bt group plc ( trading as bt ) is a holding company which owns british telecommunications plc , a british multinational telecommunications services company with head offices in london , united kingdom .

bt 's origins date back to the founding of the electric telegraph company in 1846 which developed a nationwide communications network .

in 1912 , the general post office , a government department , became the monopoly telecoms supplier in the united kingdom .

the post office act of 1969 led to the gpo becoming a public corporation .

british telecommunications , trading as british telecom , was formed in 1980 , and became independent of the post office in 1981 .

british telecommunications was privatised in 1984 , becoming british telecommunications plc , with some 50 percent of its shares sold to investors .

the government sold its remaining stake in further share sales in 1991 and 1993 .

bt has a primary listing on the london stock exchange , a secondary listing on the new york stock exchange , and is a constituent of the ftse 100 index .

bt controls a number of large subsidiaries .

bt global services division supplies telecoms services to corporate and government customers worldwide , and its bt consumer division supplies telephony , broadband , and subscription television services in great britain to around 18 million customers .

bt announced in february 2015 that it had agreed to acquire ee for £ 12.5 billion , and received final regulatory approval from the competition and markets authority on 15 january 2016 .

the transaction was completed on 29 january 2016 .

bt group

bt group plc ( bt . a ) ordinary 5p share price | bt . a
headquarters of bt group , hou . . . - bt office photo | urltoken
british telecommunications plc ( bt ) is a wholly - owned subsidiary of bt group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the bt group . bt group plc is listed on stock exchanges in london and new york .
this new landmark partnership with bt will see bt group and bt sport promoted at scotstoun stadium and murrayfield stadium .
prior to joining bt financial group , brad led the merger of st . george and westpac as the westpac group’s chief transformation officer .
bt group is a leading provider of communications solutions serving customers throughout the world .
a bt group was incorporated in the uk in march 30 , 2001 as newgate telecommunications limited . the company changed its name to bt group plc on 11 september 2001 . following the demerger of mm02 from bt in november 2001 , the remaining activities of bt were transferred to bt group plc . bt group shares started trading on the london and new york stock exchanges on 19 november 2001 .
bt group plc ( bt . l ) today announced its results for the first quarter to 30 june 2017 .
* dividend has not yet been paid but has been declared by bt group plc .
bt group plc annual report and form 20 - f 2018 ( 10 . 2mb )
if separation of openreach harms bt group there is clearly a problem as openreach shouldn’t be subsidising the rest of the group its presence confer advantages .
in june the vodafone group foundation is launched . in 2002 , the group and its subsidiaries plan to contribute £20 million to community programmes , guided by the group social investment policy .
vodafone airtouch is created out of the merger between vodafone group and the us group airtouch communications inc on 30 june 1999 .
daesh terrorist group claimed responsibility for the recent attacks in the iranian capital of tehran , site intel group reports on twitter .
while openreach will become a distinct company , it will remain within the wider bt group .
the last ic recommendation on bt group shares was sell at 206 . 00 on 13 jun 2018
does bt group plc’s ( lon : bt . a ) 6 . 50 % earnings growth reflect the long - term trend ?
linda was appointed chief information officer at bt financial group in march 2017 . her team’s role is to provide technology leadership and deliver it solutions which enable bt financial group to meet its strategic goals .
principal operating units : bt ignite ; btopenworld ; bt retail ; bt wholesale ; btexact technologies .
bt asset management sai is a specialized asset management company , member of the banca transilvania financial group .
mr . dan fitz is a group general counsel , company secretary of bt group plc . he joined bt in april 2010 as group general counsel and was appointed company secretary in november 2012 . dan previously spent six years at misys and 12 years at cable & wireless .
2003 : a group - wide partner network agreement is signed with mobilkom austria group to introduce vodafone’s global services into austria , croatia and slovenia .
bt financial group ( btfg ) has been helping australians protect , manage and grow their wealth since 1969 .
the name bt financial group came from one of our group heritage brands , bt funds management . bt funds management was originally part of bankers trust australia which opened its doors in 1969 and is considered one of the pioneers of the australian funds management industry .
the name change will eventually spell the end for the variety of brands currently controlled by the bt wireless group .
we continue to expect bt group revenue to grow for the full year . however because of the reduction in profitability in bt global services , group ebitda2 is likely to show a small decline in the current financial year . ”
therefore , comparing the nps score of bt group plc with your own without any further context is not that useful .
regarding the surveillance of u . s . citizens , the review group recommended :
bt ' s overall group - wide revenues for the year to 31 march 2009 rose 3 % to £21 . 4bn .
what hasn’t changed under the legal separation , as opposed to a structural one , is where openreach’s profits go , with shurmer noting they
will flow back to the bt group” . the group ' s budget will also be controlled by bt .
telecoms giant bt is in exclusive talks to buy ee - britain ' s largest mobile network group - for £12 . 5bn .
our passionate bt financial group executive team have the combined experience and business acumen to drive a strong customer focussed culture of excellence .
ben verwaayen stepped down as group ceo in june 2008 , to be replaced by ian livingston , previously ceo of bt retail . sir michael rake replaced sir christopher bland as non - executive chairman of bt group in 2007 . see full profile for current activities
sue is also a member of the fsc life insurance board committee and an executive director of the bt financial group insurance boards .
between 1980 and 2006 , he held various management positions with the panalpina group in africa , asia and switzerland . in 1998 , he was appointed ceo of the panalpina group .
sue houghton commenced a role in march 2016 as general manager of insurance for bt financial group . previously , sue was finance director at wesfarmers insurance and held a number of roles at insurance australia group ( iag ) .
bt group ' s takeover of mobile phone network ee has been given final clearance by the competition and markets authority ( cma ) .
bt financial group’s history of combining and acquiring great heritage brands has ensured we have become one of australia’s leading and expert wealth providers .
for general information about bt group properties please contact our helpdesk on 0800 223388 . for enquiries relating to the purchase of a bt property please contact telereal on 020 7710 4200 .
bt extols the strengths of the current arrangement . according to gavin patterson , openreach is able to draw on the balance sheet and know - how of the wider bt group .
ofcom and bt have announced that openreach will become a legally separate business within bt .
carolyn hoy joined the westpac group in 2005 . a lawyer by profession , carolyn ' s roles within the group have included head of group corporate legal for westpac , head of compliance for the australian financial services division and most recently chief of staff to the westpac group ceo brian hartzer . carolyn commenced her role in btfg as chief risk officer for btfg in august 2017 .
andrew walker was appointed chief operating officer , bt financial group in december 2015 to develop centres of excellence and drive horizontal connectivity across bt and westpac group . andrew is an experienced executive with knowledge of all parts of the wealth value chain and deep expertise in delivering transformational change .
if you haven’t heard of openreach you won’t be alone . but you will have heard of bt , bt broadband and bt infinity .
in recognising the work of this fantastic group i would like to highlight two particular people roley walton and wilma shearer who have been the driving force of the group since it was established .
yvonne was appointed as chief financial officer , bt financial group in february 2016 . yvonne first joined westpac group in 2007 , and has held a number of executive roles including acting deputy cfo , cfo group services , general manager enterprise investments & delivery , cfo st george integration / gm finance transformation and general manager productivity & process excellence .
openreach is a huge division of bt , or british telecommunications plc , now known as bt group . bt openreach was established in 2006 , owns the telecommunications pipework and phone cables in the uk , and employs 32 , 000 people .
document for member of applicant’s applicant group or bidder group who is not an associate ( pdf ( pdf , 27 . 4 kb ) ) ( rtf ( rtf , 604 . 6 kb ) )
the nsa must stop undermining the security of the internet , according to the president ' s review group on intelligence and communications technologies . the group issued 46 recommendations that include reforming the nsa to ensure the protection of americans ' privacy and civil liberties . regarding global communications , the review group recommended :
andrew joined bt financial group in 2013 as senior head of strategy , leading westpac ' s wealth strategy and the business strategy for bt financial group . andrew has broad experience across multiple industries ( and regions ) including corporate development , strategic analysis , m & a , capital raisings and turnarounds .
bt is one of the world ' s leading providers of communications services and solutions , serving customers in more than 170 countries . its principal activities include the provision of networked it services globally ; local , national and international telecommunications services to its customers for use at home , at work and on the move ; broadband and internet products and services and converged fixed / mobile products and services . bt consists principally of four lines of business : bt global services , bt retail , bt wholesale and openreach . british telecommunications plc ( bt ) is a wholly - owned subsidiary of bt group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the bt group . bt group plc is listed on stock exchanges in london and new york .
it is the first report by the british infrastructure group ( big ) set up by mr shapps .
culture is your target group interested in culture , well educated and with a medium to high income ? if so , the culture category is the right choice . if desired , this target group can be combined with the wealth targeting category , for example , in order to increase the target group reach .
for the year ended 31 march 2015 , bt group ' s reported revenue was gbp17 , 979m with reported profit before taxation of gbp2 , 645m .
bt group plc does not currently have any hardcopy reports on annualreports . com . click the button below to request a report when hardcopies become available .
but bt’s own consumer business with 10 million customers , bt mobile , will keep its brand .
• bt funds management limited • bt funds management no . 2 limited • westpac securities administration limited
