciplinary research and training in applications of CMI. Has a career as a university teacher and within consultancy since 1972. Working areas: Techno-economic Analyses; Development of mobile/ wireless applications and services: Regulation of telecommunications.

Project manager and partner in a number of international, European and Danish research projects. Served on a number of public committees within telecom, IT and broadcasting; as a member of boards of professional societies; as a member of organizing boards, evaluation committees and as invited speaker on international conferences; published a number of Danish and international articles, books and conference proceedings. Editor in chief of Nordic and Baltic Journal of Information and Communication Technologies (NBICT); Board member of the Danish Media Committee. Chair of WGA in Wireless World Research Forum; Dep. chair IEEE Denmark. Member of the Academic Council of the Faculty of Engineering and Science, AAU.

Roberto Rodriguez

Head of Spectrum Strategy, Telefónica

Roberto Rodriguez Dorrego is Head of Spectrum Strategy in Telefonica Group, where he is responsible for the supervision of the spectrum processes in Telefonica footprint: defining the spectrum strategy and policy, leading spectrum valuation, preparing bidding strategy and auction governance.

He has coordinated and been involved in the work towards the spectrum auctions in Spain 2016 (sealed bid), Mexico 2016 (CCA), Peru 2016 & 2013 (sealed bid), Germany 2015 (SMRA), Brazil 2014 (Sequential Ascending), Argentina 2014, Chile 2013 (sealed bid/beauty contest) including spectrum valuation, auction rules, governance and bidding strategy. He also defines, in coordination with regulatory and technology teams, Telefonica’s Spectrum Policy positions. He has recently been appointed as Chairman of the GSMA’s Spectrum Strategy Management Group.

Mr, Rodriguez has participated actively in the ITU work to identify new spectrum for mobile services in WRC-15, WRC-12, and WRC-07, as well as in WP5D, JTG-4567, SG5 and CEPT work. He has been working in Spectrum for more than 20 years, mainly in the areas of Spectrum Policy, Spectrum Strategy, Spectrum Auctions Strategy and Spectrum Technology. Previously he held several positions in network strategy, spectrum technology and spectrum engineering.

Mark Dietrich

President and Chief Executive Officer, Compute Canada

Mark Dietrich is Compute Canada’s President and Chief Executive Officer. He is an entrepreneurial leader with decades of executive management experience, and a proven track record of building and transforming organizations, increasing revenues, and maximizing organizational effectiveness. He specializes in innovative corporate strategy, marketing, business development and exceptional service delivery. Mark was previously the Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE), Ontario’s professional association for engineers, where he strengthened OSPE’s member value proposition through increased advocacy, professional development and career services, increased non-government revenues by 20%, reversed a significant decline in membership, and brought the organization to record membership levels.

Prior to joining OSPE, Mark founded Bloodstone Solutions Inc., a Toronto-based professional services firm specializing in strategic value innovation, lean services, and eGovernment solutions for public and private sector clients. Mark was also the Executive VP & COO for the Ontario Research and Development Challenge Fund (ORDCF), a $500 million government fund established to support leading-edge, innovative and industrially relevant university and hospital research. The ORDCF provided support to more than 100+ university-industry research partnerships in diverse areas, including nanotechnology, bioinformatics, as well as working to coordinate HPC initiatives at SciNet, SHARCNet, and HPCVL.

Mark’s diverse background in new product development, commercialization, service delivery, and marketing was built through a series of executive leadership roles with companies in the Greater New York City area. His success spans multiple industries, including consulting (strategy, marketing, process improvement, business model innovation), technology and information services (internet service delivery, commercialization, engineered solutions), and finance (project- and asset-based financing), in the United States and Canada, with international mandates. Mark has a BEE degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Mathematics from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Ricardo Castañeda

Director General of Spectrum Engineering, IFT

Ricardo Castañeda is the General Director of Spectrum Engineering in The Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones, the Mexican telecommunications regulator. Mr. Castañeda is a telecom and electronics engineer, with specialization in telecommunications by The Instituto Politécnico Nacional and have several studies regarding spectrum technologies, regulation and telecom public policies.
Mr. Castañeda have more than 15 years of experience in telecoms sector, playing different roles and responsibilities in the private and public sectors. He is specialized in spectrum regulation, as well as spectrum planning, engineering and optimization.
As part of the Mexican telecommunications regulator, Mr. Castañeda has participated in the development of numerous public policies, technical rules and studies related with the use, planning, and regulation of spectrum in Mexico.

