David Aylward is the first Executive Director of the mHealth Alliance (mHA), which was founded by the United Nations Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation and Vodafone Foundation with the mission of extending quality health care using modern information and communications technology to the full extent of wireless networks in developing countries. He is an expert on the intersection of public policy and private initiatives in the development of US domestic and international communications and information technology, emergency and healthcare communications and information systems, and related fields.

David began his career in these areas as Legislative Director to Rep. Timothy Wirth (D-Colo), a key member of the House of Representatives. After serving as Chief Counsel and Staff Director of the House Telecommunications and Finance Subcommittee for Wirth during the advent of competition in telecommunications, the breakup of AT&T, and the emergence of the cable television industry, as well as the beginning of electronic trading in stocks, he established National Strategies, a successful business and public policy consulting firm for 24 years. He was a founder in 1998 and then Chief Strategist and Director of the 100 organization COMCARE Emergency Response Alliance, the mission of which was improving America’s emergency response system, including medical response. David’s particular focus was on bringing the business process and technical strengths of modern commercial communications and information technologies into the emergency response and medical response realms. In addition, he has represented a wide range of communications, healthcare, finance, public service media, children’s television and other clients, including starting and managing the first satellite competitor to Intelsat over the Pacific Ocean and a land mobile radio company.

David has a BA in Government from Dartmouth College, where he was Editor in Chief of the daily newspaper, and a JD with High Honors from George Washington University Law School.

Reinhard is Global Head of Standardisation & Industry Engagement, reporting to the Global Director Research & Development in Vodafone’s Technology Division. He is responsible to link the standardization strategy to Vodafone’s mid-long-term technology. Furthermore he leads R&D’s Consumer activities with focus areas such as device evolution, developer outreach and social media/web. Reinhard holds several senior positions at Standards Bodies and Industry Associations such as Open Mobile Terminal Platform, Next Generation Mobile Networks and GSM Association.

Prior to taking up this role, Reinhard was Managing Director of Vodafone Mobile Systems. From 1993 to 2000 Reinhard was Director & Global Head of Intranet Services within Deutsche Bank AG. From 1985 to 1993 Reinhard held several leading positions at Nixdorf Computer and its successor Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme.

Jim Koch holds the Bill and Jan Terry Chair in Management at Santa Clara University where he was formerly the interim dean of the College of Engineering and dean of the Leavey School of Business. He is the founding director of the Center for Science, Technology, and Society and Director of the Global Social Benefit Incubator. Jim is an editorial board member for Health Management Review, the Commonwealth Club of Silicon Valley, and a trustee of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute. He served continuously as the policy chair for the Technology Benefiting Humanity Awards for the Tech Museum of Innovation from 2001-2008.

Jim’s research interests include social capital, community, and issues of scaling and sustainability for social enterprises in developing countries. He holds an MBA and PhD from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Dr. Patricia Mechael is the Director of Strategic Application of Mobile Technology for Public Health and Development at the Center for Global Health and Economic Development at the Earth Institute, Columbia University. She has been actively involved in the field of International Health for 15 years with field experience in over 30 countries primarily in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. She has a Masters in International Health from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and Hygiene (1998) and a PhD in Public Health and Policy from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (2006), where she specifically examined the role of mobile phones in relation to health in Egypt.

For the past nine years, Dr. Mechael has published and spoken extensively on the strategic role of mobile telephony and relevant software applications within an ecosystem of eHealth, public health, and telecommunications actors in low and middle income countries. She has worked on research, program design and implementation, strategic planning, and policy development for mHealth and eHealth initiatives with a broad range of institutions, including the Global Observatory for eHealth at the World Health Organization, the Rutgers Center for Mobile Communication Studies, Pop!Tech, the Inter-American Development Bank, MobileActive.org, Grameen Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation. She has been engaged as a long-term consultant for several years managing the strategic integration of mobile phones to achieve the MDGs for health in ten countries in Africa for the Millennium Villages Project at the Earth Institute, Columbia University in partnership with Ericsson, MTN, Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development, SonyEricsson, and Zain and continues in these efforts in her current position. Dr. Mechael serves as a Steering Committee member of the newly launched mHealth Alliance and a working group member of the Open Mobile Consortium.

Peters Suh is currently for the CEO of JIL (Joint Innovation Lab) a joint venture with Vodafone, China Mobile, Verizon Wireless, and Softbank Mobile.

Peters’ previous position at Vodafone was President of Vodafone Global Enterprise Incorporated and Vodafone Ventures Limited. Prior to joining Vodafone, he was a managing director for Fremont Communications a private equity fund focusing on telecommunication investments. Peters was previously Vice President, Chief Technical Officer for Vodafone’s Global Internet Services group and also held a number of positions with AirTouch Cellular. Peters is a director of Vodafone Americas Foundation, Aspire Technologies, and JIL. Peters holds a B.A. and M.B.A., both from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr. Stanley Chia is Senior Technology Consultant, Vodafone Group R&D. He has been with the mobile communications industry for over 25 years. Prior to the current appointment, he was Senior Director Vodafone Group R&D US, and has previously held lead positions in operation, technology and strategy at AirTouch Communications, British Telecom Labs and a number of British Telecom’s international mobile businesses. His work experience covered the continents of Americas, Asia, Europe and Africa. He is currently leading strategic research for the company on emerging markets and future technology. With over 150 publications in international journals and conferences and published numerous technical memoranda, he is a prolific contributor to the field of mobile communications. He is Senior Member of Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers (US), Fellow of Institution of Engineering and Technology (UK) and a Chartered Engineer (EU).