Leadership Team
Get to know the leadership team behind Quickline.
Leadership Team
Get to know the leadership team behind Quickline.
Quickline is led by a passionate, diverse and experienced leadership team who share its values and ambition
Mark Bowden
Chief Executive Officer
Mark Bowden
Chief Executive Officer
Role: Leads the business with clear vision and deep industry expertise, driving key decisions that shape Quickline’s growth and success.
Experience
- Extensive leadership experience across major UK telecoms and digital businesses including Checkatrade, Tesco Mobile, O2 and giffgaff.
- Proven record of transformation and growth, scaling businesses, driving profitability and significantly increasing enterprise value.
- Strong private equity and board-level expertise, overseeing strategy, finance, and large-scale investment across high-growth organisations.
Martin Cook
Chief Financial Officer
Martin Cook
Chief Financial Officer
Role: Financial leader responsible for overseeing all fiscal operations, supporting ambitious growth and network rollout plans, and navigating the unique landscape of the telecommunications industry.
Experience
- Extensive financial leadership experience across telecoms and broadband, with nearly four years at Quickline and over a decade at KCOM.
- Strong background in commercial finance, strategic planning and performance insight, driving growth and operational efficiency.
- Chartered accountant with early career experience at Deloitte, bringing a rigorous approach to governance, assurance and financial control.
Lee Allison
Chief Operating Officer
Lee Allison
Chief Operating Officer
Role: Planning, building, and operating the networks from points of presence to customer premises, managing group wide project delivery.
Experience
- 20+ years’ experience across the UK fibre sector.
- Previously Head of Engineering at KCOM where he was instrumental in their successful FTTP rollout across the UK.
- Accountable for KCOM’s £100m FTTP Network expansion investment, delivering 3,500 provisions per month with extraordinary take up rates.
Becki Smith
Chief Commercial Officer
Becki Smith
Chief Commercial Officer
Role: Responsible for the commercial strategy and revenue growth of the business; guiding the company through the competitive broadband market by attracting customers and growing market share. Leads the sales, marketing and customer success teams.
Experience
- Proven leader in digital transformation and customer growth, with senior roles driving marketing, eCommerce and brand strategy across major UK brands including Three, TalkTalk and N Brown Group.
- Extensive experience delivering commercial impact, from scaling Boohoo’s global digital presence to leading integration and growth strategies for multimillion- and multibillion-pound organisations.
- Expert in data-driven marketing and customer experience, combining insight-led decision making with inclusive leadership to achieve record growth, retention and employee engagement.
Brian Gilbert
Chief Technology Officer
Brian Gilbert
Chief Technology Officer
Role: Responsible for the selection, delivery and operation of the extensive telecommunications network and Operations Support System (OSS) and Business Support System (BSS) technologies that underpin the Quickline products and services.
Experience
- Over 30 years’ experience leading technology and network innovation across UK and European telecoms.
- Proven success in shaping and delivering strategies for alternative networks and ISPs, driving strong ROI and customer impact.
- Expertise in technology, operational and merger and acquisition transformation to achieve long-term business growth.
Julia Dettmar
General Counsel
Julia Dettmar
General Counsel & Company Secretary
Role: To lead on all corporate governance and legal affairs for the Quickline business.
Experience
- A qualified solicitor with more than 20 years of experience.
- Previously has held senior positions within in-house legal teams, including more than a decade at Cable & Wireless and Vodafone UK.
- Extensive experience in advising on complex and strategic contracts.
Leigh Hudson
HR Director
Leigh Hudson
HR Director
Role: Directs the company’s people strategy and oversees all human resources functions. Focused on managing rapid growth, building a distinct culture, and ensuring operational efficiency in a demanding and fast-changing environment.
Experience
- 25+ years’ experience in HR leadership experience across telecoms, higher education and financial services, including senior roles at KCOM and Thorntons Investments.
- Specialist in organisational culture, people development and change management, with a proven track record in building engaged, high-performing teams.
- Experienced consultant and board advisor, supporting a wide range of organisations through Virtual HR Director Ltd and serving as a trustee for the Hull & East Yorkshire Children’s University.
Frank Stone
Chief Marketing and Information Officer
Frank Stone
Chief Marketing and Information Officer
Role: To lead Quickline’s Product, Propositions, Marketing, Digital and Data teams, ensuring customer insights and data guide every decision to deliver services tailored to customer needs.
Experience
- Extensive experience in the telecommunications sector, including 12 years at Digicel, rising to the Group Chief Commercial Officer.
- Previously held senior commercial roles at BT focused on business and residential mobile services, and management positions at NTL, Dolphin Telecommunications, Cable & Wireless and Silverlink Train Services.
- Specialises in commercial pricing, product and propositions.
Dan Hague
Project Gigabit Director
Dan Hague
Project Gigabit Delivery Director
Role: To support and oversee the delivery of the four Project Gigabit government contracts awarded to Quickline, ensuring all key milestones are met.
Experience
- Wealth of experience and comprehensive background in fibre and telecoms.
- Has previously held senior positions at GoFibre, Hyperoptic, Cityfibre and BT Openreach.
