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Ronan Dunne

Chairman • CEO • Strategic Advisor • Mentor • Independent Non-Executive Director

London, UK

Ronan Dunne

James Dunning, Jr

The Dunning Group Inc

Ronan Dunne’s Biography

Ronan is an Irish businessman and senior telecommunications and technology executive with extensive international leadership experience. He is recognised for a people-first, values-led, narrative-driven leadership style and speaks publicly on purpose, inclusion, and authentic leadership. He is known for reframing the CEO role as “chief cheerleader and chief storyteller,” aligning strategy, culture, and execution through clarity of vision. He has deep experience scaling complex organisations while maintaining strong customer trust. In 2015, he was named CEO of the Year by the Ethical Corporation.

Best known for his tenure as CEO of O2, Ronan transformed it into one of the UK’s strongest consumer brands through customer experience, culture, and digital innovation. He later joined Verizon as Group President and CEO of Verizon Wireless, and subsequently of Verizon Consumer Group, delivering strong growth through experience-led, technology-enabled innovation.

Today, Ronan leads a portfolio career focused on international leadership, customer and employee centricity, and strong values.... Ronan is an Irish businessman and senior telecommunications and technology executive with extensive international leadership experience. He is recognised for a people-first, values-led, narrative-driven leadership style and speaks publicly on purpose, inclusion, and authentic leadership. He is known for reframing the CEO role as “chief cheerleader and chief storyteller,” aligning strategy, culture, and execution through clarity of vision. He has deep experience scaling complex organisations while maintaining strong customer trust. In 2015, he was named CEO of the Year by the Ethical Corporation.

Best known for his tenure as CEO of O2, Ronan transformed it into one of the UK’s strongest consumer brands through customer experience, culture, and digital innovation. He later joined Verizon as Group President and CEO of Verizon Wireless, and subsequently of Verizon Consumer Group, delivering strong growth through experience-led, technology-enabled innovation.

Today, Ronan leads a portfolio career focused on international leadership, customer and employee centricity, and strong values. He serves as Chair of Six Nations Rugby and of the recently launched Nations Championship. He is a Non-Executive Director of Optasia, the AI-led platform delivering digital finance solutions to over 100 million underserved consumers across Africa and Asia. He is Chair of Kore Labs and Ufurnish and strategic advisor to multiple telecom/tech companies and served as an NED at Marks & Spencer.

Ronan is engaged in leadership development, with a particular focus on supporting women and youth. He supports initiatives Balance in Business, Balance the Board and Awaken Hub, and engages with the youth leadership community, One Young World. Born and raised in Dublin, he maintains strong ties to Ireland through Enterprise Ireland’s Tech Advisory Panel and the Irish International Business Network. The American Ireland Fund awarded him the 2019 Corporate Leadership Award. READ MORE VIEW LESS

Ronan Dunne’s Newsfeed

Rugby World

Nations Championship: All you need to know about the bi-annual global competition

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Marks and Spencer

Marks and Spencer Group plc Directorate Change

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Ronan Dunne’s Background

Six Nations Rugby

Chairman

Jan 2022 - Present

London, UK

Six Nations Rugby is the official organising body of the Six Nations Championships and Autumn Nations Series, working in partnership with its member unions and federations in England (RFU), France (FFR), Ireland (IRFU), Italy (FIR), Scotland (SRU) and Wales (WRU).

Nations Championship

Co-chair

Nov 2025 - Present

Ronan was named as Co-chair when World Rugby announced the launch of the new Nations Championship – a landmark collaboration between Six Nations Rugby and SANZAAR to create an exciting new biennial rugby tournament featuring the twelve biggest nations globally.

ufurnish.com

Chairman

Nov 2025 - Present

London, UK

ufurnish.com is a UK-based, AI-driven search and comparison website for furniture (and home furnishings), recommending to consumers and connecting consumers with sales, offers, and products from more than 100 retailers.

Verizon

Strategic Advisor to the CEO

Jan 2022 - Sep 2022

New York, NY, USA

In his role as Strategic Advisor to the CEO, Ronan Dunne specialized in overseeing prominent initiatives to maximize the potential growth of Verizon's investments.

Verizon Wireless and Verizon Consumer Group

Executive Vice President & Chief Executive Officer

Sep 2016 - Dec 2021

New York, NY, USA

Verizon is one of the largest telecommunications companies globally, helping consumers to stay connected. Verizon was the first telecom company to develop a 5G technology network that will redefine how people work, live and play.

O2 (Telefónica UK)

Chief Executive Officer

Jan 2005 - Aug 2016

Slough, UK

From 2008 to 2016, Ronan served as the CEO of O2, one of the UK's most innovative telecommunications companies. Telefónica acquired O2 plc in 2008.

Telefónica

Member of the Executive Committee

Jan 2008 - Aug 2016

Madrid, ES

Telefónica is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world in terms of market capitalisation and number of customers. Ronan served as a member of their Europe and SA Executive Committees.

