Washington, DC, 1 July 2024—The Internet Society Foundation today announced the appointment of Chris Locke as the new Executive Vice President (EVP) and Managing Director.
In this role, he will oversee the strategic vision and provide programmatic, financial, and operational leadership for the Foundation, which focuses on funding initiatives that strengthen the Internet in function and reach and advances the vision of the Internet Society that the Internet is for Everyone.
Chris Locke brings a wealth of experience from both the public and private sectors. He began his career as an academic and studied the impact of web technologies on culture, media, and society. His experience in the private sector includes working for leading Internet and mobile companies across Europe and serving as the Managing Director of GSMA Mobile for Development at the GSM Association, where he leveraged mobile technology for social and economic benefits in developing countries.
More recently, Chris founded Caribou Digital, a consultancy dedicated to building ethical and sustainable emerging market digital economies. Its clients include the MasterCard Foundation, DFID, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
I hope to bring my extensive knowledge of the effects of digital technologies on societies and economies to expand the Foundation’s work in supporting organizations that use the Internet to bring communities better education, healthcare, and economic opportunity.”
Since its launch in 2019, the Internet Society Foundation has disbursed US$45 million to 800 grant partners in nearly 90 countries across six continents.
About the Internet Society Foundation
The Internet Society Foundation was established to support the positive difference the Internet can make to people everywhere. Guided by our vision of an Internet for Everyone, the Foundation champions ideas and enables communities to unlock the Internet’s potential to tackle the world’s evolving challenges. Through a variety of funding areas, the Foundation awards grants to Internet Society chapters, non-profit organizations, and individuals dedicated to providing meaningful access to an open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy Internet for everyone.
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