MEF Executive Questionnaire #23: Thomas Clayton, Bubble Motion

MEF continues to seek new ways to profile its members and promote the thought-leadership of the senior executives within these companies. We are pleased to launch the MEF Executive Questionnaire to reveal the real people behind the industry in an informal and entertaining manner.

This will be a regular feature of the MEF blog, so make sure you subscribe via email or RSS. If you are a senior executive from one of our member companies and would like to be featured then please contact MEF Marketing Director, Stephen Jenkins.

The twenty second in the series is from Thomas Clayton, CEO of Bubble Motion.

MEF Executive Questionnaire #17: Ryan Wuerch, Motricity

MEF continues to seek new ways to profile its members and promote the thought-leadership of the senior executives within these companies. We are pleased to launch the MEF Executive Questionnaire to reveal the real people behind the industry in an informal and entertaining manner.

This will be a regular feature of the MEF blog, so make sure you subscribe via email or RSS. If you are a senior executive from one of our member companies and would like to be featured then please contact MEF Marketing Director, Stephen Jenkins.

The seventeenth in the series is from Ryan Wuerch, CEO at Motricity.
1. Please describe briefly your main company activities and your role within that organisation
As Chief Executive Officer & Founder of Motricity, a leading provider of mobile Internet solutions and services, I am responsible for the overall success of our company. I’m closely involved in the day-to-day activities of Motricity, meeting with customers and employees to keep abreast of their needs but I’m also responsible for the vision and am accountable to our board of directors and investors. I participate in a number of industry forums such as the CTIA Wireless Foundation, the Washington Roundtable, a non-profit, public policy organization comprised of chief executives representing major private sector employers throughout Washington state, and as an ambassador for the Internet Innovation Alliance.

2. Without necessarily revealing any confidential information, please outline the principal business models your company uses
Motricity has a diversified, recurring revenue model with high predictability and visibility. Contracts typically consist of a fixed fee Professional Services engagement related to the initial customization and implementation of our mCore solution and the development of unique personalized services, coupled with Managed Services, for which we charge fixed, periodic or variable, activity-based fees, or a combination of both.

3. What has been your company’s greatest achievement to-date?

We’re proud of our heritage as a global leader in mobile data solutions, of our ongoing business with some of the largest carriers and enterprises in the world, of our ability to complete a successful IPO in the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression and of our continued expansion into developing markets around the world.

4. What is your company currently working on that is going to move the industry forward?
According to Yankee Group, the worldwide market for mobile content delivery platforms is expected to grow from $2.9 billion in 2009 to $4.3 billion in 2013. This represents an enormous opportunity for Motricity and the mobile industry at large. We plan to leverage our deep experience in working with the leading carriers in North America to capitalize on this global opportunity. Our solutions are designed to scale with the high growth anticipated in mobile data services and we will empower the world’s largest carriers to take full advantage of the growth they are currently experiencing. Motricity is gaining traction in emerging markets and intends to continue expanding in these areas, helping carriers in Southeast Asia, India and Latin America bridge a divide by bringing the Internet to millions via mobile devices.

5. What is exciting you most in 2010 (either personally or professionally)?
On a professional level, I’m excited to be where we are today. Motricity, along with its carrier customers, is sitting at the center of mobile Internet ecosystem. With a near doubling in growth predicted in mobile data over the next 3 years, our industry is at a major inflection point and we’re excited to be a part of that change. On a personal note, I’m training for the 2010 Standard Chartered Marathon in Singapore in December.

6. What is the most important piece of technology in your life?
Without a doubt my cell phone. I have it at all times and it has the power to give me the information I need at the moment I need it, no matter where I am.

7. What mobile device(s) do you use?
I currently use the Blackberry Bold.

8. What’s your favorite application?
Ascendo Data Vault allows me to comfortably host all of my passwords in one location and
att.net gives me a graphically rich mobile Internet solution with a great user experience for all of the information and content I want, making att.net my ‘must have’ front door to the mobile Internet.

9. What’s your ringtone?
I actually keep my phone on vibrate to be conscious of people around me while I am sitting in meetings, meeting with customers, and interacting in normal business day as usual.

10. Which mobile industry blogs do you regularly read and why?
Among my list of frequently visited sites are Wired, Fierce Wireless, Forbes, and MarketWatch. It is important to stay abreast of general business as well as industry news.

11. What is the biggest mobile content issue that is likely to affect the industry within the next 12 months?
Our biggest challenge in the coming year is transforming the online experience for the mobile environment. The mobile Internet is extremely complex and this is a symptom of a larger problem; as an industry we have yet to effectively optimize the Internet for the mobile experience. The mobile Internet is brimming with content, yet none of it is easy to find. There are disparate operating systems, devices and applications which may or may not work well together. At Motricity, we’re working with our carrier customers to simplify these issues and build a better mobile Internet for consumers.

12. Which other MEF member organisation do you most admire?

• Bharti Airtel Ltd
• Getjar Networks
• Nokia
• Singapore Telecommunications Limited
• Tata Teleservices Ltd
• Telefonica
• Telenor

MEF Executive Questionnaire #16: Ken Fenyo, YOU Technology

MEF continues to seek new ways to profile its members and promote the thought-leadership of the senior executives within these companies. We are pleased to launch the MEF Executive Questionnaire to reveal the real people behind the industry in an informal and entertaining manner.

This will be a regular feature of the MEF blog, so make sure you subscribe via email or RSS. If you are a senior executive from one of our member companies and would like to be featured then please contact MEF Marketing Director, Stephen Jenkins.

