Neil McArthur

Neil McArthur (born 1956/1957) is a British businessman, the founder of Opal Telecom, former MD of TalkTalk Technology, and now head of group innovation for TalkTalk.

Early life McArthur was born and grew up in Carr Road, Irlam, the son of a steel worker at the former Irlam Steel Works, and a librarian.

McArthur earned a degree in engineering from the University of Essex.

McArthur's most significant impact came in the telecom sector. He founded Opal Telecom in the 1980s and was its CEO. In 2002, he led Opal's merger with Carphone Warehouse to create TalkTalk, where he ran the technology division for eight years.

In 2018, McArthur became CEO of FibreNation, a fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) startup backed by TalkTalk. Under his leadership, FibreNation was acquired by CityFibre in March 2020 for £200 million.

Honours and appointments In 1992, he was awarded an MBE for his services to engineering.

McArthur is a member of the advisory board of the University of Essex Business School, chairman and a trustee of the Hamilton Davies Trust charity and chairman of the Manchester Tech Trust. He is also a member of the University of Manchester's board of governors. In 2024, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.