Our people

Simon Frumkin

Simon has more than 20 years’ experience working in leadership positions at UK mobile operators including EE, Orange and T-Mobile. Most recently, he was managing director of EE’s Emergency Services Network Division, delivering a new critical communications network to 300,000 frontline first responders. He also served as Non-Executive Chairman at Mobile Broadband Network Ltd (MBNL), a network joint venture between EE and Three.

"People are intrigued by our collaborative commercial models, and that we work with all of the mobile operators. It’s possible because we deliver what we promise."

Graham Payne

An advisor to global mobile connectivity groups including the Small Cell Forum and techUK. Graham previously provided executive level support to Vodafone on the Beacon project with Telefonica and Cornerstone. He was the former key negotiator and then Managing Director of Mobile Network Broadband Ltd, and the Planning and Deployment Director of T-Mobile. Graham co-founded the first company in the UK legally able to provide indoor mobile connectivity from all four operators using small cells. He is now a Senior Advisor to global investment firm DigitalBridge, Freshwave’s private equity backer.

"All my experience embraced disruptive collaboration: meaningful change, but always with an eye on how to bring as many as possible along for the ride."

Tom Bennett

Tom is a highly regarded technology leader, having held director-level positions across the telecoms industry in BT, EE and T-Mobile. He combines a deep technical understanding with a collaborative approach. Tom led BT’s negotiations with the other mobile network operators and the government on the Shared Rural Network and was previously an Executive Director on the board of MBNL.

"Freshwave excels at building relationships to the benefit of their customers. I’m proud to be part of such a collaborative organisation which plays an important role in the telecoms ecosystem."

Peter Gilson

Peter’s background is in engineering and he spent his early career in the pharmaceutical industry in engineering and manufacturing roles. Peter has spent the past 25 years in the mobile telecoms industry and has worked for mobile operators Vodafone, O2 and Three, as well as their key network vendors Ericsson and Samsung, holding senior delivery and transformation roles.

"The telecoms industry is constantly evolving and Freshwave is at the forefront of many leading developments in the mobile sector on behalf of our customers. I’m proud of Freshwave’s great track record and unique way of collaborating with partners to support connectivity improvements across the UK."

Peter Franklin

Peter has over 20 years’ finance and commercial experience across both publicly listed and private equity-backed companies. He specialises in high growth organisations in dynamic and technology-focused industry sectors.

"I enjoy collaborating with management teams and businesses to identify and deliver profitable commercial strategies. Freshwave occupies a unique position in the connectivity ecosystem thanks to its innovative approach to both technical solutions and commercial models for customers."

Sharon Olive

Beginning her career as an engineer, Sharon is a high performing senior manager with 25 years’ experience in the telecommunications sector. The majority of her career has been spent in customer and partner-facing roles. Sharon leads the company’s relationships with the mobile network operators and oversees Freshwave sales team, while working closely with other members of the board to create and execute long-term business strategies.

"I’ve been building the right relationships for this for a long time; it’s refreshing to be bringing genuinely different and collaborative commercial models to the many digital infrastructure challenges the industry faces."

Michelle Riddick

Michelle has served as counsel at a variety of firms operating at the intersection of technology and real estate where she worked across a full suite of legal matters. She also worked at a global automotive company with complex supply chains where she advised on a broad range of commercial matters across Europe.

"Digital connectivity has a transformative effect on people and communities. Freshwave, along with our partners, are at the cutting edge of developing technologies and business models to ensure that this connectivity is as accessible as possible for the greatest number of people and organisations."

Rachel Phillips

A B2B brand expert for over ten years, Rachel started in public relations and broadened to marketing as businesses’ digital communication needs grew. Focused on creating long-term communications content, she has helped major corporations broaden their reputations. She’s also worked with a variety of start-ups to increase their brand and marketing presence in order to attract investment. She’s now focused on all things, strategy, marketing and comms related at Freshwave.

"Freshwave is one of the most innovative companies I’ve ever worked in. Which is a very exciting, on-going challenge for comms and marketing. The European telecoms industry is in an interesting moment of change and opportunity, one where savvy businesses can have a big, meaningful impact."

Brendan Hourihane

Brendan has decades of telecoms operations and sales experience and knows the industry inside out, having been involved in connecting over a thousand buildings.

"The telecoms sector is constantly evolving and I’m proud that Freshwave continue to set the pace when it comes to innovation in the industry. From being the first to offer connectivity to all four mobile operators via in-building small cells, to our award-winning work in mobile private networks, we never stand still. Working with our customers to help them benefit from assured connectivity for their business needs is a great feeling."

Lori O’Leary

Lori has spent over 20 years in telecoms, including 10 years with a leading mobile network operator. Having helped set up a team which delivered mobile connectivity to multiple venues in the Olympic Park in 2012, Lori has extensive experience in people-focused project delivery, operational and programme management.

"Freshwave is full of talented people across a wide range of disciplines. Creating an environment where people are encouraged and empowered to grow, develop and deliver to the highest standards for our customers is one of the most rewarding parts of my job."

Khush Sagar

With years of sales experience in the telecoms sector, Khush has a deep understanding of customer connectivity needs and challenges in the enterprise and real estate space.

"Assured connectivity enables enterprises to adopt the latest technologies for the benefit of their people and business. It also elevates a tenant’s user experience, helping to drive value for the landlord. I enjoy working with all stakeholders in the process, including corporate tenants, fit-out companies, design consultancies, developers, and main contractors, to identify the technology that will help their organisations achieve their business goals."

Ben Righton

Ben has consulted into a wide variety of departments across the public sector for many years and worked on an assortment of large-scale digital transformations. He leads Freshwave’s public sector team as they partner with every kind of public sector organisation across the UK, from acute NHS hospitals to central government to higher education.

"Assured connectivity makes a real difference to people and their productivity, whether that’s a clinician having more time to spend with patients thanks to seamless hospital-wide access to electronic patient records, or a government department never being out of touch. I’m passionate about the benefits that mobile can bring and working with those in the public sector to deliver it to them and their stakeholders."

Anna Watson

Having led major programmes at several mobile network operators as well as a leading grocery chain, Anna has a laser focus on delivering business benefits on time and on budget. She has years of experience in complex technology and business transformation which helps her deliver exceptional services for Freshwave’s customers.

"We have a long track record of delivering industry-leading connectivity which helps our customers unlock the benefits of new technologies. I am passionate about delivery and enabling the team to be their best, ensuring we deliver excellence to our customers."