In international matters, has represented Mexico in several conferences and meetings. Collaborates actively in specialized organisms like ITU, CITEL and in bilateral Mexico – USA authorities’ workgroups for spectrum sharing in the border zone with United States.

Alex Manea

Security Services, BlackBerry

Alex Manea is BlackBerry’s Chief Security Officer. As a founding member of the BlackBerry Security organization, Alex has protected mobile, desktop and IoT devices, networks and infrastructure for over a decade. He is a Certified Software Security Lifecycle Professional and has an Honours degree in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo. In 2015, Alex starred on the hit TV show Canada’s Smartest Person, winning his episode with the highest score of the season.

Veena Rawat

Senior Spectrum Advisor, GSMA

Veena is currently working as a Communications Technologies Consultant, providing advisory services to a number of organizations and corporations nationally and internationally. In 2014 she became an Officer of the Order of Canada for her “contributions to telecommunications engineering and for leadership in establishing the global regulatory framework for radio spectrum management”

Between 2011-14, Veena worked as Vice President and Ambassador to ITU for BlackBerry. During 2004-11, she was President of Communications Research Centre, the only Canadian federal government research lab conducting R&D in all communications technologies. Before heading CRC, Veena spent 28 years within the Canadian Government where she held executive positions in managing radio frequency spectrum.

Veena‘ s many “firsts” in her career and her long list of national and international awards include being the first female (and first Canadian as well) ever to chair ITU’s WRC (World Radio Conference) in 2003 for which she was awarded ITU’ s gold medal by the Secretary General.

Jodi Goldberg

Global Spectrum & Regulatory Policy, ESOA

Jodi Goldberg is the Associate Corporate Counsel, Regulatory Affairs at EchoStar Corporation, including its wholly-owned subsidiary, EchoStar Mobile Limited (EML), where she advises the company on domestic and international regulatory and policy issues. Ms. Goldberg develops policy arguments to advocate company positions before national and international regulatory bodies relating to licensing and rulemaking proceedings, broadband deployment regulation and funding, and satellite network development. EML is a member of EMEA Satellite Operators Association (ESOA).

Prior to joining EchoStar, Ms. Goldberg externed at SES Americom and interned at O3b Network Systems.

Ms. Goldberg earned a Master of Laws in International Business and Economics law from Georgetown University Law Center. Ms. Goldberg received law degrees from Michigan State University College of Law and the University of Ottawa, as well as a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University.

Before entering the telecommunications field, Ms. Goldberg completed her articles at McMillan LLP in Toronto, Canada, where she focused on corporate law.

Bruce Mueller

Director, Research, Chief Technology Office, Motorola Solutions

Bruce Mueller directs wireless research in the CTO office at Motorola Solutions. While at Motorola, he has been instrumental in inventing, prototyping and realizing the key technologies behind 2G, 3G and 4G cellular systems, cable data and telephony solutions, and numerous other wireless platforms. An inventor with 23 issued patents, he is active in developing the next generation of mission critical connectivity for first responders and public networks. When wearing his futurist hat, Bruce also collaborates with technology startups, university research and external agencies to connect them with MSI to enable the future of critical communications.

Bruce joined Motorola Solutions 26 years ago after graduating with a BSEE from Rose Hulman Institute of Technology and a MSEE from the University of Michigan.

Bruce is a proud 'maker' with a wide spectrum of interests in electronics, robotics and education. He is active with FIRST Robotics, the Boy Scouts of America, and numerous other educational activities in the Chicagoland area.

