
This is the final list of nominees for ROCCO IOO 2022
Name | Company | Role |
Adeep Maharaj | MTN GlobalConnect | Manager International Roaming |
Ahmad Daamoush | Antwerp Technologies | CEO |
Aidah Nabukenya | MTN Uganda | Wholesale Analysist |
Alessandro Giacobazzi | Commify Italia Srl | Routing Team |
Alex Pereira | Infobip | Head of Operator Partnership LATAM |
Alexandros Mygdalias | DIMOCO Messaging AG | Carrier Partnerships Manager Procurement |
Andreas Constantinides | Morethan160 | CEO |
Andreas Mann | Vodafone | Principal Product Manager |
Andreas Neocleous | Cyta | CEO |
Andreas Sommerwerk | Deutsche Telekom Laboratories | Service Design Lead |
Andy Gladwin | Cheetah Digital | Global Senior Director, Mobile Go To Market |
Anna Gussmann | Syniverse | Senior Director Customer Products and Industry Relations |
Anurag Aggarwal | Tanla Platforms Limited | Vice President - Partnerships & Alliances |
Arne Casteleyn | MTN Global Connect | MTN Global Connect Roaming hub General Manager |
Atim Akeh-Osu | MTN GlobalConnect | Roaming Wholesale |
Aviram Ronen | Pelephone Israel | Roaming Manager |
Benjamin Zato | MTN Ghana | Manager: International Roaming |
Beverly Reid | MTN GlobalConnect | Wholesale Roaming |
Brian D'Arcy | Anam Technologies Ltd | Chief Commercial Offer |
Bruno Moura | Telefonica Global | Commercial Manager |
Cameron Dunn | AT&T | Global Intercarrier Product Development |
Cedric Gonin | Orange International Carriers | Senior Marketing Director, Global Carriers |
Charles Bernard | ZARIOT | CTO |
Chiamaka Ezeh | MTN Nigeria | Analyst - Roaming Operations.Marketing NG |
Chris Lennartz | IBasis | VP product |
Dario Calogero | Kaleyra | CEO |
David Bishay | Nextgen | Settlement |
David Vigar | Twilio | Director, Alliance Partnerships |
Dawood Ghalaieny | Zariot | CEO |
Deepak Bisht | Sinch | Operator Relations |
Dimitri Repinec | MTN Global Connect | Product Management, Development & Strategy |
Dmitry Strelkov | LANCK Telecom | Director of Messaging and Products |
Duncan Rose | Commify Uk Ltd | Routing team |
Eli Katz | XConnect | CEO |
Elira Klosi | Vodafone Roaming Services | Roaming Billing Systems Manager |
Erjavec Simon | Telekom Slovenjie | Senior Manager |
Fabio Bottan | Telia Carrier | Senior Messaging Specialist |
Farhang Armin | Mavenir | Solution design and engineering |
Florin Neamtu | iBasis | Software and Systems Security Advisor & Principal Security Researcher |
Fred Schepens | MTN | Wholesale |
Fredrik Söderlund | Sinch & RedShield | Software and Systems Security Advisor & Principal Security Researcher |
Geok Chwee Ong | Bridge Alliance | CEO |
Gideon Ndogo | Safaricom | Systems Support Engineer |
Girindar Singh | Airtel | Roaming and Interconnect |
Hassan Mansour | Monty Mobile | General Manager |
Hatem Dowidar | Etisalat Group | Group CEO |
Henning Lagerbielke | Enghouse | Director, BSS |
Irfan Abubaid | HGC Global Communications | VP Messaging and Digital Services |
Isabelle Paradis | Hot Telecom | CEO |
Ivan Ramos | Telna | VP Connectivity Services |
James Williams | MEF | Director of Programmes |
Jason Olivieri | Verizon Wireless | Mgr-Prod Mgt/ Dev/ Strategy |
Jaymy Teh | Bics | Product |
Jocelyne Paquete | MTN Global Connect | MTN Global Connect Roaming test hub |
Johannes Opitz | Deutsche Telekom | Vice President Commercial Roaming and International Mobile Wholesale |
John Murtagh | Anam | Chief Technology Officer |
John Pawluk | Swisscom | Roaming Manager |
John Wilkinson | TMT Analysis Ltd | CEO |
Jordi Martinez | Vodafone | IPX Manager |
José García | GTC | CEO |
Juan Felipe Santos Segura | VOX Carrier | Vice President Strategic Partnerships Latam |
Katlego Kapari | Infobip | Operator Partnership |
Kevin Chan | China Mobile | Deputy Head, Carrier Business |
Laeticia Nicolas | Iliad | International Roaming Business |
