Lyca Mobile bolsters senior leadership team with two new hires in Q1

Lyca Mobile, the world’s largest MVNO, announces two new senior hires to bolster the leadership team. Lawrence Corbett joins Lyca Mobile as Group Chief Operating Officer, and James McQuillan joins as the new UK and Ireland (IRE) Country Manager.

The two new hires are the latest development at Lyca Mobile, as the company announced Richard Schafer as Group CEO in June 2023 and set a new strategic direction for the business as it targets a wave of growth underpinned by its investment in delivering high value, low cost services to mobile customers.

Both new hires bring with them considerable experience from across the business world, including extensive experience in the telecommunications sector.

Richard Schafer, Group Chief Executive Officer, Lyca Mobile, says: “Lyca Mobile is all about delivering exceptional value to our customers. And as the world’s largest MVNO, we have built a loyal customer base by delivering reliable, low-cost international calling. Focusing on our three priorities of value, customer service and reliability are central as we take on the established operators. With this in mind, I’m delighted to have Lawrence and James join our senior leadership team here at Lyca, bringing with them decades of experience and know-how across telco and ecommerce – not just in the UK, but from key global markets.”

Corbett in his role as Group Chief Operating Officer will have overall responsibility for all Group Operations and P&L management for Lyca’s UK and overseas operations. Corbett brings his experience from the MVNO sector, having spent a large part of his career at Virgin, firstly working within several Virgin Mobile businesses and then later as an Investment Director in Virgin Group’s Investments Team helping to start up, fund and structure new Virgin telecoms businesses globally. He also has significant global experience, having worked in Europe, the Middle East, South Africa, APAC and parts of LatAm. He has been a COO several times in the past, most recently serving as Group COO for Circles, a Singapore based MVNO, MVNE and telco SaaS platform provider.

McQuillan joins as the new UK and IRE Country Manager at Lyca Mobile, bringing with him more than two decades of domestic and international experience working in telecoms and eCommerce businesses, including AOL, TalkTalk, Tesco Mobile and Rohlik Group (Czech Republic). McQuillan has led MVNOs in Czech Republic and Slovakia. In Hungary he launched and expanded overseas what became the leading online grocer in Hungary – Kifli – which contributed to Rohlik being the Czech Republic’s first ever unicorn company.

Lawrence Corbett, Group Chief Operating Officer, Lyca Mobile, says:
“My priorities at Lyca Mobile are to deliver great value, as well as a great experience, to our customers and our partners all over the world. Many people are experiencing difficult economic times and I want Lyca Mobile to help our customers to stay connected and save money. In my role as Group COO I’ll oversee the performance of all our MVNO businesses, as well as taking responsibility for driving our Customer Care to the next level. There is a huge amount of growth potential at Lyca, particularly as the business becomes more digitally oriented and capitalises on the industry move towards digital services and experiences. I look forward to helping the team deliver on the company’s potential.”

James McQuillan, UK and IRE Country Manager, Lyca Mobile, says:
“The struggle to cover increasing cost of living expenses has forced many to make difficult choices between essentials like heating, food and other household bills. This financial strain also affects mental health and well-being, adding stress and anxiety to daily life. For families feeling the pinch, I believe that Lyca Mobile can offer a real credible alternative to the more established mobile operators, without having to sacrifice quality.

“I can’t wait to bring my experience across telco and eCommerce as we roll out the new strategic vision at Lyca Mobile. In my role I’ll be doubling-down on Lyca’s offer to customers, focusing on how the business can expand its retail footprint, drive improvements in customer experience, and further develop Lyca’s sustainability credentials by championing e-sims.”