Rob Conway was a charismatic leader who extended the scope and scale of the GSMA, the organization representing the interests of mobile operators worldwide. He joined the GSMA in 1999 and served as Chief Executive Officer until 2011. Under his leadership, the GSMA expanded rapidly, reflecting the growth and success of the wireless industry worldwide. He worked closely with senior executives of member companies and other industry leaders in pursuing an agenda that encompassed strategic, technical, public policy and commercial, initiatives focused on advancing the economic and social value of mobile services. He was influential in bringing together the two global digital standards GSM and CDMA, and driving complementary development through the consensus of operators. Under his leadership, the Emerging Market Handset initiative was undertaken to “connect the unconnected,” delivering low-cost mobile handsets to developing markets. The success of this initiative led to the creation of GSMA Mobile for Development, which brings together mobile operators, the wider mobile ecosystem and the development community to drive commercial mobile services for underserved people in emerging markets. Rob Conway passed away in January 2014.