Our Team

Eli is the founder and CEO of XConnect. He has led the strategic direction of the company since 2005 when it launched its Interconnection and Number Registry services, through to the Number Information Services the company provides today. Eli is the co-founder and Chairman of the UK’s IP communications industry body, the Comms Council UK and is a Board Member of the i3Forum. Before founding XConnect, Eli was Managing Director of Telco Global from its inception in 1996 to 2003. He was instrumental in driving the telecoms, Internet and mobile services provider’s rapid growth to one million customers and £250 million in annual revenue. He also was a key player in the IPO of Telco Global’s U.S. parent company. This experience has led to Eli’s focus on establishing XConnect as the leading trusted global provider of Number Intelligence, with a relentless drive to ensure quality and service excellence for our customers. He holds various patents in the USA, UK and Europe in the areas of Enum, fraud and number registry optimisations and was recognised in the 2009 Global Telecoms Business’s 40 under 40 Award and the 2021, 2022 and 2023 Capacity Power 100.

Neil joined XConnect as Director of Finance in April 2007. He has over 25 years’ experience of leading finance departments across a range of industries, where he has always put strong financial reporting and control mechanisms into operation. Prior to XConnect, Neil was the Finance Director at the UK subsidiaries of Destia Communications and Viatel. He helped take the Viatel subsidiary into private ownership in 2001 and guided the new entity, Telco Global Communications, through a period of rapid growth, to revenues of £250m. This then led to its sale to OneTel, Centrica, three years later. While at the leading broadcast equipment vendor, Mitcorp, he established new business divisions which were key to driving the company’s growth. Neil has used this experience to help develop XConnect from a number registry service provider, into establishing its successful Number Information Services business, to ensure it has the solid foundations for continued growth.

Susan is responsible for the Systems and Software Engineering teams at XConnect who build and deliver the scalable, robust and secure technology that supports our Number Information Services. Susan joined XConnect in 2008, bringing over 15 years of telecoms experience to the company. Prior to XConnect, she was the manager of the VoIP Engineering Team and the NOC at Kayote Networks, a leading VoIP company providing expertise in SIP and other VoIP protocols. Susan led the project for XConnect’s companywide ISO 27001: 2013 certification that was first awarded in January 2020. It’s a continuous process to ensure we all follow the appropriate procedures to keep data and information secure across the business and we’re proud to be recertified again in 2024. Susan has passed the Certified Information System Security Professional examination (CISSP) to become an Associate of the International Information System Security Certification Consortium.

Gautam Hazari joins XConnect in the role of Chief Product & Innovation Officer, following the acquisition of Sekura ID by XConnect. At Sekura, Gautam and his team built the SAFr (Sekura API Framework) — a real-time, operator-connected architecture that empowers businesses to embed mobile identity signals into digital services. Under his leadership, Sekura collaborated with mobile operators worldwide and propelled the deployment of Mobile Connect across more than 60 operators in 30 countries. In his latest role, Gautam is helping to unify mobile identity with numbering intelligence—paving the way for next-generation trust layers in digital ecosystems.

Henri joined XConnect in September 2020. She has extensive experience in developing and delivering the marketing strategy for B2B technology and telecoms firms, in both start up and well established global businesses. As well as running the in house marketing, she has also worked agency-side, managing the EMEA PR and marketing for large US Unicorn tech firms.

Fenton joined XConnect in November 2021 and is the VP Global Sales. With over 20 years experience, Fenton has held senior sales and board level roles within the data infrastructure markets. Previous to this role, he co-founded a network services and colocation business for service and content providers. Fenton holds a BA Honours Degree in Business.

