Developing the Next Generation of Subsea Cable Leaders

Aidé Cabrera is a Telecom Engineer with 4 years of industry experience. Focused on Optical Networks, I'm a Pre-sales Engineer at Nokia, running projects across Mexico and Latam. I am passionate about encouraging women and young people into the STEM world.  Since 2014, I have been actively involved in the Tech community, taking on roles as staff, mentor, speaker, and director in various hackathons. Also contributing to initiatives such as Women Techmakers, Google Developer Groups, and local projects across Mexico and Latin America, promoting inclusive spaces for tech learning. Currently, I collaborate with the Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging (DIB) working group at SubOptic, where I participate in the Spanish Mentoring Program.

My name is Amina Ibrahim, and I am a Technical Consultant at Vodacom Tanzania PLC, with over 1 year and 8 months of experience in the Network department. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT) in 2022. In my role, I manage customer queries, troubleshoot technical issues, and collaborate with different departments to ensure effective resolution. I also support the integration and configuration of new clients for technologies such as MW, Fiber, and LTE. A key part of my work is ensuring that service level agreements (SLAs) are met by closely monitoring reported issues and escalating when necessary. I also provide technical advice to service managers to improve services. Passionate about technology, I am committed to continuous learning and professional growth.

Anniki Mikelsaar is a doctoral researcher and a Dame Stephanie Shirley Scholar at the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) of the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on the governance of digital infrastructures with a particular focus on submarine data cable networks and public-private interaction.

Federica Tortorella is a lawyer from the Dominican Republic with a Master’s in Risk Management. She is currently the Policy Officer at LACTLD, overseeing policy development and governance issues related to domain names in Latin America and the Caribbean. Federica has been engaged in Internet Governance since 2016, participating in programs such as Youth@IGF by Internet Society and the ICANN Fellowship. She was co-founder and project leader of Embajadores de Internet, a digital literacy initiative recognized by Mozilla’s Internet Health Report 2020 and the EQUALS Girls in Tech Talk 2022. She is also a Youth Advisory Board member at SubOptic Foundation, supporting research on regional resilience in the Caribbean. Federica has spoken at multiple Internet governance events and contributed to discussions on global digital policy. Fluent in Spanish, English, Italian, and French, she is passionate about digital rights, policy development, and fostering inclusive Internet governance.’

Hannah Ellis is a second-year master’s student at UC Berkeley’s School of Information, researching community networks, digital infrastructure, and the intersection of technology, climate, and agriculture systems. Her master’s thesis focuses on community mesh networks in the U.S. This past summer she was a researcher at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, where she supported the newly established Applied Social Media Lab. Before graduate school, she was a manager at Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), advising technology and telecommunication companies on human rights and sustainability topics. She is passionate about the appropriate technology movement, community empowerment, and resilient systems.

Muhammad is a Researcher with a focus on RF, Optical Communication, THz signal processing for terrestrial and satellite communication systems. He holds a PhD, where his research thesis was centred on the design and implementation of novel efficient control heuristic to optimise radio over fiber modulation process to overcome performance limitations and improve fidelity during optical transmission at a system level. Muhammad has extensive experience in RF, microwave photonics, and optical communication systems. In particular towards system design and testing, utilizing state-of-the-art RF and optical communication measurement instruments and simulation tools. His core research interests lie in RF, optical communication systems and electronics, particularly in system design and testing to address the ever-growing demand for data transmission. He actively seeks innovative methods to enhance data transmission efficiency for the telecommunications industry.

Moyou Ngandjon Carrel Landry, born on 27 August 1989 in Yaoundé, completed his primary and secondary education in Yaoundé before studying engineering in Douala. He graduated in telecommunications in 2018 from the Catholic University of Central Africa. With seven years' experience, he has worked on 2G, 3G and 4G network deployment and optimisation projects with Alcatel-Lucent and has held positions with Orange Cameroon first as assistant project manager, then as pre sales engineer before in charge of key accounts and finally as Senior Key Account. Since September 2024, he has been pursuing a specialised master's degree at Telecom Paris, focusing on subjects such as 5G/6G, cloud, AI and IoT. Passionate about football, reading and African history, he is also involved in supporting orphans.

