WDS began life in 1995 as a partner to mobile phone manufacturers and operators, handling their data support services, such as helping customers set up and use their mobile devices. Since then it has bolted on several complementary services aimed at supporting end users and increasing revenue potential for each user contract.
While still equity holders, original founder Hugh Roper and his son Hugh, have taken a step back, allowing CEO David Ffoulkes-Jones to develop the business for the past seven years. “We have a global reach,” says Ffoulkes-Jones, “and we have expertise and focus in our space. We also interact a lot with our customer base, which gives us plenty of ideas for new products.”
It’s paying off. Last reported sales were £35m, with Ffoulkes-Jones predicting a turnover of £50m in 2009. “There’s a hell of a lot of opportunity that’s untapped in this market,” he adds. “We’re ideally placed to take advantage of it.”
