Virgin Media chief quits

 

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By Matthew Sparkes

Posted on 21 Aug 2007 at 16:54

The chief executive of Virgin Media, Steve Burch, has quit the company for "family and personal reasons".

A Virgin announcement stated that he will leave the company and return to the US with immediate effect. Chief operating officer, Neil Berkett, will fill the position until a permanent replacement is found.

Burch took control of the cable company, NTL, in January 2006, and assisted in the merger with Telewest and the buyout of Virgin Mobile, that eventually saw the company rebranded as Virgin Media.

This new company became the first "quad-play" provider, offering cable, landline, broadband and mobile services as one package.

However, Virgin has recently suffered as a result of a bitter public battle with BSkyB, that has seen customers go without popular Sky channels. The company has also been subject to speculation of a fresh takeover bid.

"Steve has contributed significantly to the transformation of Virgin Media," says the company's Chairman, Jim Moody. "Since he joined us, the company has emerged as the UK's only 'quad play' provider and a genuinely distinctive presence in the world of communications and entertainment."