Newly appointed president and chief executive officer of World Wide Web Foundation Adrian Lovett says elevating the current digital divide will be one of his primary focuses.
"Achieving digital equality will not only help the world overcome poverty and disease - it can enable all of us to fulfil our human potential. But it will require an intensified, co-ordinated effort that engages and inspires citizens and policymakers around the world. Every woman and every man should have the power to access and use the open Web to improve their lives, whether in London or Lagos," said Lovett, speaking about his appointment to the two positions.
Lovett recently completed a term as interim CEO for ONE, where he has served in leadership roles and managed a diverse team for the past six years.
ONE is the campaigning and advocacy organisation of nearly 8 million people, co-founded by U2's Bono to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa.
Lovett's 20-year career in international development and advocacy has centred on delivering policy change on complex global issues in North America, Europe and Africa. He played a leading role in campaigns such as Make Poverty History and Jubilee 2000, and held senior posts at Oxfam and Save the Children.
Established by Web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee in 2009, the Web Foundation's mission is to establish the open Web as a public good and a basic right.
"Adrian brings to the Foundation his broad experience in driving policy change on complex issues, as well as his skills in leading and managing diverse international teams. He shares our commitment to digital equality, and believes in the Web as a powerful catalyst for change. Along with the Board and Web Foundation team, I'm looking forward to working with him - especially at this time when defending and enhancing the open Web is critical for humanity," said Sir Tim Berners, who is also a founding director of the Web Foundation.
Speaking on his appointment, the foundation said it marked the end of an extensive international search process, which has involved hundreds of candidates across multiple continents, "Ultimately, the search committee - led by Web Foundation Founding Director Rosemary Leith - decided that Adrian had the right skills, experience and personality to lead the Web Foundation as we seek to deliver digital equality - a world where everyone has the same rights and opportunities online. We can't wait for him to get started!"
Lovett took to twitter to express his excitement on taking up the position, saying he is thrilled to have the chance to contribute to bridging digital divide as well as to work with the "fantastic Web Foundation team and its partners to achieve our goal".
Lovett takes over from interim CEO Jose M Alonso, who has led the foundation since May 2017 when Anne Jellema moved on after five years in the CEO position. Lovett will take over the position on September 4, and will be based in the foundations London office.
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