Kees Rovers is the founder and CEO of Close the Gap VB in Eindhoven, Netherlands. His focus is on issues concerning broadband connectivity in European Rural regions and on introducing European cities and regions to the Intelligent Community movement. Before becoming an ICF Senior Fellow, he spent twenty years in senior management positions with the Dutch cooperative bank, Rabobank, founded Telematica International, helped to found the Ons Net cooperative, Kees is a frequent speaker around the world on the Close the Gap cooperative model and was awarded a knighthood by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix.