Andreas Constantinides
Head of MoreThan160 &
Chief Judge at the Antonio Meucci Global Telco Awards
Andreas Constantinides is a Wholesale and Enterprise Messaging Expert, Author, and Keynote Speaker. A highly motivated executive with in-depth knowledge of the international Messaging ecosystem.
Andreas is the Head of MoreThan160, a leading Consulting firm specializing in Voice, SMS, and Business Messaging, offering Consultancy and HR services. He is the Founder of the Business Messaging Academy, the first International Academy exclusively for Business Messaging affairs.
He is a qualified Professional Business Trainer of the National Organization for the Certification of Qualifications & Vocational Guidance and the author of numerous best-seller Sales books and manuals. In 2022 he got rated the 16th in Rocco100 Influential Telco Professionals.
A.S. Constantinides
Isabelle Paradis
President & Founder of HOT TELECOM
For the past 20+ years, Isabelle has been working with many of the world’s top international telecom service providers to help them define their transformation strategy. She has written multiple articles and regularly speaks at conferences on this topic.
She is also passionate about encouraging the involvement of women in technology and science and continuously conducts panels and interviews with leading and inspiring C-Level telecom executives around the world.
Isabelle holds a Bachelor degree in Engineering, an MBA in Finance and has over 27 years experience working globally.
Isabelle Paradis
Neil Warner
VP Global Customer Experience at Sinch AB
Neil has 18 years of messaging industry experience after joining Mblox in 2005 to run their Global Service Management and Technical Account Management teams. At the end of 2010, he decided to leave Mblox to join former colleagues at a small startup in Sweden called CLX Networks to establish their first oversea office in London and switch to a commercial role. Now known as Sinch, he has gone on to run their commercial teams across EMEA and APAC and currently heads up their Strategic Clients, Partners, and Fintech divisions. He has been an integral path in their growth journey, from 20 employees when he started to currently have 4000, along with an IPO in 2015 and 20 acquisitions (and counting!) during his 12 years.
Neil Warner
Rafal Nowak
Director of Business Messaging at HORISEN
Rafal Nowak’s background is closely tied to both large global enterprises and start-ups. An ambitious innovator with 10+ years of experience within the Telecom and B2B2C/C2B2B value chains. With initial experience in international new market development and acquisition marketing, he has extended his skills and expertise to Cloud Telecom Solutions.
Currently, he is Directing Horizen’s Messaging Business. Rafal is driven by the passion to innovate digital services by partnering with Telecoms, BigTech and entire ecosystems like Banking, Mobility, Gaming or eGovernment.
Rafal Nowak
Patrick George
Chief Strategy Officer at iBasis
Patrick brings 25 years of experience in wholesale, having held C-suite positions in the mobile business, marketing, and innovation.
Patrick co-founded Tofane Global together with Alexandre PEBEREAU in 2017 and holds currently the position of Group Chief Strategy Officer at Tofane Global/iBasis.
Prior to that he served as SVP of Global Solutions at Syniverse after being SVP of marketing and product management at BICS and served as a senior consultant for Mobile Ecosystems at PCCW Global.
Patrick holds degrees in Civil Engineering in Computer Science from the University of Liège and Marketing Studies at INSEAD.
Patrick George
Tarek Zeid
SVP International Wholesale Business at Rakuten Mobile, Inc.
Tarek has a long track of around 17+ years of experience in executive leadership, building strong teams, business and product development, management, and strategy in multicultural global organizations.
In 2019, Tarek joined Rakuten Mobile in Japan to establish an international business team focused on roaming and interconnections. He successfully built a wholesale business and product portfolio from scratch, launching it within a year. He developed innovative products, including the award-winning “Roaming 360” solution for roaming business analytics and automation.
Tarek was recognized in the ROCCO 100 report for 2022 as one of the most influential people in the roaming, messaging, and interconnecting industries.
Tarek Zeid
Andrey Anikin
CEO at Alaris Labs
With over 20 years of experience in telecom software development, Andrey has substantial expertise in a wide range of matters related to the international telecom business. Since 2010 he has been CCO and then CEO at Alaris Labs – a company providing a suite of software solutions for the voice and messaging industry.
He is currently managing a unique team of professionals that is helping carriers and aggregators in over 40 countries of the world run their businesses more efficiently.
Andrey Anikin
Tamara Al Bakri
Head of Roaming and Interconnect at Vodafone Qatar
Tamara Al Bakri is a Telecom professional of more than 18 years of experienc
Tamara Al Bakri is a Telecom professional of more than 19 years of experience in Roaming and interconnect, holding a Batchelor’s degree in Telecom Engineering and an MBA in Digital Marketing.
She’s the Head of Roaming & interconnect at Vodafone Qatar and worked before as the logistics manager for the GSMA ArabWorld in parallel to her job at Umniah Jordan (Batelco group).
Tamara was recognized as one of the top 100 influential people in our industry from ROCCO 100 2022 Report.
Tamara Al Bakri
Juan Di Nucci
CEO at AWG
Born and raised in Argentina, Juan Francisco Di Nucci is an entrepreneur who co-founded in 2004 Avatar World Group (AWG), the Latam Leader in Direct Carrier Billing.
Currently, AWG has +100 employees and direct connectivity with 37 MNO in 23 countries.
Juan spent the last 18 years working on the development of the entrepreneurial, digital, and mobile ecosystem of Latam, investing in multiple startups and working alongside telecommunications regulators, and creating and holding leadership positions in business chambers and organizations such as Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), Mobile Monday (MOMO) Argentinean Mobile Association (AMA), Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and Entrepreneurs Organization (EO).
Juan Di Nucci
Cristina Rotaru
Director of Business Development at IDM-Interactive Digital Media
With 13 years of experience in the Telecommunication Industry, Cristina is an enthusiastic, rigorous, and energetic self-made professional with a University graded technical background in computer science. She joined the telecom scene and VoIP industry in 2008, and since 2012 she has been helping companies develop their SMS business internationally on both wholesale and enterprise markets, structuring their business on SMS and building solid partnerships throughout the world.
Cristina Rotaru
Juan Felipe Santos
Vice President Strategic Partnerships LATAM at VOX Solutions
Juan Felipe Santos is the VP of Strategic Partnerships for America at Vox Solutions. He has +10 years of experience in the telecommunications and technology industry.
Selected in the last ROCCO Genesis edition (2022) into the TOP 25 more influential people in the roaming, messaging, and interconnect industry.
He has developed his career throughout the entire chain of our ecosystem, From MNO´s, aggregators, and technology providers. Devoting all his efforts to develop new strategies, alliances, and solutions, with the aim of defining the best solution for each case.
Juan Felipe Santos
Florence Sebastien
CEO at FSE Consulting
Based in Paris, France, Florence is the consummate New Business Development Professional and Relationship Broker with broad experience in the telecommunications industry. After completing her Masters Degree in International Trade (Paris II Pantheon Assas), she joined Telecom Italia (TI) and played a critical role in growing TI’s market share. After a decade at TI, she founded FSE Consulting in 2009 to help companies position themselves strategically to establish and grow impactful business relationships. Florence is adept at assessing risks and benefits as companies pursue global telecom opportunities.
Florence Sebastien
Andreas Felke
Member of the advisory board at Interactive Digital Media GmbH (IDM) & AnyMessage.cloud
Over the last 20 years Andreas has worked for numerous startups, some of which he has been founding himself (4), as well as established companies.
