Tuesday, 16 August 2011 12:31 | James Barton
A new head has been appointed for the GSMA following the June resignation of previous CEO Rob Conway. France Telecom Orange’s Anne Bouverot will take over his position from September 1st, but will adopt the mantle of Director General rather than CEO.
The position was renamed at the behest of the association’s board as well as its chairman Franco Bernabè, CEO of Telecom Italia, in order to “reflect the GSMA’s role as an association representing the interests of its members.” The title is used by a number of trade associations to refer to the top executive officer.
Bouverot has served on the GSMA’s board since 2009, and her most recent position at France Telecom Orange was that of executive vice president of mobile services. Before holding this post, she was the executive in charge of international business development at Orange.
She has worked in the telecoms industry since 1991, starting out at Mexican operator Telmex as a project manager, and moving on to develop IT services at Equant. At Orange, she oversaw processes such as the acquisition of mobile licences in Tunisia and Armenia, as well as Telkom Kenya’s privatisation.
In an official statement, Ms. Bouverot said: “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by the GSMA Board. The GSMA has played an important role in the development of the mobile industry, uniting the world behind a standard technology and ensuring seamless and interoperable mobile services for billions of users globally.”
She continued: “We are now entering a new phase, where virtually everyone and everything is connected by mobile, and with many new challenges facing the industry. I am looking forward to leading the GSMA to help and support its operator members to face these challenges and continue their development.”
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