Founder Profile
Sir Ernest Harrison
Last reviewed: October 2026 · By Swet Parvadiya
Who is Sir Ernest Harrison?
Sir Ernest Harrison is a founder of Vodafone Group Plc, which was founded in 1984 with Gerry Whent.
- Company founded
- Vodafone Group Plc
- Founded
- 1984
- Co-founders
- Gerry Whent
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.
Founding Story
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.