He has been actively involved in all facets of growing an organization. One of his biggest professional achievements was the foundation of IDM (interactive digital media GmbH), a mobile service company which he created from scratch and build the company to an international accredited A2P and cloud communication service provider. While the company was initially sold to a stock listed technology company, he and a group of investors ultimately re-acquired the business in late 2022. In the time in between he has been funding AnyMessage GmbH which provides CpaaS communication solutions to international customers.
Apart from being a subject matter expert of A2P and CpaaS/Omnichannel communication solutions he is working with enterprises and retail brands to facilitate their communication needs.
Andreas Felke
Mila Budylo
Chief Commercial Officer at BSG
Mila has got 16 years of experience in A2P SMS and other communication services that are used by businesses for better interaction with their clients.
She used to manage a local PSMS company in Kyiv, coordinated the project that launched the first direct carrier billing payment in Ukraine (World of Tanks via Kyivstar), and was thoroughly burned with her own SMS company but came back to the business as a Chief Commercial Officer at BSG.
For the last 5 years, she was involved in A2P SMS, Number Intelligence, and Enterprise Messaging projects.
Mila Budylo
Fabrizio Salanitri
CEO at HORISEN AG
Fabrizio Salanitri has over 25 years of experience in the Telco sector, with messaging technology as his primary focus. Back in the 2000s, as a young man with Italian charisma and Swiss precision, he founded HORISEN with a simple, but powerful idea– to make it possible for users to send SMS via an application that they could access through a browser.
Following the passion for software engineering, striving for innovative and disruptive solutions, and sensing the new market that is coming, the company started the development of SMS trading solutions along with software development and marketing projects.
All those years brought a lot of adventures, marvellous growth and many changes, but above all, many messaging superheroes powered up with HORISEN technology today.
Fabrizio Salanitri
Vladimir Smal
Co-Founder & CEO at AVISO Messaging
Vladimir Smal is the co-founder & CEO at AVISO Messaging, a newcomer in the SMS industry with the highest commitment to providing trusted and cost-effective messaging solutions.
Vladimir has profound knowledge and vast experience in the Wholesale Telecom market, specializing in Voice, SMS, and antifraud solutions. Over the last 15 years, he has proved himself as a successful leader within LANCK Telecom and helped the company to reach new heights in the Messaging business. Under Vladimir’s management, LANCK Telecom was awarded as Best SMS Service provider at several leading Awards Ceremonies, including Antonio Meucci Global Telco Awards 2023.
Vladimir is a regular speaker and panelist at various Telecom conferences and summits, such as Mobile Ecosystem Forum, Carrier Community, Capacity Media, and SMS Forum.“
Vladimir Smal
Fouad Jazayeri
Director of Global Accounts & Partners at Cequens
Fouad Jazayeri is a Global Accounts & Partners Director at Cequens, where he is responsible for growth of carrier and enterprise services globally. Fouad has 15 years of experience in mobile messaging and telecom, prior to joining Cequens. He was the Head of Sales at Mitto AG in the UK, accountable for Enterprise and wholesale business internationally.
Before this he held number of senior roles at SAP and Syniverse in UAE and responsible for growth of mobile and telco services in Middle East and Africa. Fouad holds BA Degree in marketing management from Southampton University.
Fouad Jazayeri
Dany Kattar
Executive Vice President & Group CIO at MADA
Danny Kattar is an Executive Vice President & Group CIO at MADA. His 25 years of expertise in Telecommunications, Cybersecurity, Information Technologies & Digital Transformation makes him one of the market leaders.
A professional with 17 years of experience at C-level positions in multi-cultural environments (CIO of MTN Ivory Coast, MTN Cyprus and Mada Group).
He was the one who established the messaging business at Mada as a major player in the A2P business, with the support of a world-class team of professionals.
Currently, he is enjoying his successful start as an Executive VP and Group CIO of Mada of our Cybersecurity new line of services.
Dany Kattar
Manuela Montagna
Quality of Service and Customer Experience Manager at CKHIOD
Manuela holds over 30 years of experience in the Telecom business and over 13 years of experience in roaming QoS. As QoS and Customer experience manager in CKHIOD, implemented QoS program to fit CKHIOD market strategy and to provide Hutchinson affiliates with all possible technical solutions to monitor and improve quality.
Implemented a new solution to measure QoS that has been recognized as an innovative solution and awarded 3rd place at the Genesis Rocco event 2021. Participate in GSMA working group QoS standardization related.
Manuela Montagna
Wilber Bucardo
Founder & CEO at Airtime Tech Global
Wilber Bucardo has more than 14 years of experience in the Telecom Sector. He is the Founder and current CEO of Airtime Tech Global, a leading telecom operator. Airtime Tech Global; assists and empowers companies to expand its omnichannel messaging solutions on a global scale.
Prior to founding Airtime Tech Global, Wilber Bucardo was the Key Account Manager for Claro Nicaragua, where he and his team focused on commercial growth and strategy negotiations for the Central American Region. He is results driven and enjoys excelling at cutting-edge Technology and Innovation. Wilber is a seasoned sales and Customer Relation manager and is considered an expert by his peers in the development and management of, CPaaS, CRM & Omnichannel solutions.
Over the years Wilber Bucardo has also been involved in numerous community programs involving projects related to healthcare and aid relief for orphanages, sustainable growth, and renewable energies in Nicaragua. He speaks fluent English and Spanish and currently lives in Santiago Chile.
Wilber Bucardo
Frans Reichardt
The Customer Listener, CX Expert, Author
Frans Reichardt is a global expert on customer experience, also known as The Customer Listener.
In recent years he has delved into the hidden powers of listening. By listening to the voice of the customer companies will drive innovation, build exceptional customer experiences, and build lasting long-term customer relationships.
Frans is a global speaker and trainer. His topics are customer experience (CX), Voice of the Customer (VoC), customer feedback, and listening leadership. He is the author of Listen Your Way to Customer SuCXess.
Frans Reichardt
Xenia Kourtoglou
Entrepreneur, Resilience Expert, Author
Founder & Managing Partner at Focus Bari S.A.
An entrepreneur, and a Market Research Specialist, with 35+ years of experience in human/consumer behavior studies and business consultancy.
A passionate mentor with a sharp business perspective and a deep human understanding, Xenia has recently launched her personal brand as a Resilience Expert in life and business. Her vision is a society with more happy, creative and accountable people, and a business community that is authentically human and planet centric.
Xenia Kourtoglou
Charles Bernard
Chief Technology Officer at ZARIOT
Charles Bernard has 18 years of experience in the mobile industry. He made a career of helping mobile operators: expand their roaming footprints, enhance their customer’s roaming experiences, optimize roaming costs, and monetize A2P traffic.
As the Chief Technology Officer of ZARIOT, he now uses his knowledge to bring the best of cellular IoT to enterprise businesses for their IoT projects. He is driven by the quest for operational excellence and a passion for delivering a complex solution, simply.
Charles Bernard
Fabio Bottan
Senior Messaging Specialist at Arelion
Fabio Bottan brings more than 20 years of telecom experience divided among different positions within Mobile Operators, Platform Vendors, and International Carriers.
In the past 13 years, Fabio has helped international telecom groups to develop and implement special advanced messaging solutions mainly focused on the combat of different types of telecom frauds and empowering Mobile Operators to improve revenues and customer experience.
