Tokyo Digital Academy Program – Leveraging Digital Transformation for Resilience: Ideas Actioned

Sangbu Kim is the World Bank’s Vice President for Digital Transformation as of September 2024. In this role, he leads efforts to build the foundations for digital economies in developing countries to thrive, enhance digital and data infrastructure, ensure cybersecurity and data privacy for institutions, businesses, and citizens, and advance digital government services.

With over 27 years of experience, Mr. Kim has held senior positions in the Office of the President of the Republic of Korea, where he developed national ICT plans, including e-government, broadband expansion, digital literacy, cybersecurity, and trade policy. He also served in the Korean Communications Commission and the Ministry of Information and Communication. More recently, he was Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy for Consumer Products in the Asia Pacific region at Google. Earlier, he served as Vice President for Corporate Strategy, Investment, and Partnerships at the Korean telecommunications operator LG Uplus.

A South Korean national, Mr. Kim holds a Master of Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Seoul National University.

Manuela V. Ferro was appointed World Bank Regional Vice President for East Asia and Pacific (EAP) in September 2021. Prior to this appointment, she was World Bank Vice President of Operations Policy and Country Services (OPCS), where she oversaw the World Bank’s corporate policies on financing and analytical services.

A Portuguese national, Ms. Ferro has over 25 years of hands-on and leadership experience in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, and South Asia. Throughout her professional career, she has shaped creative development solutions for countries as diverse as post-conflict, low-income all the way to upper middle-income countries. She brings to her current position a track record of modernization of operations policies, a history of forging productive partnerships with client countries and development partners, and a focus on client services.

An economist and an engineer by training, Ms. Ferro worked in technical and corporate positions at the World Bank. She previously served as the Director for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management in the Middle East and North Africa, where she oversaw the team of economists and governance specialists. She also served as the World Bank’s Director for Strategy and Operations for Latin America and the Caribbean, overseeing the operational and analytical work in this region.

Ms. Ferro was also the Manager of the Country Economics unit in OPCS, overseeing country strategies, development policy financing, and guarantees. She led the launch of the World Bank’s new policies on guarantees, the introduction of Catastrophe Development Policy Operations with a deferred draw down option (CAT DDO) to help clients prepare for and respond to natural disasters, and the modernization of development policy financing with a deferred draw down option (DPF DDO). All are now broadly utilized. 

Ms. Ferro joined the World Bank as a Young Professional in 1994.

Prior to joining the World Bank, Ms. Ferro was an Assistant Professor at The Technical University of Lisbon, from which she holds an MSc./Engineering Degree.  Ms. Ferro holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Applied Economics from Stanford University in California. She also worked for the Government of Portugal on EU accession matters. Her professional interests include macroeconomics, game theory, international trade, and labor economics.

Christine Zhenwei Qiang is the Global Director of the Digital Transformation unit at the World Bank. She heads a team supporting digital transformation in developing countries to drive shared prosperity and reduce poverty. Her team advises policymakers and regulators, works closely with private sector and development partners, and designs investment and technical assistance programs to improve digital connectivity and use of digital technology to address development challenges in client countries. The team collaborates across the World Bank Group to expand access to digital infrastructure, boost digital industry and capabilities, ensure the availability and use of digital platforms, and help build the foundations needed for digital economies to thrive. The team also works to strengthen cybersecurity and data protection and leverage the potential of digital technologies to enhance environmental sustainability.

Christine joined the World Bank Group in 1998. Prior to her role as Director, she was the Practice Manager in the Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation (FCI) Global Practice for West and Central Africa, Practice Manager of the Global Investment Climate unit in FCI, and Practice Manager of the Global Investment and Competition Unit in the Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment (MTI) Global Practice. She was also Lead Economist at the Policy Division of the Global ICT Department of the World Bank Group. During her tenure, she edited the first two Global Information and Communications Reports (2006, 2009), and oversaw the publication of the first two Global Investment Competitiveness Reports (2017/18 and 2019/20). She has also published journal articles, book chapters and reports on broadband investment, private sector development, IT-enabled services, trade, foreign direct investment, competition, regulatory reforms, productivity and competitiveness.

