Leadership

Board

Leadership

Jascha Stein

Executive Chair

Board Member since 2022

Jascha is co-founder and CEO of OmniBot, a global provider of voice and conversational AI platforms, headquartered in Germany.

Jascha is an ESG Impact-Entrepreneur, World Economic Forum Global Innovator and Executive Member of the EDISON Alliance. He is dedicated to reducing the digital divide and advocate for a more people centered world.

Jascha’s bio page

Jascha Stein is Executive Chair of People Centered Internet and CEO of OmniBot.ai, a Conversational AI Platform he co-founded with its Chief Scientist, Jeff Adams, former tech lead of Amazon Alexa. As an ESG Impact-Entrepreneur and World Economic Forum Global Innovator, he is dedicated to reducing the digital divide, a mission acknowledged with a personal invitation to the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos by Klaus Schwab. Jascha also serves as an executive member of the WEF Edison Alliance for Digital Inclusion and Head of the Working Group Media & Marketing at the German AI Association. Jascha’s philanthropic efforts include founding the non-profit Particip.ai supported by Brigitte Mohn. Particip.ai was recognized two years in a row in the UNESCO Global Top 100 of AI Solutions. Particip.aiutilizes Conversational AI to promote digital inclusion and participation in various sectors such as information, education, healthcare, and value adding by the people. With a background as a trained IT Systems Electronics Engineer and Gestalt Therapist, Jascha blends technology and psychology to focus on regulation, business, impact, and science to foster a more people-centered world., together with Mei Lin Fung he organizes the 50th Anniversary of the Internet in collaboration with ITU and IEEE. With a multinational heritage, Jascha champions joint innovation, harnessing intercultural and intergenerational insights to tackle key regional and global issues.

Social Links:

LinkedIn

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Leadership

Dr. Linton Wells II

Vice Chair

Board Member since 2019

 

Dr. Linton Wells II brings over 50 years of military, government, and academic experience focused on national security, technology, ethics, and global development to the PCI board. His contributions as a US Naval Officer and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, under two administrations, shaped current national security frameworks for driving public-private cooperation for disaster relief.

 

Experience :

  • George Mason University
  • Principal Deputy Asst Secretary (Networks and Information Integration) for the Office of the Secretary of Defense

Lin’s expertise in resilience building has enabled him to lead PCI’s projects focused on building sustainable, digital ecosystems in Native American tribal communities and Puerto Rico. He’s excited to continue exploring how knowledge and technologies can be shared across sectors to build new solutions.

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Jascha’s bio page

Jascha Stein is Executive Chair of People Centered Internet and CEO of OmniBot.ai, a Conversational AI Platform he co-founded with its Chief Scientist, Jeff Adams, former tech lead of Amazon Alexa. As an ESG Impact-Entrepreneur and World Economic Forum Global Innovator, he is dedicated to reducing the digital divide, a mission acknowledged with a personal invitation to the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos by Klaus Schwab. Jascha also serves as an executive member of the WEF Edison Alliance for Digital Inclusion and Head of the Working Group Media & Marketing at the German AI Association. Jascha’s philanthropic efforts include founding the non-profit Particip.ai supported by Brigitte Mohn. Particip.ai was recognized two years in a row in the UNESCO Global Top 100 of AI Solutions. Particip.aiutilizes Conversational AI to promote digital inclusion and participation in various sectors such as information, education, healthcare, and value adding by the people. With a background as a trained IT Systems Electronics Engineer and Gestalt Therapist, Jascha blends technology and psychology to focus on regulation, business, impact, and science to foster a more people-centered world., together with Mei Lin Fung he organizes the 50th Anniversary of the Internet in collaboration with ITU and IEEE. With a multinational heritage, Jascha champions joint innovation, harnessing intercultural and intergenerational insights to tackle key regional and global issues.

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Experience :

  • George Mason University
  • Principal Deputy Asst Secretary (Networks and Information Integration) for the Office of the Secretary of Defense

Lin’s expertise in resilience building has enabled him to lead PCI’s projects focused on building sustainable, digital ecosystems in Native American tribal communities and Puerto Rico. He’s excited to continue exploring how knowledge and technologies can be shared across sectors to build new solutions.

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Diego Molano

Diego Molano-Vega

Board Member since 2021

Diego Molano-Vega is the former Minister of Information Technologies and Communications of Colombia. He stewarded Colombia’s national technology plan, which was highlighted at the World Economic Forum in Davos, and has aided governments in more than 15 countries in designing technology policies.

Experience:

With a commitment to leveraging technology to reduce poverty, Molano-Vega joined PCI to work on a project looking at how financial technology ecosystems can empower communities. He views PCI as a bridge between Silicon Valley and the developing world, and is excited to harness the innovation and creativity of the network to build new solutions.

