 Welcome to the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 here in the last few days and we're here in Bucharest and Romania. I'm very pleased to be joining the studio today by Thomas Laminauskas, who is the Deputy Secretary-General at ELECT. Thomas, congratulations and welcome to the studio. Thank you very much Max. Always the pleasure, not the first time and definitely not the last. Absolutely not. Now the Deputy Secretary-General fulfills a key role in the ITU leadership team. Supporting the Secretary-General with organisational management or other tasks. What have you been up to in the last few days since you were elected? Have you had conversations with Dorian Bogdan-Martin, our Secretary-General ELECT, who's soon to be taking office and perhaps you could tell us a little bit about how you plan to support her in taking ITU forward. Thank you Max and as you probably know and some people would know and as I said in my acceptance speeches this is the third time the ring will be my boss. So I don't think we need to learn a lot about each other. I think we have a great working relationship and of course that means you know so the this relationship is now we'll just build on it. So first of all I think it's pretty clearly defined role of the Deputy Secretary-General now and I'm having some great time and discussions with Malcolm in the transition period and I'm really thankful for him to making that transition period very smooth from the day one and to ensure that I fit in his shoes now and I think then once once I fit in his shoes now and of course we'll continue to discussing with Dorian how this role could evolve and you know as you probably understand the Deputy Secretary-General's role is a bit more fluid role than others you know so I of course I'm here to support Dorian, I'm here to support the elected directors and what I'm here to build on what's already achieved and then together with Directors and Dorian to see where the adjustments are needed. I mean you're probably going to be one of the youngest if not the youngest Deputy Secretary-General that the ITU has had you must be coming through with new brand new fresh ideas and energy you're going to put all that into action. Thank you and I think I want to pick up a bit on that word youngest now and I've been told them or the youngest or one of the youngest and I probably am but I think I don't want to be known as the youngest Deputy Secretary-General I want to be the Deputy Secretary-General and I think to fulfill my duties to the Union and to fill my mandate and to fill the vision that we discussed with the member states when I was elected and I was campaigning and I want to also you know bring the fresh ideas hopefully you know from the industry that I spent some time after my last time in ITU let's say you know and from different parts of the world I've spent quite a few years with my life as a regulatory and policy roles but also want to build on the legacy and I think that's very important to the standards you know we have 157 years legacy you have a lot of people both in ITU but also in the delegates have a lot of knowledge a lot of experience and they have the world of valuable insights as well you know what and how it you should evolve so my view is we need to harness that insight harness that experience and then put it to use you know to into refreshing ITU together. Okay I mean it's early days but and you of course haven't taken up your mandate yet but I want to ask you how do you think you'll be able to help the new Secretary-General along with the three Bureau Director of Advanced ITU's mission to connect the world and contribute to achieving the UN's sustainable development goals. Thank you very much and I think first piece for me is what they call engine and engine means so you know just all the operations of ITU that we need to run well you know because that's a thing you know people forget we you know when we talk about policy and regulation and space and different other topics that ITU is a criteria that supports membership and that's that ITU needs to run well as a well well oiled machine you know and for me that's really the first priority as you know in my campaign I was calling that chief operating officer role is a first priority to make sure that the engine is run well you know from procurement to conferences to IS you know to communications as well you know to to all the aspects and that we really that our bureau directors and our sectors feel full support of General Secretary and their full attention and they really feel well served together with our membership so that's and that's the first thing the second which is related to that again Deputy Secretary-General role has that word intersectoral in it you know a lot of times and what I call one ITU role a lot of membership calling one ITU so I think I'm here also to support the ring to make sure that all five of us always work as one team and and to do whatever is needed to help directors to make everyone feel as one team and to help everyone discuss the things put the things on the table sometimes have constructed disagreements if we need to but always work in that one team spirit and I'm definitely here to support arena I'm here to support directors to make sure that we really work in that and the last the last piece they call campaigning some people told me after elections I said Thomas you should stop campaigning now you know I should work and I thought about that but I was pretty good at campaigning anyway yeah absolutely and then maybe maybe there is a very big point for me to continue on that but not continue campaigning for myself anymore but continue campaigning for ITU and for certain things I think it stands for because I think sometimes we forget that the biggest powers that you have it's not the money