Fabio was named one of the 25 most influential messaging, roaming, and interconnect visionaries in the biannual 2022 ROCCO 100 report: “Fabio is committed to evolving the way A2P is working to help businesses communicate more efficiently and fight the cybersecurity issues.”
Fabio holds a degree in Telecom Engineering and MBA in Business Administration.
Fabio Bottan
Christian Pellegrini
Sales & Business Development Manager Cloud Communications at Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier
Over 20 years of experience in Telecommunications, with expertise in international voice – as sales and head of the routing team in Deutsche Telekom, Christian is a professional that knows the market and the market knows him, too. Very high knowledge of Telco products leads him to the Cloud Communications department, where he is actively participating in the transformation process and technology developments that have affected our industry. Passionate about achieving results, teamwork, and success, he has always been one of the main drivers for closing successful businesses. Very outgoing, open-minded, and ready to share his view on new industry trends and achievements.
Christian Pellegrini
Travia Stewart
Global Enterprise Business Development Manager at Global Message Services (GMS)
Travia is a seasoned telecommunication professional with over 18 years of international experience in roaming, strategic partnerships, and relationship management.
At GMS, Travia is responsible for driving business growth in key sales accounts, and the go-to-market strategy for new value-added services targeted at top global enterprises.
Before GMS, Travia’s career as an international roaming professional spanned across companies such as SITAONAIR, BICS, Comfone and Digicel.
In 2022, Travia was recognized as one of the Top 25 Most Influential People in the ROCCO 100, a prestigious annual list of people whose ideas and actions have significantly contributed to the roaming, messaging, and interconnect industry.
Travia Stewart
Ivan Ramos
VP Connectivity Services at TELNA
Ivan is the head of Connectivity services at TELNA looking after all TELNA Network Sponsor partners plus all Roaming direct relationships of TELNA.
Ivan joined TELNA in 2015 to strengthen TELNA´s Latin America position in the Roaming Market, he has been working based out of Panama City, Panama and he has been able to develop large partnerships with 2 major regional groups for TELNA plus solidifying TELNAs Roaming footprint within the Americas region.
Prior to TELNA, Ivan had worked in the Telecom industry since 1998 within the Cable & Wireless Group, now Liberty Latin America. His experience within the industry includes Customer Services, Finance, Revenue Assurance, Billing Operations, Marketing, Product Development, and Roaming. He has a Finance and Banking university background.
Ivan has also been recognized within the industry as TOP20 ROCCO industry Awards in 2022, leading BARG GSMA Latin America between 2007 and 2010. He has a passion for traveling and learning from new cultures all around the world.
Ivan Ramos
Martin Schuster
Business Development Manager at Twilio
Martin Schuster is a Passionate Professional with 20+ years of international experience in the Telecom world.
Having helped a variety of organizations in the Telco ecosystem such as Operators, Vendors, and Aggregators in Commercial, Project Management, and Technical positions across the globe.
Martin Schuster
Carla Oliveira
Head of Sales (Wholesale) at Go4Mobility
A dynamic and results-oriented person with more than 20 years of experience in the telecommunications industry.
Carla’s background includes working on three of the most important telecommunications operators in Portugal where she has always been dedicated to sales in corporate and the Wholesale Data Services Market. For the last 4 years, she has been working in the mobile field, increasing sales, and managing carrier relationships in the wholesale business.
Leading now the Go4mobility Wholesale Sales Unit on messaging and voice side, her main objective is to lead and complete strategic and successful deals based on partnerships and always with the focus on the customer.
Carla Oliveira
Mariam Shaer
Group CEO, SAMA Telecom
Mariam Shaer is the Group CEO at SAMA Telecom with over 16 years of progressive experience in helping the telecom industry with its communications requirements, including Voice and SMS solutions. Specializing in technology, customer operations, product development, and business development, Mariam utilizes her experience to contribute the best to the telecom industry.
She is determined to bring the best customer experience for clients associated with SAMA Telecom and truly believes in growing together with our professional clients. In her previous role, she was able to solve several complex network challenges faced by mobile operators, helping them monetize their assets. She has also developed the best commercial models, enabling SAMA Telecom and its clients to make more while staying risk-free.
Mariam has been recognized with an excellence award as the ‘Leading Female Telco Professional’ in the Antonio Meucci Awards 2023.
Mariam Shaer
Igor Skutsenya
Senior Business Development Manager at LANCK Telecom
Igor has 7 years of experience in the telecom industry, being a member of the LANCK team since 2017. He is involved in revenue assurance & anti-fraud projects, value-added services, management and business development sectors, and presents LANCK Telecom global anti-fraud initiatives in GSMA, CFCA, GCCM, GLF and other mobile associations & events.
In LANCK Telecom, Igor works as a Senior Business Development Manager, Fraud Management System Manager and Rich Communication Services team leader. Communication Services team leader.
Igor Skutsenya
Sidhant Sachdev
Senior Vice President – Sales and Carrier Relations at Karix
Sidhant Sachdev has 17 years of experience with the CPAAS Industry. He is Senior Vice President – Sales and Carrier Relations at Karix Mobile LLP. He heads the Global Wholesale business and ME region along with Regional Business at India.
Sidhant comes with deep knowledge of all the communication channels and marketing suites to help the Enterprises engage with their customers. He has succesfully executed mutliple green field projects for Karix.
Sidhant hold a Degree in Electronics & Communication Engineering along with MBA from Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management, India.
Sidhant Sachdev
Kunal Dave
Vice President, Global Sales at Linxa
With over 23 years of experience in telecoms globally working for carriers and vendors, Kunal is VP of Global Sales responsible for all commercial aspects at Linxa.
Kunal has worked in HR, finance, business transformations/migrations and senior C-level management at multiple carriers as well as consulting, product management, project management, account management, business development, and sales on the vendor side.
Privileged in working with the best people and companies within the telecoms industry, Kunal is passionate about innovation, collaboration, and helping the whole industry work better, faster, and smarter.
Kunal Dave
Daniela Jovic
CCO at Spacemanic
Daniela Jovic, a telecom veteran with 12+ years of experience in SMS messaging, is currently conquering the universe, quite literally, in a company that builds satellites and sends them to space.
However, with telecom still in her heart, she is closely following the events and trends in the world of telecommunications. Having previously acted in roles of business development and carrier relations, she focused on A2P messaging, building her professional reputation on trust and reliability, always putting the client in the first place.
Currently, Daniela is eagerly waiting for the telecom industry to fully open arms towards satellite communications, to reconnect her two passions.
Daniela Jovic
Andy Gladwin
Partnerships & Messaging GTM Leader at Marigold
Andy is a recognized mobile thought leader and strategist with more than 15 years of experience in managed environments with clients and partners ranging in size from SMBs to multinational tech firms.
He has experience operating in global businesses, leading go-to-market strategies, sales and strategic partnerships for companies such as Exact Target/Salesforce, Sinch (formerly CLX Communications), Vodafone and most recently, Marigold’s Cheetah Digital solution where he was recognized as one of the Top 25 most influential in Mobile in the industry.
Andy is also an ambassador of the Mobile Ecosystem Forum and has been an active contributor to the industry, on panels, podcasts, blogs and events, where he leverages his mobile experience within the context of modern enterprise needs.
Andy Gladwin
Metin Sahin
Director of Global Sales & Carrier Relations at Qoolize
Metin Sahin has over a decade of experience in the telecommunications and mobile industry.
