Tom Mockridge

Born| July 1955[1]

New Zealand

Thomas Mockridge (born July 1955[2] in New Zealand) is the chairman and chief executive officer of Virgin Fibra. Prior to founding the italian-based broadband operator, he has been CEO of Virgin Media until June 2019, CEO of News International until December 2012, and the foundation CEO of Sky Italia until July 2011.

## Career

[edit]

### Early days

[edit]

Mockridge began his career in his native New Zealand; starting in 1977 as a reporter for the New Plymouth-based Taranaki Daily News in the small central North Island town of Taumarunui.[3]

He moved to Australia in 1980, working first for the Sydney Morning Herald as economics correspondent, then as an adviser for the Australian Treasurer Paul Keating. He also worked for The Australian. He joined News Limited in January 1991, where he was assistant CEO to Ken Cowley until 1996. He then became CEO of Foxtel, a post which he held for three years. Mockridge then moved to Hong Kong.[4]

Appointed managing director of Independent Newspapers in 2001, New Zealand's largest newspaper publisher and a subsidiary of News Corporation, he was also appointed Chairman of pay TV group Sky New Zealand.[4]

### Sky Italia

[edit]

In 2002, Mockridge led the merger between Stream TV and Tele+, which resulted in the creation of Sky Italia. On completion of the merger, he was appointed CEO of Sky Italia. In 2008 Mockridge was appointed managing director of European Television (all News Corps TV assets outside the UK), reporting to James Murdoch.[4][5] He was later appointed to the board of British Sky Broadcasting, a position he still holds.[4][6]

He was head of Sky Italia when he replaced Rebekah Brooks as chief executive of News International after she had resigned on 15 July 2011.[7]

### News International

[edit]

On 17 January 2012 he appeared before the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics. He eventually backed Lord Justice Brian Leveson's recommendation that the UK set up a regulatory system for reining in the British media's worst excesses.[8]

In December 2012 he resigned from his position as head of Murdoch's UK newspapers.[9]

### Virgin Media

[edit]

In June 2013 he took up the post of chief executive of Virgin Media, following the completion of the takeover by Liberty Global and leaving in 2019 to be replaced by Lutz Schuler.[10]

### Virgin Fibra

[edit]

Returning to Italy, in August 2020 he founded Virgin Fibra with two other partners, and was later joined by other entrepreneurs and businessmen. After two years of startup activity, the business launched on 17 August 2022 and is now part of the Virgin Group,[11] becoming the third company ever in Italy to carry the brand of Richard Branson.

Virgin Fibra runs as a fixed broadband operator in the Italian telco industry, specializing in exclusively FTTP broadband service in partnership with Open Fiber.[12] Its services are available throughout the country to both private customers and SMEs.

## Personal life

[edit]

His wife is an Italian citizen.[13] They have two children.[4]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Thomas MOCKRIDGE personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK".
2. ^ "FACTBOX-Who is Tom Mockridge?". Reuters. 15 July 2011. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
3. ^ Michelle Duff (18 July 2011). "From reporter in flares to tough-minded fix-it man". Dominion Post. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
4. ^ a b c d e Amy Willis (15 July 2011). "Tom Mockridge profile: a trusted lieutenant of Murdoch's empire". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
5. ^ "News Corporation Names Tom Mockridge Chief Executive, European Television". News Corporation. 12 May 2008. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
6. ^ Louise Armitstead (14 July 2011). "Phone hacking: Investor group Pirc raises concerns over BSkyB". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
7. ^ Samira Shackle (15 July 2011). "Ed Miliband calls for the break-up of the Murdoch Empire". New Statesman. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
8. ^ "Kiwi media boss backs Leveson result". 3 News NZ. 30 November 2012.
9. ^ "Kiwi quits as Murdoch's (UK) newspaper boss". Stuff NZ. 3 December 2012.
10. ^ Deans, Jason (8 May 2013). "Tom Mockridge appointed as Virgin Media chief executive". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
11. ^ "Branson-Backed Group Starts Virgin Broadband Service in Italy". Bloomberg.com. 22 August 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
12. ^ "Open Fiber e Virgin Fibra siglano una partnership per la connettività ultraveloce in Italia". Open Fiber (in Italian). Retrieved 17 January 2023.
13. ^ Ben Fenton (28 June 2010). "Sky Italia chief plays fair with Mediaset". Financial Times. Retrieved 15 July 2011.

