The Hague, The Netherlands, May 8, 2023 – The World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) has constituted its Board for 2023-25. Bryn Fosburgh (Trimble) and Brian Nicholls (Woolpert) have been elected as President and Treasurer of WGIC, respectively, for the same period.
WGIC Executive Board 2023-25
WGIC, at its annual general meeting (AGM), held recently, announced the members of its Board who will serve from May 2023 to April 2025. The Board comprises twenty senior geospatial industry professionals drawn from WGIC’s patron, corporate, and associate member companies. The Board will provide strategic guidance to WGIC in pursuing its mission and achieving its programmatic goals during the course of the next two years.
- Autodesk – Theo Agelopoulos, Senior Director
- Bentley Systems – Zubran Solaiman, Director
- Cyient – John Renard, President
- Deep Spatial – Dr Bushra Zaman, Director
- EKM Global – Elshan Musayev
- Esri – Dean Angelides, Corporate Director – International
- Fugro – Robert Hoddenbach, Global Director
- GHGSat – Jean-Francois Gauthier, Vice President,
- Hexagon – Adina Gillespie, Vice President
- IIC Technologies – Steven Sawdon, Director
- Maxar Technologies – Paul Granito, Senior Vice President
- Microsoft – Harsh Govind, Principal Product Manager
- Oracle – Dr Jayant Sharma, Senior Director
- Planet – Agnieszka Lukaszczyk, Vice President
- RIEGL International – James Van Rens, Senior Vice President
- Terra Analytics – Willy Govender, CEO
- TomTom – Marius Swanepoel, Director
- Trimble – Bryn Fosburgh, Senior Vice President
- Woolpert – Joseph Seppi, Senior Vice President
- Geospatial World – Sanjay Kumar, CEO (Honorary Member)
New Leadership Team
The bi-annual election for the office of WGIC has witnessed a unanimous vote for Bryn Fosburgh, Senior Vice President of Trimble, as the President of WGIC. Brian Nicholls, Vice President – Asia Pacific, Woolpert, is elected unopposed as the Treasurer for 2023-25. To ensure business continuity, John Renard, President of Cyient – Europe, will continue as Secretary General till April 2024.
Bryn Fosburgh, on being elected as WGIC president, said, “From its humble beginnings, the geospatial industry has become the essential backbone of the world economy today and is poised to create a multi-trillion-dollar social and economic impact in the near future. Our strength, as an industry, is collaboration amongst the stakeholders. WGIC is that connective tissue that bonds all the ecosystem players. I am excited to join forces with WGIC’s executive leadership to ensure we, as an industry, continue to amplify our value and impact, achieve our collective vision and goals, and use our past successes as a manual to a sustainable future.”
Brian Nicholls, taking on the reins as the Treasurer and Chair of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee (FARC) of WGIC, said, “I am honoured to be elected to the Office of WGIC. As our world evolves at an accelerating pace, the need for timely, high-quality geospatial information, analysis and insights has never been greater. This need is fulfilled by WGIC members, who play critical roles in supporting the environment, global and local economies and society in general. I look forward to working closely with the WGIC executive, secretariat and members to continue its excellent record of sound governance and financial management and supporting the member companies in their critical work.”
Welcoming the new Board and office bearers, Barbara Ryan, Executive Director, said, “Even as I look forward to working with Bryn and Brian, I would like to express my debt of gratitude to the current officer John Renard (Cyient) and the outgoing officers Ken Mooyman (Hexagon) and James Van Rens (Riegl), who ably steered the organization, on behalf of the entire Board, over the last two years. Each of these five professionals has had a strong influence and role in the geospatial sector globally, and WGIC is fortunate to benefit from their intellect, energy, and passion. We welcome all the new members to the Board and note the increased diversity of representation, a trend that will benefit our global impact.”
About WGIC
The World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) is a global not-for-profit trade association of private sector companies in the geospatial ecosystem. WGIC collaborates with multilateral organizations, public authorities, and user industry communities to strengthen the geospatial industry’s contributions to society and the global economy. Through policy research, advocacy, and outreach programs, WGIC facilitates the exchange of knowledge and co-creating business opportunities for the geospatial industry. For more information, contact us at https://wgicouncil.org/contact/