Leadership

Benedikt Signer

Board Member since 2022

Benedikt’s work focuses on the intersection of climate, finance, and technology. He spent over a decade at the World Bank supporting countries in financial planning for climate risks. His focus was equally on supporting governments and building new programs.

Benedikt has also launched multiple new initiatives including the Global Risk Financing Facility, a $300 million fund to scale up financial preparedness to shocks through Work Bank projects, and a training program that has since scaled to reach over 18,000+ people in 65 countries. Benedikt has frequently supported global policy discussions, including multiple G7 and G20 Presidencies, APEC, and ASEAN+3 discussions. He is currently an advisor to the World Bank, Fellow at the UK Centre for Greening Finance and Investment at the University of Oxford, and a member of the global advisory board of PLACE. He has a Master’s degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics.

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Projects:

  • Theory of Change
  • Digital Finance
  • Europe
  •  

Experience:

With a commitment to leveraging technology to reduce poverty, Molano-Vega joined PCI to work on a project looking at how financial technology ecosystems can empower communities. He views PCI as a bridge between Silicon Valley and the developing world, and is excited to harness the innovation and creativity of the network to build new solutions.

Benedikt has also launched multiple new initiatives including the Global Risk Financing Facility, a $300 million fund to scale up financial preparedness to shocks through Work Bank projects, and a training program that has since scaled to reach over 18,000+ people in 65 countries. Benedikt has frequently supported global policy discussions, including multiple G7 and G20 Presidencies, APEC, and ASEAN+3 discussions. He is currently an advisor to the World Bank, Fellow at the UK Centre for Greening Finance and Investment at the University of Oxford, and a member of the global advisory board of PLACE. He has a Master’s degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics.

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Projects:

  • Theory of Change
  • Digital Finance
  • Europe
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Distinguished Advisors

Leadership

Diane Strahan

Senior executive with 25+ years global leadership experience in privately held and publicly traded companies and nonprofits in the Internet, media, telecom and mobile sectors. Successfully led digital transformation initiatives for both disruptors and established market leaders.

Diane has managed all C-level functions including sales, marketing, finance, operations, IT and human resources from start up through IPO to privately held Mid-Caps to Fortune 500 companies. She has been on the global boards of the leading industry associations in media and technology.

Currently Diane is an Executive Advisor to Fortune 1000 companies as well as board member and advisor to various non profits. Diane served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), managing over 20 offices worldwide, fully modernizing operations and capabilities, including the addition of Netflix and Amazon Studios. As a global board member of the MPA, Diane worked alongside Senator Chris Dodd and the heads of all Hollywood studios to protect and steward the streaming, film and television industries, addressing the global changes in content distribution, security, cloud migration and data privacy. As General Manager of Neustar, Diane led the mobile and registry business lines at this now $2B company. At AOL Time-Warner she led the Customer Acquisition and Retention teams driving strategy and support for 12,000 sales and service reps. Diane also led sales and service strategy and support for MCI’s for 10,000 + sales and service reps across all global call centers as well as was responsible for the MCI brand. Diane has taken companies public and led the integration of many M&As. Diane graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Science Degree and holds an MBA from George Washington University. She and her family reside in Florida and Colorado after spending most of their years in the Washington, DC metro area.

 

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Mara Strandlund

Mara Strandlund

Mara Strandlund is a global expert on building teams that drive impact. Currently, she is serving as the Chief People Officer at Resilience, a company that is changing the way medicine is made. Inspired by PCI’s mission to help communities achieve their development goals, Mara joined the board in 2021.

Drawing upon deep experience in Human Resources, Mara is committed to building an ecosystem of people, from all sectors, committed to solving global challenges. In recognition that a “people-centered” internet cannot exist without people , Mara serves as the backbone for the PCI volunteer network. She devises strategies to find, engage, and connect volunteers from around the world.

Social Links:

Projects:

  • People
  • Rest of the World

Diane has managed all C-level functions including sales, marketing, finance, operations, IT and human resources from start up through IPO to privately held Mid-Caps to Fortune 500 companies. She has been on the global boards of the leading industry associations in media and technology.

Currently Diane is an Executive Advisor to Fortune 1000 companies as well as board member and advisor to various non profits. Diane served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), managing over 20 offices worldwide, fully modernizing operations and capabilities, including the addition of Netflix and Amazon Studios. As a global board member of the MPA, Diane worked alongside Senator Chris Dodd and the heads of all Hollywood studios to protect and steward the streaming, film and television industries, addressing the global changes in content distribution, security, cloud migration and data privacy. As General Manager of Neustar, Diane led the mobile and registry business lines at this now $2B company. At AOL Time-Warner she led the Customer Acquisition and Retention teams driving strategy and support for 12,000 sales and service reps. Diane also led sales and service strategy and support for MCI’s for 10,000 + sales and service reps across all global call centers as well as was responsible for the MCI brand. Diane has taken companies public and led the integration of many M&As. Diane graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Science Degree and holds an MBA from George Washington University. She and her family reside in Florida and Colorado after spending most of their years in the Washington, DC metro area.

