Press Release: Jean-Yves Charlier joins Promethean as Chief Executive Officer

Stephen Jury appointed Vice Chairman Government & Educational Relationships

Thursday, 13 September 2007 - Education technology leader, Promethean, today announces that Jean-Yves Charlier is joining the Group as its new Chief Executive Officer with effect from Monday, 17 September. He succeeds Stephen Jury, who will take up the newly created post of Vice Chairman to focus primarily on Promethean’s relationships with governments and educational leaders around the world.

Aged 43, Jean-Yves joins Promethean from fund management group, Fidelity International, where he was a Managing Director. During his time at Fidelity, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of COLT Telecom plc and led the turn-around of this European business telecoms group. Prior to that, Jean-Yves was Chief of Operations for BT Global Services where he was credited with returning the European operations to growth and profitability.

Jean-Yves’ appointment further signals Promethean’s growth ambitions in the educational technology sector. Following Apax Partners taking a minority stake in the company in 2004 and the subsequent appointment of Orange co-founder, Graham Howe, as Chairman, Promethean has emerged as a worldwide leader in providing interactive classroom technology solutions for schools, transforming teaching and learning into the digital era. Today, more than 3 million learners are being taught using Promethean interactive whiteboards and associated technologies in over 70 countries.

Graham Howe, Chairman of Promethean, commented: “Promethean is a global leader and innovator in interactive whiteboards and learning technology. This is now a large, established and strongly growing part of the market for interactive learning technologies; but, as increasing numbers of governments and educational authorities around the world recognise the value of this technology to promoting learning and educational standards, we believe the growth of the past will progressively be dwarfed by the growth in the future.

“In this fast growing market, our aims are to expand globally on Promethean’s market leadership  position whilst helping to improve education standards across the world with the adoption of 21st century classroom technology. We are therefore delighted to welcome Jean-Yves. His customer focus, extensive international expertise and track record in leading businesses through rapid growth will ensure the continued excellence of execution needed to achieve our goals.

“The strong platform that Jean-Yves inherits owes a great deal to the very considerable achievements of Stephen Jury who has been our Chief Executive Officer since 2001, when Promethean was only a start-up business.  The significance of today’s appointments is not just the arrival of Jean-Yves but that Stephen has decided to step up to being Vice Chairman so that he can focus all of his time on our relationships with governments and educational leaders around the world.

“Promethean’s business is, and always will be, about harnessing the benefits of digital technology on behalf of teachers, students and learning standards - and hence to the benefit of all. I can think of no company where the needs of commerce need to be aligned so closely with the needs of educators. The partnership of Jean-Yves and Stephen recognises this and gives Promethean two outstanding individuals in their respective fields.”

Notes to Editors:

Jean-Yves Charlier

A Belgian national, Jean Yves was born in 1963 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree, with summa cum laude achievement, from the American College in Paris as well as a master in business administration degree from the Wharton Business School. 

He started his career at Wang in sales in 1987 and left in 1996, having been Vice-President of its Network Integration Business, based in London, to join Equant, the global telecoms network services business, ultimately becoming President, Markets & Sales. From Equant, Jean-Yves was recruited by BT to be Chief of Operations of BT Global Services, responsible for all BT’s operations in Continental Europe.

In 2004, he joined Fidelity International, which appointed him as Chief Executive Officer of COLT Telecom plc, the alternative business telecommunications company in which Fidelity holds a majority stake. Having led the turn-around of COLT Telecom plc from losses of €200 million into profit and strengthened the business with a €450 million equity offer, Jean-Yves handed over the chief executive reins and returned to Fidelity International as a Managing Director.

Jean-Yves is married with three children and lives in London. He has held main Board positions with several companies including COLT Telecoms plc, and Radianz, a Reuters joint venture.