We’re pleased to announce that Sonia N. Jorge has today been appointed as Executive Director of the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI). Ms Jorge has over 20 years international experience in the ICT and development sectors, gained in both private sector and not-for-profit environments. Based in Boston, USA, Sonia will lead an international team dedicated to driving down the cost of internet access in the developing world. The Web Foundation is the Secretariat for A4AI, an emerging global coalition of public, private and not-for profit organisations which will launch in Q3 2013.
Sonia joins A4AI from Pyramid Research, a UBM company, where she was Director of Research & Consulting. Her career has seen her tackle complex projects in over 20 countries around the world, including challenges such as national ICT/broadband policy development, the creation of new legal and regulatory frameworks (to address issues including competition, interconnection, cost-based pricing, spectrum allocation and management, infrastructure sharing and convergence) and universal access and digital inclusion in the context of development. She holds a Masters in Public Policy (Tufts University) and a BA/BS in Economics and Business Finance (University of Massachusetts) and has also previously worked at the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and the University of Massachusetts. Sonia is also a member of the UN Broadband Commission’s Working Group on Gender and Broadband.
Commenting, Anne Jellema, CEO of the World Wide Web Foundation, which runs the A4AI secretariat, said:
“We are delighted to have Sonia on board after a thorough global search identified her as the best candidate. I have no doubt that her skills, experience and energy will see her make a significant contribution.”
Sonia N. Jorge added:
“It has become increasingly apparent that persistently high internet access costs in the developing world are acting as a barrier to development. By advocating for regulatory and policy reforms, we can tackle this head-on and drive progress towards the UN Broadband Commission target of entry-level broadband services priced at less than 5% of average monthly income. I am pleased to have this opportunity to use my skills and experience to tackle this vital issue – I look forward to working with our members and partners to make affordable internet a reality for all!”
Sonia can be contacted at sonia@webfoundation.org.