APRIL 22, 2010 -- Chris Holden has been appointed as the next president of the board at the Fiber to the Home Council Europe, becoming the fifth person to hold this position since the Council was founded in 2004. Chris Holden replaces outgoing president Karel Helsen.
Chris Holden continues in his current role as strategic marketing manager carrier EMEA with Corning Ltd after a long career in various managerial positions in the telecommunications industry.
In his farewell message, Helsen said: “The FTTH Council Europe can be proud of its achievements to date, with the yearly Conference as its flagship event. This Conference is now the biggest FTTH Conference worldwide and stands in the spotlight of the international media. I strongly believe that fiber access will boost a whole suite of new services and applications. The strategy of the FTTH Council Europe 2015 reflects this development and I am sure that the Council will be very successful in attracting new members from these industries.”
“Karel has done a tremendous job of bringing FTTH to the attention of a much wider audience,” says Holden. “I am honored to take up this position, and will continue to expand the work and scope of the Council. The FTTH ecosystem is vast, and everyone needs to get involved if fiber access networks are to reach all parts of Europe, even the most sparsely populated areas.”
The elections took place at the General Assembly of the FTTH Council Europe in Amsterdam, where the members also elected a new Board of Directors, and agreed the work plan for the coming year. Key elements of the plan include creating awareness of the need for FTTH in Europe; positioning the Council as an accepted body on regulatory topics in Europe; and intensifying global cooperation with other FTTH Councils.
“The Council has made good progress over the past year,” said Hartwig Tauber, Director General of the FTTH Council Europe. “Our members are feeling positive about the future. High-speed broadband has become a topic of national significance in recent years, and the Council’s message – that FTTH is a future-proof solution for delivering broadband – is more important and relevant than ever.”
The new Board of Directors consists of the following 9 members:
Chris Holden, Corning – President of the Board
Sophie Pautonnier, Mitsubishi Electric – Treasurer
Eric Festraets, Alcatel-Lucent
Pastora Valero, Cisco
Albert Grooten, Draka Communications
Peleg Erlich, ECI Telecom
Martin Hatas, Ericsson
Paul Schwartz, PacketFront
Richard Thomas, Prysmian
The new Committee Chairs are:
Pierre Pigaglio, P&T Consulting – Chairman of Deployment and Operations Committee
Jan Schindler, Draka Communications – Chairman of Market Intelligence Committee
Karin Ahl, Rala – Chairwoman of Business Committee