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Who
we are

Working to drive change

Our aim is for our people, our partners and our suppliers to work together with the common purpose; to make full fibre, high-speed broadband available to everyone, at a price that is affordable.

We’re based in the North West of England and we’re dedicated to driving change across our local area and beyond. We partner with Internet Service Providers to optimise the UK’s fibre network. Together we deliver the best possible customer experience whilst driving down costs and improving the speed of roll-out. Our management team has extensive knowledge of the UK telecommunications industry. We’ve all got experience in rolling out high-speed fibre networks, both cost-effectively and at speed. 


With our knowledge and expertise, we innovate and challenge conventional thinking to deliver an inclusive, high-speed fibre infrastructure. Our team are all encouraged to speak out and contribute wherever they feel they have something to offer. We value energy, ideas and we show care and consideration for everyone and everything we touch in our work. Most of all, we enjoy what we do and we are dedicated to making a difference. 

Meet our people

FREEDOM FIBRE’S MANAGEMENT TEAM

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Nathan Vautier

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Nathan brings over 25 years of experience within the telecommunications industry. He started in infrastructure, working with companies such as Ericsson, Sony Ericsson, EE, and Brightstar Corporation before moving into PE backed businesses. Most recently, following Community Fibre's acquisition of Box Broadband, Nathan was appointed CEO of Box Broadband with a mandate to lead the company's business transformation, increasing customer penetration and operational efficiency. He is recognised for his relentless focus on key value drivers and ability to deliver sustainable growth.  

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Marie Danby

CUSTOMER OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

Marie is responsible for leading service operations within Freedom Fibre, working with our partners to ensure their customers receive the highest levels of customer service. Previously Marie was Service Director at TalkTalk plc leading the end-to-end service operations function as well as being responsible for delivering an improved front line customer experience strategy.  With over 20 years of experience in the UK telecoms industry, she is passionate about developing a customer-centric business culture and her people-focused approach to driving business performance.  

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Tony Moore

PROJECTS DIRECTOR

Tony Moore is leading the fibre network roll out programme for Freedom Fibre. He brings a wealth of experience in programme delivery having previously led one of the largest environmental restoration programmes – a multi-billion pound project – in the UK. Before joining Freedom Fibre he was Construction Programme Director at FibreNation responsible for the roll-out of FTTP across a number of cities and was successful in driving down costs and the time to connect customers, achieving some of the fastest build cycle times in the industry. His desire is to continue to reduce the time and cost to roll out   to ensure that hi-speed broadband can be more readily accessible and affordable to all.

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Jan Lange

LILA CONNECT
MANAGING DIRECTOR

Jan Lange is the Managing Director of LilaConnect, the internet service provider and new retail arm of Freedom Fibre. With over 25 years of experience in telecoms and the digital infrastructure markets, including roles at Deutsche Telecom, DB Broadband, and Avid, Jan’s main priority is managing LilaConnect and increasing customer take-up rate. Having previously held key roles in businesses going through mergers and boasting significant skills in growth and go-to-market strategies, Jan is well-positioned to take LilaConnect to new heights as Freedom Fibre’s new retail subsidiary. 

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Darren Woods

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Darren is responsible for Finance, HR and central support services along with investor relations. He has worked across a range of sectors including telecoms, asset rental, manufacturing, and professional services in large and small organisations, as well as internationally, often in PE-backed businesses. With almost 15 years’ operating at CFO level, he brings the experience of leading mergers, acquisitions, IT implementations, restructuring and outsourcing programmes. Prior to joining Freedom Fibre, he was CFO at FibreNation. 

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David Hough

NETWORK DIRECTOR

David is responsible for the overall design, operation and innovation of our network. He boasts over 35 years of extensive telecoms experience in the service provider, altnet and equipment vendor sectors. Recently, he was responsible for the architecture, transformation and design of solutions for the core access and orchestration layers of a key UK Service provider network. He utilised future-proof SDN solutions and implemented a true IP-enabled end-to-end network to deliver the first complete UK FTTP solution. Previously, he has held Technical Director roles for several suppliers covering access, voice, data and management products, working with Tier 1 service providers to deliver next-generation solutions.

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Adele Cihlar

DELIVERY OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

Adele Cihlar is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience, 13 of which were in the Telecoms industry within BT, where she has held multiple roles both operational and transformational. Skilled in methodologies like Lean, Six Sigma, and Agile, Adele has held pivotal roles at BT, The Co Op and Cummins Engines. Adele's leadership has resulted in significant growth, cost savings, and enhanced customer experiences. She's adept at consultancy, managing technical teams, and executing complex initiatives. With a degree in Engineering and BQF credentials in Lean and Six Sigma, Adele combines her vast expertise with a strong educational background to drive excellence.

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Lesley Segelit

HEAD OF HR

Lesley leads the human resources and development team and is responsible for all HR functions within Freedom Fibre. With over 20 years of HR experience working in the oil & gas, environmental, and nuclear industries, she uses her skill set to drive Freedom Fibre’s HR strategy and recommends appropriate people management solutions to support the company’s overall vision and strategic objectives. With a passion for all things ‘people,’ Lesley is committed to developing a fully integrated HR service and delivering this at an organisational, functional, and customer level, and works closely with her team to position Freedom Fibre as an employer of choice.

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Neil McArthur MBE

FOUNDER & ADVISOR

Neil brings over 24 years’ experience in fibre and telecoms to his role as CEO at Freedom Fibre. As CEO and founder of Opal Telecom in the 1980s, Neil led its merger with Carphone Warehouse to create TalkTalk in 2002 and then ran its technology division for 8 years. In 2018, he became CEO of Fibre Nation, a fibre to the premises (FTTP) start-up backed by TalkTalk which was acquired by CityFibre in March 2020 for £200m. He is a member of the Board of Governors and Finance Committee of the University of Manchester, and a founder member of the Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership. Neil is also founder and chairman of Manchester Tech Trust and Hamilton Davies Trust.

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Rick Byers

CHIEF RISK OFFICER

Rick is responsible for leading the risk and compliance functions within Freedom Fibre, as well as looking after the Enterprise IT and security functions. He brings over 20 years of telecoms experience, and a deep understanding of enterprise risk and information security, having implemented software and security management systems for global businesses. He has an excellent mix of business and technical knowledge, bridging the gap between the various functions in our customer-focused business. He is passionate about security and ensuring that it is an activity that is ‘bottom up’ and not ‘top down’ driven in an organisation.

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Lee Sutch

HEAD OF B2B

As the Head of B2B, Lee is responsible for leading sales, partner strategies and developing innovative full-fibre business products. With over 15 years in the telecoms industry, including previous roles at Verastar and TalkTalk Business, strong skills in service delivery and sales, and the ability to understand the entirety of the customer journey, Lee brings his wealth of experience to help meet Freedom Fibre’s long-term connectivity ambitions and create futureproof connectivity solutions for businesses across the North West.

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CAREERS

Join the Freedom Fibre family

We are always open to meeting driven and talented people who share our values. If you feel you can contribute to our mission to bring connectivity to everyone, then get in touch.

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