Lizzy Fondufe | MTN GlobalConnect | Wholesale Roaming |
Majd Sheeha | Wafa Telecom | Roaming and Interconnect |
Manos Garbis | Wind Hellas Telecommunications S.A. | Senior Product Manager |
Manuela Montagna | CKH IOD; Hutchison group | Quality of Service and Customer Experience - Manager |
Mark Page | TMT Analysis Ltd | Sales |
Mateja Sonc | Telecom Slovenia | Roaming |
Mattias Stillnérus | Telenor Global Services | Regional Manager Roaming |
Md Mahbub Hassan | Axiata Group | Business Information Security Officer |
Mihaela Ambrozie | Vodafone | VRS Principal Service Manager |
Milena Dekova | Viacom Bulgaria | Manager voice and Roaming services |
Mohamed Fawzy | STC Kuwait | Wholesale |
Mountasser Hachem | Monty Holding | CEO |
Muhammad Dawud Saifullah Bin Fadlullah | Maxis Malaysia | Head of Information System and Security |
Nabil Baccouche | Etisalat Group | VP of Roaming and Mobile Services |
Nadeem Ladha | TMT Analysis Ltd | Sales |
Nasreen Ibraheem | Zain Sudan | Wholesale (interconnect and roaming) |
Nassia Skoulikariti | Apiro Data | Founder & CEO |
Nermeen Sobhy | Etisalat Misr | Head of Roaming Operations |
Nick Millward | Kaleyra | VP & GM Europe |
Nila Roheen Nazir | MTN Afghanistan | Sr. Manager - Carrier Operations |
Nina Hurst | T-Mobile | Mobile Payments |
Obaid Ur Rahman | Axiata Group Berhad | Axiata Group Wholesale |
Ori Sharon | Salt Mobile SA | Director Roaming and Wholesales |
Ornella Siciliano | Hutchison Whampoa (Europe) Limited | Key Account Manager |
Patrick George | iBasis | Business Development |
Pedro Morais | Vodafone | International Roaming Coordinator |
Peter Rippstein | Comfone | EVP, Global |
Rajdip Gupta | Route Mobile Limited | Managing Director, Group CEO |
Randa Naboulsi | Monty Holding | CFO |
Rasha Yassin | MTN Yemen | Senior Manager Roaming Account Management |
Ravinder Singh | DU | Head of Roaming , Voice and Messaging |
Riadh Boukris | Blue Mena | Ceo |
Robert Gerstmann | Sinch | Chief Evangelist |
Roberto Lima | Comfone | Hubbing and Clearing |
Ryan Rochford | Sinch | Account Management |
Samuel Chiwanda | Click-Mobile | Founder & CEO |
Sarah Barakat | Monty Mobile | Business Develpment |
Sebastiaan Joustra | Vodafone Carrier Services | VP of Sales |
Shah Mahmood Yari | MTN Afghanistan | Supervisor Interconnect |
Shalini Tamhankar | PCCW Global | SMS Monetization product manager |
Shikha Bharti | Airtel | Head of Roaming |
Silvio Kutić | Infobip | CEO |
Sizo Nkosi | Infobip | Operator Partnerships |
Søren Svendsen | Nuuday Mobile Partners | Head of Roaming |
Stephen Breen | Verizon | Roaming |
Sundip Raval | CKH IOD | Account Manager Roaming |
Sunil Joshi | BT | Roaming |
Susie Siouti | SmartViser | Sales and Marketing |
Tamara Al Bakri | Vodafone Qatar | Head of Roaming |
Tarek Zeid | Rakuten Symphony Singapore | Vice President of International Business |
Tareq Amin | Rakuten Symphony | CEO |
Thomas Moe | Telia Company | Head of Roaming |
Tim Biddle | Sinch | Director of Operator Relations, UK & Ireland |
Tola Ward | Haud | Sales |
Tom Moreton | Commify | Routing |
Tom Posti | Gibtelecom Limited | Head of Roaming |
Tomislav Matic | Rakuten Viber | Messaging business unit |
Travia Stewart | GMS | Roaming Manager |
Vanessa Smith | Etisalat Group | Senior Manager |
Victor Lee | PCCW Global | Senior |
Vishal Gandhi | Mobileum | Product management |
Vivek Jhamb | OOREDOO | Group Executive & Group Chief |
Walid Ben Chamekh | Roamsmart | CEO |
Wites Chenthanakij | Advanced Info Services Plc. | Head of Cyber Security |
Zana Novakovic | Mtel, Montenegro | Roaming - wholesale |
Why ROCCO 100
Roaming and Interconnect wasn’t built in a day. It’s existed over 30 years and for the first time we would like to recognise the people who have made our industry what it is today, the 100 most influential people in Roaming and Interconnect.
