Meet the judges... 

Chair of the Judges: Tony Lavender CEO Plum Consulting

Tony Lavender is CEO of Plum Consulting. He is an experienced business leader and telecoms professional with a proven track record developing the intellectual and commercial performance of consulting / research businesses, including driving change and acquisition. Tony specialises in communications industry strategy and in addition he has significant client development, project delivery and high level networking experience. He is recognised as a thought leader on a wide range of telecoms issues gained through more than 30 years experience spanning industry, regulatory and consulting domains. Prior to Plum Tony worked in the research and consulting field at Ovum and then with Analysys Mason. Tony’s industry experience was gained through 18 years with BT followed by 2 years working for the UK telecommunications regulator Oftel.

 

Michael Bartholomew President Bartholomew Advisors Executive Director/Board Member Center for Social Responsibility in the Digital Age

Michael is a success-driven 21st century entrepreneur and executive leader with more than 30 years of experience in public/government relations  for global leaders in the telecommunications, media and entertainment industries.  He is advisor to many blue chip telecoms and entertainment firms. He is a founding member of the Brussels-based “do tank” The Center for Social Responsibility in the Digital Age which examines the social implications of new technologies.  He served for 11 years as Director for ETNO,  the main trade association for Europe’s 41 largest telecoms operators in 34 countries where he was responsible for all government and regulatory issues. Prior to his work in telecoms, Bartholomew was Director for European Affairs  for the Motion Picture Association representing the interests of Hollywood studios. Bartholomew also spent 25 years working as a journalist in the United States and Europe for international radios, wire services and newspapers.

Ton Brand Senior Director Marketing and Industry Development Wireless Broadband Alliance

Ton works as a Senior Director for Marketing and Industry Development for the Wireless Broadband Alliance - the industry association focused on driving the development and deployment of the next generation Wi-Fi experience. Prior to the WBA, Ton joined the GSMA in 2005 as a senior project director and has been responsible for the management and implementation of 3G embedded mobile broadband notebooks as well responsible for the development and launch of the common mobile broadband service mark into the mobile space. Ton has worked to develop the technical guidelines for the implementation of embedded 3G modules into notebooks. As Programme Director Connected Living at the GSMA, Ton Brand was a technology subject matter expert across the GSMA Connected Living programme for embedded mobile and M2M devices and services and managed the delivery of the GSMA’s Connected Living programme, which is designed to help operators accelerate the delivery of the connected life services. In the past he has worked as a freelance business consultant with different fixed and wireless operators on the development and launch of telecom and value added services, notably on initiating and launching broadband services in lesser developed regions and countries.

Euan Connor IT Director AstraZeneca

Euan joined AstraZeneca, as an IT Director in 2011, where he has global responsibility for Network and Telecoms services.  Euan has over 15 years experience in the telecoms market, in service provider and customer roles, most recently with Unilever.

 
 

Carl R. Geppert Partner and Global Media & Telecommunications Industry Advisory Leader KPMG LLP

Carl is a Partner based in the United States and leads KPMG’s Global Media & Telecommunications Advisory Practice.  He has over 30 years of experience in assisting telecommunications and media companies address significant financial, regulatory, information technology and business issues. Carl is a member of KPMG’s Global Media & Telecommunications Industry Steering Committee, responsible for overseeing the delivery of services to KPMG media and telecommunications industry clients on a global basis. Carl is also the Partner in Charge of KPMG’s U.S. Telecommunications Practice and the U.S. Telecommunications Regulatory Advisory Practice, which helps telecommunications and media clients effectively manage their regulatory and revenue-related business risks across a multitude of products, services and customer segments while enhancing revenues, managing related costs and improving profitability.

Claus Hetting Consultant & Founder HETTING Consulting

Claus Hetting has worked in the mobile industry for more than 15 years and has held senior management positions for – among others – Nokia Networks (today NSN) in Europe, Africa, and Latin America. In 2004 he founded his own consulting company focusing on mobile strategy and technology, and has since supported mobile operators, vendors, financial institutions, and industry organizations all over the world. His focus are areas are research & mobile strategy consulting as well as advice to financiers and investors within the industry. He writes regularly for telecommunications industry publications. Claus Hetting holds and M.Sc. in engineering and a diploma in journalism. Claus Hetting is based in Denmark's second city, Aarhus.

Joe Kelly Independent Communications Consultant

Joe Kelly is an independent communications consultant with over 20 years experience of delivering strategic communications and marketing programmes in BT, Marconi and Xerox.  Most recently, he was director of communications and marketing and a board member at BT Wholesale, where he was also responsible for leading the communications for BT’s 21st century network transformation programme. He began his career in journalism and has written for a range of newspapers and magazines, including the Financial Times and Daily Telegraph.

 

Frederick Knops Partner and Vice President Booz Allen Hamilton

Booz Allen Hamilton Vice President Fred Knops is one of the firm’s Partners leading a team of more than 5000 IT strategy, systems development, infrastructure, and acquisition professionals who support the firm’s government clients in trade, defence, and homeland security.  During his tenure at the firm, Mr. Knops has leveraged his deep IT and telecommunications expertise to serve clients throughout the U.S., Europe, and Latin America in industries that include telecommunications, financial services, and energy.

