January 8^th 2025, London: TM Forum, the leading global alliance of telco and tech companies, today announced the appointment of Guy Lupo to lead its AI & Data Innovation industry mission. This strategic appointment underscores TM Forum’s commitment to helping the global telco industry accelerate the adoption of AI at scale by enabling sustainable, safe, and responsible use of AI & data technologies.

A visionary and strategic leader, Guy has more than three decades of experience in senior roles within global telco and enterprise companies. A distinguished Fellow of the TM Forum, awarded for his pioneering work on Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) standards developed during his time with Telstra, Guy brings a unique blend of expertise in AI, machine learning, security, networks, cloud and governance, risk, and compliance (GRC). This, combined with hands-on experience across every stage of the technology lifecycle, means that Guy has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by TM Forum and its Members. He is currently pursuing a PhD at Swinburne University, focusing on developing a metric for the Trustworthiness of AI Systems.

The primary aim of the AI & Data Innovation industry mission is to accelerate AI adoption for Communication Services Providers (CSPs), delivering enhanced operations, improved customer experience, and driving long-term growth. Through TM Forum Member collaboration and innovation, the mission will accelerate the development of best practices, standards, data architectures, ontologies, APIs, and proofs of concepts to help the industry embrace AI safely and affordably. Ultimately, the mission will deliver qualified, verified, and actionable strategies to drive operational efficiency, accelerate service innovation, and enable smarter, more agile business models.

Guy Lupo, Mission Lead, AI & Data Innovation, TM Forum: “I am excited to lead the AI & Data Innovation Mission and help our Members navigate the complexities of AI adoption. My vision is to create a framework where telcos can confidently adopt solutions that are co-created with TM Forum’s vast community of industry peers. This will ensure that the solutions are not only modern and relevant but also truly reflective of the transformation journey required for telcos to excel in the AI & data large-scale era.”

Nik Willetts, CEO, TM Forum: “I’m thrilled to welcome Guy to our leadership team. As we enter the AI era, the telecom industry is at a critical juncture, and AI will play a pivotal role in unlocking new experiences, products and growth in purpose and shareholder value. Guy’s deep industry knowledge, proven leadership experience and passion will be invaluable to helping our AI & Data industry mission drive real change, delivering immense value for all our members.”

Created by the industry for the industry, TM Forum’s three industry missions, Composable IT & Ecosystems, Autonomous Network Operations and AI & Data Innovation are designed to support Members on their transformation journeys, focusing on no-regret moves that will lead the industry back to growth. Each mission is overseen by a mission’s board comprised of senior industry leaders that set the direction, priorities, key themes, and initiatives for each mission.

About TM Forum

TM Forum is a global alliance of telco and tech companies, leading the industry in defining the building blocks for new operating models, impactful new partnerships, and advanced software platforms.

TM Forum helps its members unlock the value of data to create nearly endless opportunities for players across the communications ecosystem. At DTW Ignite, Accelerate and Collaboration events, TM Forum provides a platform for industry change-makers to share groundbreaking innovation, market developments, product launches and business transformation journeys.

We are the only industry body to count the world’s top 10 CSPs and all the key hyperscalers as active, strategic members. With over 800 members, we are on a mission to reinvent the telco industry as a vibrant part of the digital landscape – and a driving force in shaping its future. To find out more, visit: tmforum.org