The sixteenth in the series is from Ken Fenyo, CEO at YOU Technology.


1. Please describe briefly your main company activities and your role within that organisation
YOU Technology revolutionizes the way brands and retailers connect with consumers by delivering personalized communications in real-time and across a range of media. Customers such as Kroger, General Mills, P&G, and Unilever use YOU Technology for paperless digital coupons, interactive promotions, and end-to-end loyalty programs. I am CEO of the company.

2. Without necessarily revealing any confidential information, please outline the principal business models your company uses
We typically charge the CPG to create and deliver marketing programs. For paperless coupons, we use a performance based pricing model which the CPG paying a fee for each coupon downloaded. For promotions and loyalty programs we typically charge a set up fee with monthly hosting depending on the scope and duration of the program.

3. What has been your company’s greatest achievement to-date?
We pioneered direct to card, paperless digital coupons with the launch of P&G eSaver at Kroger in November 2007. Since then, we have delivered over 40 million paperless coupons to shoppers across 4,500 stores nationwide. With paperless coupons, shoppers can find and download offers to their loyalty card via the Internet, email, mobile phones, or in-store devices and automatically receive their savings at checkout without having to clip or print offers.

4. What is your company currently working on that is going to move the industry forward?
We are continuing to innovate with new delivery methods for coupons and promotions (in particular mobile using both smart phone applications and SMS) and new methods for analyze consumer behaviour to better personalize offers and programs.

5. What is exciting you most in 2010 (either personally or professionally)?
Rapid growth in mobile smart phones and location-based technologies.

6. What is the most important piece of technology in your life?
Laptop

7. What mobile device(s) do you use?
iPhone 4, Blackberry

8. What’s your favourite application?
Google Maps

9. What’s your ringtone?
Right now, dog barking (thanks to my 11 year old daughter)

10. Which mobile industry blogs do you regularly read and why?
I read TechCrunch and GigaOm but don’t read many mobile specific blogs.

11. What is the biggest mobile content issue that is likely to affect the industry within the next 12 months?
For couponing, getting enough CPGs to begin providing mobile coupons to make the service interesting for consumers. This will require in part more retailers to sign on to accept mobile couponing (primarily by integrating with POS but perhaps also via bar code scanning and other technology).

12. Which other MEF member organisation do you most admire?
Impact Mobile (one of our partners)

MEF Executive Questionnaire #12: Rafaela Furtado, Abril Digital

MEF continues to seek new ways to profile its members and promote the thought-leadership of the senior executives within these companies. We are pleased to launch the MEF Executive Questionnaire to reveal the real people behind the industry in an informal and entertaining manner.

This will be a regular feature of the MEF blog, so make sure you subscribe via email or RSS. If you are a senior executive from one of our member companies and would like to be featured then please contact MEF Marketing Director, Stephen Jenkins.

The twelfth in the series is from Rafaela Furtado of Abril Digital.

1. Please describe briefly your main company activities and your role within that organisation

Abril is the largest magazine publisher in Brazil and one of the largest media companies in Latin America. Abril publishes six of the top ten magazine titles in Brazil. The focus for growth is on digital projects by Abril Digital under the umbrella of www.abril.com.br. Services include internet portals, mobile applications, mobile content and new-generation social network services.

My role is to bring digital/mobile initiatives to the company and provide innovative solutions to effectively deliver Abril’s content to the mobile users.

2. Without necessarily revealing any confidential information, please outline the principal business models your company uses
Abril leads the magazine market in terms of both circulation and advertising. The Abril Group has its own operations for distribution of magazines and volumes in the news-stands and sales stands in the outlets. In the mobile business, the revenues come from the Abril’s content distributed/billed by the mobile carriers to the users.

3. What is your company currently working on that is going to move the industry forward?

The Abril Group is one of the biggest and most influential communication groups in Latin America, providing information, culture, education and entertainment for practically every sector of the population, and integrated in an array of other media platforms. Abril was the pioneer in the subscription TV sector with the launching of TVA, the first to offer digital TV, wide band internet and Voip in the country. MTV was the first segmented TV in Brazil, launched in 1990. Abril also plays an important role in the internet market, providing exclusive access to more than 80 sites for all subscribers.

In the mobile sector, Digital Abril is the branch of the Group responsible for Abril’s new digital business and developing products, contents and services in platforms and in formats that surpass expectations of this new public, being pioneer in wireless services since 2000, offering more than 160 products under 32 Abril brands, available through all mobile carriers in Brazil.

4. What is the most important piece of technology in your life?

The chip and the mobile phone

5. What mobile device(s) do you use?

Nokia and BlackBerry

6. What’s your favourite application?

Twitter

7. What’s your ringtone?

Moby – In My Heart

8. Which mobile industry blogs do you regularly read and why?

Mobile Marketer, Teleco, M&M, Update or Die, among others.

9. What is the biggest mobile content issue that is likely to affect the industry within the next 12 months?

Premium Content X 80% pre-paid mobile users base X open mobile internet. How to manage to offer free content in a very immature market for m-advertising?

MEF Executive Questionnaire #11: Oliver Wimmeroth, The Venista Group

MEF continues to seek new ways to profile its members and promote the thought-leadership of the senior executives within these companies. We are pleased to launch the MEF Executive Questionnaire to reveal the real people behind the industry in an informal and entertaining manner.

This will be a regular feature of the MEF blog, so make sure you subscribe via email or RSS. If you are a senior executive from one of our member companies and would like to be featured then please contact MEF Marketing Director, Stephen Jenkins.