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Drawing upon deep experience in Human Resources, Mara is committed to building an ecosystem of people, from all sectors, committed to solving global challenges. In recognition that a “people-centered” internet cannot exist without people , Mara serves as the backbone for the PCI volunteer network. She devises strategies to find, engage, and connect volunteers from around the world.

 

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Projects:

  • People
  • Rest of the World
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Maria Concepción O

María O. Concepción Díaz

Maria spearheads public and private partnerships for PCAI initiatives within the PCI framework. She boasts a varied and extensive career spanning multiple sectors, including both public and private spheres, government, and international NGOs. 

Her focus is on molding the culture and conduct of science and technology to foster trust, excellence, inclusivity, and integrity. As a dynamic leader, she excels in developing innovative, risk-aware strategies for financing mechanisms and intelligent policy solutions that promote equitable economic growth and its broad impacts on individuals, communities, and economies. She harnesses her passion for people to assemble and guide teams comprising policy experts, humanitarians, marketing and tech professionals, and financial specialists globally. Her expertise encompasses equitable economic growth and localization in the humanitarian aid and development sector, along with gender, racial, and ethnic diversity in the green energy sectors. She possesses extensive knowledge in global climate change, emerging technologies, field-level, national, and international mitigation, adaptation, and resilience in science, innovative financing, policy, risk management, education, corporate governance, sustainability, client and stakeholder engagement, public finance, infrastructure, private investment, public relations, and communications. Maria is esteemed for her insights in local humanitarian leadership, transparency, and accountability. Her doctoral research and academic endeavors focus on educational public policy, informal science education, and science and technology innovation. This expertise makes her an outstanding mentor and collaborator in extensive, multi-sectoral projects.

 

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Drawing upon deep experience in Human Resources, Mara is committed to building an ecosystem of people, from all sectors, committed to solving global challenges. In recognition that a “people-centered” internet cannot exist without people , Mara serves as the backbone for the PCI volunteer network. She devises strategies to find, engage, and connect volunteers from around the world.

Social Links:

Projects:

  • People
  • Rest of the World

Her focus is on molding the culture and conduct of science and technology to foster trust, excellence, inclusivity, and integrity. As a dynamic leader, she excels in developing innovative, risk-aware strategies for financing mechanisms and intelligent policy solutions that promote equitable economic growth and its broad impacts on individuals, communities, and economies. She harnesses her passion for people to assemble and guide teams comprising policy experts, humanitarians, marketing and tech professionals, and financial specialists globally. Her expertise encompasses equitable economic growth and localization in the humanitarian aid and development sector, along with gender, racial, and ethnic diversity in the green energy sectors. She possesses extensive knowledge in global climate change, emerging technologies, field-level, national, and international mitigation, adaptation, and resilience in science, innovative financing, policy, risk management, education, corporate governance, sustainability, client and stakeholder engagement, public finance, infrastructure, private investment, public relations, and communications. Maria is esteemed for her insights in local humanitarian leadership, transparency, and accountability. Her doctoral research and academic endeavors focus on educational public policy, informal science education, and science and technology innovation. This expertise makes her an outstanding mentor and collaborator in extensive, multi-sectoral projects.

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Fellows

Leadership

Todd Hoskins

Organization Designer & Coach

Canopy Gap

Todd is a senior fellow, a practitioner and thought leader in the art and science of working together, with a focus on the dynamics of life that lead to coordinated movement in teams, and in ecosystems.

In 2009, Todd launched Canopy Gap, an organization design firm inspired by his passion for nature, cooperation, collaboration, and navigating complexity. With wisdom guide Marti Spiegelman, Todd co-hosts the podcast and leadership program Leading from Being.

 

With graduate work in psychology, interest in network science and ecology, and training in awareness and somatic learning, Todd thrives when bridging disciplines and dimensions. Having worked in the corporate world, technology startups, and with a wide variety of entrepreneurs and nonprofits, he has helped launch 15 organizations and initiatives in the last twelve years, as well as worked with large organizations including Microsoft, Lenovo, Kaiser Permanente, NASA, Dell, and Northwestern University.

He is accustomed to a diverse set of spaces – from boardrooms to laboratories to forests – and he revels living in an old farmhouse among the dunes of Southwest Michigan, enjoying tango dancing with his beloved partner Pia, and spending hours outdoors each day.

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Kate Wilson

Kate Wilson

Kate Wilson is a Senior Fellow at PCI and the host of the Digital Decisions Podcast. She has spent the majority of her thirty year career at the intersection of global development and technology, dedicated to the idea that everyone in the world should have access to trusted digital tools that make life better. 

