In
2005, Ms. Madera founded AwayPhone Limited, based in London, UK,
to offer business executives a way to travel smarter with their mobile phones. The
company offers the ability for travellers to save up to 90% off their mobile bills when abroad. The technology behind AwayPhone combined GSM SIM technology and VoIP call routing. AwayPhone was sold in October 2008 after building the business to include offices in the USA,
Japan, South Africa, Brazil and Columbia.
Prior
to AwayPhone, Ms. Madera was the Director of European Operations for London Asia Capital, a firm that invests only in mainland
Chinese companies at the later stage of development in the technology, media, telecoms, and services sectors.
Ms.
Madera has also worked with Interregnum plc (LSE: ITR), specialist mergers & acquisitions and venture capital advisory
businesses focussed on the telecoms sector. Ms. Madera’s specialty has
always been mobile businesses and innovative business models in this space. Through
her position as Vice President, International Strategic Development at Wireless Facilities Inc. (NASDAQ: WFII) has gained
the experience of working inside innovative firms making major corporate decisions including acquisitions, disposals, flotations
and joint ventures. Ms. Madera is Canadian and began her career with CIBC World
Markets in Toronto after graduating with a B.Sc.H. from Queen’s
University. Ms. Madera also holds a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
Ms.
Madera also has sat on the board of directors of Puca Technologies, a Wireless Value Added Services company with offices in
London, Dublin, Beijing and Shanghai, Droptimum Limited, an online retailer, and Landseer House, a property development
firm. She has been a speaker at major International events
and trade shows in London, Prague, Berlin, Singapore, Beijing,
Qingdao and Shanghai.