Professional Bio

Judith Hellerstein is a globally recognized expert in ICT policy, regulation, and digital transformation. As the Founder and CEO of Hellerstein & Associates, she leads a consultancy dedicated to unlocking digital economy opportunities worldwide. With over 30 years of experience, Judith has designed and implemented policies that drive regulatory reform, foster competition, and expand connectivity across Africa, the Pacific, South America, and the Caribbean. Judith holds a Master's in Public Policy (MPP) from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), where she focused on International Management and was awarded a Public Fellowship.

Judith is a passionate advocate for helping to bring connectivity and empower communities. She has designed policies and regulations that create the enabling environment for digital economies including gap analysis, innovation, trade, and e-commerce and creation of frameworks for digital government and digital economy policies and strategies. She has developed Universal Access and Service policies, broadband strategies, and innovative solutions to bridge the digital divide—bringing Internet access to remote and underserved regions. She is also a widely published author on ICT policy and digital economy issues.

Her expertise spans broadband infrastructure, digital government strategies, competition law, and Internet governance. Prior to founding her firm, Judith held key roles at the Federal Communications Commission's International Bureau, MCI Communications, and Vice President Gore's Reinventing Government Office, where she spearheaded several high-profile transformation and digital government initiatives.

Judith specializes in crafting policies that enable digital economies, including legislative gap analyses, e-commerce frameworks, and digital trade strategies. She has advised governments, regulators, international organizations, and private sector clients on digital infrastructure, market reforms, and public-private partnerships. Her work has driven reforms in legal, regulatory, and digital government frameworks.

Judith has led and managed several national multi-sectoral legislative and policy gap analyses of ICT and digital economy policies, including work on cyber, data protection, e-commerce and e-signature. She has also undertaken and led several regional and national assignments for the World Bank resulting in reforms in their legal, regulatory, ICT, and digital government frameworks.

Judith has assisted agencies, public and private sector agencies to locate project and infrastructure finance for their projects and helped clients develop public private partnerships. She has worked with actors across stakeholder groups in the Internet ecosystem to develop and manage Internet-related projects and campaigns.