Caroline Ward joins Geo Board of Directors

Added: (Fri Oct 01 2010)

Pressbox (Press Release) - London, United Kingdom, 01 October 2010 – Leading provider of high performance fibre optic networks, Geo, today announced the appointment of Caroline Ward as its new Group Sales and Marketing Director.

Ward, who will join Chris Smedley (Chief Executive), Jonathan Watts (President), Mike Ainger (COO) and Gary Plumpton (CFO) as an Executive Director on Geo’s Board, brings with her extensive senior management and board level experience, gained within organisations including Sun Microsystems and IBM.

Ward joins Geo from Oracle (which recently acquired Sun Microsystems) where she was Professional Services Director, responsible for the leadership and growth of a $150m business across a region comprising UK, Ireland, Benelux and the Nordic countries. She managed the P&L for both the Sales and Delivery functions, and achieved great success in the design and execution of an organisational development plan, doubling the margins for her division during the economic downturn. Prior to this role, Ward held other strategic positions at Sun: Storage Director for UK and Ireland, Systems & Technology Executive for UK, Ireland and South Africa, and Director of Telco & Media for UK and Ireland.

Ward’s background in these prominent technology organisations where she has had responsibility for selling complex solutions to demanding large customers will stand her in good stead at Geo, where she will be responsible for sales and marketing. She will direct and manage Geo’s Carrier, Service Provider, Enterprise and Public Sector sales teams, as well as having responsibility for its Marketing function. Her priority will be to ensure the company maintains the strong growth it has enjoyed over recent years.

“I am delighted to be joining Geo”, said Ward, “which enjoys an enviable reputation in the industry for innovation, delivery and customer care. Geo offers its customers a uniquely different approach, and it's exciting to be joining such a dynamic team."

“Caroline brings an impressive breadth of knowledge and experience”, said Chris Smedley, Chief Executive, “and she will be a valuable addition to our Board of Directors. She has a rich history of developing commercial strategies and delivering results for customers and shareholders alike, and we are confident she can make a strong contribution to Geo’s continuing success as the UK’s leading provider of open access fibre networks.”



About Geo
Geo is the only company in the UK solely focused on the designing and building of bespoke dedicated fibre network solutions. Geo’s revolutionary and flexible approach means that for the first time, organisations can own and control their networks, ensuring that security, high bandwidth and resilience are guaranteed. By allowing its customers to directly own and control the underlying optical fibre that is at the heart of their data network, Geo is the only truly open access network provider in the UK. It provides an extensive range of solutions including fully managed networks, dark fibre and co-location services. Geo enables network solutions throughout the UK and in the London area. Customers include mobile operators, service providers, major banks and the public sector. Geo is listed as the 7th fastest growing technology company in the UK in the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 list for 2009. Visit www.geo-uk.net for more information.


Contact details
John Brown
Speed
0207 842 3273
john.brown@speedcommunications.com