Telenor chief elected to chair GSMA

Baksaas will be overseeing the strategic direction of the organisation, which also represents 250 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organisations in industries such as financial services, healthcare, media, transport and utilities.
The GSMA produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Expo.
“I look forward to working closely with the rest of the board, the GSMA team and our entire membership to advance important industry issues. It is truly inspiring to work in an industry that has such a profound and increasing impact on the people and societies we serve.
“Connecting even more of the world’s population to the mobile Internet is a top priority, and to address this, the GSMA will continue to focus on the future evolution of our networks, the adoption of secure and interoperable new services and advocate for the needs of our industry to governments and regulators,” he said yesterday.
“We are at a critical juncture in the development of the mobile communications industry, as we see an ever-increasing number of people, devices and things becoming connected by mobile,” said Anne Bouverot, director-general of the GSMA.
“I am looking forward to working with Jon Fredrik and the entire GSMA board to develop global and regional programmes that will drive future growth and investment in mobile services, and deliver the social and economic benefits that mobile can provide to men and women around the world.”
Baksaas, 59, is a Norwegian citizen and has worked in the telecom industry for 25 years. He has been president and CEO of Telenor Group since June 2002. He is a board member of VimpelCom, Svenska Handelsbanken and the advisory council of Det Norske Veritas. He holds a master of science degree from the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration and has additional qualifications from IMD in Switzerland.