CityFibre makes key appointment to support Peterborough’s full fibre future

Gigabit City builder recruits Rebecca Stephens to spearhead £30m project to bring ‘gold standard’ internet connectivity to homes and businesses. CityFibre has appointed a former newspaper editor as its city development manager in Peterborough – as progress continues on the city’s digital transformation. Peterborough has been selected to benefit from a strategic partnership between CityFibre and Vodafone, which will see full fibre connectivity reach 1 million homes and businesses across the UK by 2021. Work on the £30m project is now underway and Rebecca Stephens has been appointed to drive forward the delivery. Rebecca’s longstanding reputation in Peterborough puts her in good stead to deliver CityFibre’s message as the city works to establish itself as a digital leader. Her tenure in the city includes senior positions as editor at the Peterborough Evening Telegraph and editorial director of East Midlands Newspapers; and director at Syntax Communications, working with private, public and community sector organisations both within the city and nationwide. Rebecca has also held senior leadership roles in a non-executive capacity at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Probation Trust, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, a governor role at Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and vice-chair of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group. Charged with leading Peterborough’s transformation into a full-fibre city, Rebecca will be a local point of contact for all city stakeholders as well as being a key advocate for the project and the benefits it will bring to businesses across all sectors and the wider community. Rebecca Stephens said: “As CityFibre rolls out its full fibre infrastructure in Peterborough, our entire community will be primed to reap the benefits. As more and more services rely on high-speed broadband, this is a huge opportunity for Peterborough and I know there’s a lot of excitement about what we’re doing and the advantages it will bring. I am excited to work closely with the key stakeholders to ensure we can maximise the opportunities offered by full fibre.” Rob Hamlin, Commercial Director, CityFibre, said: “Rebecca’s longstanding reputation and commitment to Peterborough puts her in an ideal position to take our message forward. CityFibre has committed to invest at least £30 million in the infrastructure project which will extend its fibre network to around 60,000 homes and businesses in the city, bringing full fibre to many city residents for the very first time. “Our ‘fibre to the premises’ programme is a game changer and nobody is better placed than Rebecca to drive home that message and help people to discover more about the impact this investment will have on the city’s digital future.” To find out more about CityFibre’s Gigabit City vision for Peterborough, visit www.cityfibre.com/peterborough