Paul North appointed as Zen Internet Partner Managing Director

Zen Internet has announced the appointment of Paul North as Managing Director of its Partner division to lead channel growth and focus on collaboration with its business partners.

Paul North joins Zen Internet with 19 years of experience within the telecommunications channel sector, having previously held key leadership roles at companies including Entanet, Giganet, and AllPoints Fibre. His appointment allows Stephen Warburton to specialise exclusively as Managing Director of Zen's Consumer division after overseeing both the Partner and Consumer divisions in recent years.

Experience and background

Paul North's career has seen him manage channel and partner strategies at several alternative network providers and internet service providers. He played a notable role at Entanet, which was subsequently acquired by CityFibre, before moving to Giganet to help develop its channel business. When Giganet's wholesale arm merged into AllPoints Fibre in 2023, North led efforts to establish its partner programme.

Zen Internet states that North is known for his relationship-based approach and collaborative style in working with partners. His arrival forms part of Zen Internet's strategic vision to become a prominent alternative network aggregator in the United Kingdom.

Leadership comments

Richard Tang, founder and CEO of Zen Internet, commented: "Paul's arrival marks an exciting new chapter for our Partner division. He has a record for building successful wholesale businesses, but what really stands out is his passion for people and partners. That's exactly what Zen is all about. With Paul at the helm, our partners can expect even greater focus, energy, and support as we move forward."

In his own remarks, Paul North described the opportunity to join Zen Internet at a time of significant change within the telecommunications industry as a pivotal moment in his career.

Commenting on his new role, Paul North said: "Zen is a name I've admired since starting out in this industry 19 years ago. It has a reputation for innovation, service excellence and doing right by its people - values I share wholeheartedly. The channel is all about relationships, and it's clear partners love working with Zen for its people, its network, and its support.

"With the industry entering one of its most exciting periods of change since the early days of broadband, and with Zen's ambition to be the leading aggregator of alt-nets through The Fibre Hub, this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. I'm excited to build on the great work already done and to collaborate with colleagues and partners to seize the opportunities ahead."

Division focus and strategic significance

Stephen Warburton, who now heads solely the Consumer division, reflected on the decision to split responsibilities at a senior management level.

"I've really enjoyed running our partner business over the last 20 years, but there is so much opportunity now, I think it's right we dedicate an MD for that part of the business giving it the dedication it deserves. It also means I can focus my attention on the consumer arm of the business," said Warburton.

Zen Internet's Partner division delivers a portfolio of wholesale services, including broadband, Ethernet, hosted voice, cloud communications, and managed networking to its channel partners. The company positions itself as providing the flexibility and support needed to assist partners in capitalising on the UK's adoption of full fibre connectivity.

The appointment of a dedicated Managing Director for the Partner division signals Zen's intent to maintain targeted leadership across its Consumer, Business, and Partner operations as the sector transitions to fibre-based infrastructure.