Alternative network full-fibre provider Lightning Fibre has announced that it has appointed Bertrand Mazieres as its new Chief Executive Officer, starting 5thMay 2026.
Bertrand joins the South Coast AltNet from a ten-year career at Openreach where he was the Director of Commercial and Marketing. Bertrand is replacing Stefan Stanislawski who has been acting CEO since 2023.
Tim Passingham, Chairman of Lightning Fibre, comments “This is a fantastic next step for Bertrand and we’re delighted to have him join the team. We have taken our time to find the right person who is ready to step into the CEO role, and who has both the energy and aptitude to take Lightning Fibre on its next phase of growth.”
Bertrand added “I’m excited to be joining Lightning Fibre as the business focuses on scaling its customer base and making the most of its network. The team has built one of the UK’s leading regional ISP brands, with outstanding customer satisfaction on Trustpilot. I look forward to the challenge of accelerating the company’s growth.”
Lightning Fibre is owned by funds managed by Foresight Group, along with Connect Fibre and F&W Networks. Managing Director, Amit Thakrar, comments “We are thrilled to welcome Bertrand as Chief Executive Officer of Lightning Fibre. His appointment brings significant industry expertise, which will be instrumental in supporting the next phase of the company’s development and we look forward to working with him.
We would also like to thank Stefan for his leadership and valued contribution during his time with Lightning Fibre. We wish him continued success as he returns full‑time to Connect Fibre to progress its ongoing growth and development.”
About Lightning Fibre
Lightning Fibre is a full fibre broadband network operator and internet service provider, delivering high‑performance, secure and reliable connectivity to homes and businesses in the South East of England. The company operates from its base in Eastbourne, East Sussex, offering domestic packages from 150Mbps up to 2.5Gbps. Forbusinesses, Lightning Fibre provides full fibre business broadband and dedicated Ethernet lines with symmetrical speeds of up to 10Gbps.
Local support is available from 8 am - 8pm and the business has a customer experience rating of Excellent on Trustpilot. Recent national industry accolades include Best Consumer ISP (<100k customers) and Best Customer Experience at the ISPA Awards 2025, and Broadband Provider of the Year at the 2025 Connected Britain Awards.
About Foresight Group
A leading investment manager since 1984, Foresight is building future energy systems and resilient infrastructure, backing next-generation opportunities in technology, land and water, and growing the potential of ambitious companies. Its teams around the UK, Europe and Australia connect investors to a variety of future-looking sectors and asset classes across private and public markets.
Foresight has 5.0GW of green energy infrastructure capacity, over 250 SME portfolio companies and manages GBP 14 billion of capital*.
*As at 31 March 2026.
