Bobbie Mellor
/VP of International Policy and Public Affairs, Vodafone
CV IN BRIEF
EDUCATION: BA in Modern Languages (Arabic, French and Dutch) at University College London (UCL) | Regulation - Department of Law at London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
CAREER SO FAR: Vodafone - VP of International Policy and Public Affairs (current) | Vodafone - Senior Manager, Government Campaigns | Thomas Reuters - Head of Media Development, Middle East and Africa | Thomas Reuters - Journalist | Policy Associate - Minority Rights Group International
LANGUAGES: Arabic, Dutch, English, French
DATE OF INTERVIEW: 09/5/2021
Exclusive Interview by Krithiga Narayanan
Three pieces of advice for young women aspiring to pursue a career in the technology space in foreign policy?
If you want to do something, don’t wait for permission. Remember that no one looks back on life and thinks "oh I wish I hadn't stepped up”. So put yourself forward and make things happen for yourself, even if it scares you.
If you are interested in working on policy in the private sector, try to get some political experience first. An easy way to get started is by campaigning or canvassing for a local candidate in an election, or going along to branch meetings of a local political party. Canvassing is also a great experience; it really hones your pitching skills and resilience.
Finally, never forget that the world needs your voice as a woman. There is still a huge gender gap in foreign policy. Always come back to this during moments of self-doubt, which believe me, will come and go throughout your entire career!
Technology in Foreign Policy: The Public-Private Nexus
1. As Head of International Policy and Public Affairs at Vodafone, your work is at the intersection of the public and private sectors. This can be considered a niche area, what motivated you to pursue a career in this aspect of Foreign Policy and how did you end up working at Vodafone?
I can't say that I designed my career to end up here, but rather arrived here by following my interests and opportunities. At university, I tried to do as many internships as possible; at NGOs, at the European Commission, and at a couple of magazines. Those experiences gave me a better idea of what I was interested in, which boiled down to a combination of foreign policy, freedom of expression, and emerging technology. I also spent time abroad whilst studying- in Syria and France- which cemented my interest in foreign policy. When I graduated, I got my foot in the door at Reuters through an internship and was quickly brought on board as staff. After a couple of years in editorial, I then moved over to the charitable arm of Reuters, the Thomson Reuters Foundation, where I was responsible for setting up a digital sub-brand of Reuters in Egypt shortly after the 2011 uprising.
During my time in Egypt, I had observed the power of digital technology, but also the tension between the government and tech companies. My interests were moving closer towards how new technology was impacting political processes and democracy, and I wanted to gather more experience in the private sector. Around this time, I was approached by Vodafone for a government affairs job. At first, I was quite intimidated by the challenge as I had minimal understanding of how telecom networks work, but I dived in. Since then, I’ve moved through several different roles at Vodafone - from managing relationships with governments in new markets like Ukraine and Iran to overseeing our relationship with the UN.
2. How would you say your multidisciplinary background in law and journalism impacted your career move into the Foreign Policy arena?
Moving between sectors is quite typical for policy people in the private sector. Our team is made up of former politicians, diplomats, lawyers, journalists. Bringing together diverse perspectives really helps us navigate our business through the external environment.
Journalism gave me many important skills that I can carry forward into any job. First of all, the ability to put your hand up and ask difficult questions, even in the face of huge power differentials. For that reason, I’ve always felt quite comfortable engaging with senior stakeholders, whether that is a CEO, a Minister, or a Head of State. I also value the sense of objectivity that I developed whilst at Reuters. The ability to stand back from a situation and assess it without bias is crucial when making business decisions. I’m also a big advocate of people who study law not becoming lawyers. Studying law gives you a great experience in critical thinking, argumentation, and understanding risk. It also- to be frank- gives you kudos when dealing with Lawyers, which we do a lot!
3. In your current role you oversee Vodafone's relationships with international organizations and government, advocating for key policy changes. Can you tell us more about this role and what are the main objectives?
Our key objective at Vodafone is to develop what we call the “Social Contract” between business, government, and citizens. That means that as a business we are making a clear contribution to economic development and societal goals in every country we operate in, which of course involves partnership with the public sector. The Social Contract is absolutely core to our business strategy, rather than being an “add on” Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project.
My job is about pushing forward this agenda on the international stage. For example, the UN Secretary-General recently launched an initiative to close the digital divide for good. We are now working closely with the UN and national governments to re-shape the policy and investment environment to enable connectivity for all. I also oversee political relationships in countries that assert a big policy influence globally. The key examples are the US and China. It is absolutely critical that we have good insights into policy priorities in both countries because they impact us across many of our markets.
We also do special, short-term projects to create societal or economic value. For example, we recently worked with economists at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to analyze mobility data from our networks, cross-referenced with their economic indicators. In doing so we created an evidence base showing that women and youth were most adversely impacted by lockdowns, and shared these findings with governments to inform their pandemic responses. Now I’m getting excited by our joint mission with the Africa Union to use technology to ensure that Covid-19 vaccines are safely and equitably distributed across Africa.
4. Do you see technology as bridging the gap between the private and public sectors and how can this contribute to marshaling support for pressing global issues, as issues such as inequality are accentuated within societies and across countries?
I don’t think technology itself will bridge the gap between the private and public sectors. However, I see technology as a tool that we can collectively deploy to tackle some of our biggest global challenges, such as the climate crisis, the increase in global poverty, and gender inequality.
