It is with much sadness that APNIC acknowledges the passing of Raimundo Beca.
Raimundo was a notable member of the Latin-American networking community who will always lie in the heart of the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) system due to his role in co-founding LACNIC in 1999, ultimately becoming Director of the RIR that represents Latin America and the Caribbean. The funeral took place in Santiago, Chile on 27 February 2023.
Raimundo was an active promoter of the Internet in his region and worldwide, serving on the board of ICANN for six years from 2004 to 2010. He was also a member of the Board of Directors of NIC Chile and a member of ARIN before LACNIC was formed.
Born in Chile in 1940, Raimundo held a degree in Civil Engineering and a Masters in Mathematical Economics. A Professor of Econometrics at the University of Chile, he was a board member of CTC Telefonica Chile for 11 years from 1992 to 2003, during the period of explosive growth in Internet services.
Previously, he held a two-year position at the United Nation’s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and was the Chargé de Mission at the French Ministry of Industry for 13 years including as a delegate to the OECD and the European Commission, placing him at the centre of critical debates of the 1980s information technology society. Raimundo was involved in the enactment of the first rulings in the fields of data privacy, data security, access to public files and software intellectual property rights during this period.
A member of the ASO Address Council, appointed first by ARIN and then by LACNIC, a member of the Steering Committee of NIC Chile and a Board Director of LACNIC, Raimundo was appointed to the ICANN Board by the Address Supporting Organization. While on the ICANN Board, Raimundo served on the Finance Committee, as a Chair of the Audit Committee, on the GAC Joint Working Group, and on the President’s Strategy Committee.
On behalf of the APNIC community, we pay our respects to Raimundo’s tireless advocacy and the key roles he played in civil society and the Internet, and offer our condolences to his family and friends at this time.
The views expressed by the authors of this blog are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of APNIC. Please note a Code of Conduct applies to this blog.