Baxendale rejoins Brightstar as chief business development officer

Former MPD and AO man will oversee device protection and lifecycle services

Richard Baxendale has rejoined Brightstar as chief business development officer, having left his previous role as managing director of AO Mobile.

His remit includes overseeing global business development for Brightstar’s device protection business as well as its broader portfolio of device lifecycle services in Europe. He is also president of Brightstar’s European device protection business.

According to Companies House filings, Baxendale left his role at AO at the end of March.

Baxendale’s initial stint at the distributor occurred from 2001 to 2007, when he rose from associate sales director to business development director.

He then took on the UK and Ireland managing director role of Tech Data Mobile, a joint venture between Tech Data and Brightstar, where he became managing director for sales and then vice president of services for Europe before leaving in 2015.

After taking some time out from the industry to pursue an MBA, he became CEO of online retailer Mobile Phones Direct (MPD) in 2017. Following MPD’s acquisition by retailer AO World in 2018, Baxendale became managing director of AO’s mobile business in 2019, at a time when it experienced significant growth.

Baxendale’s appointment is Brightstar’s first major hire since it bought a majority stake in mobile repair firm WeFix, and the first since the departure of Mike Mitchinson as UK MD in February after just six months in the role.

Earlier this year, the distributor also brought in David Brassington from Tech Data as head of network operators, and Jon Charters from Sony Mobile as head of retail.

Baxendale and Brightstar have been reached for comment.