Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman, Bharti Enterprises is the new chairman of GSMA while Mari-Noëlle Jego-Laveissiere, Innovation, Orange Group bagged the Deputy Chair position. This is after the GSMA announced that it had elected new members to its board.
The new members of the GSMA Board will be in office for the two-year period from January 2017 through December 2018 and will oversee the strategic direction of the organisation, which represents nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators, as well as more than 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem.
“I am delighted to be elected as Chairman of the GSMA, and look forward to working closely with the rest of the Board, the GSMA leadership team and our entire membership to address the critical issues facing our industry and our customers,” said Mittal. “In a relatively brief period of time, mobile has had a transformational impact on individuals, businesses, industries and societies, contributing significantly to local economies and improving the lives of billions around the world.”
Mittal continued: “I am excited about what the next chapter holds for us, as we work to connect everyone and everything to a better future. In my new global role, I am also excited to support the ongoing mobile broadband revolution in India to boost the Government’s Digital India Program and its vision of broadband access for all.”
The first Indian to be elected as Chair of the GSMA, Mittal took over as Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) early this year. He also serves on the boards and councils of several reputed international bodies and think-tanks like the World Economic Forum (WEF), Telecom Board of International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Broadband Commission, Harvard University’s Global Advisory Council – Board of Dean’s Advisors at HBS, International Advisory Panel of the Monetary Authority of Singapore and Prime Minister of Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council. He is also a Trustee of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and on the Board of Qatar Foundation Endowment.
Bharti Airtel was the host of the inaugural GSMA Mobile 360 – India event in New Delhi this week, as well as a meeting of the GSMA Board. A highlight of the week, GSMA Chair-elect Mittal led the GSMA Board delegation at a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday afternoon. In a broad-ranging discussion, the meeting highlighted the pivotal role of mobile in delivering the government’s Digital India vision of broadband as a utility for every citizen, bringing digital and financial inclusion to every corner of the country.
