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Victoria A. Espinel

CEO

Victoria Espinel is a global leader advancing the future of technology innovation.  

As CEO of BSA | The Software Alliance, Victoria has grown the organization’s worldwide presence in over 30 countries, distinguishing BSA as the leader for enterprise software companies on issues including artificial intelligence, privacy, cybersecurity, and digital trade. She launched the Digital Transformation Network and the Global Data Alliance, flagship BSA initiatives to further BSA’s collaboration with 15+ industry sectors globally. Victoria founded Software.org, the enterprise software industry’s nonprofit partner that educates policymakers and the public about the impact of software and careers within the industry. 

Victoria serves on President Biden’s National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee (Chair of the International Working Group), served as a member of the President’s USTR Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN), and chaired the Future of Software and Society Group at the World Economic Forum. She is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations. 

Victoria has testified over a dozen times before the US Congress and the European Parliament. Victoria speaks frequently to groups about AI, cybersecurity, and STEM education, including Latinas in Tech, Girls Rule the Law, the Congressional Staff Hispanic Association, Women’s Congressional Staff Associations, Girls Who Code, EqualAI, CSIS, and numerous academic institutions. She has been featured in a wide range of media outlets, including New York Times, Washington Post, Financial Times, Forbes, C-SPAN, BBC, Bloomberg Business, The New Yorker, and NPR. Victoria has also been named by Washingtonian magazine as one of their “Most Influential People” and as a “Tech Titan.”

Prior to BSA, Victoria was confirmed by the US Senate to serve as the first White House “IP Czar,” establishing a new office in the White House and advising President Obama on intellectual property. She also served in the Bush Administration as the first chief US trade negotiator for intellectual property and innovation, a role in which she created the office of Intellectual Property and Innovation at USTR and led negotiations with over 70 countries. 

Victoria launched Girls Who Code’s Washington, DC, summer program and serves on the Board of Directors for ChIPs, a nonprofit organization advancing women in technology law and policy. 

She holds an LLM from the London School of Economics, a JD from Georgetown University Law School, and a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. She is a native of Washington, DC, and the proud proprietor of the James Beard Award-winning restaurant Jewel of the South in New Orleans. 

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Profiles

Washington Business Journal C-Suite Award

DEC 05, 2019

International Business Times Profile

JUN 03, 2016

Speeches and Testimony

Testimony: BSA Testimony Before House Energy and Commerce on "Safeguarding Data and Innovation: Building the Foundation for the Use of Artificial Intelligence"

OCT 18, 2023

Testimony: BSA Testimony Before Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security on “The Need for Transparency in Artificial Intelligence”

SEP 12, 2023

Panelist: Politico AI Summit: In AI We Trust?

SEP 18, 2019

Interview: Latinas in Tech Event at Splunk: Fireside Chat with Victoria Espinel

JUL 19, 2019

Panelist: GMF Brussels Forum 2019: Trade Disrupted

JUN 28, 2019

Panelist: Niejelow Rodin Global Digital Futures Forum: Can We Navigate Major Regulatory Transformations?

MAY 10, 2019

Opening Remarks: BSA Software Security Framework Launch Event

APR 30, 2019

Interview: From the White House to the Software Industry with Victoria Espinel

MAR 13, 2019

Keynote and panelist: All Jobs are Software Jobs: Preparing France’s Workforce for the Digital Economy

MAR 13, 2019

Keynote and panelist: All Jobs are Software Jobs: Preparing Germany’s Workforce for the Digital Economy

MAR 11, 2019

Testimony: BSA Testimony Before Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on “Policy Principles for a Federal Data Privacy Framework in the United States”

FEB 27, 2019

Remarks: White House Office American Innovation Event on Civic Tours of Duty

OCT 22, 2018

Panelist: Washington International Trade Association: US-Mexico-Canada Agreement: What’s New in NAFTA 2.0?

