Leadership Team

Meet some of our Board members

Our board decide our strategy and are responsible for making sure we have the resources we need to deliver it.

Kevin Taylor MBE

Chairman of TXO Group

Kevin is Chairman of TXO Group. Kevin’s expertise in emerging, global, and growth markets, investor and government relations, and in technology and services ventures was honed during an international executive career spanning over 30 years. Kevin is the current Chairman of Indigo, the Chairman of Fu3e, and a Director of Alumni Services. Kevin was previously President, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa and Turkey in BT and a Member of the Global Services Leadership team reporting to the CEO. His career at BT involved international leadership roles in emerging markets since 2003.

He was a Consultant to BT and CAA Sports and is a Voting Member of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Kevin was previously Chairman of Securecloud+, a Director of Hong Kong Rugby Union, Transmode plc and Hyder Consulting plc, was Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong between 2012 and 2014, and also Deputy Chair of the English Schools Foundation. He was awarded the MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2019.

Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn

Simon Wort

Group CEO

Simon joined TXO as Group Chief Commercial Officer in early 2024 and was later appointed CEO in September 2024. Simon has extensive commercial leadership experience across enterprise, mid-market and private equity backed organisations.

Most recently Simon was Chief Revenue Officer at ITS Technology Group and has previously held senior and board level roles at Vodafone, Verizon, ARO and as CEO of Intercity Technology in the Netherlands. Simon’s commercial vision and approach is attuned to the company’s objective of driving growth through sustainable innovation in the telecom network sector.

Connect with Simon on LinkedIn

Simon Griffiths

Group CFO

Simon joined TXO in 2018. He is the Group CFO and takes overall responsibility for the financial strategy and delivery of the business.

Prior to joining TXO, Simon worked in businesses across a number of sectors including telecoms, music and transport both in UK and European wide roles.

Having qualified as an accountant Simon moved into corporate finance advisory and private equity investment before moving into industry as an FD/CFO. As such Simon has a breadth of experience across both corporate transactions and as a finance leader. Simon is an ACA qualified accountant and holds a degree in Accounting.

Connect with SImon on Linkedin

Farid Seddar

Group COO

In 2024, Farid was appointed Chief Operating Officer at TXO. With an extensive background spanning two decades in the telecom and IT sectors, his experience includes a pivotal role as COO at Evernex, where he directed digital transformation initiatives and service strategies to facilitate corporate growth and enhance operations.

Prior to joining Evernex, Farid’s industry expertise was developed at Alcatel-Lucent, focusing on telecom operations. His tenure in various international settings has endowed him with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the telecom field.

Connect with Farid on LinkedIn

Darren Pearce

Non Executive Director

Darren’s experience, knowledge and insight supports the continued growth and success of TXO globally. He joined TXO in 2013 as Global Telecom and Technology Services Director and advanced to the role of CEO – EMEA & APAC in April 2015. In July 2016 Darren was appointed as Group CEO. In June 2024, Darren took the role of Non Executive Director.

Darren has vast experience in the telecommunication and global supply chain delivery sectors. Prior to joining TXO he was Telecoms and High Tech Logistics Director for the Bolloré Group, owners of SDV International Logistics. He has also held positions at Nokia Siemens Networks and AlanDick & Company Ltd.

Connect with Darren on Linkedin

Dorothée D’Herde

Non Executive Director

Dorothée has had an impressive career in roles that have seen her create a positive impact on both the business world and society. As the former Head of Sustainable Business at Vodafone, she played a pivotal role in shaping and executing Vodafone’s global sustainability strategy. She was also the Director of Sustainability and Social Impact at McKinsey & Company. Her expertise aligns with TXO’s core purpose as a company driving sustainable practices in telecoms.

Connect with Dorothée on LinkedIn

Ruth Rowan

Non Executive Director

Ruth joined TXO in 2023, bringing 25 years of experience leading marketing teams across all parts of the technology industry, including telecommunications, cloud, SaaS and security. As the former Chief Marketing Officer at Avanade, Ruth was entrusted with the pivotal responsibility of overseeing the company’s global marketing strategy, brand development, and corporate communications. Her experience also includes senior marketing roles with prominent companies such as NTT, Dimension Data, and British Telecommunications (BT) before joining Avanade in February 2022.

