SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 4, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Getfugu (OTCBB:GFGU) (http://getfugu.com), the next generation mobile search tool, announced today the addition of telecommunications industry executive Michael John O'Connor to its Board of Directors. O'Connor is currently the Co-Chairman of Globalive Communications Corporation, a leading provider of telecommunications solutions in Canada, covering its population of over 20 million people.
O'Connor is the founder of the Center for Economic and Financial Analysis at Science Applications International Corporation, in San Diego, California and Virginia, one of the largest consultancy companies in the US with 60,000 employees. In over twenty years in economics, finance and mergers and acquisitions in telecommunications and transportation, he designed and implemented sophisticated financial planning tools in support of major equity and debt raises in the US and internationally.
Joining Orascom Telecom in 1998, O'Connor became a founding member of the Executive Committee and led all its business development efforts and M&A activities and Greenfield license acquisitions, with a value of in excess of 30 billion USD. Beginning with a single acquisition in Egypt with only 250,000 subscribers, Orascom Telecom's market capitalization exceeds 8 billion USD, with upwards of 110 million subscribers. Orascom Telecom is the largest and most diversified mobile telecommunications company in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asian territories.
O'Connor, as Orascom Telecom's representative in Canada, in 2008, led the auction for nationwide AWS spectrum, culminating in the largest and most expansive award of spectrum and fees of $445 million, across Canada, with launch later this year in the major urban centers.
"I'm pleased to be joining Getfugu's board as the company prepares for launch on September 9," said O'Connor. "Getfugu's rich technology will be one of the most significant factors for the mobile industry and I'm delighted be a part of it. One of my first goals will be to leverage my telecommunications experience and resources to help drive the technology in a variety of new areas."
"It's an honor to add Michael John O'Connor, a true a leader in the mobile business, to the board of Getfugu," said Getfugu Chairman Michael Jay Solomon. "Michael is a force in the business and has an enormous network of resources, which will bring a number of benefits to the board."
O'Connor began his career at the Economic Council of Canada/School of Policy Studies Queens University conducting studies of Government's Impact on Competitiveness in these two sectors. He holds a Masters Degree in Economics from Carleton University.
O'Connor's appointment to the Getfugu Board is the latest high profile appointment to the company's board and executive management team under the leadership of CEO Bernard Stolar, former Game Evangelist at Google. Entertainment Industry leader Michael Jay Solomon was named Chairman of the Board last week. Internet search pioneer and Founder of Ask Jeeves (http://Ask.com), David Warthen recently joined Getfugu as the company's CTO.
About Getfugu
Getfugu, Inc., a technology company, focuses on developing mobile search tools. Its application enables consumers to retrieve content and eliminate the need to type a Website address or search term into a browser. Getfugu's products under development include ARL, which recognizes logos and products through mobile phone camera; VRL through which consumer could speak into the phone to retrieve content; GRL designed to work with the GPS systems of mobile phones; and Hotspotting, a mobile ecommerce tool that enables the consumer to purchase or retrieve information featured in the video by touching it on the screen. Getfugu, Inc. was founded in 2007 and is based in San Francisco, California.