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2008 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Confirmed keynote speakers:
José María Figueres
Sergio Regueros
Jason Pontin
Kenneth P. Morse
Mr. José María Figueres, CEO of Grupo Felipe IV. José María Figueres served as President of Costa Rica from 1994 to 1998. As such, he was the youngest President of a Central American country in modern times. During his presidency, he created a comprehensive national Sustainable Development strategy combining sound macroeconomic indicators, together with strategic investment in human development, and a strong alliance with nature through the implementation of innovative environmental policies. Prior to serving as President he was Minister of Foreign Trade (1987-1988) and Minister of Agriculture (1988-1990). In the international arena he has pioneered the linkage between Sustainable
Development and technology, in the realms of business, public service, and
non-profit organizations. He helped create and lead the United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force (ICT) and is the founder of the Fundación Costa Rica para el Desarrollo Sostenible (Entebbe) in Costa Rica. In 2000, President Figueres joined the World Economic Forum and became its first CEO in 2003, where he strengthened global corporate ties to social and governmental sectors by identifying common long-term interests.
Today he continues to work in the fields of technology and development, and is
currently the CEO of Grupo Felipe IV, based in Spain, dedicated to the support
of organizations which promote development and democratic values around the
world. He holds an Industrial Engineering Degree from US Military Academy at West Point, and a Masters in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Mr. Sergio Regueros, CEO of Telefónica Móviles Colombia. Sergio Regueros has over 15 years of management, legal, regulatory and consulting experience in the telecom sector. Under Mr. Regueros, Telefónica in Colombia has experimented a huge transformation and innovation in its range of services in order to address the needs of particular segments of the population and better compete against the local carriers. Prior to joining Telefónica Móviles Colombia, he was president of BellSouth in Nicaragua in 2004, and earlier served as director of operations at BellSouth International in Central America. Earlier professional activities include managing Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Bogotá from 1995 to 2000, and serving as General Secretary, Vice-Minister and Adviser to Colombia's Ministry of Communications in 1992. Mr. Regueros received an MBA in 2002 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and studied law at the Universidad Externado de Colombia.
Mr. Jason Pontin, Editor in Chief and Publisher of Technology Review.
Jason Pontin was hired as the Editor of Technology Review in July 2004, and in August of 2005
was also named Publisher. As Publisher, he is responsible for all the media and business of
Technology Review, including its print magazine, website, videos, e-newsletters, and events.
From 1996 to 2002, Mr. Pontin was the Editor of Red Herring, a business and technology magazine
that was popular during the dot-com boom. From 2002 to 2004, he was the Editor of The Acumen Journal,
a now-defunct magazine about the life sciences that he founded.
Mr. Pontin writes a regular column, "Slipstream", about new ideas in technology for The New York Times
on Sunday. He has written for many other national and international magazines and newspapers, including
The Economist, The Financial Times, Wired, The Believer Magazine, Readymade Magazine, San Francisco Magazine,
and InfoWorld. He is a frequent guest on broadcast, public, and cable television news.
Mr. Pontin was born in London, raised in Northern California, and educated in England, at Harrow School and
Oxford University.
Mr. Kenneth P. Morse, serial entrepreneur and Managing Director of the MIT Entrepreneurship Center. Ken Morse is a serial entrepreneur, having played a key role in launching
several high-tech start-ups, including 3Com Corporation, Aspen Technology, an
expert systems company, and a biotech firm. Ken's batting average is 0.833: five
of his start-ups went public or were successfully merged; one was a complete
disaster. As head of the MIT Entrepreneurship Center, Ken is responsible for
inspiring, training, and coaching new generations of entrepreneurs from all
parts of MIT. Ken has been profiled and quoted in numerous publications,
including the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Economist, and Red Herring.
Since Ken joined the MIT Entrepreneurship Center in 1996, the number of students
taking Entrepreneurship Courses has increased from 220 to 1,500 per year while
the number of professors and lecturers has grown from two to thirty. He has
raised $ 20+ million endowment for the E-Center. Ken was named “Education All Star” by Mass High Tech magazine. Ken serves as an advisor to China Capital Ventures, LLC, Darby Overseas Investments, Ltd., PolyTechnos Venture-Partners GmbH, and SINTEF A/S. He has been an instructor in sales at the Munich Entrepreneur Academy for several years and has taught a global sales strategies workshop in several European cities. Ken, an American, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Cercle Royal Gaulois Artistique & Littéraire (Brussels), and the Quissett Yacht Club. He speaks fluent French and some Chinese. Concurrent with his MIT duties, Ken holds the Chair in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Competitiveness in the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management at the Delft Technical University. When he is not helping young companies to succeed, Ken enjoys sailing his wooden boat with his family around Cape Cod.
Due to a change in travel plans, Dr. Ibrahim will regrettably no longer be able to join us at the GSW.
Dr. Mohamed "Mo" Ibrahim, founder of Celtel. Dr. Mo Ibrahim is a global expert in mobile communications with a distinguished academic and business career.
Sudanese by birth, Dr. Ibrahim is the founder of Celtel International, one of Africa's most successful companies.
In 1998, Dr. Ibrahim founded MSI Cellular Investments, which was later renamed Celtel International. The company now operates in 15 African countries, under licenses that cover more than a third of the continent's population. The company has invested more than US$ 750 million in Africa, helping to bring the benefits of mobile communications to millions of people across the continent.
In 2005, Celtel International was sold to MTC Kuwait for $3.4 billion, making it one of Africa's most successful commercial ventures.
Dr. Ibrahim also created the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. In 2007, the Foundation inaugurated the Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, with the first recipient former president Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique.
The Foundation also published the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, ranking the performance of the 48 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Dr. Mo Ibrahim holds a BSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alexandria, Egypt, an MSc in Electronics and Electrical Engineering from the University of Bradford, and a PhD in Mobile Communications from the University of Birmingham. He is a member of the Africa Regional Advisory Board of London Business School.
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