Skip to main content

Purple Appoints Commercial Leader Tom Smith as Regional Growth Director to Lead North East Expansion and Social Impact Strategy

By Claudia Hill
20 February 2026
2 min read
Purple Appoints Commercial Leader Tom Smith as Regional Growth Director to Lead North East Expansion and Social Impact Strategy
Regional Public Sector Strategy

Regional Connectivity & Social Impact Advisor

Model digital inclusion reach, citizen time savings, and B Corp social value for councils, NHS trusts, and regional public estates.

Strategic Regional Impact Model

Citizens Supported
~11,700
Digitally excluded residents connected per month
Citizen Time Saved
~17,550 hrs
Annual friction eliminated vs legacy splash forms
Estimated Social Value (SROI)
£2,035,800
Annual community economic benefit delivered
Recommended Architecture:Council-Wide OpenRoaming & Passpoint Estate with GovWifi Peering
Priority Initiative:Seamless civic roaming across town halls, libraries, and high streets

Enables Newcastle-style regional connectivity where residents move between civic venues with automatic, secure WiFi and zero repetitive splash forms.

Discuss North East & Regional Connectivity with Tom Smith

Book a direct conversation with Purple’s Regional Growth Director to review your estate and social impact strategy.

📅 Book a chat with Tom
Useful? Link to this tool

Purple, the B Corp-certified leader in guest WiFi, has announced the appointment of Tom Smith as Regional Growth Director. With over 15 years of experience in high-value commercial leadership, Smith joins the team to spearhead a strategy that demonstrates that revenue growth and social impact can go hand in hand.

Smith brings a formidable track record to the role, having previously held commercial positions with major brands including Mail Metro Media and Checkatrade. Known for his ability to turn underdeveloped territories into high-performing regions, he has built and mentored sales teams and secured long-term partnerships with both blue-chip and public sector clients through data-driven growth plans.

At Purple, Smith’s priority is to establish the North East as a leading national example of how technology can improve physical-world connections while actively tackling digital exclusion.

“The North East is Purple’s flagship region and the blueprint for how we want to connect the rest of the UK,” said Tom Smith, Regional Growth Director at Purple. “My focus is to build on our success with Newcastle City Council by partnering with the right organisations to deliver seamless, secure, ‘everywhere’ connectivity.

“As a B Corp, we have a responsibility to ensure our technology does good, not just power guest WiFi. We’re using our infrastructure to help address digital exclusion and ensure no one is left behind in an increasingly connected world. I’m excited to lead a regional growth strategy where driving revenue and driving social impact go hand-in-hand to support sustainable growth for the North East.”

The appointment aligns with Purple’s broader "Free the Internet" movement and the rollout of its Purple app, which removes the friction of Captive Portals to provide universal, secure access to over 5 million hotspots worldwide.

Smith will be based in the North East, leading regional expansion and supporting the company’s mission to support digital inclusion across the region. 

Local businesses and public sector leaders interested in discussing regional connectivity and sustainable growth can book a chat with Tom here.

‍

Frequently asked questions

Who is Tom Smith and what is his role at Purple?

Tom Smith is Purple's Regional Growth Director, leading commercial expansion and public sector partnerships across the North East of England. With more than 15 years of commercial leadership experience, he oversees initiatives that align revenue growth with measurable digital inclusion across municipal and healthcare estates.

How does Purple guest WiFi help local authorities tackle digital exclusion?

Purple enables local authorities and city councils to deploy accessible, frictionless public WiFi across libraries, town halls, and urban spaces. By eliminating burdensome captive portal login barriers and supporting Passpoint, Purple provides digitally excluded and data-poor citizens with vital access to online public services, healthcare, and employment support.

Why is B Corp certification important for public sector WiFi procurement?

As a certified B Corp, Purple meets verified standards of social and environmental performance, legal accountability, and public transparency. For public sector procurement teams, partnering with a B Corp ensures that WiFi infrastructure investments deliver verified social value, ethical data governance, and community benefits alongside technical reliability.

How does the Purple app eliminate captive portal friction in public venues?

The Purple app eliminates repetitive captive portal splash forms by automating encrypted, secure connections across more than 5 million hotspots worldwide. Once installed, users connect instantly without re-entering credentials, reducing connection drop-offs while maintaining Friendly WiFi certified safeguarding.

How can regional organizations and businesses collaborate with Purple in the North East?

Local councils, NHS trusts, Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), and commercial venue operators can schedule a direct consultation with Tom Smith to discuss regional connectivity strategies, digital inclusion initiatives, and venue analytics deployments.

Ready to get started?

Book a demo with one of our experts to see how Purple can help you achieve your business goals.

Speak to an expert