Christine holds a Ph.D. in economics and a Master’s in computer science and engineering from the Johns Hopkins University.

Aditya is a development sector professional who is passionate about creating social change. He has experience in government relations, fundraising, communications, and program management. With over a decade of experience across partnerships, business development, consulting and strategic communications primarily in the public sector including non-profits and research institutes. Throughout my career he has worked with small-mid size organisations and grown them through a focus on operations and execution. I am motivated by the potential of collaborations to enable innovation and create new technology solutions for large scale problems. He believes that strategic relationships, effective and simple communication can help break silos and foster partnerships to create meaningful economic and social development.

Endo Akira is an expert in the department responsible for disaster management at KDDI. In this role, he engages in information exchange and dialogue with government officials, local municipalities, and research institutions to enhance disaster response capabilities. Before joining his current department, he worked at the Cabinet Office's disaster management division, where he promoted disaster response support policies using digital maps. He was also involved in the development of equipment that equips ships and aircraft with mobile phone base station functions to temporarily secure communication means.

Experienced Senior Researcher with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. Skilled in Analytical Skills, Machine Learning Algorithms, Wireless Communication and Cybersecurity. Strong research professional with a PhD in Information and Communication Engineering from Yeungnam University, Korea.

Wilson L. White is Vice President, Government Affairs & Public Policy at Google, where he is a Vice President of government affairs and public policy for Google’s core product areas and the Asia Pacific region (based in Singapore). With 20 years of experience as an engineer and technology attorney, Wilson has used his multidisciplinary background and expertise to provide lawmakers, regulators and other key opinion formers across the Americas, Europe and Asia with thought leadership on the rapidly growing and changing technology landscape and the societal implications of emerging technologies.

Before joining Google’s public policy team, Wilson was a patent litigation attorney at Google, where he not only defended Google in patent infringement lawsuits, but also helped push for patent reform legislation to curb rampant abuses of the US patent system. Prior to joining Google, Wilson was a litigator at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP in Atlanta, Georgia and before that a federal judicial law clerk to the Honorable Alexander Williams, Jr. on the US District Court for the District of Maryland.

Wilson earned his Bachelor of Science degree, summa cum laude, in Computer Engineering from NC State University.  He earned a Juris Doctor degree with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law, where he served on the Editorial Board of the North Carolina Law Review.

Eigo NOMURA, Director-General for International Affairs, Global Strategy Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication (MIC)

Education: 2000 M.A in International Relations (MAIR) from the Australian National University 1992 B.A. from the Faculty of Economics of The University of Tokyo.

Maya leads the Public and Social Sector Practice in Japan and is one of the leaders in the People & Organizational Performance Practice. Over the past two decades, she has provided expert advice in two areas: (1) Economic development and growth in Japan and in developing countries, across a range of topics such as sustainability, digital transformation, industry competitiveness; (2) organizational issues, including on organizational design, culture transformation, leadership development and talent management. She serves as executive coach and advisors to senior leaders, driving large scale change and globalization efforts.

Previously, Maya was based in the U.S. for 13 years (in Boston, New York and Washington, DC) and worked with numerous public- and social-sector institutions and development organizations.

Yoichi IIDA is the Assistant Vice Minister at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. He was formerly the Deputy Director General for G7/G20 Relations at the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC). He chaired the G7 Working Group (WG) on ICT policy, when Japan hosted the G7 ICT Ministers’ Meeting in 2016. The WG discussed G7 ICT Ministers’ Declaration, including “free flow of information across borders”, and proposed an international discussion on AI principles. In 2019, he chaired G20 Digital Economy Task Force (DETF) which discussed Data Free Flow with Trust and prepared the language for G20 Ministerial Statement and G20 Osaka Summit Communique. DETF also discussed and endorsed G20 AI Principles. Since January 2020, he has been serving as the chair of OECD Committee on Digital Economy Policy (CDEP), which discusses broad aspects of the digital economy. He joined former Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in 1988, which was integrated into the current MIC in 2000. He worked at OECD Secretariat in the early 1990s.