As head of commercial operations, Simon leads the teams responsible for the onboarding and ongoing management of customers across our number of information services. Simon has been a member of the XConnect team since 2007. He has vast experience in the telecoms industry, including at IDT as a trading specialist, and for its subsidiary, Toucan, as product manager responsible for fixed and mobile line rental. Following this, he joined THUS plc as product manager for broadband services. Before moving into telecoms Simon worked for Shell International’s web development group as an Intranet webmaster and also worked on the early iterations of shell.com, with a specific focus on search engine optimisation. As well as being a product expert, Simon is passionate about ensuring we always deliver a top quality service for our customers.

Mark joins the XConnect team as Chief Identity Officer following the acquisition of Sekura ID by XConnect at the beginning of 2025. As the Founder and CEO of Sekura.id, Mark built one of the world’s most trusted mobile identity providers. Under his leadership, Sekura established partnerships with mobile operators across six continents, delivering secure, real-time identity and verification solutions that protect billions of users. His vision has always been to simplify how digital services verify identity — using mobile data as a secure, frictionless foundation for trust. At XConnect, Mark continues to champion innovation in digital trust, combining mobile network intelligence with identity verification to help businesses combat fraud, enhance user experience, and meet evolving compliance demands. His work plays a key role in shaping the future of secure communication and connectivity.

Graham joined XConnect in June 2019 from running a successful consultancy business. He has held leading commercial positions across companies in Telecommunications, Wireless Networking, IPTV and Storage markets. With over 20 years of Business Development experience in International markets focusing on EMEA and North America, Graham has been at the commercial forefront of emerging technologies, having worked with or for organisations including, Microsoft, Cisco, Amino, Airties, Motorola, Intel, IBM, Netgear, Nokia, Huawei and Apple.

Myer joined XConnect in 2006 and has almost 30 years’ experience in telecoms and number information systems development, including cloud-based CRMs, billing, provisioning and reporting systems using AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure and recently adapting systems to support Multi Factor Authentication. Prior to joining XConnect, Myer was Head of Solutions for TalkTalk Ltd (owned by Carphone Warehouse), where he built large scale systems from the ground up to support a business with over £1bn revenue and two million customers. Earlier in his career, while serving as Director of IT at Viatel and Telco Global, Myer managed a European Wide team of over 120 staff in both Development and Operations. Myer has used this experience to build a bespoke and feature rich rating system for XConnect which gives us the opportunity to provide flexible and tailored services to our customer base. Myer holds a First Class Honours degree in Computer Engineering from Imperial College of Science in London.

Pablo Jimenez joined XConnect in 2023 as Global Sales and Partnership Director to support worldwide growth into application-to-person (A2P), carrier, mobile network operator (MNO) and CPaaS customers. Pablo has over 10 years’ experience in delivering customer growth and sales strategies to global regions including Europe, Africa, America, and the Middle East. Prior to his appointment at XConnect, Jimenez held positions at NetNumber and BICS.

Vijay Nair is an experienced global telecom and IT leader with over three decades of expertise in strategic partnerships and business development. As EVP of Strategic Partnerships at Sekura.id, now part of XConnect, Vijay drives commercial growth and collaboration with mobile operators and enterprises worldwide. He plays a key role in expanding the reach of mobile identity and fraud prevention services, enabling secure, seamless digital interactions. Known for his collaborative approach and commercial insight, Vijay bridges business strategy with innovation to deliver trusted, scalable identity solutions.

Andy joined XConnect in 2008 as Head of Technical Solutions, where he manages product development and pre-sales support. Andy has over 30 years’ experience in telecoms with roles in sales support, product development, engineering and operations. Andy’s previous companies include Interoute Communications, Level 3, Cisco and Cable and Wireless. His product expertise is second to none and Andy uses all of his experience to manage our supplier relationships, as well as keep on top of the latest developments globally across our portfolio of solutions. He also works with Simon’s team to determine the best fit solutions for customer requirements.

Kristina Ristovska joined XConnect in 2023 as Head of Product to serve the evolving needs of voice, messaging, and identity & verification (ID&V) markets. As Head of Product, Kristina will support XConnect’s growth by defining its product strategy and developing new solutions for customers. She will oversee XConnect’s existing product portfolio as well as explore gaps for new products to be introduced. Kristina boasts over 10 years of telecoms product management experience, holding previous positions at Twilio, Infobip and CM.

