Ms. Bernadette Lewis was appointed as the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation in August 2020. This is a historic appointment as she is the first female Secretary-general in the 120-year history of the CTO. This is indeed a major accomplishment that should encourage women everywhere to strive for the mastery of whatever profession they may choose and especially in science and technology.

Breaking the glass ceiling is not new to Ms. Lewis; she was also the first female Secretary-General of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) and she is credited for making the CTU the foremost information and communication technology (ICT) inter-governmental institution in the Caribbean.

A national of Trinidad and Tobago, Ms. Lewis brings to the CTO a wealth of experience in public and private sectors and is knowledgeable in national and regional ICT issues. The 4th Industrial Revolution, the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated financial contagion, is changing the world irrevocably, ushering us into an environment of unprecedented uncertainty. For the CTO, surviving, indeed thriving in this environment will necessitate innovative leadership, a deep understanding of ICT and faith and courage to deviate from the beaten paths of 20th Century thinking to build a 21st century organisation that is relevant and serves its members with integrity and excellence. Ms. Lewis brings these qualities to the CTO.

Dr. Tassos Lyratzis is an Electrical & Computer Engineer and holds a PhD in the field of Telecommunications & Computer Networks (1994). During his PhD studies, he worked as a specialist in Telecommunications in various European research projects.

He is currently working in the Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT) since 2001, in the Spectrum Directorate. He has been the Head of the Spectrum Management Department (2003-2006) when EETT was involved in the Spectrum Management of the Olympic Games of Athens in 2004. Since 2011 he is Head (Director) of Spectrum Division of EETT.

He participates in international activities in CEPT (WGFM and ECC) as well as in European Union groups like the Radio Spectrum Committee (2003-2006), and the Radio Spectrum Policy Group (2011 – today). Since 2016 he has been co-chair of the RSPG sub-Groups working on 5G and 6G topics.

Mr. Bharat Bhatia has over 45 years of experience in Telecom and ICT policy, regulations and spectrum management. He is the President of ITU-APT Foundation of India and Vice Chairman of the World Wireless Research Forum (WWRF) for the Asia Pacific. Mr. Bhatia also chairs the PPDR working groups under ITU and APT. Earlier he was also the President of TEMA – India’s Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Association and Vice President of ATIS -Association of Telecom Industries of Singapore. Mr. Bhatia was earlier heading the international spectrum team of Motorola Solutions Inc. where he worked for over 20 years. Prior to that, he was a senior regulator with the Indian Government for 22 years as a spectrum regulator and Telecom policy specialist and was actively involved in opening of the Indian telecom to the private sector, including the licensing of first ever GSM metro cellular in India through a beauty contest in 1992. He was also a key architect of India’s first ever National Frequency Allocation Plan (NFAP) in 1981 and the first ever published NFAP in 2000. Mr. Bhatia actively participates in various ITU and APT meetings and has attended all World Radio Conferences during the last 20 years.He was the key originator of ITU World Radio Conference Resolutions on PPDR, which were adopted at WRC-2003 and WRC-2015.Mr. Bharat Bhatia holds a B. E. degree from University of Delhi in Electronics and Telecommunications and is a fellow member of IETE, the Institution of Electronics & Telecommunications Engineers. He did his Foundational Course from Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in 1976.

Mr. Masanori Kondo, Secretary General of the APT, brings to his post over 25 years of eminent experience and expertise both in national and international stage.

Before joining APT, Mr. Kondo had long tenure with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan. His international experiences include working as a diplomat at the Japanese Embassy in Jordan (1996-1999), and as a policy maker for bilateral and multilateral issues for G7, OECD, APEC, ITU etc. (2002-04, 2008-2014). He also implemented many projects under PPP in ICT field and collaborated with many international organizations and private sectors.

Mr. Kondo holds B.A. in Economics from Keio University in Japan and MSc. in Economics from the London School of Economics (LSE) in the United Kingdom. He was also a visiting scholar at Harvard University (Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, 2003-04) in the United States.

