ETSI elects director general Jan Ellsberger

During their 83rd General Assembly, 16-17 April 2024, ETSI members elected the ETSI Director-General Mr. Jan Ellsberger with a majority on the third ballot.

ETSI’s Director-General is elected for a five-year term of office, which may be extended by the members for a further three years.

From 1995 to 1998 Mr. Ellsberger worked as a permanent expert and was responsible for ETSI’s relations with ITU-T secretariat, SG.10 and SG.11 related to formal methodologies for standards development and was also responsible for piloting and introducing methodologies for the development of INAP/CAMEL, TETRA, and ISDN standards and development of methodologies for standards conformance test suites.

Mr. Ellsberger has over 30 years of experience in standardisation and was for 12 years leading Ericsson’s global standardisation operations in his capacity as Vice President Industry and Technology.

More recently, he has worked as a Board Advisor, advising clients and partners on industry trends in the automotive and ICT sectors, and was Vice President Industry Development and Standardisation Officer Automotive at Huawei.

Mr. Ellsberger said: “I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the members of ETSI for entrusting me with this prestigious role, and I am committed to lead with transparency and to work closely with all members to further strengthen ETSI”.

Jan Ellsberger succeeds Luis Jorge Romero who has served thirteen successful years as Director General. Following the election, Mr. Romero thanked the ETSI staff and colleagues for their dedicated support. He drew attention to the success and growth of ETSI and its lead role in 5G technologies and preparedness for future generations. Luis Jorge Romero observed: “The ETSI community has adapted and prospered in difficult times for international cooperation - notably through a Worldwide pandemic which necessitated some clear thinking and a new approach from ETSI and our partners. I am proud to have been at the helm of ETSI and I wish Jan good fortune and success in this unique and rewarding role”.