Organisation
ISPA's regulatory activity is coordinated through four subgroups which focus on particular issues of ongoing concern to the membership. The subgroups are a forum for members to share their views and, in consultation with the wider membership, determine how the organisation positions itself.
Council and subgroups are supported by a Secretariat which is responsible for the day-to-day running of the organisation.
With more than 20 years of experience in the telecoms industry, Steve Leighton is now an Advisor to Voneus, having founded the company and acting as its CEO for 13 years. Voneus is the champion of gigabit broadband for rural communities and alongside its extensive fibre to the premises network is the leading provider of gigabit wireless broadband infrastructure for poorly connected or difficult to reach communities across the whole of the UK.
In addition to his advisory role at Voneus, Steve is the CEO of Zapgo, a new entrant EV charge point operator which has a focus on destination charging locations, also in rural and semi-rural locations.
Prior to working at Voneus, Steve co-founded Keycom Plc in 2000, a company specialising in the delivery of voice and internet services to the UK’s tertiary education sector. Here he held the role of Sales and Marketing Director for four years before becoming involved in other online start-ups, including Greenroom Digital and Findsyou Limited.
Before transitioning to the telecommunications industry, Steve had a successful Government career, culminating in the role of Head of Communications Sponsorship at the Department of Trade and Industry.
Femi Ogunbiyi is a Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager at BT Group, a role held since 2021. He has had a broad career in public policy and public affairs, including in Government where we worked at the Department for Transport on rail policy and at the COVID-19 taskforce at the Cabinet Office. He has previously held public policy roles at trades bodies, including the Rail Delivery Group and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation.
Ben is Public Affairs Lead for Gigaclear and is responsible for working with Members of Parliament across the ISP’s network. He deals with incoming enquiries and manages site visits, proactive contact and briefings to ensure MPs are across the work that Gigaclear are doing in their constituencies. He also supports Gigaclear’s work with central Government and advises the business on policy and political issues.
Ben has been with Gigaclear since January 2019 and prior to moving to Public Affairs, he worked as a Community Engagement Manager, where amongst other responsibilities he was responsible for delivering resident meetings in communities in Gloucestershire and Herefordshire. Prior to that he spent seven years as Constituency Office Manager for Mark Harper MP (now Transport Secretary) in the Forest of Dean and managed his correspondence, diary and social media. He is also an experienced radio broadcaster having been programme manager at Radio Pembrokeshire for six years where the highlight was winning the 2010 Arqiva Award for Specialist Programme of the Year with his popular Friday Night Sport Show.
Tim is one of the founders of Community Fibre. Community Fibre has gone on to build the largest fibre-optic only network in London. Tim's role now focuses on advising Community Fibre on Policy & Regulatory matters. Tim is also a Board member of INCA first as the Chair of their Policy and Regulatory Special Interest Group and more recently has been voted in as Chair of the INCA Board.
Gita Sorensen is the founder and Managing Director of GOS Consulting Limited. She is an expert in regulatory and policy matters in the telecoms sector and has worked with governments, regulators, investors, suppliers and operators of a wide range of matters and in many parts of the world. She has worked in the sector for more than 38 years both in-house and as a consultant, internationally as well as in the UK.
At present, Gita works with many Altnets in the UK, is an advisor to INCA, and also works with other operators and occasionally with the government. She is also engaged in international projects and offers expert witness services in disputes and legal cases. She has a deep insight into detailed UK regulations as well as high level policy matters and she also advises on commercial strategy.
Gita is a Director and Co-founder of a biotechnology company and was one of the founding board members of TOTSCo – having been part of the group establishing the governance for the organisation (where she is now an alternate board member to Tim Stranack).
Gita would bring this knowledge and insight to the ISPA Council and will volunteer her time to contribute constructively to discussions and development of positions for ISPA’s members. Gita will be representing MS3 Networks at the Council.
Mick Everett is the MD and founder of Blue Spider Consulting – a provider of fully managed Internet and VoIP services into select multi-occupancy residential accommodation.
He is an apprentice-served comms engineer and has worked within the comms industry all his working life, operating at Director level within a variety of comms companies over the last 30+ years. Mick holds a number of current product-related accreditations including Avaya, Ubiquiti and Draytek and is a member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (MIET).
During his career, Mick has been intrinsic in the provision and support of managed IP telephony, Internet and IPTV services into a significant number of student and keyworker residential accommodation sites across the UK, including at Universities, hospitals and housing associations.
Max is a seasoned regulatory and compliance professional with over a decade of industry experience. He has in-depth knowledge of the telecommunications market, communications technology, data and data analytics, AI & machine learning, data privacy, and the related compliance, regulation, and regulatory policy landscape.
