BICS, the global network enabler and a Proximus company, announced today the appointment of Surash Patel as Managing Director of BICS, effective immediately. Patel succeeds Guillaume Boutin, who has led BICS ad interim since February and will continue in his role as CEO of Proximus Group. This transition marks a significant step for BICS as it continues to strengthen its leadership position in the global telecommunications industry.

In June 2024, Proximus Group unveiled its vision to leverage the Group’s three international brands of BICS, Route Mobile and Telesign to create a worldwide leader in digital communications, founded on the mutually reinforcing core strengths of each brand to connect, engage and protect operator and enterprise customers worldwide. Patel joins the Group’s International business lines, alongside Rajdip Gupta of Route Mobile and Christophe Van de Weyer of Telesign, where he will lead the global network enablement capabilities across the Group, driving the global ambitions of Proximus Group forward.

“I am honored to lead BICS through this new chapter,” said Surash. “It’s an exciting time as we embrace the bold ambitions of Proximus Group for international growth. I look forward to working with BICS’ leadership team to champion innovation and excellence, creating value and opportunities for our customers worldwide.”

Guillaume Boutin, CEO, Proximus Group added: “I have full confidence in Surash that his leadership and experience in fostering growth within the B2B communications industry make him ideally suited to lead BICS. He will play an important role in the next phase of our Proximus international activities, together with Telesign and Route Mobile to create a global leader in digital communications.”

Patel brings to the role a strong background in B2B leadership, driving commercial success and strategic transformations in SaaS and mobile technology businesses. He joins BICS from the company’s sister-affiliate Telesign, where as Vice President for EMEA he led the Digital Identity specialist’s region to triple-digit growth. He also created the B2B global SaaS provider of mobile CRM, mGage Europe, and in his role as General Manager at RealNetworks, the AI and digital media software company, he achieved 30% growth over 4 years. Patel also served as Vice-Chair at the Mobile Ecosystem Forum from 2018 to 2021.

Patel has a degree in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from Brunel University, and an MBA from London Business School.