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Ultrafast broadband provider Quickline Communications Ltd has appointed two leading specialists to its executive team, as founder Steve Jagger steps down.

The company, bought out in a near £50 million deal earlier this year, will welcome Lee Allison as chief operating officer in January, with Ian Smith to become chief technology officer the following month.

Mr Allison joins the Hessle team from his previous role as head of engineering operations at KCom, joining former managing director Sean Royce - now Quickline chief executive - across the city.

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Mr Allison was responsible for building the award-winning fibre-to-the-premises network in and around Hull, which brought gigabit broadband capability to more than 250,000 premises. He has more recently been responsible for KCom’s £100 million network expansion investment.

Mr Smith has spent the past four years as programme director for the government’s 5G Testbeds and Trials Programme. He brings more than 25 years’ experience in designing, building and operating both fixed and mobile networks, and previously held senior roles at Ericsson, EE and T-Mobile. He also has extensive experience delivering large scale technology and transformational programmes for both the public and private sectors.

Mr Royce said the key appointments further strengthen Quickline’s executive team and demonstrate the “unique hybrid broadband network capability that Quickline is rapidly developing”. It specialises in hard-to-reach locations, delivering multi-million pound public sector contracts.

He said: “We are delighted to attract such high calibre industry specialists to our executive team. Their arrival further underpins the company’s commitment to providing life changing broadband services to those underserved communities in rural areas, as well as to becoming one of Yorkshire’s fastest growing companies.