we can spend it's not a concrete project we can do but the attention we have the credibility we have and the mandate of the countries we have and we need to use that with here but we can use it with power as well so I really want to continue bringing you know that voice you know out for raising ambition on climate change connecting everyone while working with everyone else making sure that every country in this world does this say and and decision-making power in whatever we do you know I think for me that's also that's very important role of mine and that doesn't need a lot of stuff doesn't need all the resources we think ITU has an amazing asset that we need to that leverage for the good of everyone okay you're quite right to say you're no longer campaigning anymore and and 100 percent I will reinforce that too you just in case it slipped you by but I think the important thing to ask you is you while you were campaigning you were having lots of conversations with all sorts of member states who are having lots of conversation with industry I'm sure with all sorts of people to support your campaign you must have been getting a feeling of how ITU is perceived both within our friendly environment but also outside too I want to ask you how do you think you can make and help and push the message forward for ITU and make it relevant on the global stage so first of all and anyone that we know you know we discussed a lot in that campaign on there you know so when everything is digital you know so it's it's kind of good for ITU because we've been the digital for the longest you know and that's organization but same time this is at risk you know then when we become what I was calling fifth contributor to every question in my campaign exactly well we've been relevant I mean but in digital in one way but we've also been from the telegraph so I mean it's it's a very old organization one that essentially has got a lot of gravitas but not necessarily as much high profile as it should perhaps on the global stage no I understand I agree with you but I think that's what and that's kind of us being digital now we need to define what digital is for us and what is our core strength and capabilities to contribute from which angle it is you know because there is that we'll try to contribute to everything and we then kind of will not be able to make an impact so I think really clarifying the role really clarifying what we can do where strengths are and I think you know we see some great developments here in this conference you know for example on a serious resolution on space you know and what does ITU's role in space you know how membership wants ITU to deliver on space and what is our you know a contribution to the biggest space agenda which is now huge you know so we you know everyone talks about it you know we not only about connectivity you know but different other aspects as well and I think for me that's that's very important piece and I think that's how we can be relevant when we clearly know what we can contribute that's first second and I think I started that from my campaign and I know the reading is really strong about that is really linking ITU with everything else that's happening in the United Nations so having a clear piece in the mosaic but realizing that we are in a mosaic and we need to work with everyone else and it's no no longer you know 157 years ago it was the international telegraph union I think there is a different name there is now is one of the organizations that is active in that space you know and we have tech and lawyer office we have different other UN agencies working there we need to build a very strong relationship with those agencies and to make sure that we support each other we support them they support us and the industry as well and that and that that's how I achieve and now with industry that's exactly you know as if you read my nose preparing for this interview I could assure you great but that's exactly my third point you know industry engagement and industry engagement throughout you know and sometimes in this room is here people felt disillusioned on some discussions about industry you know but I heard with a lot of delegates I spoke with a lot of delegates here and I heard strongly we need to engage in this now how that feeds into the formal processes you know there's sometimes a different thing but but we definitely need to engage in the street and we need their voice strong and I was you know in my campaign I spoke to a lot of industry leaders here and sometimes they felt they didn't really fully found the space and place and at you they they've expressed it in study groups and sometimes they found a place in a advocacy piece but they didn't find the space into kind of more strategic discussion piece and I think we need them I saw a lot of that energy on the outside and we need to respond to that energy with our energy and I think again having their in there you know a capable directors there I think will have that so basically for me understanding what we are good at and how we can contribute then really understanding the bigger UN family and internationalization family know who we are I know that we're there to support so we help each other and third really engaging the industry being relevant to them and listening to them where the world is going and how we can contribute I hope some of these ingredients may help make it even more relevant I should say well you mentioned energy there I'm sure there won't be any lack of energy from your side to try and make this a reality Thomas Damanaskis thank you so much for joining us in the studio and of course we will catch up with you again plenty of times in the not too distant future and beyond thanks very much indeed thank you very much from Axe always the pleasure thank you thank you