Alexis Bartelds is CEO of Sam Media and has over 25 years’ experience in the telecoms industry. His passion for innovation drives Sam Media’s focus on premium content, transparent intuitive marketing, fully controlled in house media buy and data science. Sam Media is proud to be a leader in VR and AR services and recently launched its new flagship product SingSpace, a virtual karaoke service, in cooperation with Stingray. 
 
Alexis enjoys an offline outdoor lifestyle, being a fervent skier, surfer and mountain biker and is at his happiest sharing the Sam Media vision over a barbeque. 

As part of Omdia’s Consumer Platforms team, Guillermo Escofet covers mobile app ecosystems and the crossover between digital media services and telcos, including carrier billing and telco bundling/resale of OTT subscriptions.  

Monetization and partnership strategies are key elements of his focus. He sizes and monitors consumer spend transacted via app stores; advertiser spend on in-app ads; media and other digital services revenue derived from bundling/resale deals struck with telcos; as well as the wider market for carrier-billed OTT products and services.  

Guillermo has a long pedigree at Informa covering mobile media. Before joining the company, he worked as a business and current affairs journalist in Europe and Latin America. He is fluent in English, Spanish and Catalan.  

Personal Information

• Nationality: Sierra Leonean  

• Education:  Chartered Accountant (ACCA) and MBA from Oxford Brookes University 

• Languages: Krio and English 

• Interest: Football (Arsenal Fan) 

• Contacts: +23276450966; dsmansaray001@gmail.com 

A disciplined Finance Professional with over 20 years’ experience in both the Private and Public sectors at senior management level with sound knowledge in Banking, Digital Financial Services, Corporate Governance, Financial Management and Leadership.  

Previous Roles: Regional Head of Retail Banking Finance, West Africa – Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria. 

Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer – Standard Chartered Bank SL Ltd 

Chief Financial Officer – Standard Chartered Bank Gambia 

Chief Financial Officer – Millennium Challenge Coordinating Unit Sierra Leone  

 I have done short term assignments in various Countries around the world. Significant network reach, enhanced by capacity as former Executive Secretary, British Chamber of Commerce in Sierra Leone; member of the Institute of Chartered Accountant, member of the League of Digital Finance Professionals with greater dexterity to interact with key stakeholders in the business and regulatory environments. 

Işık Uman is the Group CEO of TPAY, your “payment connector” in META, a role he assumed on July 1, 2023. TPAY connects the entire Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, making the digital world accessible to all by being the most reliable facilitator for micropayments in the region. Işık joined TPAY in 2020 as Director of Global Partnerships after Payguru’s acquisition. Over the past four years, he has taken on various pivotal roles, demonstrating his versatile leadership and strategic vision. 

Before TPAY, Işık co-founded and chaired Payguru, a pioneering Turkish payment company. He led the buy-out of Neomobile’s Turkish mobile payment business and rebranded it as Payguru, which became the first Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) company to receive a payment license from the Turkish Financial Regulator. Under his leadership, Payguru became Turkey’s leading alternative payment provider. In June 2020, TPAY acquired Payguru, expanding its coverage to the META region. 

His career includes senior roles at Superonline, Turkcell, and Neomobile. He holds a B.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from the Middle East Technical University (METU) and has pursued advanced studies in Information Systems, AI, and Cognitive Science. 

Işık is committed to providing partners with the most effective and reliable payment methods tailored to their services and the countries they are launching in. This dedication has led to the creation of new payment channels, such as mobile wallets in MEA and open banking in Turkey, with more to follow. 

Işık’s extensive experience and strategic vision drive TPAY’s mission to unify META through unparalleled network reach, merchant alliances, and transaction excellence. 

 

Joanna has 20 years experience of working in phone-paid services alongside other emerging technologies. 10 of those years were spent leading commercial teams within agencies and another 5 years were spent running commercial and interactive teams at Channel 5.  As such, she has a solid understanding of the need for businesses to continually adapt to the changing ways in which consumers wish to interact with their chosen brands, content or services. 