What’s really special about this community is the many outstanding people. Some who have been on astonishing journeys in their careers, moving around the industry but always staying part of it. We have a rich culture of people helping and supporting each other and making a difference. People whose ideas and actions have made a significant contribution to the industry.
We all have people who teach us, some we know intimately, others who speak to us in conferences or whose wisdom appears only on our device screens. Many of them we admire for their commitment and for inspiring us, but we don’t always have an opportunity to share this feedback.
ROCCO 100 is a time to pay tribute
We want to generate a culture of appreciation by recognising people known and unknown who have played a part in shaping it. The ones in spotlight at conferences and the ones who quietly make a difference from their cubicle or corner desk. From Andorra to Zimbabwe there’s people in every organisation, male or female, young or old, who often get forgotten under the pressure of our day to day work.
We are therefore building a community of leaders, who will be at the forefront of sharing ideas, who will challenge each other and from whom we can all learn. When you can connect exceptional people, who knows what exceptional things our industry can produce.
The History of ROCCO 100
2019 marked the start of ROCCO 100, but the idea was on our minds for a few years already.
In 2017 a number of significant voices were crying out for more equality in telecoms. Panel sessions filled with white men, seemed to be more and more common and to a great degree the unconscious bias and traditions of our industry were not enabling women to be recognised or visible as men. The people who use the products and services we make are diverse, so it only made sense that the people who designed them so also bring diverse opinions on how they should be made. This is when we had the idea to create a survey were the most influential women in telecoms could become more visible. However, on sharing the ideas it became clear women didn’t want to be treated differently to men on any level. What we really needed was inclusion.
Some years ago the team at ROCCO also recognised that many significant people in our industry were not active on social media, they had other platforms and what they were saying and sharing was often lost, much of which was great wisdom and learnings about our industry we felt needed to be more remembered and made more visible. ROCCO Radio’s “Well Connected”, “Big Interviews” and “Mastermind” podcasts started the journey to bring visibility to people in a small way but there was still some way to go.
In April 2019 the team at ROCCO decided that as well as the other industry wide initiatives we were doing such as “The Innovators”, there was also need to uncover who were the people behind the best companies in our industry and what were they doing.
We knew that great companies usually had great leaders, but leaders weren’t always the ones at the top or in the spotlight. We knew by identifying the progress of individuals in the industry, we could also spot their progress and encourage learning, mentorship and inspire a new generation of people to be part of our roaming and interconnect world.
However, then came the difficult part. We didn’t want the selection of these people only to be based on the number of people who voted for them (wouldn’t everyone just vote for their boss? and would the boss ask them to do that?) it needed to have more integrity.
There needed to be reasons why the people were selected and our methodology needed as with all our projects to have integrity. Different to all other 130+ research projects we have conducted, this was not about or product or service this was about people. People, with all their complexity, personality and characteristics, we would be recognising individuals which whomever they worked for had an influence on the industry.
A complex task lay ahead for the team. Months of debate ensued, calling in confidants from the industry to test theories. This was our most important research project of all time and the first time any organisation in our industry had even attempted to do this.
In October 2019 we came to our conclusions on our scope and methodology:
- The scope is Roaming and Interconnect people in any kind of company, role and at any level, anywhere in the world
- Who have done influential things in the last year.
- Who were necessarily “influencers” in the social media sense, they could be known or simple unknown to the industry.
