MR TOM PHILLIPS

Chief Government & Regulatory Affairs Officer, GSMA

Tom Phillips graduated from Manchester University in 1981 with a degree in Physics and joined the Space and Communications Division at British Aerospace (BAe) in the same year.  During a ten year career with BAe, Tom undertook a series of major project management roles and, by 1986, led its business development activity in South East Asia.

In 1988, Tom graduated with MBA degrees from Cranfield in the UK and the University of Washington in the USA and helped start mobile operator Orange, where he led the company’s UK licence application.  Following Orange, Tom moved on to start two further businesses, both in the broadcasting sector.

In 1991, Tom joined PA Consulting Group’s London Practice, where he specialised in strategy and market analysis within the telecoms and IT sectors.

In 1995, Tom joined Cable & Wireless as Strategy Director and played a leading role in the development of the Group’s long term, global strategy.  In 1998, Tom was appointed Group Director, Public Policy, responsible for Cable & Wireless’s relationships with governments, regulators and policy influencers in over 50 countries. Tom also ran Cable & Wireless’s business in China and its Corporate Social Responsibility agenda.

Tom joined the GSM Association in March 2004, as Chief Government and Regulatory Affairs Officer, where he leads the public policy agenda with governments, on behalf of the Association’s 600+ members, who in turn deliver service to over one billion mobile users, worldwide.

Tom is a Chartered Engineer and a keen sailor.  Tom, his wife Nicola and their two children live in London.