During the last 6 years as General Manager of UK based Trade Association, aimm (Association of Interactive Media and Micropayments) she supports the membership  – which spans the whole value chain –  in negotiating the complex UK regulatory landscape and facilitating an environment where commercial development can thrive across the board. 

Sean is in charge of Sales and Business Development for the B2B Division at Orange France in charge of business Messaging, digital payments and telco API services. His role includes driving sales through a wide network of B2B partners spanning the financial services, communication and digital media industries.

Prior to joining Orange France, Sean was in charge of international business development for the Orange Business Digital and Data Division where he focused on delivering software development and data analytics projects for multinational  organizations throughout Europe, MENA, Asia and North America

Guillaume Briche, CEO of Digital Virgo, is a visionary leader and expert in mobile marketing, technology, and telecommunications. Under his guidance, Digital Virgo has experienced remarkable growth, becoming a global leader in mobile payment solutions. Briche’s strategic vision, emphasis on innovation, and commitment to building partnerships have been instrumental in the company’s success, driving revenue growth, and positioning it as a trusted partner for mobile operators, merchants, and content providers. 

Interim Head of Digital Product at M-Pesa Africa

Digital leader with over 15 years experience in leading Product management, Business Strategy, execution, Digital product design, User Experience Design, Customer Experience, Product Innovation and Digital Transformation in Financial services, Telecoms and Fin-tech.

At M-Pesa Africa, a pioneering mobile money wallet and Africa’s number 1 Fintech, I am accountable for the Product Vision and road map for the M-Pesa #superapp providing Product leadership to Product Owners, Developers and local market teams across 4 Vodacom markets.

I am also responsible for working with local market teams to develop and execute go to market plans, conducting end user research to drive uptake and engagement. As a product person I also interface between customer needs discovery and engineering, ensuring that we build with a purpose and reason that resonates with how the market is evolving.

Competencies :
Digital Transformation I Product Design I Digital Innovation | Digital Marketing | Digital Financial Services | Customer Experience | Product Development | Market research I Customer Life Cycle Management I Product Management I Product Marketing | Payments I E-Commerce I Customer Value Proposition | Data Analysis I Scrum I SAfe | Agile Methodologies | Business Strategy & Execution | Change Management | Risk Management | Stakeholder Engagement | Tech Vendor Management I Business strategy I Design Thinking I B2B I B2C I Mobile Lending I CX I Partnerships I UX I Cross functional team leadership

Clemens Leitner is the CEO of DIMOCO Payments, leveraging over 15 years of management experience in the payments industry. He is an entrepreneurial leader known for crafting effective go-to-market strategies, expanding into new business verticals, and hands-on management of various teams.

CEO at Content For Mobile

Gaby is an entrepreneur and has been active in VAS for 25 years. He is one of the most prominent voices advocating a new approach to the DCB industry, or DCB 2.0 as he calls it. CFM, his latest venture, are active in numerous countries, with direct connections to many of the largest operators in Europe. They establish relationships where transparency and control are key values, and build long-term, scalable, revenues for their partners. He is also an enthusiastic board member for the Dutch Code of Conduct Foundation, a self-regulatory body where he is the voice of all merchants.

To describe things, he will often use metaphors; keep an ear out for him saying the mobile industry is a lot like the Champions League!

Commercial Director at Content For Mobile

As Commercial Director for CFM, Kieran leads the company’s strategic partnerships with both carriers and brands. In this role, he has overseen expansion of the companies partnerships to several operator groups and some of the world’s biggest brands.

He is a gaming and Esports fan, combining this passion with 10 years of DCB experience, whilst making CFM the go-to partner for carriers when it comes to gaming.

CEO at Evina

While attending a telecommunications engineering university, David interned at a Parisian startup in the direct carrier billing services field. Within a few years, David became the CTO managing a team of 20 developers, while the company grew to 50 people and reached a turnover of 15 million euros.

In 2013, massive fraud patterns began to appear on the market, and in response, David developed a very successful anti-fraud solution.