This ethos drove her to found the Digital Impact Alliance, a “think, do, replicate” tank in 2016 that was at the vanguard of encouraging the development sector to take a holistic approach to digital development and focus on interoperability over bespoke national systems. Kate stepped down as CEO in January, 2023.

Prior to founding the Digital Impact Alliance, Kate worked for the global health nonprofit PATH, where she founded and led its Digital Health Solutions group for nine years, working with more than thirty countries, primarily in Asia and Africa, on developing national enterprise architectures and strong policy governance frameworks. Before she joined PATH, Kate worked primarily in the private sector at techology companies including General Electric, Intel and Microsoft where she held various strategy, product and business development roles including introducing the then-new gaming platform Xbox Live to Europe. It was during her eight years at Microsoft where she internalized the value of how a well-built technology platform could be built once and scaled globally. That philosophy – a base of solid engineering, safety, and security upon which multiple innovative, life-enhancing applications can be deployed – is at the heart of the work of global digital transformation.

In 2009, Todd launched Canopy Gap, an organization design firm inspired by his passion for nature, cooperation, collaboration, and navigating complexity. With wisdom guide Marti Spiegelman, Todd co-hosts the podcast and leadership program Leading from Being.

 

With graduate work in psychology, interest in network science and ecology, and training in awareness and somatic learning, Todd thrives when bridging disciplines and dimensions. Having worked in the corporate world, technology startups, and with a wide variety of entrepreneurs and nonprofits, he has helped launch 15 organizations and initiatives in the last twelve years, as well as worked with large organizations including Microsoft, Lenovo, Kaiser Permanente, NASA, Dell, and Northwestern University.

He is accustomed to a diverse set of spaces – from boardrooms to laboratories to forests – and he revels living in an old farmhouse among the dunes of Southwest Michigan, enjoying tango dancing with his beloved partner Pia, and spending hours outdoors each day.

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This ethos drove her to found the Digital Impact Alliance, a “think, do, replicate” tank in 2016 that was at the vanguard of encouraging the development sector to take a holistic approach to digital development and focus on interoperability over bespoke national systems. Kate stepped down as CEO in January, 2023.

Prior to founding the Digital Impact Alliance, Kate worked for the global health nonprofit PATH, where she founded and led its Digital Health Solutions group for nine years, working with more than thirty countries, primarily in Asia and Africa, on developing national enterprise architectures and strong policy governance frameworks. Before she joined PATH, Kate worked primarily in the private sector at techology companies including General Electric, Intel and Microsoft where she held various strategy, product and business development roles including introducing the then-new gaming platform Xbox Live to Europe. It was during her eight years at Microsoft where she internalized the value of how a well-built technology platform could be built once and scaled globally. That philosophy – a base of solid engineering, safety, and security upon which multiple innovative, life-enhancing applications can be deployed – is at the heart of the work of global digital transformation.

 

David Kirkpatrick

David Kirkpatrick

David Kirkpatrick is a senior fellow and a longtime technology and business journalist, author and media entrepreneur, and expert on internet companies and social media. He is writing a book about the climate transition. He has written recently for Time and The Information, and appears frequently on Bloomberg TV and radio as a commentator on tech. 

Kirkpatrick’s bestselling 2010 book, The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company that is Connecting the World, was published in 32 languages and was a finalist for FT Business Book of the Year and the Loeb Award for best business book. Kirkpatrick founded and for 12 years led Techonomy Media , which hosted conferences on technology, innovation, business, and social progress. Prior to that he was for many years senior editor for internet and technology at Fortune Magazine. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Guido van Nispen

Guido van Nispen

i4j Innovation for Jobs

Publisher: People Centered Economy Book Series

Guido is a senior fellow, Publisher of Silicon Valley thinktank i4j (Innovation for Jobs) chaired by Vint Cerf. Furthermore he is, among other, on the supervisory boards of World Press Photo and Cinekid, Advisor to the Dutch Council for Culture chairing committees advising the Dutch government and advisor to scaleups.

Chris brings nearly four decades of diverse experience to every client problem. He has handled issues about competitors entering established markets; technical and economic aspects of network interconnection; deployment of new technology and infrastructure; data security and privacy; and complex issues of cost allocation, financial accounting, and contract interpretation.

To keep up with the constant change in his field, Chris regularly participates in formal and informal discussion forums with other high-level legal and technical professionals; he teaches Internet law at George Washington University and at Catholic University, and Information Privacy Law at Catholic; and he recently completed an article on the economics of consumer privacy for the Stanford Technology Law Review, a leading academic journal addressing complex issues at the intersection of law and technology.