Anna joined XConnect's commercial team in September 2022 bringing a wealth of telecoms and financial sector experience. Anna background includes sales and business development management roles within leading CPaaS and Carrier organisations. Anna holds a Master's Degree in International Relations and is a keen scuba-diver.

Paul joined the XConnect team as Global Account Director following the acquisition of Sekura ID by XConnect at the start of the year. He works closely with mobile operators, technology partners, and enterprises to expand access to secure identity and fraud prevention services worldwide. With a strong background in business development and strategic collaboration, Paul focuses on building long-term partnerships that deliver mutual value and drive innovation in digital identity. His commitment to customer success and trusted relationships helps strengthen XConnect’s position as a global leader in mobile identity solutions.

Barbara Shankland joined XConnect in 2023 as its Global Account Director to support messaging and voice customers with fraud mitigation and number validation. She will provide extensive telecommunications product experience to help XConnect’s customers to route their traffic more efficiently and maximise revenue streams. Barbara brings 20 years’ insight in sales and account management to XConnect, along with in-depth knowledge of the tech and telecoms industry. Before joining the XConnect team, Barbara held positions at Tyntec and Mitto.

Bojan joined XConnect in March 2025 as Data Sourcing and Partnerships Director, bringing extensive experience in telecommunications, including roles at TeleSign and GTS. Prior to joining the corporate sector, Bojan founded and led his own company, gaining valuable insights into the telecom industry across multiple regions. He has a strong track record of building strategic partnerships and optimizing global sourcing to drive growth and innovation, with a key focus on MNP, HLR, Number Intelligence, and Fraud prevention.

Biju Menon serves as General Manager – India, bringing his leadership to spearhead growth and operations across one of the company’s most strategic markets. Well-versed in telecom, authentication and identity services, Biju ensures that India’s regulatory, partner and technical dimensions align seamlessly with XConnect’s global vision. Under his stewardship, client and operator relationships deepen and the brand’s promise of secure, scalable mobile identity gets delivered locally.

Ben Norton brings a uniquely diverse background to XConnect’s mobile identity team, blending product development, account management and operational expertise across industries as varied as consumer tech, education and now telecom APIs. Since joining Sekura.id in 2022, Ben has been instrumental in onboarding new clients, partners and suppliers, ensuring seamless integration and measurable success. His scientific mindset drives a meticulous, data-led approach to problem-solving, helping shape products that harness the full potential of operator intelligence. Collaborative, analytical and quietly inventive, Ben’s work bridges the technical and the practical – and he still finds time to coach cricketers and refine his cover drive.

Matt is a recognised authority in Mobile Identity marketing, known for building one of the most distinctive and emulated brands in the industry. With deep, hands-on knowledge of mobile identity, telecoms and network APIs, he’s shaped the narrative of how mobile operators, CPaaS providers and enterprises understand digital trust. At XConnect, with Henri, he leads global marketing across identity, network APIs and platforms, driving clarity and commercial impact in a complex, fast-moving ecosystem. Matt’s blend of strategy, creativity and precision has made him a benchmark for modern B2B marketing.

Tim joined XConnect in November 2016 to lead Number Information Services. Although partially retired, he's still on hand to guide the XConnect strategy and take his place on the MEF Board. Tim has over 30 years of experience in technical, sales and marketing roles across the telecoms industry including NET, Sonus Networks, and most recently with Neustar where he managed their relationship with the GSMA and their market leading PathFinder portability and service discovery registry. He is passionate about establishing a level playing field across the industry, with a common set of standards to ensure the highest quality of service. He sees XConnect playing a pivotal role in this and, as such, works with key industry stakeholders and bodies such as MEF and GSMA to drive this agenda forward.