Frits Bussemaker

Chair of DIGITALEUROPE’s Brexit Advisory Council

John Higgins has been the public face of the digital sector in Europe since November 2011 and speaks regularly on platforms and at conferences throughout Europe and beyond. He was Director General of DIGITALEUROPE, the association for the digital technology industry in Europe, until April 2017, following nine years leading its UK member association, Intellect, now TechUK.

In spring of 2017 he became Chair of the Global Digital Foundation and a Senior Advisor to global communications company, Burson Cohn & Wolfe. He continues to chair DIGITALEUROPE’s Brexit Advisory Council and is chair of the University of Warwick’s European Advisory Board.

In 1995 he was appointed CEO of the Rocket Networks, a California based dot.com that provided the world’s first online recording studios. He returned to the UK in 1998 and became Director General of the Computing Services and Software Association, one of Tech UK’s predecessors. He holds a degree in Mathematics from the University of East Anglia and then a post graduate Diploma in Accounting and Finance. Early in his career he trained as a systems analyst, held senior positions with Ernst & Young and worked in Chicago with leading software company SSA.

John was President of the European Commission’s Strategic Policy Forum (SPF) on Digital Entrepreneurship. The SPF was facilitated by DG Grow for almost three years and examined the current and future impact of new digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence on important sectors of the European economy and society such as automotive, healthcare, SMEs and social enterprise. The SPF was supported with extensive research from consultants such as PwC and EY.

John was also a Board member of the European Internet Forum. John’s other committee chair roles have included the audit committee at the University of Warwick, the cross industry association council of the CBI, a government/industry space committee and the global policy action committee of the World IT Services Association, WITSA. He was a board member of e-skills, the UK’s digital sector skills council and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

He was presented with two personal awards for outstanding contributions; first to the association sector in 2004 and then to the IT industry in 2008. The Queen appointed him a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2005 for his services to the UK IT industry.

Panel member of the United Nations Secretary General’s High-Level Panel
on Digital Cooperation (2018-19)

Nanjira Sambuli is a researcher, policy analyst and advocacy strategist interested in and working on understanding the unfolding impacts of ICT adoption and how those impact governance, media, innovation, entrepreneurship and societal culture, with a keen focus on gender implications.

She currently leads policy advocacy to promote digital equality in access to and use of the web at the  World Wide Web Foundation,  with a particular focus on the Foundation’s Women’s Rights Online work.  She previously worked at the iHub in Nairobi, where she provided strategic guidance for growth of technology innovation research in the East Africa region.

Nanjira is a member of the DFID’s Digital Advisory Panel, board member at The New Humanitarian (formerly IRIN) , and a Commissioner on the Lancet and Financial Times Global Commission (Governing Health Futures 2030). Nanjira also advises the Triple A Affirmative Action for Algorithms initiative by Women@TheTable, and the World Economic Forum’s project on Preparing Civil Society for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 

She served as a panel member on the United Nations Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation (2018-19), as a trustee at UK Citizens Online Democracy (mySociety) (2016-2019), and as a deputy on the United Nations Secretary General’s High-Level Panel for Women’s Economic Empowerment (2016-17). 

Sivaaji De Zoysa comes from two highly respected and established families (4th generation) of leaders, entrepreneurs, doctors and architects who have been responsible for pioneering various Industries, professions and sectors in the country as well as being involved in many philanthropic activities.

Sir. Cyril De Zoysa (2nd generation) founded the Associated Motorways Group of Companies (1940s) initially to support the South-Western Bus Company, which was then the largest bus company in Sri Lanka and later nationalized to become the now SLTB (state owned, Sri Lanka Transport Board). Sir Cyril served as President of the Senate of Ceylon, founded the Young Men’s Buddhist Association (YMBA), built the YMBA one of the largest buildings in the center of Colombo and also built one of the largest and most popular temples in the country. His brother, V.T. De Zoysa (Sivaaji’s grandfather) went on to start Air Ceylon (later Air Lanka and now SriLankan Airlines) and become Chairman and watch over its growth all the way to the point of it becoming Air Lanka.

The group were leaders in transport, motor, rubber and plastics manufacturing, refrigerators (pioneered manufacturing in Sri Lanka), tea and rubber plantations, finance and real estate investments. Chulaka De Zoysa (Sivaaji’s father), eldest son of V.T. De Zoysa succeeded him as Chairman of the group and took the group into many pioneering international JVs in the sectors of batteries, rubber & plastics, construction and infrastructure projects. After his death in 1990, he was succeeded by his younger brother Ajita who went on to be Chairman until 2008.

