Statement of Condolence: Bertrand de La Chapelle, Pioneer in the Implementation of Multistakeholder Governance Processes
The Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br) and the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br) deeply mourn the passing, this Wednesday (26), of Bertrand de La Chapelle, one of the greatest exponents of global Internet governance. A career diplomat, trained engineer, and technology entrepreneur, he was an unwavering advocate for an open and democratic network and a pioneer in the implementation of multistakeholder governance processes.
He served as Director of the Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network and Director of Strategic Vision at the Datasphere Initiative, where he was also a co-founder. His departure represents an immeasurable loss to the entire Internet community.
Throughout his career, Bertrand maintained a relationship of friendship, collaboration, and dialogue with CGI.br and NIC.br, which extended to events, debates, and publications. During NETmundial (2014) and NETmundial+10 (2024), for example, he played a remarkable role, being a key figure in the success achieved by both initiatives. In 2025, Bertrand de La Chapelle honored the seminar celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br), where he was one of the speakers.
Career
Bertrand de La Chapelle served as France's Thematic Ambassador and Special Envoy for the Information Society from 2006 to 2010, during which he monitored the follow-up activities of the World Summit on the Information Society and Internet governance processes, also serving as Vice-Chair of the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Subsequently, from 2010 to 2013, he served as a member of the ICANN Board.
In the 1990s, he was co-founder and CEO of the virtual reality company Virtools, now a subsidiary of Dassault Systèmes.
In 2012, he helped found the Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network, a multistakeholder organization that addresses the tension between the cross-border Internet and national jurisdictions. Since then, he served as Executive Director of the organization, representing it in international forums and expert panels on Internet governance, as well as contributing academically to the debate on jurisdiction and online intermediaries.
Bertrand de La Chapelle was a graduate of the École Polytechnique (1978), Sciences Po Paris (1983), and the École Nationale d'Administration (1986).
