Matthew Riley
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Matthew Robinson Riley (born February 1974) is a British businessman and the founder and executive chairman of Daisy Group, a UK-based provider of business communications and IT services.[1][2]
Early life
[edit]Riley left school at the age of 16 and entered a Youth Training Scheme (YTS) as a trainee fax machine engineer with the Burnley-based office technology company, FH Brown.[2][3]
Career
[edit]Riley later worked as UK sales manager for the German telecommunications company DeTeWe AG, a position he held until 1999.[3] In 1998, he founded Daisy Executive Search & Selection, followed by Coms Care in 1999, where he served as chief executive officer until the company was acquired in 2001.[3]
In 2001, Riley established Daisy Group.[4][5] The company expanded through a series of acquisitions, listing on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in 2009 before returning to private ownership in 2014.[6][7] In 2018, it was acquired by a consortium led by Toscafund in a deal reportedly valued at £1.6 billion, with Riley resuming his role as chairman.[5] In May 2025, Daisy Group merged with Virgin Media O2.[8][9]
Outside of Daisy Group, Riley has held non-executive roles, including chairman of the audit and remuneration committees of Time Out Group and non-executive director of Tialis Essential IT PLC.[10][11][12] He appeared as a guest interviewer on the BBC Television series, The Apprentice in 2011 and 2012.[13][14][15]
Recognition
[edit]Riley has received several UK business awards, including:
- Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Ernst & Young (2007)[16]
- Dealmaker of the Year, City Awards (2010)[17]
- Outstanding Achievement Award, ICT Forum (2019)[18]
References
[edit]- ^ "DAISY TOPCO LIMITED people - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
- ^ a b Maguire, Chris (2025-05-13). "Matthew Riley: The ultimate dealmaker". BusinessCloud. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
- ^ a b c "Young entrepreneur's as fresh as a Daisy!". Lancashire Telegraph. 2007-11-19. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
- ^ "DAISY COMMUNICATIONS LTD. overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
- ^ a b "Daisy founder Riley eyes full control in £1.6bn deal". Sky News. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
- ^ "Daisy Group lists on AIM". Proactiveinvestors UK. 2009-07-21. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
- ^ "Daisy accepts £500m investor buyout to take group private". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
- ^ "Virgin Media O2 and Daisy unite to form £3bn business telecoms group". Sky News. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
- ^ "UK's Virgin Media O2 and Daisy Group combine in business telecoms". CNBC. 2025-05-12. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
- ^ Media, Insider (2017-01-20). "Successful entrepreneur joins Time Out Group - Insider Media". Insider Media Ltd. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
- ^ IQ, S&P Capital (2023-02-01). "Tialis Essential IT PLC Announces Appointment of Matt Riley as A Non-Executive Director | MarketScreener". www.marketscreener.com. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
- ^ "Completion of Acquisition – Company Announcement - FT.com". markets.ft.com. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
- ^ "Nelson businessman Matthew Riley grills Apprentice finalists". BBC News. 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
- ^ ""You're hired!" Matthew Riley Joins The Apprentice". Comms Business. 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
- ^ "Nelson entrepreneur to interview Apprentice finalists tonight". Lancashire Telegraph. 2011-07-17. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
- ^ "Daisy CEO wins Entrepreneur of the Year Award". Comms Business. 2007-06-21. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
- ^ "Matthew Riley named "Dealmaker of the Year"". Comms Business. 2010-05-24. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
- ^ "Comms Dealer - ICT Investment Forum award winners announced". www.comms-dealer.com. Retrieved 2025-05-30.