Since becoming a key executive at Qoolize in 2022, he has played a pivotal role in steering the company towards remarkable expansion and advancement.
Metin is widely acknowledged for his talent in maximizing value, strategic acumen, and influential leadership throughout his career.
Currently based in Istanbul, he may not wear a crown, but he proudly claims the title of a princess’s father.
Metin Sahin
Iva Miskovic Hawi
Senior Account Manager at IDT
With more than 15 years of experience, Iva is a Telecommunication professional with a significant Voice footprint, especially in the region of the Middle East. With studies in Marketing and Tourism, Iva started her Telecom journey in 2006 in Zagreb. Since then, she is keeping herself updated on all the new trends in the Industry. Today she is working as a Senior Account Manager at IDT Global, based in Dubai.
Iva Miskovic Hawi
Nassia Skoulikariti
Head of Apiro Data, IoT Expert
Nassia is a Digital Transformation Technologist with over 27 years of experience. Enabling growth in global organisations based in China, India, Europe, and North America to innovate in the IT, Telco and IoT sectors. Nassia has experience guiding diverse technical and commercial teams globally.
She is the founder of Apiro Data Ltd an End2End IoT platform and services company, the IoT Director for Mobile Ecosystem Forum, the VP of IoT at GTC and Chief Digital Transformation Officer at MConnected Ltd. Nassia is coaching businesses and executives to drive operational efficiency and increase revenue through thought-leading technology solutions with IoT, AI and Cloud services.
Lately, her contribution has been to highlight IoT and Telco synergy and innovation for the future. She is a sought-after speaker and panellist at world-class IoT and Telco events, and you can follow her ideas and opinions via her industry articles
Nassia Skoulikariti
Uku Tomikas
CEO at Messente Communications
Uku Tomikas is the CEO of Messente Communications. He is an advocate for honest entrepreneurship and an expert in telecommunications with extensive knowledge in fraud, global markets and business messaging.
Besides being the leader of Messente, he is also a father, a high-school teacher and a yoga instructor with a military background.He enjoys an active lifestyle filled with sports, literature and creative challenges.
Uku Tomikas
Arne Casteleyn
General Manager of Wholesale Mobility Sales BAYOBAB (formerly MTN)
Arne is the General Manager of Wholesale Mobility Sales at BAYOBAB, formerly MTN leading the Mobility Business external sales portfolio including International Voice, Messaging, Roaming, Signalling & Value-Added Services.
He is a seasoned professional in the Mobile Telecom Industry since 1998. He has lived and worked in Europe, Central and South America, India and the Middle East leading various teams and innovations.
Arne joined MTN GlobalConnect in 2018 in Dubai, UAE to head up the International Roaming space for the MTN Group. With his global team across Africa and Dubai, Arne substantially grew this business by entralizing all operations, improving both the quality and reach of delivered services.
Prior to MTN GlobalConnect, he served at Group Operators such as Vodafone Group and Digicel Group as Head of Roaming. He also got his was active with Roaming VAS suppliers as VP of Sales Africa and Europe. Arne’s career started at Ericsson in Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden and the Czech Republic delivering 2G/3G radio network and transmission, and eventually moved into Core Network and OSS sales a few years after. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering Electromechanics with honors.
Arne Casteleyn
Gideon Karenge Ndogo
Senior CCS & Billing Engineer at Safaricom PLC
Gideon has more than 15 years of experience in the Telecom industry. As part of his working experience, he has worked as Systems Support Engineer in Billing & Charging, Product Development, and Product Management.
He is passionate about technology, innovation, and other challenging tasks that help in building a better-connected world.
In his current role as a Senior Systems Support Engineer under Product Development, Revenue Management team at Safaricom PLC, Gideon ensures value to potential customers is delivered, as well as ensuring that there is demand and that the final products are of the highest possible quality before availing them to the market.
Before transitioning to the Product Development role, he was supporting the billing system where he was making sure all technical implementations of the commercial business requirements regarding International Roaming services are properly implemented and conformed to GSMA regulations.
He has vast experience in end-to-end processes regarding International Roaming – Data and Finance Clearing, as well as operations related to the onboarding of new roaming operators.
Due to his passion for International Roaming, in the year 2022, he was globally ranked the 5th most influential professional within the roaming domain in the Telco industry – the research and ranking were done by Roaming and Consulting Company (ROCCO).
He attends and participates in Innovative Operators plenaries – his last attendance was the 2nd plenary that was held in Malaga, Spain, to review its work and to discuss and share experiences and challenges in the delivery of Roaming.
Gideon served as the African Roaming Alliance (ARA) Deputy Chair for the last two years. ARA is a group of MNOs that come together to review the entire end-to-end Roaming Delivery process and see what can be improved to ensure the success of Roaming across African countries and intercontinental.
He has been supportive in ARA Labs, both F2F and virtual, by providing great leadership and contributions during meetings.
Gideon Ndogo
Samuel Chiwanda
Founder & CEO at Click Mobile
Samuel Chiwanda, is a Founder and CEO of Click Mobile a company that focuses on Messaging, USSD, Voice, and Airtime. The company has established in 2012, is based in Malawi, and nowadays is an International firm with over 8 branches across Africa and the Middle East.
Sam has managed to grow Click Mobile from running Open Source Platforms to robust commercial platforms, and this transition and experience has led to depth knowledge of messaging protocols, connectivity, and business development, giving him a 360 view of the Telco industry.
In 2022 Samuel Chiwanda was listed as number 7 in the Rocco Awards, and a few months later, at November 2022, he won the CXO of the Year Award at Africa Tech Awards.
He is a great piano player, and his passion for music can transform a Telco Conference evening, into a huge, uplifted party!
Samuel Chiwanda
Gilbert Abboud
CTO at NGN CORP SAL
Gilbert Abboud is a senior Telecom engineer holding a Master’s degree with 15+ years of experience in the wholesale and enterprise VoIP and Messaging industries.
Gilbert’s expertise expands to NOC team management, Telecom infrastructure setup, and management, exploring and creating new service offerings, and business development.
Gilbert Abboud
Vasile Racovitan
Business Development Manager at 42com
Vasile started his journey in the Telecommunication Industry in 2012 with 42com, where he was one of the leading forces behind establishing the company as one of the most trusted players in the field of voice wholesale.
After heading the Yuboto voice wholesale team, Vasile partnered with Sewan Deutschland, where he managed the company’s entire voice operations.
At the end of 2022, he joined forces again with 42com, stepping into a business development role, with a focus on integrating and implementing new projects to increase 42com’s local and worldwide presence and portfolio.
Vasile Racovitan
Michael Maginot
VP Global Messaging and Managing Director at LINK CH (Horisen Messaging), Switzerland
Michael started his messaging career in 2006 at Vodafone Germany, before he moved over to End2End Denmark, which was acquired by MACH Clearing House Luxembourg in 2007, and ultimately taken over by Syniverse, where he held various roles. In 2018 he went to LINK Mobility to run the Global Messaging activities worldwide and locally managing the Swiss operations of Horisen Messaging AG, which was split from Horisen AG in 2018 and became a part of LINK Mobility.
He is an expert in all related topics to messaging, not only A2P SMS but as well Omni Channel communication-strong in the wholesale area, handling OTTs and as well helping retail brands to boost their communication towards their clients using various messaging solutions like CPaaS and UCaaS.
