Anne Bouverot, Director General, GSMA

Anne Bouverot has the distinct honor of being the first woman to head the GSMA, a global wireless association that represents more than 800 wireless operators worldwide.

Bouverot, who has been on the job a little less than one year, has already made her mark on the trade group. Shortly after her appointment she traveled the globe and met with all 24 GSMA board members to learn about their goals for the GSMA and to find out their biggest challenges as wireless operators. She is already using that knowledge to make the GSMA more responsive to its members.

One thing she heard from the board members was that operators want more regional support from the GSMA. With that in mind, she opened GSMA offices Brazil, India and Hong Kong. She also hired a chief strategy officer, Hyunmi Yang, formerly of KT Corp., to work with GSMA members to identify new opportunities that will advance the industry.

Bouverot is intricately familiar with the challenges of today's wireless operators. Before becoming the director general of the GSMA, she was the executive vice president for mobile services for France Telecom Orange. While there, she also served on the board of the GSMA and became familiar with its members.