Steve Burch, Virgin Media chief executive, is to leave the company with immediate effect, citing family and personal reasons.
Neil Berkett, Virgin Media’s chief operating officer is to take on the chief executive responsibilities for the time being, with the company saying that it intends to start a search for a replacement shortly.
Burch, who is also stepping down from the cable company’s board of directors, is set to return to the US.
Burch joined the company in January 2006, and during his time there he oversaw the merger of NTL and Telewest, the acquisition of Virgin Mobile and the rebranding to Virgin Media.
Jim Mooney, Virgin Media chairman, said: “Steve has contributed significantly to the transformation of Virgin Media. Since he joined us, the company has emerged as the UK’s only ‘quad play’ provider and a genuinely distinctive presence in the world of communications and entertainment.
“On behalf of Virgin Media’s board of directors, I thank him for his contribution to our development and wish him every success for the future.”
Virgin Media recently put itself up for sale following a bid from US private equity group Carlyle (see Private Equity Firm Makes Virgin Media Bid) and at the start of the month extended its deadline for receiving takeover proposals following a recommendation from its financial advisers “to enhance shareholder value” (see Virgin Media Extends Bid Deadline).
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