bt funds management limited & bt funds management no . 2 limited & westpac financial services ltd .
on 19 november bt group plc was formed as the demerger of mm02 ( formerly bt wireless ) was completed with shareholders receiving one bt group plc share and one mm02 plc share for each existing british telecommunications plc share . on demerger mm02 comprised bt ' s mobile activities in the uk ( o2 uk , formerly bt cellnet wholly owned since 10 november 2001 ) , the netherlands ( telfort mobiel ) , germany ( viag interkom - wholly owned since february 2001 ) and the republic of ireland ( o2 communications , formerly known as esat digifone wholly owned since april 2001 ) , manx telecom and genie ( bt ' s mobile internet portal ) . bt group plc was principally structured through four lines of business : bt retail , bt wholesale , bt ignite and btopenworld focused around markets rather than geography .
london ( reuters ) - britain’s biggest telecoms group bt group plc has begun informal talks with representatives of its retired staff about a plan to cap their pensions and ease one of the biggest challenges facing the company , the daily telegraph newspaper reported on friday .
on monday , bt group ( bt . a : lse ) closed at 232 . 35 , 15 . 45 % above the 52 week low of 201 . 25 set on may 17 , 2018 .
bt financial group provides a range of wealth services . view our history , philosophy and culture , executive team , awards , our brands and additional disclosure .
consider an example : if bt group plc sends out nps surveys immediately after purchase , they are tracking their customers ' initial excitement and the checkout experience .
people with general enquiries should contact the bt group headquarters switchboard on + 44 20 7356 5000 . shareholders should call the shareholder helpline on 0808 100 4141 .
a separate strategy and control over budget allocation . openreach will develop its own strategy and annual operating plans , within an overall budget set by bt group .
in just the third quarter of its current financial year , bt group generated £6 . 1bn in revenue , and made a profit of £526m on that .
c all 152 from a bt land line or 0800 800 152 from non bt lines or mobiles .
if you choose to use the services of prosearch in respect of your 02 plc shares , it will not affect any bt group plc shares you may hold .
the chief executive of bt financial group , brad cooper brings his passion for customers and his experience of over 20 years in business leadership roles to the organisation .
glassdoor office photos give you an inside look at employers , such as bt . this is bt office photo was submitted anonymously . shown in this photo : headquarters of bt group , housed in bt centre , located in london ( photo attributed to martin addison - licensed under the ccl attribution - sharealike 2 . 0 )
techradar is part of future plc , an international media group and leading digital publisher . visit our corporate site .
london ( ap ) — british telecommunications company bt group says its ceo , gavin patterson , will step down this year amid shareholder discontent about the lagging share price .
fast forward to today and openreach is undergoing change – bt group agreed in march 2017 that it would spin openreach off as a legally separate company . this was , once again , in response to a demand from ofcom . this is happening because the arrangement – where openreach was owned by bt group – wasn’t working wholly well .
westpac combined bt funds management with its previous wealth acquisition - the rothschild asset management business - and its own financial services operations , to form an expanded wealth management division of westpac - bt financial group ( btfg ) .
examining bt group plc’s ( lse : bt . a ) past track record of performance is a valuable exercise for investors . it enables us to understand whether the company has met or exceed expectations , whichread more . . .
bt want to merge openreach and wholesale . great idea . merge them then divest them from the rest of the group . doing so to ntt hasn’t exactly harmed japan .
the following are the top stories on the business pages of british newspapers . bt group plc is braced for a shareholder revolt over the choice of kpmg as its new auditor after damning reports about the big four accountancy firm . the appointment of kpmg has to be approved by bt shareholders at the group ' s annual meeting on july 11 .
here at fxpro , we’re excited to offer our clients the chance to invest in the king of the communications market : the bt group . incorporated in 2001 , the bt group is a leading international supplier of managed networked it and consulting services to corporate and public sector customers , as well as a popular provider of everything from broadband to call handling and control room services . with its solid history and sterling reputation it ' s an attractive investment for many a shares trader . trade bt group shares with fxpro .
with our focus on improving the performance of global services , continued cost savings and control on capex across the group , we expect group free cash flow , before any pension deficit payments , to be over £1bn next year . ”
mr . sean williams is chief strategy officer of the company . he has led bt’s group strategy , product portfolio , regulation and policy since 2011 and previously for bt retail . before joining bt in 2008 , sean was an executive director on the board of the oft , of ofcom , a partner of the strategy consulting firm lek consulting llp and a non - executive director of williams lea group .
s & p global ratings on tuesday cut its credit rating on bt group , citing strict oversight by british telecom regulator of its broadband networks . bt ' s openreach network has come under the scrutiny of ofcom , . . .
mr . luis alvarez serves as chief executive officer - global services of bt group plc . he was formerly president of the european , middle east , africa and latin america operations of bt global services serving some of our biggest global customers . luis also led bt global services telecom markets unit , managing business with carriers and operators outside the uk . before joining bt , luis worked at ericsson , ibm and group santander . luis has a telecommunications engineering degree .
gavin patterson , ceo of bt group plc and co - chair of the cyber growth partnership said :
bt is delighted to support the work being undertaken by the cyber growth partnership to promote uk business selling cyber abroad .
the proposed acquisition would enable bt to accelerate its existing mobility strategy ,
bt said in a statement .
bt today : bt has been sharing its long - term plans to make ongoing improvement part of its dna .
a the confirmed official opening prices for bt group and mmo2 shares for capital gains tax ( ' cgt ' ) purposes , were 285 . 75 pence and 82 . 75 pence respectively . this means that , of the total value of 368 . 50 pence , 77 . 54 % is attributable to bt group and 22 . 46 % to mmo2 .
openreach will be able to consult with customers such as sky and talktalk on large - scale investments . it can have these conversations confidentially , without disclosing details to bt group .
this means openreach will have the
greatest degree of independence from bt group possible without . . . structural separation or the sell - off of openreach to new shareholders
.
are your products or services aimed at an elite audience with high purchasing power ? you can use the adwebster bt wealth category for campaigns that need to reach this target group .
homemakers homemakers make up a very important target group with respect to a wide range of fmcgs ( fast - moving consumer goods ) and other everyday products . they are also very suitable as a target group when you want to address parents .
bt group plc , or british telecom , is a london based company that offers telecommunication services worldwide . it currently operates in over 170 countries , and is the largest telecommunication services provider in the world . [ 2 ] the british telecommunications group is structured in a number of divisions , which include :
principal subsidiaries : bt australasia pty limited ( australia ) ; bt cableships limited ; bt cellnet limited ; bt communications management limited ; bt ( hong kong ) limited ; bt ignite gmbh ( germany ) ; bt ignite gmbh & co . ( germany ) ; bt ignite nederland bv ( netherlands ) ; bt north america inc . ( u . s . ) ; bt property limited ; bt subsea cables limited ; bt telecomunicaciones sa ( spain ) ; bt ( worldwide ) limited ; bt wireless limited ; clear communications limited ; esat digifone limited ( ireland ; 50 . 5 % ) ; esat group limited ( ireland ) ; farland bv : manx telecom limited ; syntegra groep bv ( netherlands ) ; syntegra sa ( france ) ; syntegra ( usa ) inc . ; telfort mobiel bv ( netherlands ) ; viag interkom gmbh & co . ; tell limited ; yellow book usa inc . ; yellow pages sales limited .
historical daily stock prices for bt group since 1984 adjusted for splits and dividends . open , high , low , close ( ohlc ) data as well as percentage changes for multiple date ranges . display 20 , 50 and 200 day moving averages and export charts as images to use in articles and blogs . the latest closing price for bt group ( bt ) as of july 06 , 2018 is 15 . 40 .
consumer group which ? has also written to the european commission to express concern about the planned merger of o2 and three .
continued improvement in customer experience metrics ; group nps up 5 . 5 points and right first time up 3 . 6 %
continued improvement in customer experience metrics ; group nps up 3 . 8 points and right first time up 2 . 3 %
jane started out her career at westpac and her roles included general manager of human resources for westpac’s retail financial services group .
it is a tribute to the strength of the team he has built that the board has been able to recruit his replacement internally . ian livingston has delivered brilliantly for bt both as group finance director and as the ceo of bt retail .
the new model will be supported by careful , continual monitoring to ensure it is effective . as part of this , bt will provide ofcom with additional transparency on the nature of interactions between the new openreach and the rest of bt group .
bt denies its involvement and insists the cables were a “general purpose fibre - optic system” . but the human rights group reprieve argues bt has breached guidelines on responsible business behaviour drawn up by the organisation for economic co - operation and development .
accordingly , for cgt calculations , the base cost of your bt group shares is calculated by multiplying the acquisition cost of your bt shareholding by 77 . 54 % , and the base cost of your mmo2 shares is calculated by multiplying the acquisition cost of your bt shareholding by 22 . 46 % .
table 4 . examples of repeat - dose toxicity studies with bt microbial formulations , cry proteins , and bt crops .
the group also worked in partnership with groups in bellsquarry and murieston on wide - ranging improvements at bankton mains , bellsquarry and murieston greenway under the livingston south blue green network project . the group also has been supported by a number of council services .
bt group plc will appear in a new york federal court on monday to try to enforce a patent it says covers all hyperlinking . bt claims it invented the hyperlink in 1976 , and anyone who uses the world wide web owes them money .
we have estimated the net promoter score of bt group plc based on the publicly available information including the sentiment of the company - related tweets , 3rd party reviews , and alexa ratings .
back to bt . will its penalty pay prompt the sort of investment required to fix openreach , which ofcom has made a legally independent part of the group ? it’s an open question .
the independent entity would remain part of the bt group but would
have control over its branding and budget allocation
