Berkett Settles In

Neil Berkett is eight weeks into his role as chief executive at Virgin Media and already has battle scars. Actually, he explains in an interview with Sunday Times reporter Andrew Davidson, he just banged his head at home, and you wouldn’t want to argue. Berkett, 52, is a scrapper who makes a virtue of pragmatism, like many rugby-loving New Zealanders. Medium height, with an economy of movement that underpins his occasional terseness, he has jumped enough sectors and continents to take whatever’s coming. “My appointment coincides with a huge coming together of opportunities,” says Berkett, keen to accentuate the positive. “We are the single organisation with the most powerful digital network in the UK.” And right now, he says, he is where he wants to be – scarred, but involved.