Geneva, Switzerland, 17 February 2021
The Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC), the leading industry association for the blockchain technology ecosystem, is proud to announce the appointment of its 2021 Ambassadors, officially expanding the organization’s global reach to 76 jurisdictions and disciplines.
The group of GBBC Ambassadors is an exceptional collection of super-connectors, innovators, and changemakers hailing from diverse backgrounds – with an emphasis on technology, governance, law, finance, civil society, and academia. Since its inception, the GBBC has relied on its global Ambassador network to expand the organization’s global community, presence, and impact. GBBC Ambassadors act as trusted advisors to the GBBC’s leadership and members, providing invaluable guidance and assistance on how to engage with diverse global communities to carry out the GBBC’s mission to the highest of standards.
The 130 GBBC Ambassadors span 6 continents, 68 jurisdictions, and include subject matter experts in the fields of Art, Music, and Entertainment, Science and Technology, Environment, Education, Healthcare, and Data Security. With the inclusion of several first-time Ambassador appointees, the GBBC’s global presence will grow to include 18 new jurisdictions: The Bahamas, Balkans, Bangladesh, Colombia, Cyprus, Ghana, Gibraltar, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Luxembourg, Morocco, Niger, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Philippines, Serbia, Spain, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
For an overview of GBBC’s activities and membership, read GBBC’s newly released 2021 Annual Report.
Sandra Ro, CEO, Global Blockchain Business Council, said: “Blockchain technology’s development and progress is rooted in mass, global collaboration. As such, the GBBC has worked tirelessly, since its inception four years ago, to grow and develop a diverse network of builders, leaders, and pioneers who represent some of the top talents in their respective jurisdictions and areas of expertise.
Our 2021 cohort of Ambassadors is a culmination of these efforts, and exemplifies the global community required to develop the next multi-trillion-dollar industry and build more secure, equitable, and functional societies, during this watershed moment in history. The GBBC is honored and humbled to work with such a diverse group of luminaries.”
GBBC Ambassadors by Jurisdiction and Discipline:
- Afghanistan: Roya Mahboob, President, Digital Citizen Fund
- Art, Music & Entertainment: Travis Cloyd, CEO of Worldwide XR; Futurist in Residence and the Director of iSTAR (Immersive Studio for Altered Reality) at Florida International University
- Art, Music & Entertainment: Matt Sorum, Co-Founder, STHORM; Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, Grammy Award Winning Musician; Former Drummer, Guns N’ Roses
- Australia: Michael Casey, Chief Content Officer, CoinDesk; Senior Advisor, MIT Media Lab on the Digital Currency Initiative; Co-Founder and Chair, Streambed Media
- Australia: Dr. Jemma Green, Co-Founder and Chair, Power Ledger
- Australia: Leanne Kemp, Founder and CEO, Everledger
- Australia: Paula Taylor, Co-Founder, West Tech Fest
- Austria: Astrid Schober, Chief Information Officer, Wien Energie GmbH
- Bahamas: Michael Clare, Economist, The Ministry of Finance of The Bahamas
- Bahrain: Sheikh Mohamed Al-Khalifa, Sector Head, ICT, Bahrain Economic Development Board
- Bahrain: Tala Fakhro, Chief Project Officer, Bahrain Economic Development Board
- Balkans: Maya Vujinovic, Managing Director, OGroupLLC
- Bangladesh: Brigadier General Md Nasim Parvez, Director General of System & Services Division of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC)
- Barbados: Gabriel Abed, Founder, Abed Ventures; Founder, Bitt
- Belgium: Sebastian Vos, Partner and Chair of Global Public Policy, Covington & Burling LLP
