Liberty Global

"There are real reasons to be positive about our industry", according to our CEO, Mike Fries, who was a keynote speaker at the New Street Research and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Future of #Connectivity #Leaders Conference in London today. He said that after 35 years witnessing the ups and downs of the industry and a long period of what he described as "regulatory paralysis", he could now see green shoots: ⚡ Regulators have woken up to the importance of our networks and the need to incentivize investment and innovation rather than focusing solely on prices 💹 Commercial momentum is returning, with the latest capital expenditure cycle beginning to come to an end 🪐 The eco-system is "bending our way", highlighting our role as the "#digital railways" of #AI and other advanced technologies.   Mike also spoke about the potential of Liberty Growth, the company's $3bn portfolio of investments in tech, content, media and #infrastructure. He pointed out that 75% of the value is invested in just seven companies, including Formula E whose fanbase is growing by 25% a year. He also mentioned that we will continue to rotate capital in the group, with $500m-$750m of non-core asset sales planned for 2025.    Asked about what was most important to him as a leader, Mike immediately referenced the talented team at Liberty, many of which he'd worked with for between 15 and 30 years and all of whom share the alignment, accountability and trust necessary to be successful. 

Our friends at Liberty Blume marked an exciting milestone today – their first town hall! 👏 Colleagues from across their offices in London, Bradford, Sheffield, Reading, and Amsterdam came together as a team for the first time to hear from Liberty Blume’s leadership Joe Gallagher, Natalie Douglas, Nicolas Masson Marie Kyle, Chris Lees and Martin Simper. Highlights included a warm welcome to new starters, a deep dive into the strategic plans for the year ahead, and updates on the company’s product #innovation. Liberty Blume is a new Liberty Global business services company, delivering high impact tech-enabled solutions and expertise across #backoffice, #procurement, #finance and #sustainability.

Tech Connect is back for 2025! 💻 Each quarter our Tech colleagues from across the business come together to discuss the present and future #technology landscape, and share how we’re working to leverage new technologies, scale #innovation and improve customer #experience. 💡 Hosted by our CTO, Enrique Rodriguez, this session we were joined by innovation consultant, Pedro Olivares Sáinz, who shared his own journey as an entrepreneur, innovator and technologist and his deep focus on #AI strategy implementation in different areas of industry. 🤖 We were also joined by our own Laura Chow and Jeroen Smits who spoke about the different AI-driven initiatives in play at Liberty Global and the ways in which we’re embedding AI into all areas of our business.

Breaking down barriers in STEM education for girls 💻 🌍 We’re proud to launch a new project with our longstanding charity partner, Street Child, which aims to upskill hundreds of young girls in Nepal, educating them in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills. Through our funding, Street Child and local partner Karkhana Samuha are establishing STEM clubs in 40 schools with activities including coding camps, robotics courses, and graphic design – all with integrated AI components. This initiative aligns with our People Planet Progress priorities of helping to bridge the digital divide, supporting communities affected by climate change, and equipping the next generation with essential skills for careers in a digital society. Read more: http://liberty.gl/4iqJ8i8

A big welcome to the new members of our Youth Council! 🙌 The new cohort got together for their first in-person meeting at our London offices earlier this week. The day was all about being #limitless - one of our core values. 🚀 The council was challenged to go beyond traditional ways of working and explore bold, innovative ideas that will drive business #impact. New council members met with senior leadership including our CEO, Mike Fries, Chief Strategy Officer, Jim Ryan, and our MD, Global Talent and Chief DEI Officer, Soraya Loerts, to reflect on past initiatives and define new areas where they can add value. The Youth Council is a group of 14 young employees from across the business who work together to provide a fresh perspective to business challenges. From fostering a stronger sense of #community to driving strategic projects, their goal is to ensure that next-gen thinking is shaping the future of Liberty Global. #YouthCouncil

