Mr. Stephen Sherry
Consultant
BT Wholesale

Steve Sherry has over 26 years of business experience including positions in operations, operations support, marketing, product management, and sales support most of which has been gained at the leading edge of technology and service delivery. He is currently working as a consultant with the BT Wholesale – Information Aggregation Venture.

In 1999 Steve joined, Cisco Systems, as a Voice Consultant but soon moved to the marketing team responsible for Voice Solutions across the EMEA theatre. He was responsible for growing a new product portfolio with a revenue stream in excess of $15M.

In 1994, Steve joined Call Sciences Ltd. An initial member of this start-up, Steve was a main instigator in Call Sciences to becoming a full UK Telecommunications operator in 1998. Call Sciences delivered Advanced Value Added Service (software and hardware) solutions to Fixed and Mobile Operators on a world-wide basis. Steve left his role as EMEA Technical Director to join Cisco Systems.

Prior to Call Sciences, Steve spent 17 Years with BT, working in PSTN Network Switching Technologies, covering operations, maintenance and product support of Analogue and Digital Switching Systems.

David is the first General Secretary of the Association for the European Interworking of Directory Inquiry Services (EIDQ Association). Its members are engaged in national and international Directory Assistance and Electronic Directory Services.

He has been involved in the activities of the Association since 1994, firstly in several of the working groups as a representative of BT (UK) and more recently as the EIDQ Administrative Secretary. A change to the organisation created the role of General Secretary for which David was the successful candidate and he took up his duties on 1 April 2003.

During the last 10 years of his time with BT, David worked in Directory Services where he successfully managed a variety of operational and technical systems projects in support of BT’s inland and international directory products and services.

As General Secretary of the EIDQ, he manages all the activities of the Association and works with the Executive Committee, the working groups and the support functions to pursue the provision of information and benefits for the members of the Association.

Mr. Bryan Stockwell
Business Development
Mobile Commerce

Bryan heads up business development at Mobile Commerce – establishing relationships with Mobile Network Operators & Portals, Brand and Content partners and other key business relationships, both in the UK and overseas.

Prior to Mobile Commerce
Prior to joining Mobile Commerce Bryan spent 10 years at Galileo International - one of the world's leading providers of electronic global distribution services for the travel industry. Bryan’s initial assignment at Galileo was to develop and implement a strategy for the pan-European distribution of leisure products. Bryan then took on a global role to increase the revenue delivered by enabling customers and third parties to integrate with the Galileo system at an applications level. This covered product management, technical and product integration support together with third party marketing programmes.

Bryan joined Galileo with in-depth experience of sales and business development gained in the computer services industry.

John Tallarico is Phonetic Systems’ Director of Product Management for Carrier Directory Assistance. John is involved in identifying the strategic and tactical direction for this segment. He works closely with Research & Development, Business Development and Carriers to design enhancements that meet specific speech-automated Directory Assistance needs globally. Prior to joining Phonetic Systems, John worked for Priority Call Management, a subsidiary of the SEMA Group, as the Director of Product Management for the Unified Communications and Calling product lines. Tallarico also worked at Glenayre where he was the Director of Product Management for the Enhanced Services product line. Tallarico has a BA from Western Connecticut State University and an MBA from the University of New Haven.

Mr. Andy Tipping
Head of Information Aggregation Venture
BT Wholesale

I have worked within the Telecoms industry for nearly 25 years with the majority of time spent in BT.

During my progression through the company I have worked in a number of divisions within BT; specifically this has been in new and innovative areas, establishing new markets and providing new solutions; these include BT Merlin, BT Insurance Services and Electronic Data Interchange, BT’s first electronic trading service.

My first experience of non-traditional directory services came when I was a member of the BT team responsible for introducing X.400/X.500 to BT customers. This was closely followed by involvement on the successful BT TeleDirectory service which merged into Telme in the late nineties and into more traditional Directory Information solutions.

Having recently been appointed as Head of the Venture responsible for Directory Services in BT Wholesale, I look forward to working with the directory industry in all parts of the world as the new and exciting Personal Directory information market begins to expand. BT is at the forefront of this new technology and will play a major part as it develops.