- Bermuda: The Honorable E. David G. Burt, JP, MP, Premier, The Government of Bermuda
- Bermuda: Denis E. Pitcher, Chief Fintech Advisor to the Premier of Bermuda
- Bolivia: Karen Korponai, Founder, Korponai Consulting
- Brazil: Fernando Carvalho, CEO, QR Capital
- Brazil: Paula Guedes, Founder and CEO, Jobzi
- Brazil: Veronica Allende Serra, Founding Partner, Innova Capital
- Bulgaria: Talimka Yordanova, CEO, Global Citizen Forum
- Canada: Tanya Stephens, Senior Innovation & Technolgy Leader, Procter & Gamble (P&G)
- China: Yifan He, Founder and CEO, Red Date Technology; Executive Director, BSN Development Association
- China: Dr. Michael Sung, Chair, CarbonBlue Innovations; Founder and Co-Director, Fudan Fanhai Fintech Research Center (FFFRC)
- Colombia: Mario Castaño Gonzalez, Technical Director, CINTEL
- Cyprus: Antonis Polemitis, CEO, University of Nicosia
- Data Security: Noah Baalessanvu, Founder and Head of Technology Business, CryptoSavannah
- Data Security: Tarique Barkatullah, Director, Bangladesh Computer Council
- Denmark: Michel Avital, Professor, Copenhagen Business School
- Ecuador: Ernesto Kruger, Founder and CEO, Kruger Corporation
- Education: Dr. Aisha Bushager, Chairperson, Computer Engineering Department, University of Bahrain
- Education: Dr. Mohd Hwaidi, Lecturer in Law, University of Dundee
- Education: Locknie Hsu, Professor of Law, Singapore Management University
- Education: Dr. Sanjeev Khagram, Director General and Dean, Thunderbird School of Global Management
- Education: Robert Sicina, Professor and Co-Director, Kogod’s Blockchain Hub, American University
- Environment: Captain Don Walsh, Ocean Elder; Founder, International Maritime Inc.
- Environment: Gigi Brisson, Founder and CEO, Ocean Elders; Co-Founder and Partner, Attractor Ventures;
- Estonia: President Toomas Henrik Ilves, Former President of Estonia
- Estonia: Kalle Palling, Co-Founder and COO, Cachet; Former MP and Chair of European Union Affairs Committee, The Parliament of Estonia
- France: Mariana Dahan, Founder and CEO, World Identity Network
- France: Vanessa Grellet, Executive Director, Global Partnerships and Alliances, ConsenSys
- Georgia: George Kikvadze, Executive Vice Chairman, The Bitfury Group
- Germany: Bernhard Kowatsch, Head of Innovation Accelerator, United Nations World Food Programme (UN WFP)
- Ghana: Seth Akumani, Head of Exploration, Ghana Accelerator Lab, United Nations Development Programme
- Gibraltar: The Honorable Albert Isola MP, Gibraltar Minister for Digital and Financial Services
- Greece: The Honorable Eva Kaili, Member of European Parliament; Chair, Centre for Artificial Intelligence; Chair, Science & Technology (STOA)
- Global Standards Mapping Initiative (GSMI): Sumedha Deshmukh, Platform Curator, Blockchain and Digital Assets, World Economic Forum (WEF)
- Global Standards Mapping Initiative (GSMI): Justin Herzig, Global Blockchain Research Lead, Accenture
- Global Standards Mapping Initiative (GSMI): Benjamin Nadareski, Global Corporate and Business Development, SIX Digital Exchange (SDX)
- Haiti: Jean Philippe Innocent, Former Conseiller Spécial Blockchain for Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MCI)
- Healthcare: Darryl Burton, Policy and Product Lead, Affordable Care Act at Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Healthcare: Dr. Esper Kallas, Infectious Diseases Specialist and Full Professor of Medicine, Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Healthcare: Dr. Jemilah Mahmood, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia on Public Health
- Healthcare: Dr. Jamie Wells, Director, Research Science Institute (RSI); Founder and Chair, Yale Alumni Health Network (YAHN)
- Hong Kong: Etelka Bogardi, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright
- Hong Kong: Richard Byworth, CEO, Diginex; CEO, EQUOS