Congratulations to Anne Nguyen, our Managing Director of Strategy, who has been appointed the new President of The WICT Network UK & Ireland. 🎊 Anne said: “It’s an honour to lead WICT UK and Ireland, and continue its mission to inspire, connect, and grow talent across the #telecom, #media and #tech sectors. Nurturing this community grounded in mentorship, inclusion and bold thinking isn’t just a passion, it’s a necessity for driving #innovation and fostering the next generation of leaders across our rapidly evolving industries.” With over 10,000 members worldwide, The WICT Network supports women in the media, entertainment and technology industry. Liberty Global has a longstanding partnership with WICT, which also has chapters in the United States and Europe. Read more: http://liberty.gl/43M7ZIv

Our friends at Virgin Media O2 have just announced a major £700m investment into their mobile network as part of their ongoing Mobile Transformation plan. 🚀 As #network demand reaches an all-time high, this significant investment will help maintain a consistent and reliable service across the UK and will ensure customers have a superior #mobile network experience. The focus will be on new masts, small cells and 4G and #5G upgrades - underpinned by additional #spectrum deployment and increased automation, to enhance reliability, speed and coverage. Read more: http://liberty.gl/3FwyGGV

“It’s a day to recognise the achievements of women and a day to acknowledge there is more work ahead.” Soraya Loerts, MD Global Talent & Chief DEI Officer, spoke on the meaning of International Women’s Day at an ‘Empower Hour’ event hosted by WIN, our employee resource group (ERG) focused on advancing gender #equity. The event outlined how we can turn empowerment from concept into reality with every day actions such as mentorship, advocacy and giving women the space to lead. Our guest speaker was Dr. Harpreet Cholia, a sociologist and Head of Frankfurt’s Antidiscrimination Office, who discussed how to build #strategies to strengthen communities and create a world that empowers all women and girls. Our partners have also celebrated #IWD2025 with inspiring panels and networking sessions: Street Child, our charity partner, held a breakfast event at the Gherkin in London, where they applauded the women driving change and #empowering the next generation of young women and girls. The WICT Network Europe partnered with VodafoneZiggo to host a networking event and powerful panel discussion on what action can be taken to make our workplaces and industry more #inclusive. The WICT Network UK & Ireland spoke to inspiring women leaders, including our own Amy Waterfall and Virgin Media O2’s Karen Handley, about their #career journeys, the mindset shifts that helped them overcome challenges, and how they advocate for women in the workplace. Read their profiles below: http://liberty.gl/41nBCNm

"Our industry is going to survive and thrive - with innovation and investment.” Our CEO, Mike Fries, spoke to Mobile World Live at #MWC25 to discuss the key themes and exciting #technology on display at the event in #Barcelona. He talked about the importance of bridging the investment gap in Europe, and how we’re using #AI to save energy, predict network downtime and better equip our employees.

As #MWC25 wraps up in Barcelona, Alex Reichl, our VP Mobile & API Services, shares her insights on the #technology on display at the mobile #connectivity sector's biggest event: 💡 AI: The focal point at last year’s conference, this year we saw #AI move beyond applications and into its integration into our networks. This was highlighted in our pilot showcasing the real-world applications of a smart vision system underpinned by AI-powered #5G, a trial we demonstrated this week in partnership with Fujitsu, Arrcus, Inc., Eviden, NVIDIA and Philips ⚡ #NaaS & Open Gateway: Moving from the theoretical to real life, we saw API demand and adoption from major tech players (Google) and apps (TikTok), and the launch of Aduna, an initiative focussed on accelerating getting APIs to the widest pool of developers – backed by telco heavyweights 📡 #Satellites: Interesting debates took place on how satellite providers and constellations are growing and how they will interact with our networks and customers – with recent activity around Globalstar and Deutsche Telekom ⭐ Edge computing: As part of 5G advanced announcements, we saw a move towards centralising network functions locating them at the edge, seen in both vendor and telco demos that allow for real-time applications for our customers