People

Kaisu Karvala
Chair GSM Europe
President TeliaSonera Brussels

Kaisu Karvala has over 10 years of experience in telecommunications in International business environment both from the vendor and the operator side. Since TeliaSonera merger in 2003, Kaisu became a member of TeliaSonera Groups Corporate and Public Affairs team as Vice President Brussels. In March 2005 she was nominated President TeliaSonera Brussels and general manager of TeliaSonera s.p.r.l., the limited company TeliaSonera Group has in Belgium.

Since May 2001, Kaisu was nominated Director of Corporate and Regulatory affairs and EU-representation reporting to the Executive Management Team of Sonera Corporation. She acted as the Spokesman of the Corporation in Brussels and was a member of the management team for corporate communications, IR and marketing . In 1995, when Finland joined the European Union, Kaisu started working at the European Parliament as TLC advisor for Finnish MEPs. When joining Sonera Corporation in 1998, she was responsible of the wireless service concept development unit.

Kaisu Karvala is based in Brussels and she holds a Master of Science from the University of Turku, Finland and a CEP from IEP d´Aix-en-Provence, France. Kaisu started her career as a free lance journalist.

Kaisu is the chair of the biggest European wireless operator community, GSM Europe.

Jan Krancke
Vice-Chair GSM Europe

Dr. Jan Krancke is Vice President Regulatory Economics at T-Mobile International and responsible for all economic issues related to regulatory and competition law proceedings. Furthermore he is in charge of various strategic projects, e.g. for regulatory issues in the context of IP and NGN, as well as representing T-Mobile within the GSMA/E and at EU-level.

Before that Jan worked in the "European Affairs" department of Deutsche Telekom and as economic research associate at the Kiel Institute of World Economics, Germany. He is an economist by education and holds a doctorate degree from the University of Kiel.

Kiki Walravens
Manager GSM Europe, GSM Association

In her day-to-day work Kiki is responsible for drafting and implementing the Communications Plan in close cooperation with the GSME Chair, Working Group Chairs and GSME Director. Amongst other tasks Kiki coordinates contacts with European journalists, drafts regular press releases in cooperation with GSMA Communications Director, monitors the GSME website, revises communications material, e.a. In her role she also organizes the GSME Seminars, Conferences and Workshops in cooperation with the GSME Director. Her main focus lies in promoting GSM Europe towards EU-officials.

Previously Kiki worked at Sonera Belgium in a Marketing Communications function, where she was responsible for implementing the Communications Strategy and launching Marketing Campaigns in close cooperation with the Management Team and the International Brand Marketing Director. To these means she cooperated with large and small Advertising Agencies, Communications and Event Agencies. She represented Sonera at Fairs and various Events. In her role she was the point of contact for the Belgium press.

Before joining Sonera Kiki coordinated and promoted the Education Department for UB Networks/Newbridge where she reported to the Director of Global Education Services.

Kiki holds a Degree in Marketing and Advertising from VUB/Business School Solvay and holds a Master in translation, specializing in French and Russian.

Steve Jordan
Chairman GSM Europe Regulatory Working Group (REG)
Head of Regulatory Strategy O2 (UK) Limited


Biography will appear here

Simon Wilson
Chairman GSM Europe Frequency Working Group (FREQ)
Spectrum Policy Manager, Telefónica O2 Europe

I have been an active member of FREQ since its inception, and also participate in the work of GSMA/SMG. My role in the Telefónica Group as Spectrum Policy Manager for Telefónica O2 Europe requires me to maintain an active interest in all spectrum related topics in Europe, and this leads to my within the Commission's spectrum bodies (including the RSC and RSPG participation in several CEPT working groups (including PT1, SE42 and TG3) as well as tracking issues). I would hope to be able to contribute to the continuing development and enhancement of the reputation of GSME, especially as it becomes linked more closely within the GSMA in 2007.

With my previous employer I was responsible for radio matters within the UK electronics trade association, which also included responsibility for the Secretariat of the UMTS Forum. My continuing participation in GSME FREQ as Chair would have the full support of the Telefónica Group.

