Keynote Speakers

David Byrd is Broadvox's Vice President of Marketing and Product Management. He is responsible for Broadvox's marketing programs to SMBs, enterprises and carriers as well as defining the product offering.

Prior to joining Broadvox, David was the Vice President of Channels and Alliances for Eftia and Telcordia. As Director of eBusiness Development with i2 Technologies, he developed major partnerships with many of the leaders in Internet eCommerce and supply chain management. As CEO of Planet Hollywood Online he was a pioneer in using early internet technologies to build a branded entertainment and eCommerce website company partnered with Planet Hollywood. Having over twenty years of Telecom sales and marketing experience, he has held executive positions with Hewlett-Packard, Sprint and Ericsson.

Huw Rees serves as 8x8�s Vice-President of Sales and Marketing and was formerly Chief Executive Officer of Centile, Inc., a former subsidiary of 8x8. Rees has been responsible for the change in 8x8�s marketing and sales away from an OEM approach to a focus on end-users including both consumers and small businesses. He has been closely involved with telecommunications technology for over 18 years, having started with Marconi PLC in 1985, where he opened and managed their Western US sales office, growing sales from zero to over $8M in annual revenue in less than eighteen months. He has also held management roles with Plessey Inc., and with Mitel Corporation, where he was responsible for adding more than $20M in additional annual revenue for Mitel�s communication products. Rees received a B.Sc. (Hons) from the University of Manchester, Institute of Science and Technology in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and an MBA from the University of LaVerne.

As a Sr. Product Manager, Les Goldman leverages his nearly two decades of product development and product management experience, along with his numerous related certifications, to deliver Verizon�s award-winning strategic portfolio of global managed telephony services. His background with Reynolds and Reynolds, Unisys, MCI and Verizon has produced product successes including the introduction of retail software applications, value-add business consulting solutions, business broadband packages (DSL and Metro Fiber/Ethernet Services) and global managed services for Internet, Messaging and IP Telephony.

Tony is Director of Strategic Enterprise Technologies reporting to the VP of Global Marketing and to the enterprise CTO, and has 35 years experience in convergence technologies. He has presented at numerous conferences including a keynote at the Wharton Technology Conference. He has written over 150 articles and has been writing a monthly column in Internet Telephony magazine for over a decade. In addition, he has written articles that have been published in the Financial Executive and in the European CEO and for the Wall Street Technology Association. He was recognized by that publication as one of the 100 Top IP Communicators. He has contributed to two books, is a graduate of McGill and University of Alberta, and Senior Member of IEEE.

Sharone Ben-Levi is Vice President of Marketing Enterprise Enhanced Services at AudioCodes Inc. He is responsible for setting strategic direction and marketing execution for enabling technology solutions. Mr. Ben-Levi joined AudioCodes in 2000 as a sales and marketing director with a wide range of product responsibilities and a consistent performance record of attaining top level sales. Prior to joining AudioCodes, he managed sales for Nice Systems in Northern Europe and held engineering and managerial positions in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), Intelligence Corps, SIGINT Unit. Mr. Ben-Levi has 14 years of telecommunications experience. Mr. Ben-Levi holds Engineering and MBA degrees from Tel-Aviv University.

With more than two decades of marketing and strategic experience in technology, Simon Gwatkin is responsible for communicating and evolving Mitel’s corporate positioning and brand equity in the global marketplace.

Appointed Vice-President of Strategic Marketing in 2003, Simon has raised Mitel’s international presence with key stakeholders and publics through dedicated and ambitious initiatives in marketing and media, analyst, and investor relations.

Prior to 2003, Simon held a variety of executive roles in Mitel, including Vice President of IP Platforms. He was instrumental in the development and marketing of the company’s flagship IP-PBX platform during this time.

Additionally, Simon brings a seasoned history of international business experience, ensuring continuity and an end-user focus in Mitel’s global marketing initiatives across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Simon is a well-regarded authoritative speaker. His extensive speaking schedule and insight into market dynamics and unfolding trends in user adoption have contributed to the emerging shift towards the mass adoption of IP communications.

Simon is a board member of the Ottawa Center for Research and Innovation, as well as an active member with a wide variety of trade and industry associations.