THE MULTISIDED PATH TO EUROPEAN DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY AND THE FUTURE OF EU-US RELATIONS

Martynas Barysas joined BusinessEurope as Director for Internal Market in February 2018. His main responsibilities are to oversee the development of the organisation’s positions on the free movement of goods and services (including transport), the digital economy, better regulation and single market governance in general. Before joining BusinessEurope he worked at the European Parliament’s IMCO Committee Secretariat, and also had extensive experience of work at the Council when posted as special attaché for the Internal Market at the Lithuanian Permanent Representation to the EU. His academic background is in world literature and economics, and his career has always been closely related to EU policies with major impact on the business environment.

Ricardo Castanheira is, since 2017, the Digital Counselor Coordinator at the Permanent Representation of Portugal to the European Union (REPER), in Brussels. Previously, he was General Manager at Motion Picture Association – Latin America (2013-2017), which represents institutionally the biggest studios in the world: Walt Disney, Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, Universal, Paramount and recently Netflix. Ricardo Castanheira was also the Director of Corporate Affairs for Microsoft Brazil, from 2011 to 2013; Legal and Corporate Affairs Lead at Microsoft Portugal, from 2007 to 2011; CEO of FDTI (Foundation for the Promotion of Information Technologies), in Lisbon, between 2005 and 2007. Between 1995 and 2002, he was the youngest MP in the Portuguese Parliament, elected for Coimbra. He was also a Member of the NATO Assembly (1999/2002) and a petitioner of the “Committee of the 24” at the United Nations, in NY. He actively intervened in diverse entities such as ABPI (Brazilian Association of the Intellectual Property) and the Federation of the Portuguese Trade Chambers in Brazil. He graduated in Law (1997) at the University of Coimbra and he holds diverse additional post-graduations: on Negotiation by the University of Harvard – John F. Kennedy School of Government (Boston); on Communication Management by Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV/Brazil); an Advanced Management Program (AMP) by Instituto de Empresa – Business School (Madrid) and a Mini – MBA by INDEG Business School (Lisbon).

Megan Funkhouser serves as Director of Policy, Tax and Trade. She primarily focuses on advancing ITI member priorities in the international tax space. Before joining ITI, Megan handled trade & investment policy for the Global Business Alliance (GBA), formerly known as the Organization for International Investment (OFII). Megan led GBA’s legislative and regulatory advocacy for trade policy, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), export controls, federal procurement, and other issues affecting foreign direct investment in the United States. In that role, she collaborated with GBA member companies to provide input regarding implementation of CFIUS reforms through the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA) and the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA). Megan holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations with a minor in Economics from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree in International Development with concentrations in Defense & Security Economics and Latin America from Sciences Po in Paris, France. Megan currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Women in International Trade (WIIT).