GlobalPlatform Board Officers FY2005 Announced Bob Beer Re-Elected as Chair for a Second Term

17 November 2004 - Following the annual GlobalPlatform Board Officer elections which took place in early November, Bob Beer from Datacard Group has been re-elected to serve a second term as Chair of the leading smart card infrastructure development organization.

Bob, who initially took up the post as Chair of GlobalPlatform in FY2004, will continue to work closely with Jim Lee, from Visa International, who will serve his fourth term as GlobalPlatform Vice Chair and Shoji Miyamoto from Hitachi who retains the role of GlobalPlatform Secretary / Treasurer for a second term.

All three Board officers have been appointed for one year.

The GlobalPlatform Board has also inducted a Strategic Director. David Asay from IBM will fill this role with immediate effect. David will provide the GlobalPlatform Board with strategic advice as a 'cross-industry, supplier-independent solution provider'. For the past eight years, Mr Asay has managed the IBM Global Smart Card Solutions organization that is responsible for integrating smart card solutions in many industries using technologies from all suppliers to meet the needs of IBM's clients.

Bob Beer comments: "The GlobalPlatform Board and Committees comprise some of the smart card industry's leading figureheads, so it is an honour for me to serve as their peer and Chair of the organization for another year.

"2004 has been a progressive year, during which GlobalPlatform technology has really taken a firm grip on the global marketplace. Current estimates predict that by the end of the year, the number of GlobalPlatform smart cards in circulation will exceed 70 million and over 600 million GSM cards will utilize GlobalPlatform technology. This represents a significant year-on-year increase in GlobalPlatform deployments.

"Throughout 2005 the GlobalPlatform Board will continue its focus on adoption and further develop the momentum that is already gathering pace. By working closely with the Marketing Center, Planning Unit and GlobalPlatform Technical Committees, the Board aims to ensure that continued and focused progress on all fronts makes interoperability a buzz word throughout 2005. I look forward to another successful year."

For further information on GlobalPlatform, please visit www.globalplatform.org.

-ENDS-

To arrange an interview with Bob Beer, or any other GlobalPlatform Board Member, please contact Lee'ann Connell or Sarah Bayne at Sinclair Mason on
Tel: + 44 (0) 870 606 0960 or e-mail: leeannc@sinclairmason.com or sarahb@sinclairmason.com.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Full List of GlobalPlatform Board Members:

• Bob Beer, Datacard Group - GlobalPlatform Chair
• Jim Lee, Visa International - GlobalPlatform Vice Chair
• Shoji Miyamoto, Hitachi - GlobalPlatform Secretary/Treasurer
• Didier Bégay, France Telecom
• Justin D'Angelo, Gemplus
• Christian Juttner, Giesecke & Devrient
• Toshiaki Kuzuki, JCB Co. Ltd.
• Richard Fletcher, MasterCard International
• Shoichi Senda, NTT Corporation
• Carmen Carnero-Silvo, SERMEPA
• Yves Moulart, STMicroelectronics

GlobalPlatform Strategic Directors:

• Kazumi Endo - Fujitsu
• Michel Leger - Axalto
• David Asay - IBM