Kirkpatrick’s bestselling 2010 book, The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company that is Connecting the World, was published in 32 languages and was a finalist for FT Business Book of the Year and the Loeb Award for best business book. Kirkpatrick founded and for 12 years led Techonomy Media , which hosted conferences on technology, innovation, business, and social progress. Prior to that he was for many years senior editor for internet and technology at Fortune Magazine. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Experience :

With i4j he recently published “The People Centered Economy, the new ecosystem for work”. i4j’s aim is helping in building a society where the enormous advances in technology – AI in particular – are used to improve the working lives of people by deploying them where their talents and capacities are optimally utilized.

Previously Guido was CEO of ANP, the largest independent BtB news and information supplier to all Dutch media and organisations in public and private sectors, ran two venture capital funds and was executive at BT in The Netherlands and Germany and director at social impact bank Triodos.

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Ayesha Hassan

Ayesha Hassan

Ayesha is senior fellow and a natural connector and thrives on building relationships that lead to impactful partnerships, cooperation and greater understanding. She has represented the voice of global business in international internet policy issues and led stakeholder engagement strategies and initiatives at the global level. She is passionate about initiatives that empower women and youth and bring people together to collaborate and address challenging issues.

Kirkpatrick’s bestselling 2010 book, The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company that is Connecting the World, was published in 32 languages and was a finalist for FT Business Book of the Year and the Loeb Award for best business book. Kirkpatrick founded and for 12 years led Techonomy Media , which hosted conferences on technology, innovation, business, and social progress. Prior to that he was for many years senior editor for internet and technology at Fortune Magazine. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Christopher Savage

Christopher Savage

Chris Savage, senior fellow, CIPP/US and CIPT/US, helps companies in communications and data-centric industries navigate legal and regulatory issues involving communications, privacy, and data security. For clients with immediate problems, when compromise is possible, he negotiates solutions that work. When it isn’t, he litigates – against the government or private parties, as needed. For clients who can take a longer view, Chris works with regulators and legislators to help build a legal ecosystem where clients can flourish.

Chris brings nearly four decades of diverse experience to every client problem. He has handled issues about competitors entering established markets; technical and economic aspects of network interconnection; deployment of new technology and infrastructure; data security and privacy; and complex issues of cost allocation, financial accounting, and contract interpretation.

To keep up with the constant change in his field, Chris regularly participates in formal and informal discussion forums with other high-level legal and technical professionals; he teaches Internet law at George Washington University and at Catholic University, and Information Privacy Law at Catholic; and he recently completed an article on the economics of consumer privacy for the Stanford Technology Law Review, a leading academic journal addressing complex issues at the intersection of law and technology.

She started her career as a litigator, was drawn to alternative dispute resolution approaches and headed one of the first online dispute resolution services. She followed her interest in global policy issues and led the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) commission and initiatives on digital economy issues–representing global business in international negotiations and processes related to ICTs and the Internet.

Ayesha Hassan is a Strategic stakeholder relationship builder who helps companies and organizations to improve and reach their engagement objectives in an effective, smart and connected way. She is passionate about initiatives focused on women and youth, family, and eco-friendly approaches. She is the Executive Relations Officer for the Marconi Society, is a member of the Advisory Board of Markup, a company focused on improving accountability and transparency in legislative and policy development processes, a member of the Board of the World Computer Exchange (WCE)-a global non-profit based in the USA which provides technology with content for educational institutions in developing countries and underserved communities. She is an advisor/consultant.

Ayesha co-created and is leading the European Summer School on Internet Governance (EuroSSIG) Alumni Network and has been a regular faculty member at the EuroSSIG since its creation. She founded the Digital Women’s Gathering (DWG), an informal network of women around the world, in 2022. Ayesha served as an advisor to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU)’s development bureau for the pilot of their “Women in Cyber Mentorship Program”.

Ayesha was Vice President Stakeholder Relations and Partnerships at the Internet Society (ISOC), responsible for optimizing ISOC’s relationships with key stakeholders in the future of the Internet and facilitating their engagement to ensure an Internet that is open, global, and accessible to all and driven by multistakeholder processes. She was responsible for strategy and implementation of engagement with members and stakeholders around the world.

As former Senior Policy Manager for the Digital Economy, Executive in charge of ICT policy at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Secretariat, Paris Ayesha managed ICC’s Commission on the Digital Economy and created, and oversaw ICC’s initiative, Business Action to Support the Information Society (BASIS) to bring the perspective and experience of global business from across sectors (from over 120 countries) to international and intergovernmental processes post- WSIS such as the Internet Governance Forum, OECD, Council of Europe and EU Commission. She managed the Coordinating Committee of Business Interlocutors (CCBI), a vehicle mobilizing and coordinating the involvement of the worldwide business community in the processes leading to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Summits of 2003 and 2005. Throughout the WSIS processes and summits she was the spokesperson for global business and connector to governments, civil society and the technical community.