The eleventh in the series is from Oliver Wimmeroth, Managing Director of The Venista Group.

1. Please describe briefly your main company activities and your role within that organisation
A fast-moving global player focusing on growth, success and ease of use, Venista is an international company promoting mobile entertainment services. It was founded in 2004 and started operating in the United Kingdom and Spain. Today, it operates in a total of 22 markets and counting.

2. Without necessarily revealing any confidential information, please outline the principal business models your company uses
Venista offers a variety of content services (video downloads, ringtone, music, competition, quiz).

3. What has been your company’s greatest achievement to-date?

Profitable growth since its first year of operation and independence from any third party.

4. What is your company currently working on that is going to move the industry forward?
Drive the effort to promote mobile entertainment services in a growing number of international markets, setting a standard of commercial success paired with customer satisfaction and compliance.

5. What is exciting you most in 2010 (either personally or professionally)?
Our company’s expansion with new operations being set up in a variety of places such as Southeast Asia, Latin America and India.

6. What is the most important piece of technology in your life?
My Noise-Cancelling Headphones

7. What mobile device(s) do you use?
Apple iPhone

8. What’s your favourite application?
Angry Birds

9. What’s your ringtone?
iPhone Strum

10. Which mobile industry blogs do you regularly read and why?

• Mobile Entertainment
• Mobile Zeitgeist
• GoMoNews
• Textually

11. What is the biggest mobile content issue that is likely to affect the industry within the next 12 months?
Inventing mobile services with a high value for the client – especially sustainable subscription services

12. Which other MEF member organisation do you most admire?
Playboy Media – because they simply get the best writers.

MEF Executive Questionnaire #10: Claire Boonstra, co-founder of Layar

MEF continues to seek new ways to profile its members and promote the thought-leadership of the senior executives within these companies. We are pleased to launch the MEF Executive Questionnaire to reveal the real people behind the industry in an informal and entertaining manner.

This will be a regular feature of the MEF blog, so make sure you subscribe via email or RSS. If you are a senior executive from one of our member companies and would like to be featured then please contact MEF Marketing Director, Stephen Jenkins.

The tenth in the series is from Claire Boonstra, co-founder of Layar.

1. Please describe briefly your main company activities and your role within that organisation
Layar is an open Augmented Reality (AR) platform and browser on which every company can create their own AR experiences. Digital information, like houses for sale, 3D models of ancient constructions or games (all called 'layers') are displayed on top of reality via the camera of the mobile phone. Nearly 500 layers are already live, 2000 layers in development and already 3000 companies and organizations worldwide are creating layers; 1.3 million people have already installed and used the browser (numbers per April 1st 2010). The Layar Reality browser is available for all Android phones, the iPhone 3GS and soon also on Symbian devices and other mobile platforms equipped with a GPS and compass. I am one of the co-founders and VP Content and Community.

2. Without necessarily revealing any confidential information, please outline the principal business models your company uses
Layar is now focused on building distribution through handset manufacturers like LG and Samsung and mobile carriers which is different per country. By the end of 2010 Layar will run on tens of millions of mobile phones. As of April 2010, we start offering paid layers. This means that publishers and game developers or any one who has valueable content and wants to monetize it via Layar, can do so. This is next to the already existing free layers. Also we have the Pay for Prominence program with which publishers can ensure to get the attention of the users resulting in traffic.

3. What has been your company’s greatest achievement to-date?
We started the company 10 months ago, on June 16th 2009, with 3 founders and a developer. We have seen tremendous growth, leading to VC funding of 2,5 million euro, 32 employees and 3000 companies worldwide who are using Layar, making money and turning into an industry itself. Layar gets a lot of attention from the international press; ranging from CNN, Business Week, the New York Times to Fast Company and Wired Magazine. Both on and offline. We are extremely proud of the prestigious awards we've won so far, including the MEF award for 'best startup in mobile entertainment'.

We consider our biggest achievement the distribution deals we have closed. Samsung pre-installs Layar globally on tens of millions of devices and advertises Layar on TV and in other media. Verizon and Sprint in the USA show off their devices with Layar on it and advertise as well. This brings Augmented Reality directly to the masses and enables brands and agencies to reach their users and customers.

4. What is your company currently working on that is going to move the industry forward?
Our mission is to provide people a 360 degree vision of their context, resulting in discovery, serendipity and fun experiences. Layar is bridging the gap between the online (internet) and offline world (your reality) - by showing you things you normally can't see. With Layar you can see how for example Rome used to look like 2000 years ago, or see a future builing in 3D displayed on top of its construction site. Our open platform is accessible to everybody with great content or ideas. For free.

5. What is exciting you most in 2010 (either personally or professionally)?
2010 is the year when Augmented Reality becomes mainstream. After over 40 years of development in R&D labs, today's mobile phones make it possible for everybody to experience AR. What's exciting me most, personally, is that we as a Layar team have the tools in our hands to help open this new medium. We are only at the very first stages of its development, but it is going to be big. Huge.

6. What is the most important piece of technology in your life?
My mobile phone. By far. I get extremely nervous when my phone is too far away from me - or when I'm not sure if I actually took it with me. Taking a look at 'what's new' through my mobile phone is the last thing I do before I go to sleep and the first thing I do when I wake up - that is, after having kissed my Love goodnight or goodmorning.

7. What mobile device(s) do you use?
I currently use a Motorola Milestone (Droid), awaiting the Nexus One and Samsung Galaxy S. Often also use an iPhone 3GS.

