Zen appoints former Sage executive Paul Stobart and unveils ambitious plans for growth

Zen Internet has created a new board of directors and appointed former Sage executive Paul Stobart as chair in preparation for an accelerated period of growth.

The appointment was officially announced at Zen’s Partner Event in Manchester last week, where Paul said that he was “incredibly excited” at the chance to be a part of Zen’s next phase of development.

He continued: “I know already that Zen is a very special business, with great people and a strong and growing customer base. With the convergence of voice and data, the emergence of cloud-based services and a multitude of other propositions coming onto the market, the opportunities for customers and Zen have never been better.”

Paul brings a wealth of experience to the role, having been part of the executive team that increased turnover at business software company Sage tenfold between 1996 and 2011. His CV also includes thirteen years as CEO at Tunstall and CPP plc, and eight years of non-executive board experience.

Welcoming Paul to Zen, CEO Richard Tang explained his decision to reconfigure Zen’s management structure, bringing in a board of directors for the first time.
Richard said: “Zen has a huge opportunity over the next few years and if we are to maximise that opportunity and really scale Zen up to be a major contender in the UK market, we need a leadership structure that is even stronger and the ability to tap into even more experience and capability.

“Our current senior management team have done a brilliant job. The separate board, chaired by Paul, will work closely with the SMT to unlock new and exciting opportunities for growth.”

The appointment and creation of a separate board comes as Zen completes its transition to a full service connectivity and networking provider, with a portfolio that goes way beyond broadband and into voice, cloud, IP VPN and Ethernet services. The announcement follows the recent unveiling of a new brand and vision, and the adoption of ambitious plans to become a £100 million business within three years and a £250 million business within ten.

“We aim to do this by focusing on the right things,” said Paul. “That means great quality people delivering technology-rich, market-leading propositions with outstanding customer service.”

It was that determination to do business the right way that made Paul the perfect fit for Zen, Richard explains:

“Paul is massively experienced and capable but on top of all that, and something that really clicked with me, is his people-centric focus. I’ve met a lot of business leaders and I can’t think of anyone whose people-centric values are so closely aligned with my own. That is deeply important to me.”

He continued: “Zen is at a point in its development when we are growing very quickly and we’ve got a great leadership team. With Paul, we’ve brought in the experience and capability to help Zen climb to the next level.”

For further information:

Please contact Hugh Wilson, press officer, Zen Internet. Hugh.wilson@zeninternet.co.uk 01706 902000.

Editor’s Notes

Zen Internet is a telecommunications and internet service provider (ISP), providing a full range of data, voice, hosting and infrastructure services to homes and businesses across the UK.

The company delivers excellent customer service and technical support. Zen has won many awards for excellent services including PC Pro’s Best Internet Service Provider, the UK IT Industry Award for Services Company of the Year, a UK Customer Experience Silver Award for Technology & Telecoms, and was recently named a Which? Recommended Provider for Broadband Services.

Zen also provides business-grade broadband, Ethernet and data services for a wide range of large business and corporate customers.

Zen Internet employs more than 430 staff and last year generated revenues of £63.7m.