06 November, 2015

ETNO Member & Observer Joint Statement

A stronger ETNO to support reform for the Digital Single Market

Leading EU telcos appoint new Director General and welcome BT Group to the Association

Europe’s leading telecom operators met in Sofia for the 49th General Assembly of the ETNO Association. The gathering – chaired by ETNO member and leading Bulgarian telecom operator VIVACOM – appointed Ms Lise Fuhr as the Association’s new Director-General and welcomed the leading communication services company BT as a new member.

As per the statutes, the General Assembly also elected ETNO’s Executive Board Chairman for a 1-year term. Mr Steven Tas, Director Regulatory at Proximus, was re-elected as Chairman for 2016.

Lise Fuhr appointed as new Director-General

The ETNO office teamThe General Assembly has appointed Ms Lise Fuhr as ETNO’s new Director-General as from January 2016. In her role as Director-General, she will be in charge of leading the ETNO office and represent the Association in Brussels and beyond.

Lise is currently Chief Operating Officer of DK Hostmaster and DIFO, the company managing the .dk domain name. In the period September 2014 – December 2015 she also chaired the Cross Community Working Group for the IANA Stewardship Transition, building on her strong network within the internet community.

Lise has 10+ years of experience in the telecoms industry. She started her career at the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation (1996-2000), where she wrote and implemented regulation for the telecommunication markets. After that, she worked for the telecoms operator Telia Networks (2000-2009), where she led various teams dealing with issues as diverse as interconnection agreements, mobile services and industry cooperation.

Lise is a Danish national. She is 47 years old and she has two children, aged 18 and 21 respectively.

The ETNO Executive Board said in a statement: “Lise Fuhr has a unique experience in tech and telecoms, having worked on both the commercial and policy side of the digital economy.  She is the right person to lead the contribution of the telecoms industry to EU digital reform at such a crucial time.

Lise Fuhr commented: “ETNO is a strong and well recognised membership organisation. I am looking forward to serving the members at such interesting times.  EU digital reform is a unique opportunity for the industry to work with the Commission in order to find a sustainable path leading to innovation and investment.

BT joining ETNO

BT Group will join ETNO as from 1st January 2016. ETNO’s General Assembly has also approved the appointment of BT to the Executive Board of the Association. The Executive Board is the body that provides strategic guidance to the Association.

The ETNO Executive Board said: “ETNO members welcome the election of BT as a new member of the Association. We share a common objective: promoting pro-innovation and pro-investment reform to support a competitive Digital Single Market in Europe.

BT Group said: “BT is committed to competitive markets where innovation can flourish, and where investment is encouraged. We look forward to working with ETNO members across the full range of policy challenges as Europe looks to deepen and broaden the Digital Single Market.

BT is one of the world’s leading communication services companies, serving the needs of customers in the UK and in more than 170 countries worldwide. Their main activities include the provision of fixed-line services, broadband, mobile and TV products and services as well as networked IT services.

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Read an exclusive interview with Atanas Dobrev, CEO of Vicacom – the host of this year’s General Assembly

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