Randall Trevino

Senior Adviser, International Telecommunication Union

Randall TREVINO was named Deputy Regional Director at
ITU Regional Office for the Americas in February 2013.
Prior to this appointment, he performed duties as Director of Networks and Telecommunication Systems at Vice Ministry of Telecommunications in Costa Rica; Randall was the former President of the Board of Central America
Telecommunications Commission – COMTELCA and
co-responsible for the creation of the National Broadband
Strategy in Costa Rica.
After more than thirty years’ experience in the high-technology industry, Randall worked for 13 years with ICE, The Electricity and Telecommunications Institute in Costa Rica, where held increasingly management positions in Electricity and Telecommunication areas. In 1995 he became Director of International Engineering for IMA-WorldCom in
Miami, USA with the responsibility of the development of the International Call Originating Network throughout Latin America, where he remained until 2001, and then he moved to NEXCOM-LeadCom Group Israel as General Manager and Senior Project Director successfully managing NORTEL projects for more than US$ 50 million.
Afterwards he was appointed Senior Project Director for GBM an IBM alliance Company, to manage high profile projects on CISCO Giga Routers Backbone Networks. Mr.
Trevino also has held executive positions in various companies in the private sector as Xerox, ITS Info-Comunicación, and IBS Technologies among others.
Mr. Trevino received degrees in Electrical and Telecommunication Engineering - Summa Cum Laude - from Central America Autonomous University, Master Degree in
Project Management - Cum Laude - from University of Science and Technology in Costa Rica, MBA International Business from University of Miami, USA, and M.Sc.
Engineering from Purdue University, USA.

Amit Nagpal

Partner, Aetha Consulting

Amit Nagpal is a Partner at, and one of the co-founders of, Aetha Consulting. Amit has 25 years of experience on spectrum management issues having started his career with the Radiocommunications Agency (now part of Ofcom) in the UK. Amit advises regulators/government bodies, fixed and mobile operators, broadcasters, financial institutions and industry associations on a wide range of issues including spectrum policy development and spectrum valuation and auction support. He has undertaken projects for clients in Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia and North America and is therefore able to bring a global perspective to his work.

Michael Turner

V.P. System Strategies, Wesley Clover International

Michael Turner is V.P. System Strategies with Wesley Clover International, where his responsibilities include strategies analysis, government relations and supporting the company’s ‘Alacrity’ business incubators program.

Previously, Mr. Turner was a senior executive with the Canadian Government, accountable for leadership of IT & Telecommunications operations within the Government’s common services agency. During this period (2000-2005) Mr. Turner was a member of the executive team responsible for implementing over 100 Internet based eGovernment services for Canada’s citizens and businesses. Prior to this he served for over 25 years in various operational and executive positions within the Canadian Coast Guard, culminating in several years as Deputy Commissioner.

Michael currently serves on Canada’s Defence Advisory Board, the Advisory Board of the National Research Council’s Emerging Technologies Division, and the Board of Directors of Wavefront, Canada’s wireless innovation accelerator.

Jaco du Plooy

Vice President, Head of Technology, Customer Unit Canada & Principal Solutions Consultant, Market Area North America, Ericsson Canada

Jaco du Plooy is Head of Technology at Ericsson’s customer unit for Canada based in Toronto. He is responsible for Ericsson’s technology, product and services portfolio towards all Ericson customers in Canada. He also holds the designation of Principal Solutions Consultant within Ericsson’s market area North America.

Before joining Ericsson Canada in 2016 he spent 12 years in the USA in various technology roles responsible for the commercial launch of 3G/UMTS, heterogeneous networks, 4G/LTE and NFV/Cloud technologies with US operators.

Prior to joining Ericsson, Jaco spent 5 years with global operators Vodafone and Three in various Network Planning and Engineering roles deploying GSM (2G) and UMTS (3G) technologies in Africa and Europe respectively.

Bill Wright

Director, Government Affairs and Senior Policy Counsel, Symantec

Bill Wright is the Director of Government Affairs & Senior Policy Counsel. He brings nearly 20 years of experience spanning the legal, policy, and operational spectrums of national security, law enforcement, and international partnerships. In addition to heading up the Norton Cybersecurity Institute program, Bill manages a number of global cybercrime and cybersecurity operational and policy partner relationships with governments and industry. Prior to joining Symantec, Bill was Staff Director and General Counsel for two U.S. Senate Subcommittees focused on homeland security, government IT and oversight. He also served as the chief advisor to Senator Scott Brown for cybersecurity, national security and intelligence issues. Prior to the Senate, Bill worked in the Intelligence Community as a Senior Operations Officer at the National Counterterrorism Center Operations Center (NCTC). For his work at NCTC, Bill earned the National Intelligence Meritorious Unit Citation from the Director of National Intelligence. He also served in several capacities at the U.S. Department of State where he worked across multiple agencies to coordinate law enforcement and counterterrorism programs worldwide. Prior to his government career, Bill was an attorney with a Chicago law firm where his practice focused on civil litigation. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Hampden-Sydney College and a J.D. from DePaul University College of Law.

