Yang Hyun-mi

By Kim Yoo-chul

The Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), a group of mobile phone service operators and related companies, has appointed Yang Hyun-mi, a senior female executive of KT Corp., as its chief strategy officer (CSO).

Announcing the appointment Thursday, the GSMA said Yang, 49, will focus on working with the members in identifying opportunities that will advance the development of the mobile communications industry. Yang is set to join the GSMA on June 15.

It is the first time that the GSMA has appointed an Asian to such a high-level position.

“Yang brings to the GSMA a strong understanding of the mobile industry, and the opportunities and challenges that mobile operators are facing today,” said Anne Bouverot, director general of the GSMA.

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning most countries in the world, it unites nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators, it said on its website.

``The appointment of Yang means KT has secured more room to bolster our international profile,’’ said KT spokeswoman Kim Yoon-jeong.

Before joining the local telecom giant, Yang handled marketing strategies and product development at Shinhan Bank. The KT executive also served as a senior manager at American Express in New York before joining KT.

Yang holds a Ph.D. in applied mathematics and statistics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in mathematics from Seoul National University in Seoul.