8. What’s your favourite application?
Apps or mobile sites I use most are Gmail, Twitdroid (twitter client), several news sites, a Sudoku game and Layar. Most fun app is on the iPhone: "Talking Carl". A cartoon Robot who repeats everything you say in a high pitched Robot voice. Fun and laughter guaranteed and a great showoff...

9. What’s your ringtone?
I have no idea - but I usually put my ringtone on low volume or silent or 'vibrate' only. I'm more and more using 'a-synchronous' communication: when I decide it's a good moment to talk. I love Skype or other VOIP systems for that - you can first see if someones available/ check if it's a good moment to talk. And then talk. Or I chat/ message/ tweet.

10. Which mobile industry blogs do you regularly read and why?
My regular round of industry blogs includes Techmeme, Techcrunch, ReadWriteWeb, Gizmodo, Fastcompany, Springwise, etc - for the general stuff. In mobile space there are a good amount of Dutch blogs, including iPhoneclub.nl and Mobilecowboys.nl. And I read a lot of Augmented Reality blogs: GamesAlfresco, UgoTrade, AugmentedPlanet. But most of all, I use Twitter to be updated. I have standard searches on 'Layar' and 'Augmented Reality' which I check multiple times a day; including my own @ replies and those of colleagues and friends.

11. What is the biggest mobile content issue that is likely to affect the industry within the next 12 months?
Most organizations going Mobile have Web experience and will have to start to understand this new medium, which has completely different characteristics from web and TV. On mobile, 'viewing time' and 'amount of clicks' is not always a success indicator. Mobile is also about 'helping people out quickly', 'snacking' and 'waiting softeners'. Mobile usage is short yet intense. And yes, mobile is a 'personal' medium but this doesn't mean that it is always effective to target 'personally'. I am for example a businesswoman, a young mother, skifreak and a dancer. But please do NOT address me in my 'young mother role' when I'm in a business context! And 'location': are you close to the Wembley stadium because you're going to see a football match, a rock concert, just passing by in daily commuting traffic or on a nice stroll around the neighbourhood? Most 'mobile' usage is by the way simply at home...

In mobile, it is all about context: where are you, with whom, in what atmosphere, for which occasion. All requiring completely different (mobile) services or entertainment. Many mobile content developers still have to get used to this. But we will all learn...

12. Which other MEF member organisation do you most admire?
I recently found out that another Dutch young company recently joined the MEF: Distimo. They started their company not long before ours - and we've known the founders already from their past jobs. These guys are only in their 20's but have founded a very solid company, addressing the huge demand in reliable mobile usage data. I expect them to become the "Gartner or Forrester of mobile".

MEF Executive Questionnaire #9: James Parton, Head of O2 Litmus at O2 Telefonica

MEF continues to seek new ways to profile its members and promote the thought-leadership of the senior executives within these companies. We are pleased to launch the MEF Executive Questionnaire to reveal the real people behind the industry in an informal and entertaining manner.

This will be a regular feature of the MEF blog, so make sure you subscribe via email or RSS. If you are a senior executive from one of our member companies and would like to be featured then please contact MEF Marketing Director, Stephen Jenkins.

The ninth in the series is from James Parton, Head of O2 Litmus at O2 Telefonica.

1. Please describe briefly your main company activities and your role within that organisation
Telefonica is a global Mobile and Fixed Line Operator. I run Telefonica’s Developer marketing activities

2. Without necessarily revealing any confidential information, please outline the principal business models your company uses
We come up with services that people are willing to part with their hard earned money for. Communications being our heritage, but we are venturing into new areas, for example with O2 Money.

3. What has been your company’s greatest achievement to-date?
At a macro level, a really smart acquisition strategy. Examples being the acquisition of O2, and more recently recognising the need for innovation by acquiring JaJah. At a local UK micro level, refocusing the company to be marketing led, starting with a total obsession on customer experience and customer satisfaction.

4. What is your company currently working on that is going to move the industry forward?
There are some really innovative propositions in development across the company, however it’s not just about new technology, there is an equal focus on providing a consistently outstanding experience from our network and our customer service – the basics that too many companies lose sight of.

5. What is exciting you most in 2010 (either personally or professionally)?
Professionally, that a company with the scale of Telefonica has recognised the potential value in the 3rd party developer market, and is making the necessary investment to capitalise on this opportunity during 2010. I’m very excited at running the global marketing team responsible for bringing this to life.

Personally, nothing as I turn 40 this year so I don’t want to think about it!

6. What is the most important piece of technology in your life?
I’m a total gadget freak, so that is like asking me to pick my favourite child! To avoid upsetting one of them I’ll pick connectivity, because I live online and if I’m not plugged into the net I feel lost!

7. What mobile device(s) do you use?
I swap a lot, but at the moment I’m using a Palm Pre and a Blackberry Bold

8. What’s your favourite application?
Again hard to pick one, but I couldn’t live without Napster To Go as I’m a music obsessive. If that doesn’t quite meet the “app” criteria, then Tweed, Evernote, foursquare, Sky Sports Football Centre are all up there...

9. What’s your ringtone?
Neverland (A Fragment) by The Sisters of Mercy

10. Which mobile industry blogs do you regularly read and why?
Alan Quayle, Telco 2.0, Mashable, VisionMobile, Mobile Industry Review, Venture Beat. Why? So they all buy me a drink the next time they see me ;)

11. What is the biggest mobile content issue that is likely to affect the industry within the next?

Turning Apps from “dumb” to “smart” – read my personal ramblings for more info!

12. Which other MEF member organisation do you most admire?
You have a lot of great member companies, but Getjar leaps off the page – great product and great management team.

