Making a difference in the world of telecoms

Mark has grown The Ignite Group from humble beginnings. After selling his first business he went on to open the first EE franchise store which was an immediate success. Since then he’s overseen the rapid growth of the business into one of EE’s largest UK retail partners with stores up and down the country.

When asked about his career highlights Mark cited; becoming an EE retail partner, completing the takeover of the Chrome PSG Group in 2018 and winning ‘Franchisee of the Year’ on two occasions.

As Group Managing Director, Mark remains very much hands on to help and assist his management team to develop and grow their own abilities whilst striving for perfection in the mobile phone retail sector. Mark would describe himself as passionate, honest and focused bringing the following three key areas of expertise to his role; visionary leadership, effective decision making and strong financial acumen.

Sam started his employment in the mobile phone sector 13 years ago and has worked for The Ignite Group from its inception being instrumental in its growth and development. Starting as a Sales Advisor Sam has successfully grown with the business over the years and in 2019 Sam became Regional Director of the group.

When asked about his career highlights Sam cited; being recognised by Orange as one of the highest performing sales advisors in the UK, winning Franchise of the Year and delivering record sales numbers in the first month of trading as Store Manager.

As Regional Director, Sam is directly involved in supporting all areas of the business, ensuring that all team members can reach their potential. Sam would describe himself as professional, determined and analytical bringing the following three key areas of expertise to his role; Sales psychology, staff management and a detailed understanding of HR procedures.

Kat joined Chrome PSG Retail Group in 2014 as Regional Compliance Manager. More recently Kat has gone on to become Group Compliance Manager overseeing all compliance matters for both Midlands and North Regions within The Ignite Group.

When asked about her proudest career highlights she cited; Achieving the first 100% compliance score in The Ignite Group, becoming a Compliance Manager for the first time and qualifying as a Nursery Assistant for children with special needs.

Kat would describe herself as funny, easy going and a bit crazy! She brings 3 key areas of expertise to her role as Compliance Manager; Attention to detail, leadership and productivity.

After starting his career at Orange in 2010 Alex successfully worked his way from the shop floor to become a Regional Trainer and then National Digital Academy Manger for EE. After a successful 8 year stint Alex moved to The Ignite Group to be back on the shop floor as Cluster Manager for two Midlands based stores. More recently Alex has stepped up to become Ignite’s Group Trainer and has set up its renowned Training Academy which each and every staff member attends on starting with the business.

When asked about proudest career highlights Alex cited; Forging three brand new roles in three companies (Field Trainer, Digital Academy Manager & Ignite National Trainer), taking a problem store and turning it around to be a regional top performer and influencing the way EE Design team worked which lead to better communication and higher standard of work.

Alex would describe himself as loyal, honest and determined and areas of expertise are store strategy, staff training and recruitment and maximising digital training tools.

Tom was part of the original team that opened The Ignite Group’s first store and was instrumental in the early years. From a Sales Advisor, Tom quickly become a Store Manager and then a Cluster Manager in our Midlands region. After a successful career he left the business to explore other career opportunities but in 2019 returned to head up our North Region, becoming Regional Manager.

When asked about his career highlights Tom cited; Winning Franchise of the Year Award, accepting an award for his regional work in Belgium and being part of growing The Ignite Group into the largest EE Franchise in the UK.

Tom would describe himself as fair, conscientious and very competitive. He brings 3 key areas of expertise to his role as Regional Manager; Succession and development planning, strong interpersonal skills and a deep understanding of the day to day operational aspects of retail.

After a career at Phones 4U Kuba moved to The Ignite Group in 2014 as a Store Manager. He quickly established himself as a top performer and as the company grew so did Kuba’s career becoming a Senior Store Manager, Regional Assistant and then, in 2019 moved into his current role as Regional Manager for our Midlands region.

When asked about his proudest career highlights he cited; being a Senior Manager through the biggest growth years of The Ignite Group, managing a flagship store for Phones 4U in Milton Keynes and playing a key role in the recruitment and development of the current Store Managers within Ignite.

Kuba would describe himself as fair, patient and determined. He brings 3 key areas of expertise to his role as Midlands Regional Manager; People skills, sales psychology and deep commercial knowledge.

After a career in the travel business Lyndsey joined Chrome PSG Retail Group in 2014 which was subsequently taken over by The Ignite Group in 2018. As a highly regarded and successful store manager she has played a crucial role in merging the two business and currently acts as an assistant to the Regional Manager in the North East.

When asked about her proudest career highlights Lyndsey cited; Winning Store of the Year at Thomas Cook, winning Manager of the Year at Chrome PSG Retail Group and developing multiple staff members into management positions.

Lyndsey would describe herself as approachable, knowledgeable and trustworthy. She brings 3 key areas of expertise to her role as Assistant Regional Manager; Staff development, key industry knowledge and staff motivation.

Bartek started working for The Ignite Group in 2018 as Store Manager of our Runcorn store. He very quickly demonstrated his management skills and was promoted to Senior Store Manager shortly after joining. In 2019 Bartek stepped up again into his new role as Assistant Regional Manager for Ignites Midlands region.

When asked about his proudest career highlights he cited, Co-organising ‘Leeds Pride’ in 2017, winning a Runcorn Award for supporting disabled customers in 2019 and achieving his promotion to Assistant Regional Manager.

Bartek would describe himself as passionate, supportive and motivational. He brings 3 key areas of expertise to his role as Assistant Regional Manager; People management, HR and team coaching & development.

After 11 years of working in the SME sales sector for Vodafone, ABAX, James moved to The Ignite Group in 2020. He is heading up the new business sales team based out of our Market Harborough office. James brings with him a wealth of B2B sales experience and now has full responsibility for the growth and development of the SME team at Ignite.

When asked about his proudest career highlights he cited, managing the UK field sales team for ABAX UK, being promoted 3 times in one year to Senior Business Development Manager and being awarded ‘Circle of Canopus’ at Vodafone for achieving 116% of target as accounts manager.

James would describe himself as a dedicated hard worker, highly motivated and creative. He brings 3 key areas of expertise to his role as Business Sales Manager; Partnership management, new business acquisition and account management skills.