OCT 18, 2018

Panelist: The Atlantic Festival: Future of Work in the Age of AI: Rules of the Road for Responsible AI

OCT 02, 2018

Panelist: Politico AI Summit: The Future of Work in America

SEP 27, 2018

Panelist: The Atlantic’s Protecting Privacy: The Tech Industry Speaks

SEP 13, 2018

Panelist: FleishmanHillard “Artificial Intelligence & Communications: The Fads. The Fears. The Future”

JUL 16, 2018

Keynote Moderator: AI Summit: Investing in Innovation and Tomorrow's Workforce

JUL 10, 2018

Remarks: POLITICO London Playbook Breakfast with Matt Hancock

JUL 04, 2018

Keynote and Panelist: Business Day 2018, organized by The Economic Council of the CDU, Berlin

JUN 12, 2018

Panelist: New Democrat Coalition Public Policy Conference

MAY 15, 2018

Panelist: Georgetown Women’s Forum 2018

MAY 03, 2018

Keynote: Washington Post: Artificial Intelligence Transformers

MAR 20, 2018

Speaker: SXSW 2018: Discussing Today’s Evolving Data Policy

MAR 11, 2018

Panelist: Center for Strategic & International Studies: US-Japan Cooperation on Global Standards for Emerging Technologies, from AI to 5G

FEB 13, 2018

Testimony: BSA Testimony Before Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet on “Digital Decision-Making: The Building Blocks of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence”

DEC 12, 2017

Testimony: BSA Testimony Before House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection on “21st Century Trade Barriers: Protectionist Cross Border Data Flow Policies’ Impact on US Jobs”

OCT 12, 2017

Panelist: Center for Strategic & International Studies: Cross-Border Data Flows and Digital Trade Post-TPP

APR 06, 2017

Interview: Bloomberg Live TV: “Trump: First 100 Days”

MAR 09, 2017

Speaker: "Business Day of Innovations" organized by The Economic Council of the CDU, Berlin,

FEB 15, 2017

Panelist: Center for Strategic & International Studies: The Effect of Encryption on Lawful Access to Communications and Data

FEB 08, 2017

Speaker: World Economic Forum Annual Meeting: Press Conference – How well are companies prepared to withstand cyberattacks?

JAN 08, 2017

Panelist: Center for Strategic & International Studies: The Future of Global Trade

JAN 13, 2017

Remarks: Techonomy: New Rules I – Government Engagement

NOV 17, 2016

Panelist: World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils

NOV 14, 2016

Keynote: Adobe Women in Diversity Luncheon

OCT 11, 2016

Bloomberg Radio: Discussion on Economic Impact Study

JUN 16, 2016

Panelist: Software’s Economic Impact + The Drive for Talent

JUN 15, 2016

Keynote: Americas Women in Business Law Awards

JUN 09, 2016

Keynote: AICPA 2016 Spring Council Meeting

MAY 16, 2016

Panelist: Milken Global Conference: Globalization: Path to Prosperity or Race to the Bottom?

MAY 04, 2016

Keynote: World Wildlife Fund 2015 Fuller Symposium

NOV 18, 2015

Panelist: Techonomy: Catch Me If You Can

NOV 09, 2015

Testimony: BSA Testimony Before House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet on “International Data Flows: Promoting Digital Trade in the 21st Century”

NOV 03, 2015

Testimony: BSA Testimony Before House Energy and Commerce Subcommittees on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade and Communications and Technology on the topic of “Examining the EU Safe Harbor Decision and Impacts for Transatlantic Data Flows”

NOV 03, 2015

Panelist: World Economic Forum Summit on the Global Agenda

OCT 27, 2015

Testimony: BSA Testimony Before Senate Judiciary Committee on ECPA Reform

SEP 16, 2015

Moderator: Data Across Borders: Treaties, Law Enforcement, and Digital Privacy in the Aftermath of Snowden

JUL 24, 2015

C-SPAN Live: Discussion on Patent Reform Supporting Innovation

JUL 06, 2015

Huffpo Live: World Economic Forum 2015: Live Updates from Davos, 'Enormous Changes' On Horizon For 'All Economic Sectors'

JAN 21, 2015

Keynote: Promoting Responsible Data Innovation

DEC 02, 2014

Keynote: International IP Enforcement Summit, London

JUN 11, 2014

Keynote: The Future of Transatlantic Trade Conference, Paris, "Modernizing Trade Rules for the Digital Age"

