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
Neil McArthur MBE
FOUNDER & CEO
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.
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.
Shawn Nolan
CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER
Shawn is responsible for leading the software and systems architectural development at Freedom Fibre. He is an expert in telecommunications with over 20 years of experience as a senior stakeholder in many different capacities including CTO, senior architect, lead technical consultant, head of networks on projects with FTTx rollouts, data centre design and build for companies such as DCMS/BDUK, AT&T, Hewlett Packard, UK Gov, G.Network, Convergence Group and Gigaclear. As a technical leader with strong business acumen, Shawn is able to quickly build large, expert teams, allowing businesses to innovate and grow exponentially in an increasingly demanding telecoms market.
Tony Moore
CHIEF DELIVERY OFFICER
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 with your CV today, email hr@freedomfibre.co.uk
Join the Freedom Fibre family
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Our values
THE PRINCIPLES THAT DRIVE OUR BUSINESS
Boundless energy
We are self-starters. We’re motivated with ‘can-do’ attitude, coupled with an inquisitive mind. We are always ‘glass half-full, not half-empty’. We approach every task with energy and enthusiasm.
Create a legacy
We invest with courage, taking smart, calculated risks and making wise, strategic decisions. We think like an owner, taking responsibility to build a better and more sustainable future for everyone.
Keep it simple
We know complexity adds cost and time. So we join forces, rather than working in silos, we build it once, using the right information to make informed decisions and always aim to make things simpler for everyone concerned.
Care more
We do the right thing for customers, employees and stakeholders making sure we, and those around us, are acting with positive intent. We don’t shrink from the tough conversations. With respect, humility and empathy; we are never arrogant or insensitive.
Push boundaries
We always strive to improve; to challenge how things are done; to fail fast and learn quickly; to ensure the best possible outcomes. We don’t just settle, and we aren’t afraid to offer constructive challenges, at all levels of our company.
Protect the planet
We keep our environment clean and unpolluted. We always follow best practices in everything we do. We look for ways to reduce our impact on the environment and our carbon footprint.