Meet the men connecting some of the region's most iconic institutions and best loved charities

Three businessmen from Sunderland and the North East are helping to keep some of the region’s most iconic institutions connected as well as establishing partnerships with some of the world’s largest multinational companies.

Terry Lewis, Gary Luther and Mike Mead used to work for a telecommunications company based in the North East, but after the business was taken over, their role changed and the trio decided it was time to “go it alone” and set-up LM Global Telecoms.

After starting from scratch in 2021 as a three-man-band, the company has gone from strength-to-strength and now has a £3m annual turnover, has offices in Sunderland, Newcastle and Durham and employs 35 people.

Terry, 65, who grew up in Southwick, said: “We provide business to business services connecting wi-fi, mobiles and fixed line communication services to local clients including SAFC, NUFC, the Sunderland GP Alliance and Newcastle Airport.

“We also provide our services across Europe, Asia and North America and have recently been contracted to provide telecommunications for some of the world’s biggest brands and businesses.

“We work with the big mobile phone companies to resell their products and then look after the businesses we are in partnership with.

“Rather than being sat waiting to be put through to a call centre, businesses approach us as they know we are on hand to deal with any issues straight away.”

For Terry, Mike and Gary, the key to the success of LM Global is the “personal touch” and care they are able to provide.

Gary, 33, said: “Our mantra is ‘people, communications, technology’, in that order, with our customers at the heart of everything we do.

“It’s about being transparent with our customers. Lots of telecommunications companies will have details in the small print about roll-over contracts and scope for price rises and people can get caught out.

“The cost of telecommunications contracts are going up all of the time, but we have ways to protect against that. 

“Building that culture of trust is very important to us and we have recently had five members of staff join us from other telecommunications companies as they share in our ethos.”

Terry added: “It’s all about providing that personal touch. It costs the big mobile companies about £28 for every call taken by someone in one of their call centres.

“We can deal with problems straight away, which is why we have been approached by some of the world’s largest brands.

“When we moved to set up our own business a lot of our previous clients moved with us as they like how we operate.”

A key focus for Terry and his partners is also about supporting local charities to reduce their costs.

Terry said: “I have a family member who is autistic and we look after the communications for organisations such as the North East Autism Society (NEAS) and Education Services for People with Autism (ESPA).

“We are able to offer our services at a reduced rate and the North East Autism Society has already said we have saved them over £1m.”

LM Global has been working with the North East Autism Society for two years, helping the charity to install a new computer system as well as providing mobile phone coverage and support in managing their mobile phone data.

The North East Autism Society’s chief executive, John Phillipson, said: “LM Global have been phenomenally helpful.

“With 1,200 staff members and 53 different services we realised we needed to set up a new computer system. LM Global helped us to purchase the different programmes and assets we need as well as making sure everything integrates well.

“The company has also helped us to achieve the best financial results we can - which is really important to us as a charity.

“We were getting quotes of £90,000 from other companies for our new computer system and LM Global did the work for less than £10,000.

“They have been absolutely brilliant in working with us to understand what we need.”

With all three men hailing from the North East, a key driving force behind the business is also generating employment and training opportunities for people in the region.

Mike said: “We are looking to expand our offices to new cities such as Leeds but we will also continue to grow and create jobs locally.

“There are good people in the North East and it’s a great place to be. We are also looking to create our own academy to take on apprentices and enable them to grow into careers in the telecommunications sector.”

For Terry and Gary, who both grew up in Sunderland, they are “proud” to be part of the regeneration of the city.

Terry said: “I’ve been a season ticket holder at SAFC since 1968. I love this city and to see the developments taking place is fantastic.

“We’ve obviously got the new film studios on the horizon and as a local business we would love to be part of developing whatever telecommunications they need.”

Gary added: “Seeing all the developments taking place across the city is fantastic and it’s great to be part of it.

“Creating jobs and giving people opportunities is a big part of what we are about as a business.”

Any business or organisation interested in finding out more about the services provided by LM Global should contact them on 0191 933 1333 or via their website.