O2 plc

Deputy to Group CFO / Head of Finance

Sep 2001 - Dec 2004

Slough, UK

O2 is a telecommunications provider that services millions of customers across the UK with high-speed 5G mobile service and WiFi.

DHL Exel Supply Chain

Head of Strategic Finance

Sep 1996 - Sep 2001

London, UK

DHL is the world's largest contract logistics specialist, creating competitive advantages for customers through customized logistics solutions.

Banque Nationale de Paris

Director

London, UK

BNP is a leading European bank with a commitment to supporting its clients in an ever-changing world.

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Ronan Dunne’s Gallery

Ronan Dunne and six nations rugby

Ronan Dunne at a panel in Build Studios

Ronan Dunne speaking at a Web Summit global conference for Verizon

Ronan Dunne of Verizon at Build studios

Ronan Dunne joins others for a The Future of Work" talk at Build Studio

Ronan Dunne of Verizon speaking at a conference

Board Positions

Kore Labs

Chairman of the Board

Apr 2025 - Present

London, UK

Kore Labs is focused on digitising financial products and the management thereof, reducing regulatory risks, costs and time-to-market for financial products.

SpinLaunch

Board of Advisors

Nov 2023 - Present

Long Beach, CA, USA

Founded in 2014, SpinLaunch is a space technology company working to revolutionize access to space by enabling the rapid, cost-effective deployment of launch, satellites and services.

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Advisory Roles

Chirp

Strategic Advisor

Dublin, IE

Chirp Family software is a technological development to make the internet a safer place for children. The software filters data for offensive or inappropriate content, empowering parents by informing them of imminent threats through alerts.

FYLD

Advisory Board Member

Apr 2025 - Present

London, UK

FYLD is a digital platform powered by AI, improving fieldwork operations and decision-making in the infrastructure industry. The platform has completely changed the operation of a field workforce, enhancing communication between the field and the office.

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Previous Board Positions

Marks & Spencer

Non-Executive Director

Aug 2022 - Nov 2025

London, UK

Marks & Spencer is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London, that specializes in selling clothing, beauty, home products and food products.

Tesco Mobile

Non-Executive Director, Chairman

2005 - 2016

Slough, UK

Founded in 2003, Tesco Mobile is a leading mobile virtual network provider that services customers across the UK, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Ireland.

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Philanthropy

One Young World

Counsellor

London, UK

One Young World identifies, promotes and connects the world’s most impactful young leaders to create a better world, through more responsible and effective leadership.

Kairos Society

Advisory Board

2017 - Present

New York, NY, USA

Kairos Society believes that the world's leading entrepreneurs are capable of solving the world's biggest problems by building innovative solutions.

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Media

Thriving Minds with Alberto Zandi | In conversation with Ronan Dunne

Podcast

Jan 2026

Speaking to Alberto Zandi, Ronan talks about building leadership over time. He shares how decisions compound across decades, and explains why success is measured by the impact one leaves behind.

Davy Podcast #68 featuring Ronan Dunne

Podcast

Jan 2026

Ronan features as special guest in the first Everyday Business podcast of 2026, hosted by Aiden Donnelly.

This Week: Christmas Episode with Peter Adderton and Ronan Dunne

Podcast

Dec 2025

Don Kellogg and Roger Entner speak to Peter Adderton, founder of Boost and MobileX, and Ronan Dunne, former CEO of Verizon’s Consumer Group and O2, the conversation covering MNOs, MVNOs, and the state of the wireless industry at present.

INSEAD Alumni Balance in Business

Video

Sep 2025

Ronan was speaking at the INSEAD Alumni Balance in Business Awards 2025.

Media & Telecoms Conference 2021 - Ronan Dunne and Brigitte Trafford

Featured

2021

In this conference, Ronan Dunne speaks on the importance of telecommunications in respect to connecting the world, and Verizon's response to the COVID-19 pandemic as it impacted society.

Verizon Consumer CEO Ronan Dunne Shares The Six Lessons To Lead In Today’s World

Jul 2020

New York, NY, USA

This article details Ronan's six lessons in leadership that led to Verizon being ranked #1 on the Forbes Corporate Responders top employers list for its response to to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Interviews

Leadership, labour and the future of capitalism: Stephen Kinsella meets Ronan Dunne

Jan 2022

In this conversation with The Currency, Ronan speaks on changes in the workforce that has come as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ways that people think about organizations have changed.

Interview with Verizon's Ronan Dunne

Aug 2021

In this interview with Fierce Wireless, Ronan Dunne discusses the future of Verizon with 5G, C-band spectrum and its upcoming plans for fixed wireless access.