Kei Ando is a Manager at the Radio Access Network Technology Promotion Office at NTT DOCOMO. With over a decade of experience, he has contributed to the standardization, development, and implementation of 4G LTE and 5G NR technologies. Through his work with the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), he has driven key technologies such as carrier aggregation, 4x4 MIMO, and 256QAM, enhancing the throughput of LTE-Advanced. He has also promoted global frequency harmonization for 5G NR.

Currently, he serves as the co-chair of the O-RAN ALLIANCE’s working group on open fronthaul interfaces, focusing on enhancing the openness, interoperability, and flexibility of RAN components. This initiative contributes to building the critical foundations for future 5G and 6G networks.

Hideo Tomioka is Senior Vice President of Global Government Affairs at Rakuten Symphony. He is mainly responsible for communications and negotiations with governments around the world on Open RAN, which is currently one of major policy agenda in the telecommunications sector from the perspective of promoting competition among telecommunications vendors and ensuring economic security.

He built a career in the Japanese government as a telecommunications expert for over 20 years. At the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, he led several bilateral and multilateral international trade negotiations in the telecommunications sector, along with competition policy on broadband and mobile markets. After serving as Director for Reform of Telecommunications Business Act and Director for Reform of Public Broadcasting, he joined Rakuten in 2021.

He holds law degrees from the University of Tokyo and the University of California, Berkeley and is admitted to bar in the United States.

H.E. CHEANG Vutha is currently an Advisor to the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of Cambodia (MPTC), bringing a wealth of expertise in both accounting and computer information systems, with degrees from California State University, Stanislaus, and a Master of Science from San Jose State University.

With expertise in Business process re-engineering, change management, and business development across vaiours industries as well as more than 17 year of experience working for companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Oracle, and Ernst & Young LLP and local conglomarate Chip Mong Group.

H.E. CHEANG Vutha's extensive experience and strategic vision make him a pivotal figure in advancing Cambodia's digital infrastructure and governance.

I'm Takeshi Nakamura and I work for NTT DATA and am in charge of crisis management solutions.

Currently, we are mainly engaged in overseas expansion with the aim of further enhancing the resilience field. In recent years, we have been making proposals using the lessons learned from Japan to ASEAN countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines, as well as countries in the Global South, which are suffering from natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and typhoons while their economies are experiencing remarkable economic development.

 I graduated from Kobe University in 1994. I have been engaged in the field of crisis management and disaster prevention for about 30 years since I experienced the response to the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake that occurred in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan in 1995.

Masayuki Furukawa is a digital for development expert with over 15 years of experience in the field. Currently, as the Director of the Office for STI & DX at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), he leads a team responsible for promoting the use of data and digital technology across JICA's projects, as well as developing the foundation for digital development such as digital infrastructure, ICT Industry, and cybersecurity. In terms of DX mainstreaming, his team has recently been focusing on DPI and Enterprise DX.

Mr. Sakano is the CEO and Founder of the Allm Group, with a focus on advancing acute and elderly care through ICT. He has introduced three pivotal medical ICT products: the telemedicine app Join, the patient monitoring system Team, and the personal health record app MySOS. Notably, Join is the first app approved by the public insurance system in Japan and has established the largest telemedicine network across nine countries. The Team system is widely utilized within Japan's elderly care sector, while MySOS acts as a standard application for acute care and digital medical passports. Under Mr. Sakano's leadership, the Allm Group connects over 250,000 healthcare professionals, supporting 9 million patients worldwide. Mr. Sakano oversees global business operations, including a staff of 550 employees. The Allm Group operates in 33 countries from its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, and maintains 13 operation centers across various countries including the USA, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Germany, Dubai, Taiwan, Malaysia, Kenya, Ghana, Rwanda, and Ukraine. Following its acquisition by the DeNA Group in 2022 – marking the largest healthcare business acquisition of the year – Mr. Sakano was appointed as the Group Executive within DeNA Group. His entrepreneurial excellence has been recognized by Forbes Japan, naming him a top healthcare market entrepreneur in both 2017 and 2018. 