MEF Executive Questionnaire #8: Caroline Paul, Marketing Manager at SpeedCast

MEF continues to seek new ways to profile its members and promote the thought-leadership of the senior executives within these companies. We are pleased to launch the MEF Executive Questionnaire to reveal the real people behind the industry in an informal and entertaining manner.

This will be a regular feature of the MEF blog, so make sure you subscribe via email or RSS. If you are a senior executive from one of our member companies and would like to be featured then please contact MEF Marketing Director, Stephen Jenkins.

The eighth in the series is from Caroline Paul, Marketing Manager at SpeedCast.

1. Please describe briefly your main company activities and your role within that organisation.
SpeedCast is a leading satellite telecommunications service provider that offers high-quality managed networks services in over 35 countries in Asia, Middle East and Africa. With 10 international points of presence and 7-teleport-operations, it boasts a unique infrastructure to serve corporate and carriers’ requirements. Operating over 10 VSAT platforms SpeedCast has developed a strong operations expertise and an efficient support organization, which are at the root of SpeedCast’s success. Leveraging the latest satellite technologies, SpeedCast has taken leadership positions in Asia in the provision of reliable and efficient network services to key industries like Cellular networks, Maritime, Banking or Oil & Gas. SpeedCast Ltd is also a pioneer in the delivery of digital media content and turnkey video platforms to Service Providers and Media Broadcasters, including 3G TV and DVB-H based Mobile TV platforms. Operating on many different satellites in both C-band and Ku-band, and partnering with Tier 1 carriers for its fiber requirements, SpeedCast Ltd and its 150 partners worldwide provide first-class services and 24/7 technical support.

2. Without necessarily revealing any confidential information, please outline the principal business models your company uses

• Turnkey solution for Internet Services Providers (content licensing, platform, and service operations)
• OPEX model to limit operators investment
• Centralized platform shared between different customers
• Leverage on our satellite experience to deliver content all over Middle East/Asia

3. What has been your company’s greatest achievement to-date?
Launching Mobile TV Services with 15+ mobile operators.

4. What is your company currently working on that is going to move the industry forward?

• DVB-H platform deployed in partnership with Alcatel Lucent
• Development of SpeedCast white label on device portal and rich media mobile TV service
• Content aggregation (today SpeedCast has signed an agreement with 50+ channels (locals, internationals, and ethnics)
• Launch a solution especially designed for smartphone ( iPhone, Android, Blackberry Windows mobile)

5. What is exciting you most in 2010 (either personally or professionally)?

• 15 additional operators in Asia or Middle East
• Allocation of DVB-H licenses
• Integration of our different services together. (ODP, Mobile TV, Mobile Music…)

6. What is the most important piece of technology in your life?
Interface and ease to use as simplicity is key for service catch up and stickiness.

7. What mobile device(s) do you use?
iPhone and Nokia N95

8. What’s your favourite application?
Mobile TV, SMS, Facebook Mobile, mobile email, currency convertors

9. What’s your ringtone?
Built in

10. Which mobile industry blogs do you regularly read and why?
http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/
http://www.mobilephoneblog.org/
http://www.mobilebusinessbriefing.com/
http://www.mobileinnovation.org/

11. What is the biggest mobile content issue that is likely to affect the industry within the next 12 months?
Local regulations

MEF Executive Questionnaire #7: Jiella Esmat, Sony Pictures

MEF continues to seek new ways to profile its members and promote the thought-leadership of the senior executives within these companies. We are pleased to launch the MEF Executive Questionnaire to reveal the real people behind the industry in an informal and entertaining manner.

This will be a regular feature of the MEF blog, so make sure you subscribe via email or RSS. If you are a senior executive from one of our member companies and would like to be featured then please contact MEF Marketing Director, Stephen Jenkins.

The seventh in the series is from Jiella Esmat, Director Digital Expansion at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

1. Please describe briefly your main company activities and your role within that organisation
I look after cross platform digital distribution across all International markets. This is anything fro traditional licensing to preloads and new format deals for Sony Pictures film and TV content.

2. Without necessarily revealing any confidential information, please outline the principal business models your company uses.
We cover all digital distribution models including DTO, VOD, SVOD and FVOD.

3. What has been your company’s greatest achievement to-date?
I'm not in a position to say, there are many across the various divisions.

4. What is your company currently working on that is going to move the industry forward?
Mobile and cross platform digital initiatives including content licensing and partnerships. DECE, led by Sony, is also a big focus with an effort to standardise entertainment ecosystems and bring vast benefits to the consumer experience.

5. What is exciting you most in 2010 (either personally or professionally)?
The vast array of new mobile devices hitting the market with all incredible new audiovisual functionalities and Connected TVs, enabling consumers to stream content direct to their TV sets. I am also incredibly excited about Android and the vast opportunities it will hold for the industry.

6. What is the most important piece of technology in your life?
My iPhone, Mac and DAB Radio.

7. What mobile device(s) do you use?
iPhone and Blackberry.

8. What’s your favourite application?
Shazam.

9. What’s your ringtone?
Silent.

10. Which mobile industry blogs do you regularly read and why?
I read TechCrunch, PaidContent, Mobile News, and other general technology guides.

11. What is the biggest mobile content issue that is likely to affect the industry within the next 12 months?
DRM & cross functionality with other in-home CE devices.

12. Which other MEF member organisation do you most admire?
Qtel, RIM, Orange.

MEF Executive Questionnaire #6: Javier Lorente, Telefonica

MEF continues to seek new ways to profile its members and promote the thought-leadership of the senior executives within these companies. We are pleased to launch the MEF Executive Questionnaire to reveal the real people behind the industry in an informal and entertaining manner.

