Sophia Bekele

Blog:	[Sophia's Blog Sophia's Blog]
LinkedIn:	[Sophia Bekele Sophia Bekele]
Twitter:	@sophiabekele

Ms. Sophia Bekele is an entrepreneur, business executive, ICT activist, and international policy adviser on ICT/Telcom to public and private enterprise. She is the founder and CEO of CBS International and DotConnectAfrica.

She was also the founder and CEO of CBS International, a private California-based firm engaged in technology transfer to emerging economies, and SbCommunications Network, an Ethiopian IT company. In 2002 SbCNet was known for being successfully awarded a highly controversial bid for a government contract to build an integrated information network infrastructure for the Ethiopian Parliament. Bekele was also an elected member of the ICANN Council of the GNSO (Generic Names Supporting Organization), which advises on global internet policy. She has served on United Nations-sponsored committees, such as the UNECA-sponsored African Information Society Initiative (AISI), where she represents the private sector in discussions about the economic development of Africa. She is also involved with the creation of policies towards bridging the economic gap between Africa and other economies, through the use of Information and communication technologies (ICT).

Early life and Family

Bekele is the daughter of Ato Bekele Eshete Wolde Michael, a businessman who was engaged in various sectors of the Ethiopian economy, also a founder and Board Director of United Bank,S.C and United Insurance,S.C one of the first and largest Banks and Insurance institutions in Ethiopia and Sister Mulualem Beyene Engida, a medical nurse. She attended a private Catholic high school, then traveled to America to acquire her Higher education.

Career

After coming to the US, she studied and acquired her Bachelor's Degree in Business Analysis and Information Systems at San Francisco State University. Recruited out of college by Bank of America, she began working in information security. She earned her Master of Business Administration (MBA) in management Information Systems from Golden Gate University, also in San Francisco, California, which led to managerial positions with UnionBanCal Corporation and then PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

ICANN Work

Ms. Bekele was nominated to serve on ICANN's GNSO policy board from 2005-2007, under the Chairmanship of Dr. Vinton Cerf. Elected by the NomCom, Sophia was the first African to serve and hold a seat the GNSO. During her tenure, Sophia was instrumental in initiating policy dialogue over IDNs as well as the formation of an IDN working group. She was later credited for championing the inclusion of the global IDN community within this policy dialogue. A

Generic Names Supporting Organization. Develops and recommends to the Board substantive policies relating to generic top-level domains and other responsibilities set forth in the Bylaws (ICANN Bylaws).