Meet the team

Tech expert turned entrepreneur; Richard is Zen’s sole ordinary shareholder. He chooses not to be constrained by short-term financial targets but to strive for long-term goals aligned to Zen’s most fundamental long-term objectives of ‘Happy staff’, ‘Happy customers’, and ‘Happy suppliers’, objectives that reflect Richard’s own personal deeply held values that people should come first.

It is this focus on people that has been the biggest key to our success and what makes us Great Place to Work® certified.

Phil has been on the Zen board of directors for nearly five years. Phil brings over three decades of experience in the telecoms industry where he has been instrumental in the development of technology and media services in the UK. Phil has previously worked for Cable&Wireless and JT Group and now oversees Zen’s board, ensuring its strategy remains on track for success.

He is responsible for driving Zen’s vision of people and planet, working with board members to execute plans and seize the opportunity for growth as an independent service provider in the UK.

Duncan’s 30-year career has spanned large, global companies (PwC and Sage) to medium-sized and start-up organisations, all within the Technology Sector.

He is a passionate believer in technology's capacity to improve society, at the same time as fixing the productivity gap.

Matt Kay joined Zen Internet in 2015 as finance director. With a career spanning more than 25 years in finance and leadership, Matt brings a wealth of board level experience in driving sustainable growth and building resilience in fast-moving industries.

At Zen, Matt oversees all aspects of financial strategy, planning and governance, ensuring the business remains strong, independent and well placed to invest for the future.

A multi-time Which? recommended broadband provider, and with a Trustpilot rating of ‘Excellent’ it’s no surprise that we put great emphasis on customer experience at Zen. Dean is a people person with a wealth of knowledge and experience of customer services always keeping the customer first and foremost in everyone’s mind.

Results oriented, Dean delivers real and meaningful benefits to our customers from order management, through to customer support and complaint resolution. His relentless pursuit of the best solution, rather than the easiest, makes him a real customer advocate.

Jon Nowell joined Zen Internet in 2025 as managing director of its Business division. With over 20 years of experience in the telecoms and technology sector, Jon specialises in sales transformation, customer success, and go-to-market leadership.

At Zen, Jon leads a growing team of sales, business development, solutions architects and engineers, all focused on matching organisations with the connectivity, cloud and communications solutions they need to grow.

Jon is passionate about delivering service that customers can trust and building long-term partnerships that prioritise doing the right thing over short-term gain.

One of the longest standing members of the team, Stephen (Steve) has been with Zen for over two decades. In September 2014 Steve assumed responsibility for our Channel Partner division and he is now also responsible for our consumer division.

Steve is particularly passionate about the environment and sustainability and was instrumental in securing Zen’s B Corporation status. He also influenced the company’s position as a Carbon Neutral provider and consistently blows the trumpet for all things sustainability related at Zen. Steve loves to challenge the large carriers, with a refreshingly different approach to doing business, putting people first and removing the unnecessarily complex by keeping things simple.

Dave has been working in telecoms for 20+ years and with Zen since 2000. He takes full responsibility across strategy, marketing and product throughout Zen, and is also responsible for driving growth and development in the small business area.

Known for his strong commercial and product management skills, Dave also has a deep understanding of operational business processes. With in-depth product knowledge, Dave is our go to for professional, creative and well-executed product innovations with award winning results for our range of consumer and business customers as well as wholesale and channel partners.

Maxine joined Zen in October 2024, leading the People & Culture team to drive forward Richard's people-first ethos while ensuring it evolves alongside the business.

With over 20 years of experience in People & Culture across manufacturing, retail, not-for-profit, and now tech, Maxine brings a wealth of cross-sector expertise.

At Zen, her remit spans HR, benefits and reward, employer brand and engagement, L&D, facilities, maintenance, and health & safety - making her a key force in shaping an inclusive and thriving workplace.

Technology Director and member of the Executive Committee at Zen, John has complete accountability for all technology across the business. He manages a 135-strong team across the Technology Department, Network & Infrastructure, Systems and Platform Development, PMO, Business Analysis, and Security divisions. Tasked with overseeing the next stage of Zen’s digital transformation, John’s priority is to ensure Zen harnesses technology opportunities across networking, communications, and cloud to support the company’s ambition to be true experts that add real value across each of the markets it serves.