This will be a regular feature of the MEF blog, so make sure you subscribe via email or RSS. If you are a senior executive from one of our member companies and would like to be featured then please contact MEF Marketing Director, Stephen Jenkins.

The sixth in the series is from Javier Lorente, Global Project Manager - Mobile Data Group at Telefónica.

1. Please describe briefly your main company activities and your role within that organisation
Well, Telefónica is a well known Tier 1 operator, present in 25 countries, with 260 million customers. It is the 1st International integrated Telco operator by customer base, but also is among the 40 largest companies in the world by market capitalization – all markets.

My role in Telefónica is to deliver worldwide solutions for the Group, in the field of Mobile Data and Contents. I define, set up, and deploy services across all regions.

2. Without necessarily revealing any confidential information, please outline the principal business models your company uses
Telefónica’s main way to monetize its assets is by charging its customers in ‘the phone bill’, but has also other business models in the B2B space and even Venture Capital investments.

3. What has been your company’s greatest achievement to-date?
I think that Telefónica market and financial position is one of the best among the incumbent operators. Telefónica has spread a lot in the last 10 years with very smart strategic investments.

If I have to talk about the market I know better, the Spanish one, I would name the Corporate and prepay mobile services that were quite ahead the market and have allow Spain OB to keep an enviable position.

4. What is your company currently working on that is going to move the industry forward?
Convergence, convergence, convergence. Triple and quadruple play, 3-4 screens…

5. What is exciting you most in 2010 (either personally or professionally)?
This Global role that has brought me to the UK from the sunny Spain and all the movements around applications, where I’m involved are really two interesting challenges for this year!

6. What is the most important piece of technology in your life?
Mobile Phone for sure and the mobile broadband; I’m also fan of digital cameras, and hope to have some day a proper domotic system at home.

7. What mobile device(s) do you use?
Difficult to say, due to my work I used to change twice a month! Now I’m relying on a Touch Screen Samsung and a vintage Pocket PC from HP.

8. What’s your favourite application?
Maps and games

9. What’s your ringtone?
Coldplay or a very freak Spanish band I won’t mention.

10. Which mobile industry blogs do you regularly read and why?
Total Telecom and Telecompaper, they are not only mobile, but sometimes act for me as a one stop shop.

11. What is the biggest mobile content issue that is likely to affect the industry within the next 12 months?
We will see a lot of movement around the Applications, possibly changing the scenario with new announcements. This will be the year for Mobile Store Wars. I’m anxious to know who are the Jedis of this story, who are the Empire and the Rebels… and among all, who is Chewbacca? :)

12. Which other MEF member organisation do you most admire?
I have a deep respect for all organizations participating. All are good in what they do!

MEF Executive Questionnaire #5: Dominic Pride, The Sound Horizon

MEF continues to seek new ways to profile its members and promote the thought-leadership of the senior executives within these companies. We are pleased to launch the MEF Executive Questionnaire to reveal the real people behind the industry in an informal and entertaining manner.

This will be a regular feature of the MEF blog, so make sure you subscribe via email or RSS. If you are a senior executive from one of our member companies and would like to be featured then please contact MEF Marketing Director, Stephen Jenkins.

The fifth in the series is from Dominic Pride, CEO of The Sound Horizon.

1. Please describe briefly your main company activities and your role within that organisation

I’m the founder and CEO of The Sound Horizon, a consultancy which helps our customers create product strategies, manage innovation and come up with new services. When our customers need extra knowledge, brainpower and execution at the same time we’re there for them.

2. Without necessarily revealing any confidential information, please outline the principal business models your company uses.
We’re extremely flexible – as external consultants we have standard day rates - but we also like to have incentives for success, so we’ll also share the risk and upside in concepts we believe in. Our philosophy is to remain nimble, networked and neutral, bringing teams together for specific projects.

3. What has been your company’s greatest achievement to-date?
Going from a blank sheet of paper to getting the product in the hands of the customer in four weeks.

4. What is your company currently working on that is going to move the industry forward?
We’re bringing Agile techniques to the whole of the innovation process – strategy, business modelling, definition and marketing - and not just the build.

5. What is exciting you most in 2010 (either personally or professionally)?
Two things – the idea of the magazine and books industries suddenly “getting” mobile
-location-based services working properly and creating a whole slew of new services

6. What is the most important piece of technology in your life?
I love Douglas Adams’s definition of Technology as “a word that describes something that doesn't work yet." I can’t put my MacBook Pro in that category, but I’m very attached to it.

My favourite service is Dropbox- your documents anywhere. It’s what the cloud was invented for.

Anyone who had one of the first cassette Walkmans will marvel at wearing an iPod shuffle when running or in the gym.

7. What mobile device(s) do you use?
I have a Nokia N97 and an 8GB ipod touch. With a Vodafone 3G dongle I’m also as connected as I need to be when onsite with clients.

8. What’s your favourite application?
Tweetie on the iPhone and Gravity on the N97 are both very clever and robust Twitter clients which keep me on top of my inbound and outbound (@thesoundhorizon) tweets

9. What’s your ringtone?
“Born Slippy” by Underworld. Those first chords take me right back.

10. Which mobile industry blogs do you regularly read and why?
I get quite a few. Tomi Ahonen www.tomiahonen.com always has something insightful to say. Ewan McLeod’s Mobile Industry Review is always trenchant. Strategy Eye and Fierce Mobile Content are great for their take on the daily news.

