Lightning Fibre appoints new board members

Alternative Network Provider prepares for expansion with appointment of new, senior board members.

London, April 25, 2022: Lightning Fibre Limited (Lightning Fibre), the alternative fibre network provider for East Sussex, announces the appointment of two senior telecommunications and infrastructure executives to its Board.

Amit Thakrar, portfolio director, at Foresight Group, and Tim Passingham, chairman of Cambridge Management Consulting, are confirmed as new board members of Lightning Fibre. They join fellow Board members; founder and CEO of Lightning Fibre, Ben Ferriman and Simon Bonini, non-executive director.

Ben Ferriman, founder and CEO of Lightning Fibre, commented: “These board level appointments come at a time when the contribution of alt-nets to the development of Gigabit Britain is being widely recognised. Tim and Amit bring substantial infrastructure and telecoms experience and, along with Simon Bonini, they will play a vital role in the further expansion and development of the South Coast’s fixed telecoms sector.”

Matt Hammond, partner, Foresight Group, added: “We continue to be impressed by the ambition of the Lightning Fibre management team and the progress it has already made in East Sussex. Since Foresight’s investment in 2020, the business has strengthened considerably, and Foresight is delighted to help support its further growth through the appointment of two new, senior executives to the Lightning Fibre Board.”

Sussex’s Lightning Fibre burst on to the scene in 2018 to bring full fibre to 100,000 homes and businesses in Sussex. Following an initial successful pilot project in the seaside town of Eastbourne, Lightning Fibre is transforming broadband connectivity in East Sussex and is looking to expand further. To date, Lightning Fibre has created around 100 high-quality, local jobs – with plans underway to increase this to 200.

Amit Thakrar started his career as a chartered accountant before moving into investment in infrastructure projects. His experience in developing large-scale infrastructure deployments will help Lightning Fibre accelerate the delivery of gigabit full fibre to Sussex and the South Coast.

Tim Passingham is the founder and chairman of Cambridge Management Consulting and spent his executive career in telecommunications in BT, Level3 Communications (now Lumens) and Colt. Tim is also the chairman of the pollution reduction technology business Iknaia, co-founder and non-executive director of sustainability consultancy Edenseven, and a non-executive director of The Carrier Club. 

www.lightningfibre.co.uk