As Chairman of the Board of Directors, Walter Heutschi is known throughout the telecommunications industry as a GSM technology promoter. Mr. Heutschi's vision and pioneering spirit led him to rise quickly through the ranks as a young man, marking his career with stories of challenge, courage and success.

His influence on mobile telephony in Europe has been significant, including his involvement in shaping the GSM standard for mobile communications and as one of the leading advocates of GSM and inter-standard roaming.

Having graduated as a Master in Electrical Engineering and Business Administration, Mr. Heutschi joined PTT, predecessor to Swisscom, where in 1992 he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Mobile Telecommunications Unit. Under his leadership Swisscom's mobile-subscriber base grew from a handful to 2.5 million, making it the most profitable area of the ex-incumbent's business.

At the beginning of 2000, Mr. Heutschi once more took up a new challenge. Together with three associates, Toni Stadelmann, Tobias Waldner and Géraldine Philippe, he acquired a majority stake in Comfone, a company specialising in roaming services for mobile operators, and founded the holding company, TOGEWA Holding. From this new beginning, further subsidiary companies sprang.

Continuing to prove his foresight and depth of perception, Mr. Heutschi and his colleagues launched the innovative WeRoam service in 2001, a service aimed at the young and fast growing technology of Wireless LAN and an example of one of the many visionary patents held by TOGEWA Holding. In the fast-moving telecoms environment it is crucial to be forward-looking, aware of market demands and instrumental in developing new services for what is to come. Mr. Heutschi persists in being so.