In 2004 Ayesha accepted the UN Secretary General’s invitation to participate in his Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG). She also served on the UN Secretary General’s Task Force on Financial Mechanisms, and on the multistakeholder advisory group (MAG) for the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) from 2006 to 2013. She was a member of ICANN’s business constituency and represented ICC on numerous occasions, participating in and making presentations at international and regional events including the G8 Dot Force, the Global Business Dialogue (GBDe), the UN ICT Task Force, Global Alliance for ICT & Development (GAID), ICANN, OECD, WTO, ITU and the EU Commission.

Ayesha is an experienced lawyer, and has a background in dispute resolution, mediation, international policy, and e-commerce issues. She is a seasoned policy expert with strong negotiation and facilitation skills. Ayesha is former head of online dispute resolution services at SquareTrade, one of the first Online Dispute Resolution and Trustmark providers based in California.

Ayesha is a natural connector and brings a global network of contacts and relationships with people and experts from business, the technical community, civil society, and governments and IGOS. She is passionate about engaging people and bringing them together to address issues and find solutions to challenges facing society particularly in the digital realm. She is also dedicated to empowering the next generations especially women, girls, and those in underserved communities. She devotes time and energy to mentoring and supporting younger people to achieve their potential as part of this dedication.

Ayesha obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago in Political Science, law degree from the University of San Diego, and a master’s degree in international policy studies from Stanford University. She is fluent in both English and French and is a citizen of both the USA and France. She has lived in France since 2001. Her global background and heritage give her an intuitive ability to connect with people from across cultures and geographies.

Ayesha is nourished by her family, friendships and embracing new experiences around the world. She enjoys, cooking, reading, building her yoga practice, walks in nature and cities, and is drawn to beaches—Corsica is the island of her heart!

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Activities/Projecs:

Chris brings nearly four decades of diverse experience to every client problem. He has handled issues about competitors entering established markets; technical and economic aspects of network interconnection; deployment of new technology and infrastructure; data security and privacy; and complex issues of cost allocation, financial accounting, and contract interpretation.

To keep up with the constant change in his field, Chris regularly participates in formal and informal discussion forums with other high-level legal and technical professionals; he teaches Internet law at George Washington University and at Catholic University, and Information Privacy Law at Catholic; and he recently completed an article on the economics of consumer privacy for the Stanford Technology Law Review, a leading academic journal addressing complex issues at the intersection of law and technology.

Tiffany Brar​

Tiffany Brar

Special educator, disability & gender activist, accessibility evangelist, motivational speaker. Kerala, India

A born fighter, did not let her disability stand as a hindrance in her moving forward. She became blind due to the sheer negligence of a doctor, soon after birth. Though her parents tried to rectify her condition, it was to no avail and she strongly believes that it is for a purpose that she is visually challenged and her disability is a way to bring possibility for others like her.

In March 2022 PCI was proud to hear the news that Tiffany received the highest woman’s award from the President of India ( link ).

Awards:

  • In 2022 she was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar for empowering visually impaired rural women.
  • In 2021, she received the Inspiring Woman Award from eiT NASSCOM.
  • In 2020, she received The Holman Prize from the Lighthouse for the Blind, USA .
  • In 2020, She received the Spirit Awards from World Pulse, USA .
  • In 2019, she received The Spindle Award for Project Jyothirgamaya From Voice, Netherlands .
  • In 2019, she received World of Difference International Award from The International Alliance for Women, Australia.
  • In 2019, she received Iconic women for making the world a better place Award from Women Economic Forum .
  • In 2019, she received the Award for Excellence in social service from the Kochouseph Chittilappilly Foundation, awarded by Kochouseph Chittilappilly .
  • In 2019, she received the Wonder Woman Award for her Community service from Ladies Circle India.
  • In 2019, she received the Neelam Khurshid Kanga Award from the National Association for the Blind, awarded by John Abraham .
  • In 2018, she received the Hellen Keller award from the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), awarded by Dr. Sathya Pal Singh, Honorable Minister of State for Human Resource Development.
  • In 2018, she received karma Rathna Award for Outstanding social worker from Palm International.
  • In 2018, she received the Real Hero Award by ZEE TV from Vivek Oberoi, Omung Kumar and Huma Qureshi .
  • In 2018, she received the Vocational Excellence Award from Rotary International.
  • In 2018, she received the Phoenix Award from Padma Shri Mammooty .
  • In 2018, she received the Women of Vision Kerala vanitha Rathna Award.
  • In 2018, she received the Make A Difference Award from Rotary International .
  • In 2018, she received the Women of the Year Award from Job Day Foundation.
  • In 2017, she received the National Award for being a ‘Best role model’ from the President of India
  • In 2017, she received the Age of Unknown Award by TEDx vazthacaud.
  • In 2017, she received the Sarojini Trilok Nath-National Best Role Model Award from National Association for the Blind.
  • In 2017, she received the Bold and Beautiful Award from Doordarshan .
  • In 2016, she received the Prestigious Saarthak Naari Women Achievers Award.
  • In 2016, she received the For the Sake of Honour Award, Rotary International ‘s highest award.
  • In 2015, she received the Women of the Year Award from Hope Trust.
  • In 2012, she received the Kerala State Award for Social Worker.

