MEET THE TEAM

Andrew Jackson

Group Chief Executive Officer

Andrew Jackson is a true believer in the power of people and loves to discover what individuals can achieve with the right focus and enthusiasm. That’s why Intercity’s people are what makes the company different.

As a self-confessed tech geek, Andrew is constantly searching for innovative IT solutions and technologies, and ensures that every solution delivered to customers is cutting-edge and future-proof. He is passionate about the positive impact technology solutions have on businesses and people’s lives.

Andrew joined Intercity in June 2008 after five years with Ernst and Young. There he was a senior executive involved in multi-million pound mergers and acquisitions, including the £61 million sale of Keenpac to Bunzl PLC and a £77 million acquisition of Britton Group by HSBC Private Equity.

In his spare time, Andrew is passionate about motorsport, aviation and football.

Charlie Blakemore

Chief Executive Officer

A high-flyer with over 39 years’ experience in the engineering, aerospace and technology sectors. As a passionate leader, Charlie Blakemore joined the Intercity team as a non-executive board member in 2015. In 2018, he became full-time COO to help streamline and enhance the transformational delivery of IT projects across the business portfolio. Charlie was promoted to Group Managing Director in December 2019.

Charlie is a fellow of the Association of Project Managers (APM) and Institute of Directors (IoD) and amassed vast experience in his 34 year career with BAE Systems which included leading their £1.2 BN Global Land Business and then executive board positions in their Maritime and Air Sectors businesses. This involved successfully leading business transformation and delivering large complex projects including Typhoon, Hawk, F35, Type 45 frigate and Air craft carrier. He now ensures that Intercity’s first-class technology solutions and customer service are delivered effectively and efficiently, with a people-first focus across our business and customers.

In his spare time Charlie is passionate about football, having been manager at Chasetown FC. He is incredibly proud of his 2007 record when he managed his local football team, Chasetown, to the third round of the FA Cup.

Chris Sharp

Chief Financial Officer

Chartered accountant with experience of management and statutory financial reporting. Enjoying being able to make a difference to people's working lives by transforming business performance through communications technology as part of a progressive and exciting business!

Specialities: Business analysis and financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting, company secretarial and compliance, taxation and business advisory services.

Chris is a running enthusiast and when he's not in the office he likes to spend his time either practising his favourite sport, or enjoying quality time with his family. 

Richard West

Chief Operating Officer

An experienced senior leader and chartered Programme Director and prides himself of creating ‘winning teams’ that deliver world class customer service!

Richard joined Intercity in September 2018 as Projects Director, and then took on the challenge of also leading the Operations teams in December of the same year. In 2019, Richard was promoted to COO on the Intercity Board to lead the integrated delivery of Product, Project Management, Operations and Customer Services.

In his last role at BAE Systems, he successfully led the Programme to create an International Air Sector business across the UK, Saudi Arabia and Australia with circa £9bn turn over and 25,000 employees. He also led BAE’s Global Security Transformation to deliver an integrated ‘threat and risk’ led Cyber, IT, Physical and personnel security global capability across 40 countries.

Richard was a co-founder and Board member of a successful Autonomy plc OEM business between 2001-2008 with a global customer base. Richard is passionate about technology enabled change and has been regularly published over the last 12 years including articles in the FT and Wall Street Journal.

In his spare time Richard loves to keep fit and enjoys holidaying to Spain. 

Christina Pendleton

Chief Sustainability Officer

Since joining Intercity in 2014 as HR Advisor, Christina has grown with the business by driving our People-Power approach, and now heads our sustainability efforts and procedures, working to identify opportunities to ensure Intercity adopts and encourages planet-friendly practices and behaviours. With accolades such as gaining ‘Gold Accreditation’ from Investors in people, as well as a coveted ‘Three Star’ status from Best Companies, Christina is particularly concerned with the longer-term solutions for healthier environmental and economic outcomes. 

She is dedicated to creating engagement programmes with a strong focus on learning and development at all levels. From Intercity’s Apprenticeship Scheme through to our Management Academy, she ensures that all our team members receive the very best support but, equally, that we also continue to deliver the best levels of service to our customers.

At Intercity, we believe we have a responsibility to support the local communities we work in. That is why Christina takes an active role in leading our Schools Initiative, facilitating student education about the wide range of opportunities available to them within the technology industry, and developing their skills.

Christina is an exceptional and talented individual. She obtained a first-class degree in Human Resource Management and was awarded the prize for ‘Best Performing Student on the Final Year BA (Hons) HRM’ by The Centre for Professional Personnel Development. Later she achieved a CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diploma in Human Resource Management.

When out of the office, Christina enjoys taking part in Wolf Runs, loves action holidays and travelling.

