CityFibre strengthens leadership team for Yorkshire full fibre connectivity project

CityFibre appoints Kim Johnston and Stephen Moore as City Development Managers for £150m full fibre connectivity project in Leeds and Huddersfield. CityFibre has appointed locally-based Kim Johnston and Stephen Moore as new City Development Managers (CDM), to strengthen its Yorkshire leadership team and support with the implementation of a £150m project to transform Leeds and Huddersfield with a new full fibre digital infrastructure. Work has started on the £30m Huddersfield project to extend its existing full fibre network past almost every home and business by 2021, enabling both residents and businesses to enjoy unlimited bandwidth and internet speeds of up to 1000Mbps. The upcoming Leeds project will mark CityFibre’s largest to date, with a £120m private investment and the construction of six new data centres to power the network across the city. An additional nine other locations in Yorkshire, with significant amounts of network already in the ground, have also been earmarked as possible future locations for the roll-out. Having worked as Leeds City Council’s Business Development Officer for the Health and Wellbeing Service for six years, Kim is an experienced senior manager with a breadth of experience in the private, public and charitable sectors. In previous roles Kim was the Communications and Marketing Manager for Leeds Chamber of Commerce and the International Sales Co-ordinator for a fibre optic transmissions manufacturer. Stephen has spent the last ten years working for Kirklees Council, managing the council’s business engagement team and lead for digital infrastructure investment. He was on the board of Superfast West Yorkshire and Chair of the Leeds City Region Digital Infrastructure Group through which partners engaged with the Government’s Local Full Fibre Network programme. The newly appointed CDM’s will act as the main point of contact for all city stakeholders, including Kirklees Council and Leeds City Council, and act as key advocates for the project and benefits it will bring to businesses and the local communities, which are set to benefit from dramatically increased digital capabilities. Kim Johnston, CDM for Leeds, said: “I feel passionate about my home city of Leeds and am excited to be working with CityFibre to bring full fibre connectivity across the city. I am a strong advocate for community engagement, digital inclusion and partnerships to help make Leeds the best city to live, work and visit.” “I’ll be collaborating closely with Leeds City Council to ensure a successful rollout and ensure the local community is kept informed at every stage of the process.” Stephen Moore, CDM for Huddersfield, said: “Through a thriving creative and digital culture, coupled with a world-renowned reputation for manufacturing and innovation, Huddersfield has much to gain from fresh investment in its broadband infrastructure. “I am thrilled to be joining CityFibre and would like to thank Kirklees Council and the wider community for the support that they have provided to date, which has helped to set the project off to a fantastic start.” Rob Hamlin, Commercial Director, CityFibre, said: “We knew as soon as we met Kim and Steve that they were the perfect candidates for the City Development Manager positions. They both have a wealth of great experience across key sectors and crucially, a passion for watching their communities flourish and develop.” “This is a transformational project for both businesses and residents across Yorkshire and we are delighted to have put great people in place to help people to discover more about the impact this investment will have on the region’s digital future”. You can find out more about CityFibre’s Gigabit City vision for Huddersfield and Leeds by visiting: cityfibre.com/huddersfield or cityfibre.com/leeds and following @GigabitHudds and @GigabitLeeds on Twitter.