Michael Maginot
James Williams
Vice President of Business Development at XConnect
Whilst studying for his degree in European Business and German in Nottingham (UK), James Williams fell rather by accident into the world of Telecommunications – and 30 years later he is still going strong!
Known by the industry as ‘MrConnectivity’, James is now VP of Business Development for leading number intelligence company XConnect. His multi-faceted role encompasses sales, supply and brand presence and he is definitely no stranger to speaking at industry events around the world…
A little-known fact is that James is also a fully qualified personal trainer so if you’re looking for someone to quite literally give you the runaround, then you might just have met your match!
James Williams
Muktesh Nerula
Chief Executive Officer at Dove Soft Ltd
Muktesh is an accomplished marketing professional with over 35 years of expertise in sales and marketing, serving as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at a leading business messaging company in India. A Google-certified digital marketer, he dedicated 15 years to the brand promotion of the previous company, playing a pivotal role in driving the company’s growth and establishing its prominence in the industry. Known for his strategic thinking and results-driven approach, Muktesh is passionate about customer-centric marketing.
Currently, Muktesh has transitioned to a new role as the independent director at Dove Soft Limited, a prominent business messaging company rapidly growing into the field of the customers engagement, marking a new chapter in his illustrious career.”
Muktesh Narula
Florin Neamtu
Senior Solution Engineer at Splunk
Florin has over 22 years of experience working in the telecom industry, in various senior roles. He constantly challenges today’s status; from identified problems and needs, he makes the strategy and tactics to solve them.
Florin builds and motivates teams to execute projects and achieve solutions to deliver relevant and trackable results. He is an experienced and high-impact person, having a proven track record in strategic partnership contract negotiation complemented with excellent program/project delivery.
With tenacity, a positive attitude, self-motivation, and humor he inspires colleagues by example, supporting individual learning, mentoring, and development to lift colleagues to higher competency levels.
Florin Neamtu
David Vigar
VP & GM at TruSense
David is a seasoned professional with over 18+ years of experience, managing key leadership portfolios across the voice, messaging and identity sectors globally along the length of the value chain: within MNOs (Tele2, KPN); wholesale and CPaaS providers (iBasis, Nexmo and Twilio) and enterprise (Google).
Currently he holds the role of VP & GM at TruSense, a Route Mobile Company. David holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics with legal studies from Exeter University. He lives in the UK with his wife and his three boys.
In his spare time, David is a keen flautist with the Kew Wind Orchestra in addition to managing a local kids football team.
David Vigar
Ashish Bavishi
Partner at SMSCloud Hub
High performing Senior Management professional with over 30 years of cross-cultural experience in diverse roles across P&L Management, Marketing, Commercial, Strategy, Business Development, Channel Sales, Enterprise Sales in A2P Messaging & Hubbing, VAS, Mobility, Telecom & Fintech Solutions.
Exhibited proficiency in driving businesses in diverse life-stages and competitive positions – Greenfield, Challenger, Growth, Expansion and Leadership Markets. Successfully drove positive ROI by maximizing revenue and optimizing costs through restructuring businesses, customer metrics, establishing appropriate selling models, digital marketing and a compelling incentive compensation plan.
Demonstrated skills and experience in P&L Management, Budget Planning and Forecasting Created strategic alliances and partnership ecosystem with major players within the industry in India and International Market including many Global Tier I, II & III carriers Initiated A2P Messaging Business Unit for previous 2 organizations which are in positive EBIDTA
Ashish Bavishi
Kevin Grahan
Senior Director, Operator Services at Vonage
With over 20 years of leadership experience spanning the earliest days of international A2P SMS through to the emergence of omnichannel enterprise messaging and network APIs, Kevin has worked with many of the foremost names in the mobile industry and has extensive experience across business messaging, identity and enterprise connectivity portfolios.
Having worked within mobile operator, CPAAS and aggregation businesses, his experience extends across the entire mobile ecosystem and all key geographic regions. Kevin is based in Malaga where he lives with his wife and two children.
Specialist in CPaaS & Rich Business Messaging, A2P/P2A customer engagement, Collaboration, UCaaS, IoT & Cloud.
Kevin Graham
Elena Andreou
Founder & CEO at Go Digital Globally
A pioneer in digital marketing, CEO and founder at Go Digital Globally, and a few other startups, Elena Andreou has experience of over 20 years in Marketing and Digital Marketing, with a focus in the last 7 years on SEO.
She studied Law and Marketing & Branding, and later on, she specialized in Digital Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, and DATA Analysis through programming languages (R Programming and Python). Now, she is continuing her specialization and research in gender stereotypes and personal branding through doctoral studies.
With Go Digital Globally, Elena guides and supports solopreneurs to take their businesses to the next level.
Her goal is to have an impact on the entire society, rather than solely on increasing the quarterly earnings and online presence of her clients and associates.
Elena Andreou
Ali Sabbagh
Messaging Operations Manager at Monty Mobile
Ali Sabbagh, an IT specialist, consultant, and the head of operations at the leading communications innovator Monty Mobile, has driven the adoption of new technology, providing technical guidance for complex customer solutions.
An expert in exploring intensive specializations, he immerses himself in emerging technologies, comprehends diverse products and services, and taps into the wisdom of experienced professionals.
Through engaging projects, theoretical knowledge is transformed into practical competence, particularly in telecommunications and IT.
Ali Sabbagh
Deshbandhu Bansal
COO Messaging Solutions at Comviva
Deshbandhu is COO and Head of Comviva’s Cloud Communications portfolio.
He brings to the table over 19 years of rich industry experience, building products and has helped scale Comviva’s messaging products across 90+ countries.
His areas of expertise include Core Telecom Network, Messaging, Firewall and CPaaS. Prior to Comviva, he worked as a technology consultant with Hewlett-Packard for their Telecom and Broadband Practice.
Desh Bansal
Jordi Martinez
Mgr. IPX Engineering and Carriers at VODAFONE
Jordi is an experienced telco executive who believes that big international firms should be committed to creating the right entrepreneurship environment and mindset to boost innovation.
He has experience working in a vendor, an operator, and a group and holds an Executive MBA degree and a Master in Telecommunications Engineering.
Jordi Martinez
Matthew Valvis
Marketing & Communications Expert
Matthew is a senior marketing communications executive with more than 20 years of professional experience in the industry, with almost 10 of them, having handled telco, tech, and mobile marketing brands and projects such as T-Mobile, Orange Business, Yuboto etc.
For 6 consecutive years, Matthew was part of the organizing team of the Hellenic Association of Mobile App Companies for the national pavilion/participation at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona.
Matthew Valvis
Leonidas Rigopoulos
Global Customer Development Manager at Link Mobility
Leonidas started his career in the Messaging industry 12 years ago, as Country Manager of Spain.
Follows a sales method where he is constantly hunting new business, in combination with a dedicated social selling approach. Via his extensive network of 12k flowers on social media platforms, has built himself up as an advisor and expert on mobile communication services.
He has worked in the Wholesale & Retail business, managing large accounts and also handling the procurement process that includes a distinct focus on MO/MT connectivity & partnerships across a global partner network. For the last 6 years, he has been part of the Global Sales team of LINK Mobility group, with a main focus on global accounts, partner sales & interconnections, delivering CPaaS solutions, and supporting brands on their omnichannel strategy & Customer Experience process.