Connect with Ruth on LinkedIn

Tom Redpath

Non Executive Director

Tom is a Senior Principal at TowerBrook. Previously, he was an Investment Director and Head of Value Creation at Bridges Fund Management, a specialist ESG and impact investment firm. Prior to that, he was a Manager at OC&C Strategy Consultants focusing on strategy and commercial due diligence for global corporate & private equity clients. Tom earned his MA in Economics and Accounting from the University of Edinburgh.

Connect with Tom on LinkedIn

Meet our Senior Management Team

Here you can meet some of our senior management team, who bring a wealth of experience and expertise to drive the success of our organisation.

Simon Wort

Group CEO

Connect with Simon on LinkedIn

Simon Griffiths

Group CFO

Simon joined TXO in 2018. He is the Group CFO and takes overall responsibility for the financial strategy and delivery of the business.

Prior to joining TXO, Simon worked in businesses across a number of sectors including telecoms, music and transport both in UK and European wide roles.

Connect with SImon on Linkedin

Farid Seddar

Group COO

Connect with Farid on LinkedIn

John Teasdale

Group CNO

John, appointed TXO’s Group Chief Network Officer in March 2024, is distinguished by his expertise in telecom network infrastructure and operations. His previous leadership as Head of Networks & Engineering at KCOM and COO at Sterlite Technologies reflects a career dedicated to technological excellence.

At Vodafone, he led fibre services and network planning, leaving a legacy of innovative solutions and improved network efficiencies. John’s strategic vision at TXO is focused on enhancing network capabilities and driving sustainable growth within the telecom industry.

Connect with John on LinkedIn

Virginia Petrou

Group CMO

Virginia Petrou was appointed Chief Marketing Officer at TXO in September 2024. With over a decade of experience in marketing leadership, she brings a wealth of expertise in developing global strategies to drive revenue and support business growth. Prior to joining TXO, Virginia held senior roles at BSO and Temenos, where she led significant initiatives in marketing operations, sales enablement, and digital transformation.

Virginia’s multicultural background and fluency in several languages, including French, Italian, and Spanish, have been key assets in her global roles. She holds an LLB Law degree from the University of Essex and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the College of Law in London. In her spare time, she volunteers as a mentor for The Girls’ Network, helping inspire young women from underserved communities.

Connect with Virginia on LinkedIn

Kieran Crawford

Group Sales Director

Kieran joined TXO in 2013 as a Business Development Manager. Due to his abilities and insight into the Services Sales Market, in 2015 Kieran was promoted to Telecom Services Director for TXO Group. He was responsible for the delivery and management of the TXO Group Services Sales stream, supporting the delivery of TXO’s services offering in both the telecoms and enterprise markets.

Further to growing the business unit, Kieran has since been promoted again to TXO Group Sales Director in January 2019 and has joined the company’s Executive Management Board. Taking responsibility for the global sales teams and revenues across the product, asset recovery and optical transceiver business units.

Prior to joining TXO, Kieran spent several years playing professional rugby and held a number of management positions in an events and media company specialising in the telecoms industry.

Connect with Kieran on Linkedin

Tim Smith

Managing Director, MMX

Tim has been working for TXO for over 10 years, during which time he has developed a deep understanding the needs of customers in the telecoms sector. Recently, Tim was appointed as Managing Director of MMX Communications Services Ltd, a TXO Group company. As well as this, Tim heads up TXO’s optical transceiver division from a technical, operational and strategic perspective in addition to managing responsibilities across our lab services.

Prior to joining the company, Tim gained commercial experience working in digital publishing where he was a board member of the Evening Standard Newspaper in London and has an executive MBA from the University of Glasgow (Distinction).

Connect with Tim on Linkedin

Julia Evans

Director of Sustainability & Operations

Julia joined TXO in 2014, bringing with her a wealth of experience in senior management positions. She is responsible for TXO’s UK operations and project delivery.

Julia oversees TXO’s WEEE recycling activities, which is a leading Approved Authorised Treatment Facility (AATF) centre and Approved Exporter (AE), and the development of its green supply chain, which spans five continents. Julia holds level 4 COTC (Certificate of Technical Competence) in Waste Management.

Having spent 10 years with the BBC in London, most recently as Head of Public Affairs with responsibility for producing the BBC Annual Report, Julia is a trained communications professional. Julia is also a qualified Management Accountant (CIMA) and has a BSC in Accountancy from Cardiff University.

Calvin Coakley

Group Finance Director

Calvin joined TXO in 2011. He is the Group Finance Director and has responsibility for the management of Finance and Shipping.

