Zen Internet

Mar 23, 2023

Today Zen Internet has announced that Paul Stobart, the company’s CEO, is to retire at the end of March. Stobart has served five years in the role. Richard Tang, founder and chairman, will return to the CEO position. Tang credited Stobart with driving the business forward, and noted the two shared “a great collaborative working relationship based on shared values”. Paul Stobart said, “It has been an incredible privilege leading this business for the last five years. We are all very proud of our achievements over this period. Zen has become a B Corp and cemented its credentials as an eco-friendly business; we have deployed solar, agreed our Net Zero plan with the Science Based Targets initiative, and are becoming an acknowledged voice in our industry in the environmental space. “I am particularly proud of the investments we have made in our people – learning and development programmes, diversity and inclusion, higher quality communications, enhanced benefits, hybrid working, and much more besides. None of this would have been possible without the amazing people at Zen to whom I owe a huge debt of gratitude.” During Stobart’s tenure, the company has grown revenues by 70 per cent to annualised revenues of £110 million, as well as increasing the size of its broadband base from 128,000 to 190,000 circuits. Zen Internet has also unbundled a further 300 exchanges to reach its current footprint of 700 exchanges, alongside substantial investment in its core network and data centres. Richard Tang added, “Five years ago, I offered Paul my job as CEO. I have said many times that it was one of my best decisions, and it really was. I have enjoyed enormously being Zen’s chairman and brand ambassador, and supporting Paul in driving the business forward. “Now it’s time for me to get back in the driving seat, and I can’t wait. Although I was CEO for 23 years before Paul took over, it still holds all the excitement for me of starting a new job! Really looking forward to working as CEO, and taking us forward to the next chapter of the Zen success story.” Posted under: