Phil Riley

Phil Riley (48) was Chief Executive of Chrysalis Radio from June 1999 to July 2007, having played a major role in establishing Chrysalis Radio as one of the leading new entrants in the UK radio industry. Phil resigned his post after leading the successful sale of Chrysalis Radio to private company Global Radio in July 2007.

Riley's radio career started in 1980, when he joined Birmingham's 96.4 BRMB as a graduate trainee. In 1990 he was appointed managing director of Leeds' 96.3 Radio Aire, which he managed from near-bankruptcy to profitability. He left in 1994 to join the newly-formed Chrysalis Radio as Managing Director of its first station, 100.7 Heart FM in Birmingham - a role he reprised the following year for sister-station Heart 106.2 in London.

Phil was active in the development of digital radio, sitting on the board of the Digital Radio Development Bureau (DRDB), as well as chairing multiplex consortium MXR (in which Chrysalis was the lead shareholder). On a wider industry level, Phil held main board memberships of The Radio Centre (formerly the CRCA and RAB) for over ten years. He also sat on the Rajar Board. Phil has an MBA (specialising in Marketing) from Columbia Business School.

He now advises media company boards on strategy matters, and at the end of 2007 was named Executive Chairman of a bid for EMAP Radio, backed by Private Equity group Vitruvian partners.