and
a duty to treat all of its customers equally
.
it comes as the telecoms group prepares to enter negotiations with pension trustees about the future funding of the scheme from next month .
the position of bt’s pension scheme was also raised during our inquiry . bt pointed out that the returns from openreach contributed to the overall group profits which themselves funded bt’s historic pension liabilities and that many of these liabilities arose from past openreach employees . gavin patterson told us that bt’s pension fund had a significant pension deficit that ran—depending on how it was valued—into billions of pounds . he argued that if separation were required then the scheme’s trustees would be likely to find the covenant for openreach would not be as strong as the one currently provided by the bt group .
in conclusion , it is now a fact that bt group is constantly deregulating which makes competition out there for other telecom companies a bit harder . it is also a fact that bt is enabling uk consumers to access reliable and cheap packages choosing options .
the confirmed official opening prices for bt group and o2 ( mmo2 ) shares for capital gains tax ( ' cgt ' ) purposes , were 285 . 75 pence and 82 . 75 pence respectively . this means that , of the total value of 368 . 50 pence , 77 . 544 % is attributable to bt group and 22 . 456 % to o2 ( mmo2 ) . accordingly , for cgt calculations , the base cost of your bt group shares is calculated by multiplying the acquisition cost of your bt shareholding by 77 . 544 % , and the base cost of your o2 ( mmo2 ) shares is calculated by multiplying the acquisition cost of your bt shareholding by 22 . 456 % .
bt group plc is a holding company which owns british telecommunications plc , a british multinational telecommunications services company with head offices in london , united kingdom . it has operations in around 180 countries .
the other point of contention which has been resolved was ofcom’s objection to having
a dotted line of reporting
between the openreach chief exec clive selley and bt group chief exec gavin patterson .
if you are a new employee or non - member employed by bt , please visit the bt retirement saving scheme website .
prior to that , james held a number of senior finance positions at bt plc . , firstly as vice president of corporate finance at bt group and then finance director of bt ' s service delivery division managing a cost base of over $ 1 . 5bn and more than 6 , 000 employees across 36 global locations .
the group’s consumer business unit enjoyed “a standout quarter” as it captured 71pc of new broadband customers and operating profit increased 9pc to £220m .
continued improvement in customer experience metrics ; group nps 1 up 8 . 3 points and right first time 2 up 4 . 3 %
1991 : racal & vodafone demerge . the vodafone group is listed as an independent company on the london and new york stock exchanges .
generally , companies in the utilities sector , such as sse and bt group , often provide attractive dividend yields due to relatively stable earnings as these are considered defensive sectors that canread more . . .
bt group ' s chief executive gavin patterson will step down this year after its chairman said a new leader was needed to restructure britain ' s biggest broadband and mobile provider . kate king reports .
kn group provide a fully managed turnkey solution to bt for the installation of all pstn and llu installations across the residential and business channel . as these are wholesale products this work is carried out on behalf of all telecoms operators that use bt’s fixed access networks .
sky moved into bt ' s telephony and broadband domain in 2006 . now bt has moved into sky ' s sporting territory .
bt ' s ordinary shares are listed on the london stock exchange under
bt . a
. bt shares are also listed on the new york stock exchange in the form of american depositary shares ( adss ) under the symbol of
bt
.
to mark the event and the contribution of the group , a special plaque made of recycled wood was unveiled at the lanthorn community centre .
loujain al - hathloul was picked up at king fahd international airport in dammam on 4 june , the human rights group amnesty international says .
john shuttleworth is general manager , platforms and investments managing the platforms ( bt wrap and asgard ) , distribution , investments and tax and accounting operations . john initiated and leads the bt panorama program , the key strategic investment priority of the westpac group to build a market leading wealth platform designed to support the evolving needs of advisers , dealer groups and investors . john has been instrumental in driving design led innovation and scaled agile work practices within bt and the wider westpac group .
“three of our businesses performed ahead of expectations in the quarter and the group , excluding global services , delivered the best year on year profit growth for five years . however , as previously announced , the group results have been severely impacted by the performance of our global services division .
chris pateman , chief exec of representative body the federation of communication services , noted that the issue of asset control was important ,
although i ' m not convinced about bt group ultimately owning them .
bt financial group is westpac ' s wealth management division and also includes st george bank ' s wealth management division . bt financial ' s operations include investment and superannuation products , private banking , financial planning services as well as life , general , lenders mortgage and bonds insurance .
alibaba group holding ltd . is in talks with bt group plc about a cloud services partnership as the chinese internet giant challenges urltoken inc . ’s dominance in europe . an agreement between alibaba and the it consulting unit of britain’s former phone monopoly could be similar to alibaba’s existing arrangement with vodafone group plc in germany , according to a person familiar with the matter , who asked not to be identified as the talks are private . a bt spokeswoman confirmed by email that the u . k . telecom company is in talks with alibaba cloud and declined to give details .
in january a cross - party group of more than 100 mps , led by the former conservative party chairman grant shapps , supported a split .
the spin - off of bt wireless , which includes uk operator bt cellnet , viag interkom in germany and telfort in the netherlands , will see the firm listed alongside bt on the london stock exchange .
ufindus generates more than 9m searches a month and last year made £14m . the company was sold to bt by the aim - listed iomart group . shares in iomart closed yesterday up 4p at 49 . 5p .
bt group plc is a communications services company . the company is engaged in selling fixed - voice services , broadband , mobile and television products and services , as well as managed networked information technology ( it ) solut
melinda howes commenced in the role of general manager of superannuation for bt financial group in late 2014 . until june 2014 she was the director of product strategy and services for amp ' s insurance and superannuation business .
on friday , the pair said they have reached agreement on a
long - term regulatory settlement that will see openreach become a distinct , legally separate company with its own board , within the bt group
.
before joining bt , andrew was managing director of corporate advisory firm radius capital limited and the ceo of dorchester pacific group , a nz listed multidivisional financial services group with operations across finance , insurance , funds management and advice . prior to this andrew was associate partner with investment banking and venture capital firms clavell capital ( nz ) and fremont partners ( us ) .
this has been a challenging year in which bt has had to tackle some significant issues ,
said bt chairman sir mike rake .
london - bt group has named jan du plessis as its new chairperson , selecting an experienced businessman who has guided rio tinto for eight years and helped engineer sabmiller’s $ 104 billion ( r1 . 35 trillion ) sale .
despite finally scoring for england at a world cup in 2014 , rooney was unable to prevent a torrid group stage exit under roy hodgson in brazil .
conservative mp grant shapps , the chair of the parliamentary cross - party british infrastructure group , said that the separation agreement should now benefit internet customers .
fxpro group limited is the holding company of fxpro financial services ltd , fxpro uk limited , fxpro global markets mena limited and fxpro global markets limited .
fxpro group limited is the holding company of fxpro financial services ltd , fxpro uk limited , fxpro global markets mena limited and fxpro global markets ltd .
but bumper profits at bt’s openreach service , a bt subsidiary , comes days after a politicians have demanded bt should be forced to sell off the service . openreach , which bt operates at arm’s length , saw operating profit grow 13pc to £359m in the three months to december 31 .
a bt spokesman said the report recognised bt had taken measures to ensure its infrastructure was secure . “security is at the heart of bt and it will continue to be so in the future , ” he said .
bt group plc chief security technology officer bruce schneier logs long hours trudging through airports to attend conferences and speaking engagements on a wide range of security issues . by his own count , he will take 170 flights this year .
under the plans , bt will demerge mmo2 , formerly known as bt wireless , and float it as a separate business on the stock exchange .
for key information and guidance on the ethos of procurement in bt and how we work with our suppliers visit our selling to bt web site .
ms . alison wilcox serves as group human resources director of the company . she was formerly regional hr director for vodafone europe and prior to that , regional hr director for vodafone’s africa , middle east and asia pacific footprint . alison joined vodafone in 2006 as group director of leadership following a career in consulting .
please note this page is for feedback on the purposeful business section or bt ' s delivering our purpose report only . please do not use this site to register complaints regarding bt services or network . using the appropriate channel enables bt to deal with your comment , query or complaint quickly , follow it up and keep you informed . bt general enquiries and complaints home - call 150 from a bt landline or 0800 800 150 from non bt lines or mobiles business - call 152 from a bt landline or 0800 800 152 from non bt lines or mobiles or complete the online web form
bt acquired a patent for the technology in the us in the 1980s , but has until now made no attempt to exploit the patent . bt ( bt . a ) has now engaged scipher to rectify that situation .
q : under section 4 ( b ) on page 3 of the application form we have been asked to include “the names of all other members of the applicant group ( as defined in the regulations ) in respect of which the applicant has completed a document . . . ” . further to this , in the schedule 5 document for member of applicant’s applicant group or bidder group who is not an associate we have been asked to “ [ insert name of person to be included in applicant or bidder group who is not an associate ] ” and the document should be signed on page 3 on behalf of that “person” .
increased functional separation could involve openreach becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of the bt group , with its own board of directors and an independent non - executive chair and other non - executive directors . openreach could in effect be an incorporated subsidiary in which the bt group is a passive investor . the independent openreach board would need to have the capability and resource to draw up its own strategy , budget and investment plan , possibly publishing its requests for funding to the main bt board so there was absolute clarity over its determinations and requirements .