Experience:

  • Founder: Jyothirgamaya Foundation Apr 2014 – Present
  • Degree in English Literature from Kerala University
  • Bachelor’s in Education in special education from Rama Krishna Mission Vivekananda University, Coimbatore

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John Taschek

John Taschek

Senior Vice President, Strategy

Salesforce

Made the seemingly quantum leap from evaluating technology at a publication (eWEEK) covering technology to evaluating technology for a public technology company evaluating publications.

Experience:

  • Salesfore.com
Social Links:

Specialties:

  • Analysis
  • Complete
  • Real-Time

Awards:

  • In 2022 she was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar for empowering visually impaired rural women.
  • In 2021, she received the Inspiring Woman Award from eiT NASSCOM.
  • In 2020, she received The Holman Prize from the Lighthouse for the Blind, USA .
  • In 2020, She received the Spirit Awards from World Pulse, USA .
  • In 2019, she received The Spindle Award for Project Jyothirgamaya From Voice, Netherlands .
  • In 2019, she received World of Difference International Award from The International Alliance for Women, Australia.
  • In 2019, she received Iconic women for making the world a better place Award from Women Economic Forum .
  • In 2019, she received the Award for Excellence in social service from the Kochouseph Chittilappilly Foundation, awarded by Kochouseph Chittilappilly .
  • In 2019, she received the Wonder Woman Award for her Community service from Ladies Circle India.
  • In 2019, she received the Neelam Khurshid Kanga Award from the National Association for the Blind, awarded by John Abraham .
  • In 2018, she received the Hellen Keller award from the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), awarded by Dr. Sathya Pal Singh, Honorable Minister of State for Human Resource Development.
  • In 2018, she received karma Rathna Award for Outstanding social worker from Palm International.
  • In 2018, she received the Real Hero Award by ZEE TV from Vivek Oberoi, Omung Kumar and Huma Qureshi .
  • In 2018, she received the Vocational Excellence Award from Rotary International.
  • In 2018, she received the Phoenix Award from Padma Shri Mammooty .
  • In 2018, she received the Women of Vision Kerala vanitha Rathna Award.
  • In 2018, she received the Make A Difference Award from Rotary International .
  • In 2018, she received the Women of the Year Award from Job Day Foundation.
  • In 2017, she received the National Award for being a ‘Best role model’ from the President of India
  • In 2017, she received the Age of Unknown Award by TEDx vazthacaud.
  • In 2017, she received the Sarojini Trilok Nath-National Best Role Model Award from National Association for the Blind.
  • In 2017, she received the Bold and Beautiful Award from Doordarshan .
  • In 2016, she received the Prestigious Saarthak Naari Women Achievers Award.
  • In 2016, she received the For the Sake of Honour Award, Rotary International ‘s highest award.
  • In 2015, she received the Women of the Year Award from Hope Trust.
  • In 2012, she received the Kerala State Award for Social Worker.

Experience:

  • Founder: Jyothirgamaya Foundation Apr 2014 – Present
  • Degree in English Literature from Kerala University
  • Bachelor’s in Education in special education from Rama Krishna Mission Vivekananda University, Coimbatore

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  • Salesfore.com
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Specialties:

  • Analysis
  • Complete
  • Real-Time
Anastasia Kalinina

Anastasia Kalinina

Anastasia Kalinina is a senior fellow and she is the co-founder and CEO of reState Foundation, a Swiss-based non-profit foundation aiming to reimagine the future of governance and global collaboration. She is also a co-founder of Freethinkers Impact Agency, curating transformative experiences and narratives for system change organizations. Previously, Anastasia was the Head of Regional Agenda at the World Economic Forum and a Senior Advisor on Partnerships to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

She was a member of the Founding Team of the Global Shapers Community, a global network of young people under the age of 30, comprising 14,000 members in 150 countries around the world, working together to address local, regional, and global challenges.

During her tenure in the world’s foremost international organizations, Anastasia mobilized resources and executed strategies for national and regional projects designed to create policy impact in key economies across different world regions:

Over the course of her career, Anastasia built a unique network of professional connections at the highest level, including Heads of States, Ministers of key portfolios, CEOs, business leaders, heads of international organizations, civil society leaders, academics, and experts, with the aim of addressing systemic societal challenges at scale. Her life mission is to help attain the next level of human consciousness and support the redesign of current systems to accelerate a transition to more desirable futures. For that purpose, both her non-profit organization, reState Foundation, and for-profit company Freethinkers Impact Agency, provide platforms for designing, building, and testing viable alternatives to existing systems and narratives, operating at the intersection of international diplomacy, systems change, creativity and arts.

