Meet Richard Tang

I founded Zen in 1995, at a time when the Internet was a novelty for techies, and setting up an Internet Service Provider (ISP) business could be done fairly easily with a few thousand pounds. Today, the Internet has changed all of our lives in ways we couldn't have imagined back in the mid-nineties. And there's plenty more to come!

Zen has grown every year since 1995. Our turnover in 2020 was £82m, we employ over 500 staff, and we provide services to over 100,000 customers across the UK.

We serve a wide range of customers with a wide range of services, from home broadband, to complex network and cloud solutions for some of the UK's biggest companies. We help tens of thousands of small businesses operate their businesses every day, and also provide critical infrastructure to the public and third sectors. We also sell indirectly through our thriving network of channel partners. We are proud to have built the biggest independent broadband network in the UK, and provide wholesale access to this network to other ISPs.

As our business has evolved, one thing has stayed rock-solid: our most fundamental long-term objectives of “Happy staff”, “Happy customers”, and “Happy suppliers”. These objectives reflect my own personal deeply-held values - my belief that people should come first, and money second. I believe the world would be a better place if more organisations operated in this way.

Our focus on people has been the biggest key to our success. We are proud to be included in the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies To Work For list, and are the UK’s best broadband provider awarded by Which?, based on customer feedback.

We are part of the B-Corp movement, a global movement of people using business as a force for good. Being a B-Corp gives me and my fellow directors a legal responsibility to make a positive difference to society and the environment. It is a responsibility that we relish and that aligns perfectly with our values. We are also Carbon Neutral Plus, meaning that we take more CO₂ out of the atmosphere than we put in – a critical step in tackling climate change.

We are keen contributors to our local community, supporting local schools and getting involved in initiatives to improve and promote Rochdale as a place to live and work. Every year, the people at Zen vote for a charity to support - typically a local charity. We then have a busy calendar of events throughout the year to raise money for the chosen charity. I enjoy greatly getting involved in the fundraising efforts, which have included my one and only half-marathon, sleeping rough on the streets of Manchester, and during the coronavirus lockdown my handstand challenge.

As Zen’s sole ordinary shareholder, I can ensure that we always stay true to our people-centric values. I am committed never to sell the company. Even after my death, I have made provisions to ensure that the values of the company stay intact.

I hope Zen encapsulates a better way of doing business – one that puts the happiness & wellbeing of people and the sustainability of the environment first. Money becomes a means to meet these people-centric and environmental goals rather than an end in itself. I hope that our approach is a small step towards a better and more sustainable future for us all.

Richard Tang

Founder and CEO