MMA Restructures to Better Address Regional Needs and Ensure Global Scalability

NEW YORK, LONDON, SINGAPORE and SAO PAULO, Feb. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- With unprecedented awareness in the efficacy of mobile marketing and surging growth in worldwide membership, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) (www.mmaglobal.com) today announced a restructuring of the organization whereby its four operating regions -- Asia Pacific (APAC), Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Latin America and North America -- will be transformed into business units.  As part of this shift, the roles and responsibilities of managing directors in these regions will expand to better address regional and local needs, and ensure global scalability.

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Managing directors will continue to foster strong member communities, launch new in-country local councils and perform MMA Forum events with full P/L responsibility while overseeing adherence to the MMA's Consumer Best Practices (CBPs) guidelines.  These expanded responsibilities guarantee the business units will operate according to the MMA vision, maintain consistency, and encourage the exchange of success cases and best practices across the globe.  In addition to Paul Berney in EMEA, Rohit Dadwal in APAC and Michael Becker will assume the role of managing director, North America Branch.  The managing directors will report to the MMA's interim CEO, Federico Pisani Massamormile.

"The restructuring enables us to address the growing popularity of mobile marketing and our increasing membership all over the world, while enabling a measure of 'geographic specificity' to how the organization operates," said Pisani Massamormile.  "Each of the managing directors will assume financial management for their respective regions, enabling greater flexibility to achieve their business goals."

"Having served on the North American and Global Board of Directors, my role as managing director is a natural and ideal extension of my current responsibilities with the organization," said Becker.  "My priorities remain to champion mobile marketing, evolve its practices and guidelines, and deliver member value through the organization."

Becker is the founder of iLoop Mobile, Inc. a leading mobile marketing solutions provider, and serves as an ambassador to the MMA for the company.  He will step down from his current board position to assume the managing director role for North America for the MMA. Becker was the winner of the 2007 MMA Innovation of the Year Award and was instrumental in recently defining the practice of mobile marketing.  He is a leader in the mobile marketing industry, possessing an innovative perspective from his roles as an entrepreneur, a volunteer, an author and an academic.

"In Europe, we continue to work towards the MMA's charter to build a sustainable ecosystem for the mobile marketing industry in the region and promote the organization as the leading association for region-wide consultation on key industry issues, such as mobile media guidelines and best practices, for our 300-plus members," said Paul Berney, managing director, EMEA Branch.

"Asia Pacific remains one of the strongest regions for mobile marketing, with mobile penetration higher than any other region.  Therefore, it was essential for the MMA to operate regionally with a localized focused to empower our members to focus on growing a sustainable market," said Rohit Dadwal, managing director, APAC Branch.  "This strength presents a terrific opportunity to increase the adoption of existing MMA best practices and guidelines, evangelize mobile as an important marketing medium, and educate and network with telcos, brands, agencies, press and members in the region."

In conjunction with the restructuring, executive search firm Diversified Search Ray & Berndtson continues to pursue a new CEO for the organization.

About the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA)

The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) is the premier global non-profit trade association established to lead the growth of mobile marketing and its associated technologies. The MMA is an action-oriented organization designed to clear obstacles to market development, establish mobile media guidelines and best practices for sustainable growth, and evangelize the use of the mobile channel. The more than 700 member companies, representing over 40 countries around the globe, include all members of the mobile media ecosystem. The Mobile Marketing Association's global headquarters are located in the United States and it has regional chapters, including North America (NA), Europe, Latin America (LATAM), Middle East & Africa (MEA) and Asia Pacific (APAC) branches. For more information, please visit http://www.mmaglobal.com/.

SOURCE Mobile Marketing Association