- Successful history in both bid and delivery across Superfast and Project Gigabit contracts.
Claire Hickey
HR Director
Claire Hickey
HR Director
Role: Responsible for people and talent development, and all aspects of HR support, ultimately ensuring Quickline is a great place to work.
Experience
- 15+ years’ experience across various sectors including infrastructure, entertainment, energy and retail.
- Previously HR leader at Howdens and Centrica.
- Claire brings extensive experience of business partnering and human resource management, including the development of recruitment and retention strategies for growing businesses.
Sean Royce
Chief Executive Officer
Sean Royce
Chief Executive Officer
Role: Overall responsibility for key decision making and leading the business, backed by exceptional industry experience and vision.
Experience
- 30+ years’ experience across the UK telecoms and fibre sector holding various leadership positions.
- Sean was most recently Managing Director at KCOM where he successfully led their fully scaled FTTP rollout and led their commercial and network operations across the UK.
- An industry pioneer, Sean also holds board positions at tech incubator, C4DI and is leading Quickline to becoming the market leading rural broadband provider in the north of England.
Darryl Petch
Chief Technology Officer
Darryl Petch
Chief Technology Officer
Role: Developing the overall network design, architecture, and design principles of Quickline’s hybrid network.
Experience
- 15+ years’ experience across the telecommunications and IT sectors.
- Previously held senior positions with fibre provider Borderlink/Gofibre delivering rural broadband in Scotland and the North of England and with connectivity-led cloud services partner M247.
- Extensive successful delivery of wide ranging technology projects across the UK and a proven track record and deep understanding of the fibre industry.
Craig Fairey
Chief Financial Officer
Craig Fairey
Chief Financial Officer
Role: Supporting the growth in the business through ensuring it is properly funded with appropriate budgeting, reporting, controls and governance are in place.
Experience
- 26 years Chartered Accountant.
- Held CFO/Finance Director positions for over 20 years across several sectors (IT services, Legal, Industrial Inspection, HR advisory, Retail fit-out and logistics).
- Significant experience in private-equity backed businesses.
Quickline is led by a passionate, diverse and experienced leadership team who share its values and ambition
Mark Bowden
Chief Executive Officer
Mark Bowden
Chief Executive Officer
Role: Leads the business with clear vision and deep industry expertise, driving key decisions that shape Quickline’s growth and success.
Experience
- Extensive leadership experience across major UK telecoms and digital businesses including Checkatrade, Tesco Mobile, O2 and giffgaff.
- Proven record of transformation and growth, scaling businesses, driving profitability and significantly increasing enterprise value.
- Strong private equity and board-level expertise, overseeing strategy, finance, and large-scale investment across high-growth organisations.
Martin Cook
Chief Financial Officer
Martin Cook
Chief Financial Officer
Role: Financial leader responsible for overseeing all fiscal operations, supporting ambitious growth and network rollout plans, and navigating the unique landscape of the telecommunications industry.
Experience
- Extensive financial leadership experience across telecoms and broadband, with nearly four years at Quickline and over a decade at KCOM.
- Strong background in commercial finance, strategic planning and performance insight, driving growth and operational efficiency.
- Chartered accountant with early career experience at Deloitte, bringing a rigorous approach to governance, assurance and financial control.
Lee Allison
Chief Operating Officer
Lee Allison
Chief Operating Officer
Role: Planning, building, and operating the networks from points of presence to customer premises, managing group wide project delivery.
Experience
- 20+ years’ experience across the UK fibre sector.
- Previously Head of Engineering at KCOM where he was instrumental in their successful FTTP rollout across the UK.
- Accountable for KCOM’s £100m FTTP Network expansion investment, delivering 3,500 provisions per month with extraordinary take up rates.
Becki Smith
Chief Commercial Officer
Becki Smith
Chief Commercial Officer
Role: Responsible for the commercial strategy and revenue growth of the business; guiding the company through the competitive broadband market by attracting customers and growing market share. Leads the sales, marketing and customer success teams.
Experience
- Proven leader in digital transformation and customer growth, with senior roles driving marketing, eCommerce and brand strategy across major UK brands including Three, TalkTalk and N Brown Group.
- Extensive experience delivering commercial impact, from scaling Boohoo’s global digital presence to leading integration and growth strategies for multimillion- and multibillion-pound organisations.
- Expert in data-driven marketing and customer experience, combining insight-led decision making with inclusive leadership to achieve record growth, retention and employee engagement.
Brian Gilbert
Chief Technology Officer
Brian Gilbert
Chief Technology Officer
Role: Responsible for the selection, delivery and operation of the extensive telecommunications network and Operations Support System (OSS) and Business Support System (BSS) technologies that underpin the Quickline products and services.
Experience
- Over 30 years’ experience leading technology and network innovation across UK and European telecoms.
- Proven success in shaping and delivering strategies for alternative networks and ISPs, driving strong ROI and customer impact.
- Expertise in technology, operational and merger and acquisition transformation to achieve long-term business growth.
Julia Dettmar
General Counsel
Julia Dettmar
General Counsel & Company Secretary
Role: To lead on all corporate governance and legal affairs for the Quickline business.
