Co-Chairs
Pekka SoiniPekka Soini is the Director General, CEO of Tekes, the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation. Prior to his current position at Tekes, he headed the Corporate Development Office (CDO) at Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) and was the Country Director for Finland and a member of the Executive Management Team. Prior to his position as the Head of Corporate Development he headed NSN Strategy and Business Development. Prior the merger, in Nokia Networks, Pekka Soini was the Head for Strategy & Technology unit. He joined Nokia in 1987 and held several global business management positions within Nokia Networks, such as the Head of Radio Networks Business Unit, and prior to that the Head of Broadband Wireless business alongside System & Business Development activities. Pekka Soini has been stationed five years in the US where he was the VP of M&S of Nokia Telecommunications, and two years in Paris, France where he was heading the Nokia Telecommunications team in the European Cellular Consortium Program. He was also a member of the Board of the Federation of Finnish Technology Industries during the years 2010 – 2012. Pekka Soini is a member in several governmental and business councils and boards including the Research and Innovation Council of Finland chaired by the Prime Minister and a board member of the Technology Academy Finland. Pekka Soini was born in Finland in 1960. He holds a M.Sc. in Control Engineering from the University of Oulu. |
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Pearse O'DonohuePearse O'Donohue is Acting Director for the Future Networks Directorate of DG CONNECT at the European Commission, dealing with policy development and research supporting the Digital Single Market as regards 5G networks, IoT, cloud and data flows and conceptualising new and innovative approaches towards service platforms and next generation Internet. As Head of the Cloud and Software Unit in DG CONNECT, he is also responsible for the strategic development and implementation of policy on cloud computing and software. Until October 2014, Pearse was Deputy Head of Cabinet of Vice-President Neelie Kroes, previous European Commissioner for the Digital Agenda. He was responsible for advising the Vice-President on the development and implementation of policy on electronic communications, networks and services, as well as broadband, spectrum and other related policies such as Internet governance. Prior to that, Pearse was Head of the Radio Spectrum Policy Unit in the European Commission, DG CONNECT. Prior to joining the European Commission, Pearse held posts in the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU in Brussels, and as Assistant Director of the Brussels office of the Irish Business & Employers' Confederation. |