Mr. Ponder is the Head of the Office for Europe at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), representing ITU in Europe and directing ITU’s actions, projects, initiatives, and expert groups targeting 46 countries in the Europe Region. His portfolio also includes Regional Initiatives for Europe, designed by the European Member States and focusing on the ICT infrastructure, digitization, digital inclusion, accessibility, innovation, and cybersecurity.
During his professional career, Mr. Ponder has held official positions in the public sector and has been a leading contributor to legislative projects, influencing public policy. Jaroslaw has been working for ITU since 2004, holding diverse positions in the General Secretariat, Telecommunication Development Bureau, and Regional Presence, addressing the complexity of information society development and digital transformation at the national, regional, and international levels, including the United Nations level.
For years, he has managed ITU’s work at the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process. Mr. Ponder was appointed Head of the ITU Office for Europe in 2017.