DIGITALEUROPE

Bridget Cosgrave has been appointed Director General of DIGITALEUROPE, the principle advocacy group of the European digital economy. DIGITALEUROPE is dedicated to improving the business environment for the information technology, communications and consumer electronic sectors, and to promoting industry contribution to economic growth and social progress in the European Union. She took over from Mark MacGann on March 2, 2009.

Ms Cosgrave has built her career in the ICT, financial services and industrial sectors. Ms Cosgrave was a member of the Executive Committee of Belgacom Group for six years, during which she was successively, founder President, CEO and Chairman of Belgacom International Carrier Services, Chief Operation Officer a.i. of Fixed Lines Services, and Executive Vice President of the Enterprise division. She also served on the boards of Belgacom Mobile and Telindus Group. Belgacom Group is the service provider in Belgium offering “quadruple-play”: fixed and mobile telephony, broadband and IP television.  

Ms Cosgrave has a strong knowledge of industry associations having spent five years as Deputy Director General of ETSI, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, the pre-eminent body for direct industry elaboration of standards for mobile, fixed, satellite, broadcast and Internet products & services. The organisation has 500 corporate members representing more than 40 countries.

Ms Cosgrave is active in corporate governance, as an independent non-executive director of Essilor International SA, the global leader in ophthalmic optical products, and SES, the world leading satellite communications service provider. She has previously served on the board of Eutelsat.

Ms Cosgrave holds a Master in Business Administration from London Business School (UK) and a Bachelor of Arts, Honours from Queen’s University at Kingston, Canada. She has attended the Chartered Director program of the UK Institute of Directors, the Leadership Academy of the United Nations University at the University of Jordan (Amman) and completed a corporate governance mentorship programme run by CMi. She is a dual Canadian and Irish citizen, with fluent French, who has been living and working in Europe since 1984. She resides in Brussels with her Belgian husband and their daughter.

Belgacom Group SA/NV [Euronext Brussels:BELG] Essilor International SA [Euronext Paris:EF1] Eutelsat [Euronext Paris:ETL] SES Global [Euronext Paris/Luxembourg:SESG].