our super - fast broadband network has now passed over 5m premises and the customer base has almost trebled in the last six months . bt global services is making further progress in high growth economies and secured its largest ever contract in latin america , ” said ian livingston , chief executive , bt group .
but the majority of its subscribers are existing bt broadband customers , who can sign up and stream bt sport for free on their pc or mac .
without a vested interest from bt , the hope is that there will be more independent consideration regarding investment in the network . bt dragged its heels over the situation in early 2017 , but suddenly ceded to ofcom’s demands before the regulator had chance to take the case to the european commission . however , it’s worth noting that bt group will still own openreach but it will have independence .
the new openreach will have the greatest degree of independence from bt group possible without incurring the delays and disruption – to industry , consumers and investment plans – associated with structural separation or the sell - off of openreach to new shareholders .
mr scudamore praised espn for its involvement and said he believed the group would be back at the bidding table the next time the rights were up for auction .
we continue to invest for growth , having now passed 1 . 5m premises with our ultrafast network and securing 40mhz of 3 . 4ghz spectrum suitable for 5g mobile services . we are improving our customer experience across the group , with our key metrics of group nps 1 and right first time 2 both strongly up .
bt was founded by ivan lundquist in 1946 in sweden . import of equipment for the construction and transport sectors was bt’s original business . production of hand pallet trucks began in 1947 , and in the 50’s electric trucks were introduced . in 1949 the revolutionary pallet was introduced , which together with the hand pallet truck became bt’s breakthrough . later known as the eur pallet , it became the standard in much of europe . bt and raymond became toyota group in 2001 .
mr . gavin patterson serves as chief executive , executive director of bt group plc . he joined bt in 2004 as group managing director of bt retail’s consumer division . prior to this , gavin spent four years at telewest ( now virgin media ) latterly as managing director consumer and also nine years at procter and gamble , rising to become european marketing director . gavin says that one of the reasons for moving to bt in 2004 was because it was an organisation with a rich history and an exciting future – which is even truer today . gavin was appointed chief executive , bt retail in may 2008 and joined the bt group plc board in june 2008 . under his leadership bt retail launched bt infinity super - fast fibre broadband , drove growth in it services and built the largest wi - fi network in the uk and ireland . he also led bt’s involvement in the evolution of digital tv services . this includes being a founder partner in youview and the creation of bt sport which launched in august 2013 . gavin was appointed chief executive officer , bt group plc in september 2013 . in addition , gavin is a non - executive director of british airways and a trustee of the british museum . from 2010 - 2013 gavin sat on the advisory board of the cambridge judge business school and from 2011 - 2014 he was president of the advertising association . gavin graduated from cambridge university with a degree in chemical engineering , is married with four children and is a passionate liverpool fc fan .
mr . ed petter is group corporate affairs director of the company . he was previously deputy director of corporate affairs at lloyds banking group and prior to that had held corporate affairs roles at mcdonald’s europe , mckinsey & company and the blue rubicon communications consultancy , having previously worked as a news producer and editor at the bbc .
jane joined bt financial group as general manager , westpac private bank in december 2010 . in october 2011 , her role expanded to general manager , bt private wealth which comprises westpac private bank , st . george private and bank of melbourne private . in october 2017 , jane’s role expanded again to incorporate the bt advice business . her expanded role forming a broader business unit focused on financial advice and tailored private banking for high net worth clients - bt advice & private wealth
the group will argue that although the legal separation of openreach – the highly profitable division that manages the national telecoms network – has delivered falling prices and rising speeds for consumers , bt has been allowed to restrict competition in the business market .
today , competition is very high due to presence of many telecommunication companies that are periodically releasing of exciting and attractive offers to their customers . the most popular industry players among uk residents are bt group , virgin media , bskyb and talktalk .
bt group reported a 5 percent decrease in revenue at â£4 , 764 million for the first quarter ending june 30 , 2011 . the company’s adjusted ebitda increased by 3 percent to â£1 , 436 million reflecting the continued delivery of cost reductions .
most consumers won ' t be bothered whether or not ' a bt group business ' is written on the side of openreach vans , what matters is the uk ' s digital infrastructure actually getting better in practice ,
he said .
securicor shareholders can now expect a direct payment , while the deal effectively creates a new securicor group whose shares will be distributed to the company ' s existing shareholders .
vodafone ' s enlarged group is now the largest mobile telecommunications company in the world and one of the top ten companies , by market capitalisation , in the world .
this page provides you with electronic access to the pdss for financial products and services that are identified on this website and that are issued by entities within the bt financial group of companies , together with electronic access to the fsgs for these entities .
if bt acquired o2 it would be a huge step back to the future . bt launched o2 , then named cellnet , in a joint operation with securicor in 1985 , just after bt was privatised . it bought out securicor in 1999 when nokias were the best selling handsets - and renamed the business bt cellnet .
bt has enjoyed a
standout
third quarter as sales grew 4 . 7pc
bt posted losses of £1 . 3bn for the first three months of the year
telecoms giant bt has bought online electronic products retailer urltoken for an estimated £30m .
your views on corporate responsibility in bt are important because they help us improve .
( 1 ) the bt microbial formulation was applied to broccoli shortly before harvest .
table 3 . acute toxicity studies in mice with cry proteins and bt microbials .
enquiries about this news release should be made to the bt group newsroom on its 24 - hour number : 020 7356 5369 . from outside the uk dial + 44 20 7356 5369 . all news releases can be accessed at our web site : urltoken
“we are on track to deliver reductions in operating costs and capital expenditure of well over £1bn and to generate group free cash flow 3 of over £1bn this year . ”
‘think money group and hublot made significant contributions and of course manchester united football club were exemplary hosts to over 60 , 000 fans at old trafford on the night . ’
bt’s commitments also include reforms to how bt works in northern ireland , where openreach does not operate . these will extend the benefits of the openreach changes to bt northern ireland – including greater independence , confidentiality , and independent branding . bt northern ireland will also remain able to take account of specific local circumstances and opportunities . 2
“we have made a solid start to the year against a background of challenging trading conditions . bt global services is making progress although there is still much to do . the rest of the group continues to perform well generating ebitda 2 growth of 6 % .
mci communication corporation , the second largest carrier of long distance telecommunications services in the united states of america , together with the bt group , launched a company named concert communications services in 1994 . the value of this newly founded company was $ 1 billion us dollars . the newly formed company was the first to offer a large portfolio of communications services to customers worldwide . as a part of the deal , bt group bought 20 % of mci communication corporation . later , mci communication corporation and concert communication services were bought by world com for $ 7 billion us dollars . in the transaction , which took place in 1997 , bt group received $ 465 million us dollars to break the merger with mci and an additional $ 2 billion us dollars for their shares of mci .
the bt - ee deal is expected to be finalised by march next year , subject to approval by shareholders of bt and scrutiny from the competition and markets authority .
bt advisers are representatives of westpac banking corporation abn 33 007 457 141 afsl & australian credit licence 233714 ( westpac ) . bt advice is a division of westpac .
bt share price rises ( lon : bt . a ) as it agrees openreach solution after
long and challenging
debate with ofcom | city a . m .
now the chief security technology officer of bt , schneier worked at the department of defense and bell labs before founding counterpane internet security , which was acquired by bt .
in 2000 , bt sued prodigy , the oldest isp in the us , over alleged infringement of a patent that bt said covered the basic hyperlink technology underlying the web . on that occasion the court decided that bt ' s patent did not apply .
in connection with the acquisition of ee limited , on 29 january 2016 bt group plc issued and allotted a total of 1 , 594 , 900 , 429 new ordinary shares ( the consideration shares ) to t - mobile holdings limited and orange telecommunications group limited ( the sellers ) as part of the consideration for the purchase of ee limited from the sellers . because the number of consideration shares was greater than 10 % of bt’s issued share capital , bt was required to prepare and publish a prospectus in accordance with the prospectus rules of the uk financial conduct authority . this prospectus is dated 26 january 2016 .
group turnover up 3 per cent , excluding the impact of mobile termination rate reductions , at £4 , 584 million . turnover was marginally up including the impact of mobile termination rate reductions
group turnover up 2 per cent , excluding the impact of mobile termination rate reductions , at £4 , 602 million . up 1 per cent including the impact of mobile termination rate reductions
vodafone and china mobile ( hong kong ) ltd ( chmk ) sign a
strategic alliance agreement
. the group completes the acquisition of a 25 % stake in swisscom mobile .
during the last 10 years , the group has been instrumental in progressing and completing several major environmental improvements to the dedridge corridor between the a71 and its confluence with the river almond .
bt and ee in customer service set - back as £12 . 5bn deal is cleared
bt boss gavin patterson confirmed back office and management jobs would be “simplified” across both businesses amid a number of high - profile departures at bt and ee ahead of takeover .
bt : sees fiscal year 2019 revenue , ebitda hit by new accounting sta . .
the deal sees bt buying all ee shares currently held by orange and deutsche telekom .
while bt is rumoured to have looked at alternative ways of spinning off bt wireless , mr varney ' s statement indicated that a straight demerger was still the favoured option .


