Mobile Marketing Association President Laura Marriott is stepping down from her role at the organisation to pursue personal interests. Marriott has been instrumental in growing the MMA since her arrival in 2005, and will be a hard act to follow.
The MMA Board has started an executive-level search for a new President, managed by a recruiting committee comprised of Board members and conducted by an executive search firm. Marriott will see the association through the transition period and will then assume President Emeritus position on the MMA Global Board of Advisors.
Lauras leadership has been beneficial, not only to the MMA but the industry itself, says Tom Daly, MMA North America Chairman and Group Manager at The Coca-Cola Company. We are disappointed to see her leave, but support her in her goals to pursue personal interests.Having benefitted from Lauras leadership, the MMA is stronger than ever. Together with the Board and our members, Laura has created a global association and positioned the MMA as the worlds leading trade association for mobile marketing and the source for best practices which protect the consumer experience.
Richard Saggers, MMA Global and EMEA Chairman and Head of Mobile Advertising at Vodafone Group Services describes Marriott as: a tremendous leader of the MMA (who) has done a fantastic job on behalf of the MMA membership and the mobile marketing industry worldwide.
Since 2005, the MMAs membership has experienced over 15 times growth and the association has established global headquarters and regional chapters in Asia Pacific (APAC), Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA), North America (NA) and most recently, Latin America (LATAM).  Within the past three years, the MMA has established more than 20 new committees leading in the areas of Participation TV, Education, Measurement, Privacy and  Mobile Advertising, each of which adheres to the MMAs mission to develop guidelines and best practices, remove obstacles to sustainable market development and educate the industry on mobile marketing.
The Association has also been at the forefront of establishing global guidelines for Mobile Advertising and the Code of Conduct and has worked regionally to launch Consumer Best Practices, Mobile Commerce and Mobile Search educational documents, among other key initiatives.
The MMA says it will continue to lead these key activities world-wide and is hiring staff to lead, not only the global association, but each of our regional branches as we support the creation of a global ecosystem for mobile marketing. The MMA recently opened an office in London, and will also open an office in New York and So Paulo early this summer to respond to the growing number of inquiries worldwide.