I am Ninon Manighetti, a French Japanese student at the School of Public Affairs at Sciences Po Paris, where I am pursuing a Master's degree in European Affairs with a focus on Digital, New Technology, and Public Policy. Driven by a keen interest in the materiality of digital technology, I completed a research internship at the CSI Lab of École des Mines de Paris, where I explored the political implications of submarine cables in the Caribbean, and I am now starting a gap year to dig more into submarine cables related questions.

My name is Rafael Alves Pereira and I’m a third-year student in the BSc of Bridge and Deck Operations at Portugal’s Maritime University (ENIDH). I’ve been drawn to the sea from a very young age, and I’ve always known I wanted to work in the maritime field. Having said that, my interest in submarine cables was immediate. I’m particularly invested in the idea of connecting the world, ensuring broader access to information and possibly education. At my university, I’ve been involved in several projects, including co-founding a mentoring system for Erasmus students. I’m always looking forward to expanding my knowledge by attending conferences, and having attended numerous debates on the topics of shipping, energy, and automation. Having studied the maritime industry extensively, I see this side of it as one I’d love to work and start a career with.

Habiba Salem is a senior Business Administration student majoring in Finance at the Canadian International College, graduating in June 2025. With a strong background in UI/UX design and digital marketing, she has worked on various projects, including designing e-commerce platforms and leading marketing campaigns for multinational brands. She is currently a research assistant as part of the global team at Sustainable Subsea Networks (SSN), a Google Developer Group on Campus Organizer, and the track lead for the Digital Product Design Track at GDG on Campus CIC. She actively contributes to entrepreneurship and technology communities and has been involved in sustainability initiatives, reflecting her commitment to innovation and impact. She is dedicated to leveraging technology and design to create meaningful solutions, bridging the gap between business and user experience.

Siobhan Toppin is a third-year Submarine Networks Engineering degree apprentice at Vodafone, working towards a BEng in Electromechanical Engineering. Siobhan is based at Vodafone's Bude Cable Landing Station and has hands-on experience in the operations and maintenance of the five cable systems landing at the site. Most recently, she has completed a six-month rotation in the subsea business development and carrier sales team, working on the 2Africa SLTE deployment and gaining valuable commercial insight into the industry. Currently, she is in the CLS rotation of the program, supporting day-to-day operations on-site, customer requirements and new CLS builds. She is also an active member of the IET.

Carolina Haddad is a PhD student in Political Economy at ISCTE - University Institute of Lisbon. She holds a Master's degree in Social Sciences of Science and Technology from the Nova School of Science and Technology in Lisbon. Research field linked to submarine cables as critical communication infrastructures and power relations involving large platform and technology companies in Latin American, European and African countries. Her Master's thesis analyzed the power routes related to submarine cables and their ownership in Brazil and Portugal. The Nuvem and Firmina cables, both exclusively owned by a platform company, were studied. The study also relates the different types of digital coloniality that occur in different countries. Special interest in the social intersections related to submarine cables and digital communication infrastructure ecosystems, namely data centers and landing points.

My name is Yanik Traça Antunes, I am an enthusiastic young man in love with the Submarine Optical World. I strongly believe my youth is my biggest asset! It is what fires me up to keep on improving and learning! I took a Professional Course in Electronics and Telecommunications Level 4 in Lisbon, in which I invested everything in the things I saw as most important. They were all the technical knowledge I could get from the course, and the languages! I invested everything in improving my English and Spanish skills. Now I speak perfectly: Portuguese, English, and Spanish. Once I left the course, I went to work in 2 CLS here in Portugal, which gave me all the knowledge I have now, and I had the opportunity to meet amazing different people.