Leonidas Rigopoulos
Oana Dukanac
CCO at TelQ Telecom
Oana is the CCO at TelQ Telecom, where she has been working since 2017.
During that time, she was a strong contributor to getting TelQ’s SMS testing platform as the first choice for most of the aggregators, hubs, and SMS enterprise customers.
She is managing the sales and account management teams and ensures the product is addressing the customers’ needs.
With 14 years of experience in telecommunications, Oana is passionate about innovating telco products in start-up environments, especially in the messaging industry.
The focus throughout her career is bringing the best messaging has to offer in a perfectly tailored solution for each customer.
Oana Dukanac
Paul Ruppert
Head at Global Point View Ltd
Paul Ruppert is the President of Global Point View Ltd., specializing in strategic growth planning and leveraging technical innovation for global expansion.
With twenty years expertise in messaging, and conversational commerce, he has supported enterprise leaders like Facebook and Western Union, global service providers such as Syniverse, and Infobip; led investment due diligence for firms such as HIG Capital, and National Bank of Kuwait; and consulted on messaging innovation to the GSM Association.
He’s the co-author of two SMS interoperability patents and led the development of a GSMA award-wining cybersecurity product. LinkedIn recognizes him as a ‘Top Mobile Technology Voice.’ He’s always on the hunt to make the mobile world a better place, one strategy plan at a time.
Paul Ruppert
Taner Dundar
Voice Products Director at Odine
Taner Dundar is the Voice Products Director at Odine, for many years he has successfully led and overseen the development, delivery and deployment of sustainable voice solutions worldwide.
With two decades of experience in different markets and industries, he understands the importance of partnering with the best breed products, and knowing the markets hot topics, ensuring that Odine remains a market-leading Systems Integrator and an innovative Cloud PaaS/SaaS Service Provider to Communication Service Providers.
Taner is focused on delivering large global projects that seamlessly migrate, transform, and drive operational and cost efficiencies to provide the highest quality sustainable services to Odine Solutions’ partners.
Taner Dundar
Waheed Adam
Executive Chairperson at iTouch
Waheed, executive chairperson of iTouch, is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and sits on numerous boards giving back to the mobile sector, the entrepreneurial eco-system, and the inclusion of broader society.
His passion for Africa is driven by the old African adage, UBUNTU – I am because you are! Your ideal life can not be realized if those around you are not living theirs.
iTouch, a messaging aggregator, and CPaaS platform provider, serves enterprises and aggregators alike with a keen focus on the African continent. “The years of working in the continent gives us the ability to serve the globe without having to pay any school fees in a complex environment for business”.
Waheed Adam
Keith Shillingford
Business Development Director at Arptel
After completing studies in Business, Civil Code and Company Law at Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf with VWA in Germany he started his career working for several years with one of Japan’s leading industrial Global Conglomerates, Sumitomo.
Keith has since obtained more than 20 Years’ experience in the Wholesale Sector of The Telecoms Industry in such areas as Voice, Data networks, SMS and more. Keith’s passion for Sales and Business Development has seen him create & manage success for various Organizations from Tier 1 Operators, Global Alternative Operators, as well as Software and BSS & OSS system Providers.
Keith Shillingford
Kostas Flokos
CEO at UpcomMinds
Kostas is a distinguished IT professional with over 30 years of experience, with a strong entrepreneurial spirit and a commitment to innovation. While earning an Electrical Engineering degree and a PhD in Distributed Computing Systems from the National Technical University of Athens, he launched his first software development company in 1991 during his studies. His journey continued in Brussels, where he freelanced for notable entities like Mastercard International and the European Commission, showcasing his ability to lead and innovate.
In 1997, Kostas founded Upcom Bvba, the precursor to today’s UpcoMinds, demonstrating his foresight in recognising the transformative power of IT. Under his leadership, UpcoMinds expanded to Greece and Cyprus, focusing on empowering organisations across Europe with cutting-edge IT solutions. Today, UpcoMinds stands as a testament to Kostas’s vision, employing a dedicated team of over 250 professionals and freelancers, all driven by a shared passion for technology and a person-centric approach that values each individual’s contribution to collective success.
Kostas Flokos
Sissi Chlomisiou
Managing Director at WeFuse
Sissi Chlomisiou is a seasoned Public Relations and Communication Director with extensive experience in reputation management, event management, and fundraising. Her leadership qualities and communication skills have enabled her to efficiently plan, budget, and assess results in accomplished endeavors. As the Chief Executive Officer of the MDA Hellas Association, Sissi has a track record of success in managing teams, implementing strategies, and negotiating sponsorship deals.
Sissi’s expertise in communication and reputation management has also been instrumental in promoting events, exhibits, and shows, as well as building the public image of small brands and companies. She recently started her own communication company called WeFuse, where she combines the old physical world with the new digital one by creating phygital communication strategies for small brands to help them grow.
Sissi Chlomisiou
Javier Wullich
Business Development Manager at PLUSMO / Plus Vox Corporation
Based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Javier is an experienced Business Development Professional with long commercial experience in the Wholesale Business first for voice and later also for SMS Services. Along his career he also worked several years as Product Manager in the Telecommunications Industry. He completed his studies in Business Administration and also two Masters, one in Marketing and the second one in IT & Telecommunication Management.
His work experience includes several years in Telecom Argentina, Impsat Fiber Networks, Telemar / Oi in Brazil, IDT. More recently Javier has been working in PLUSMO, a regional mobile aggregator with focus on the Latin American market for SMS services, mobile payments, IOT / M2M and CPaaS projects.
Javier Wullich
Justin H Mueller
SMS Marketing and Compliance Consulting at The SMS Coach
Justin is an independent SMS consultant with over six years of experience specializing in SMS program development and regulatory compliance. Through compliance roles at SimpleTexting, Sinch, and Klaviyo, he developed a command of the intricacies and complexities of the enterprise messaging and CPaaS segments – educating clients, consumers, and practitioners on not just the rules but how to engage audiences with understanding and personalization.
As The SMS Coach, Justin empowers businesses with his in-depth industry knowledge, focusing on innovative, ethical, and empathetic SMS marketing and compliance solutions, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to customer-centric approaches.
He leverages his master’s in Bilingual Education from Southern Methodist University and professional background as an educator to coach his clients toward successful and compliant marketing strategies.
Find more here.
Justin H Mueller
Mate Mustapic
Founder of Trinity Hub
Mate is a seasoned telecommunications professional with extensive experience in sales management, business development, and relationship management.
With a career spanning nearly a decade, Mate has held significant roles in reputable companies such as Linxa and Horisen, where he served as a Senior Sales Manager. During his tenure, he led sales initiatives, managed client relationships, and developed strategies to drive revenue growth and market expansion.
Prior to his roles in sales management, Mate spent close to 9 years at Tele2 Croatia, where he began as a Roaming assistant and progressed to become a Roaming and Wholesale expert.
Currently, Mate is embarking on a new journey as an entrepreneur, leveraging his expertise and insights to bring new and innovative products to the market. He is the founder of Trinity Hub, a company dedicated to introducing groundbreaking solutions to the telecommunications industry. With his entrepreneurial spirit and industry knowledge, Mate is poised to make significant contributions to the sector.
