<p>André Richier is responsible for policy issues concerning new technologies and skills, including up- and reskilling the workforce and the Pact for Skills, within the Directorate-General Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) in Brussels. He played a leading role in the EU e-Skills (2007-2016), e-Economy (2001-2006) initiatives in DG Enterprise and Industry; as well as the Open and Distance Learning and e-Learning (1997-2000) initiatives, the launch of the European Schoolnet in 1997 and the Educational Multimedia Software task force in DG Education and Culture. He was the 2002-2003 EU Fellow at the LBJ School of Public Affairs (University of Texas) at Austin. He was in charge of IT research projects (1991-1996) within the European Strategic Programme for Research in Information Technology (ESPRIT). Prior to joining the Commission in 1991, he worked in the IT industry and started his career at IBM in 1985 in Paris.</p>