Ms. Sophia Bekele Eshete is a widely acknowledged business leader, corporate executive, and international entrepreneur whose wide-ranging experience spans both the public and private sectors. She is considered a thought leader in global policy, corporate governance, technology, development issues, and an investor and a philanthropist.
Bekele’s efforts have been widely recognized by independent institutions and the global media. Having gained reputation from many quarters as, “Women of Influence, Examples of Excellence, Industry Trailblazer, Women to Watch -Fearless, Competitive and Visionary women of our time, Internet Governance Pioneer, African Trailblazer – Future Made in Africa, Pioneer Women-In-Tech, Champion of Development, Women working hard to close the gender gap & shaping the continent’s social, political and economic landscape, Inspirational African Diaspora, Representative Entrepreneur, Mover & Shaker of Africa, Brains behind .africa, Woman-in-Charge, Achieving Woman, a Well-Educated Entrepreneur, Women Who Matter, Rock Star, Fem Boss, Generational Thinker, Africa’s Champion for the Digital Age, Global Telecom Policy Leader, African Women Who Embody Universal Values ” to name a few.
Bekele has served on various national and international senior-level policy advisory & leadership boards, including multiple United Nations bodies, as UNECA, UNITU, UNGAID, and the global internet regulator ICANN, where her body of work has influenced the formation of key Global and African organizations that made significant impact on the implementation of important public policies on technology and global internet governance, including International Domain Names (IDNs. She is the co-founder and ex-board member of San Francisco Internet Society (ISOC), an internet governance association. She has also performed high-level public engagements and policy advocacy at US Congress. She has served on Education Boards and public policy think tanks and forums in the US and Europe. In 2018 Bekele was appointed as founding advisor to the Portugal based EurAfrican Forum that champions economic policy dialog between Europe and Africa. Bekele has also served as International Ambassador to various Intercontinental Rotary Clubs, also receiving the prestigious “Rotary Paul Harris Fellow” award for her contributions.
Bekele maintains an active social media page commentary on “conversions that matter” covering topics on business, wellness and self development.
Bekele has traveled to over 150 countries with a historic exploratory 6 around-the-world trips. She is well known for her controversial views challenging the status quo and irregularities wherever she finds them. Along with her advocacy for work-life balance and passion for living the good life, she is often referred by her peers, a.k.a #AddisHilton.
Achievements that matters
Speaking
Bekele is a thought leader in Business and technology Strategy, & Governance and Policy. She is active in various foras and an expert on policy, security, Internet Governance and developing economies.
Advisory
Ms. Bekele consults for Private, Governments and international organizations in the fields of development, governance and long-term strategic planning. These and the above positions in Ms. Bekele’s career play a pivotal role
Writing
Bekele makes public affairs commentary on technology for development, internet governance, regional economic integration, good governance, business and politics that have been published in different media
In News
Ms Bekele’s work has been covered constantly in the media, since the time she started her entrepreneurship. Her Companies have made great impact in technology transfer and in legal and policy sphere
Leadership
Ms. Bekele has been invited to serve on various Boards and Committees of public and private institutions, throughout her career and had Honorable mentions from her Country and others on her work.
Philanthropy
Sophia Bekele demonstrates her long-standing commitment to giving back to the community by engaging in different philanthropic activities and social entrepreneurship schemes through targeted support
Cyber Security
"As we continue to go completely digital in so many aspects of our lives, almost all of our data is being hosted on the cloud. So we can’t ignore the significance of cloud cybersecurity moving forward."
Awards
With the inspiring Cover Story in the influential US-based CIO Views , Sophia Bekele: An Influential & Fearless Trailblazer in Technology Leading Business on Her Own Terms