He began his career at Ofcom, working across three key teams—Market Intelligence, Technology, and Consumer Polic —and managing major projects such as Connected Nations. After Ofcom, Max joined BT as a Senior Associate in the Group Regulatory Team, where he led initiatives such as Open Communications and supported various projects, including the Broadband USO and BT’s Responsible AI Working Group.
Currently, Max serves as the Head of Regulatory and Compliance at Glide, overseeing all regulatory and compliance activities, managing Glide’s ISO certifications, and leading efforts in ESG and Health & Safety. Additionally, he chairs INCA’s standards group, driving forward a project to standardise the technical specifications, commercials, and regulatory thinking around wholesale broadband provision in the UK.
Mashood Ahmad is the Founder and CEO of Gigabit IQ, a UK-based broadband provider focused on delivering safer, smarter, and more customer-friendly internet services. With a background spanning over 25 years in the telecommunications industry, Mashood has worked across several international markets and held leadership capacities at multiple operators and technology companies including NTT, Level 3 Communications, Nortel, Ciena & Calix. Mashood was also advisor to the Government of Maldives for the HulhuMale Open Access network project and International Subsea capacity.
At Gigabit IQ, Mashood has helped lead the development of managed Wi-Fi, advanced parental controls, and home cybersecurity tools that are easy to use and genuinely help families feel more in control of their online world. Alongside the team, he’s been proud to support digital inclusion through Grayshott Gigabit, building & expanding full fibre access to rural areas that are often overlooked.
Passionate about driving positive change in the UK telecoms space, Mashood is a vocal advocate for fairer, more transparent broadband. His team & organisation are addressing the status quo, to build a industry for safer, more intelligent internet access for all.
Trenches Law’s founder Sharon McDermott is a senior telecommunications lawyer, having spent 18 years with Virgin Media, mainly as head of legal services. Here, she negotiated large deals in sales, wholesale, retail and the public sector, before moving on to manage vast procurement contracts – including architecture, civil engineering works and service installations – for the Chief Operating Officer.
Kerry Smith is a Public Policy Manager at Virgin Media O2, where she works across public policy and regulatory issues affecting the communications sector. Her work spans online safety, network and cyber security, infrastructure regulation and digital markets, with a focus on the interaction between legislation, regulation and operational delivery. She has experience engaging with government, regulators and industry stakeholders, and contributing to policy development and consultation processes across a range of digital and infrastructure policy areas. Kerry holds an MPA in Digital Technologies and Policy from University College London.
Gemma is the Head of the Regulatory and Government Affairs team for UK and Ireland at Verizon. Her responsibilities cover all public policy, regulatory compliance, and government relations for these two jurisdictions. Gemma also covers areas such as network security, cyber security, and sustainability across the European region.
Before joining Verizon in 2017, she spent three and half years working across multiple disciplines at the UK regulator, Ofcom, including areas of international policy, content policy, radio licensing, and competition policy.
Dave Swanston’s career is anchored in a foundation of service excellence and leadership, cultivated during seven years in the Army. Transitioning to the telecommunications industry in 2012, Dave began as a Customer Service Engineer at Openreach, where he developed robust technical skills and a deep industry insight. His journey has been defined by progressive leadership roles and a commitment to driving operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Dave’s tenure at Gigaclear saw him rapidly ascend from Repair Manager to Delivery Manager, and later as General Manager at Pickr, a software-focused firm focused on disrupting the industry. Here, he spearheaded strategic initiatives that significantly enhanced operational efficiency and elevated customer satisfaction metrics. Notably, his entrepreneurial drive led to the successful launch and subsequent sale of a civil engineering company, demonstrating his acumen in identifying market opportunities and executing effective business strategies.
As founder of Runfibre, an ISP he built from inception, Dave achieved notable milestones including the completion of four successful RGBVS projects and earning a stellar five-star rating on Trustpilot. The successful sale of Runfibre underscored its market potential and solidified Dave’s reputation as a visionary leader in the industry. Dave is the founder of Gigability, where he secured £5 million in initial funding to spearhead rural infrastructure development. Leveraging his extensive experience in rural fibre deployment, Dave is dedicated to bridging the digital divide and enhancing customer connectivity in underserved areas. His leadership ensures all initiatives not only meet but exceed regulatory standards, reflecting his commitment to industry innovation and compliance. Dave is currently Head of Commercial & Growth at Carnival Internet.
Dave is passionate about leveraging technology to create meaningful impact. His mission is to ensure high-quality connectivity is accessible to all, driving innovation and growth in the telecommunications sector. With a proven ability to lead complex projects and deliver outstanding results, Dave Swanston is poised to make significant contributions to any organisation seeking to enhance telecommunications infrastructure and customer experience.