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Former head of Virgin Mobile joins Senergy as non-executive director

A high-profile business strategist who co-founded one of the world’s most successful telecommunications companies has joined global-leading energy services company Senergy as non-executive director, underlining Senergy’s ambitious vision for growth and its drive to do things differently.

Alan Gow co-founded mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), Virgin Mobile in 1999, serving first as chief financial officer before becoming managing director. Alan was the chief architect of the company’s highly successful economic model, which has since been adopted by major players such as Tesco and British Telecom in the UK, and many others worldwide.

Alan then went on to steer Virgin Mobile through a series of funding rounds and a highly successful IPO (initial public offering) in 2004, securing the company’s £1billion sale transaction in 2006 with cable and media operator NTL Inc. which resulted in the creation of leading converged communications technologies group, Virgin Media.

His appointment reinforces Senergy’s rapid emergence as an industry leader in specialist diversified energy services and the company’s commitment to further growth.

Senergy’s chief executive officer, James McCallum, said: “Attracting someone of Alan’s standing in the global business community is a tremendous coup for Senergy. He brings a fresh and exciting new dynamic to Senergy, at a crucial time when the company is fast evolving through both its niche technical services and global reach in both the oil and gas and alternative energy sectors.

“Alan has an outstanding track record in creating ground-breaking business models which have been replicated across the globe and, in many respects, this is mirrored by Senergy’s approach to developing and delivering innovative technical solutions that add value for clients on an international scale.

“Alan has successfully applied his business acumen and vast knowledge of corporate governance to a diverse range of high-profile businesses. His experience in fund raising, mergers and acquisitions and investor relations will be a great asset to Senergy as we work toward securing £100 million of external funding to invest in our continuing expansion.

“A non-exec with Alan’s background is not what you would typically expect to see in the energy sector and that’s what makes him such a good fit for Senergy. His experience will bring a new perspective to the business and support our drive to challenge the norm and do things differently.

“I am also looking forward to exploring the aspects of Virgin’s culture which make it such a successful business – one of the world’s strongest brands, smart, empowered people and innovative partnering strategies - and how we can adopt a similar approach in Senergy to enhance the company’s future prosperity.”

Alan, who will be based primarily in London, brings more than 30 years’ of senior finance, strategic planning and operations experience with a diverse range of blue chip companies in mobile telecommunications, retail, leisure, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and, latterly, the energy sector through his tenure as non-executive chairman of renewable energy company, Emergya Wind Technologies.

Alan, who is currently involved in helping Virgin expand its mobile brand into eight Latin American countries, and is now looking forward to bringing his experience to bear at Senergy, said:

“I have a deep interest in many aspects of the energy industry and am particularly looking forward to working with Senergy. I have been hugely impressed by the way James and his team have grown a highly-successful international business within just six years. With bold ambitions for the future in terms of growth and further diversification into alternative and renewable energies, it’s an incredibly exciting time to be joining a company that has such huge potential to create value.

“Developing new technologies and securing a sustainable energy supply are critical to future global prosperity and whilst the environmental and political issues are extremely challenging, there is a great opportunity to create value for shareholders in this industry.”

Highly regarded by the investment community for his financial management of Virgin Mobile plc, Alan has demonstrated an exceptional track record of delivering outstanding shareholder returns across a number of sectors, through both organic and acquisitive growth.

Following the sale of Virgin Mobile, Alan spent 18 months with the operating board of the new group - as managing director of Virgin Mobile and Group operating board member - before moving into non-executive work.

In early 2008, he joined the board of the venture capital-backed wind turbine manufacturer, Emergya Wind Technologies, in Amsterdam and served as non-exec chairman and audit committee member until November 2009. In challenging market conditions, Alan oversaw the restructuring and re-financing of the renewable energy business to provide a viable platform for future expansion.

Between 1995 and 1999 when Alan was head of business planning at One2One, which is now part of T-Mobile, he was instrumental in the strategic review and subsequent turnaround, leading to the £8.4bn acquisition of the company by T-Mobile.

Alan, who devotes much of his spare time to his passion for sailing, holds an MBA with distinction from Manchester Business School and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

For more information on Senergy, visit www.senergyworld.com

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