International Conference > Speakers & Delegates > Charles Dunstone

The Carphone Warehouse was founded by Charles Dunstone on the premise that, while corporate clients got good deals and were well looked after when buying mobile phones, no one was catering for small businesses, the self-employed and Joe Public - for whom they would be the most useful. The business grew on the belief that what a company stands for is more important than what it sells; in this case, a promise of great customer service and the ability to deliver ‘simple, impartial advice’. The Carphone Warehouse has changed significantly over the last six years, from generating almost all of its income from its UK retail operations to a multinational group making profits from a range of related services across ten geographical markets. It also offers a cost-effective residential fixed line and broadband service – TalkTalk - that competes with BT: it has a total of over 2.5 million customers and 10% market share. Charles remains passionate about his original aims to put the customer first and to ensure that all employees share in the company’s success. He is also a Non-Executive Director of HBOS plc and The Daily Mail General Trust, and Chairman of the Princes Trust Trading Board. In December 2005, he was voted The Daily Telegraph’s Business Person of the Year.

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