Neil Stephenson
Neil Stephenson, CEO of Onyx Group has played an integral part of the growth of the company from Internet start up to National IT Services Company. Neil graduated from the University of Sunderland with a degree in Computers in 1993 and started work as a Marketing Executive at Vaux Breweries that same year.
In January 1996, Neil became Marketing Manager at Onyx, which was at the time a fledgling start up Internet Company. His career progressed quickly with promotions to Operations Manager 1999, and then Group Sales & Marketing Director in 2001 before becoming CEO in early 2007. During his time at Onyx, Neil has been instrumental in the growth of the business.
He has been involved in two separate management buy outs, the first in 2001, the second in 2006. Neil was also part of the team that built out and launched the groups Data Centres and Workplace Recovery Centres and was involved in the acquisition of Scottish companies Campbell Lee and Dundas IT in 2008 and London based Moffat Communications in 2009.
Neil was a regional winner of the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2009 and was presented with the Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Sunderland in 2009. He was the winner of the Tees Valley Business Executive of the Year in 2009 and a regional finalist in the same year.
Neil has helped to mentor many Northern technology businesses as well as supporting the embryonic Digital City project in Teesside. He was listed in the top 500 most influential people in the North East last year and is a member of the CBI regional Council and the NTI board.