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MEF Leadership Forum Americas

March 21 @ 08:30 - 18:30 EDT

MEF Leadership Forum Americas, our packed one-day event, will be held in Miami on Tuesday 21st March 2023. The event will have global reach, however we anticipate the audience primarily to be North, Central and South America, plus Caribbean and Europe.  We will be bringing together experts in the field of text messaging and other technologies to discuss the latest trends. The thought-leadership conference will focus on the role of trust, identity, and interoperability in the future of messaging.

If there’s one thing MEF makes obvious, is that no section of the mobile landscape is an island. The barriers between different kinds of businesses are breaking down and lessons gleamed from one part can certainly be applicable to another. That’s why MEF Leadership Forum Americas will also feature sessions on the latest and greatest in mobile content and advertising. MEF Members within the this space will have the opportunity to connect with key telco stakeholders all across the value chain from operators, aggregators, enterprises and of course, with each other.

MEF will bring together the best and brightest thinkers in the business to share where they believe the trends are going, and help the audience see beyond the hype, plus they will assist in understanding the challenges, opportunities, and trade-offs.

One of the key topics that will be discussed at the conference is ‘trust’. With the rise of fake news and misinformation, it has become increasingly important to ensure that text messaging platforms are secure and that the information being shared is accurate. Similarly, identity verification in text messaging is critical. As more personal and sensitive information is shared over text, it is essential to have systems in place to verify the identity of the sender of the message.

Universal interoperability is the superpower of messaging. Together with trust, and identity, the three form a virtuous loop that keeps the messaging medium pristine.

Listening to thought leaders, panel discussions, and connecting with other members, attendees will gain a better understanding of the future of messaging, and the state-of-art, plus there will be ample networking opportunities built into the programme to make new connections, talk business, and reacquaint with familiar faces.

Agenda

9:00 - CEO MEF Welcome - Dario Betti

MEF CEO Dario Betti will kick off the conference by welcoming the members and setting the agenda for the day.

  • Dario Betti, CEO – MEF

9:15 - Welcome Address - Steve Legge, CEO – netnumber

Join Steve Legge, CEO of netnumber Global Data Services, in Miami as he dives into some of today’s hottest telecom topics. From phone number hacking to robocalling scams, Steve will talk about how cybercriminals are exploiting phone numbers for illegal activities and how phone number data intelligence can help.

  • Dario Betti, CEO – MEF
  • Steve Legge, CEO – netnumber

9:30 - KEYNOTE: Trust in the Network—The Regulator's View

In this headline, Former FCC General Counsel Tom M. Johnson Jr discusses why every company needs a regulatory strategy and how the FCC looks at its role in the ecosystem.

  • Tom M. Johnson Jr. – Former FCC General Counsel and Partner, Wiley-Rein

10:00 - Threats in Messaging - Protecting Consumers, Defending Networks

Is cybersecurity ready to save the industry? Can we secure networks against phishing and spamming attacks that can damage reputation and A2P revenues?

  • TJ Thinakaran, Content & Strategy Advisor – MEF
  • Stephanie Huf, CMO – ENEA AB
  • Simeon Coney, Head of Business Development – ENEA AdaptiveMobile Security

10:30 - A2P Today: From Fighting Fraud to Building Trust and Identity

Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging continues to reinvent how rich, brand-focused content is delivered to consumers via their most desirable platform: their mobile device. Inextricably linked to the individual, mobile devices have become a prime tool for creating better engagement, more satisfying brand experiences, increasingly tailored and personalized communications and more — all of which are key to maintaining a competitive edge in a digital marketplace. However, on the backend, architecting robust and secure A2P via 10DLC is crucial due to this solution’s close link to customer identities and information. Ensuring trust between service providers, enterprises and end users is the most vital element of supporting this tool’s increasing value — and that process rests on the ability to reliably identify, verify and vet phone number intelligence data so that the mobile ecosystem can route rich messaging without fear or fraud or other service vulnerabilities.

In this panel, attendees will gain a detailed view into the full scope of how 10DLC/A2P services can be security and reliably provisioned. Attendees will hear from a range of the industry’s leading service providers and A2P experts, which span from information vetting to message routing, about how business messages can remain fully empowered (and protected) with data-powered methods that underscore trust in the ecosystem above all. With this information on hand, attendees can leave the panel feeling better equipped to take advantage of robust omnichannel communications for the advancement of their business goals while fostering trust and allowing for more streamlined communications.