Anastasia holds a BA in Arts from Bard College New York, MA in Public Affairs from the University of Northern Iowa, MS in Human Rights from the London School of Economics, and an Executive Master degree in Global Leadership, delivered jointly by Columbia University, INSEAD, London Business School, Wharton Business School, and China Europe International Business School. Anastasia is a World Economic Forum Global Leadership Fellow, an Apolitical Academy Fellow, John Smith Fellow, and an honorary member of the International Project Management Association.

She relentlessly advocates for acting as one species and tackling challenges as a human collective. For that, she regularly engages in public speaking around the future of governance, regenerative system change, and global collaboration at various events like the World Government Summit, European Web3 Summit, United Nations Science Summit, United Nations Industrial Development Organization events, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs events, TEDx, Web Summit, Ecosystem Summit, RightsCon, Germany Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Inclusive Digital Governance Festival INDIGO, Annual Blockchain Summit, World Logic Day, World Systemic Forum, Global Female Leadership Summit, Palau Blockchain Summit, etc. Anastasia writes for various international outlets, including the Independent, the New Atlanticist, Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society’s blog, etc. She co-hosts an interdisciplinary project on YouTube called the Library of Optimistic Visions, exploring the future of governance, technology, and contemporary culture, aiming to ignite a “moral big bang” that guides humanity towards positive futures.

Her areas of expertise include public governance, planetary civics, new network sovereignties, system redesign, conscious leadership, social innovation, peace-building, policy, and global affairs. She is also interested in psychoanalysis, arts, literature, yoga, meditation, and inner development.

She was a member of the Founding Team of the Global Shapers Community, a global network of young people under the age of 30, comprising 14,000 members in 150 countries around the world, working together to address local, regional, and global challenges.

During her tenure in the world’s foremost international organizations, Anastasia mobilized resources and executed strategies for national and regional projects designed to create policy impact in key economies across different world regions:

Over the course of her career, Anastasia built a unique network of professional connections at the highest level, including Heads of States, Ministers of key portfolios, CEOs, business leaders, heads of international organizations, civil society leaders, academics, and experts, with the aim of addressing systemic societal challenges at scale. Her life mission is to help attain the next level of human consciousness and support the redesign of current systems to accelerate a transition to more desirable futures. For that purpose, both her non-profit organization, reState Foundation, and for-profit company Freethinkers Impact Agency, provide platforms for designing, building, and testing viable alternatives to existing systems and narratives, operating at the intersection of international diplomacy, systems change, creativity and arts.

Anastasia holds a BA in Arts from Bard College New York, MA in Public Affairs from the University of Northern Iowa, MS in Human Rights from the London School of Economics, and an Executive Master degree in Global Leadership, delivered jointly by Columbia University, INSEAD, London Business School, Wharton Business School, and China Europe International Business School. Anastasia is a World Economic Forum Global Leadership Fellow, an Apolitical Academy Fellow, John Smith Fellow, and an honorary member of the International Project Management Association.

She relentlessly advocates for acting as one species and tackling challenges as a human collective. For that, she regularly engages in public speaking around the future of governance, regenerative system change, and global collaboration at various events like the World Government Summit, European Web3 Summit, United Nations Science Summit, United Nations Industrial Development Organization events, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs events, TEDx, Web Summit, Ecosystem Summit, RightsCon, Germany Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Inclusive Digital Governance Festival INDIGO, Annual Blockchain Summit, World Logic Day, World Systemic Forum, Global Female Leadership Summit, Palau Blockchain Summit, etc. Anastasia writes for various international outlets, including the Independent, the New Atlanticist, Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society’s blog, etc. She co-hosts an interdisciplinary project on YouTube called the Library of Optimistic Visions, exploring the future of governance, technology, and contemporary culture, aiming to ignite a “moral big bang” that guides humanity towards positive futures.

Her areas of expertise include public governance, planetary civics, new network sovereignties, system redesign, conscious leadership, social innovation, peace-building, policy, and global affairs. She is also interested in psychoanalysis, arts, literature, yoga, meditation, and inner development.

Executive Action Board

Leadership

Matthew Rantanen

Director of Technology for the Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association (SCTCA)

He assists tribes with technology development, ranging from broadband network design, radio station applications, tribal administration technologies, to technology policy development. Rantanen serves on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Native Nations Broadband Task Force for a second term, and is co-chair on the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Technology and Telecommunications Subcommittee as well as the Technology Task Force at NCAI.

Award:

Experience:

Rantanen is a Board member on Arizona State University’s, American Indian Policy Institute(AIPI), and sits on the Tribal Advisory Council(TAC) to the State of California for the Broadband Council and the Cal Office of Emergency Services.

Matthew has been called a “Cyber-Warrior for Tribal Broadband.” He is an advocate for Net-Neutrality and Tribal Priority for Spectrum over Tribal Lands.

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