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Neil Berkett gets CEO job at Virgin Media
# 7 March 2008, 10:34 by Cable Forum
It was announced late lastnight that Neil Berkett was given the top role of Chief Executive officer of Virgin Media. Neil was the acting CEO from August last year, when Steve Burch resigned for personal reasons. Also the Chief Financial Officer, Jacques Kerrest is said to be stepping down from April.
Neil joined ntl in September 2005 as Chief Operating Officer.
In a statement, Jim Mooney, Chairman of Virgin Media, said:
“Neil has a long and successful track record of managing and developing consumer-facing businesses and the Board is delighted that he has accepted the role of Chief Executive Officer. As COO, he was the driving force behind the successful integration of NTL and Telewest. Since taking on the role of Acting CEO six months ago, he’s demonstrated that he has both the strategic vision and operational experience to take the company into its next phase of growth.
Commenting on Jacques Kerrest’s departure, Jim Mooney also said:
“On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Jacques Kerrest for his outstanding contribution to Virgin Media. Jacques played a critical role during our company’s transition over the last several years and towards enhancing our profile in the financial community. Among other things, he oversaw the complex financing of the merger with Telewest, the acquisition of Virgin Mobile and the successful refinancing of Virgin Media. He also led the integration of the finance department and oversaw the company’s SEC and SOX compliance. We very much appreciate his willingness to remain with the Company beyond his initial contract term and we wish him every success for the future.”
Neil Berkett will also be joining the Board of Directors of Virgin Media. With also Kerrest’s job role up for grabs, a find for new CFO is in the pipeline.