  • Dario Betti, CEO – MEF
  • Catalin Badea, Senior Director, Product Management, netnumber Global Data Services
  • John Bruner, CEO, Aegis Mobile
  • Chris Wright, VP – Syniverse
  • Stefan Heller, VP, The Campaign Registry

11:30 - Lawyer Confidential

This panel will discuss everyting from TCPA, the FCC and 5G (and fields questions from the audience)

  • TJ Thinakaran, Content & Strategy Advisor – MEF
  • Glenn Richards, Partner – Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
  • Kevin Rupy, Partner – Wiley Rein
  • Mike Hazzard, Partner – DLA Piper

12:00 - RCS: Really Coming Soon

In this session, the leaders at the forefront of RCS adoption go beyond product and feature discussions and share how RCS makes messaging safe and trusted. In that context, they discuss the current challenges around adoption and interoperability.

  • TJ Thinakaran, Content & Strategy Advisor – MEF
  • David Fernandez Vinuales, Strategic Partnerships Lead, Rich Business Messaging – Google
  • Stuart Mitchell, Global Product & Business Development, Rich Messaging – Sinch
  • Ramy Riad, Head of Future Messaging – Webex CPaaS, Cisco
  • Silvija Renusa, Senior Product Partnership Manager – Infobip

12:30 - A Cinch On SINCH - An In-Depth View

A Direct Connect Aggregator view on 10DLC, CPaaS, Global Reach, and Meaningful Conversations.

  • Dario Betti, CEO – MEF
  • Jonathan Vimont, Director, US Messaging Products – Sinch
  • Meredith Weigman, Product Manager – Sinch
  • David Schwind, Product Manager – Sinch
  • Brien Jones-Lantzy, Compliance Manager – Sinch

14:00 - Two Sides, One Voice: A Democrat and a Republican Explore Political Texting

In this right meets left fireside chat, two leaders in the political texting world discuss the changes in the GOTV landscape for 2026 elections.

  • Krishna Ghodiwala, Founder & CEO – Axsent.io
  • Thomas Peters, Founder & CEO – RumbleUp
  • David Diggs, CEO – Diggs & Associates

14:30 - Building Trust in A2P Use Cases

How can the industry react to the attacks and build a stronger and suistainable platform for business messaging.

  • TJ Thinakaran, Content & Strategy Advisor – MEF
  • Bella Simon, Director, Sales – Growth Telesign
  • Nate Kliger, Senior Director, Messaging Strategy – Attentive Mobile
  • Anurag Dodeja, Senior Director, Product Management – Twilio
  • Munz Bharde, Senior Director – Neustar

15:00 - Stop Text Messaging Fraud: Going Beyond the Message Content

Text messaging fraud continues to impact mobile subscribers, and this is more than just a nuisance. Sophisticated fraudsters have devised a multitude of schemes to steal personal information, online account credentials and money.

Join this fireside chat to learn more about the hottest tools that the telecom industry is providing to mitigate such damaging and costly fraud. From phone number intelligence flagging invalid or downright fraudulent numbers to advanced techniques going beyond the message content to assess the fraud risk holistically, these critical tools hold the key to fraud prevention. Such vital innovations can thwart fraudulent messages even before they reach carrier networks.

Speakers for this fireside chat include fraud prevention experts Catalin Badea, Sr. Director of Product Management at netnumber Global Data Services, and Ian Matthews, President & CEO at WMC Global.

  • Catalin Badea, Senior Director, Product Management – netnumber Global Data Services
  • Ian Matthews, President & CEO – WMC Global

15:30 - Messaging ID Evolution: The Phone Number and the Blockchain + Knowing Your Businesses

Noah Rafalko holds several US and international patents using blockchain providing phone networks KYCCC for more secure and trusted communications. In this forward looking vision Rafalko speaks to a future where decentralized networks can build better trust incorporating Self-Sovereign Identity-SSI.

  • TJ Thinakaran, Content & Strategy Advisor – MEF
  • Noah Rafalko, CEO – TSG Global
  • Randy Warshaw, CEO, Provenant

16:15 - The Canadian Perspective - Coming Soon to Toronto

A look at the Canadian Market: how is business messaging is evolving? A preview to the joint CWTA/MEF event to be held in Toronto on July 18.

  • Dario Betti, CEO – MEF
  • Paul Wheeler, VP – Twilio
  • Caitlin O’Neill, Manager – CWTA

16:45 - Closing Keynote: The Renaissance of Messaging

Co Founder and CEO Jack Philbin will share his thoughts on over 20 years in the industry and where he thinks the industry is headed next.

  • Dario Betti, CEO – MEF
  • Jack Philbin, Co Founder and CEO – Vibes

On the day before MEF Leadership Forum Americas, we’ll host members and guests in Miami and we look forward to seeing members and guests there! Details are being put together now and as soon as everything is finalised and registration opens, you’ll be the second to know right here!

Find out more and register >>

Details

Date:
March 21
Time:
08:30 - 18:30 EDT
Event Category:

Venue

Hyatt Regency Coral Gables
50 Alhambra Plaza
Miami, FL FL 33134 United States

Organiser

Mobile Ecosystem Forum (MEF)
Phone:
+44 (0)20 8819 0554
View Organiser Website
MEF