11. What is the biggest mobile content issue that is likely to affect the industry within the next 12 months?
There’s the high-level issue of fragmentation of OS and platform. We can’t address this soon enough. Innovation and development talent and time are limited and will go where the usage and numbers are greatest.

Then there’s billing. Quite frankly we can’t monetise as a business unless we have painless and cost-effective cross-platform micro-billing.

Oh, and battery life.

12. Which other MEF member organisation do you most admire?
Shazam has had a great ride over the past couple of years and continues to thrive. It’s the app that defined a category and others are now following.

I also met the guys from Layar at the MEF party in Barcelona and glad they’re members. I think they’re on to something great with augmented reality.

MEF Executive Questionnaire #4: Mark Kortekaas, BBC

MEF continues to seek new ways to profile its members and promote the thought-leadership of the senior executives within these companies. We are pleased to launch the MEF Executive Questionnaire to reveal the real people behind the industry in an informal and entertaining manner.

This will be a regular feature of the MEF blog, so make sure you subscribe via email or RSS. If you are a senior executive from one of our member companies and would like to be featured then please contact MEF Marketing Director, Stephen Jenkins.

The fourth in the series is from Mark Kortekaas, Controller Audio & Music & Mobile at the BBC.

1. Please describe briefly your main company activities and your role within that organisation
The BBC exists to enrich people’s lives with great programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain. It provides a wide range of distinctive programmes and services for everyone, free of commercial interests and political bias. They include television, radio, national, local, children’s, educational, language and other services for key interest groups.

My role is to coordinate Mobile and Audio/Music audience facing technology and trends.

2. Without necessarily revealing any confidential information, please outline the principal business models your company uses
We are a public service broadcaster in the UK entirely funded by the UK TV License fee.

3. What has been your company’s greatest achievement to-date?
We have been on mobile for a long time now, what continues to impress us is the increasing monthly usage from our audiences. Some content like sports we all ‘knew’ was going to work well in the space, but the continued usage of long form video via our iPlayer service is something to watch.

4. What is your company currently working on that is going to move the industry forward?
Examining how content moves between mobile, desktop and television in a seamless fashion

5. What is exciting you most in 2010 (either personally or professionally)?
Continued growth of location-aware services

6. What is the most important piece of technology in your life?
Blackberry

7. What mobile device(s) do you use?
N95, Blackberry and iPhone

8. What’s your favourite application?
Mapping, but I’m very impressed with the new google voice search – no more tapping out what you are looking for.

9. What’s your ringtone?
I tend to use what ever the default tone on the device is so I know which unit is ringing

10. Which mobile industry blogs do you regularly read and why?
I am still a bit of a die-hard techy – still watch Slashdot daily as I’ve done for years and hope something there flags me to everything I need to know.

11. What is the biggest mobile content issue that is likely to affect the industry within the next 12 months?
Network capacity issues

12. Which other MEF member organisation do you most admire?
Shazam for helping me figure out what is playing on the radio

MEF Executive Questionnaire #3: Jonathan "JJ" Jowitt, Dolby.

MEF continues to seek new ways to profile its members and promote the thought-leadership of the senior executives within these companies. We are pleased to launch the MEF Executive Questionnaire to reveal the real people behind the industry in an informal and entertaining manner.

This will be a regular feature of the MEF blog, so make sure you subscribe via email or RSS. If you are a senior executive from one of our member companies and would like to be featured then please contact MEF Marketing Director, Stephen Jenkins.

The third in the series is from Jonathan "JJ" Jowitt, Senior Technical Marketing Manager at Dolby Mobile Content Solutions.


1. Please describe briefly your main company activities and your role within that organisation

Dolby is omnipresent in entertainment – in more than just audio. Dolby is: at the heart of all entertainment ; a trusted global brand; an inventor of world-class technologies; delivering end-to-end solutions; committed to listening to our customers and delivering on our promises.

Dolby at a glance:

• 1,168 employees in 13 countries
• Established over 45 years ago
• Dolby technology in over 4.1 billion products
• $720M in revenue FY 2009
• 21.7% CAGR for the past 5 years
• More than 1,600 patents and 640 trademark registrations worldwide
• Nine Academy Awards® and eight Emmys®

My role is to be responsible for driving the penetration and stickiness of Dolby Mobile technologies from a content ecosystem angle. Dolby Mobile is a long-term strategy comprising of handset post-processing technologies for entertainment surround sound playback, codecs, and content preparation tools.

2. Without necessarily revealing any confidential information, please outline the principal business models your company uses:
Technology licensing is Dolby’s primary revenue generator

3. What has been your company’s greatest achievement to-date?
5.1 surround sound – although some might argue it was cassette tape noise reduction!

4. What is your company currently working on that is going to move the industry forward?

• 3D technologies for Cinema, TV and beyond into devices.
• Dolby voice technologies for clearer calls
• And (of course) Mobile HD Surround Sound

5. What is exciting you most in 2010 (either personally or professionally)?
(Of course I have to say) Mobile HD Surround Sound, it’s amazing how immersive sound can compensate for the small screen on devices

6. What is the most important piece of technology in your life?
Mobile phones, Laptop

7. What mobile device(s) do you use?
Nokia N95, Nokia N73, LG Arena, iPhone 3GS

8. What’s your favourite application?
GPS enabled mapping

9. What’s your ringtone?
I was a partner in a small ringtone company, so I have a wide choice. But I tend to assign different tones to different contacts – it helps to know who’s calling when the device is in your pocket. Most favourites are Kill Bill 1 theme and TV them from Terry and June – it makes everybody smile.