stephen a. geppi ( born january 24 , 1950 ) is an american comic book distributor , publisher and former comic store owner .

having established an early chain of comic shops in baltimore in the mid-late 1970s , he is best known for his distributing business .

geppi founded diamond comic distributors , the largest comic direct distribution service in 1982 , and has served as the company 's head to the present .

diamond distribution became the successor to direct market pioneer phil seuling 's distribution dream when geppi took over new media/irjax 's warehouses in 1982 .

he further bought out early-distributor bud plant in 1988 , and main rival capital city in 1996 to assume a near-monopoly on comics distribution , including exclusivity deals with the major comic book publishers .

geppi became part owner of the baltimore orioles in 1993 , and in 1994 purchased baltimore magazine .

he is president and publisher of gemstone publishing inc. , through which he publishes russ cochran 's ec comics reprints , disney comics and blue book price guide the overstreet comic book price guide .

in 1995 , he founded diamond international galleries , which acquired hake 's americana & collectibles auction house ( 2004 ) , and in 2005 , pennsylvania-based morphy auctions .

in 2006 , geppi founded geppi 's entertainment museum in baltimore .

steve geppi

baltimore diamond distributors fantastic forum geppi ' s entertainment museum steve geppi ulysses e . campbell
geppis entertainment museum in baltimore is to open on friday , displaying steve geppis personal collection .
steve geppi | geppi mansion fails to sell at $ 2 . 79 million - tribunedigital - baltimoresun
steve geppi opens geppi’s comic world , which operated out of the basement of a tv repair shop .
geppi ' s entertainment museum - geppi ' s entertainment museum president / ceo stephen a . geppi bio
diamond comic distributors , inc . - steve geppi interview with fanboy radio available online
steve geppi : i prefer to think it was spoken as a man mark .
diamond comic distributors , inc . - steve geppi named baltimore ceo of the year
since then– steve geppi has effectively cancelled titles . including one of yours… correct ?
shields said spiroff and gonzalez morin reported to geppi , and geppi reported to moyer .
but not with comics . not any more . all the pressure groups have to do is lean on steve or threaten steve or picket steve or—most worrisome of all—genuinely get steve on their side .
comicwow ! interviews diamond comic distributors , inc . ceo , steve geppi , about the company’s 35 th anniversary
geppi ' s entertainment museum press room :
geppi ' s entertainment museum president / ceo stephen a . geppi bio
. accessed march 5 , 2009
owner steve geppi describes it as “one of the largest investments i’ve ever made in diamond and our industry . ”
a former dean at carroll community college , steve geppi , has returned to his roots to weed out corruption .
steve geppi grew up in poverty ! he ' s a self made man , dammit ! if steve geppi can pull himself up by his bootstraps , so can all those other poors out there , if only they weren ' t so lazy .
steve geppi talks at the future tomorrow panel at the 2013 comic - con international : san diego . seven minute video .
- the maryland stadium authority reduces politically well - connected businessman steve geppi’s $ 367 , 820 rent at the state’s camden station by 31 percent after geppi misses 19 monthly rent payments .
so , diamond ' s steve geppi will be voting for donald trump at least . . . - bleeding cool news and rumors
i also understand that steve geppi ' s gemstone publishing company is to close , just as the final overstreet price guide shipped .
heidi macdonald ,
steve geppi’s debt woes growing
in the beat , february 18 , 2009 . accessed march 5 , 2009
geppi ' s entertainment museum , baltimore : hours , address , geppi ' s entertainment museum reviews : 4 . 5 / 5
jamie : you clearly feel betrayed by diamond’s deal with nextplanetover . com , do you think you can trust diamond or steve geppi again ?
founder of the geppi entertainment museum and diamond comic distributors , steve geppi , talks about building the xanadu for comic collectors , what he loves to collect the most , and the art of sniffing old comic books .
the other consideration is inheritance tax consequences for the geppi family . a sale of diamond could be structured to benefit the geppi tax - wise .
steve apparently weathered the storm , and i’m sure herman rush did . but there must have been some impact , if , as i’ve been given to understand , steve sold his interest in the baltimore orioles . steve loves the baltimore orioles .
steve geppi will overcome his debt problems ; re : dean burns’ 4 / 21 / 09 posting : “stephen g . is in a lot of hot water”
walt flanagan of amc ' s
comic book men
takes a whiff of a copy of action comics no . 1 , as steve geppi looks on .
guarantee in writing that neither steve geppi , diamond , or any member of the diamond staff would ever take any equity position in a comics retailer ever again .
in 1987 , geppi responded to
a graphic chiwdbirf scene in miracweman # 9 [ written by awan moore ] .
geppi wrote to retaiwers dat :
mark waid : spoken like a rich white man . thanks for sharing , steve .
we could have spent days checking out the treasures in steve geppi’s office but he was eager to give us a tour of his pride - and - joy museum .
that would make great sense , as diamond is the only significant distribution mechanism around for the comics industry , headed up by steve geppi ' s terrible mismanagement . one real major screw - up from geppi , and the whole comics industry is fucked .
gemstone publishing was formed by diamond comic distributors president and chief executive officer steve geppi as a conduit for his efforts in preserving and promoting the history of the comics medium .
jamie : if steve geppi / diamond comics continues their plans with nextplanetover . com , what will their positions in the industry be like one or two years from now ?
our last stop was the museum gift shop , where steve loaded us up with freebies .
well , steve geppi wasn ' t going to take that . he ' s a man , remember . so steve geppi responded as any man would - with a diatribe almost as long - winded as the original one that started this whole thing , so long - winded , in fact , it wouldn ' t fit in a single screencap :
shields confirmed that geppi ' s unit was a participant in the eci investigation . he declined to say what roles geppi , spiroff or gonzalez morin might have played .
steve geppi is a man who seems to get what he wants . a barks painting at an auction ? he gets it . dominance of comics industry distribution ? all his .
famed comics collector steve geppi seems to have moved up to collecting multi - million dollar lawsuits . news broke today of another pending suit with the widow of bruce hamilton filing a $ 3 million complaint in prescott arizona against geppi and his defunct diamond international galleries .
leach’s news was picked up by the disney comics worldwidw blog , which connected it with gemstone owner steve geppi’s reported financial difficulties . as dcw reported , gemstone , diamond and geppi have been sued by creditors trade association for $ 373 , 000 for unpaid printing bills .
steve geppi spoken like a rich man is not racist . spoken like a white rich man is . try that using the word black and see if you get away with it .
this isn’t to say that john davis and milton griepp are george the third or that steve geppi is ming the merciless . nor is there any implication that something fishy is going on .
geppi owed about $ 3 . 25 million on the property , according to court records .
on march 11th i arrived at the hotel in baltimore , half - expecting a message to meet with steve geppi prior to the beginning of the rrp meetings . no message was waiting . despite that lack of communication , i decided to still hold back . i had brought with me 5 copies of the e - mails i sent steve after brian hibb ' s editorial appeared in comics retailer . this included the original letter to the editor that i had never sent in , plus my letter to brian explaining how i had an ongoing dialog with steve , and how i thought that steve would find some solutions to the conflict of interest issue . my intention was to allow retailers who asked me about why i had never spoken out about steve geppi ' s ownership of urltoken to read exactly what i had said to steve , and to brian . as i told steve in my e - mail message of 3 / 10 / 99 , my goal was to simply let my fellow retailers read the messages , and judge for themselves the appropriateness of steve geppi ' s actions .
before going off half - cocked , however , i did want to give steve geppi yet another chance to fix things . so i sent him the following e - mail on march 10th :
when steve showed up at valiant looking for work , his shoes were held together by duct tape .
i admire steve ditko ' s principles even if i don ' t always understand what motivates them .
he also continued the discussion highlighted yesterday , with mark waid , in which i also pointed out that steve geppi had recently been close to bankruptcy . another reason why the “bank” may be closing… .
within a few years , geppi was not making his yearly payments of $ 250 , 000 and the montana family sued . in a deposition , geppi very matter of factly explains what happened :
other geppi bad deals were based on the real estate bubble – in that he’s hardly alone .
original art for price guide covers highlights august heritage auction at geppi ' s entertainment . . .
the matter involving spiroff was separate from the one involving geppi and gonzalez morin , shields said .
among the pieces being exhibited are many on loan from the private collections of kerby confer and gem founder steve geppi , widely regarded as the two most extensive representations of carl barks’ paintings and other works .
steve geppi is a very smart guy and an unbelievable contributor to this community ,
she said .
it ' s very sad to see what happened to him , whatever the reason .
i first met steve ditko sometime in 1977 . for the life of me , i can’t remember where .
compared to say , alan moore , steve ditko , with his privacy and his principles seems quite normal .
in his new position , vaughn will continue reporting to geppi , who is also president and ceo of diamond comic distributors , and founder of geppi’s entertainment museum in baltimore’s historic camden yards sports complex .
york , pa . – stephen a . geppi , president and ceo of diamond comic distributors and geppi’s entertainment auctions – parent company of morphy auctions and hakes americana – has been elected to the york college of pennsylvania board of trustees . geppi will serve a three - year term on the board .
chuck rozanski : i am now a firm advocate that the exclusive relationships that diamond has with any comics publishers must be voided . we trusted diamond and steve geppi , and i feel they have betrayed that trust . i once advocated the exclusive relationships because i felt that maintaining stability in the world of comics was more important than fears of monopolization . i now fear steve geppi and diamond far more than i fear chaos .
given that i was still waiting for any kind of a reply from steve geppi to any of my suggestions , i was at a loss as to what to do . it had been four weeks of total silence . i knew steve had other issues to deal with in his broad collection of enterprises , but i could also see that time was drifting away in which to make a public protest . four weeks of waiting seemed long enough . in the end , i decided to compromise . i wrote the vociferous letter of support for brian ' s condemnation of steve geppi ' s ownership of urltoken to comics retailer , but then i sent it first to steve geppi . the text of that e - mail follows on december 15 , 1998 :
