What to send me first, and what I cannot discuss

If you are a nomination committee chair, a board chair or a search partner considering me for an independent directorship, the most useful first message tells me four things: what the company does, which committee you have in mind, how often it meets, and whether the company has any dealings with Ridgeburn, Granmoor Capital Partners or our lenders. With those I can check conflicts before we speak and save us both a meeting that cannot lead anywhere.

I am also glad to hear from finance leaders at rural broadband operators, cooperatives and municipal networks who want to compare notes on fibre economics, grant compliance or customer metrics, and from lenders' and policy audiences who would like a speaker on those subjects.

There are conversations I have to decline. I cannot discuss Ridgeburn's unpublished results, our lenders' terms beyond what is public, the timing of any sale or our dealings with grant agencies, and I am not considering executive roles while the fibre programme continues. Please use the contact details on this page; I answer every relevant message myself, normally within a week.