Interview: Diversity4Tech – Valuable 500/Verizon

Jul 2021

Ronan Dunne discusses the importance of diversity and inclusion in the mobile industry and tech space with Sasha Twining and Caroline Casey. Ronan also shares his insights into how technology can aid those with disabilities, such as using AR and VR that can use voice commands and eye movements.

Discovery CEO and Verizon Consumer Group CEO on partnering on launch of Discovery+

Dec 2020

New York, NY, USA

Ronan joins "Squawk Box" to discuss Discovery's partnership with Verizon to bring one year of free Discovery+ to over 55 million customers.

The CEO Forum

Nov 2020

Darien, CT, USA

In this interview with the CEO Forum Group, Ronan Dunne, Executive Vice President & CEO of Verizon Consumer Group, discusses current developments and future breakthroughs at Verizon, its leading role in founding and leading the 5G wireless revolution, its stance on important social issues, and how it has worked to take care of its employees and customers in the wake of Covid-19.

UpFive Media

Oct 2020

On the UpFive podcast, Ronan discusses Verizon's 5G Nationwide rollout and share pieces of advice for young professionals

The CEO Forum Group Podcast

Jun 2020

New York, NY, USA

In this interview, Ronan discusses how Verizon moved thousands of employees to remote work, the importance of 5G during social and healthcare crises, and six leadership principles that he uses to guide the company and emerge as a better leader.

Ronan Dunne on the Role of the Team in this New World

Jun 2020

Ronan joined International Business Network to speak on the nature of leadership and shifting role of the team in the face of current social challenges.

5G World 2019

Jun 2019

New York, NY, USA

Ronan sits down with Tech Week TV for an interview on 5G technology at the 5G World 2019 event.

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Publications

How 5G can be a force for social equality

Author

Jan 2021

Davos, CH

Ronan discusses the opportunities that the expansion 5G technology presents for a path toward social equality. He focuses on increasing digital access to reduce inequalities and dismantling the barriers to exclusive tech.

Boldly Go

Writer

Jan 2021

New York, NY, USA

Ronan discusses Verizon's growth and innovation during 2020, and he speaks on the predictions for 2021, with an emphasis on customer-centric focus and key initiatives.

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Memberships

Wall Street Journal | CEO Council

Member

New York, NY, USA

The WSJ CEO Council is a network of the world’s most influential business leaders driving the next era of industry, policy and the global economy.

Chartered Accountants Ireland

Fellow | Fmr. Council Member

Dublin, IE

Chartered Accountants Ireland is a membership body representing 27,000 influential members worldwide.

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Awards & Recognition

The CEO Forum

Transformative CEO Award in Leadership

2020

Darien, CT, USA

Ronan was recognized for his conceptual platform of six leadership principles. These principles play important roles in Ronan's ways of leading the Verizon Consumer Group, especially during 2020 and with a focus on customer care.

The American Ireland Fund

Corporate Leadership Award 2019

New York, NY, USA

The American Ireland Fund seeks to harness the power of a philanthropic network to promote and support culture, education, community development and peace across the island of Ireland and among global Irish communities.

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Public Service

Forum for the Future

Supporter and Speaker on CSR

2001 - Present

London, UK

Forum for the Future is an international NGO that works with civil society, government and businesses to solve sustainability challenges.

Speaking Engagements

Virtually Live: the right way to digitise the world

Panel Member

Jul 2021

In a panel discussion at the Virtually Live conference, Ronan dunne joined other business leaders from across the globe to discuss how organizations should address the digitization of work and society, which has been accelerated by the COVID pandemic.

Audacious Advocates: Walking the Walk

Featured Speaker

Mar 2021

Ronan Dunne and Juliet Scott-Croxford answered questions about what it means to be an audacious advocate. In a clear illustration why Verizon was recognized on Forbes’s Corporate Responders list, Ronan speaks on the importance of inclusion for all employees.

Morgan Stanley European Technology, Media and Telecom Conference

Featured Speaker

Nov 2020

As part of the 2020 Morgan Stanley Virtual European Technology, Media & Telecom Conference, Ronan speaks on the changes caused by the pandemic, including the work from home schedule and social distancing.

GSMA: Thrive North America

Keynote Speaker

Oct 2020

Ronan was a keynote speaker for the 2020 GSMA: Thrive North America, which united thought leaders in the country.

The Ireland Funds 2019 New York Gala

Honoree

May 2019

New York, NY, USA

Ronan Dunne received the Corporate Leadership Award at the Ireland Funds 2019 New York Gala.

CTIA 5G Summit

Speaker

Apr 2019

Washington, DC, USA

Ronan gives remarks during the 2019 CTIA 5G Summit.

IIBN Fireside Chat

Guest Speaker

Apr 2018

New York, NY, USA

Ronan Dunne joins IIBN Board member Maura Kelly in a Fireside Chat on the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

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Ronan Dunne’s Education

The Association of Corporate Treasurers

FCT Dip

Chartered Accountants Ireland

FCA

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