Biographies

Soumitra DUTTA 
Professor of Information Systems
The Roland Berger Chaired Professor in Business and Technology  
Academic Director, INSEAD eLab

Soumitra Dutta is the Roland Berger Chaired Professor of Business and Technology and the academic director of INSEAD eLab, INSEAD's initiative in building a center of excellence in teaching and research in the digital economy (http://elab.insead.edu).

Prior to joining the faculty of INSEAD in 1989, he was employed with Schlumberger in Japan and General Electric in the USA. Professor Dutta obtained his Ph.D. in computer science and his M.Sc. in business administration from the University of California at Berkeley. He has been a visiting Professor at several international universities including the University of California at Berkeley, Oxford and Cambridge.

His current research is on technology strategy and innovation at both corporate and national policy levels. His latest books are “Innovating at the Top” (Palgrave, 2009), “Throwing Sheep in the Boardroom” (Wiley, 2008) and “The Global Information Technology Report 2009-2010: ICT for Sustainability” (World Economic Forum 2010). He has co-authored ten other books including "The Bright Stuff" (Financial Times/Prentice Hall, 2002), "Embracing the Net" (Financial Times, 2001) and "Process Reengineering, Organizational Change and Performance Improvement" (Mc-Graw Hill, 1999). He has won several awards for research and pedagogy including awards for the European Case of the Year from the European Case Clearing House in 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2002.

He is actively involved in policy development at national and European levels. He is currently a member of the Advisory Committee for ICT for the Government of Qatar and has advised other national governments on ICT policy issues. He is the Chairman of the European Commission's Europe Innova panel on Innovation in the ICT sector and a member of the Steering Committee of eBSN, the European Commission's eBusiness Network initiative for SMEs.

His research has been showcased in the international media such as CNN, CNBC, BBC and international publications. He has taught in and consulted with international corporations across the world. He has directed top management programs for several companies and is a regular contributor to in-house management programs. He is a fellow of the World Economic Forum.

Bruno Lanvin  
Executive Director , INSEAD eLab

Since September 2007, Dr Lanvin has been Director of INSEAD’s eLab, managing INSEAD’s teams in Paris, Singapore and Abu Dhabi. eLab’s current areas of focus are: leadership in knowledge economies, skills/e-skills, innovation, economic impact of social networks, new roles of government.

In December 2011, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of IDA Infocomm in Singapore (www.ida.gov.sg); he currently serves as a member of the Media Convergence Panel of Singapore’s Media Development Authority (MDA) (www.mda.gov.sg); since 2010, he has been a Broadband Commissioner (www.broadbandcommission.org).

In 2009-2010, he has been Chair of the Global Advisory Council on the Future of Government (World Economic Forum), on which he continues to serve, focusing in particular on the influence of social media on governance, democracy, and public sector innovation.(www.weforum.org/pdf/GAC09/council/future_of_government/proposal.htm)

From 2000 to 2007, he worked for the World Bank, where he was inter alia Senior Advisor for E-strategies, Regional Coordinator (Europe and Central Asia) for ICT and e- government issues and Chairman of the Bank’s e-Thematic Group. From June 2001 to December 2003, he was the Manager of the Information for Development Program (infoDev).

In 2000, Mr. Lanvin was appointed Executive Secretary of the G-8 DOT Force. Before that, he worked for some twenty years in senior positions in the United Nations.

The author of numerous books and articles on international economics, information technology and development, he holds a BA in Mathematics and Physics, an MBA from EcoledesHautesEtudesCommerciales(HEC)inParis, andaPhDinEconomicsfromthe University of Paris I – La Sorbonne.

He has worked in some 70 countries, and speaks French, English, Spanish, with practical knowledge of Italian, Portuguese, Russian and basic Chinese.

Chairman, Forum Committee, Telecom Inter@ctive 97

Member of the ITU Regulatory Colloquium (1996 and 1998)

General Manager, GET UP (Global Electronic Trade UN Partnership)(1998)

Founder and president of the Geneva ISOC Chapter (1995-97)

Beñat BILBAO-OSORIO

Associate Director and Economist

Centre for Global Competitiveness and Performance

World Economic Forum

Beñat Bilbao-Osorio is Associate Director and Economist at the World Economic Forum’s Centre for Global Competitiveness and Performance. In his current position, his research focuses on national competitiveness issues, with a special geographical focus on Latin America and Iberia. In addition, he analyses the role of innovation and information & communication technologies on fostering competitiveness.

His main research fields include innovation, skills and economic development, where he has extensively published.  He is co-editor of The Global Information Technology Report, one the Forum’s flagship publications.

Prior to joining the Forum, he worked at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, where he was responsible for economic analysis on European innovation policy. He also worked at the OECD’s Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry, and Directorate for Education, focusing on innovation-related topics, as well as at the International Trade Centre (UNCTAD/WTO), working on international trade competitiveness analysis.

He holds a degree in Economics from the Universidad Comercial de Deusto (Spain), a Master’s degree in European Studies from the Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgium), and a PhD in Economic Geography from the London School of Economic and Political Science (United Kingdom)