Yasuhiro Otsuka is the Director of Network Safety and Reliability Division at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) Japan. He is in charge of policies related to improving reliability of communication networks and services against natural disasters and equipment failures since 2023. He worked with communications operators and relevant government agencies to ensure that communications services were promptly restored from damages caused by the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake.

Prior to taking up the current position, he served at various positions related to competition policy in the filed of information and communication. He also served at the Cabinet Secretariat and the Ministry of Finance.

Asami Okahashi has over 15 years of experience in policy advisory, project design and implementation, and technical assistance in digital government, service delivery, and smart cities. Currently, she co-leads the Digital Government Service business line within the Digital Transformation Vice Presidency, while working extensively on operations in regions such as Europe and Central Asia, and South Asia regions. She previously led the GovTech Innovation Lab, supporting problem-solving through emerging technologies for forthcoming lending operations at the World Bank.

Prior to joining the Bank, she was responsible for supporting over 10 countries in areas such as smart cities, climate and disaster resilience, water supply, and waste management at the UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub for Asia and the Pacific. In the private sector, she spearheaded business development in the technology and infrastructure sectors for Southeast Asia and Latin America regions.
She holds an MSc degree in Urban Economic Development from University College London, UK, and is fluent in English, Spanish, and Japanese.

Daisuke is Senior Digital Development Specialist at World Bank since 2023. Prior to World Bank, Daisuke joined Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) of Japan in 2005, and Daisuke was the Director for Global Strategy at the Ministry, for coordinating digital policies with foreign countries, including cybersecurity, AI, and 5G/6G from 2020. Prior to then, Daisuke have engaged in ICT related projects, including promoting digital infrastructure (fixed/mobile) deployment in the local areas of Japan and reforming public broadcasting services.Daisuke earned a Master’s degree from Graduate School of Waseda University and Sciences-Po d’Aix-en-Provence.

Casey Torgusson is the Global Program Manager for Digital Development with the World Bank.  He manages a team of experts leading the Bank’s research and applied knowledge work across the unit’s primary business lines including broadband access and use, data infrastructure, ICT industry and jobs, digital safeguards, digital and climate change, as well as adoption of digital technology within key sectors.  He previously led a range of technical assistance, policy reform and investment operations which have supported governments across the Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and East and Central Europe regions to achieve their digital transformation and digital economy development ambitions.  He is the author of several reports on Digital Economy Development and Digital Market Integration in East Africa and previously co-led the Bank’s Digital and Climate Community of Practice. 

Thomas Chalumeau is the Global Broadband Lead at The World Bank. In this role, he supports the Bank’s connectivity programs and investments in fixed and mobile networks, including regional backbones, FTTx, subsea cables, rural connectivity and PPPs, as well as the Bank’s policy and regulatory dialogue in client countries.

Prior to joining the World Bank, he held several VP level positions in the European Telecom Industry and in Investment Banking for 15 years, and acted as Regional Lead, Principal Investment Officer at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Infrastructure. He started his career in the French Public Service (French State Shareholding Agency) and as a Manager with McKinsey & Company.

Dr. IMAGAWA Takuo joined the Japanese Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in 1990, and has been engaged in various information and communications technology policies at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Prior to his current position, he served as Director General of the Telecommunications Bureau. His career also includes the positions of Director General of the Secretariat and Director General of the Postal Services Policy Planning Department in the Information and Communications Bureau.

He received his B.A.S. and M.A. in systems studies from the University of Tokyo and his M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University. His experience in academia highly contributes to his theoretical background in policy making. He taught economics at Osaka University as an associate professor from 2000 to 2003, and he served as a visiting scholar at several universities such as the University of Tokyo and Waseda University. His research interests include information economics, industrial organization and urban economics.

