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Will Mobile Money Ever Replace Cash In The Last Mile? Where, When, and How?
Thursday, January 7, 2010

  6:00pm    Registration and Networking Reception
  7:00        Presentation and Panel Discussion
  8:30        Adjourn

  Venue:   Google - 1600 Amphitheater Parkway, Mountain View, CA
                Building 43, 2nd Floor

  Cost:      $20.00

   

Join HBSTech and Wharton Alumni on January 7th, at Google

The advent of electronic money movement, coupled with the ubiquity of mobile handsets in the market promises convergence of two industries which will lead to a transformation in certain segments of the financial services space.

Join the Wharton Club of Northern California and the Harvard Business School Technology Alumni Association to learn the more about the global competitive forces at stake in mobile money movement and for an invigorating panel discussion - an exclusive gathering of leading executives from the mobile payments industry.

Mobile Payment Series
Mobile Payments is one of the hottest industries globally today. The advent of electronic money movement, coupled with the ubiquity of mobile handsets in the market promises convergence of two industries which will lead to a transformation in certain segments of the financial services space. Mobile Payments is attracting professionals from divergent industries… from experts in technology to wireless and handset providers to microfinance, alternative payments and banking professionals.

The Panel Includes:

Thor Hauge, Vice President, Digital Ventures at Western Union International
Active business execution on the front line of emerging disruptive communication markets for the past 18 years has given Mr. Hauge a keen sense for value creation at the earliest stages in commercialization.  Committing to the idea of sustainability in market, 1997 marked the year Mr. Hauge officially entered the mobile communications marketplace. Mr. Hauge joined VoiceStream Wireless to launch the second commercial GSM network in the United States, establishing the Major and Government Accounts program in market.  In 2000, Mr. Hauge joined Nokia Ventures Organization to co-create a unique innovation model that would create strategic growth options through seed stage investments in start-up companies.  Mr. Hauge joined Western Union International in August 2009 as Vice President of Digital Ventures, head of global sales for Mobile Money Transfer.

Toffene B. Kama, President, WillStream, a mobile money initiative for better usage of remittance funds in emerging markets
Toffene combines 10 years experience in the telco payment industry (HP, Alcatel-Lucent, Redknee) with a unique understanding of the mobile money dynamics in low or irregular income markets, specifically in Africa where he grew up. Toffene received a master's degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from INPG (Grenoble's Polytechnic Institute, France), complemented by the Harvard Business School PLD (2008-2009) where the WillStream initiative was first conceived.


Benjamin Lyon, Executive Director of Frontline SMS: Credit
Benjamin Lyon is Founder and Executive Director of FrontlineSMS:Credit, an initiative of the non-profit Kiwanja Foundation that aims to bring formal financial services to the 'last mile' in 160 characters or less. Ben received a B.A. in Economics & International Studies from Rhodes College, where he specialized in informal economics and microfinance."




Menekse Gencer, Founder of mPay Connect: Mobile Payments Consulting Firm
Menekse Gencer founded mPay Connect, a consulting service for clients interested in launching mobile payments. mPay Connect specializes in providing assistance in Strategy, Business Development and Product Planning. Prior to founding mPay Connect, Menekse led PayPal Mobile’s Business Development efforts for North America. During this time, she secured PayPal’s first Mobile Network Operator deal and launched PayPal Send Money on Sprint’s mobile wallet.