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A trusted, serial entrepreneur with a wealth of experience
in mobile, internet, technology and music industries.
An entrepreneurial path that started in the early nineties saw Chris investing in the fledgling mobile communications business, DX Communications. He and his partners grew this business to a massive 190 retail stores and £170million turnover before selling to Cellnet (now O2).
Chris went on to found the internet services company, Reality, selling innovative and highly complex ecommerce solutions to a wide range of businesses across the UK and beyond. This was a highly successful venture that resulted in a lucrative sale to GUS.
Since then, Chris has divided his time between several successful ventures which currently include:
Lucid Group
· One of the UK’s biggest and most successful music PR agencies specialising in radio, TV and online promotion for some of the UK’s most successful labels and artists including Sony, EMI, Universal; NDubz, Cascada, JLS, David Guetta, Jamie Cullum, Nickelback, Sean Kingston, Simple Minds, Agnes, Yeah You’s, Marmaduke Duke, Shakira, Depeche Mode … and many more.
Quintessentially Group
· The world’s leading global concierge service who provide wide ranging, specialist assistance to over 100,000 of the world's busiest and most influential individuals. All facilities are serviced by local, knowledgeable, professional teams across a global network of offices.
· On a corporate platform, Quintessentially create and fulfil white labelled concierge clubs to service key clients globally, providing lifestyle and business services via recognition/reward schemes, connecting clients or key executives with global fixers on a local-centric, personal basis. Quintessentially works closely with several leading luxury brand names through their 44 offices across the globe and active corporate partnerships include Cartier, Google, Jaguar, Gucci, British Airways, to name but a few.
Obsidian Communications
· Obsidian are the UK's largest provider of reduced costs Landline to Mobile services. The company is a technology solutions integrator providing a managed service for Fixed to Mobile Convergence at a voice infrastructure level, and is dedicated to achieving significant and sustainable telephony cost savings and mobile compliance solutions for the enterprise.
· Obsidian currently generates around £4m savings per annum for over 180 blue chip clients – all with no capital outlay. These cost savings typically represent as much as 50% of their entire telephone bill every month.
Truphone
· Truphone is a global mobile network that offers several truly simple solutions for low cost mobile, local and international calls. Integrating with the latest mobile technology and VoIP, Truphone can have a great effect on cost cutting for business and personal users.
· The main focus and theme of the business is to cut costs for travellers and the company is about to release a completely unique service called Truphone Local Anywhere which enables users to make and receive calls via a local number and at a local price. Truphone Local Anywhere customers will enjoy the convenience of a single SIM with local mobile numbers for multiple countries and number portability to Truphone of their existing mobile numbers. This will be the mobile service of choice for anyone who travels or lives abroad and needs to stay in touch with family, friends and business colleagues, wherever they may live.
Highly regarded, Chris has received many business awards for his entrepreneurialism over the years, including Ernst & Young Scottish Entrepreneur of the Year, UK E-Business Entrepreneur, Young Business Leader of the Year, Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland in Business, and SBAAT Businessman of the Year Award.
In June 2005 Chris was delighted to receive an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for services to business.
Chris is a regular speaker at business events and has featured in several business related TV shows.
Chris lectures in schools and universities and is an honorary professor in business at the University of the West of Scotland, which also bestowed an honorary doctorate in business upon him.
As well as supporting many charities, he is Chairman of the Entrepreneurial Exchange and Governor of the Royal Scottish Academy for Music and Drama.
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