Salma Jalife
Graduated from the Faculty of Engineering at UNAM, Salma Jalife is a computer engineer and holds a Master’s degree in Science with a specialty in Telecommunications from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
She has a deep understanding of telecommunications and broadcasting policy and regulation and 35 years of experience as an information and communications technology consultant in Latin America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region.
In July 2022, Winner of the award: Women in the Digital Economy in the Community category awarded by ALAI, IDB, ECLAC, Equals UIT and ConnectAmericas.
In March 2021, she created the Mexico Digital Center (CMD) for Digital Transformation focused on people and micro, small and medium-sized companies, through which she has published the State Digital Development Index of Mexico, IDDE2021, the self-diagnosis for companies called Digitalizate!, the Report on the Digital Gender Gap in Access, Affordability, Use and Digital Competencies in Mexico and the Digital Transformation Plan for Mexico.
She was Undersecretary of Communications of the Ministry of Communications and Transportation from 2019 to 2020 and Commissioner of the former Federal Telecommunications Commission with responsibility for the Engineering and Technology Area from 2003-2006.
She was president of the TEL group of APEC and of the CCP-III of CITEL as well as of the Group of the Stable Constitution of the ITU.
For 12 years she advised researchers on the use of disruptive technologies and national education and research networks for the development of academic and research collaborative networks.
In 2007, she helped the government of Colombia in the transformation of the Ministry of Telecommunications to that of ICT through a new law and creating the National Spectrum Agency. She also helped the government of Costa Rica in the formation of the Superintendence of Telecommunications (SUTEL) and the design of new laws and regulations on telecommunications and economic competition.
She began her professional career in 1985 as an academic technician at UNAM in three dependencies: the Center for Instruments, the Coordination of Scientific Research and the DGSCA. Shee created a computer center, the first electronic mail for scientific research, and was part of the team that installed the Internet in Mexico. In addition, she designed the UNAM Integral Telecommunications Network in 1990.
She belongs to the Academy of Engineering, the Mexican Academy of Informatics, the Mexican Supercomputing Network, SCALAC and NOW in ITU-D. She is a member of ISOC, Observatel, AMEDI, Conectadas, EduTraDi and OrangeHat. She is member of the board of Allied for Startups, and consultative council at RedLATE, ITESM Digital Transformation Hub, ADIP Mexico City and IFT. She is a mentor for startups and entrepreneurs at Irrazonable.