32nd Annual IBA Communications and Competition Law Conference

Rita Wezenbeek is Director of Platforms Policy and Enforcement in DG CONNECT. The Platforms Directorate is in charge of policies and regulations applicable to online intermediary services, including the supervision of the implementation and enforcement of the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act (the latter jointly with DG COMP). These two new Regulations establish strong rules to ensure a safe, fair and open platform economy for European citizens and businesses, and give the Commission significant regulatory powers over “gatekeepers” and very large platforms and search engines. Rita joined the European Commission in 2002. Before moving to DG CONNECT in December 2020, she was the head of the units dealing with Anti-Trust and Telecommunications (2017-2020) and Retail Financial Services and Payment Systems (2010-2017) in DG Competition. Before joining the Commission, Rita worked for sixteen years as a private lawyer, specialized in European and corporate law, in a Dutch/ Belgian law firm. She also was a Member of the Commission on European Integration, an independent advisory body on foreign policy to the Dutch government and Parliament.

Senator Lucia Borgonzoni is an Italian politician, born in Bologna in 1976, who has been the Ministry of Culture's Undersecretary of State since October 2022 and a member of the Senate's VII Education and Culture Commission. Lucia also served as Senator of the Italian Republic during the previous XVIIIth Parliamentary term. She began her political career as a Councilor of the City of Bologna's Municipal Council. She holds a diploma from the Bologna Academy of Fine Arts. She exercises the Ministerial Delegation of functions for cinema and audiovisual, copyright legislation, and cultural and creative industries. She is responsible for the policies to promote youth entrepreneurship in the culture sector and represents the Ministry for Culture to the European Union, the Council of Europe, and several Interministerial Committees as the Italian Committee for European Affairs (CIAE) and the Committee on Space and Aerospace-related Policies (COMINT). She attends the preparatory meetings of the Committee for Economic Policy and sustainable development (CIPESS). The Undersecretary of State has recently launched a fitness check exercise to update Italy's cinema and audiovisual legislation to make it more relevant to the significant changes the sector is undergoing in cooperation with the stakeholders. To support the Ministry of Culture Offices, she has also established ministerial working groups on copyright legislation, NFT and the fight against counterfeit and piracy. Lucia held the position of Undersecretary of State for Culture twice, under the Draghi (from 25th February 2021 to 21st October 202) and Conte 1st administrations (from 13th June 2018 to 4th September 2019). During her previous mandates, Lucia was active in international affairs, serving as Head of the Delegation at the "II meeting of the Ministers of Culture of Western Mediterranean" in Portugal as well as on state missions to Brazil, Japan, China, Macedonia, and Bethlehem to promote Italian culture. Lucia is currently on her second official visit to Los Angeles.

Innocenzo Genna is an expert on telecoms and Internet European regulation. He is also known via his professional blog RadioBruxellesLibera. He is currently legal advisor to the Dipartimento per la Trasformazione Digitale, the section of the Italian Prime Minister Office dealing with digital policy. He has been in charge of various executive positions with European trade organizations in Brussels, such as MVNO Europe, Euroispa and ECTA, as well as Board Member of the European Internet Forum, the Brussels foundation gathering all stakeholders and members of the European Parliament active in the digital sector. Previously, he was the chairman of ECTA , while he also served as General Counsel for Tiscali S.p.A.. At beginning of his career, he was a partner attorney at Ughi e Nunziante, a leading Italian law firm based in Rome and Milan.

JunHe LLP, Beijing, China; Co-Chair, Antitrust Section Janet Hui is a partner at JunHe LLP and is based in Beijing. She primarily specializes in antitrust, cross-border M&A, FDI and general corporate matters. Janet has been recognized as a Band 1 Ranked Lawyer by Chambers and Partners (Asia-Pacific 2012-2022), Leading Lawyer and Recommended Lawyer by The Legal 500 (2012-2022), Highly Regarded Lawyer by IFLR1000 (2017-2022), and Thought Leader- Global Elite by Who’s Who Legal (2017-2022) in antitrust matters. Janet is the Co-Chair of IBA Antitrust Committee, 2023 - 2024. Janet has more than 30 years’ experience in providing legal services to clients in different industries, particularly in areas such as telecommunications and media, hotels and real estate, aviation, automobile, semiconductor, home appliance, pharmaceutical, medical instrument, food and beverage, etc.