APR 10, 2014

Keynote: European Cloud Computing Conference, Brussels, "Restoring Confidence in the Global Cloud"

APR 09, 2014

Op-Eds and Letters to the Editor

Letter: Software Sector is in Good Position To Reassure the Public on AI (Financial Times)

OCT 16, 2023

America Leads the World in AI–But We Could Fall Behind on AI Regulation By the End of 2023 (Fortune)

SEP 11, 2023

What Will Change With The Japan-US Digital Trade Deal, That Will Take Effect Next Month? (MYNAVI News)

DEC 04, 2019

It’s Time to Prepare the Workforce of the Future (The Hill)

MAY 07, 2018

Cybersecurity Threats Defy National Borders, So Countries Should Collaborate, Not Clam Up (South China Morning Post)

MAY 01, 2018

Privacy Shield: A Strong Framework for Transatlantic Digital Trade (Euractiv)

SEP 18, 2017

There’s Only One Way NAFTA Can Work for the 21st Century (CNBC)

MAY 25, 2017

Beyond TPP: Building a U.S.-Japanese Digital Partnership (Morning Consult)

APR 14, 2017

Always Look on the Bright Side of Trade (Morning Consult)

JAN 27, 2017

A Path Forward for the Encryption Debate (The Hill)

NOV 15, 2016

Privacy Shield Attracts Strong Company Support (The Hill)

AUG 01, 2016

Judicial Redress Act Will Benefit All (The Hill)

FEB 23, 2016

Third Time’s the Charm: Questions for GOP Debate (The Hill)

OCT 28, 2015

The Data Innovation Revolution (The Washington Post)

AUG 28, 2015

The Climate of Patent Litigation is a Blight on Innovation (The Hill)

JUL 27, 2015

Closing the Gap (The Hill)

JUL 15, 2015

Three Letters That Spell a Better Economic Future (The Hill)

JUN 09, 2015

Keep the Data Flowing and the California Economy Growing (The Mercury News)

APR 30, 2015

Radio/TV/Podcasts

BSA's Victoria Espinel Calls for Globally Harmonized Approach to AI (BBC News)

JUL 22, 2023

Artificial Intelligence and the EU's Attempt to Regulate It (Politico EU Confidential)

JUN 15, 2023

How Do We Prepare Congress for the Age of AI? (In AI We Trust?)

MAY 03, 2023

Is AI A Privilege Reserved for Big Tech? (In AI We Trust?)

APR 07, 2022

BSA’s Victoria Espinel on Artificial Intelligence, Diversity, and Software Jobs (Bloomberg Businessweek)

OCT 21, 2019

Webinar: The IoT Factor (Fast Company)

JUN 07, 2019

One Year On, Can GDPR Go Global? (CNBC International)

MAY 22, 2019

Digital Trade with Victoria Espinel of BSA | The Software Alliance (CSIS Trade Guys Podcast)

APR 18, 2019

BSA’s Victoria Espinel on Artificial Intelligence (FCC Broadband Conversations Podcast)

MAR 20, 2019

What Does the New US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement Mean for the Digital World? (Marketplace Tech)

OCT 03, 2018

Spotlight on Girls Who Code Classroom Summer Immersion Program (ABC7/News Channel 8 WJLA)

AUG 02, 2018

Communicators with Victoria Espinel and Nuala O'Connor (C-SPAN)

JUL 24, 2018

Ignoring Cloud Computing Would Be a Real Mistake for Indian Economy, Says BSA's Victoria Espinel (CNBC-TV18 India)

JUN 20, 2018

Future Of Artificial Intelligence Is Improving Decision Making (Bloomberg Markets AM)

MAY 14, 2018

Tech Gears Up for NAFTA Revamp (Code & Conduit Podcast by Bloomberg BNA)

MAY 08, 2017

Bloomberg Markets Trump: First 100 Days (Bloomberg Live TV)

MAR 09, 2017

The Impact of Today’s Data Revolution (Bloomberg Radio Market Minute)

DEC 27, 2015

India is a Place of Enormous Promise: BSA CEO (NDTV Profit India)

OCT 12, 2015