Sinclair stretches to new major GSMA role

The GSMA has a new interim director general, with chief technology officer Alex Sinclair taking over the reins following the departure of the charismatic Anne Bouverot.

Bouverot announced last March that she would be leaving at the end of July. No full-time replacement has yet been appointed – although it is believed that the process to find a new DG is well-advanced.

Under Bouverot’s leadership the GSMA has grown substantially, opening several regional offices and winning a number of development grants.

Best known for running the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, the GSMA organises a number of smaller trade events, an extensive mobile money programme – which helps operators launch in the developing world – and initiatives such as the Connected Women project, again aimed at the developing world.

“I am very proud of the progress that the GSMA has made in aligning with our members around key industry initiatives, driving forward important advocacy programmes and convening the broad mobile communications ecosystem at leading events such as Mobile World Congress," said Bouverot.

One of the areas the GSMA has done a lot of work is in identity and security – it’s often easier to identify someone from a mobile than identification papers.

Bouverot is leaving to become the chair and CEO of Morpho, which runs identity and security services, and makes biometric devices and bomb-sniffing kit.

Sinclair is very much an industry veteran, having been at the GSMA for ten years. The organisation has not said when it expects the new, full-time, DG to be in place. ®