Samantha Mobley is a partner in the Competition, Trade and Foreign Investment team at Baker & McKenzie's London office. She headed Baker McKenzie's Global Antitrust and Competition Group, a team of over 300 competition and antitrust specialists worldwide, for six years. Samantha has extensive experience in all areas of EU and UK competition law. She is an experienced merger control specialist and regularly advises the boards of UK plcs in numerous industry sectors on antitrust compliance matters. Samantha is Co-Chair of the Antitrust Committee of the International Bar Association and is a Non-Governmental Adviser, UK Competition and Markets Authority at the International Competition Network. Samantha was ranked as a “Global Elite Thought Leader” by Who's Who Legal.

Angela is a partner of Australian law firm Quay Law Partners. Angela has over 20 years’ experience as a partner in private practice and in senior Australian Commonwealth Government roles. She has broad commercial law expertise in transactional and regulatory matters, with a focus on telecommunications, media and technology, digital issues and privacy. Angela has been ranked as a leading lawyer in the area of Data in Who’s Who Legal for all years from 2021 onwards and is currently ranked as a Global Elite Thought Leader in that area. Angela is a Co-Chair of the IBA Communications Law Committee, member of the auDA Licence Review Panel (auDA is Australia’s domain name administrator) and President of the International Institute of Communications (IIC), Australian Chapter as well as a member of the global board of the IIC.

Vittorio Noseda has extensive experience in advising leading national and multinational groups with particular reference to extraordinary business transactions as well as Telecom and ICT matters. In particular, he has been advising for more than 25 years large multinationals in all their major M&A projects, investments, outsourcings as well as Telecom and ICT issues in Italy. Mr Noseda has been consistently highly ranked in all main directories with respect to ICT and M&A matters. Vittorio Noseda has been Managing Partner of Nctm for 6 years and Head of Executive Committee and Head of Professional Practices for 7 years. He is member of the Board of Directors at Nctm. He is and has been heading the Technology, Digital Media and Telecom team of Nctm (one of the largest ICT/Telecom department in any law firm operating in Italy) over the last 15 years. He is an Officer of the IBA Communication Committee since December 2014. He is presently co-chairman of the IBA Communication Committee. Vittorio Noseda is, and/or has been over the last 15 years, consistently ranked and/or recommended in all major EU and/or Italian directories including Legal 500, IFLR, Chambers, Who’s Who, LegalCommunity, Best Lawyers, etc. “Vittorio Noseda: high legal skills, strong technically, business talent. Extremely available and quick in reverting. He and his team are very well-organised, very reliable, dedicated to clients”.

Zoltán Marosi's main area of expertise lies in Hungarian and EU antitrust law, consumer protection law and administrative litigation. He has published numerous articles and book excerpts in the fields of competition law, commercial law and European Union law, and more recently, on the interplay between artificial intelligence and antitrust. He is currently a lecturer of EU law and EU competition law at the ELTE School of Law and serves as a member of the Hungarian committee of bar examiners. Furthermore, he is an officer of the International Bar Association, serving on its Antitrust Committee.

Carel Maske is Senior Attorney with Microsoft in Brussels covering antitrust in the EMEA region including antitrust counseling and compliance as well as managing antitrust-related investigations and litigation. Before joining Microsoft, he had practiced competition law with two international law firms in Berlin and Brussels. Carel Maske is a German qualified lawyer and holds a phD in European Competition Law. He regularly speaks at conferences on antitrust compliance and works on competition policy topics.

