Speaker Bio
Max is the Head of Mobile for Development (M4D) at GSMA. 'M4D' is singularly positioned at the intersection of the mobile ecosystem and the development sector to drive innovation in digital technology to reduce inequalities in our world, enabled by partnerships with forward-thinking donors and a team of 130+ passionate professionals. Max joined GSMA in 2012 and held positions within various programmes: he initially helped mobile operators and partners design solutions to ensure women in emerging markets do not get left out of the digital economy as part of the Connected Women programme. He later headed the Ecosystem Accelerator and M4D Utilities programmes which have allocated a combined $22 million in grant funding to 85 ventures in 40+ countries across Africa and Asia; these ventures had since collectively raised $450+ million in additional funding and impacted more than 10 million citizens as of January 2020. Prior to joining GSMA, Max worked in the Middle East and Africa innovation unit of mobile operator Orange for 3 years, based in Jordan and in France, and as a telecom strategy consultant with Altai Consulting, where he focused on projects in Iraq and Afghanistan. Max holds a Masters in Management from HEC Paris, and a Masters in International Management from ESADE Barcelona, and is one of the Young Leaders of the French-African Foundation, placed under the high patronage of the French and Ghanaian Presidents. Max is passionate about technology and entrepreneurship, and their combined impact on our Planet, our societies and our economies. In his free time, he writes for the weekly newsletter he co-founded - 'Africa: The Big Deal' - about start-up investments in Africa.