Mate Mustapic
Eduardo Jerez
COO at C3NTRO Telecom
Accomplished telecom executive with over 25 years of experience in telecommunications, possessing deep knowledge of the regulatory, players, and commercial dynamics across the CALA region. Currently holding the position of COO at C3ntro Global, overseeing ILD, SMS A2P, and DID.
Before this, he was Deputy Director at Telefonica Central America, responsible for wholesale services (Local Interconnections, SMS A2P/P2P, Roaming & ILD) across the five countries. Eduardo holds an MBA and an Industrial Engineering Degree and is eager to contribute strategic insights and leadership to the dynamic landscape of the telecommunications industry.
Eduardo Jerez
Dr. Marco Lafrentz
Vice President of Business and Market Development at NetNumber
As Vice President of Business and Market Development, Dr. Marco Lafrentz is an industry leader known for driving innovation, strategy, and new product development. Over the course of his impactful career, he has transformed a wholesale SMS aggregator into an enterprise-focused Service Provider and created a new product suite around the WhatsApp Business Solution by Meta, following the global trend towards conversational commerce and customer care.
Prior to joining netnumber Global Data Services, he spent almost a decade as VP of Products for a leading global application-to-person messaging operator and cloud communications provider. Here, he relaunched number portability products to emphasize the value of phone number information for enterprises for user registrations, customer outreach and account security.
Marco lives in Dortmund, Germany, and holds a Ph.D. in Physics from TU Dortmund University. You will probably find him on a Beach Volleyball court or a sailing boat when he is not participating in telecom events or customer or sprint meetings.
Marco Lafrentz
Daniela Ganick
General manager at Total SMS
Daniela is a German national living in London since 2005. She has been dealing with the Telecoms industry since 2005 working for a range of companies in broadcasting, media, and telecoms.
Her background are in alternative payment methods, mainly in the phone billing space such as Premium SMS, Direct Carrier billing as well as voice solutions. She has been with Mediatel since 2010 mainly looking after the alternative billing products.
In 2019 Total SMS was born, which Daniela has been looking after from day one driving our SMS business in the phone payment as well as traditional wholesale business.
Daniela Ganick
Rabih Jreish
Partnership Manager at Mobile Arts
Rabih Jreish is a Partnership Manager with over 12 years of experience in the Mobile VAS ecosystem, with a strong focus on Direct Carrier Billing (DCB). He holds a Master of Research degree, specializing in Telecommunications Networks and Security.
Rabih’s expertise lies in enabling digital transformation for Mobile VAS, managing partnerships with mobile operators, payment providers, and digital merchants across the EMENA region. He has played a significant role in the business development of the MobiBox platform, a mobile payment and advertising solution.
Leveraging his expertise in DCB and Mobile VAS, Rabih has managed partnerships and collaborations that have driven the growth of the platform, establishing Mobile Arts as a key player in the mobile industry. His valuable contribution to the company is acknowledged with MobiBox’s win of the esteemed MEFFYS 2023 award for Content and Advertising.
Overall, Rabih Jreish is a skilled Business Development Manager with an exceptional track record of delivering results in the DCB and mobile payments sector.
Rabih Jreish
Dimitrije Krunic
Head of Regional Business Development at Mitto
For nearly a decade, Dimitrije has demonstrated adept navigation within the A2P Mobile Messaging ecosystem, accumulating profound expertise in the dynamic and fiercely competitive mobile market industry. Throughout his professional journey, he has effectively collaborated with Enterprise clients in the LATAM region, facilitating direct sales of SMS, RCS, and WhatsApp solutions. Subsequently, he expanded his scope globally, engaging with A2P aggregators. Presently, he holds the responsibility for spearheading new business development initiatives in LATAM, MENA, and APAC at Mitto.
Dimitrije Krunic
Ellen Velickovska
Head of CPaaS Business at GMS
Ellen Velickovska is the Head of CPaaS business at GMS. Prior to GMS, Ellen was Managing Director of Swiss business messaging solutions and consultancy provider, telXira which she co-founded. TelXira was acquired by GMS in 2023. Backed by over 20 years of telecom industry experience, she has led a talented and dedicated team of professionals to solve complex customer challenges with customer-focused solutions. Ellen played a key role in designing a platform that is intuitive and user-friendly in the way it delivers, manages and optimises business messaging for enterprises and service providers.
Ellen Velickovska
Franck Zaire
CEO and Co-Founder at ANNECTO Telecom Ltd
Bringing 25 years of C-Level telecom experience, predominantly as a CTO, Franck Zaire is a tech enthusiast with a creative and open-minded approach. His technical expertise allows him to contribute to very diverse activities such as network infrastructure deployment or mobile application development.
Over the last decade, his primary focus has been on Voice and A2P messaging, addressing daily challenges created by new technologies, asset monetization, and fraud protection.
His mission is to position Annecto Telecom as a valuable technology partner to the telecom industry.
Franck Zaire
Sizo Nkosi
Carrier Relations Director – Africa at Vonage
As the Carrier Relations Director for Africa at Vonage, a global leader in cloud communications, Sizo is responsible for managing and growing the relationships with mobile network operators and service providers across the continent. With over 15 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, he has developed a deep understanding of the market dynamics, regulatory frameworks, and customer needs in this fast-changing and competitive sector.
Through his expertise, Sizo has been instrumental in delivering new revenue streams and expanding revenue for telecom operators across Southern Africa and leading key partnerships across CPaaS, SaaS, SMS Monetisation and Firewalls, Mobile Identity, RCS, and Mobile Payments across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Sizo has been recognized for contribution in the industry through Rocco 100 in 2020, placing 48th as well as having been instrumental to Infobip winning a WASPIES Award in 2022 and 2023.
Sizo is passionate about innovation in telecommunications and life-changing tech.
Sizo Nkosi
Martiņs Labans
CEO at 2gateway
Martins has been working in the SMS industry for the last 22 years. The fundamentals of his experience have been obtained representing a big international telecommunications company as their Country Manager in Latvia and Baltics. The knowledge he has developed and his network inspired him to build his own SMS Messaging company from scratch – the project that grew into a multimillion company, that makes him proud up till now.
He has been striving for a challenge and, for the last 3 years, has been working to build a completely new, seamless SMS wholesale platform for SMS resellers. His personal experience with complicated, inconvenient, and, most importantly, unreasonably expensive platforms he has tested for many years, help him to gather a tech team to make our own, best and most affordable SMS trading platform called 2gateway.
The platform aims to provide an opportunity for anybody in the SMS industry to start their SMS wholesale business without spending a fortune.
Martiņs Labans
Romina Kaboorani
Sales Director at G729
With a Master’s in International Marketing and an MBA, Romina excelled in the telecom industry for over 12 years, initially focusing on voice and later venturing into SMS services. Specialized in driving sales strategies for A2P and P2P solutions, fostering international connectivity across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Skilled in negotiation and business development, she is passionate about leveraging technology to empower individuals globally.
Romina Kaboorani
Milica Gruden
Head of Sky TeleTech
For more than a decade, Milica has explored the B2B Mobile Messaging ecosystem, gaining extensive experience in dynamic and competitive A2P Messaging, CPaaS, SaaS customer engagement platform business, and specialized initiatives like two-factor authentication.
As a sales and product development enthusiast, Milica worked for long-standing wholesale carriers and have a proven track record of exceeding company objectives.
