Phil Jones
Wired Sussex Begins a Fresh Chapter and Starts Hunt for a New Chief Executive
Wired Sussex, the non-profit support organisation for Sussex’s vibrant digital, media and tech sector, is starting a fresh chapter and will be looking for a new chief executive.
The current CEO, Phil Jones, is moving to a new role within the organisation after nearly 15 years at the helm. Phil Jones commented: “It’s been a brilliant gig at Wired Sussex, but it is now time for someone new to take the reins.
Our sector has been battered by both Brexit and Covid, but has nonetheless proved remarkably resilient, and at the forefront of embracing new business opportunities and working practices as a consequence.
Now is a key moment in terms of rethinking the role Wired Sussex should play in supporting the digital businesses that add so much value to our regional economy. It’s clear to me that this means the next chapter in the organisation’s history needs to be written by someone else.
From next month, I will be moving across to focus my energy on delivering our portfolio of regional creative technology projects and supporting our innovation hub, the FuseBox.”
Wired Sussex has been instrumental in helping to grow the region’s cluster of games, web, TV and tech businesses, that together underpin many thousands of regional jobs and deliver more than £1bn in annual revenues in Brighton alone.
It runs networking events, business support and recruitment services as well as the Fusebox innovation centre. It also develops and delivers strategic projects, often alongside local and central government, that attract investment and help strengthen the sector’s regional ecosystem.
From October, Phil Jones will assume a new role as Director of Innovation and Projects. The organisation’s long-term chair, Alex Morrison, will step in as interim CEO, while MPB’s CTO Sophie Davies-Patrick will take over the role of chair.
This change will allow Phil to develop the innovation and projects aspect of the operation, while creating space and continuity for a new generation of leadership to step in and take over.
Alex Morrison said: “During his time as CEO, Phil Jones has transformed Wired Sussex and his fingerprints are all over the developments that have made the local Sussex digital, media and tech sector the vibrant cluster that we know today. I can’t speak highly enough of the work that he has done. This transition comes at a very interesting time for our industry and for Wired Sussex. I’m looking forward to stepping in at this critical time and helping to find his successor.”
Sophie Davies-Patrick said: “I’m pleased to be taking over as Wired Sussex’s Chair and heading the search for our new CEO. Building on Phil’s great work, this is a really exciting role for someone looking to make a high impact. To lead and grow the organisation and its team, we are looking for a successful and trail-blazing individual, who understands our business sector and the entrepreneurs who drive it”.
Details of the CEO recruitment are available on the Wired Sussex jobs board. Press contact: to follow up please email info@wiredsussex.com . For more information about the CEO role, or for expressions of interest please contact chair@wiredsussex.com