Five years later, David bought full ownership of his anti-fraud solution, and with the help of his former employees, founded Evina.

E-Sport Manager at Cookies Digital

Simone “AKirA” Trimarchi is an Electronic Engineer that managed to become the first Italian Starcraft champion in the history of the country and a veteran in the gaming community in Italy. Thanks to that tournament, which he won in 2001, he managed to establish a prominent role within the Italian esports scene.

He was the first journalist to cover the gaming movement from 2003 onwards (currently writing for Corriere dello Sport) the first caster, meaning a video game commentator in the country, and today he is serving as Esport Manager for Cookies Digital, esport solutions provider for telcos. Despite being 45 years old he is still competing in the online community on Twitch and Youtube and in his offline family against his two sons that are way better than him at every non-boomer videogames.

Pascal is the Vice President, Middle East North Africa & Turkey of Digital Virgo, a global leader in mobile payment and delivery of content and commerce to telcos’ customers. He is a seasoned telco & digital executive with over 25 years’ experience. A business developer at heart and a travel trooper, Pascal has worked for companies at start-up and scale up stage, as well as listed ones, from Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand to Lebanon, Kuwait and the UAE. Since 2008, he serves as a French Foreign Trade Advisor (CCEF). Pascal is a graduate of Sciences-Po Aix and holds a masters in International Law from Nice Sophia Antipolis University.   

Chief Strategy Officer at Telecoming

Telecoming’s Board member in charge of the short and long-term company’s strategy. She works on analysing trends and needs of the different markets where Telecoming operates and is responsible for coordinating corporate alliances. Patricia is passionate about the mobile economy, technology, and of course, innovation.

Head of Direct Operator Billing at Grameenphone Ltd

A dynamic & visionary leader highly capable to motivate and lead cross-functional teams towards the objectives. His expertise & experience in Roaming Industry is unrivaled in the local market. With a pleasant and winning personality, he has been able to build and maintain a huge professional network and is regarded as one of the key resources for Grameenphone Ltd. He is Passionate towards work, proactive, goal oriented & diplomatic in nature.

Anzelle is a business development, regulatory and compliance expert specializing in direct carrier billing, mobile money, mobile content and digital advertising, and an Attorney of the High Court of the Republic of South Africa. Her career in Telecoms started in 2012 first as Legal- and Compliance Officer for Johannesburg based Oxygen8 Communications, a payment service provider, and later as Product Marketing Manager: Premium- and Subscription Services.  In 2016 she joined award-winning digital content provider, Sam Media, where she was appointed as Business Development Director: Africa, based in Amsterdam. Anzelle has served on the Board of the South African regulatory body for VAS and Mobile Payments, WASPA, and remains an active member of various industry organisations and regulators, championing the uptake of Direct Carrier Billing as go-to payment method for digital content.

Having joined the Mobile Ecosystem Forum in April 2024 as Program Director: DCB, Content & Advertising, Anzelle supports MEF members and related stakeholders ranging from MNO’s and regulators to merchants and payment gateways in the advancement and safeguarding of the industry. She heads up MEF’s stake in the strategic direction and delivery of the annual Global Carrier Billing Summit.

Eric Tiberghien is a highly accomplished COO at Digital Virgo, renowned for his strategic leadership and operational expertise. With a strong background in technology and business development, he has successfully optimized operations, forged strategic partnerships, and fueled Digital Virgo’s global expansion. Tiberghien’s dedication and innovative approach have positioned the company as a leader in the digital services industry. 

Global Head of Product for Direct Carrier Billing at CKH Innovations Opportunities Development

Globally responsible for the Carrier Billing Product across all CK Hutchison group operators. 20 years experience in many business development and direct carrier billing roles with companies across all core elements of the ecosystem including OEM, App Store merchant, Integrator and now a Mobile Operator.

