João Ricardo Vasconcelos is a digital government and public-sector governance specialist with extensive experience in digital transformation, public administration, service delivery, data governance, and emerging technologies. He is a Senior Governance Specialist in the World Bank's Governance Global Practice, where he leads the GovTech Global Partnership and supports global work on GovTech and public-sector innovation. His expertise includes digital government governance, digital-by-design approaches, service design and delivery, digital identity, data-driven government, digital inclusion, emerging technologies, digital democracy, and citizen engagement.

Before joining the World Bank, João spent more than five years at the OECD as a Policy Analyst in the Digital Government and Data team, where he coordinated the Working Party of Senior Digital Government Officials (E-Leaders), thematic groups on areas including digital identity, emerging technologies, digital talent, and service design, and numerous Digital Government Reviews across Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. Previously, he led innovation and international relations at Portugal's Agency for Administrative Modernization, coordinating initiatives including the national open data portal Dados.gov and cross-border digital public services. Earlier, he managed national programs in digital skills, digital inclusion, e-government, and e-democracy at Portugal's Knowledge Society Agency. His career spans government, international organizations, and public-sector innovation, with a sustained focus on using digital technologies to strengthen public institutions and improve services for citizens.