He is the author of numer ous books and articles in the field of information and economics.

His publications include Economic Analysis of Telecommunications, Technology, and Cities in Japan (2002), Empirical Analyses of Recession under Deflation (co-author, 2002), and The Governance of the Advanced Information Society (co-author, 2003).

Mr. Takahiro Tsuda is Director, MDBs Division, Ministry of Finance since July 7, 2023.

Prior to the current position, Mr. Tsuda served as World Bank Alternate Executive Director representing Japan. Within this mandate, he proactively contributed to the discussion of IDA Voting Rights Review; World Bank Evolution Roadmap, in particular financial innovations; IDA 20 replenishment; and health-finance matters.

Mr. Tsuda has held various leadership positions at the Japanese Ministry of Finance. He headed the Office of Planning and Coordination for International Affairs (July 2019 – July 2020), being responsible for developing the strategic direction of the International Bureau and handling personnel management. Furthermore, during the Japanese G20 Presidency in 2019, as then-Director for Development Policy Coordination, he contributed to conceptualizing various development-related G20 agenda items, including quality infrastructure investment, debt sustainability and transparency, global health, and disaster risk finance. Also, back in 2016, he led a unit that was responsible for the

global economic outlook, International Monetary Fund (IMF), and G7/G20 issues, playing a central role in managing the Japan’s G7 Presidency back then.

His expertise also extends to fiscal policy management. As the First Deputy Budget Examiner for Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishery (July 2017 - July 2018), he played a leading role in the modernization of the agricultural sector through comprehensive budget reallocation. Also, as Deputy Head of Fiscal Research Division (June 2016 – July 2017), he was in charge of producing a medium-term fiscal strategy, preparing macro-fiscal projections, and identifying social security reform measures.

Moreover, he has a wide range of experience in capital market research. As a financial sector expert in the Monetary and Capital Markets Department at the IMF (2010-13), he contributed to a series of the flagship Global Financial Stability Reports, undertook analytical works on sovereign debt markets, and published various literature on the sovereign debt investor base (with Mr. Serkan Arslanalp) as well as sovereign debt restructuring. He also actively participated in IMF-WB TA missions on medium-term debt management strategy during this period.

He earned a Bachelor of Laws from Tokyo University and LL.M. from the University of Cambridge.

Then he shifted his academic focus to economics and finance, and obtained an MSc in Finance from London Business School and an MA in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University. He is a CFA Charterholder.

Dr. Jong-Sung Hwang is a lead researcher at the National Information Society Agency, leading researches on data and AI national strategies, smart cities, and future government. He served as a Master Planner of Busan EDC National Pilot Smart City from 2018 to 2021. He was a member of the Gov3.0 Committee of the Korean government from 2014 to 2017, which designs and coordinates government innovation initiatives at a vice-ministerial level. He was a Chief Information Officer of the Seoul Metropolitan Government from 2011 to 2013. As a CIO of Seoul, he launched the Smart Seoul 2015 initiatives in 2011 and has made Seoul the best model case for the smart city recommended by the ITU. He was awarded the Order of Civil Merit, Camellia Medal by the Korean government in 2016. Dr. Hwang holds a Doctoral degree in Political Science from Yonsei University in Korea.

Reuben Zotz-Wilson Lead Data Scientist, Hala Systems

Data Scientist leading a team developing technology for the equitable, efficient connection between people and productivity. I personally hold a passion for the generalisation power of AI.

Jinjoo Kim, International Cooperation Manager SIA Analytics

Working on climate change adaptation, Disaster risk reduction.

Takamasa Morishima is an expert in Partner Relationships within KDDI's Connectivity and Datacenter Business.

His role includes planning data center services in Japan and globally, establishing partnerships with various companies, and planning new Interconnection DC deployments. With over ten years of experience, he has played a key role in supporting the data center industry.

Previously, he gained a wide range of experience in the ICT sector, focusing on service planning for mobile networks and product development for ICT businesses abroad.

Ernie Quah has more than 30 years experience in the IT Industry - as a Project Director, Ernie developed more than 20 large scale enterprise applications for the Singapore Government and private sector. In his current capacity as VP of Digital Government Consulting of Toppan Ecquaria, Ernie hopes to share Singapore's digital experience with other economies to enable them to fast forward their own digitization efforts.

Masugi Inoue graduated from Kyoto University in 1992, received his Dr. Eng. degree from The University of Tokyo in 1997, and joined the Communications Research Laboratory (CRL) of the Ministry of Posts and Telecom, Tokyo, Japan, which is now NICT. He was involved in the research and development of the world fastest WLAN in MM-wave bands, common-signaling architecture for heterogeneous networks in the 4G era, ID-locator split architecture called HIMALIS for future Internet, a resilient information and communications platform system called NerveNet, etc. He also worked for international cooperation through the operations of joint research programs with NSF, with European Commission, and with research institutes and universities in all ten ASEAN countries. He has been in his current position since April 2021. He is a fellow of IEICE and a member of IEEE.

Mr. Jun Nakaya is Chair of Trade Policy Committee and a member of Personal Data special committee of Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA). Representing IT and electronics industry of Japan, he has been expressing views and opinions at the various international fora for the better world trade policies.

He is a Manager, Global Planning department, Government Relations Office at Fujitsu Limited in Japan. He participates in several industry organization activities such as JEITA and Keidanren, and made recommendations on global-ICT related policy issues.

He coordinates with ministries and government offices for global-related policy issues. Prior to his current position, He worked in Singapore as director of Fujitsu Asia. He was also involved in the promotion of cross-border e-commerce and the establishment of the safe and secured environment for cross-border e-commerce market.

Emilio Kazuki Wakita is a consultant for the World Bank specializing in Digital Technologies for Disaster Risk Management. He carries out consultation for private enterprises and government organizations aiming to introduce cutting-edge ICT technology used for 2D/3D modeling which can be used for multiple purposes including disaster planning and response. Before that he worked as an engineering consultant for over 5 years specializing in geospatial technology and sustainability, mainly for Japanese governmental organizations including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism or the Japan International Cooperation Agency, involved evaluating disaster risks and developing strategies to mitigate damage from natural hazards. He earned a B. Sc. in Environmental Science and an M. Sc. in Environmental Geology specializing in Geological Hazards.

Kamal Siblini leads the Monitoring & Evaluation function in the Digital Transformation Vice Presidency. He has over 30 years of experience in international development with a focus on evidence-based project design and implementation, client capacity building, and monitoring and evaluation. Kamal has experience in over 52 countries cutting across various sectors to include education, health, social development, agriculture, private sector development and finance, digital development and transport. He has worked for the World Bank, International Financial Corporation, the United Nations and consulted for various other international organizations, governments, NGOs, and private firms.  Kamal holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering, a MS in Operations Research and an MBA in Logistics and Operations Management from the George Washington University.

Casey Torgusson is the Global Program Manager for Digital Development with the World Bank.  He manages a team of experts leading the Bank’s research and applied knowledge work across the unit’s primary business lines including broadband access and use, data infrastructure, ICT industry and jobs, digital safeguards, digital and climate change, as well as adoption of digital technology within key sectors.  He previously led a range of technical assistance, policy reform and investment operations which have supported governments across the Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and East and Central Europe regions to achieve their digital transformation and digital economy development ambitions.  He is the author of several reports on Digital Economy Development and Digital Market Integration in East Africa and previously co-led the Bank’s Digital and Climate Community of Practice. 

Julia Clark is a Senior Economist with the World Bank’s, which brings global knowledge and expertise across sectors to help countries realize the transformational potential of digital ID systems. She has worked extensively on the application of ID systems for development with ID4D and previously at the Center for Global Development (CGD). She currently leads ID4D’s research program and has authored or contributed to many flagship reports and guidance on good practices for ID systems, including the ID4D Practitioner’s Guide and the Principles on Identification for Sustainable Development. Clark holds an MA from the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex and is completing her PhD at the University of California, San Diego.

