Verastar, the UK’s leading multi-service provider to small businesses, has made two appointments to its board of directors with the addition of a new Chief Customer Officer (CCO) and Chief Product and Strategy Officer (CPSO).
With 160,000 commercial customers across a number of brands, the Verastar Group provides eight essential services required by small businesses – broadband, telephone services, mobile, electricity, gas, water, insurance and merchant services.
Former Zen Internet Managing Director Georgina Lord takes up the position of CCO, having previously held senior roles at Virgin Media Business and Intercity Technology.
In her newly created CCO role Lord will oversee both the sales and customer service functions and have responsibility for developing Verastar’s customer strategy as the business embarks on an ambitious five-year growth plan.
Lord said: “I was attracted to the role because of the sheer ambition of the business and the scope of the five-year strategy. I like to work quickly, I like to get results and I like to have fun along the way. All of this is possible at Verastar, with its fantastic culture and ambitious investors.
“Reviewing how we interact with customers is my key focus, from both a service and a sales point of view. The greatest customer contact strategies are often the simplest ones, for the customer and for the colleague.
“Verastar does a brilliant job looking after customers, but there are always ways to improve and new technologies and tools we can use to make the experience even better. Success for me is connecting and simplifying the customer journey, from end to end.”
Meanwhile, Jon Perkins joins the board as CPSO. Perkins is a former Commercial Director at TalkTalk Business and Strategy Director at Zen Internet, who has also had successful spells in commercial roles at EON and EE.
The role will see Perkins leading Verastar across product development, data, marketing and brand, alongside a focus on developing M&A activity, partnerships and new business opportunities.
Perkins said: “I’m delighted to join a business with such massive potential and intent. There’s a huge talent pool within Verastar and in my first few weeks I’ve been struck by the will to succeed, the deep level of expertise and how welcoming everyone has been.
“There’s a huge amount of data within this business and there’s a great opportunity for us to make that data work even harder for us to inform smarter and simpler decisions to benefit our customers and colleagues.
“There’s something truly exciting about being the disruptive player within well-established markets. We want to demonstrate that people don’t have to settle for the traditional suppliers and accept the status quo. There’s a better option.”
Lord and Perkins join CEO Lee Hull and CFO Paul Doherty on the company’s board.
Lee Hull said: “It’s fantastic to welcome two crucial hires in Georgina and Jon. I’ve worked with them both individually in the past and I’m excited by the ability and experience they bring to the team.
“Georgina and Jon share Verastar’s values and both have an unbreakable focus on driving improvements for customers and colleagues.”