geppi ' s entertainment museum to close . bummer . collection moving to library of congress . cool .
denver , pa . ( acni ) – four and a half years after selling the auction company he co - founded , dan morphy has come full circle and bought back the operating assets of morphy auctions from geppi’s entertainment . the geppi family of companies is headed by baltimore businessman stephen a . geppi .
still , you just wouldn’t want to be steve geppi today — although he possesses some of the greatest collectibles in the whole comics world , it’s looking more and more likely that a bank is the actual owner .
when steve showed up at valiant looking for work , his shoes were held together by duct tape .
in 1995 , geppi founded diamond internationaw gawweries , which acqwired hake ' s americana & cowwectibwes auction house ( 2004 ) , and in 2005 , pennsywvania - based morphy auctions . [ 49 ] in 1999 , geppi founded diamond sewect toys , and in 2006 he founded geppi ' s entertainment museum in bawtimore .
this development came as a severe shock to me . for the previous 18 years , despite overtures from myself and many others , steve geppi adamantly refused to be involved in the retailing of comics . the only exception to this policy was maintaining the original geppi ' s comic world retail stores that he had established prior to creating diamond comic distributors . steve geppi made it clear to me repeatedly during the years of our friendship that any expansion of retailing on his part would be a complete conflict of interest relative to his ownership of diamond .
baltimore magazine is published by stephen a . geppi . born in the “little italy” section of baltimore , maryland , geppi turned his childhood love of comics into the world’s largest distributor of english language comic books .
alliance is a big shop . their size allows them to have one of the best comic book selections in the dmv . they even have archie comics . alliance has an old school , friendly vibe probably inherited from the previous owner steve geppi , of geppi’s museum fame . geppi owned the store from the 70s to the late 90s until the space evolved into alliance comics , much like how jean grey transformed into the phoenix .
steve geppi , publisher of baltimore magazine and ceo of diamond comic distributors , will receive the 2011 nephcure public service award at the countdown to a cure , a baltimore banquet at the pier 5 hotel jan . 20 .
just saw searching for steve ditko on youtube . nice documentary , looks like he just wants to be left alone .
it’s now official . the comic book market’s eggs are all in one basket . carol was right again ( as she so often was ) . and steve geppi is now the most powerful—and the weakest—man in the comics industry .
mr . geppi entered the comics business in 1974 when he opened geppi’s comic world , which he soon expanded to four stores . by 1982 , his distributor was failing and he decided to move into distribution . in just over a decade’s time mr . geppi expanded his comic book distribution business across north america and europe .
unlike the state employees charged in the eci indictment , geppi and spiroff were hired by the hogan administration .
geppi supervised several hundred workers in the intelligence , investigations , central hiring and inspector general ' s departments .
is there a more cautionary tale in comics than that of the failing fortunes of diamond comics owner and über - collector steve geppi ? daniel best reads through some of the court documents on the montana estate vs steve geppi lawsuit we alluded to the other day , and they are not too thrilling if you are steve geppi , the owner of diamond comics and once considered the richest man in comics . in a nutshell , back in 2006 , a flush geppi offered the family or archie artist $ 1 , 000 , 000 for a collection of original archie art , while attesting that he was worth $ 20 million , as the attached exhibit shows . as time went by , a few things happened — geppi made a series of very bad deals which ate up his money , especially as the economy and the real estate market tanked ; and the art also lost a lot of value :
having steve geppi in this position was intolerable to me and to all the retailers with whom i discussed the matter . there was a consensus among those with whom i spoke that there was no way that severe conflicts of interest could be avoided between diamond ' s servicing of their 4 , 000 independent retailers , and steve geppi ' s anotheruniverse . com . i spoke with representatives of marvel and dc , diamond ' s largest suppliers , and made sure that they understood my concerns . i also spoke with representatives of dark horse comics , image comics , and our local diamond representative . they , in turn , passed on the issues i raised to diamond , and steve geppi .
baltimore — if steve geppi has his way , his new entertainment museum will be a cultural institution that children must be dragged out of rather than into . and his idea of children does not mean 12 years old and under .
like the other lawsuits mentioned above — all of which have been settled against geppi — this one was settled in january with the court ordering geppi to pay the $ 3 , 000 , 000 due for the collection .
fortunately , we had rom , spaceknight . rom fit steve’s criteria well enough . he did some great work on rom .
pop culture mogul , steve geppi , will be stopping by the comicwow ! studios on february 8 th for an interview about diamond comic distributors , inc . ( dcd ) . february 1 , 2017 marked the 35 th anniversary for dcd .
i think several artists asked if they could ink an issue of steve ' s rom pencils and it became a thing . a chance to work with the great steve ditko for one job was an honor . i believe bill mantlo also did some recruiting .
this story is nothing compared to what steve to helen hamilton and another rainbow . . . . . . . . . .
as years passed , it became evident that the direct market was underscored by head - to - head competition between capital and diamond . and carol would say that steve geppi was the more aggressive , the more determined to come out on top .
many thanks to brian hibbs for speaking out ( comics retailer # 82 ) on the subject of the diamond / geppi takeover of anotheruniverse . com . brian seems to be one of the few folks who clearly recognizes danger to all direct market retailers posed by having steve geppi in control of not only all comics distributing , but also the largest internet retailing presence .
geppi ' s entertainment museum | 301 w . camden street | baltimore , md 21201 | 410 - 625 - 7060
in january 2009 , pnc bank won a $ 16 . 4 million judgment against geppi , according to court records .
resume for
stephen a . geppi
at businessweek , september 8 , 1998 . accessed march 5 , 2009 .
newswatch : geppi buys bawtimore ,
the comics journaw # 174 ( february 1995 ) , p . 29 .
the officials include steven f . geppi , director of the department ' s investigation , intelligence and fugitive apprehension unit .
on friday , co - host billie rae bates and i visited geppi’s entertainment museum where we met steve geppi . steve is one of the most influential men in the comics industry through his position as president of diamond comics distributors . diamond has cornered the distribution market and if you are a publisher who wants their books to make it to specialty comics retailers you have to deal with them . before diamond , many of you may remember mr . geppi from his chain of comic book stores in the dc / maryland region that bore his name . billie rae conducted a fabulous interview while i acted as cameraperson / director .
this revelation left me stunned . it now seemed clear that my worst fears were being confirmed . i had to admit that clyde durkee might have been right all along when he predicted that steve geppi would tell me anything he thought i wanted to hear in order to keep me silent on his ownership of anotheruniverse . com . my trip to baltimore in november , at steve geppi ' s invitation , now appeared to never have had any chance of success . during the time that steve geppi and i spent fifteen hours together discussing how to constructively resolve the issues relating to his ownership of anotheruniverse . com , he apparently already had his staff secretly negotiating yet another preferential deal for a comics retailing entity in which he had an option to purchase stock .
about mr . geppi—after starting geppi’s comic world in 1974 , steve geppi launched diamond comic distributors , the largest distributor of english language comic books in the world . in subsequent years he founded gemstone publishing , diamond international galleries , and diamond select toys and acquired other fine firms such as alliance game distributors , baltimore magazine , e . gerber products , hake’s americana & collectibles , and morphy auctions . he is a minority owner of the baltimore orioles and is involved in many local civic activities .
in a move prompted by frustration over an inability to negotiate a reasonable compromise with diamond comic distributors , inc . , and diamond owner steve geppi , over mr . geppi ' s takeover of internet retailer anotheruniverse . com , mile high comics , inc . has filed a letter of protest with the anti - trust division of the united states department of justice . mr . peter mucchetti , an attorney for the department of justice who has been investigating the role of steve geppi and diamond comic distributors , inc . in the current state of comics distribution , agreed to also investigate the claims made by mile high comics , inc .
i don’t know exactly how long marvel had kept steve on after i left there , but eventually they’d cut him loose . jerks .
this story is nothing compared to what steve did to helen hamilton and another rainbow . . . . . . . . . .
steve geppi , ceo , president and owner of diamond comic distributors seems to have had a new year’s resolution . not just the one he describes below , but one to speak out more about his opinions , with as much frankness as he can muster .
the official companion to the “atlas at last ! ” exhibit at geppi’s entertainment museum . comic book marketplace returns . . .
as i said before , someone of the caliber of steve leialoha or klaus janson would work well . p . craig russell is a great choice , too . someone whose work would be lush and full , while still keeping the essence of steve ditko ' s style .
when asked about why the payments stopped geppi was more forthright . “there was no funds ( sic ) sufficient to pay it , ” he said . “there were no funds available . diamond international galleries did not have funds available . ” when asked why he had no funds , geppi simply said , “credit officers have been asking that questions ( sic ) for years . ” the montana’s legal representative pressed further asking about geppi’s net worth . geppi stated that he did indeed have a net worth in excess of $ 20 , 000 , 000 when he signed the contract in 2007 , but as of 2010 his net worth was around the $ 1 , 000 , 000 mark . if true then this is an amazing fall for geppi . geppi insisted that the only reason the final $ 500 , 000 was not paid was down to , “no funds . ” for geppi it really was as simple as that . no other reason was offered , no other reason was required . however another accusation that geppi filed was that other items were shown to him by the montana family but were not included in the final inventory . faced with geppi’s answers the montana family asked for a trial by jury , something that geppi was keen to avoid .