10. Which mobile industry blogs do you regularly read and why?
Quite into StrategyEye at the moment. Very personalisable and configurable

11. What is the biggest mobile content issue that is likely to affect the industry within the next 12 months?
The coming of the HD experience in 5.1 sound and pictures. It has the ability to make many lacklustre video/movie related channels achieve mass appeal and become quite addictive

12. Which other MEF member organisation do you most admire?
I still have a warm spot for Orange. I was lucky to have freedom to create products that achieved accolade, whilst not being burdened with too much bureaucracy.

MEF Executive Questionnaire #2: Joe Barrett, Qualcomm

MEF continues to seek new ways to profile its members and promote the thought-leadership of the senior executives within these companies. We are pleased to launch the MEF Executive Questionnaire to reveal the real people behind the industry in an informal and entertaining manner.

This will be a regular feature of the MEF blog, so make sure you subscribe via email or RSS. If you are a senior executive from one of our member companies and would like to be featured then please contact MEF Marketing Director, Stephen Jenkins.

The second in the series is from Joe Barrett, Senior Director Strategic Marketing of Qualcomm, the provider of next-generation mobile technologies that accelerate wireless life.
1. Please describe briefly your main company activities and your role within that organisation
Qualcomm is a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services. Qualcomm’s main businesses are Mobile System Modems, (Chips for mobile phones), Technology Licensing, Mobile Services and Mobile Platforms.

2. Without necessarily revealing any confidential information, please outline the principal business models your company uses
Qualcomm is a licensing, product and services company providing technology to mobile companies and operators to support the expansion and growth of the industry. We invest heavily in Research and Development to bring leading edge solutions to market and support our partners who are developing new devices and services.

3. What has been your company’s greatest achievement to-date?
The global adoption of CDMA based technologies - and BREW, the leading paid for mobile applications store in the industry

4. What is your company currently working on that is going to move the industry forward?
Advance mobile processors and chips that are supporting the convergence of PC Communications and Mobile Connectivity via new device categories such as Smartbooks, eReaders as well as Smartphones and connected laptops.

What is exciting you most in 2010 (either personally or professionally)?
The convergence of computing and communications into new types of devices that will increase the user experience of all services while mobile

6. What is the most important piece of technology in your life?
HSPA+ mobile broadband

7. What mobile device(s) do you use?
Blackberry and Palm Pre – but I change phones often to gain experiences of new devices, features and technologies.

8. What’s your favourite application?
E-mail

9. What’s your ringtone?
Dexy’s Midnight Runners – Come on Eileen. Has been for the past 14 years

10. Which mobile industry blogs do you regularly read and why?
Varies based on topics being discussed

11. What is the biggest mobile content issue that is likely to affect the industry within the next 12 months?
Mobile Video going high definition and the impact on network capacity

MEF Executive Questionnaire #1: Vincent Hoogsteder, Distimo

MEF continues to seek new ways to profile its members and promote the thought-leadership of the senior executives within these companies. We are pleased to launch the MEF Executive Questionnaire to reveal the real people behind the industry in an informal and entertaining manner.

This will be a regular feature of the MEF blog, so make sure you subscribe via email or RSS. If you are a senior executive from one of our member companies and would like to be featured then please contact MEF Marketing Director, Stephen Jenkins.

The first in the series is from Vincent Hoogsteder, Co-Founder and CEO of Distimo, the app store analytics company.

1. Please describe briefly your main company activities and your role within that organisation
Distimo provides in-depth reports for companies interested in the mobile application ecosystem, providing valuable insight into important trends happening within application stores. My role within Distimo is co-founder and CEO.

2. Without necessarily revealing any confidential information, please outline the principal business models your company uses
Our clients are handset manufacturers and carriers worldwide, which we deliver custom reports on the app store market on a subscription basis. Additionally we provide application developers a free tool to monitor their own and competing applications in all app stores.

3. What has been your company’s greatest achievement to-date?
Within a short period of time, we were able to gain a solid position for Distimo in the rapidly developing mobile app market, working with leading handset manufacturers and carriers around the globe.

4. What is your company currently working on that is going to move the industry forward?
We are constantly improving our analyses of the mobile app store market, providing increased transparency for handset manufacturers, carriers and developers. The insights that we deliver will help these companies make well-founded decisions in their mobile content strategies.

5. What is exciting you most in 2010 (either personally or professionally)?
We have a tremendously exciting year ahead. The opportunities for mobile content have never been larger. With over 35 mobile application stores already in the market and a growing number of app store enabled devices, the worldwide consumer reach of mobile content is showing a strong growth path. Everything is in place to bring innovative new mobile content services to the market and it will be great experiencing all the new things to come.

6. What is the most important piece of technology in your life?
My mobile phone, by far.

7. What mobile device(s) do you use?
At Distimo, everybody in the team switches from primary mobile device every few months. This helps us understand better how users experience the various platforms and stores. The devices I used the last few months are the Nokia E71, iPhone and the Android G1.

8. What’s your favourite application?
Shazam

9. What’s your ringtone?
None.

10. Which mobile industry blogs do you regularly read and why?
TechCrunch, GigaOM, VentureBeat. They provide great analyses on everything in Internet & mobile.

11. What is the biggest mobile content issue that is likely to affect the industry within the next 12 months?
Fragmentation of platforms, where developers need to tailor their applications to specific platform or handset versions.

12. Which other MEF member organisation do you most admire?
AdMob; the company heavily impacted the industry in a very short time span.