Nana Adjoa Adobea Asante is a highly accomplished lawyer and governance strategist with over a decade of legal leadership across telecommunications, fintech, intellectual property, and regulatory policy. She brings exceptional cross-jurisdictional insight and a deep understanding of legal systems in emerging and developed markets. As Co-Founder of Afrimore Advisors, she provides top-tier legal advisory to fintechs, ISPs, and digital platforms, shaping financial structures, IP protections, and data privacy frameworks aligned with international standards such as GDPR. She is recognised for her ability to lead legal innovation, leveraging digital tools to enhance compliance, mitigate legal risks, and drive business growth. Nana Adjoa previously served as Company Secretary of the National Communications Authority (NCA), where she led governance reforms, spearheaded regulatory transformation, and established the Authority's first Dispute Resolution Committee, significantly reducing litigation and fostering industry collaboration. Her tenure as CEO of the National Folklore Board was equally transformative, culminating in the passage of national legislation on folklore user fees, partnerships with UNESCO and Marvel Studios, and a 60% increase in sector revenue through strategic IP licensing. A boardroom mainstay, she has held non-executive directorships with government and private sector institutions, including the Precious Minerals Marketing Company and the Institute of ICT Professionals Ghana. She is also the founder of the Adobea Khartey Mentorship Series-empowering young women into leadership with an impressive track record of advancement. Certified in Negotiation, Mediation, and Sustainable Dispute Resolution from the University of Milan, she is a strong advocate for alternative dispute resolution and conflict transformation. Nana Adjoa is also a proud member of the Institute of Directors (Ghana and UK), promoting excellence in corporate governance. Nana Adjoa is an active global voice in legal innovation, having spoken at the International Bar Association conferences (Paris, Rome and Mexico City), and contributed to international legal discourse through publications on digital regulation and space law. She holds certifications from MIT, Berkeley Law, McGill University, and the University of Milan, and continues to serve on international committees in law, space, and technology. With a unique blend of legal, governance, and communication expertise, Nana Adjoa Adobea Khartey offers clients trusted counsel at the intersection of law, innovation, and strategy.

Vittorio Noseda has extensive experience in advising leading national and multinational groups with particular reference to extraordinary business transactions as well as Telecom and ICT matters. In particular, he has been advising for more than 25 years large multinationals in all their major M&A projects, investments, outsourcings as well as Telecom and ICT issues in Italy. Mr Noseda has been consistently highly ranked in all main directories with respect to ICT and M&A matters. Vittorio Noseda has been Managing Partner of Nctm for 6 years and Head of Executive Committee and Head of Professional Practices for 7 years. He is member of the Board of Directors at Nctm. He is and has been heading the Technology, Digital Media and Telecom team of Nctm (one of the largest ICT/Telecom department in any law firm operating in Italy) over the last 15 years. He is an Officer of the IBA Communication Committee since December 2014. He is presently co-chairman of the IBA Communication Committee. Vittorio Noseda is, and/or has been over the last 15 years, consistently ranked and/or recommended in all major EU and/or Italian directories including Legal 500, IFLR, Chambers, Who’s Who, LegalCommunity, Best Lawyers, etc. “Vittorio Noseda: high legal skills, strong technically, business talent. Extremely available and quick in reverting. He and his team are very well-organised, very reliable, dedicated to clients”.

Thomas Lohninger was a programmer and anthropologist in his former life. Digital rights had been his hobby until it became a job when he intensively accompanied the EU Net Neutrality Regulation as Policy Advisor for European Digital Rights (EDRi). Thomas was one of the driving forces behind the www.savetheinternet.eu campaign and has a strong work focus on net neutrality, data protection, and mass surveillance. Since 2010 he has played an active part at epicenter.works and since 2014 he is the executive director of the association. He also writes on Netzpolitik.org, is a regular guest in the Podcast Logbuch:Netzpolitik and a non-residential Fellow of the Center for Internet and Society at the Stanford Law School. Since 2019 he is in the board of EDRi and since 2020 Vice President of the EU umbrella of digital rights NGOs.

