As the communications industry continues to evolve rapidly and converge into a broader digital services industry, the TM Forum has continued to expand its scope, reflected in its recent appointment of seven new Directors from some of the world’s most influential companies to its Board. The new Directors represent a variety of sectors and reflect the Forum’s quickly expanding membership and bring a wealth of knowledge to strengthen an already stellar Board group that covers communications, IT, Web, media, defense and enterprise sectors. The Board sets strategy, direction and priorities for TM Forum’s work programs on behalf of its 900-plus member companies.

The new appointees to TM Forum’s Board of Directors are:

• Per Borgklint, senior vice president and head of Business Unit Multimedia, Ericsson
• Bob De Haven, general manager, Communications and Media, Microsoft Corp.
• Erik Hoving, chief strategy, innovation and technology officer, KPN Group
• Phil Jordan, group chief information officer, Telefónica SA
• Tony Kerrison, chief technology officer, Global Wholesale Banking, Bank of America
• David Laker, global senior vice president, Industries, Salesforce.com
• Rami Schwartz, president, Products Business Group, Amdocs

They join the existing Directors listed at the end of this release.

“In the fast-paced, highly competitive digital world, visionary leadership is a key to success. True leaders must envision and predict market evolution and adapt accordingly,” said Keith Willetts, chairman, TM Forum. “Our Board brings a wealth of experience in technology, strategy and business development to the Forum. Their appointments are critical to address the continually evolving needs of our membership base, as the industry morphs into the rapidly growing digital economy.”

As a not-for-profit organization, TM Forum’s Board of Directors represents a balance of member industry sectors and geographies through highly experienced senior executives, the majority of whom represent service providers. Board members are appointed by TM Forum’s members at the Annual Meeting of Members based on a slate of nominees proposed by the Board’s Nominating Committee. Detailed oversight of the Forum is devolved to the Board’s Executive Committee.

TM Forum announced the new members at Management World Americas, held Dec. 3-6 at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Fla. Please see TM Forum’s News Room for the latest news from Management World Americas and more.

Existing Board Members:

• Liu Aili, executive vice president and board member, China Mobile Communications
• David Burton, chief technology officer and director Allied Command Transformation, NATO
• Alpna J. Doshi, chief information officer, Reliance Communications
• Fari Ebrahimi, senior vice president and chief information officer, Verizon Services Operations
• Mark Francis, vice president, Operations, AT&T
• Bhaskar Gorti, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle
• Albert Hitchcock, group chief information officer, Vodafone
• Dr. Che Haiping, chief technology officer, Huawei Software
• Michael Lawrey, executive director, Defence Engagement, Telstra Corp.
• Karl Penaluna, president, 21st Century Transformation Program, BT Group
• Don Rae, senior vice president, Group Business Development and Regional Operations, Axiata Group Berhad
• Scott Stainken, general manager, Global Telecommunications Industry, IBM
• Pascal Viginier, executive vice president and group chief information officer, France Telecom-Orange
• Dean Walters, chief information officer and managing director, UPC Liberty Global

About TM Forum

TM Forum is a global, non-profit association focused on enabling service provider agility and innovation. As an established thought-leader in complex service management, the Forum serves as a unifying force across industries, enabling more than 900 member companies to solve critical business issues through access to a wealth of knowledge, practical tools, best practices and standards.

The Forum provides a fair and safe environment for collaboration across the value-chain to overcome the barriers to a vibrant, open digital economy. We help member companies of all sizes gain a competitive edge by enabling efficiency and agility in their IT and operations while protecting competitive differentiation. For more information about TM Forum, visit www.tmforum.org.