Experience
- A qualified solicitor with more than 20 years of experience.
- Previously has held senior positions within in-house legal teams, including more than a decade at Cable & Wireless and Vodafone UK.
- Extensive experience in advising on complex and strategic contracts.
Leigh Hudson
HR Director
Leigh Hudson
HR Director
Role: Directs the company’s people strategy and oversees all human resources functions. Focused on managing rapid growth, building a distinct culture, and ensuring operational efficiency in a demanding and fast-changing environment.
Experience
- 25+ years’ experience in HR leadership experience across telecoms, higher education and financial services, including senior roles at KCOM and Thorntons Investments.
- Specialist in organisational culture, people development and change management, with a proven track record in building engaged, high-performing teams.
- Experienced consultant and board advisor, supporting a wide range of organisations through Virtual HR Director Ltd and serving as a trustee for the Hull & East Yorkshire Children’s University.
The Board brings complementary skills and a depth of experience to support the management team
Paul Howard
Chairman
Paul Howard
Chairman
Role: Works closely with the leadership team and brings extensive experience of strategic decision making in the digital and telecoms sector.
Experience
- 30+ years’ experience across the telecoms sector holding senior advisory and investment banking roles.
- Previously Managing Director and Head of Telecoms research at JP Morgan Cazenove, and a senior advisor at Oakley Advisory.
Mark Stansfeld
Operating Partner | NED
Mark Stansfeld
Operating Partner | NED
Role: Works closely with the leadership team bringing strong commercial expertise and a solid track record in supporting businesses through rapid growth.
Experience
- 35+ years’ experience across the telecoms sector.
- 20+ years with Telefonica and O2 in senior executive roles.
- Co-founder and former chairman of giffgaff, one of the UK’s leading mobile virtual network operators.
- Until recently Chairman of Airband and currently Chairman of West Midlands 5G.
Tony Ciciretto
Operating Partner | NED
Tony Ciciretto
Operating Partner | NED
Role: As a member of the Board of Directors, Tony provides guidance and advice to the CEO and leadership team, assisting in strategy formulation and M&A, investments in technology and processes, sales and marketing, and scale-up and expansion of the fiber-5G network.
Experience
- Tony is a seasoned Information Technology and Communications Operating Executive with substantial Board of Directors’ experience in public, private and not-for-profit organizations.
- Tony currently serves as Operating Partner at Northleaf Capital, Chair of the Board at Mercury Broadband and Vice-Chair at Rhyzome Networks.
- Previous roles include President & CEO of TeraGo Networks, President & CEO of Cogeco Peer1, and various senior roles at Rogers Communications and Bell Canada.
Frank Waters
NED
Frank Waters
NED
Role: Non-Exec Director, Chair of Audit Committee and Remuneration Committee member.
Experience
- 25 years’ experience in executive level positions with fast growing businesses across the retail, distribution, recycling and technology sectors.
- Currently Chief Financial Officer of Bigblu Broadband plc, a fast-growing UK broadband company that holds a minority shareholding in Quickline.
The board brings complementary skills and a depth of experience to support the management team
Paul Howard
Chairman
Paul Howard
Chairman
Role: Works closely with the leadership team and brings extensive experience of strategic decision making in the digital and telecoms sector.
Experience
- 30+ years’ experience across the telecoms sector holding senior advisory and investment banking roles.
- Previously Managing Director and Head of Telecoms research at JP Morgan Cazenove, and a senior advisor at Oakley Advisory.
Mark Stansfield
Operating Partner | NED
Mark Stansfeld
Operating Partner | NED
Role: Works closely with the leadership team bringing strong commercial expertise and a solid track record in supporting businesses through rapid growth.
Experience
- 35+ years’ experience across the telecoms sector.
- 20+ years with Telefonica and O2 in senior executive roles.
- Co-founder and former chairman of giffgaff, one of the UK’s leading mobile virtual network operators.
- Until recently Chairman of Airband and currently Chairman of West Midlands 5G.
Tony Ciciretto
Operating Partner | NED
Tony Ciciretto
Operating Partner | NED
Role: As a member of the Board of Directors, Tony provides guidance and advice to the CEO and leadership team, assisting in strategy formulation and M&A, investments in technology and processes, sales and marketing, and scale-up and expansion of the fiber-5G network.
Experience
- Tony is a seasoned Information Technology and Communications Operating Executive with substantial Board of Directors’ experience in public, private and not-for-profit organizations.
- Tony currently serves as Operating Partner at Northleaf Capital, Chair of the Board at Mercury Broadband and Vice-Chair at Rhyzome Networks.
- Previous roles include President & CEO of TeraGo Networks, President & CEO of Cogeco Peer1, and various senior roles at Rogers Communications and Bell Canada.
Frank Waters
NED
Frank Waters
NED
Role: Non-Exec Director, Chair of Audit Committee and Remuneration Committee member.
Experience
- 25 years’ experience in executive level positions with fast growing businesses across the retail, distribution, recycling and technology sectors.
- Currently Chief Financial Officer of Bigblu Broadband plc, a fast-growing UK broadband company that holds a minority shareholding in Quickline.