 

Mary Lennighan Editor Total Telecom

Mary manages Total Telecom's editorial portfolio, including its flagship daily online news site, monthly publication Total Telecom+, and various special reports. She has been with Total Telecom since 2003 and has more than 12 years' experience in the telecoms space, having previously spent three years at CIT Publications, a company that now forms part of TeleGeography. She began her career at Reuters.

Audrey L. Mandela Independent Consultant/Co-Founder, Multimap Chair, The Locus Association

Audrey Mandela runs Mandela Associates, a consultancy that provides market research and consulting services for players and investors in the telecoms, new media, and geospatial markets. Audrey also chairs the Locus Association, an organization that works to encourage the public sector to maintain a trading environment that is fair and equitable, in particular in relation to the licensing and re-use of public sector information (PSI); she is also a director and company secretary for Women in Telecoms & Technology (WiTT). Audrey was co-founder and former board director of Multimap, Europe’s leading on-line mapping services company.

 

Robert Millington Head of Telecoms Strategy Grupo Santander

Robert has over 20 years experience researching and investing in the Telecommunications industry on a European and Global basis at BZW, CSFB, Government of Singapore Investment Corporation and currently Grupo Santander, where he is head of Telecoms Strategy, based in Madrid.  He has been ranked Best of the Buy Side, and was also number 1 ranked for European Telecommunications Sell-Side research, over a number of years, by both Institutional Investor & Extel.

 

David Molony Principal Analyst, IP Enterprise Practice Ovum

David Molony researches and reports on global managed services providers and multinational corporate users, focusing on convergence of voice, data, mobile and IT networks and services. David has more than 20 years’ experience in telecoms business journalism. He was formerly editor in chief of Total Telecom and editor of industry newspaper CommunicationsWeek International. David was awarded the title International Business Editor of the Year by the Association of Online Publishers in 2003.

Annette Nabavi Managing Director Anchusa Consulting Ltd

Annette Nabavi is a specialist in strategic partnerships, business planning and financing strategy and runs an independent advisory business working with clients on business and financial strategy.  Annette also works closely with AHV Associates, a corporate finance advisory boutique, on M&A and capital raising projects for technology and telecommunications companies.

Jon Neville Independent Consultant

Jon Neville is an independent consultant, having recently worked for IDC, where he was research manager for hosted Unified Communications and Collaboration based in London. Before joining IDC, Jon worked as a practice consultant for Boston-based Wainhouse Research. With more than 25 years in the IT industry, Jon has also been the programme manager for the deployment of new IP infrastructure for the Royal Bank of Scotland group, general manager of the EVUA, a board member of the international organisation INTUG, and was responsible for deployment of IP infrastructure and IP Telephony in his role as telecoms manager for Mars Incorporated.

 

Isabelle Paradis President HOT TELECOM

Isabelle is the President of HOT TELECOM, a leading telecommunications research company providing premier quality data, reports and services to the International telecom community. She has 17 years experience in the international telecom industry working across all 6 continents with multiple Tier 1 and Blue chip companies. Isabelle’s previous experience includes regional management roles for Teleglobe, delivery of consulting projects in emerging markets and Senior Interim management roles in Asia-Pacific. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and an MBA in Finance from the HEC of Montreal.

Anil Prakash Secretary General ITU-APT Foundation of India

Anil Prakash Graduated in Economics, a Diploma in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering and a Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing & Management. He has been a specialist in government relations, regulatory and policy framework, and supporting business development in India. Having 29 years of domestic and international techno-commercial experience in telecom IT and entertainment industry, he intermingles with ease with the highest policy, regulatory authorities and  with the captains of the  Industry at the same time. He helped to establish PTC India Foundation a country chapter of Pacific Telecommunications Council www.ptc.org in India in 1994, Telecom Users Group of India in 1997 a country Association of INTUG www.intug.org , ITU-APT Foundation of India in 2003, a country Association of ITU in India www.itu.int  and IPTV India Forum in 2006.

 

Marlène Sellebråten Founder Close to Market Analytics

Marlène Sellebråten is an independent industry analyst, advising stakeholders within the telecoms industry in the Nordic region. Prior to founding close to market, she spent four years working as editor in chief of Telekom Online, a leading daily trade newsletter dedicated to covering the Swedish and Nordic telecommunications industry. Marlène has also worked as senior editor at Communications Week International and as industry analyst at Gartner in the UK. She has moderated several industry conferences and many workshops for telecom professionals in Sweden.

Janet Watkin Director Ocean82

Janet Watkin, is a Director and founder of Ocean82. She successfully developed and launched the OCEAN (Outstanding Customer Experience Analysis & News) programme for evaluating user perceptions of service providers.  An expert in setting up and running customer satisfaction and loyalty programmes, especially with regard to ICT, international IPVPN and related data offerings Janet looks to find root cause for dissatisfaction and offers consultancy to clients on achieving world class standards of service aligned with customer priorities. Today, the Ocean82 World-class insignia and the Gold benchmark for outstanding perceived performance, have become the de facto industry standard for user perception measurement and competitive comparisons in the global data VPN market.