Xenia  Zimmermann is a fourth-year degree apprentice at BT, having begun her journey in telecommunications by learning about hardware and software testing processes within BT’s core network. In 2022, she transitioned to BT Subsea, where she has been instrumental in running a subsea cable repurposing project. Her role involves liaising with key stakeholders and licensors, as well as co-representing BT in cable consortia sub-groups. Academically, Xenia is on track to graduate with a First in BSc Digital and Technology Solutions (with a focus on Software Engineering) in October 2025. Her passion for nurturing future generations of telecommunications and subsea cabling engineers is evident through her regular hosting of work experience students and her leadership in ESCA’s NextGen university outreach initiatives.

Hesham Youssef is a senior transmission engineer and CLS expert at Telecom Egypt, bringing over 14 years of experience in optical communications and submarine cable operations. He holds a master's degree in electrical, electronics, and communications engineering from Alexandria University, where he has published several papers on innovative optical amplifiers. Youssef is also a lead researcher at Sustainable Subsea Networks, a research initiative of the SubOptic Foundation, funded by the Internet Society Foundation, that is investigating the sustainability of the global subsea telecommunications network.

My name is Ant Havenhand, I am 27 years old and I currently hold the position of Graduate Tier 1 NOC Engineer at Aquacomms. I earned a degree in Computer Science from Sheffield Hallam University in July 2021, I then continued to work in the hospitality sector as I had done before and during my time at university. I am based in the NOC in Newcastle which I moved to from my hometown of Manchester in October 2023 after being offered the role. I believe in taking advantage of opportunities whenever they come along. I am responsible for monitoring and troubleshooting fibre optic circuits and services that customers have with us as well as managing access to sites in the UK and Ireland. I enjoy making music, playing bass guitar and cycling.

Calum Walsh is a third-year degree apprentice in the submarine network engineering team for Vodafone. He is currently based at Vodafone’s cable landing station in Bude where the Apollo North, Amitie, EIG, GLO1 and 2Africa cable systems land. He is currently on rotation in Vodafone’s Global Network Acquisition & Economics team and has completed a rotation in the engineering team, where he was responsible for three upgrade projects and deployment of SLTE over the SHARP network. Calum is currently working towards a BEng in Electromechanical Engineering accredited by the University of Lancaster; he is a STEM ambassador and a working towards accreditation through the IET.

Caroline Crowley is an undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley pursuing a degree in Environmental Economics and Policy. She works as a research assistant with the SubOptic Foundation’s Sustainable Subsea Networks team. Her work analyzes global, national, and local policies regulating the environmental sustainability and resilience of data centers and other digital infrastructure.

Tochukwu Egesi is the Head of Payments and Digital Financial Services at Genesis Analytics, a global African impact consulting firm based in South Africa, bringing extensive expertise in digital public infrastructure across Africa. He was formerly an associate manager at Mastercard based in Lisbon. As a consultant at Genesis Analytics, he has delivered several digital public infrastructure projects for the African Development Bank, Africanenda, UNICEF, IFC, Better than Cash Alliance, Google, several central banks, and national payment switches across Africa and Asia. He serves on the Payment Association of South Africa's Industry Learning Advisory Committee. He holds an MPhil in Inclusive Innovation with distinction from the University of Cape Town, where he is also pursuing a PhD in Computer Science. His research is focused on the impact of submarine cables on digital economy development.

Kami Nakazawa enrolled in the School of Fundamental Science and Engineering at Waseda University in 2022. She was assigned to the Department of Information and Communication Engineering in 2023 and is expected to graduate in 2026, with plans to enter graduate school at Waseda University thereafter.

Ella Herbert is a second-year undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley, working towards her B.S. in Environmental Science. She is a part of the Sustainable Subsea Networks research team, headed by Professor Nicole Starosielski. Her past work examines the sustainability metrics of data centers and cable landing stations. She aims to investigate the environmental impacts associated with the growing data center industry. She is a co-teacher of the course “Building a Sustainable Internet” which introduces students to the foundations of digital infrastructure and the accompanying environmental costs.