Orange's Gerard Grech will head up a newly-formed chapter of the Mobile Entertainment Forum that will address issues specific to Europe.
MEF Europe will work in conjunction with the existing MEF Asia, MEF Americas and MEF Global Boards, with a remit to liaise with stakeholders and EU officials on legislation affecting the local industry.The MEF held its first European board elections last week at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona. The elected members are as follows:
Gerard Grech (chair), Strategy & Business Development Director, Content Division, Orange
Jessica Sandin (co-vice chair), Head of Mobile & Senior Consultant, Fathom Partners
Gerrit Jan Konijnenberg (co-vice chair), CEO, Comsys
Dr Willms Buhse, Director Products & Marketing, CoreMedia
Sissel Henriette-Larsen, Director, Services, Mobile Markets, Telenor
Anthony Philips, Senior Director Strategic Alliances, Online Services Group, Microsoft
Bertrand Schmitt, COO & VP Marketing, Zandan
Gerard Grech, MEF Europe chair, said: “Diversity is one of Europe’s key strengths, not least in the mobile entertainment industry. As a result, the MEF Europe Chapter is committed to providing our members with localised support and lobbying on issues affecting their businesses.”
Patrick Parodi, MEF Global chair, said: “2007 is the year of the consumer for MEF globally and with initiatives on quality of user experience and search and discovery, we are driving forward the focus on user-centric mobile entertainment across Europe.”
The European mobile entertainment market was valued at five billion euros in 2006, according to Frost and Sullivan estimates.
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An interim European board has already staged member events in Paris (Ad-funded mobile entertainment) and Amsterdam (mobile payments). It also attended the signing of the European Framework for Safer Mobile Use by Younger Teenagers and Children.
