The International Technology Law Association (ITechLaw) this year celebrates 50 years of being the leading global organization for legal professionals focused on technology and law. To mark this occasion, international members of ITechLaw have chosen to make an outstanding achievement award for contribution to the field of technology and law, for each of the 4 global conferences this year, the first of which will be presented at the 2022 World Technology Law Conference, 25-27 May 2022 in San Francisco, CA.

We are honored to announce that Brad Smith, President and Vice Chair of Microsoft, has been selected as the first recipient of this global award and recognition. He has had an outstanding legal career as a technology lawyer with one of the largest technology companies, has previously spoken at ITechLaw conferences, has been a great promoter of “Tech for Good” and “Responsible AI” principles and is an enthusiastic supporter of the ITechLaw “Responsible AI” book published in 2019.

For over 30 years, including two decades as General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer, and now President and Vice Chair, Brad Smith has been at the heart of the evolution of global technology advances. He has had the opportunity to advance many related legal and social topics. Brad Smith has done so on behalf of Microsoft, but never just in the interest of Microsoft. As one the largest technology companies in the world, Microsoft plays an important role as an industry and thought leader on many topics. In his role, Brad Smith has not been shy to try and advance topics from a broader legal or societal perspective. Transparency and non-discrimination, coupled with the American practice of giving back from a position of success and power, are at the core of his actions. In his recent New York Times bestselling book, coauthored with Microsoft’s Carol Ann Browne, Tools and Weapons: The Promise and the Peril of the Digital Age, Brad urges the tech sector to assume more responsibility and calls for governments to move faster to address the challenges that new technologies are creating. Examples of these pertinent issues include: (i) Microsoft’s push to become a carbon-negative company by 2030; (ii) Microsoft’s role in advancing ethical principles for the development of AI; (iii) Microsoft’s use of AI for Good; (iv) Microsoft’s push for diversity in the work force; (v) Microsoft’s institutional support of philanthropy; (vi) Microsoft’s push to advance privacy on a global scale, (vii) a warning for the use of technology for cyber warfare, (viii) a call for a Digital Geneva Convention, and recently (ix) Microsoft’s push for open and equal access to app stores.

Congratulations, Brad!