Dale was a pioneer in mobile, generating a £450m turnover from pre-pay top-ups within six years. She’s now a non-executive director and advisor to high-growth technology companies. Murray confesses that the only thing they did differently in her first enterprise was not give up; they constantly looked for new ways to get the thumbs up. She sets out the challenges for entrepreneurs, and for large companies wanting to emulate their drive and creativity.
View / Submit“Excellent - she stayed to network with our guests which was very valuable, and gave us some great feedback.”
Fujitsu
A New Zealander by birth, Dale Murray started at PwC as a teenager. She is the co-founder of Omega Logic, a British mobile pioneer launching pre-pay mobile top-ups for networks including Orange and Vodafone. She eventually sold the company to Eposs and then First Data Corporation, staying on as CEO and building turnover to £450m in just six years.
Dale now dedicates most of her time to advising both early-stage and mature businesses. She holds a number of board positions and takes a lead in mentoring her entrepreneurs. She focuses on technology and disruptive businesses and considers what makes new companies operating in new sectors likely to be resilient, successful businesses of the future.
Amongst the many lessons Dale considers in entrepreneurship and leadership is the importance of risk, determination and opportunity as well as how to keep your nerve when your first year revenues are zero and your second are £50. She also reflects on what she considers to be some of the most important aspects of a successful organisation such as a culture of sharing and building on experience and knowledge, removing the internal divisions that often prevent collaboration.
Dale is a non-executive director at Xero and Sussex Place Ventures, and an Advisor to NZTE, and was formerly NED at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). She has been named British Angel Investor of the Year, and by Debrett’s as one of the 500 most influential people in Britain. She speaks regularly on investment, growth, entrepreneurship and personal vision.