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Inspirational people?
At the 2008 Executive Forum, which took place concurrently with the OFC/NFOEC conference, an OSA representative took to the floor to ask a panel of optical components makers and analysts who they most admired in the optical networking industry.
Nobody had an answer. Seemingly the industry is lacking in dynamic, motivational, and visionary leaders. Or so I thought.
I've just spotted that last week the OSA appointed Viviane Reding, European commissioner for information society and media, and Thierry Van der Pyl, head of the Commission's Photonics Unit, as the organization's 2008 Advocates of Optics. This award is given to a public official with a strong record of supporting optics and photonics.
According to the press release, Reding was selected as this year's advocate for "her extraordinary vision in establishing a Photonics Unit within the European Commission", while Van der Pyl is being recognized for his leadership of the Unit.
This made me think about the original question: who are the inspirational figures in the telecoms industry? Despite her high-profile position and the importance of regulation in promoting competition in the telecoms market, Reding — who was also named Internet Villain of the Year in 2007 — probably wouldn't be everyone's first choice. Who would you pick?
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