TMG'S SENIOR CONSULTANTS

Juan Carlos Valls, CEO and co-founder
With 30 years of experience in the industry, Mr. Valls is a telecommunications engineer who specializes in international telecommunications business development. As TMG's CEO he has advised and counseled various Latin American and African governments in the development of their telecommunications privatization, liberalization and investment programs. Additional activities have included strategic market entry analysis and advice, representation of telecommunications products and services, valuation of telecommunications companies, and the integration of sytems in Latin American, African and European telecommunications companies. Mr. Valls is fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French.
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Mindel De La Torre, President
An attorney, Ms. De La Torre, has more than 20 years of telecommunications and international experience. Ms. De La Torre has managed a variety of teams responsible for telecommunications projects, and her recent experience includes advising telecommunications agencies in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East regarding key restructuring and regulatory issues, redrafting and updating telecommunications laws and involvement in third generation mobile issues. Ms. De La Torre speaks English, Portuguese, French, Spanish and Italian.
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Janet Hernández, Senior Vice-President
An attorney with 16 years of experience in the telecommunications sector, Ms. Hernández advises domestic and international telecommunications companies and governments on telecommunications regulatory, commercial and transactional matters. Prior to joining TMG, Ms. Hernández was a Partner of and headed the Global Telecommunications, Media and Technology Group of Coudert Brothers. She also worked in the Chief Counsel’s Office of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) within the U.S. Department of Commerce. Ms. Hernández is fluent in English and Spanish.
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Charles M. Rush, Chief Technology Officer
A 40-year veteran of the telecommunications industry, Dr. Rush has vast experience in the areas of international telecommunications, spectrum management and wireless systems. As one of the foremost spectrum management experts in the industry, Dr. Rush works with TMG's clients to meet current and future spectrum requirements. Dr. Rush has a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Physics.
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Mark Kennet, Chief Economist
Since earning his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Kennet has over 15 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, ten of which have been international in nature.  Before joining TMG, Dr. Kennet worked as an independent consultant in a number of countries around the world as well as Senior Economist in the Common Carrier Bureau of the FCC and as Special Economic Advisor to OSIPTEL, the Peruvian telecom regulator.  Dr. Kennet has served on the faculties of the University of California - Santa Cruz, Tulane University, George Washington University, and Johns Hopkins, and has published widely in the professional economics journals.  Dr. Kennet is fluent in English, Spanish, and reads Portuguese.
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Sofie Maddens, Senior Regulatory and Policy Advisor
With over 19 years of experience in the international telecommunications industry, Ms. Maddens brings a wide range of international contacts and her experience in telecommunications regulation and policy and international trade issues to the TMG team. An attorney, Ms. Maddens has vast experience in liberalization of telecommunications markets and regulatory policy, including analyzing legal and regulatory frameworks, creating licensing regimes, and developing the appropriate government strategy. She has advised governments and national regulatory agencies around the world, particularly in developing countries, as well as the European Commission, the World Bank, and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and private sector clients on a wide range of issues, including: institutional frameworks, licensing, interconnection, universal service, and spectrum management. Ms. Maddens speaks Dutch, English, French and Portuguese and reads Italian and Spanish.
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Michael Minges, Senior Market Analyst
Mr. Minges has more than 25 years of international experience, 15 of which have been in telecommunications.  Before joining TMG, Mr. Minges worked as Head of the Market, Economics and Finance Unit, Telecommunication Development Bureau at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), where his functions included the analysis of telecommunications trends in developing nations, market studies of countries and regions, and regulatory and policy advice. He also worked at the International Monetary Fund as an economist and information technology specialist. He is fluent in English, French and Spanish.
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Amy Zirkle, Senior Economic and Regulatory Expert
Ms. Zirkle has 20 years experience in the telecommunications industry dealing with economic, technical, regulatory, legislative and business issues affecting both domestic and international markets. She has advised clients of market opportunities and regulatory policy developments and identified appropriate entry strategies for the U.S. market. She is an expert in public utility proceedings concerning tariffing, interconnection and alternative regulatory frameworks in the telecommunications industry.