I am 41, married, with 3 children, and am an ardent Crystal Palace F.C. supporter and live in Milton Keynes.

Caroline is responsible for a portfolio of Ofcom projects and programmes in Ofcom’s Competition and Markets group. Caroline’s area of interest covers the development and implementation of competition policy in relation to UK fixed narrowband markets and telephone numbering. Whilst at the previous telecommunications regulator Oftel, Caroline project managed the liberalisation of the UK directory enquiries market and was also part of the team working on the implementation of the new European Communications Directives.

Caroline was previously network planning manager at a UK public telecommunications operator, and has also worked as a telecoms consultant on access technologies and PSTN/IP interworking. She is a Chartered Engineer and a Member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers.

Mr. Steve Warner
Managing Director
Share Communications

Steve Warner, 39, is managing director of Share Communications, the company behind UK directory enquiries number 118 499.

Steve came to directory enquiries from an entirely non-telecommunications background, having previously been general manager for specialist engineering company Zebedee Building Solutions where he concentrated on product and market development. Before this, Steve worked for JRM Doors - part of the $3billion Jeld Wen Corporation - where he held the position of manufacturing manager; and, prior still, was purchasing manager for the Les Smith Group, where he developed and launched the Group's range of own-brand products.

Steve values honesty and trustworthiness highly, and has been instrumental in incorporating these values at Share Communications, ensuring that 118 499 provides accurate information, treats each caller as individually important, and gives five pence to charity - shared equally between the British Red Cross and Barnardo's - for each and every call.

Charles Webb is Head of Products within BT Wholesale’s Directory business. He has a remit to develop and bring to market a new range of directory products that reflect the needs of today’s users of communications services. These needs differ significantly from those which traditional directory products and services were designed to serve.

Charles has 20 years experience in technology based products gained in the dynamic and innovative Wireless and new Media sectors. Charles joined Vodafone shortly before the launch of its 1st network in 1985, was programme manager for the introduction of Vodafone’s 1st GSM network and was heavily involved in its expansion into Europe. Following Vodafone Charles was a director of Scoot.com, widely recognised as the leader in defining the transition from printed media to multi-media in the classified directories sector.

Charles is an independent consultant specialising in helping companies realise the commercial value in technology.

Stuart M. Whitaker formed Whitaker Associates in 1991 after having worked for the US local exchange carrier NYNEX and equipment manufacturer Northern Telecom. Through Whitaker Associates, Stuart helps organizations take advantage of opportunities in domestic and international telecommunications markets created by the communication technology revolution and regulatory reform. Whitaker Associates also publishes The Operator, a newsletter for directory services markets worldwide, and has sponsored the European Directory Services Marketplace conference series since 2001.

Stuart has particular expertise in competitive, technological, and regulatory issues affecting specific segments of the communications industry including value added and information services. Services provided by Whitaker Associates include marketing, analysis of market, competitive, technological, and regulatory issues, business planning, project management, and litigation support.

Stuart received an MBA from the University of Chicago in Finance and International Business.

Mr. Paul Whiteing
Deputy Director
UK Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services

Paul Whiteing joined ICSTIS in May 1999 as Deputy Director. Paul has responsibility for policy, IT, managing Committee business, quality initiatives and ICSTIS’ research programme. Paul also has a project management brief and is managing, or has managed, a number of projects, including SMS regulation, Directory Enquiry liberalisation and the creation of an ICSTIS Appeals Body.

Paul has a background in the public sector and before joining ICSTIS was Contract Manager for the Legal Services Commission in London where he managed a large change management project in the London Area designed to move the granting of Legal Aid on a contract basis through block contracts with legal suppliers.

Paul is a member of the Committee of Advertising Practice’s Sales Promotion & Direct Response Panel.

In 1996 Paul graduated with an MBA from the Open Business School.

Yahal Zilka is a Chairman for Phonetic Systems. He is a Managing Partner of Magnum Communications Fund. Yahal previously served as CFO at VocalTec Communications, where he led the company to its public offering. He has founded and led several communications initiatives, and possesses a strong understanding of communications technologies, including directory services.