Katherine Thompson

Senior Advisor, Cyber Security, MNP; Founder and Chair, Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA)

As one of Canada’s most passionate and influential voices surrounding the issues and opportunities related to cyber security in Canada, Katherine Thompson has taken a leading role in helping Canadians understand the risks and rewards associated with the digital economy. As Senior Advisor, Cyber Security with MNP and Founder-Chair of the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA) Cyber Council, Katherine leads a national team of globally recognized cyber security experts focused on helping Canadian organizations better understand, secure and capitalize in the global digital marketplace.

Katherine is regularly called upon to speak on the current state of cyber security in Canada and key issues including security of critical infrastructure, breach management, risks for small to medium sized enterprise, the growing labor and skills shortage and ensuring Canada’s economic prosperity through cyber initiatives. As an industry advisory to the Canadian government, the CATA Council is committed to helping government, academia and industry collaborate on the overaching issue of cyber risk that impacts all Canadians.

Chris Bachalo

Director Service Provider Cloud Solutions, Juniper Networks

Chris Bachalo is currently the Director of Service Provider Cloud Solutions for Juniper Networks. Mr Bachalo has accumulated 25 years of experience in the telecom industry. He joined Juniper in 2010 as CTO for Juniper Canada, from Alcatel-Lucent (and former Newbridge Networks) where he was VP of Systems Engineering for 17 years. Chris is focused on building advanced telecommunications solutions for service providers and large enterprise. He is also heavily engaged in academic telecommunications research and participates in multiple industry advisory boards including: CENGN (Center of Excellence for Next Generation Networking) Industry/Commercial Advisory Boards and Board of Directors, Algonquin College Photonics and Laser Technology Advisory Board, BRIC/University of Regina (Bridging Research and Interoperability Center) Public Safety Communications Advisory Board, SAVI/University of Toronto/York University (Smart Applications on Virtual Infrastructure) Industry Advisory Board, Invest Ottawa ICT Industry Sector Advisor, BCNet Industry Advisor, Enermotion Inc co-founder/co-author of primary patent, and University of Toronto Masters of Engineering in Telecommunications Advisory Board. Chris has a BASc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Windsor and studied at the University of Toronto toward an MEng in Electrical Engineering.

Dr Ching-Tarng Hsieh

Research Consultant, ITRI, Hsinchu, Taiwan.

Dr. Ching-Tarng Hsieh has more than 30 years experience in information and communications technologies including WiMAX, WLAN, 5ESS, 4ESS, cdma_2000, and UMTS systems. He has worked in systems engineering, architecture, software development, and project management with extensive experience in switching system and protocol software development. His current responsibilities include international collaboration and 5G standards.

Dr. Ching-Tarng Hsieh received his Ph.D. in Computer Sciences from The University of Texas at Austin. He worked at Bell Laboratories/Lucent Technologies for 15 years before joining the Industrial Technology Research Institute and is now a research consultant at the Information and Communication Laboratories. Dr. Hsieh is also an adjunct professor at National Chiao Tung University.

Erik Boch

Wireless Technology Entrepreneur

Erik Boch is a recognized industry knowledge expert in wireless networking technologies,
including 4/5G Mobile, WiFi, WiGig & IoT. Erik has co-founded several technology companies
focused on the mobile networking & wireless IoT space;

• DragonWave Inc.: wireless mobile networking
- Co-founder & CTO
- ~ $100M revenue, NasDaq & TSX

• Ranzure Networks Inc. :4G+/5G Small Cell Cloud RAN
- Co-founder & CTO
- Acquired by Mavenir Networks

• SkyGyde Inc.: wireless IoT for the heavy construction safety sector
- Co-founder & CTO

In addition, Erik has also served in numerous advisory & board roles;

• National Capital Institute of Technology (NCIT)
• Peraso Wireless – WiGig ASIC technology
• PMC Sierra – 4/5G RAN ASIC technology
• ThinkRF – RF spectrum analysis solutions
• DragonFly Systems – wireless IoT for the security sector

Erik has previously held senior engineering/technical management and senior management positions [over his ~ 30 year career] at a number of communications and aerospace companies, namely Litton Systems, ComDev, Lockheed Martin and Alcatel Networks (formerly Newbridge).

Erik has been published extensively (>100) in both major telecom conferences as well as networking publications and has numerous patents/applications. Erik also participants in various regulatory/standards working groups.

Erik holds a MSEE from Carleton University in Ottawa and is a registered Peng in Ontario.

Erik is currently in the process of starting a new technology company in the area of SmartCities.