In her current role as Global Telecom Growth Lead in Infobip, a global cloud-based communications platform, Petra is shaping efficient go-to-market strategies in the area of implementation of SaaS and emerging technology products to enhance telco customers’ engagement and support. She is driving different initiatives to strengthen relationships with telecoms as suppliers, partners and customers – that lead to growth of revenue, reduction of operational costs and improvement of CX for telecoms.

Having both telecom industry (working for 7 years in leading Croatian telecom, Croatian Telecom, part of Deutsche Telekom group in area of B2C offering) and Customer Experience background (leading a team focused on corporate trainings and facilitation of Design Thinking and Design Sprint workshops, as well as consulting in projects related to process redefinition and improving customer experience), provided her with broad knowledge and experience in driving telco digital transformation.  In prevoius roles she worked as a Regional product manager responsible for growth of sales within Samsung mobile division, and as a consultant within IBM Global Business Services division.  

Petra is passionate about innovations, and using technology to overcome the complexity of consumer communications to grow engagement, improve CX and increase loyalty. 

Nikolai Barnwell is the CEO of pawaPay, Africa’s largest mobile money payments processor. With over a decade of experience in African tech, he specializes in scaling mobile payment solutions across the continent.

Nikolai served on the boards of 88mph, an early-stage investment fund for African startups, and Mdundo.com, a Nasdaq True North-listed music streaming service. He was previously the Africa Director for betPawa, operating in 12 countries with significant revenue.

Based in Kenya, Nikolai has extensive knowledge of the African market, focusing on mobile money and tech innovation.

As a Director at MCP Insight, Kev Dawson spearheads MCP Insight’s commercial activities, collaborating closely with the experienced team to help clients achieve growth through sustainable DCB revenue streams and protect their businesses and customers from fraudulent activities.

With a rich background in senior management roles within Carriers, Payment Aggregators and CSPs, working with PM Connect, Dynamic Mobile Billing and Vodafone amongst others, Dawson has extensive industry experience which he is keen to share with the mobile payments ecosystem.

As the Business Development Director at Smadex, Stefan brings a wealth of knowledge gained over two decades in online marketing and almost 15 years in the VAS industry.

Known for his strong background in business development and technology, he has a proven track record of identifying new market opportunities and driving growth through strategic partnerships.

Smadex is a cutting-edge demand-side platform (DSP) engineered for transparency and growth.

As an in-house proprietary platform, Smadex utilizes advanced AI and customized machine learning to optimize user acquisition, retargeting, and brand awareness campaigns.

The platform emphasizes transparency and brand safety, offering multi-dimensional reporting and ensures high ARPU and LTV for advertisers.

With scalable global reach, multi-channel advertising, and dedicated support, Smadex is the ideal solution for brands seeking effective, data-driven results in a fully managed service environment.

Rabih Jreish is a Partnership Manager with over 12 years in the Mobile VAS ecosystem, specializing in Direct Carrier Billing (DCB). Holding a Master of Research in Telecommunications Networks and Security, he excels in driving digital transformation and managing strategic partnerships across the EMENA region.

Rabih has played a crucial role in the growth of Mobile Arts’ services and MobiBox platform, contributing to its success and recognition, including winning the MEFFYS 2023 award for Content and Advertising.

With over 15 years in the mobile payments industry, I am a seasoned expert in direct carrier billing (DCB), SMS and voice, currently leading innovative payment solutions as Business Development Director at Dynamic Mobile Billing. My work focuses on optimising payment flows for merchants, expanding DMB’s sector and geographic reach and raising awareness of the DCB mechanic. I have successfully grown DMB’s customer base after a period of significant disruption and fostered excellent relationships with key stakeholders and influencers. Passionate about the future of mobile commerce, I am dedicated to advancing secure, seamless payment experiences that benefit both carriers, merchants and consumers.

Teniola as a seasoned mobile technology executive spearheading business growth, digital innovation and financial inclusion across Africa and beyond. She is currently founding a trailblazing MVNO to expand mobile access and empower millions previously excluded from connectivity. 

