Ruth Kennedy

Ruth Kennedy, CEO of TalkTalk Business, will be our special guest at our next Bold and the Brave event where she will be able to talk guests through the dramatic changes the business is undergoing.

She will also discuss her role as a tech business leader in the North-West and her transition from military officer to business leader.

She was appointed as Managing Director in March 2023 and became CEO in November 2023. She has over 20 years’ experience in a senior leadership role and is focused on supporting TalkTalk Business’ ambitious growth plans.

She is known for leading through change and taking on complex, high-stakes programmes with pace and discipline.

Her career began in the Royal Signals, the British Army’s communications and cyber experts, where she built her leadership foundations in an environment that demands clarity under pressure, operational rigour and strong technical capability. After five years, she moved into the telco sector, building deep industry experience over the next decade across a range of roles in several respected organisations.

In 2011, Ruth joined TalkTalk Group and went on to hold senior positions across sales, commercial and operational functions. With a direct, standards-led approach, Ruth’s leadership has always championed equal opportunities for all to strengthen the UK’s tech sector with a more diverse workforce.

As Chief Executive Officer of TalkTalk Business, Ruth has led the organisation through its most significant transformation yet as it demerged from TalkTalk. She has done that while keeping delivery moving for the 80,000+ UK businesses TalkTalk Business serves, maintaining a strong focus on customer experience, operational performance and product innovation.

In conversation with Michael Taylor, she will reflect on the frantic pace of change in the tech and telecoms sector since she joined the industry, and her goals as CEO.

These events, a joint enterprise between TheBusinessDesk.com and Kuits are some of the most electrifying and insightful events that we do.

We’ve heard and seen how remarkable individuals have faced challenges – including when Joshi Herrmann was served legal papers at the event by one of the people he’s attempted to expose.

Naomi Timperley was still months away from the conclusion to her turbulent year as her stalker evaded justice.

Then in a candid and compelling interview Steve Oliver, chief executive of MusicMagpie, charted the extraordinary highs and lows of his business career—a journey marked by collapse, resilience, and reinvention.

As well as tears, and real expressions of raw emotion and honest tales of personal and professional challenges, Danny and Mark Schweiger, the brothers at the helm – until 2023 – of Cheadle-based Character World stunned guests at law firm Kuits with reflections and insights from their time in business and their current plans, while Lauren Winn of Lucas White spoke about how she was determined to beat cancer just as she’d faced every other challenge thrown at her.