Prior to joining TXO, Calvin worked in a number of business and market sectors, accumulating over 20 years’ experience of contributing at board level. His various roles enabled him to become a facilitator of change processes and an exponent of risk review within a growth-driven business environment with experience and knowledge of mergers, acquisitions, divestments, MBO’s and business turn-rounds. Calvin is a CIMA Qualified Accountant and holds a degree in Accounting and Finance.

Joe Thompson

Group Head of Repair & Infrastructure Solutions

Joe joined TXO in 2014 as a Business Development Manager targeting the oil & gas and data centre markets.

In 2015, Joe made an internal move up to become the Head of Sales for TXO’s burgeoning Accessories/Optics division. With on-budget growth achieved YoY, and new products securely launched into the market, Joe joined the senior management team in 2019 where he is now responsible for product development, quality control, supply chain and the complete end-to-end deliverability of TXO’s new and current accessories range.

Prior to TXO, Joe held various editorial and new business positions in the tech and events industry.

Connect with Joe on Linkedin

David Evans

Head of Asset Recovery & Services

David is the Head of Global Asset Recovery and Services for TXO. He joined TXO in 2014 as a Services Sales Manager, managing the UK & APAC region before being promoted to Head of the division at the beginning of 2019. David is responsible for the group services sales stream and asset recovery business unit.

Prior to joining TXO David spent years playing professional rugby and representing Wales on the IRB World Rugby Sevens Series. His telecommunications experience started over 15 years ago selling, installing and provisioning phone lines for local businesses in Wales.

David also has a BSC from Swansea University’s School of Law where he studied Criminology.

Connect with David on Linkedin

Sébastien Bourgoin

Managing Director, TXO SAS

Sébastien joined TXO in 2014 as Regional Services Sales Director. In September 2019 he was promoted to Managing Director of TXO SAS in France. In this role he is active across all areas of the business, focusing not only on supporting TXO’s extensive French customer base, but also on expanding new market opportunities. Sébastien has over 20 years’ experience working in various senior sales positions within the hardware remarketing, repair and field maintenance industry.

Connect with Sébastien on Linkedin

Michael Main

Group Head of IT

Michael joined TXO in November 2020 as Group Head of IT, with responsibility for ensuring our systems and processes keep the business running smoothly and help it build for the future.

Prior to joining TXO, Michael held multiple leadership positions in businesses across a number of sectors including retail, supply chain and banking, in the UK and America, mostly recently as IT Director at Clarks shoes.

Connect with Michael on Linkedin

Sarah Boswell

Head of Finance & Logistical Operations, MMX

Sarah joined MMX as Financial Controller in 2019 and progressed to the Head of Finance & Logistical Operations in 2020.

Sarah’s background is in the hospitality industry, previously working as a Dual-Site Financial Controller within hotels where she also gained experience in management and operations. Sarah holds a degree in Accounting & Finance.

Connect with Sarah on Linkedin

Phil Miller

M&A Director

In 2023, Phil was appointed M&A Director at TXO Group, bringing a rich history in the technology sector. Over the past decade, he has held senior positions including VP of Strategy & Acquisitions at Catalis Group, a global PE-backed game development and service provider, and Senior Manager of Corporate Development at Interoute, a pan-European fibre and cloud computing operator. He also served as Director at Acuity Advisors, advising mid-market IT services and telecom businesses.

A qualified accountant, Phil has led over 30 acquisitions, with the notable exit of Interoute to GTT Inc for $2.8bn in 2018, one of Europe’s largest telecom deals that year. His extensive experience in mergers, acquisitions, and corporate strategy, especially in telecom and technology M&A, will be instrumental in driving TXO’s strategic growth. Connect with Philip on LinkedIn to learn more about his professional journey in the telecom industry.

Connect with Phil on LinkedIn

Claire Lang

Group Head of HR

Claire joined TXO in June 2022 as Group Head of HR, and is responsible for defining and driving the group people strategy. Within the HR arena Claire has held senior positions in the recruitment sector; healthcare, education and tech, where she has led high performing HR teams and has shaped business culture.

Along with notable experience within facilities management, charity and marketing businesses, Claire is accomplished at partnering with the senior management team to deliver long term and immediate business goals. Operating globally; UK, Europe, Australia and America, Claire brings a breadth of experience to deliver the TXO people plans.

Claire holds a BA Hons in English & Education Studies and CIPD.

Connect with Claire on Linkedin