- They would be rated based on several factors, number of votes, characteristics and examples of influential things they had done
- We would have two stages, nominations first, then voting, to ensure we had generated enough awareness of the programme and ensure inclusion.
- We decided at the analysis stage to have a panel of people who were known for identifying leadership in people, analytical and who would be able to judge what was influential and what wasn’t
- Above all we wanted to be sure we identified extra-ordinary people whomever and where ever they were and we gave them some visibility and a chance to be heard
Our methodology is documented and our dates are set and we have now started the most interesting study of our history which we believe will change the course of the industry and lead us all into a new chapter. ROCCO 100 connects the most influential people in our sector to see what our industry can do next.

The ROCCO IOO Methodology
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can people from my company vote for me: Yes
- Can I vote more than once: Yes up to three times
- Can people outside of the industry vote for me: No, we don’t believe they would have the perspective on the industry
- Can I see how many votes a Nominees has received: No
- Can I create my own promotional campaign: Yes, If you want any materials (logo, etc) just contact desiree@rocco.group
The nomination phase of ROCCO 100 is very simple. Anyone in the Industry can nominate anyone in the sector of Roaming and Interconnect for what they consider to be influential work within 2020-2021 (ROCCO employees including its directors are not eligible to nominate or be nominated).
Please note, self nominations are not considered valid.
Here are the steps:
- The nominator enters the survey.
- They choose 3 characteristics from a list of 12 they consider are representative of an influential person.
- They then choose 3 people they would like to nominate.
- They provide their contact details incase ROCCO needs to check anything about the nominated people.
- The contact details will also be used to notify the nominators about when to vote.
On the 18th November 2021 the nominations close and on the 19th of November all the nominated people will be listed here and voting will be begin.
On the 19th November 2021 until February 26th 2022 voting is open.
Voters will have seen the list of nominated people and can choose to vote for up to three people.
- They will enter the ROCCO 100 Voting survey.
- They will select a nominated person
- They will state which three characteristics represent that specific person
- They will state in a sentence why they think the nominated person is most influential from their perspective.
- They will have the opportunity to do this for three people.
Voting closes on the 26th February. Then it’s over to ROCCO to analyse the data.
The analysis stage runs between 28th February and March 30th 2022. The point of this stage is to rank the people according to the three elements of their votes which all hold equal importance in the overall ranking.
- The number of votes they have received. ROCCO will rank all the people according to the number of votes they have received.
- The Characteristics Score*. ROCCO will rank all the people according to the scores they have gained on their characteristics.
- The Panel Opinion. ROCCO will use a panel of judges who will rank the ROCCO 100 people according to the statements given by the voters as to why they are influential. The panel will not know the identity of the people who were voted for, only the statement why they were chosen.
- ROCCO will then bring these three ranking together into an overall score and final ROCCO 100 ranking.
*The Characteristics Score is calculated as follows.
- At nomination stage every nominator first states which 3 characteristics they feel best represents an influential person. ROCCO ranks the characteristics chosen by the industry by counting the number of times a nominator selected them. This is felt to be a fair way to judge what characteristics make up an influential person. ROCCO therefore does no prescribe which are the most important characteristics, the nominators choose that.
- ROCCO selects the top ten characteristics and gives them a score based on how important the industry feels they are. ROCCO does not disclose the scoring for each characteristic.
- At Voting stage, the voters choose three characteristics which they feel best represent the person they are voting for, the scores for the characteristics are calculated, creating an individual characteristic score for each and every vote.
- All the scores are added up for an individual and all ROCCO 100 are ranked according to characteristic score.
The communication of the ROCCO 100 will take place on April 4th 2022 online and through a report.
- The top twenty five people will be notified on Monday April 4th 2022 in alphabetical order. The ranking will not be revealed.
- They will be invited to take part in interviews and a photoshoot at a location and date to be determined.
- They will be invited to speak at Genesis.
The final stage is that the ROCCO 100 top 25 will be invited to receive the ROCCO IOO awards at our Visionaries Gala on 17th May 2022.
- We have some slots in the Genesis agenda to hear from some of the ROCCO IOO.
- All Top 25 will receive an award at ROCCO’s Visionaries gala on the evening in rank order.
- On May 18th the ROCCO IOO report will be revealed and the overall ranking of all ROCCO IOO people will be shared.