CityFibre appoints new CEO as Mesch steps down

• After 15 years at the helm, Greg Mesch is moving upstairs to be vice chairman at UK altnet CityFibre
• He is replaced as CEO by group chief operating officer Simon Holden

Major UK fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) altnet CityFibre has a new CEO after Greg Mesch, who had been at the helm since the company’s launch in early 2011, stepped down after 15 years to take on a new role as vice chairman of the operator. He is replaced by Simon Holden, who joined CityFibre in 2019 as group chief operating officer and a board director. 

The leadership transition follows CityFibre’s news in July that it had secured new financing worth almost £2.3bn – see CityFibre girds its M&A loins as it secures £2.3bn in funding. 

“Under his leadership, the company has raised over £8bn and built a market-leading fibre platform that reaches over 4.5 million premises and serves almost 700,000 customers, as well as thousands of businesses and public sector sites,” noted the operator in its announcement. 

CityFibre has played a key role in transforming the UK’s telecom sector over the past 15 years by becoming a meaningful rival to BT’s quasi-autonomous fixed line wholesale division, Openreach, and helping to develop the kind of modern digital infrastructure that the UK needed and which, for so long, it was sorely lacking. 

“Founding and leading CityFibre over the past 15 years has been the privilege of a lifetime,” stated Mesch. “I’m incredibly proud of what our team has achieved, unleashing digital infrastructure competition to drive investment and innovation, and unlocking immeasurable benefits for consumers, businesses and the UK. We have overcome many challenges, and I can say with confidence that we have helped change the country for better, for ever. After 15 years at the helm, the company is in the strongest shape ever, and it’s the right moment for me to step back from day‑to‑day operations whilst continuing to support CityFibre’s long‑term direction as vice chairman. Simon has been central to our success since he joined six years ago, and I have every confidence in his leadership. I look forward to backing him and our mission in my new role.”

Holden added: “I’m honoured to step into the role of CEO and to build on the incredible progress the business has made. We have a winning strategy and I’m excited to lead the team on this next phase of our journey, scaling our reach, deepening customer relationships, and ensuring we continue to operate the UK’s best network. CityFibre is the UK’s full fibre challenger, a trusted, high-performance wholesale alternative that drives innovation, competition and long-term growth for the UK economy. But more than that, we’re here to create opportunity – enabling technologies like AI to reach every household, helping people, businesses and communities to do more, reach further and stay connected to what matters.”

- Ray Le Maistre, Editorial Director, TelecomTV