- Hong Kong: Nydia Zhang, Co-Founder and Chair, Social Alpha Foundation; Chair, Advisory Council, The Good Food Institute APAC
- India: Keerthi Lal Kala, Vice President, New Technologies, SUN Group Global; Senior Advisor, The Global Education & Leadership Foundation (tGELF)
- India: Santosh Misra, CEO, Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency; Commissioner of e-Governacne, Government of Tamil Nadu
- India: Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary of the Industries & Commerce (I&C) and Information Technology (IT) Departments, Government of Telangana
- Ireland: Dr. Piyush Verma, Senior Energy Markey Analyst, International Energy Research Centre; Vice Chair, Energy Efficiency Expert Group, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
- Ireland: Bea O’Carroll, CEO, NautilusTech
- Israel: Netta Korin, Co-Founder, Orbs; Founder, Hexa Foundation
- Italy: Gladys H. Morales, Senior Innovation Consultant, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
- Ivory Coast: Fancho Hermann Traore, Director of the Department, Studies, Strategy and Development at Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières (BRVM)
- Jamaica: Alexandra Chong, Founder and CEO, Jacana
- Japan: Makoto Takemiya, CEO, Soramitsu
- Kazakhstan: Governor Kairat Kelimbetov, Astana International Financial Centre; Former Governor, National Bank of Kazakhstan
- Kenya: Josephine Kamantha Ndambuki, Manager, Economic Development, Partnerships & Resource Mobilization, Konza Technopolis Development Authority
- Latvia: Valery Vavilov, Founder and CEO, The Bitfury Group
- Luxembourg: Ambre Soubiran, CEO, Kaiko
- Media: Jane King, Co-Founder and CEO, LilaMax Media
- Media: Angie Lau, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Forkast.News
- Mongolia: Saruul Ganbaatar, CEO, Bogd Bank
- Morocco: Ridouane Azagrouze, Chief Information Officer, MAROCLEAR
- The Netherlands: Ton van’t Noordende, Founder, PHX
- The Netherlands: Dennis Post, Partner Tax, Global Leader Blockchain Tax Services, EY
- The Netherlands: Peter Verkoulen, Chairman, unLock Foundation; Manager, Dutch Blockchain Coalition
- New Zealand: Chris O’Neill, Sales Manager, CreativeHQ
- Niger: Minister Ibrahima Guimba-Saïdou, Special Advisor to the President of the Republic of Niger; CEO, National Agency of Information Society (ANSI)
- Nigeria: Patricia Nwobodo, CEO, Rowet Group
- Nigeria: Aisha Oyebode, Founder and CEO, Murtala Muhammed Foundation
- North Macedonia: Sasha Grujevski, State Counselor, Cabinet of the Prime Minister, Government of the Republic of North Macedonia
- Pakistan: Dr. Shakil Muhammad, Chair, RNS Solutions; Founder and CEO, Antlia
- Palau: Jennifer Koskelin, Co-Founder, Palau Pledge
- Peru: Rossana Polastri, Director, Latin America and the Caribbean Division, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
- Peru: Hernando de Soto, President, Institute for Liberty & Democracy; Author, “The Mystery of Capital” and “The Other Path”
- Philippines: David Lighton, Founder and CEO, SendFriend
- Puerto Rico: Dante Disparte, Executive Vice President, Policy and Social Impact, Diem Association; Chair, Risk Cooperative
- Russia: Alexey Blagirev, Chief Information Officer and Head of Investor Relations, Sensorium Corporation
- Russia: Tom O’Brien, Head of International Sales, Moscow Exchange
- Rwanda: Norbert Haguma, Co-Founder, AfricaGen; Country Manager, SPENN
- Science & Technology: Juan Benet, Founder and CEO, Protocol Labs
- Science & Technology: Joe Lubin, Co-Founder, Ethereum; Founder and CEO, ConsenSys
- Serbia: Dr. Nebojša Stanković, Founder and Principal, Stanković & Partners
- Singapore: Arnaud Brolly, Global Blockchain Lead, SITA
- Singapore: Alistair Duff, Head of APAC, SIX Digital Exchange (SDX)
- Singapore: Greg Li, Head of Asia Pacific, The Bitfury Group
- Singapore: Yew Kiat Phang, Chair of the Board, Chuan Holdings Ltd.