Olivia Trusty is a Professional Staff Member on the Senate Committee on Armed Services. In this role, she leads the cybersecurity subcommittee and handles the committee’s science and technology, artificial intelligence, and spectrum management portfolios. Prior to joining Armed Services, Trusty was policy director for two subcommittees at the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and worked in Senator Wicker’s personal office. In these roles, Trusty worked with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, as well as the Federal Communications Commission, on a variety of issues impacting federal and non-federal uses of electromagnetic spectrum. Before coming to the Senate, Trusty worked on the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee and served as legislative assistant to Congressman Bob Latta from Ohio where she handled the Communications and Technology policy portfolio. Prior to her work on Capitol Hill, Trusty was in the private sector where she worked in the telecommunications industry. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master’s degree in American Government from Georgetown University.

Cary Ingram is a Senior Analyst and Policy Advisor for the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration. Cary advises senior Department of Commerce officials on international economic and trade policies concerning the information and communications technology (ICT) industry with specific expertise in telecommunications technologies. With over 18 years of experience in the technology sector, Cary is an advocate for global policies that increase international commerce and investment, promote innovation, and advance interoperability in the global technology ecosystem. Cary is also a leading expert within the Department of Commerce on policy and business development strategies to support tech startups, entrepreneurs, and high-growth companies in the global ICT market.

Prior to his work at the Department of Commerce, Cary worked in corporate strategy development for multi-national companies in the consumer goods, bio-technology, and financial services industries. Mr. Ingram also served as a consultant to the United Nations Office of the Secretary General on promoting corporate social responsibility and sustainable business practices.

Cary received a B.S.B.A in International Business and a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from Drake University. He went on to earn a Master’s in International Affairs from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs.

Mr. Nikolai Vassiliev is the Chief of the Terrestrial Services Department in the Radiocommunication Bureau of the International Telecommunication Union.
He obtained his Master’s degree in radiocommunications in 1985 and MBA in management in 19992. From 1985 to 1996 he worked at different positions for the Russian Ministry of Telecommunications. In 1996 he joined the ITU. His current responsibilities cover spectrum management for terrestrial services, including mobile broadband, RLANs, broadcasting, maritime and aeronautical radiocommunications. He participates in ITU studies of emerging wireless technologies and provides regulatory and technical assistance to the ITU’s administrations.
At the international level, he participated in twelve ITU world and regional radiocommunication conferences since 1992 and numerous meetings, seminars and conferences on wireless communications in various regions of the world.

David Willis is Group Director for Spectrum, responsible for leading Ofcom's work managing the UK's airwaves.

David has 30 years of technology and telecoms experience in government and industry. Before joining Ofcom, he was President of the Communications Research Centre, the Government of Canada's research centre for advanced wireless telecommunications, spectrum management and helping to improve broadband services for Canadians.

Before this, David led the Spectrum Engineering and Planning team at Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada. Here his work included international spectrum standards; wireless spectrum engineering and planning; satellite spectrum policy, licensing and coordination; and leading the Canadian delegation at the 2019 World Radiocommunication Conference.

David has also held leadership roles in product management, operations and engineering at BlackBerry and Nortel Networks.

Kevin Robinson is a 15-year veteran of Wi-Fi Alliance and became CEO of the organization in October 2022. Kevin is focused on securing sufficient, harmonized global Wi-Fi spectrum, deepening engagement and cohesion across the Wi-Fi ecosystem, and evolving the organization to ensure it remains as nimble as the industry it serves.

Serving as Wi-Fi Alliance’s Vice President of Marketing for the last seven years, Robinson has led many of the organization’s most transformative initiatives and has been a leading ambassador for promoting Wi‑Fi and Wi‑Fi Alliance as a collaboration forum worldwide. Kevin oversaw branding, communications, market development, product management, program marketing, and public relations for the organization. He was also responsible for driving the development of Wi-Fi Alliance corporate strategy.