Annamaria is a partner in the Linklaters Antitrust and Foreign Investment Group practice. Based in Brussels, Annamaria is a fully-rounded competition lawyer with considerable experience representing clients in international merger control, FDI, cartel investigations and litigation matters in a wide range of industries, with a particular focus on the telecommunications, digital, energy, healthcare and FMG sectors. Annamaria has been a key advisor on many high-profile transactions in the telecommunications sector, and that included advising clients on sophisticated set of remedies in order to obtain merger clearances. Ranked among the “40 under 40” top antitrust practitioners worldwide (GCR) and as one of the top female M&A lawyers in EMEA, Annamaria closely follows the development in the digital space, and regularly speaks and publishes articles on the role that competition law plays when it comes to support innovation.

Atsushi Yamada is a partner at the Tokyo office of Anderson Mori & Tomotsune focusing on competition/antitrust law. His practice covers all aspects of competition/antitrust law including assisting clients in investigations by competition authorities (cartels/dominance/unfair trade practices), representation in courts/tribunals challenging decisions made by competition authorities, follow-on civil litigation, and merger filings. He also provides advice relating to structuring new businesses and establishing compliance programs. Prior to joining Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, he has worked at the Tokyo office of a US law firm and a local Japanese firm after serving as a judge at the Tokyo District Court as well as other courts. With such background, he has extensive experience in litigation and general corporate matters. He also serves as an adjunct lecturer for antitrust law at Hitotsubashi University (School of Law), and has spoken at various international conferences/seminars including the ABA, IBA and ICN. Atsushi Yamada is a graduate of the University of Tokyo (LLB, 1994) and Cornell Law School (LLM, 2004). He is admitted to the Bar in both Japan and New York.

Samantha Mobley is a partner in the Competition, Trade and Foreign Investment team at Baker & McKenzie's London office. She headed Baker McKenzie's Global Antitrust and Competition Group, a team of over 300 competition and antitrust specialists worldwide, for six years. Samantha has extensive experience in all areas of EU and UK competition law. She is an experienced merger control specialist and regularly advises the boards of UK plcs in numerous industry sectors on antitrust compliance matters. Samantha is Co-Chair of the Antitrust Committee of the International Bar Association and is a Non-Governmental Adviser, UK Competition and Markets Authority at the International Competition Network. Samantha was ranked as a “Global Elite Thought Leader” by Who's Who Legal.

Regulatory Affairs Lead South Europe and Academic Outreach Europe at Google, where Andrea manages the regulatory work of the Government Affairs and Public Policy Google/YouTube teams of Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Malta & Cyprus. Professor of Comparative Law, and New Technologies Law & Management and Director of Research Centres at European University of Rome; Visiting Professor and Academic Fellow at National University of Singapore and Universidad Francisco de Vitoria of Madrid. Publications: 10 books and 75+ articles in academic journals.

Annemiek Wilpshaar is Head of Unit at the European Commission, managing merger cases in the IT, Telecom and Media sectors at DG COMP. Previously, Annemiek was a member of the Chief Economist Team in DG Competition dealing with cases across a wide range of sectors. She also served a year as Cabinet Member of Vice President Almunia. Annemiek holds a MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and a MSc in Competition and Market Regulation from the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics.

Senior Legal Director at the Competition & Markets Authority

Mohammed Suleh-Yusuf is a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria that was admitted to the Nigerian Bar in 2003. He holds a Bachelors’ Degree in Law from University of Maiduguri in Nigeria that was achieved in 2001 and a Masters Degree in International Commercial Law from the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom in 2009. Mohammed also holds a Ph.D in Law from Nasarawa State University in Nigeria. He has previously worked with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of Nigeria as a pioneer staff in 2004. He has also worked at Standard Chartered Bank as its Financial Crimes Risk Manager for West Africa and later as its Country CDD Advisor for Nigeria between 2009 and 2013. He joined Etisalat Nigeria in 2013 as its Head of Public Policy, Government Affairs and Community Relations, where he handled policy formulation issues in the telecommunications sector as well as the management of the company’s relations with regulators and the legislature in Nigeria. Mohammed joined the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the regulator of the communications Sector in Nigeria, in 2018. He serves in the Legal and Regulatory Services Department, where he handles matters related to regulations, guidelines and laws. He has published several research papers on corporate criminal liability, money laundering and terrorism financing as well as his postdoctoral research areas of cyber security, data protection and internet security.

