Leslie Martinkovics has more than thirty years’ experience in the telecommunication/ICT sectors, focusing on market access and regulations, spectrum management and licensing, and the formulation and execution of strategic advocacy campaigns involving digital networks and devices.

Leslie began his career in the satellite communications industry, advising the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on a broad range of satellite and terrestrial connectivity issues pertinent to developing economies. He subsequently joined the newly formed International Government Affairs office of COMSAT, before being named as Secretary to the INTELSAT Board of Governors.

Originally from Hungary, Leslie established a consulting firm based in Budapest and Washington, D.C. in 1989, helping major U.S. and European firms gain market access in the recently opened economies of Central and Eastern Europe.

After managing GTE’s European operations in 1996-2000, he joined Verizon as Director, International Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs, a position he held for the next twenty years. In this role, he advocated Verizon’s global public policy and regulatory strategy agenda, with a focus on spectrum management and the standardization of new digital networks and devices. He was also the company’s policy lead to United Nations specialized agencies, such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the World Health Organization (WHO), where he has chaired a number of groups dealing with regional and global technology policy issues. A veteran of regional and global conferences since 1997, he has acted as a private sector advisor to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Department of State, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Defense.