About
Name: Diego Mendiburu
Nationality: Mexican
Programme: MPhil in Technology Policy 2021
Current role: Global Digital Communications Specialist, Better Than Cash Alliance
“I enrolled in the MPhil for Technology Policy as I had a background as a tech entrepreneur, and I was always fascinated by the balance between the positive impact of startups and the potential harms that unregulated technologies can bring to societies.
“The Tech Policy course provided me with a deeper understanding of how the European Union is leading the way in regulating tech companies and protecting citizens’ privacy. It provided me with the frameworks used by policymakers to promote policies that increase internet access and financial inclusion in developing countries, an essential expertise for my role as a global communications specialist at the United Nations Better Than Cash Alliance.”
Biography
Diego Mendiburu is currently a Global Communications Specialist at the United Nations’ Better Than Cash Alliance, a partnership of governments, companies and international organisations established to scale financial inclusion by transitioning economies from cash to responsible digital payments.
Previously, Diego founded Fáctico, a tech startup dedicated to developing platforms that promote freedom of expression and civic participation. Diego has been a speaker and panelist at international forums hosted by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), The World Summit Awards and The Elders, and has been featured in media outlets such as El Financiero-Bloomberg, ForoTV, and Business Fights Poverty. As a former journalist turned technology and innovation policy expert, Diego aims to translate the key ethical and security challenges of emerging technologies into simple messages that decision-makers can easily understand.