Bill Hopkinson

Chief Revenue Officer

Bill has a wealth of experience in telecoms sales having excelled in the industry for over 25 years, highlighted by his year-on-year record sales performances as a Sales Leader since joining Intercity three years ago. Additionally, his excellent commercial awareness and business case development skills allow him to measure and manage a multi-skilled Sales Team.

Bill’s lifelong interest in technology began as a RAF Radar Technician and continued this in his pursuit of telecom sales at 25. He has specialised in selling a range of connectivity, LAN, and voice services for industry leading companies such as Pipex, Virgin Media Business, and Opal. Alongside being successful in Sales, he has thrived in management and directorial positions across Sales Teams for Vodafone, Exponential-E, SBL Group, and TalkTalk. In fact, he can proudly say that he is responsible for selling the first TalkTalk Business MPLS.

In his current position of Chief Revenue Officer for Intercity, Bill prides himself on nurturing others to the best of their sales abilities through the knowledge he has gained from his multi-faceted sales career of management and team leadership. The satisfaction that comes from helping people realise their potential and seeing them succeed is the motivation Bill uses to keep Intercity growing and innovating.

Aside from technology, Bill’s other loves are rugby and live music.

Neil Rampe

Chief Commercial Officer

Neil is no stranger to the multi-faceted world of working in B2B technology. With almost 30 years of experience, he has led businesses, built strategies, and coached teams to deliver profitable growth as a CEO, MD and Chief Commercial Officer.

He feels passionately about leading through people and building teams, with a drive and energy, to deliver growth, solve problems, and get the best outcomes possible.  In being people focused,  he also makes it his priority to understand why customers care about technology, and what it means for them and their businesses to get the right solutions in place.

His sector experience spans cloud services, IT, connectivity, mobile, fixed line, and software services. Neil’s appetite to ask questions and learn means he is constantly challenging and understanding more so we evolve and keep enabling our customers to Do More.

In his spare time, Neil loves cooking, football, being outdoors and sitting with a brown beer in his hand at the end of a long walk.

David Keeling

Managing Director - Cloud & Security

David Keeling is an experienced leader with a long career in the technology sector. Over the years, he’s held senior roles at companies like Logica, Acision, Bango, and Anatwine, building a strong track record of driving growth and innovation. In 2018, he took on the role of CEO at Centrality, a UK-based Microsoft Solutions Partner known for providing outstanding technical expertise and customer service. 

Under his leadership, Centrality went from strength to strength, becoming one of the most accredited Microsoft Service Partners in the UK. In April 2024, Centrality was acquired by Intercity, marking an exciting new chapter. Following the acquisition, David joined Intercity’s board as Managing Director of a new division, bringing Centrality’s expertise in Microsoft solutions into the wider Intercity group.

David is passionate about technology and how it can empower businesses to achieve more. He’s also a firm believer in nurturing talent and fostering a strong team culture, ensuring people are at the heart of the success story.

Mike Osborne

Managing Director - Managed IT

Mike is the Managing Director for the Managed Services division and Board Advisor at Intercity. Mike brings over 30+ years of experience working at board level in the IT Services/Risk industry.

Mike has worked in a range of organisations including start-ups, private and private equity-backed businesses. He has also previously been part of a UK FTSE IPO. Mike has also worked in a listed PLC environment for 20+ years in organisations with up to £700mil pa turnover and 5,000 staff.

Whether it’s managing investor expectations or focusing on growth, Mike has navigated understands first-hand the challenges businesses are facing. He has helped many clients ranging from SMEs right through to global brands and government departments to design, implement and maintain award-winning IT, communications, cloud, data protection, business continuity and risk mitigation strategies both in the UK and abroad.

Over the years, Mike’s experience and expertise has been recognised by the IT industry and he is a proud recipient of both the Industry (IT & Risk) and Business Awards (IoD Regional Large Business Director Finalist.)

Mel Osborne

Chief People Officer

Mel leads our People Team, shaping the culture and ensuring Intercity is an incredible place to work. She oversees all things HR, from policies to employee initiatives, making sure our people feel valued, supported, and set up for success.

With a keen focus on maintaining our 3* Best Companies rating and Top 10 ranking for Best Mid-Sized Companies to Work For, Mel is all about creating a workplace where people thrive.

Oli Hayward

Managing Director – Communications

Oli is responsible for driving the growth and success of our Communications division, reporting directly to the CEO. He owns the divisional P&L and leads the charge in scaling sales, profitability, and overall business performance.

Recently stepping up from his role as Manager of New Customer Acquisition, he still works closely with our New Logo team—BDMs and SDRs—who are dedicated to building new relationships and bringing fresh customers on board. With his energy and drive, Oli is helping to push Intercity’s ambitious growth to the next level.