Global Challenges I Satellite Answers – Building Digital Societies In The Democratic Republic Of The Congo
15 July 2020 / Virtual
This webinar will explore how satellite is helping landlocked countries like Democratic Republic of the Congo overcome reliance on their neighbours for fibre access and leapfrog their citizens into the digital era.
Ms. Aarti Holla-Maini, Secretary General ESOA – Moderator: Aarti Holla-Maini has been Secretary General of the ESOA since 2004. She is a Member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Space Technology, Global 5G Coalition Network and Essential Digital Infrastructure & Services Network.
Under Aarti’s leadership, ESOA & its member CEOs lead the effort to showcase the benefits of satellite communications for a more inclusive and secure society – vital to bridging the world’s digital divide, achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and realizing the 5G ecosystem.
Since joining the association, Aarti has lead the expansion of ESOA from a European association to one that represents the interests of 20 global and regional satellite operators. She reports directly to their Chief Executives.
Aarti has 22 years’ experience in the aerospace industry, starting at Daimler-Benz Aerospace/EADS (now Airbus) in Germany. In 2000, she moved to Brussels, representing Airbus interests in the European satellite navigation program: Galileo.
Aarti holds a Masters of Business Administration from HEC, France & Stern Business School, NYC, USA. She qualified as Solicitor of the Supreme Court in the UK in 1995, holding a 2:1 graded LLB Hons Law with German Law degree from King’s College, University of London & the University of Passau, Germany. Aarti is of British-Indian origin and holds British and Belgian nationalities. She lives in Brussels, has 3 children and speaks 5 languages.
John Omo, Secretary General, African Telecommunications Union (ATU): Mr. John OMO is the Secretary-General of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) having been elected during the 5th ATU Conference of Plenipotentiaries held in Nairobi in August 2018. He leads the continental body entrusted with building consensus within African countries in the development of ICT policies, systems and services, and also in coordinating African participation in international ICT fora.
Mr. Omo has 29 years of experience as a lawyer and has contributed immensely to the development of local and international policies, legislation, agreements, and treaties in all areas of public service life but mainly in the area of ICTs. Prior to his election, he worked with the Communications Authority of Kenya, Kenya’s ICT regulator, where he provided leadership over the Authority’s legal matters and strategies. Before that, he worked in the public/civil service.
He holds a Master of Law degree in International and Commercial law from the University of Sheffield – UK; a Bachelor of Law from the University of Nairobi – Kenya; a Diploma in Human Rights Law from the UN Human Rights Centre, Geneva, and ILO Centre Turin and another diploma in Legal Practice and Ethics from the Kenya School of Law among other professional courses.
Jean-Jacques Massima-Landji, Central Africa and Madagascar Representative, ITU: Jean-Jacques Massima-Landji is a Senior Engineer in Telecommunications ,Electronics and Computer science graduated in Paris in 2003. He is actually ITU representative, for Central Africa and Madagascar resident in Yaoundé since 2009. As Senior Adviser to the Ministry of Communications and Telecommunications of GABON, he was posted in Geneva as the Permanent Representative of Gabon to ITU from 2004 to 2009. He spent before four years in ITU Headquarters in Geneva at the Telecommunications development Bureau (BDT) as Coordinator of Iraq Project, from 2000 to 2004 after a first international experience two years as Regional Director for Central Africa for ICO Global Communications, based in South Africa from 1998 to 2000.
He is a Director of Posts and Telecommunications in the Gabonese administration and has managed the Telecommunications of this country during more than 15 years. He was the first Chairman and set up in 2001 the Regulatory Body of Gabon : “Agence de Regulation des Telecommunications ”.
Jean-Jacques is a recognized ICT senior expert worldwide and shows a proven experience of more than 30 years in the field of ICT. He was involved in the implementation of RASCOM as a continental expert and has chaired RASCOM Board of Directors in 1994 and 1995.
He has chaired several meetings in ITU World and regional Conferences and has been elected for the ongoing duties of Vice Chair of TDAG in WTDC06 and vice chair of TSAG in WTSA 08.
As senior expert Consultant of ATU, he used also to coordinate the African Common positions for several international meetings as the last WTDC 06 and the WTSA 08.
He started this long career in 1983 as specialized engineer in charge of data transmissions and also cumulatively lecturer in the National School of post and telecommunications and in the African Institute of Informatics (IAI) from 1984 to 1987 in Libreville Gabon.
Mr. Daniel Schapiro, Sales Director Africa, SES Networks: Daniel Schapiro is Sales Director Africa at SES Networks, after joining O3B Networks in 2012 (O3B Networks was acquired by SES in 2017). Daniel was the sales person responsible for the first ever MEO (Mid Earth Orbit) project in Africa, and the second in the world in 2014, in DRC, which grew from a 400mbps installation in Kinshasa, to a 6 gbps Multi-City Network in the country, together with Gilat Telecom.
Mr. Amir Cohen, Vice President of Marketing & Business Development, Gilat Telecom: Mr. Cohen joined Gilat Telecom in 2017 bringing broad experience in leading the service delivery, operation and assurance activities in leading network operators and system integrators. Mr. Cohen is a true IT and Telco ace, bringing many years of both hands-on and formal know-how experience that has been tested over and over again by the delivery of complex solutions executed under his leadership of IT professionals teams.