## External links

[edit]

* Virgin Fibra
* Virgin Media
* Profile at Bloomberg Businessweek
* Tom Mockridge collected news and commentary at The Guardian

Business positions

Preceded by

Neil Berkett

|  Chief Executive of Virgin Media
June 2013 - June 2019  | Succeeded by

Lutz Schuler

Preceded by

Rebekah Brooks

|  Chief Executive of News UK
September 2011 - December 2012  | Succeeded by

Mike Darcey

Preceded by

New company

|  Chief Executive of Sky Italia
2003 - 2011  | Succeeded by

Preceded by

|  Managing Director of Independent Newspapers
2001 - 2002  | Succeeded by

Preceded by

|  Chief Executive of Foxtel
1997 - 2000  | Succeeded by

* v
* t
* e

2011–12 News Corporation scandal

Events|

* News International phone hacking scandal
* News of the World royal phone hacking scandal
* News Corporation takeover bid for BSkyB
* News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations

Companies and
organisations|

| News Corporation|

* News International
* News of the World
* The Sun
* The Times
* The Sunday Times
* News Limited

|

Other|

* BSkyB
* Culture, Media and Sport Committee
* Federal Bureau of Investigation
* Harbottle & Lewis
* Independent Police Complaints Commission
* Metropolitan Police
* role
* Ofcom
* Press Complaints Commission
* Serious Fraud Office
* Solicitors Regulation Authority

People|

| Known victims|

* 7/7 attack victims
* Leslie Ash
* Gordon Brown
* Lee Chapman
* Charlotte Church
* Steve Coogan
* Anne Diamond
* Milly Dowler
* Garry Flitcroft
* Sheryl Gascoigne
* Hugh Grant
* Andy Gray
* Tessa Jowell
* Gerry and Kate McCann
* Elle Macpherson
* Sienna Miller
* Ian Paisley
* Ian Paisley Jr
* Sara Payne
* John Prescott
* J. K. Rowling

|

Metropolitan Police|

* Sue Akers
* Peter Clarke
* Andy Hayman
* Paul Stephenson
* John Yates

News Corporation|

* Rebekah Brooks
* Jonathan Chapman
* Daniel Cloke
* Andy Coulson
* Tom Crone
* Wendi Murdoch
* James Desborough
* Viet Dinh
* Ian Edmondson
* Clive Goodman
* Baron Grabiner
* Simon Greenberg
* Les Hinton
* Sean Hoare
* Lawrence Jacobs
* Joel Klein
* Stuart Kuttner
* William Lewis
* Paul McMullan
* Greg Miskiw
* Tom Mockridge
* Glenn Mulcaire
* James Murdoch
* Rupert Murdoch
* Colin Myler
* Lucy Panton
* Jamie Pyatt
* Jonathan Rees
* Neville Thurlbeck
* Neil Wallis
* James Weatherup

Other|

* Nick Davies
* Lord Fowler
* Lord Justice Leveson
* Jay Rockefeller
* Paul Staines (Guido Fawkes)
* Tom Watson
* John Whittingdale
* List of people arrested in the News International phone-hacking scandal

Investigations
and legal cases|

* HM Advocate v Sheridan and Sheridan
* Leveson Inquiry
* Operation Elveden
* Operation Kalmyk
* Operation Rubicon
* Operation Tuleta
* Operation Weeting
* R v Coulson, Brooks and others

In popular culture|

* Dial M for Murdoch
* Great Britain

Related topics|

* Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
* Hacked Off
* Operation Glade
* Operation Motorman
* Phone hacking
* Phreaking
* Politico-media complex
* Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000
* Social engineering

* Category

This business-related New Zealand biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

|

* v
* t
* e

This article about a New Zealand writer or poet is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

|

* v
* t
* e

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template