A sought-after voice on mobile tech’s social impact, Teniola shares her vision at high-profile forums and her expertise helps broker alliances between startups and corporate giants. 

Passionate about developing Africa’s tech potential, Teni empowers women and youth to become tech leaders and entrepreneurs. She’s building a thriving innovation ecosystem to establish Africa as a mobile tech hub. 

Recognized as a thought leader and change-maker, Teni now focuses on creating inclusive digital transformation. Her voice brings together public, private, and social sectors to maximize mobile tech’s benefits.  

She is the founder of Future-pro Digital a consulting fintech business and  a co-founder of VAS2Nets Technologies , a Telecoms Technology company. She is a member of GOHWP, TBrA, IOD UK, IOD Nigeria, SIOP, MEF and GAIA AFRICA. 

As Head of P&L Financial & Enabling Services at Telefonica Germany, Martin Schurig enables third-party business with the customer base of Telefonica Germany. His portfolio includes A2P messaging (SMS, RCS), carrier billing, and app distribution. He drives network API monetization and leads the Open Gateway initiative at Telefonica Germany. 

Arun is the Chief commercial officer at Hyve Mobile, a global content, own media buying and payments company working hand in glove with major telecom operators and stakeholders in the DCB ecosystem to bring scalable digital products to their subscribers. 

Across his 15+ years in the DCB ecosystem, he has worked extensively with Telecom operators spreading across APAC, MENA, and EU building cutting-edge mobile-first products, bringing brands closer to the DCB paywall, and enabling strategies within the realm of responsible digital marketing and driving user value to measurable profits.  

Additionally, at Hyve he is busy building a “house of brands” that offers major brands, OTTs, and content enablers to connect to white-labeled subscription paywalls for seamless checkouts, customer acquisition, and well-rounded customer subscription lifecycle management. 

Outside work, Arun spends most of his time with his wife and twin boys, playing competitive club-level cricket and supporting Arsenal as they seek their first Premier League title in 20 years! 

Pierre is the Director of Programs at AF2M (Association Française pour le développement de services et usages Multimédias Multiopérateurs). With over 15 years of experience in the telecommunications and digital services industry, Pierre plays a crucial role in coordinating self-regulation initiatives on the French market. His work ensures sustainable growth by protecting consumers while fostering innovation. Before joining AF2M, he managed large-scale transformation projects as a business consultant, bringing expertise in process optimization, operational performance, and customer relations. Pierre is based in Paris, France. 

Mohamed Benhamadi is Telecoming’s Managing Director – Business Development. He has a solid international career spending over 20 years in the digital entertainment industry for multinational companies. Today, he leads the creation and distribution of innovative mobile services through mobile operators. 

Peter Garside is a Mobile Payments and Digital ID API specialist, with 2 decades of successful experience in strategy, regulation, negotiation, sales, and team leadership.  Peter is Head of Charge to Bill and Digital ID APIs at EE, responsible for customer spend with 3rd party organisations, whilst also protecting customers against fraud.  He specializes in mobile technologies and regularly attends and speak at events showing thought leadership and direction in the field of monetisation of APIs.  A strong believer in the power of a positive attitude in the workplace, Peter relentlessly looks for, and finds, better ways to work and more successful strategies for growth. 

Since 2022, Théophile has led Telecoming’s activity in France, Belgium and Swiss as Operations Director. He is heading the growth, connectivity and marketing strategy of Telecoming services in Western Europe. 

Before that, he worked as Telecoming’s Business Analyst, leading the company’s most cutting-edge projects. His studies at ESCP Europe Master in Management Grande École Programme, specialising in IoT, endorse his professional career in technology. 

With over 20 years of experience in carrier billing, Frank has spent the last decade serving as the regulator for the Dutch market at the foundation responsible for publishing the Code of Conduct (Stichting Gedragscode Mobiele Diensten).  

Collaborating closely with the board and foundation members, Frank has played a key role in successfully eliminating fraud from the Dutch carrier billing market through the enhancement of regulations, as well as rigorous monitoring and control measures.