NFC Forum announces new vice chairman

WAKEFIELD, USA: The NFC Forum, a non-profit industry association that advances the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, announced a newly elected vice chairman of its Board of Directors, James Anderson of MasterCard Worldwide. The organization also announced that Anderson and NFC Forum Director Debbie Arnold will serve as panelists at the MPA Digital: Technology conference in New York on June 23.

James Anderson has spent his career at the intersection of mobile, payment, and Internet technologies in the functional areas of Product Development and Business Development. He is currently group head and senior vice president for Mobile Product Development at MasterCard Worldwide. In this role, he is responsible for developing all mobile payment products, including proximity payments, mobile web payments and mobile remote payments.

In addition to leading MasterCard’s mobile product development, Anderson also leads commercialization efforts and supports sales and business development activities around the world. He has served on the Board of the NFC Forum since October, 2009. In his new position, he replaces outgoing Vice Chairman Dave Wentker of Visa Inc.

"As a technology leader at an influential payment solutions provider, Mr. Anderson holds skills and experience that will be valuable as NFC broadens its acceptance and usage among consumers, and as the NFC Forum reaches the next level of influence," said NFC Forum chairman, Koichi Tagawa of Sony Corp. "I look forward to benefitting from Anderson's insights in his new role."

Elected by a vote of the NFC Forum Board of Directors at its June meeting in Seattle, Anderson joins re-elected chairman Tagawa, vice chairman, Mikko Saarisalo of Nokia, secretary, Frank Dawidowsky of Sony, and treasurer, Martin Bührlen of NXP as Officers of the Forum.

As part of the NFC Forum's program of outreach, Anderson and Ms. Arnold are the featured panelists in a session entitled "What's Next in Near Field Communication – and How It Will Impact Magazine Media," at the June 23 MPA Digital: Technology conference. This event (formerly known as the Dimensional to Digital Conference) examines the technology of print and digital content for magazine brands, exploring workflow and software solutions with a focus on companies that have successfully tackled the migration of content to digital platforms.

Also highlighted are brands using innovative technologies to push the boundaries of what's possible with print magazines.