Vodafone Group Plc

TelecommunicationsFounded 1984- HQ today: Newbury, Berkshire, United Kingdom

Founders

Who Founded Vodafone?

Sir Ernest Harrison, Gerry Whent · Founded 1984 · HQ today: Newbury, Berkshire, United Kingdom

Who founded Vodafone?

Vodafone was founded by Sir Ernest Harrison, Gerry Whent in 1984 in Newbury, Berkshire, United Kingdom. It is now led by Margherita Della Valle.

Founders: Sir Ernest Harrison, Gerry Whent
Founded: 1984
Headquarters: Newbury, Berkshire, United Kingdom
Number of founders: 2
Current CEO: Margherita Della Valle (since 2023)

Where was Vodafone founded?: Vodafone was founded in Newbury, Berkshire, United Kingdom in 1984. wikidata.org
When was Vodafone founded?: Vodafone was founded in 1984.
Who started Vodafone?: Vodafone was founded by Sir Ernest Harrison and Gerry Whent.
How old is Vodafone?: Vodafone is 42 years old as of 2026.

Founding Story

Vodafone grew out of Racal Electronics, the British defence electronics firm chaired by Sir Ernest Harrison. In 1982 Racal Strategic Radio, working with Millicom, won one of two UK cellular licences, the other going to British Telecom's Cellnet venture. Gerry Whent, a Racal executive, ran the new business. The Vodafone name, short for voice, data and phone, was adopted for the network. On 1 January 1985 Michael Harrison, Sir Ernest's son, made the first call on the network, from St Katharine Docks in London to the Racal offices in Newbury. In 1991, Racal Telecom was fully demerged from Racal Electronics to trade as an independent corporation on the London Stock Exchange as Vodafone Group.

Sir Ernest Harrison

Background

A chartered accountant who joined Racal in its early years and went on to lead it as chairman, building it into a major British maker of military radio and electronics.

Role at Vodafone Group Plc

Sir Ernest Harrison (1926-2009) was chairman of Racal Electronics. He backed Racal's 1982 bid for one of the UK's two cellular licences and funded the network that launched as Vodafone in 1985. Racal floated part of the telecoms business in 1988 and fully demerged it as Vodafone Group in 1991. His son Michael made the first call on the Vodafone network on 1 January 1985. Sir Ernest Harrison was born in 1926.

Gerry Whent

Background

A Racal executive from its radio business who was put in charge of the company's cellular venture when it bid for a UK licence.

Role at Vodafone Group Plc

Sir Gerald 'Gerry' Whent (1927-2002) led Racal's cellular business from the 1982 licence win through the 1985 network launch, and became chief executive of Vodafone Group after its 1991 demerger from Racal. He retired at the end of 1996 and was succeeded by Chris Gent. Gerry Whent was born in 1927.

Vodafone Group Plc: CEO & Leadership History

Full timeline →

Margherita Della Valle

Group Chief Executive Officer

2023 – Present

Reduced the number of markets Vodafone operates in and shifted investment to Germany, the UK, Vodafone Business and Africa.

Vittorio Colao

Group Chief Executive

2008 – 2018

He sold the stake in Verizon Wireless for $130 billion in 2014 and bought cable companies in Germany and Spain. Nick Read succeeded him in October 2018.

Arun Sarin

Chief Executive Officer

2003 – 2008

Arun Sarin served as chief executive of Vodafone Group Plc from 2003 to 2008.

Sir Christopher Gent

Chief Executive Officer (1997-2003)

1997 – 2003

Built the international footprint, including Germany and Italy, that later CEOs reshaped.

Gerry Whent

Founding Chief Executive Officer (1984-1996)

1984 – 1996

The pioneering founder who birthed the Vodafone brand and laid the operational foundation of British mobile telephony.

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Who Founded Vodafone? FAQ

Who are recognized as the founders of Vodafone?

Sir Ernest Harrison (Chairman of Racal Electronics) and Gerry Whent (Managing Director of Racal Strategic Radio and inaugural CEO of Vodafone) are celebrated as the founding pioneers of Vodafone.

What was Sir Ernest Harrison's background and role in Vodafone's birth?

Sir Ernest Harrison (1926–2009) was an acclaimed British industrialist who transformed Racal from a small radio workshop into a global defence electronics powerhouse, backing Gerry Whent's audacious cellular telecom venture in 1982.

Who was Gerry Whent and how did he conceive Vodafone?

Gerry Whent (1933–2002) was a Racal executive who recognized the massive consumer potential of wireless mobile communication while driving on a motorway, persuading Racal's board to bid for one of the UK's new cellular licenses.

How did the British government's 1982 cellular license auction unfold?

Under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's telecom deregulation policy, the UK government awarded two 25-year national cellular licenses: one to state incumbent British Telecom (Cellnet) and one to private consortium Racal-Millicom in December 1982.

What was Millicom's early involvement with Racal?

Racal partnered with American cellular pioneer Millicom, which held early mobile patents and contributed cellular design expertise in exchange for an initial minority equity stake in the UK consortium.

Where was Vodafone's first operational base and engineering laboratory located?

Operations were set up in Newbury, Berkshire, in converted offices and warehouses of Racal, establishing Newbury as Vodafone's historic global headquarters town.

What happened during Britain's historic first commercial cellular call on January 1, 1985?

Michael Harrison slipped away from a New Year's Eve party in London to call his father Sir Ernest Harrison in Newbury using a bulky 11-pound Transportable Vodafone VT1 phone, stating: "Hi dad, it's Mike. Happy New Year. This is the first ever call on a UK commercial mobile network."

How did Gerry Whent market mobile phones to British businesses in the mid-1980s?

Whent targeted corporate executives, traveling salesmen, and emergency services, promoting the phone as an indispensable business productivity tool that turned automobiles into mobile offices.

Why did Sir Ernest Harrison decide to demerge Racal Telecom in 1991?

By 1988, Racal Telecom had grown so rapidly that its market value exceeded parent Racal Electronics; Harrison orchestrated a partial spin-off in 1988 and a full independent demerger in September 1991 to unlock maximum shareholder value.

When did Gerry Whent retire from Vodafone?

Gerry Whent retired as Chief Executive in December 1996 after establishing Vodafone as Britain's premier mobile network with over 2.5 million subscribers, passing leadership to Sir Christopher Gent.

What honours were bestowed on Sir Ernest Harrison and Gerry Whent?

Sir Ernest Harrison was knighted in 1981 for services to British industry; Gerry Whent was appointed CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1991 for pioneering the telecommunications sector.

What is the lasting legacy of Vodafone's founders?

They broke the historic monopoly of British Telecom, kick-started Britain's consumer cellular revolution, and built what grew into one of the largest multinational telecommunications enterprises in history.

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