Jeremy Cooke - Non-Executive Director

A native of Manchester, Cooke started his career in the FMCG marketplace with Polycell Products in 1977. Having achieved National Accounts & Regional Sales Management positions by 1982, Cooke recognised the possible opportunities created by the liberalisation of the Telecommunications market place and made a proactive decision to join the industry by establishing himself as a partner in a start up Telecommunications resale and wholesale dealership based in Oldham, Lancashire.

As Sales & Marketing Director for Rocom Ltd between 1984 & 1990, Cooke, grew the Telecoms wholesale business profitably, from revenues of £1.6m to £20m. During this period Cooke also found time to pioneer the distribution of British Telecom Business Telephone Systems, advised the New Zealand Government on the liberalisation strategy for their National Telecoms Company and sourced "own-brand" telephone equipment from China & Japan.

In 1991, alongside Frank Bretherton, Cooke co-founded SDX Business Systems, where, as Sales & Marketing Director, he grew revenue from £8m to £60m over a seven year period. Following the 1994 launch of INDeX, a digital switching platform, meeting the voice and data needs of Small and Medium sized business, Cooke's channel strategy rapidly established the company as a market leader in Call Centre Solutions, Interactive Voice Response Systems and Intelligent Voice Mail.

Following the acquisition of SDX by Lucent Technologies, enabling Lucent to "add attractive products and technology to its portfolio and expand its extensive indirect distribution channels in Europe," in June 1999, Cooke took up a number of non-executive Directorships. These included consumer market research company Mintel, Pedalite, a company established to exploit the Intellectual Property Rights of a new, self illuminating, bicycle pedal - where Cooke was Chairman - Magenta Logic, a Telecommunications and Networking company based in Manchester and Lucky Logic, established to develop and commercialise a new and unique concept in interactive Lottery gaming.