Berkett confirmed as Virgin's CEO

Neil Berkett has been confirmed as Virgin Media's new permanent chief executive officer.

The appointment comes seven months after he succeeded, on a temporary basis, Steve Burch, who resigned citing "family and personal reasons".

Berkett joined NTL in 2005 as chief operating officer, and continued as COO after the cable operator merged with Telewest and became Virgin Media.

"Neil has a long and successful track record of managing and developing consumer-facing businesses and the board is delighted that he has accepted the role of chief executive officer," said Virgin Media chairman Jim Mooney. "As COO, he was the driving force behind the successful integration of NTL and Telewest. Since taking on the role of acting CEO six months ago, he's demonstrated that he has both the strategic vision and operational experience to take the company into its next phase of growth."

Virgin Media also announced today that its chief financial officer Jacques Kerrest was leaving after four years with the company.

"On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Jacques Kerrest for his outstanding contribution to Virgin Media," said Mooney. "Jacques played a critical role during our company's transition over the last several years and towards enhancing our profile in the financial community. Among other things, he oversaw the complex financing of the merger with Telewest, the acquisition of Virgin Mobile and the successful refinancing of Virgin Media. He also led the integration of the finance department and oversaw the company's SEC and SOX compliance. We very much appreciate his willingness to remain with the company beyond his initial contract term and we wish him every success for the future."