On 29 and 30 November, ETSI held its 80th General Assembly in Sophia-Antipolis, France. The agenda included the election of a new Chair and two Vice Chairs.
Bettina Funk from ITS, the Swedish National Standardization Organization (NSO), was elected as the new Chair of the ETSI GA for a two-year mandate. An ETSI Board member since 2020, Bettina brings extensive experience in standardization at ETSI, 3GPP and IEC, both with the German Federal Network Agency and later with PTS, the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority.
Having an NSO representative chairing the General Assembly is a first in ETSI. This outlines the prominent role of NSOs in ETSI and is aligned with the new European Commission Standardization Strategy.
Bettina will work to ensure that ETSI continues to have a strong foothold in international standardization, as a stable European standardization organization. To achieve this, she will lead the change process previously initiated within ETSI.
Bettina’s goal is to help ETSI’s members bridge the gap between different actors at a time when social and political polarization is increasing, which affects their willingness to cooperate. With her strong belief in and experience in leading large groups with widely differing interests, she knows what it takes to reach consensus. With a goal-oriented yet pragmatic approach combined with great openness and motivation, Bettina is a leader who is trusted to keep ETSI abreast of the ever-changing world.