Ciara Farren
Vice Chair GSM Europe Frequency Working Group (FREQ)
Regulatory Affairs Manager, Meteor Mobile Communications

Ciara Farren joined Meteor Mobile Communications in July 2006 as Regulatory Affairs Manager, focusing on European affairs and spectrum management.

Before joining Meteor, Ciara worked with the Irish telecommunications regulator, ComReg, as International Affairs Executive.

A Politics graduate from The Queen's University Belfast, Ciara also holds a Masters in Economics and Public Policy from Trinity College Dublin, and a Masters in European Integration from the University of Limerick.

Robert Cooper
Vice Chair GSM Europe Frequency Working Group (FREQ)
Technology Strategy Team, T-Mobile (UK)

Robert Cooper works in the Planning and Engineering department of T-Mobile concentrating on Technical/Regulatory issues affecting the Cellular Industry. Before joining T-Mobile, Robert worked for the UK Regulator Ofcom (formerly Radiocommunications Agency) where he had the responsibility for leading the UK delegations to ECC PT1 and ITU-R WP8F.

Elin Nolsøe Stenberg
Chair GSM Europe M-Commerce Working Group (MCOM)
Head of EU-affairs & MCO Co-ordination, Orange Group

Elin Nolsøe Stenberg has worked within mobile telecommunications for more than 9 years. First in marketing as a product manager, developing IVRs and the first SMS content based services in the very competitive environment of the Danish telecommunications market. From there she moved on to become responsible for regulatory affairs including negotiation of national roaming and interconnection agreements. Working from early on in a converged operator environment, she is also accustomed to deal with regulatory issues of that of a fixed operator as well as an ISP and has extensive experience with managing working groups across industry players. Since 2006, Elin is heading the EU Affairs team of Orange Group out of London.

Krisztina Baracsi
Vice Chair GSM Europe M-Commerce Working Group (MCOM)
Telenor, Public and Governmental Affairs

Krisztina Baracsi joined Telenor's Public and Governmental Affairs unit in Brussels in 2005 where she is responsible for EU regulatory/legal affairs, with special emphasis on m-payments, content regulation and IPR, data protection, and consumer related issues. Prior to that she worked as director general in the Hungarian Ministry of Informatics and Telecommunication responsible for telecommunications, IT and postal regulation. Before joining the ministry, she worked for several years as a senior advisor in the regulatory department of Pannon GSM, Telenor's mobile subsidiary in Hungary.

Krisztina holds a degree in law and political science from the University of Pécs in Hungary. Besides her native Hungarian she is fluent in English and German.

Alan Freeman
Chairman GSM Europe Health & Environment Working Group 
Environmental Policy Manager, mmO2 plc, United Kingdom

Alan Freeman is a Chartered Engineer and a Member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. Alan’s role is to lead on both near end and far end technical and commercial aspects of RF health and its environmental impact for the O2 Group operating businesses. He has been responsible for this area for the last four years. His current responsibilities include RF health / environmental policy, codes of practice, RF health research funding and providing RF related health / technical advice and briefing across O2.
 
He has recently taken on the role of Chairman of the GSM Europe Health & Environment Working Group and is also Chairman of the operator RF Compliance Working Group under the Mobile Operators Association in the UK.
 
Alan has worked in the mobile radio field for over 20 years and during that time has been responsible for network strategy, planning and implementation.

Lars Kindervater
Vice Chair, GSM Europe Health & Environment Working Group
Senior Manager Public Affairs, Deutsche Telekom AG, Group Headquarters

Lars joined in August 2008 Deutsche Telekom Group's Public & Regulatory Affairs department where he works on public and regulatory issues in a national and international context.
Before joining this position Lars worked five years for Deutsche Telekom's mobile division T-Mobile International on same subjects and two years for T-Mobile Germany's technology department on Electromagnetic Fields (EMF). His duties there were risk and political communications towards European, national, regional and local governments and NGOs.

Previously, during university studies, Lars was in charge of the Bonn (then German capital) office of a German Member of Parliament for nearly five years on half-day basis.

Lars graduated (Master of Arts) in Political Science, European and International Law and Modern History at the University of Bonn. Furthermore he holds a Master of European Studies of the Center for European Integrations Studies (ZEI). He is fluent in English and German.