[Chapter-delegates] NEWS RELEASE: Internet Society Launches Regional Office in Singapore

[Anne Lord]

Internet Society Launches Regional Office in Singapore

Supports the organisation’s expanding membership and initiatives in  
the region

[Singapore – 14 May 2012] – The Internet Society today announced the  
formal opening of its regional office in Singapore, which will be  
headed by Rajnesh Singh, Regional Director for the Internet Society’s  
Asia-Pacific Bureau.  A global, mission-based organisation, the  
Internet Society is the leading advocate for the open development,  
evolution, and use of the Internet for everyone.

The Internet Society’s Regional Bureaus are vital conduits to  
connecting its Chapters, members, and staff, and are central to the  
success of the organisation’s mission to ensure the Internet continues  
to evolve as a platform for innovation, collaboration, creativity, and  
economic development.  The Singapore regional office and Asia-Pacific  
Bureau is focused on key initiatives, including enhancing Internet  
access and networks across Asia-Pacific, driving Internet Protocol v6  
(IPv6) adoption to support the transition from IPv4, encouraging  
participation in the Internet standards development process, and  
working with regional forums such as APEC TEL and the OECD on Internet- 
related policy matters, such as privacy, broadband access for rural  
communities, and the security and stability of Internet infrastructure.

Internet Society President and CEO Lynn St. Amour explained, “Our new  
office in Singapore reinforces our strong commitment to the Asia- 
Pacific region, the world’s largest and most dynamic Internet market.  
We have an active membership in Asia-Pacific of more than 16,000  
members, and some of this region's greatest innovators and leaders are  
our members.  Our expanded presence here will enable us to strengthen  
our engagement with regional partners and build stronger programmes in  
furtherance of our mission.”

“We work collaboratively with our Chapters, members, and regional  
community organisations to drive initiatives focused on the  
continuation of an open Internet, which is fundamental to innovation  
and business growth,” commented Singh.  “The Internet Society also  
empowers people and communities with capacity building initiatives in  
developing countries to build technical skills that enable better  
Internet networks, and in partnership with area organisations,  
projects that bring Internet connectivity to rural communities to  
enable holistic socio-economic development.”

“The Internet Society joins the vibrant ecosystem of more than 135  
international non-profit organisations (INPOs) making Singapore their  
home for the region and beyond,” commented Kelvin Wong, Executive  
Director of the International Organisations Programme Office (IOPO), a  
whole-of-government initiative located within the Singapore Economic  
Development Board (EDB). “Their leading work in international standard  
setting and in increasing Internet access to communities in Asia  
further affirms Singapore’s proposition as a trusted, neutral, and  
connected base through which INPOs can further their social, economic,  
and development causes in a wide variety of fields. The Internet  
Society will also value-add to Singapore’s infocomm and media sector  
through working with infocomm companies to share best practices and co- 
create content with regards to Internet architecture.”

The Internet Society has five Regional Bureaus – Africa and MENA, Asia- 
Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and North America.  
These bureaus are instrumental in addressing Internet-related issues,  
mobilising local support to impact global efforts, and developing  
policy, technology, membership, Chapter, and regional educational  
awareness.

Rajnesh Singh has been with the Internet Society since 2008 helping  
establish its Asian Regional Bureau, and has also played founding and  
leading roles in several technology and private equity investment  
firms. Prior to joining the Internet Society, he was a consultant to  
numerous organisations in the region, including non-profit,  
development, and private sector organisations. He has previously  
served as the Founding Chair of ICANN's Asia-Pacific Regional At-Large  
Organisation (APRALO).

About the Internet Society
The Internet Society is the trusted independent source for Internet  
information and thought leadership from around the world. With its  
principled vision and substantial technological foundation, the  
Internet Society promotes open dialogue on Internet policy,  
technology, and future development among users, companies,  
governments, and other organisations. Working with its members and  
Chapters around the world, the Internet Society enables the continued  
evolution and growth of the Internet for everyone. For more  
information, see http://www.internetsociety.org.