- Singapore: Cristina Ventura, Founder, VenturaXVentures
- South Africa: Tanya Knowles, Business Manager, Adhara; Chairperson, South African Financial Blockchain Consortium; Former Managing Executive, Strate (Pty) Ltd
- South Africa: Vinny Lingham, Co-Founder and CEO, Civic Technologies
- South Africa: Nasia Seria, General Manager: Mobile Financial Services, Fintech Risk & Compliance, MTN
- South Korea: Dr. Kibae Kim, Principal Researcher, Fourth Industrial Revolution Intelligence Center and the Korea Policy Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution of KAIST
- South Korea: Junhaeng Lee, Co-Founder and CEO, Streami
- Spain: Irene Arias, CEO, IDB Lab, Inter-American Development Bank Group
- Spain: Victoria Gago, Co-Founder, European Blockchain Convention; Co-Founder, Beginny
- Sub-Saharan Africa: Michelle Chivunga N., Founder and CEO, Global Policy House (GPH)
- Sub-Saharan Africa: Philip Thigo, Senior Director for Africa, Thunderbird School for Global Management
- Switzerland: Catrina Luchsinger Gähwiler, Partner, Froriep
- Switzerland: Daniel Gasteiger, Founder and CEO, Procivis AG
- Switzerland: Amitabh Singh, Field CTO EMEA, Palo Alto Networks
- Taiwan: Jason Hsu, Venture Partner, Outliers Fund; Fmr. Legislator & Member of Parliament, Taiwan
- Tunisia: Dr. Sami Ben Jamaa, Managing Executive Officer – Global Chief Information & Digital Officer, JERA
- Turkey: Mustafa Baltaci, Co-Founder, KOOPHub; Co-Founder, Istanbul Fintech Week
- Turkey: Muhammed Yesilhark, Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Q2Q Capital
- Turkey: Demet Zubeyiroglu, Chair, Financial Innovation and Technologies Association; Managing Director and Co-Founder, KOOPHub
- Uganda: Dr. Cornelius Kalenzi, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Fourth Industry Revolution Center, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
- Ukraine: Mark Ginzburg, President, Ukrainian Federation of Robotics
- United Arab Emirates: Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan
- United Kingdom: Glenn Hall, Partner, Head of Government Relations & Public Policy, Norton Rose Fulbright
- United Kingdom: Duncan Johnston-Watt, Co-Founder and CEO, Blockchain Technology Partners (BTP)
- United Kingdom: Hannah Meakin, Partner, Financial Services, Norton Rose Fulbright LLP
- United Kingdom: Lawrence Wintermeyer, Executive Co-Chair, Global Digital Finance; Former CEO, Innovate Finance
- United States: Rod Beckstrom, Former President and CEO of ICANN
- United States: Jim Newsome, Founding Partner, Delta Strategy Group; Former Chair, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission
- United States: Bill Tai, Board Chair, ACTAI Global; Venture Capitalist
- United States: Jason Weinstein, Partner, Steptoe & Johnson LLP; Former, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
- Vanuatu: Sandra Uwantege Hart, Pacific Cash & Livelihoods Lead, Oxfam
Visit the GBBC About page for additional information about the GBBC and our Ambassadors: https://gbbcouncil.org/about/
For Additional Information, Contact:
Global Blockchain Business Council
Sofia Arend, Communications and Content Lead
Email: [email protected]