Sivaaji’s maternal great grandfather, Sir Frank Gunasekera, was one of the great physicians of the time and went on to become the Deputy President of the Senate of Ceylon. His Maternal grandfather Justin Samerasekara founded the Architecture school in Sri Lanka along with Geoffrey Bawa and founded the Sri Lanka Institute of Architecture. His eldest daughter Nela (Sivaaji’s mother), went on to also become a prominent architect who has served and serves on several councils of the AIA and the RIBA.

In 2008, the De Zoysa Family sold their stake in the AMW (automotive business) to the Al-Futtaim Group, the largest Automotive company in the UAE. Sivaaji continued to serve on the board in an executive capacity until March 2014 when he finally retired after 22 years with the company. He left the Company to focus on his investments and build GAIA Investments (Private) Limited (2010), a consultancy and advisory business in the areas of infrastructure and clean energy, which he had established a few years before. GAIA also partners with other local companies who specialize in the various sectors they operate in, which include renewable energy, gas, roads, irrigation and dams.

In a personal capacity, Sivaaji set up an NGO in 2005 soon after the tsunami ravaged in Sri Lanka. The Education Rehabilitation Monitor (TERM) was Sivaaji’s brainchild as a response to the Government’s need to rehabilitate the Education system that had been ravaged by the tsunami. TERM helped the government raise almost $400 million for the affected education system and partnered with the largest global NGO’s, such as UNICEF, World Vision, Save the Children etc. and partnered directly with several governments directly including Swiss, German, Singaporean and Greek to name a few. He continues to devote much of his time in philanthropic activities.

Sivaaji has served on the Regional Board of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), and was a past Chair of YPO Colombo. He currently is the Chair of the Social Impact Council of YPO International and serves on the Networks Committee. YPO is the premier global leadership network that connects successful young business leaders in a global context. The YPO was founded in 1950 in New York City and has since grown to include just over 27,000 business leaders in over 130 countries and now jointly represent over $9 trillion in combined revenue, making it one of the most formidable business organization. Following a shared mission: Better Leaders through Education and Idea Exchange, it is the largest network of peers that connects members to exchange ideas, pursue learning and share strategies to achieve personal growth and professional success.

Freerk Teunissen M.A. (1970) is (psycholinguistic) advisor

He analyzed psycholinguistic techniques employed by journalists in de United States of America and the Netherlands and analyzed their effect on readers. Purpose: analyse in which ways journalists captivate their readers in the best possible ways. He is the author of three books of which journalists in the Netherlands wrote they are ‘profound’, ‘creative’ and ‘a relief’. He presented his findings at numerous conferences, such as conferences of the Dutch Language Society (Genootschap Onze Taal), Amsterdam University and the NACV.

From websites for hospitals to writing education systems based on gamification and appreciative inquiry to training for journalists and editors in the Netherlands and abroad: NICJ – the company Freerk Teunissen co-founded – offers allround language service.

Charles Groenhuijsen (1954) has been the US Correspondent for the main public news program in the Netherlands, the NOS Journaal and the daily current affairs program NOVA (1996 – 2006).

He also was the news anchor of NOVA between 1989 and 2006 and international reporter for the NOS between 1983 and 1989. On the occasion of the 50^th anniversary of the NOS Journaal Groenhuijsen was by Dutch TV-viewers chosen als The Best Foreign Correspondent. Before his television career Mr. Groenhuijsen was reporter for the Dutch daily newspaper De Volkskrant (1974 – 1983) and de national news agency ANP.

Groenhuijsen has written eleven books. In oktober 2019 he published a book about the upcoming US-elections: “Everything passes; even Donald Trump”. In 2017 he wrote a book about optimism (“Optimisten hebben de hele wereld”, “Optimists rule the world”). He did a onemanshow in theaters about the same subject   

He also wrote (2006) the bestseller (top-30 list of Best Sellers for over a year) “Amerikanen zijn niet gek” about the cultural and political differences between the US and Europe. He also published books about US elections and the Iraq War. He mostly writes about Dutch and European politics. He co-authored a textbook about TV-journalism(‘Live’).

Charles Groenhuijsen is an experienced and soughtafter moderator and public speaker on subjects ranging from international economic developments and new technology to sustainabilty and TV-journalism. Among his clients in recent years  are AbnAmro, AON, Bosch, Carnegie Foundation, Cofely, Deutsche Bank, DNB (Dutch National Bank), Defense Department, Energy Academy Europe,  Fugro, ING, Microsoft, Nutreco, Peace Palace (The Hague), Oracle, Rabo-bank, Shell.

Groenhuijsen has appeared numerous times in prominent Dutch TV-shows to comment on international affairs and particularly on US-politics.