Peter is Program Manager for Digital Development with the World Bank.  He manages a team of experts leading the Bank’s research and applied knowledge work across the unit’s primary business lines including Digital Public Infrastructure, Artificial Intelligence, ICT Industry and Digital Jobs, ID4D, G2Px, Data Centers & Cloud. He previously led the team of the Applied Research Program on Investment in the Finance, Competitiveness & Innovation Global Practice at the World Bank. 
Prior to joining the World Bank Group, Peter worked on microfinance and small-enterprise development at BRAC Bangladesh, on microcredit at FINCA Tanzania, and on privatization and other structural reforms at the Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic. He was also program manager at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based foreign and security policy think tank, where his program brought together global business and government leaders to accelerate the pace of economic reforms in Central and Eastern Europe.

Peter holds a master’s degree in economic policy and international development from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of the South. 

Sharmista Appaya has over fifteen years of robust experience in the intersecting worlds of data, finance, and digital development. She currently leads the World Bank's AI Business line within the Digital Development Vice Presidency, to support the creation of safe, inclusive digital infrastructures that leverage AI for meaningful responsible impact. She strongly believes in bridging divides—be they technological, economic, or social and trusts that innovation can pave the way for equitable growth. 

She was previously, the Senior Financial Sector Specialist in the Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation (FCI) Global Practice, where she analyzed fintech and its application to financial inclusion. Prior to joining the World Bank, she was the Head of the Fintech Accelerator at the Bank of England in London.

Christopher Tullis is a Senior Digital Development Specialist at the World Bank. His expertise spans topics related to digital public infrastructure, digital identity, digital government, and the data economy. Additionally, he is the Bank’s global thematic lead for data infrastructure and cloud computing. Since joining the Bank in 2014, he has worked on country engagements across Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Having been based in the Côte d’Ivoire country office for 4 years, Christopher played a key role in building out the Bank’s Identification for Development (ID4D) portfolio in West and Central Africa. Before joining the Bank, Chris worked as a researcher at Innovations for Poverty Action, based in Senegal, and the University of Heidelberg. He holds an M.Sc. in Economics from Sciences Po Paris as well as a B.A. from Amherst College.

Seth is a Senior Program Officer with the Identification for Development (ID4D) Initiative at the World Bank Group.  Launched in 2014, the Initiative’s mission is to enable all people to access services and exercise their rights, by increasing the number of people who have secure, verifiable, and officially-recognized IDs. To date, ID4D has worked with more than 50 countries and $1.5 billion in active and pipeline financing is supporting the implementation of digital ID and civil registration systems.  Before joining the World Bank Group, Seth was Standards Program Manager for IDEMA, an international trade organization that represents the USD $35 billion disk drive industry.  Seth has been recognized for his work by the World Economic Forum as a member of the Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Data-Driven Development, as well as by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as a technical advisor.

Jerome is an experienced task team leader with a proven track record in delivering and supervising complex operations across various regions, including Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and South Asia. Jerome has extensive field experience, particularly in fragile countries, and possesses a strong background in competition, regulatory, and infrastructure network economics.

Prior to joining the World Bank, Jerome served as the Director of the Bitstream and Broadcasting Division at ARCEP, the French regulator of electronic communications and postal services, in Paris. Before his tenure at ARCEP, he was the Director of Studies and Head of the Regulatory and Policy Division at the Institut de l’Audiovisuel et des Télécommunications en Europe (IDATE). Jerome has significant expertise in network economics, regulation, and competition issues within the telecommunications sector, both in industrialized and developing countries. Earlier in his career, he worked as a Modeling Manager in the regulatory department of the French telecommunications operator Cegetel SFR and as a professor and researcher at ENST, the French telecom high school. Jerome holds a Ph.D. in Economics.