Jio Platforms leader brings a wealth of experience in hyperscale growth and platform business innovation to TM Forum’s Board and members

London, UK – TM Forum, the industry association driving digital transformation through collaboration, today announced a new addition to its Board of Directors with the appointment of Kiran Thomas, President of Reliance Jio. Thomas brings a wealth of expertise in driving digital business, disruptive innovation and network and IT transformation in one of the world’s largest connectivity service providers.

Jio has been a member of TM Forum since 2010 and has been breaking new ground since their launch in 2016. Over the last five years, Jio has added more than four hundred million customers and has propelled India to the number one ranking on internet consumption worldwide. Throughout this time, Jio has leveraged TM Forum code and frameworks extensively by building its environment and IT infrastructure, including TM Forum’s Open APIs as the standard for software integration, and Open Digital Architecture (ODA) as the blueprint for its enterprise architecture.

Commenting on the appointment, Nik Willetts, CEO, TM Forum, said : “TM Forum’s mission is to unlock sustainable growth through collaboration for the telecoms industry. 2022 will be a key year for our industry’s growth agenda, and it’s essential to have the experience and ambition in our leadership to drive business success for our members and the wider industry. Kiran’s expertise will be key as the Forum continues to help its members to become more agile, as they respond to the changing digital world.”

TM Forum’s Board guides the organization’s strategy and success on behalf of its members. The Board determines how the Forum serves its members and the broader industry by setting direction, priorities, key themes, and initiatives. The Board aims to have a representative balance of member industry sectors and geographies with several types of service providers, software companies, equipment suppliers and systems integrators.

“I’m delighted to welcome Kiran to the Board of Directors” said Steffen Roehn, Chairman, TM Forum, “Kiran’s knowledge and first hand experience in helping drive business growth and innovation within the telecoms and digital industries, are invaluable to TM Forum and its members. Seeing the growth of Jio and the innovative approach they have taken over recent years, makes me excited for the future of the Forum and the wider-industry.”

“It’s an honour to join TM Forum’s Board at a critical moment for our industry,” added Thomas . “I look forward to working closely with other industry leaders to drive change that benefits the whole TM Forum member community, and more broadly our connected global society. Jio has been a member of TM Forum since our inception, and during this time we have gone from strength to strength through leveraging TM Forum’s work, most recently Open Digital Architecture, and Open APIs.”

Biography

Kiran Thomas is President at Reliance Industries Limited and Director on the Board of Reliance Jio. He has been with the Reliance Group for the past 25 years. At Jio he is responsible for Technology Innovation and the development of Jio’s next-generation software platforms. Jio has been a member of TM Forum for 11 years.

About TM Forum

TM Forum is an association of over 850 member companies, which include 10 of the world’s top 10 network and communications providers and stretch across 180 countries. Our members tap into each other’s collective experiences and abilities to collaboratively solve complex industry-wide challenges, deploy new services, and create technology breakthroughs to accelerate change.

We help communications service providers (CSPs) and their suppliers to digitally transform and thrive in the digital era. We do this by providing an open, collaborative environment and practical support which enables CSPs and suppliers to rapidly transform their business operations, IT systems and ecosystems to capitalize on the opportunities presented in a rapidly evolving digital world. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.