News 1999
V.Bigwigs
11/11/1999
Virgin Mobile is the first company of its kind in the UK - a new kind of phone company, a virtual mobile company. Virgin Mobile is a 50:50 joint venture between Richard Branson's Virgin Group and One 2 One, the cellular network.
It is a £100 million start-up, employing more than 500 people, with plans to expand to create another 500 jobs in the next two years. The company was recently valued at £1.36 billion by city analysts Investec Henderson Crosthwaite Securities. Its head office is in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.
Anyway, here are just a few of the people who for last few months, in the run up to Virgin Mobile's launch, have been living above the shop.
Name: Richard Branson.
Age: 49.
Job: Eh?
Responsibilities: Er, shall we move on...
Name: Tom Alexander.
Age: 40.
Job: Managing Director.
Responsibilities: The business.
Previous Incarnation: He has 15 years in the mobile industry, most latterly as Deputy Commercial Director at BTCellnet. He worked on the world's first SIM toolkit application for mobiles in 1995, bringing finance and telephony together in the shape of the Cellnet-Barclaycard phone. He has an MBA from Henley. And he used to be a racing driver.
Favourite Colour: Red.
Likes: Switching off his mobile.
Dislikes: Oranges.
Name: Alan Gow
Age: 44
Job: Finance Director.
Responsibilities: The money.
Previous Incarnation: Joined One 2 One four years ago as Head of Business Planning & Control to work on the successful £1.2bn funding which underpinned the network's expansion and the re-launch of the brand. Previously held senior financial positions with Hilton International, Perrier and Scottish & Newcastle, where as Financial Controller he was involved in the launch of the S&N Retail business and the £800m acquisition of the Chef & Brewer chain. He's an accountant by training and holds an MBA from Manchester Business School.
Favourite Colour: Red.
Likes: Spreadsheets.
Dislikes: Expenses claims.
Name: Joe Steel.
Age: 33 (the whizz kid).
Job: Marketing Director.
Responsibilities: The service.
Previous Incarnation: Joe trained as a chemical engineer with Unilever, but went on to spend four years at Arthur D. Little - the international management and technology consultants - where he developed an expertise in mobiles. He moved to BTCellnet where over the past five years he has held a variety of roles and titles, the most outrageous of which was MMMM - Marketing Manager for the Mass Market. When not changing the name plate on his office door he looked after the company's channel strategy, tariffs and product development. Most recently he was BTCellnet's Head of Business Development.
Pets: Three children.
Favourite Colour: Clear, transparent, honest, no-nonsense… (sorry, got carried away!).
Likes: Smiling.
Dislikes: Vices (aka James Kydd, see below).
Name: James Kydd.
Age: 40 (but in denial).
Job: Brand Director.
Responsibilities: The adverts.
Previous Incarnation: Has worked at Virgin since 1993, during which time he spent five years as Marketing Director at Virgin Cola and was Advertising and Planning manager at Virgin Atlantic. Previously spent 11 years in advertising at Colman RSCG
Pets: Black Labrador called Barney.
Favourite Colour: Red.
Likes: Smoking and drinking.
Dislikes: Clean-living.
Name: Andrew Ralston.
Age: 36.
Job: Customer Services Relationship Director.
Responsibilities: Answering the phones.
Previous Incarnation: Andrew was poached from his post as Head of Customer Services at ONdigital, where he had been for two years. He ran his own company advising the cellular industry on customer service and call centre management for a couple of years, before which he held a number of roles at BTCellnet.
Pets: A flash Porsche.
Favourite Colour: Red.
Likes: Guinness and oysters, oysters and Guiness, in no particular order.
Dislikes: The engaged tone.
Name: Graeme Hutchinson.
Age: 37.
Job: Head of Business Development.
Responsibilities: The future.
Previous Incarnation: Barclays Bank, where as manager of Barclaycard New Business Development he handled its mobile phone project in 1995, and with Tom at Cellnet did the aforementioned deal. He held a number of posts within Barclays in marketing, new business and strategic development. He holds expertise in e-commerce, the internet, and international strategic relationships. Graeme claims once to have been a rock star, and with his group, has cut two albums.
Favourite Colour: Red.
Likes: Being recognised in the street (though he can't remember when it last happened).
Dislikes: Anyone who says 'no deal'.
