Business Computing:
the Second 50 Years

The Guildhall conference for business leaders

Speaker details

John Carrington has over twenty five years experience at the leading edge of telecommunications. A pioneer in the development of international broadband telecommunications services in the early1980's, he has also played a key role in the development of cellular communications in the UK and Europe. He is still deeply involved in both fixed and mobile telecommunications innovation.

John is non-executive Chairman of Sportsweb Ltd,Alpha Accident Management Ltd and Metro New Media Ltd. He is a non-executive director of Hanover Matrix Ltd, The Speech Recognition Company Ltd, Smart421 and Singer & Friedlander AIM VCT plc and AIM2 VCT plc.
From 1995 John worked with Mobile Systems International plc, a software and consultancy specialising in mobile radio networks, first as Group MD and then as Deputy Chairman.

From 1993 to 1995 he was Chief Executive of Regional Businesses at Cable and Wireless Plc, responsible for 16,000 staff in 34 countries, covering the Caribbean, South America, Bermuda, Africa, the Middle East and Pakistan.

John joined the Cable and Wireless Group in August 1989. Between 1989 and 1991 he was the Founding MD of Mercury One2One, the first PCN network in and was the world.

Between 1985 and 1989 John was Chief Executive of British Telecom Mobile Division. During that period mobile was established as a major part of BT's service and was closely associated with the emergence of the GSM standard. Prior to this he was Founding MD of Cellnet, one of the (then) two licensed cellular operators in the UK. He established the company from scratch and took it to launch of cellular service in January 1985.

John Carrington is a member of the Council of the Institute of Directors, Master elect of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists and a Governor of the London Guildhall University.