Sophia Bekele

Infobox Actor
name = Sophia Bekele


imagesize = 240px
caption = Sophia at the [http://www.icann.org/meetings/lisbon/ ICANN's 28th Intl Public Meeting] in Lisbon,Portugal, March 2007.
birthname = Sophia Bekele Eshete
birthplace = Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Africa
occupation = Business Person, Corporate Executive, Consultant
yearsactive = 1990–present

Sophia Bekele (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) is a business and corporate executive and writer. She is 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 Communication Technologies (ICT).

Early life and work

Bekele is the daughter of Ato Bekele Eshete Wolde Michael, a businessman, and Sister Mulualem Beyene Engida, a medical nurse. She attended a private Catholic high school, then traveled to America to acquire 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.cite web|url=http://cbsintl.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/prodigal-prodigy-cbs-international-sophia-bekele.pdf|publisher=Golden Gate University|date=June 2002 |format=editorial|author=Kaufman, K|title=CBS International|accessdate=2008-04-30] 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.

International work

In 1998, Bekele left the corporate world and spent time traveling around the globe, visiting Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa, before launching a new career as an entrepreneur. She started CBS International, a company based in California, with a mission to transfer technology to emerging economies. As an affiliate of CBS International, Bekele also set up a local company in her home country of Ethiopia, SbCommunications Network, plc, specializing in systems integration and dedicated to serving emerging economies.

Concurrently, Bekele was appointed as an advisor to the United Nations African Information Society Initiative AISI, an action framework by United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), to build an African Information Society.

During her first two years in Africa, Bekele built business alliances with local and international firms, where she became known for her efforts to adapt Western business methods and practices into the traditional Ethiopian business model.. Her efforts paid off when Bekele brought and won her first multi-million international contract to her local company, CBS with United Nations Agency for Project Services, to deploy a turnkey fiberoptic-based information technology infrastruture, for the African Union General Secretariat. [cite news|title=CBS wins OAU's largest IT project|author= Capital Ethiopia|work=Capital Ethiopia|date=1999-02-07|accessdate=2008-11-10|url=http://cbsintl.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/cbs-wins-oaus-largest-it-project-2-pages.pdf] . In 2002, SbCnet was awarded a multi million dollar international contract for the implementation of an integrated data networking infrastructure project at the Ethiopian Parliament. The Ethiopian business weekly, "Addis Fortune", referred to it as the most controversial contract that the government had. Originally awarded to Bekele's competitor GCS in 2001, Bekele's company, which had been second on the list, issued immediate complaints. Reportedly with aggressive lobbying by Bekele, the bid was audited, [cite news|title=Auditor says Parliament's IT Project award improper|author=Dejene, Mary|work=Addis Fortune |date=2001-08-05|accessdate=2008-05-02|url=http://www.ethioguide.com/aa-ethioguide/ethioguide/Fortune/Fortune%2066.htm] and it was determined that the awarding of the contract had been improper, and the Parliament reversed the decision and awarded the bid to Bekele's company in 2002.cite news|work=Addis Fortune|date=2002-01-06 |author=Giorgis, Tamrat G.|title=Is Justice Served?|pages=5|archiveurl=http://www.ethioguide.com/aa-ethioguide/ethioguide/Fortune/Fortune%2088.htm#justice|accessdate=2008-04-30|archivedate=2008-04-30|url=http://cbsintl.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/is-justice-served-by-sophia-bekele.pdf]

After the contracting controversy, Bekele's next target was the issue of the elite private sector business in Ethiopia, specifically what she regarded as the illegitimate formation of a stock exchange. She wrote an editorial claiming that this entity was planned without the proper rules, regulations, infrastructure and controls:

To her vindication, the government eventually rejected the proposal for the share dealing group in November 2002. [cite news | title=Sufian rejects the ethiopian share dealing group | pages=1,2 | url=http://cbsintl.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/sufian-rejects-the-ethiopian-share-dealing-group-sophia-bekele.pdf | date=2002-11-17 | accessdate=2008-05-02] As a followup, though there was no direct link with Bekele, in April 2008 the Ethiopian government launched a commodities exchange market, aimed at boosting fair trade and stabilizing its food market. [cite news|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080424/wl_africa_afp/ethiopiafoodcommodities |title=Ethiopian Commodities Exchange|work=Yahoo News|date=2008-04-24|accessdate=2008-05-05]

Focusing on the US market since 2003, Bekele and her company consult for clients in public/private markets, primarily in corporate governance and risk management areas, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. She also advises in corporate relations/communications programs within public companies. [cite web|url=http://nomcom.icann.org/candidate-bios-2005.htm| format=press release|title=Biographical Information on the Nominees|date=2005-11-04]

As of 2008, Bekele resides in Walnut Creek California.

Public positions

Bekele has been invited to speak at various forums and summits in Africa, sharing her company's activities and strategies on such topics as "what works for Africa". She was also a panelist at a meeting on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), held by the UN General Assembly in New York. [cite web|url=http://www.un.org/webcast/prelease.htm|publisher=United Nations|format=press release|title=General Assembly to hold high-level meeting on information and communication technologies for development, 17-18 June|date=2002-06-14|accessdate=2008-04-30]

* Bekele was nominated, elected and served as a 2005-2007 member of the ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) Council of the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) [cite web|url=http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-04nov05.htm|title=Nominating Committee Announces Final Selections for Key Leadership Positions within ICANN|date=2005-11-04|publisher=icann.org|accessdate=2008-05-05] , where she attended International public ICANN meetings, such as the March 2007 meeting in Lisbon, Portugal. [cite web|url=http://www.icann.org/en/meetings/lisbon/transcript-gnso-forum-28mar07.htm|publisher=icann.org|title=ICANN public meeting: Transcript of GNSO forum|date=2007-03-28|accessdate=2008-07-22]
* Bekele contributes to the Rotary Club where she was named Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary International [http://digaria.com/profiles/31566e015cab55f3275dbf328a3f7f8a] also is [http://digaria.com/profiles/31566e015cab55f3275dbf328a3f7f8a Director of International Services] - Rotary Club of Addis Ababa.
* Eastern Africa representative on the Interim Steering Committee for African Stakeholders Network (ASN), under the sponsorship of the United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force [cite web|url=http://www.unicttaskforce.org/regional/africa/asn_members.html|title=Members of the Interim Steering Committee for African Stakeholders Network (ASN)|publisher=unicttaskforce.org|accessdate=2008-05-05 ]
* The African Technical Advisory Committee for the UNECA- sponsored African Information Society Initiative (AISI). [cite web|url=http://www.uneca.org/aisi/atacbro.htm |title=African Technical Advisory Committee (ATAC)|date=2003|accessdate=2008-05-02|publisher=UNECA]
* Bekele served on the Board of directors of the [http://www.isaca.org/ International Information Systems Audit and Control Association] , San Francisco Chapter.

Writing

Bekele has written articles and editorials on issues concerning technology for development, good governance, regional economic integration, and politics, mostly in relation to her company's development work in Africa. [cite web|url=http://cbsintl.wordpress.com/2007/11/30/editorial-archives |title=CBS International Webpress: List of editorials|accessdate=2008-05-02|publisher=wordpress.com|format=blog] Selected works include:

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Notes

Further reading

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External links

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