Former CEO of telecoms trade association the GSMA Rob Conway has passed away, the trade body announced late Friday. He died on Thursday evening after a brief battle with an aggressive form of cancer.

Conway was CEO and member of the GSMA board until September, 2011 and led the organisation for 12 years before joining European operator Vimpelcom as chief of international affairs.

“The GSMA will be honouring Rob for his contributions to the development of the mobile industry at Mobile World Congress in February,” the trade body said in a statement. “For now, our thoughts are with Rob’s family as well as his many close friends across the industry.”

Conway led the association over a period of growth from when there were just 500 million mobile connections globally until a time where there were six billion, according to the GSMA. During his time at the trade body, he also oversaw the growth of Mobile World Congress and led initiatives including Mobile for Development, a project aimed at tailoring mobile services to people in emerging markets.