Milica Gruden
Mostafa Harb
Chief Business Officer at PROTEL S.A.L
Mostafa Harb, the Chief Business Officer and GM of the SMS unit at Protel, is a 35 years old Lebanese holding an International Business Management degree. He has been working in the telecom industry for more than 15 years. He worked as a NOC employee, Routing manager, Billing Manager, and Business Development Manager in the voice unit until he opened the SMS unit in 2016. He has generated millions of dollars for the company where he works. Mostafa’s remarkable experience and knowledge made him well-known in the telecom industry, especially in SMS.
Mostafa Harb
Adis Ceman
Co-Founder & COO at Grambell
A Bosnian native, Adis spent his formative years in Cairo, Egypt, completing his schooling before pursuing a Business Administration degree in Sarajevo. Since 2012, he has called Dubai home, fluent in English, Arabic, and Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian.
With over 16 years of experience in Telco and Technology space, his journey with Telco began in 2010 with Infobip and later BICS, where he played a pivotal role in the Telesign acquisition in 2017 and managed key Enterprise and Telco positions. In 2020, he co-founded ReachMq, later pivoting to Grambell in 2021, showcasing his commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship.
Adis Ceman
Marta Gabanska
Head of Voice, Roaming, & Messaging at A1 International Business
For more than 20 years on managerial positions in International Wholesale business in Orange and A1 Telekom Austria Group.
Experienced in Sales, Product and successful Business Development of Voice, Messaging, Roaming, incl. Sponsored Roaming and IoT/M2M business, Service Platforms and IT solutions for Voice, Messaging & Cloud Communication, Anti-Fraud, Firewalling, Roaming, IoT, MVNO and Connectivity related areas.
Interested in digital innovations, cross-connections of services and technologies, user security and role of AI in increasing the operational efficiency and improving the Customer Experience.
Marta Gabanska
Alessandro Ribas
SMS Business Development Manager at DATORA
Alessandro Ribas has over 20 years of experience within the telecommunication industry, He has a proven track record of expanding business across 30 different countries, launching and innovating in SMS and CPaaS Multichannel platform companies, mainly in Europe and the Americas, including the oppening of local offices and local teams formation. Starting in the SMS Business in 2009 he developed a master’s knowledge of that business.
Now, as the SMS Business Development Manager at Datora, he is launching Datotra’s SMS business internationally. As a leader and strategist, he is responsible for developing and executing the company’s growth plan in the Latin America region, enhancing the relationships, and bringing the company to the next level.
Alessandro Ribas
Alex Pereira
Director of Operator Partnerships for Latam at Infobip
Alex, brings over two decades of experience managing technical, operational, sales, and marketing environments within MNOs and vendors, primarily in Roaming, Messaging, and SaaS.
He has crafted professional services products for major global organizations and founded multiple successful small businesses, which enriched his expertise.
Alex achieved significant success by expanding the Latin American market for a SaaS company, multiplying its revenues and gross profit, while also boosting the company’s brand visibility in the telecom sector. He has tackled complex, multicultural challenges in various international settings, making his career uniquely global and rewarding. He has spent the last 2 years helping foster what is now called the Open Gateway initiative, helping MNOs provide and monetize APIs in the market.
Through these experiences, Alex has continually adapted and learned, deepening his understanding of the business world’s diversity and his personal and professional capabilities.
Alex Pereira
Rajiv Singla
CEO at Globe Teleservices
Rajiv Singla is an exceptional CEO – Global Messaging, Globe Teleservices, with an experience of over 20 years in the telecom sector. Rajiv Singla has, over the years, emerged as a youth icon, becoming the subject of inspiration as an exceptional CEO to youngsters looking for a role model to emulate. His recent accolade as one of the Top 25 Most Influential People in the ROCCO 100 2024 serves as testament to his impact and influence. He was among the very first VOIP engineers in India and helped expand Aircel’s ILD network in his early days. Rajiv recently has been actively working as a mentor under the GLF Mentorship program.
GLF Accelerator. He dons many hats, including that of group CTO for Globe Teleservices and its affiliate companies. He is currently a board member of the Mobile Ecosystem Forum (MEF), sharing his expertise within the telecom industry with many others.
His analytical and forward-thinking mindset allowed the expansion of the organization in multiple regions (Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia) with products/solutions in VOIP, CPAAS, Firewall, Blockchain Technologies, Messaging, Data Privacy etc. He has served on multiple panels at Global Events as a speaker, and his views on subjects like Anti-Fraud solutions, Ethical Business Practices, Data Privacy, etc., are well-received and appreciated by industry followers.
Rajiv Singla
Baha Allawati
Senior Principal at Zain Omantel International (ZOI)
Baha Allawati brings more than 20 years of local and international experience in the ICT, Telecom, Sales & Marketing, Project Management, Messaging & Mobile Services, Blockchain, Data Center, Voice and wholesale capacity business. He has held several Sr. management roles within Omantel spanning from VP Enterprise Unit, General Manager international & Carrier Wholesale business, Roaming and Mobile Service and managed portfolio of multimillion dollar telecom and ICT projects.
Recently he joined Zain Omantel International- ZOI (a newly established JVco between Omantel and Zain Group in the international wholesale business) as a principal adviser to the CEO and a member of the executive management team. He also serves in various boards from private and public listed companies.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and a Master’s degree in Networking Security both from Vanderbilt University, USA, and a Master’s certification degree in Project Management from George Washington University. He is a graduate of the National CEO program with IMD and the Sr Executive program of London Business School.
Baha Allawati
Ibrahim Choueiry
CEO at NGN Corp
Ibrahim Choueiry is currently the co-owner and CEO of NGN CORP SAL and Director of VAYACOM LTD, two retail and wholesale telecom providers based in Lebanon, Cyprus and Canada.
He previously served for seven years as the VP of Retail Sales of the New York based Fusion Telecommunications Inc. Prior to Fusion, Mr. Choueiry served for five years as the Director of Sales of DOT LB, a telecom and online trading company.
Before joining DOT LB, Mr. Choueiry was the founder and General Manager of Informa Inc., an advertising and publishing company.
Ibrahim Choueiry
Apostolos (Akis) Chatzimeletiou
Head of Customer Interaction Suite for EU – Tata Communications
Akis Chatzimeletiou is a seasoned leader with 18 years of experience in mid-sized and large companies, known for his pioneering spirit and future-forward thinking.
Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a keen ability to identify opportunities that drive business growth through partnerships and acquisitions. Akis has successfully led cross-functional global teams of 50-140 people, both remotely and on-site, across 15+ countries on three continents.
His expertise spans marketing, procurement, IT, and operations, allowing him to navigate international environments and strategize effectively while mitigating risk. His straightforward communication style and business partners from diverse cultures are key to his success.
Akis Chatzimeletiou
Apostolos Ioakeim
General Manager at Yuboto Ltd
Apostolos Ioakeim was born in Athens in 1978. Holding a Degree in Computer Engineering and being passionate about the evolution of technology, as a result, Apostolos has already defined a significant carrier in the Greek market as a co-founder and General Manager of Yuboto LTD, a leading Greek voice and SMS provider.
Being consistent, creative, organized and a teamwork player, Apostolos is a leader who moves, motivates and inspires his team, to achieve corporate goals.
Apostolos is one of the masterminds and implementers who built Octapush. This efficient and reliable enterprise messaging platform allows every marketeer to perform Business Messaging Campaigns such as SMS, Viber, and utilities like Calendar, Online Booking, Forms, Short URLs, OTP, etc.
