Dr Michael Kende is an advisor on digital policy to international organisations, governments, and internet companies, a Senior Advisor at Analysys Mason, a global consulting firm focused on telecommunications and media, and the Chair of the Board of the Datasphere Initiative, a Swiss foundation focused on data governance. He is the former Chief Economist of the Internet Society, and prior to joining the Internet Society, Dr Kende was a partner at Analysys Mason, where he was Head of the Policy and Regulatory sector, Head of the Analysys Mason US office, and, most recently, he was in charge of developing its internet practice.
Michael has a PhD in economics from MIT and a BA in Mathematics and Economics from Bowdoin College. After MIT, he spent five years as a professor of Economics at INSEAD, a business school near Paris, before joining the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). At the FCC, he served as Director of Internet Policy Analysis, overseeing a wide range of policy analyses and regulatory decisions. Finally, he is the author of the book The Flip Side of Free: Understanding the Economics of the Internet, published by MIT Press and based on a course he taught at the Geneva Graduate Institute.
