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 on multiple occasions before the US Congress, European Parliament, and Japanese Diet. 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. 

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 Jewel of the South, a restaurant in New Orleans. 

Posts by Victoria Espinel

Last Friday, BSA held its second annual Global Day of Service, where we encourage BSA team members around the world to take time out of their workday to volunteer at local organizations. This year, nine of our offices participated and it has been incredibly rewarding to see their acts of service. This year, I joined … Read More >>

When it comes to software, society faces three key challenges. We need to design policies that can stay ahead of cutting-edge technologies. We need to prepare for the workforce of the future. And we need to better support diversity, inclusion, and economic opportunity for all. Software.org: the BSA Foundation will tackle all of these challenges … Read More >>

When will you be able to buy a 4D-printed coat that becomes waterproof when it starts to rain? When will the government start collecting taxes via the blockchain? When will an augmented reality movie win a Golden Globe award? When will you work for a company with a robot on its board of directors? When … Read More >>

Dear 115th Congress, Congratulations on your election to office – we look forward to working with you. Job creation will undoubtedly be a top priority on your list in the coming year, and it’s a top priority for our industry. As our recent economic impact report shows (done in collaboration with the Economist Intelligence Unit) … Read More >>

With 2016 coming to a close, BSA’s global staff took some time to look back and name the software that helped them the most this year.