Neos Networks beefs up C-suite to prep for new phase of accelerated growth

After a series of technology launches and enhancements, and hot on the heels of the 2023 appointment of Lee Myall as CEO and Craig Forrester as chief financial officer, UK connectivity provider Neos Networks has announced two further C-level appointments in the form of David Bruce as chief revenue officer and Matt Rees to chief technology and operating officer (CTOO) to support the company, as it eyes accelerated growth in the UK business connectivity market.

In early January 2024, the company announced a major upgrade of its Managed Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) service to provide capacities up to 10Gbps as standard. Previously available up to 1Gbps, the upgrade is intended to provide a fully managed, enterprise-grade fibre offering for UK organisations grappling with ever-increasing bandwidth demand and the need for reliable access to the internet.

Weeks later, it enhanced the way wholesale customers provision its services through integration with their own platforms, in particular its Livequote platform, to improve the ease and efficiency of purchasing connectivity services. The portal is designed to provide prospective and existing customers with a quoting, ordering and price-comparison service matching its own network against leading third-party offerings.

Anticipating growth over 2024, the company said the hires mark its readiness to take its expanded high-capacity network to market, as the evolving B2B connectivity needs of the industry continue to change at pace. In short, Bruce will be responsible for driving Neos’s evolving go-to-market strategy and ensuring customer success, while Matt Rees sees his role change to reflect a tech-ops focus being built into his purview.

Bruce brings over 16 years of international sales and customer success experience. Having previously held a range of senior roles with the likes of Virgin Media and Vodafone, he was most recently a member of the global executive team at cloud-centric connectivity provider Global Cloud Xchange, with overall responsibility for leading sales and marketing for its wholesale, OTT and enterprise units across Europe, the US and APAC.

In the role, he will work to ensure that customers across critical national infrastructure (CNI), wholesale telecoms and the public sector can benefit from the recent expansion and upgrade of the Neos high-capacity UK network.

Current chief technology officer Rees will become CTOO in a move said to reflect a commitment to taking a technology-first approach to building networks that are easier to provide and consume, easier to manage, and easier to repair. The company said the blended remit will more closely couple “technology and operational excellence” in the pursuit of “seamless” customer experience, and be a key part of how Neos will deliver on its customer strategy.

Commenting on the appointments, Myall said: “Neos is proud to operate one of the UK’s leading B2B connectivity networks, and for some of the most important organisations across CNI, telecoms, research and more. As our customers continue to pursue digital transformation and begin to leverage increasingly bandwidth-hungry technologies such as AI and IoT, we’re in a great position to support them.

“David brings with him a wealth of experience in business transformation, and has a proven track record in positioning companies for rapid growth,” he said. “Meanwhile, Matt is the ideal candidate for building out a world of ‘tech-ops’ within Neos, and has already supported the delivery of a range of products and platforms aimed at improving the end-to-end customer journey we provide.”