Before joining Wi-Fi Alliance in 2008, Kevin enjoyed working with early-stage technology startups on business strategy consulting and technology market research. Kevin is a veteran of the United States Army, where he served as a Captain in the Infantry. Kevin holds a BS in Computer Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA with a specialization in Entrepreneurship from The University of Texas at Austin. He lives with his family in Austin, Texas.

Detlef Fuehrer is Senior Manager, Spectrum Management and Regulatory Affairs, EMEA in the CTO Office at Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company. His main responsibility is to set and drive HPE’s legislative & regulatory priorities for radio spectrum in EMEA and to execute all aspects of HPE’s EMEA strategy. Prior to Aruba, Detlef managed the Spectrum Engineering activities of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre where he established the Radio Spectrum Lab. Holding a diploma in Electronics Engineering from Dortmund University, he worked in the semiconductor industry for almost 20 years, predominantly in the communications domain, at Alcatel, Texas Instruments, and Hitachi Electronic Components. Detlef authored the first German-language expert book on ADSL and published numerous studies on spectrum sharing and wireless coexistence.

DR. RAUL L. KATZ

Raul L. Katz is President of Telecom Advisory Services (www.teleadvs.com), a firm that advises digital technology clients in the fields of strategy, regulation and business development. He is also Director of Business Strategy Research at the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information at Columbia University and Visiting Professor at the Universidad de San Andres (Argentina). In 2004, Dr. Katz retired as a Lead Partner at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he was a member of the firm’s Leadership Team and Head of the US and Latin America Telecommunication practices. During his career, he has worked extensively in the planning and development of digital businesses, particularly telecommunications worldwide. In the last fifteen years, Dr. Katz has been focused on analyzing the economic impact of broadband, and the development of national broadband plans as well as national digital agendas. Dr. Katz has published over 50 articles and six books. He received his Ph.D. in Management Science and Political Science and an M.S. in Communications Technology and Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Licence and a Maîtrise (with honors) in Communication Sciences from the University of Paris as well as a Licence in History and a Maîtrise in Political Science from the University of Paris-Sorbonne.

Mr. Wahome is the CEO and Founder of Aegir Consult Ltd, a vibrant technology firm based in Nairobi, Kenya. He holds a BSc. in and is a seasoned techpreneur. With a strong background in Geomatic Engineering and Geospatial Information Systems, he plays a pivotal role in advancing innovative solutions within the telco space, particularly in collaboration with Kenya's telecommunications regulator and African Advanced Level Telecommunications Institute (AFRALTI). He has over 10 years' experience in offshoring location Intelligence Services and enterprise systems implementation locally, regionally, and internationally. Mr Wahome has spearheaded projects that have positively impacted government organizations, not-for-profits, and private owned businesses in different capacities as a Lead Consultant. He is also a World Bank Group Consultant working to support developing countries and alleviate poverty.
Victor operates within the private sector, supporting research and development in the telecommunications field. His work is closely aligned with regulatory frameworks, yet he maintains a distinct role separate from any official regulatory body. This unique positioning allows him to offer valuable insights and practical perspectives on spectrum sharing, national spectrum policies, and the development of sandboxes for spectrum innovation.

Dr Martha Suarez is President of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance and has over 15 years of experience in the telecommunications industry. In her current role at the DSA she advocates for laws and regulations that will lead to more efficient and effective spectrum utilization, which is essential to addressing key worldwide social and economic challenges.

She spent over three years as General Director of the National Spectrum Agency in Colombia, having originally joined the ANE in 2013. Before that, she was awarded with a Marie Curie Fellowship and worked at the Instytut Technologii Elektronowej ITE in Poland for the Partnership for Cognitive Radio Par4CR European Project.

Suarez is an electronics engineer, with a master degree in high frequency communication systems and is Doctor in electronics from the University Paris-Est.