all i can say is , it couldnt happen to a nicer person than steve ( let me screw you and manipulate the market ) geppi…and yes i to have been thru his museum and his private collection… . been an insider for many many years…interesting to see how geppi manipulayed prices and the market with his cronies… . good to see him fall… . maybe criminal legal action can come next
as part - owner of the baltimore orioles , geppi is a very prominent local businessman , whose ventures often appear in the local papers . in fact , this link is from a local maryland newspaper naming geppi one of the “biggest scammers” of 2009 :
geppi’s entertainment museum , founded in september 2006 by diamond comic distributors ceo steve geppi , is more than $ 700 , 000 in debt . maryland’s daily record reports the baltimore pop - culture museum has accrued about $ 622 , 500 in unpaid rent to the maryland stadium authority , and owes more than $ 77 , 000 in late fees and unpaid electric bills dating back to february 2007 .
i just saw the in search of steve ditko documentary . i enjoyed everyone ' s stories about ditko , and their interpretations & opinions .
diamond comic distributors , inc . marks the 35th anniversary of its incorporation , a new milestone in the evolution of the company president and ceo steve geppi successfully started as a former retailer to distribute comic books and pop - culture related merchandise to his fellow retailers . urltoken
steve geppi , gemstone publishing president and ceo , publisher of baltimore magazine and president and ceo of diamond comic distributors , will receive the 2011 nephcure public service award at the countdown to a cure banquet at baltimore’s pier 5 hotel on thursday , january 20 , 2011 .
coinciding with new details on its expansion of the olive branch , mississippi central warehouse facility , diamond ' s president / ceo steve geppi has written a personal letter to its customers - comic book retailers - on the changes in the industry and what prompted the expansion .
during last night’s presentations at the diamond retailer summit , the comic book legal defense fund announced that diamond’s founder and president , steve geppi , has accepted a seat on the group’s board of directors . geppi joins chris staros , peter david , neil gaiman , milton griepp , greg ketter , frank mangiaracina , louise nemschoff , and paul levitz in overseeing the direction of the non - profit organization .
last month , harbor bank of maryland won a $ 3 . 5 million judgment against geppi , according to county court records .
geppi & apos ; s entertainment museum is heaven for comic book lovers , as shown on a recent episode of amc show .
diamond comic distributors founder and president stephen geppi sr . with some of the characters that propelled his company to fame and fortune .
what ' s happening at gem we are incredibly proud of geppi ' s entertainment museum ( gem ) and the . . .
below is a very eye opening interview where he discusses his opposition to recent diamond comics / steve geppi dealings with online super stores urltoken and the upcoming nextplanetover . com . also discussed are his near purchase of marvel comics publishing arm and his thoughts on other industry matters .
john geppi . executive vice president and cfo of covenant health system ( knoxville , tenn . ) . mr . geppi has helped covenant health , a seven - hospital system , become one of the most financially viable providers in east tennessee . [ read more ]
“this is not to say that steve has done any of these things or would do any of these things . just that he could . ”
in recent weeks , while news of diamond’s new trade policies has rippled through every level of the comics business , diamond’s owner , stephen geppi , has also been hit with several lawsuits for outstanding debts . while geppi’s various business interests , including the geppi entertainment museum and gemstone publishing , are all separate corporations , the overall picture of debt that emerges is an uncomfortable one for the comics industry .
' considered ' means to ponder , look at closely , examine , etc . and does not admit , or claim , or state that steve ditko is spider - man ' s co - creator .
– steve ditko ' s response appeared in the may 2001 issue of the comics
sadly , despite his personal promise to me to do so , steve geppi never called brian hibbs . of my suggested changes , the only one that went into effect was the wholesaling of specialty publications from urltoken to all diamond accounts . by last week ( almost three months after his pledge to take action ) steve geppi had not done anything . nor had he ever called me back . instead he went forward with milton griepp and his associates to establish a relationship by which urltoken would become the first internet retailer whose fulfillment would be handled exclusively by diamond .
update june 2018 : geppi’s entertainment museum has closed . the collection has been donated to the u . s . library of congress .
geppi said he was fired by moyer tuesday and seven or eight other employees of the unit had been placed on leave . he said those employees are protected by the correctional officers ' bill of rights . geppi and gonzalez morin said they could be fired at will .
i had a time where i would have regular conversations with steve ditko over the phone . he was nothing but polite and pleasant to speak with .
i wasn ' t thrilled about doing the wwf books , but steve seemed to enjoy them . they weren ' t particularly rushed . yes , you ' d think that the co - creator of spider - man ( stan said it was 50 / 50 , steve told me it was 70 / 30 in his favor ) would have grander and more significant assignments . but steve seemed okay with it and we were very glad to have him .
we then spent hours discussing what methods could be employed to utilize the urltoken mailing list to help comics retailers without diminishing the value of that asset . i thought i came up with several good suggestions based on the positive responses i received from steve . perhaps i was once again being incredibly naive , but i really believed that steve geppi was sincere in trying to find solutions to his conflict of interest . upon parting for the airport i agreed to send steve a summary of our discussions , listing specific suggestions . i also agreed to continue to consider being a part of the process .
as to gemstone’s woes : disney drove such a hard bargain with gladstone ( bruce hamilton ) , that he stopped publishing the line . steve geppi picked it up for his love of the “ducks” knowing full well that it would probably be a money - losing proposition for years to come–but steve wanted to see donald , huey , duey , louie and uncle scrooge return home from europe to the good old usa in triumph . folly or not — fifty years from now when the gemstone issues are bringing a thousand dollars a copy ( or more ) steve’s publishing contributions will be remembered with gratitude .
the question , as always when we report on geppi’s financial matters , is where does this leave diamond ? every diamond employee we’ve ever spoken to has assured us that there is a financial firewall between geppi’s personal business like the museum and the galleries , and diamond comics distributors .
a grid of video monitors displays the first issue of action comics , introducing the man of steel in 1938 , at geppis entertainment museum .
have known steve geppi neigh on 40 years now since we were both sub - distributors for new media . diamond has always been fair minded striving to do the best job possible , just like so many others of us in this wonderful hobby turned big biz . check em out on ebay .
these ideas were designed to mitigate , not eliminate the conflict of interest issues presented by joint ownership . i have to point out , however , that i only took this approach when it was made clear to me that steve geppi never intended to ever let urltoken get away from his ownership . divestiture of urltoken is the actual best solution . then diamond ' s hands would be once again clean , and the conflict of interest issue would be moot . . but that ' s not going to happen . steve geppi clearly understands that a substantial portion of the future of comics retailing is on the internet , and he intends to dominate that niche . if you have any doubt of that fact , just ask yourself the question : have you ever seen steve geppi enter into any venture without going all - out to win ? understanding that factor made me realize that i had better prepare for an unprecedented blitz of internet competition from urltoken . steve milo may have been an inefficient competitor , but steve geppi has the resources , and the skill , to cause great harm to mile high comics , and every other retailer in the direct market . assuming he will not , out of some sense of past friendship or obligation , is foolishness predators predate . they kill in order to live . that ' s how the world works .
i’d never before seen steve looking…i don’t know . worn down ? worried ? troubled ? hard to say , steve doesn’t exactly show his feelings much , and was not the type to express despair or even its lesser cousins . but he didn’t look happy . he didn’t look well . and he needed work .
i have always considered steve ditko to be spider - man ' s co - creator .
- stan lee ( in a letter to ditko )
nobody has done more in recent years for the comics industry than steve geppi . where would marvel and dc be today without his wisdom and diamond’s expertise in comic book distribution ? george t . delacorte ( dell ) , whom had the most extensive comic books distribution network in usa history failed in 1960 - 61 and western publishing suddenly found themselves on their own with multiple independent distributors ripping them off at every chance . had steve geppi appeared on the scene ten years before with diamond , chances are there would still be a “gold key” comics line on the shelves today . think about that .
chuck rozanski : my initial contact with the justice department was when they called me for my opinion on steve geppi’s acquisition of anotheruniverse . com . i told them that i considered his personal ownership of the leading internet retailer of comics to be a direct conflict of interest with his other role as the owner of diamond comic distributors , the sole - source supplier to the retail comics trade of marvel , dc , image , and dark horse publications . but i told the investigators that i was negotiating with steve geppi personally to find ways to mitigate the conflicts involved with his ownership of anotheruniverse . com .
morphy said he looks forward to an ongoing collaboration with the geppi companies , which will be referring appropriate consignments to the newly minted auction house .
get the chance to ask geppi questions yourself . during the livestream , leave a question in the comments for geppi to answer ! make sure to tune into the interview live at 2 : 30pm , wednesday , feb . 8 , on comicwow ! ’s facebook page . see you then !
a recipient of many prestigious awards , mr . geppi has been honored numerous times in his hometown for his professional accomplishments and his tireless philanthropy .
state records show that geppi earned $ 109 , 000 a year . spiroff earned $ 91 , 000 ; morin earned $ 81 , 000 .
