Michael Tobin is an English technology entrepreneur, author and philanthropist. He was CEO of FTSE 250 data centre operator. Further In 2014 he was awarded an OBE for his ‘Services to the Digital Economy' in The Queen's Birthday Honours List.
Career
Business career
Following roles at ICG, GlobalServe, Rockwell Corp, Goupil, Tricord, ICL and Fujitsu Tobin joined Redbus as Sales and Marketing Director. Becoming CEO in 2003, he led the merger between competitors Redbus and Telecity. In 2006 Tobin became CEO of the newly formed TelecityGroup. Michael implemented Telecity’s ‘gold standard’ membership of the Green Grid global consortium, and led Telecity to achieve the Carbon Trust Standard in 2010; the first data centre operator to do so. In 2014 he stepped down from TelecityGroup following reported tensions with the board of directors, and founded Tobin Ventures Ltd.
Non-executive Directorships and Board roles
Tobin holds many non executive roles internationally which include: AudioBoom, Park Place Tech, Ixcellerate, Pulsant, Bigblu Broadband, Ultrahaptics, Teraco Data Environments, Instrumental, Chayora, EURO-DIESEL, and ScaleUp Group. Tobin is also an Advisory Board Member to Hurley Palmer Flatt, Plusserver and LeaseWeb. He previously held non-executive roles for Pentadyne Power Corporation, Pacnet, TeamRock, ThinkLondon, People Per Hour, Datapipe, Basefarm and ITconic.
Charitable activities
Tobin started the CEO Sleepout UK charitable initiative in 2014 with Tony Hawkhead, CEO of Action for Children, where CEOs sleep out on the street to raise the profile of the issue of homelessness for children. In 2016, Tobin raised over £100,000 for running 40 marathons in 40 days for The Prince's Trust.
Books
Forget Strategy. Get Results: Radical Management Attitudes That Will Deliver Outstanding Success, 2014.
Live Love Work Prosper: A Fresh Approach to Integrating Life and Work, 2018.
Awards
In 2014 Michael Tobin was recognised with an Order of the British Empire for his ‘services to the Digital Economy’ which was presented to him at an investiture ceremony by the Prince of Wales.
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2009, 2010 and 2011.
