Who Are We

Isra Wattanasarn, MBA, Los Angeles, USA

Isra has twenty years of experience in the information technology consulting fields. Consulting for Fuji-Keizai, one of Japan’s top market research and technology consulting firms. At Fuji-Keizai Isra concentrates on helping clients with the strategy, market research, technology recommendations and information systems analysis.

Prior to that, Isra was a Vice President at Merrill Lynch, in its Private Client Group, where he made venture capital investments in Internet and New Media startups. He served as a board observer for those companies in which Merrill made private equity investments. Isra has also published extensively on a wide range of communications, technology, and Internet topics. Isra holds an MBA in Finance from New York University and is a CPA. He is also licensed with NASD Series 7 and 63.

Luigi Franzini , Roma, Italy

Luigi has over twenty five years of managerial experience in selling and marketing high-tech products acquired in American multinational companies (Honeywell, Amadahl/Fujitsu, EMC2) and via his entrepreneurial experience in start-ups. (Co-founder Israeli Technology Fund, 4Sale Italia, and Nousware)

He has a profound knowledge of the ICT market in all its aspects - markets and distribution channels, with a particular reference to Telecoms, Utility and Banking sectors.

Luigi Franzini is the President of Valuetech Group (VTG), a private business consulting firm, specialized in Business Development on the Italian Market and Technology Transfer from Israel, with which he has developed an extensive network of business and political relationships. VTG’s mission is to support and supply consultancy to Italian and foreign companies in improving and/or opening in/start-up the Italian market.

Luigi holds a PhD in Physics at the University of Rome “La Sapienza.”

Cong Cong Bo, Cambridge, UK

Cong has built up a significant repertoire of contacts and experience of technology transfer during her short career. As president of the Cambridge University Entrepreneurs she organised Europe’s premier business creation competition. She drew Nobel Laureates to Cambridge as president of the Cambridge University Scientific Society.

She has also worked in Corporate Finance at Innovator Capital Ltd. A boutique investment bank advising emerging Biomedical and Environmental technology companies. Cong is also currently Chairman of the Cambridge University Entrepreneurs and Chairman of the China-UK Young Entrepreneurs.

Craig Telfer, New York, USA

Craig Telfer is one of the video game industry’s foremost authorities on the inner workings of a computer game. He has worked with game engineering teams in the US, Europe, and Asia on more than 100 computer game integrations. Previously, one of the founders of Massive Inc. a software that downloads advertising into online video games which was purchased by Microsoft in 2006.

Jock Percy, MCom (Hons) UKSIP, AMIR, New York, USA

Jock is a Finance practitioner specialising in the field of Telecommunications, Having held roles with British Telecom, Double Helix and ACE*COMM. Serving in the merger, sale and acquisition of six entities including the complex unwind of the unsuccessful BT/MCI Concert business. Jock has led teams of specialists across EMEA in the recovery of tens of millions of EUR in revenue for operators such as BT, Telekom Austria, Finnet and Saudi Telecom. Most recently following the sale of Double Helix to ACE*COMM he has taken up post as Managing Director of Perseus Telecom, while quietly working on his PhD.

Jon Vollemaere, London, UK

With over 15 years experience in International Finance and Technology, Jon Vollemaere brings to Vollume a diverse and deep base of expertise in Business Development. From a start as the youngest Product Specialist in Reuters NYC to Head of Sales FXCMpro Europe, he has worked solely in commercial roles at Global Technology Companies. Throughout his career, Jon has been successful in expanding New Business Ideas into greenfield regions across the World. He has sold and managed a wide variety of technology solutions ranging from highly complex Enterprise Software to GUI design. From Online Content to serving the specific demands of on-line Financial Markets trading and Exchanges.

Jon has bought to market many Innovative Products and Technologies when they were just starting out, from New York to Moscow, Stockholm to Capetown. A specialist in Business Development, New Ventures, Channel Sales, Negotiation, and Relationship Management of small and large revenue clients, Jon uses Creative Solutions, and an Innovative Approach to finding revenue streams and customer satisfaction for his clients. Jon holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance and Commercial Law) from Auckland University, NZ is AFMA accredited, holds certificates in both Foreign Exchange and International Finance Markets and in Film Studies from New York University, and is a speaker at Cambridge Universitys CfEL Enterprize Tuesday events.

Richard Carstens, Sydney, Australia

Richard combines a strategy & planning career in both business/technology consulting and marketing-creative communications/media & brand. Having worked for a decade overseas at a regional/global level in UK/Europe, US, Japan/Asia and Australasia, Richard has recently returned home to NZ/Australia, and is involved in work there in a raft of sectors, startups and consultancy areas all related to media/comms, entrepreneurship, digital business and brand/business innovation.

He has worked on leading global brands such as BA, BT, Citibank, Daimler Chrysler Group, EDF, Erickson, Ford, General Motors, Guinness, IBM, Kodak, Masterfoods, Microsoft, Nestle, Nokia, Orange, Panasonic, Procter & Gamble, Sainbury’s, Sony, Toyota, UBS, Unilever, and Vodafone, as well as governments/local government, Arts/not-for-profits/social sector, and startup and established brands in the digital space such as Amazon, eBay, BTVision. He previously worked in JWT, Saatchi & Saatchi/Publicis, McKinsey, and digital/360 innovation specialists such as Digitas/ModemMedia, Agency.com, ARC and Proximity.