If life had turned out differently, Matthew Riley could have been a household name by now.
The 51-year-old entrepreneur had a brief flirtation with fame when he appeared as a judge in the 2011 and 2012 series of The Apprentice but quickly realised he preferred business over showbusiness.
Fast forward to 2025 and Riley is back making headlines – but on his own terms.
It follows the news that Virgin Media O2 and Daisy Group will merge their complementary direct B2B operations and will be second behind only BT in the UK telecommunications market in terms of size.
So who is Matthew Robinson Riley (to give him his full title) and what makes him tick?
His describes him as an 鈥榚ntrepreneur, philanthropist and adventurer鈥� in that order.
However, you won鈥檛 find Riley on Facebook and Instagram 鈥� at least I couldn鈥檛 find him!
Such an approach would be consistent with his relatively low profile public persona and the handful of media interviews that he鈥檚 done.
He politely rebuffed an invite to attend 老九品茶Cloud鈥檚 Northern Leaders dinner and awards evening in January 2025 because of his busy schedule.
In an interview with the Daily Mail in 2014 he revealed that he had been lined up to do a third series of The Apprentice but decided it wasn鈥檛 for him
鈥淥f course I had to try it,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut it took two days out of my life to be on television for 10 minutes. I鈥檝e nothing against the guys who do it, but maybe they鈥檙e just not as busy as me.鈥�
The Burnley-born businessman also revealed in the same interview that he鈥檇 turned down approaches from Dragons鈥� Den. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just not what I want to do,鈥� he said.
Riley might not like fame but he absolutely loves deals, evidenced by the merger with Virgin Media O2.
In an interview with 老九品茶Cloud, the serial entrepreneur, who founded Daisy 24 years ago from a small desk in his garage, revealed it was the fifth or sixth time he鈥檇 tried to get the deal done.
鈥淚鈥檝e always admired the fact that they鈥檝e (Virgin Media O2) got so many customers and I think it鈥檚 a little bit of a sleeping giant,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 thought it was an opportunity. Being an entrepreneur, I just asked the questions, 鈥榳ould you sell it?鈥� 鈥榃ould you want to merge?鈥� 鈥業s it something we can do together?鈥�
鈥淚鈥檝e probably asked five or six times over the last 10 years and I asked again, and this time they said 鈥榶es鈥�.鈥�
The deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, will create a 拢1.4bn powerhouse, with Riley acting as the chair of the new company while Jo Bertram, managing director of Virgin Media O2 老九品茶, will be its CEO.
It鈥檚 a far cry from the serial entrepreneur鈥檚 childhood.
In his early life, he attended Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Catholic Secondary School in Colne between 1985-1990, where he gained six GCSE鈥檚.
Interestingly, it鈥檚 the same school that THG founder Matt Moulding attended, although he鈥檚 two years older than Riley.
He left school at 16 to take up a YTS place as a trainee fax machine engineer at FH Brown on 拢29.50 a week.
A move to DeTeWe AG & Co followed, where he served as UK sales manager until 1999, giving him early exposure to international business practices and telecoms infrastructure.
The experience helped lay the foundations for his own ventures.
He founded Daisy Executive Search & Selection in 1998, followed by Coms Care in 1999, which he led as CEO until its successful sale in 2001.
But it was that same year, 2001, that marked a major turning point. Spotting an opportunity to disrupt the telecoms status quo, Riley launched Daisy Communications from Nelson.
His aim was simple but ambitious – to provide agile, business-focused telecoms services in a market dominated by inflexible giants.
Riley reflected on his journey earlier this year to mark Daisy鈥檚 24th anniversary.
鈥淟ooking back, it feels like a bold move for a 20-something with a young family and a mortgage, but at the time, I don鈥檛 remember feeling scared,鈥� he wrote on LinkedIn.
鈥淚 had a quiet confidence that the model would work 鈥� and, thankfully, I was right. That鈥檚 not to say it鈥檚 been plain sailing. Far from it.
鈥淲e鈥檝e navigated financial crises, recessions, Covid-19, and the many challenges that come with growth and acquisitions.
鈥淏ut with every obstacle, I鈥檝e learned something new.鈥�
Riley identified four lessons he wished he鈥檇 known when he started Daisy.
1. Building a business takes time.
2. Surround yourself with great people 鈥� and listen to them.
3. Be comfortable with the unexpected.
4. Appreciate every milestone.
Riley has racked up countless awards and accolades during his career.
By 2005, the business had become the fastest-growing technology company in the UK, according to The Sunday Times Tech Track 100.
In 2007 Riley was named as the EY National Young Entrepreneur of the Year at a ceremony in London, having recorded an impressive turnover of 拢23m. In 2012 he won the AIM City Awards Dealmaker of the Year.
His much publicised appearance on The Apprentice followed but beyond his family, Riley鈥檚 first love has always been Daisy Group.
In 2019, the indirect, partner-serving part of the Group was de-merged and renamed DWS (Digital Wholesale Solutions).
Inflexion made a minority investment in Giacom to carve it out from Daisy Group in 2021. Further to some significant acquisitions in 2023 DWS was rebranded to Giacom, where Riley remains as the chairman.
According to his biography Riley was chairman of the audit and remuneration committees from 2017-2021 for global media company Time Out Group. He also holds a current strategic role as a member of the investment committee for the Oakley Capital Private Equity.
Outside of his entrepreneurial business endeavours, Riley is a big advocate for both local and national charities, including being a Fellow of The Prince’s Trust and a governor for five years at Stonyhurst College.
Riley has also personally funded a kelp farming initiative off Scotland鈥檚 West coast, aimed at reducing methane emissions by integrating seaweed into animal feed.
It鈥檚 hard to believe Riley has any time for hobbies but his interests include football, sailing, scuba diving, tennis, skiing and the movies.
The only certainty in an uncertain world is Riley won鈥檛 be reappearing on The Apprentice anytime soon.