Lara Srivastava currently works with the World Bank's Digital Development Global Practice. She has over 25 years' experience in technology and policy foresight, regulation and governance - on anticipating technical and social developments, and shaping adaptive organizational change. As policy advisor, lawyer and entrepreneur, her experience cuts across internet start-ups, academia, governments, and international organizations. She holds a Juris Doctor (JD) in technology law, an MSc in Technology Policy and an M.A. In French Literature and Critical Theory. She completed her PhD in technological design and innovation, in the context of decision-support and smart homes for an ageing population.
Prior to joining the Bank, Lara was Head of the Bridging the Standards Gap and Emerging Tech programme at the United Nations specialized agency for ICTs, the ITU. In the early 2000s, she managed the organization's first Technology Foresight programme (New Initiatives) that tracked the global development of the internet and emerging technologies not only from a technical perspective, but also from economic, social and sociological perspectives.
Lara has also worked for the Canadian regulator for broadcasting and telecommunications, in management consultancy, and with the infoDev program. Throughout her career, she has advocated for a better understanding of the interaction between technology, law and business, but equally for a greater awareness of the ever-expanding impact of technology on society and the human condition as a whole. Lara is currently a Visiting Fellow with the Media Department of the London School of Economics (LSE).