How did you achieve your current position?
I set out to pursue an in-house career in the pharmaceuticals and IT sectors. I was fortunate to join BellSouth in the late 1980s when the mobile telecoms market was in its infancy and US corporations were planning major investment programmes in Europe. The industry provided a magic carpet ride for its lawyers throughout the ’90s, generating huge volumes of M&A, commercial, competition and regulatory work. I came back to the UK specifically to work for BT in 1998 on the flotation of part or all of its substantial mobile interests around the globe. The change in market sentiment towards telecommunications and IT stocks resulted in the demerger of the European part of the business in 2001, to create mmO2, itself a massive and fascinating project.
Why did you decide to move from BT to mmO2?
The chance to take a significant role in a Ftse 50 company with a great management team and a board of the highest calibre. Few such opportunities present themselves in any career and I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.