documents in baltimore county circuit court show that several limited - liability companies in which geppi was an investor borrowed $ 18 . 6 million in december 2006 to acquire waterfront properties for development in maine and that geppi signed a personal guaranty on the note . the borrowers defaulted in october 2008 .
, who died in 2009 , was the letterer on
steve canyon
from 1975 - 88 . this year ' s event was hosted by brian o ' halloran , known for playing dante in the
clerks
movies . the
walking dead
comic book and artist fiona staples ( artist of
saga
) won multiple awards . steve geppi was given the
shel dorf legacy award .
geppi owns diamond , which he grew from a small comics distributor in the early ' 80s to a current monopoly of the industry . he also has an amazing collection , which you can view at
anyway , i met steve , probably there . what an honor . i loved his work . when i was a kid i tried to emulate his style .
steve came back to marvel in 1979 , where he drew machine man : the one title along with tales to astonish which he shared runs with jack kirby .
stephen a . geppi was a postman with an 8th grade education . but he became a multi - millionaire comic book distributor , and he used his money and his connections to create geppi ' s entertainment museum . its purpose , according to its brochure , is to show that pop culture collectibles mirror american history and are educational for kids . geppi knows this first - hand , since he reportedly attributes his own literacy to batman comics .
in 2008 , an investigation by the daily record showed geppi ' s entertainment museum went 19 months without making any kind of payment to its landlord and accumulated a debt of more than $ 700 , 000 to the state in rent and other fees . geppi settled the debt in early 2009 .
i dont know the whole story , only part , will try to get more info , but it is not a good one , bought ar and did not pay in full or something like that , dont know how it settled out if it ever did , will let you know more as i find out about it but 4 . 6 million dollar purchase and h hamilton sued geppi in fed court after he stopped making payments according to april 10 , 2010 suit filed in ariz . she says geppi owes her more than 3 million after not making payment for 2 years , found the lawsuit goggle helen hamilton trust vs steve geppi and look to pdf file that says kenneth . . . what a story over 3 million . . . movie posters , comic books , bruces collection . . . . sued steve geppi and diamond . . poor widow and bruce is gone and so is 6400 carl barks autographs .
in january of 1995 , geppi opened diamond international galleries , a gallery devoted to comics , comic collectibles and related art . he recently opened the geppi’s entertainment museum at camden yards and has continued to expand his interests within the collectibles field with the addition of auction houses hake’s americana and morphy auctions .
geppi said the firings and the suspensions would cause severe harm to the department ' s attempts to fight corruption in the state ' s correctional institutions .
as far as i know , steve ditko never worked there , but , like i said , almost everybody stopped by at some point for one reason or another .
there are several old photos of steve ditko available online . as of the last time i saw him he looked the same as always , just a little older .
from left : comics4kids inc president dale moore in sarasota florida getting hired at cgc in 2002 with cgc’s steve borock , audrey , john slater , and mark haspel .
geppi has faced financial trouble in recent years . last may , the maryland stadium authority agreed to reduce the rent paid by geppi ' s entertainment museum for its space in camden station at camden yards after the museum struggled to pay its rent . pnc bank won a $ 16 . 4 million judgment against geppi in january 2009 , while harbor bank of maryland won a $ 3 . 5 million judgment last month , baltimore county circuit court records show .
. geppi was already in the business as a retailer at that time : he had left his job as a letter carrier for the u . s . postal service in 1974 to open his first shop , geppi ' s comic world , which operated out of the basement of a tv repair shop .
sunday’s season 6 premiere of the amc show “comic book men , ” spotlighting the continuing adventures of writer - director - comic geek kevin smith and the staff at his jay and silent bob’s secret stash comic store , included a stop at the museum adjacent to camden yards and a visit with its owner , steve geppi .
in regard to the existing internet retailers , i think it should be clear that having steve geppi own urltoken has a far greater immediate impact on those entities than it does storefront retailers . we ' ve gone from having a flamboyant , but poorly managed online competitor , to having the largest available pool of both working capital , and managerial talent , in the comics industry brought to bear against our own online marketing programs . this is a chilling and depressing turn of events . particularly since we ' ve trusted steve geppi for so many years as our primary supplier supplier . to find an equitable middle ground , i have suggested the following :
one of the
last loyal customers
when new media began having fiscal difficulties , geppi made a deal with shuster :
[ t ] he owner was going into retail ,
so geppi agreed to provide shuster with
free books for a period of time in return for his account list .
i say most of this stuff is crap and politics . i don’t see geppi going anywhere or those suits having much merit . show me the facts .
robert m . overstreet
bio at geppi ' s entertainment . accessed apriw 7 , 2009 archived juwy 18 , 2009 , at de wayback machine .
i read recently about a whole slew of crippling financial problems that geppi was going through , on both a personal divorce level , to big business problems .
offensively for the wildcats , holtzapple and geppi led the team with two rbis each , while parker was the only player with a multi - hit game .
in terms of feedback , i have had 100 % support . there are those who are ( quite naturally ) skeptical that we will win , but all those who have written me have praised me for taking this public stance in opposition of the steve geppi / anotheruniverse . com / diamond / nextplanetover . com potential combination .
please understand , however , that i harbor no false illusions . in the end , steve geppi may win out even in litigation . he is very clever , has powerful allies , and his legal team is very resourceful . i know that by taking the lead in contacting you that i am placing myself in a position of never being able to expect any favors , or mercy , from steve geppi , or diamond , ever again . but i could never respect myself again if i didn ' t at least ask you to try to stop them . that ' s why i finally came to the difficult decision of writing to you for help .
there’s no bail - out funds headed for steve geppi , but perhaps there should be . if we lose comic books ( an american invention ) we lose an important part of our chidren’s and grandchildren’s heritage . at the least those who stiffed ( and are stiffing ) diamond should pony up . i imagine a lot of flak headed my way for this post , but let it come . i helped to found fandom some 40 years ago and my gut feeling is that we should pull together now and offer steve geppi all the good will and support that we possibly can to help him get past his time of trouble — our time of trouble .
somewhat reluctantly , herman rush and i followed steve to his car . we drove from diamond’s timonium , maryland headquarters to baltimore , specifically , to camden yards , where oriole park , m t bank stadium and geppi’s entertainment museum are located . there are also restaurants and upscale shops in the complex , plus two other museums .
time came to go . steve drove us to the train station . pretty much exhausted but abuzz with ideas , herman and i made our way back to new york .
steve and herman apparently became interested in or consumed by other matters . nothing ever came of our meeting or the grand dreams herman and i had on the way home .
melissa bowersox , geppi’s entertainment museum president , had a different start for her love of comics . as the daughter of steve geppi , bowersox was quite literally born into the comic industry . even going as far as to call having darth vader and spider - man as bodyguards in the inner harbor as her normal . from working in the warehouse during the summer to assisting as a receptionist , bowersox eventually worked her way up to help her father ' s dream of a museum a reality .
before i mention the specific proposals i made to steve geppi , i need to define the two sets of discussions presently underway . first , i am negotiating for mile high comics , and other mail order / internet retailers . these retailers are immediately impacted by any actions taken to revive urltoken . the second set of discussions are more specific to the concerns raised in your column about the impact of the marketing programs of urltoken on comics retailers in general , and how steve geppi / diamond need to alter what ' s being done so as to not damage the customers of diamond . this discussions are certainly not mutually exclusive , but they do cover different areas of concern
yesterday , we reported on the unmitigated gall of diamond comics distributors founder and head steve geppi posting a long - winded diatribe on facebook ( plagiarized from , though later attributed to , another writer ) about how there are two americas , one where people work hard to become the successful owners of comics distribution monopolies , and another where god damn liberals like president obama want to take the wealth away from these poor , victimized rich people and give it away to lazy poor people who don ' t want to work for a living . geppi ' s post was the subject of much discussion on comics social media , and this led to outspoken comics writer mark waid visiting geppi ' s facebook page to argue with him about it . waid fired the opening salvo in the comments of geppi ' s original post :
if i were a publisher , i would hire steve ditko in a heartbeat . as jim said , he ' s a founding father , and should be treated as such .
steve calrow , who helped broker the sale , said barks has a worldwide following as the “no . 1 donald duck story writer and artist” and the creator of scrooge mcduck .
chuck rozanski : it seems an unreasonable consolidation of the market . but i respect the individual members of the dc management team very much . after this situation with steve geppi , however , who i had considered a personal friend since 1977 , i would like their assurances that any such deal would be reasonable to be put into writing .
geppi of diamond cawws on retaiwers to voice objections to pubwishers ,
the comics journaw # 113 ( december 1986 ) , pp . 12 - 14 .
gonzalez morin said she was questioned by the maryland state police about alleged sexual misconduct in her division . geppi and gonzalez morin both said the allegations were unfounded .
however , years ago , when there were nearly 20 distributors ( maybe more ) , marvel’s then - sales - manager carol kalish kept a wary eye on steve geppi . “if steve had his way , ” she said presciently , “he’d be the only distributor . ” one of carol’s major concerns was all of the comics market’s eggs being in one basket . to that end she was particularly aggressive in opening up new and regional distributors , strongly favoring a distributor base of many small fish rather than one large one .