LDC Top 50 2025
Derek Phillips and Debra Phillips
Co-Founders and Managing Director and Commercial Director
Clarus Networks
In 2014, Derek and Debra Phillips left steady jobs to start Clarus Networks with a budget of just £20,000. Within three months, the first-time founders had landed their first contract. Their telecoms business supplies internet and voice connections to infrastructure businesses operating in remote locations such as railways and offshore oil rigs.
Pivoting from older technologies to become a reseller of SpaceX’s Starlink service two years ago has supercharged their ambition: “We’ve gone from a turnover of £2.5 million in 2022 to £34 million this year,” says Derek. Clarus Networks is just getting started adds Debra: “Once you start winning, and keep winning, it feels natural.”
All our success has come from hard work. Once you start winning, and keep winning, it feels natural.”
Q&A
How does your partnership fuel your ambition?
Derek: We spur each other on because we are both competitive and come from a sales background. We started out in a tiny office in a box room and we still share an office today. I handle sales and Debra deals with money and finance. We also have two kids so our whole world is the children and the business.
Have you built an international business?
Debra: We’ve opened in the UAE, Brazil, Ireland and the US. 50 per cent of our business is still in the UK but that will change as we really push the US and expand into Australia and South America. We are one of just two providers offering Starlink to the railway industry, and that has led to a massive pipeline of railways work across the world.
Derek: I still keep to US hours and stay up until 3am to speak to our international customers. Although it’s easier now we have a team of 74.
Where will future growth come from?
Derek: We’ve developed our own software platform and that’s become a standalone business; other resellers want to buy it. This software-as-a-service business could be as successful as Clarus Networks in its own right. We are also talking to Amazon about its new telecoms network Kuiper, so we’ll become a reseller of that too. We’ll hit £100 million in turnover within two years.
