Co-Founder and Chief Vision Officer, the Datasphere Initiative
Co-Founder and Executive Director, Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network
With profound sadness and heavy hearts, the Datasphere Initiative and the Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network mourn the loss of Co-Founder and Chief Vision Officer, Bertrand de La Chapelle, who passed away on August 26, 2026, in Paris, France.
Bertrand was a titan in the field of internet policy and global governance, a passionate leader of boundless ideas and singular vision whose work fundamentally shaped the architecture of digital governance as we know it today. Guided throughout his life by the conviction that “there is no greater mission for humans than uniting humans,” he dedicated over two decades to pioneering, designing, and championing multistakeholder governance models that allows nations, tech companies, and civil society to dialogue and cooperate across borders.
His career spanned remarkable breadth: from his early days as a tech entrepreneur to his diplomatic service as France’s Special Envoy for the Information Society, sitting on the ICANN Board of Directors, and co-founding the Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network and the Datasphere Initiative, he was, above all, a deeply transformative presence.
Bertrand possessed a rare blend of humor, deep generosity, and effortless charm. With his passing, digital governance loses one of its greatest minds, and the world loses an irreplaceable source of inspiration, wisdom, and light.
We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues around the world during this difficult time.
The link to the online memorial, where you can share photos, messages, and contributions in his honor, will be shared soon.
