Telewest hires Dunlop chief as group marketing director

Cable company Telewest Communications has appointed Philip Jansen to the new role of group marketing director.

Jansen will take responsibility for developing the Telewest brand across the company’s phone, video, digital, and data businesses. He is expected to join next month.

Telewest chief executive Tony Illsley says of the appointment: “Jansen’s knowledge of leading consumer products will help us develop our expertise and create a first-rate marketing capability.”

Jansen had been the group marketing director for British sportswear and goods company Dunlop Slazenger since 1994. He became part of the management buyout team in 1995, which acquired Dunlop from industrial conglomerate BTR, for 300m. The buyout was backed by City venture capitalist Cinven.

Prior to that Jansen had worked in a variety of marketing posts at Procter & Gamble.

Telewest, the country’s second biggest cable operator after Cable & Wireless Communications, is expected to launch a test digital cable TV service in the summer and roll out a full launch in the winter. The company announced pre-tax losses of 314m for 1998 this week. This compares with losses of 310m for the previous year.