European Focus For Family Online Safety Institute

The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) has appointed Dave Miles as European development director to spearhead the international charity's work in Europe and help make the online world safer for children and their families.

Miles, who brings a wealth of experience to the role, having sat on the board of FOSI, formerly the Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA), since 2002, will be responsible for promoting the organisation, in order to ensure it participates in, and continues to set, the online safety agenda across the continent.

He will also provide a point of reporting for the FOSI board on European regulatory, government and NGO activity, as well as developing partnerships and alliances in support of FOSI and its mission in Europe.

Before joining FOSI, Miles, who has over 23 years' management experience at a number of global technology and telecommunication companies, was the general manager, EMEA, for RuleSpace. He has also been a member of the Internet Watch Foundation's (IWF) funding council and a participant in the UK's Home Office Internet Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet, as well as being involved in a range of broader European Commission initiatives related to online safety.

Stephen Balkam, chief executive officer at the Family Online Safety Institute, said: "Dave has been a passionate member of the boards of both FOSI and ICRA for many years. That passion, combined with his understanding of the challenges the ever-changing online world presents, means there is no one better qualified to drive our activity in Europe."

Dave Miles, European development director at the Family Online Safety Institute, said: "Having worked in this arena for almost a decade, the real challenge we face with online safety is that as the Internet rapidly evolves, so the challenges become ever more complex and demanding. I see FOSI as a critical driver in making the internet a safer place, because it creates a unique environment where people from government, regulators, law enforcement, not-for-profit and industry can come together to collaborate and innovate at both a technology and a policy level."