To be effective in doing that, we need to reconfigure how technology companies work with governments and citizens to take collective responsibility for global challenges. I think the Covid-19 pandemic is accelerating us towards this new model of collaboration. Faced with such a huge, collective crisis, businesses and companies were able to quickly solve problems that would otherwise take years to solve, like developing vaccines and digitizing key public services. We now need to normalize this spirit of partnership and apply it consistently to other urgent challenges like the climate crisis.
5. In a post-pandemic world, what are the specific challenges Tech giants such as Vodafone face with respect to Foreign Policy and what should be done to tackle them?
Tech issues are by definition foreign policy issues because it’s very hard to put borders on connectivity and the internet, although some countries certainly try! I still think that governments and international organizations are catching up to this reality, and the weakening of multilateralism over the past years is a challenge in this regard. We really need strong international leadership and clearer positions on tech issues. A good example is Europe’s leadership on privacy and data regulation. We need the same sort of leadership on other big tech issues, like AI regulation and market structure.
In terms of the challenges, there are many. Some are driven by fundamental differences between how countries envisage the architecture of the internet and the ways in which it creates value for citizens and economies. That value creation looks very different for example in China, Europe, and the US. This becomes an interesting foreign policy issue when you observe how countries including China, are investing in digital and services infrastructure internationally.
Another challenge is that we are still behind on investing in digital solutions to address development issues and the SDGs. We know that connecting people to the internet can unlock better health, education, and economic outcomes. However, almost half of the world remains unconnected and closing that connectivity gap requires an additional $400 billion in investment. Frankly, we do not know where that money will come from.
However, I believe we now have the opportunity for something of a “reset” and refocusing of international relationships. I think there will be some big upcoming moments in the next twelve months where the international community has an opportunity to find a common purpose; COP26, the G7, the UN General Assembly.
6. What has been the biggest challenge in your career so far and how did you overcome it?
The single biggest challenge was during my time at Thomson Reuters Foundation in Egypt, when we had to fight a high-profile litigation case. The accusations were brought about by an influential businessman and could have led to the unjustified imprisonment of two of our journalists. Thankfully, the case was eventually dropped. There is nothing more challenging than when one of your staff is at personal risk. I learned so much during that time about crisis management, putting people first, and how to manage up the chain within a corporation. Most of all, it gave me a sense of perspective that I’ve always maintained; sometimes we get so wrapped up in the work that we fall into the trap of totally blowing issues out of proportion.
On a day-to-day basis, my ongoing challenge is moving from talk to action. My inclination is always towards action. Policy people can spend a lot of time talking and producing reports explaining why we should do something. My reaction is always- ok let’s do it then! Good policy only works when it is actually actioned. I’m only happy when I can tangibly see how our policy recommendations change people’s lives by getting them onto the internet in a meaningful way.
7. Women in technology is an important theme across development and policy spheres. How do you view the role of women in the Tech Policy space and how far have we come with regards to this?
There are some amazing women leading the technology policy space, but there is a long way to go until we can feel confident that technology empowers all women. We desperately need more leadership from women in product development; only 11% of developers are women. Until we change that, it will be hard to create a digital future that is reflective of the needs of women as well as men. Another way to achieve this is to better integrate public policy considerations into product development, in order to empower female customers.
Globally, 26% fewer women are connected to the internet than men. To start addressing this, at Vodafone we have committed to adding an additional 50 million women to our customer base in our emerging markets. Our strategy to achieve this is to develop products tailored to women that will act as an entry point into the internet and digital services. One is “Mum and Baby”, a free mobile service for women across Africa providing health advice for new mothers and their families. Imagine if every company took a similar approach; we could make massive progress towards closing the connectivity gap for women.
8. What has resonated with you in terms of the progress made on specific barriers women face because of their gender in the field and how do you respond to the advantages if any?
I think awareness of the gender divide in foreign policy is picking up. We are starting to produce the data points to show why it is so important to have more women working on policy. Countries led by women seem to have led a better Covid-19 response. The UN has shown that having women around the negotiating table yields all-around better results in peace negotiations. At the same time, women shouldn’t have to constantly produce data points to justify their seat at the table; that’s just extra work for us!
More generally, I do feel that the feminist movements over the past ten years have made it easier to address sexist behavior in the workplace. A lot of sexism at work is quite subtle and difficult to call out because it’s so ingrained; things like being interrupted or having someone repeat your ideas back to you. The recent #sofagate incident between Ursula Von der Layen (EU chief) and Charles Michel (EU Council President) is the perfect example. I saw it and it felt so familiar to me. Early in my career I would get immensely frustrated by similar behaviour and had no idea how to articulate my frustration. Thankfully, I feel there is now more awareness around that sort of sexism which -at least in the European context- allows us to feel more empowered to call it out.
But if I’m honest I’m yet to see a “watershed” moment on the advancement of women in our field. I’m really not satisfied- there’s so much more for us to do!
9. Do you have a role model; if so who and why?
I don’t really have specific role models; someone asked me about my fantasy dinner party guests the other day and I totally blanked. I am more inspired by interesting ideas and debates. However, there are some amazing women whose work I really admire: Mariana Mazzucato’s thinking is always refreshing and inspiring; she explores the interaction between government and capitalism and value creation for citizens. Vodafone’s first female Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Margherita Della Valle is wonderful, ten minutes with her is always full of nuggets of wisdom, and I find it greatly reassuring that she took a non-linear route to becoming our CFO. And finally, Gina Miller, co-founder of London-based investment company SCM Direct is a true force of nature. Her persistence, bravery, and commitment to causes really inspire me.