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Danielle Frappier, Senior Legal and Regulatory Advisor
Ms. Frappier is an attorney with in-depth expertise in advising international and domestic telecommunications companies on how to navigate telecom laws and regulations to address their operational, transactional and strategic needs. Her expertise also includes counseling governmental entities regarding the policy, legal and regulatory reforms necessary to build a dynamic telecommunications sector. Prior to joining TMG, Ms. Frappier was a senior associate in the telecommunications group of the law firm Cole, Raywid & Braverman, LLP, which focuses exclusively on the communications industry. She is fluent in English and French.
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Amal A. Abdallah, Senior Legal and Regulatory Advisor
An attorney, Ms. Abdallah is a legal and regulatory expert in U.S. domestic and international telecommunications matters. Prior to joining TMG, Ms. Abdallah worked for the Federal Communications Commission, in both the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and the International Bureau. She has extensive experience dealing with domestic and international policy and regulatory matters. She served on multiple U.S. delegations to International Telecommunication Union (ITU) major conferences. Ms. Abdallah is also the Chair of the Inter-American Telecommunications Commission (CITEL), Permanent Consultative Committee I (PCC.I) Working Group on Policy and Regulatory Considerations. Ms. Abdallah is fluent in English, Spanish, and Arabic.
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Carlos Killian, Senior Regulatory Expert
Mr. Killian is an engineering and regulatory specialist with more than 35 years of extensive experience in the Americas. He has served as Vice Chairman of the Comisión Nacional de Comunicaciones (CNC - the National Communications Commission), the telecommunications regulatory agency in Argentina. Mr. Killian has also served as a Commissioner at the CNC's predecessor agency, the CNT, as it regulated the newly privatized telecommunications sector in Argentina. Mr. Killian is fluent in Spanish and English.
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TMG STAFF

Flavia Alves, Legal and Regulatory Analyst
Ms. Alves, an attorney, is a regulatory specialist with expertise in the areas of international business law and regulatory issues. She advises telecommunications entities and providers on legal and regulatory matters in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. She has worked with clients on projects in Brazil, Colombia, Guinea-Bissau, and the United States. Ms. Alves is fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish.
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Jeffrey Bernstein, Business, Technology and Regulatory Advisor
Mr. Bernstein has a background in international communications and business administration. He conducted analyses of telecommunications business and regulatory environments around the world and advises clients on relevant regulatory and strategy issues. He has experience evaluating the impact of telecommunications and information technology policies on business and economic developments and also participates in international groups addressing issues related to emerging wireless technologies, such as ultra-wideband and metropolitan broadband wireless access. In addition, Mr. Bernstein has analyzed convergence issues, including domain name management and streaming media. He is fluent in English and has a working knowledge of Spanish.
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Joel García, Financial Assistant
Mr. García has extensive experience in financial analysis, business valuation and business planning process. He has participated in the deployment of quality assurance systems, as well as corporate risk assessment and response evaluations in the Caribbean. Mr. García has also analyzed organizational processes and procedures in various industries, conducted feasibility analysis and served as project manager in various responsibilities.
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Daniel Leza, Legal and Regulatory Advisor
Mr. Leza, an attorney, is a regulatory specialist with expertise in the areas of public law and regulation. He has served at the Legal Council's Office of the Comisión Nacional de Telecomunicaciones of Venezuela.  He has substantial experience in the areas of regulation, licensing, dispute resolution and radio spectrum management, and has advised service providers and regulators on such matters in Latin America, Asia and Europe. Mr. Leza holds an LL.M. degree from the University of Chicago Law School and is admitted to practice in Venezuela and New York.  He speaks English and Spanish.
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Victor Mulas, Legal and Regulatory Advisor
Mr. Mulas, an attorney, has substantial expertise on regulatory, licensing, interconnection and spectrum matters. He has represented a Spanish Internet services provider in the areas of regulation, interconnection, broadband and convergence services. In addition, Mr. Mulas has experience in the introduction of new services into frameworks and spectrum harmonization regulation. He is fluent in English and Spanish.
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Mariana Vega, Telecommunications Analyst
Ms. Vega is a telecommunications analyst with knowledge in international telecommunications business and regulatory environments. At TMG, Ms. Vega has developed comprehensive market research and analytical reports for selected countries on such issues as 3G deployment, WLAN networks, consumer protection, competitive and duopoly mobile operator markets, and tariff rates and payment plans for major mobile operators. She has also conducted extensive research for both public and private sector clients on diverse regulatory issues including universal service, mobile services in the 450 MHz band, and licensing. She is fluent in Spanish and English.
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