ADVISORY BOARD
The Advisory Board of the Global Development Conference 2025 is composed of scientific experts with strong research credentials and proven capacity-building experience in the field of digital transformation. Their diverse perspectives and expertise are essential to shaping a conference grounded in both technical and regional knowledge that brings together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, youth, and communities.
This panel of experts, elected by partners and practitioners, plays a central role in shaping the conference agenda. Drawing from the open call for ideas, they review submissions and make key decisions on sessions, speakers, and trainings, ensuring the programme reflects both technical excellence and real-world relevance in digital transformation.
JEAN CLARISSE T. CARLOS
Jean Clarisse T. Carlos is a Project Development Officer at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies and a Senior Lecturer at Miriam College. With over a decade of experience in research, policy, and regional engagement, she specialises in gender empowerment, digital economy, and inclusive development across ASEAN, ASEAN+3, and APEC. A published author and frequent speaker at high-level regional dialogues, she advocates for evidence-based policymaking and inclusive digital transformation. She holds a Master’s in Public Policy from Meiji University and is set to pursue a PhD in Politics at the University of Edinburgh.
JEAN-LOUIS ARCAND
Professor Jean-Louis Arcand is a Canadian economist at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva and an affiliate professor at Université Mohammed VI Polytechnic in Rabat. He is a Founding Fellow of the European Development Research Network (EUDN) and a Senior Fellow at FERDI. Arcand has held academic positions at the University of Montréal, CERDI, and has been a Visiting Professor at institutions in China, Brazil, Africa, and the Caribbean. He holds a PhD in Economics from MIT, an MPhil from Cambridge University, and a BA from Swarthmore College. He became president of GDN in January 2023.
MICHAEL L. BEST
Dr. Michael L. Best is the Executive Director of the Institute for People and Technology (IPaT) and a Professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and the School of Interactive Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he also directs the Technologies and International Development Lab. He was the founding director of the United Nations University Institute on Computing and Society (UNU-CS) in Macau SAR, China. He holds a Ph.D. from MIT and has previously served as Director of Media Lab Asia in India and Head of the eDevelopment Group at the MIT Media Lab.
NJIDEKA HARRY
Njideka U. Harry is a global leader in inclusive digital transformation for sustainable development. With over 20 years of experience in technology, education, and equity, she connects grassroots innovation with global policy.
As Founder of the Youth for Technology Foundation (YTF), she has delivered 21st-century skills to over 1.7 million youth and women across five countries, addressing digital gaps and advancing local tech solutions in LMICs.
At Ashoka, as Global Vice President, she mobilises capital and partnerships to scale social innovations. A World Economic Forum Fellow, she advises on responsible AI, inclusive governance, and digital public infrastructure. Her work spans Davos to the grassroots, championing technology for the common good.
SABRINE TEBESSI
Sabrine Tebessi has dedicated over 12 years to her core areas of expertise: education, digital technology, interculturality, and culture. Driven by the conviction that these sectors are powerful drivers of equal opportunity worldwide, she has worked extensively in Guatemala, Kenya, the UK, Spain, and France. Sabrine has led departments and institutions within the French cultural network abroad (Institut Français and Alliance Française, under the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs). She also contributed to the development of a mobile training application for young Africans and Afro-descendants in collaboration with the Trace media group. Currently, as a Task Team Leader at the Agence Française de Développement, Sabrine oversees the funding of digital technology projects in Africa, with a strong focus on gender equality, social inclusion, and education.
SIMONE BERTOLI
Simone Bertoli is an economist at CERDI, a joint research unit of Université Clermont Auvergne, the CNRS, and the IRD. His research interests focus on migration and development economics. His work has been published in leading field journals in international and development economics, including the Journal of International Economics, the Journal of Development Economics, the World Bank Economic Review, and Economic Development and Cultural Change. He has been Director of CERDI since 2023 and is a Full Member of the EUDN, the European Development Research Network.
THOMAS CANTENS
Thomas Cantens joined the International Monetary Fund’s Fiscal Affairs Department in 2024. Prior to this, he served as Head of the Research and Policy Unit at the World Customs Organization (WCO). Before his time at the WCO, he worked in investigations and intelligence within the French Customs Administration and served as a resident advisor in three sub-Saharan customs administrations—Mali, Cameroon, and Niger. Thomas is a Research Associate at CERDI. He holds an engineering degree from POLYTECH Montpellier (France), a PhD in Social Anthropology and Ethnology from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (France), and a postgraduate certificate in Geospatial Analysis from the École Nationale des Sciences Géographiques (France). He has published widely on customs reform, quantification, fragility, and taxation, and more recently, on the implications of generative AI.
TIM UNWIN
Tim Unwin is a British academic and public figure, specialising in the uses of digital technology by the world’s poorest and most marginalised peoples. Trained as a geographer, he served as Head of the Department of Geography at Royal Holloway, University of London, in the late 1990s. He subsequently led the UK Prime Minister’s Imfundo initiative (creating partnerships for using IT in education in Africa) between 2001 and 2004, was Secretary General of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation from 2011 to 2015, and held the UNESCO Chair in ICT4D at Royal Holloway, University of London, from 2007 to 2023. In 2016, he was appointed Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George for his services to the Commonwealth. He is currently writing a book, provisionally titled We’ve Seen It All Before, which explores how digital technologies are being used to enslave rather than liberate the world’s poorest and most marginalised communities.
VIANNEY DEQUIEDT
Vianney Dequiedt is a Professor of Economics at Université Clermont Auvergne, a researcher at CERDI, and the Scientific Director of FERDI. His research interests include development economics, public economics, and game theory. He has published his work in leading academic journals such as the American Economic Review, the Journal of Economic Theory, and the Journal of Development Economics. He graduated from École Polytechnique (MSc) in 1998 and obtained his PhD from Toulouse University in 2002. He served as Director of CERDI from 2013 to 2016 and subsequently as Vice-President of Université d’Auvergne (2016–2017) and of Université Clermont Auvergne (2017–2021).
YULIYA MORENETS
Yuliya Morenets is a Barrister at Law, digital policy expert, and founder of the Youth Internet Governance Forum (Youth IGF), a global platform empowering youth in Internet governance. With over 15 years’ experience in telecom, cybersecurity, and electronic communications, she has worked with the Council of Europe and the ITU.
She has advised governments and regulators across Africa and the developing world on inclusive ICT access and cyber resilience, and authored key texts on cybersecurity and cybercrime. She continues to support public and private sector stakeholders with strategic guidance.
A three-term member of the UN Secretary-General’s IGF Advisory Group (MAG), Yuliya played a key role in shaping global Internet policy and founded the Youth IGF Movement in 2011. She was named a #SaferInternet4EU Ambassador by the EU Commissioner for her work on digital safety.