Yvette Tarlov is the Chief of the Media, Entertainment, and Communications section of the Antitrust Division, United States Department of Justice. During her tenure at DOJ, Ms. Tarlov has managed or led numerous antitrust investigations in the television, satellite, cable, video programming, film, and music industries, several of which have resulted in litigated complaints. In the course of these investigations, Ms. Tarlov has had regular and substantial interactions with numerous international competition agencies, including the Competition and Markets Authority, the European Commission, and the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) in Brazil. She received a B.S. in Molecular Biology from the University of Washington and a J.D. with honors from Syracuse University College of Law. Prior to coming to DOJ, Ms. Tarlov spent several years in private practice where she specialized in antitrust and complex commercial litigation.

I have worked in technology, communications and competition law in the UK and France for 30 years and I love the work in this area. I am assisted in the cross-border aspects of this exceptionally international field because I enjoy speaking several European languages and am happiest in a cross-cultural environment where my insights can add value to what each person is doing; I most like meeting and establishing relationships with people from different cultures and environments. I am fortunate to lead a great team and a growing practice at CMS and that makes me very fulfilled. We are doing more and more work on digital infra funding which is a fascinating and growing subjects breaking regulatory moulds as owner/operator ceases to be the predominant business model for telecos. I am passionate about digital including digital identity and the movement of legal principles and rights from the physical to the digital world. My goals are to succeed in the things that I want to achieve, yet to spend the maximum time with my wonderful family, to keep doing and enjoying what I am doing, to catch great fish in exciting and beautiful places, to grow the best wines in Chablis and Irancy, to keep fit, and to continue to have as many good friends as I have time for. I have been recognised in The Legal 500 Hall of Fame as one of the elite leading lawyers for Telecommunications, an accolade celebrating standout lawyers who have been ranked in The Legal 500 for 10 years or more. I have also been included in The Who’s Who Legal: Thought Leaders – Global Elite 2020, an esteemed guide to the world’s foremost legal experts. Selected through nominations from peers and corporate counsel, the guide shines a light on members of the legal profession who truly stand out in their field as being leaders and trailblazers, and who are held in the highest esteem by their clients and fellow practitioners. I was also identified by Who’s Who as one of the UK’s top 50 Data lawyers. As a firm, CMS lawyers represent over 10% of those included in the guide, head and shoulders above any other firm recognised in the guide. Specialties: Comms and regulated/network industries specialist, particularly in competition and regulatory issues and corporate/finance/commercial transactions

Mario Girasole is Senior Executive Vice-President at TIM Brasil for Public, Regulatory, ESG and Communication Affairs. He is also Chairman and Managing Director of the TIM Institute and member of boards and councils in national and international entities. He joined Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) in 1997 and from 2000 to 2003 headed the relations with the European Union institutions in Brussels, where he was also appointed Deputy-Chairman of the European association of mobile operators (GSMA Europe). In 2004, he moved to Brazil as Public and Regulatory Affairs Director at Telecom Italia America Latina, when he also served as a Member of the Board for Entel Bolivia and TIM Participações. Mario Girasole holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Perugia and a Master's degree in Economics from LUISS University (Rome). He also has an LL.M in International Business Law from the University of London, a Master in Contemporary Economic History from the University of Rome and executive education at Columbia Business School, INSEAD and Harvard School of Government, among others. Mr. Girasole has been awarded as Officer of the Order of the Star of Italy by the President of the Italian Republic "for promoting friendly relations and cooperation with other countries and ties with Italy." In Brazil, he was awarded the Peacemaker Medal by the Ministry of Defense and as Officer of the Order of Rio Branco by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. An Italian naturalized Brazilian, Mr. Girasole was granted honorary citizenship of the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro in 2022.

Damien Geradin is the founding partner of Geradin Partners, a boutique competition law with offices in Brussels and London. Damien's practice covers all aspects of EU competition law, with a particular focus on the tech sector. Besides being a practitioner, he is also a leading academic who taught in leading law schools in Europe, the United States and Asia. He is the founding editor of the Journal of Competition Law & Economics.