Welcoming Roger Linnell as Chief Information Officer
A significant appointment for Vortex Circular Solutions — and a clear signal of where we're heading.
We're delighted to announce that Roger Linnell has joined Vortex Circular Solutions as Chief Information Officer.
It's an appointment that says a lot about our ambitions. Bringing in a CIO of Roger's calibre isn't just about running IT well — it's about treating technology, data and systems as central to how we deliver value for our customers, not as something that happens in the background.
Why this appointment matters
Chain of custody, real-time asset tracking, transparent ESG reporting, secure data destruction — the things that set Vortex apart aren't logistics promises. They're technology and information challenges. Getting them right, at scale, across the UK, Europe and beyond, takes senior IT leadership that understands both the technical detail and the commercial impact.
That's exactly what Roger brings.
A career built at the intersection of IT and business
Roger is a business-led senior IT leader with a track record across B2B and B2C in the professional, consultancy, marketing, retail, pharmaceutical and corporate sectors. He's worked for world-class organisations including Redeem Group, RR Donnelley and Schawk — and throughout, his approach has been consistent: commercially aware, strategically minded, and focused on delivering cost-appropriate IT solutions that drive real business change.
He's P&L experienced and technically astute, with the ability to manage budgets, revenues and — crucially — the genuine business impact of IT rather than technology for its own sake. Change management, business transformation, IT service transition, technology roadmaps and software applications are the areas he's spent his career in, and the ones he's genuinely passionate about.
The Redeem connection
There's one part of Roger's background that makes this appointment particularly fitting.
As Director of Group IT at Redeem Group, Roger was responsible for all aspects of IT across the UK and Europe — for a mobile phone and technology recycling business. In other words, he's already led the technology function for a company doing exactly the kind of work Vortex does. He understands this sector from the inside.
At Redeem, as an executive board member covering IT for the UK, Nordics and Western European business, he:
Developed and implemented a group IT strategy aligned to business unit objectives and wider group strategy
Restructured legacy, disjointed IT teams, infrastructure and applications into a single group function
Strengthened the internal development team, delivering significant cost savings against contract resource
Integrated infrastructure across the group, removing duplication and standardising cloud and on-premise
Established an IT operations support and delivery team servicing both internal stakeholders and external clients
Managed all third-party IT vendors, from selection through execution to business-as-usual support
Built the group IT security function and rolled out GDPR and ISO 27001 compliance
Took full responsibility for operational costs and capex spend within budget
Led project prioritisation, progress monitoring and stakeholder management through to delivery
Managed and mentored his teams, building a culture of ownership, responsibility and accountability
That combination — group IT strategy, security and compliance, vendor management and cost discipline, all within a tech recycling context — is close to a perfect brief for where Vortex is going.
From RAF jets to the boardroom
Before all of it, Roger began his career as an RAF officer, flying jets and helicopters. It's not the usual route into a CIO role — but the discipline, decision-making under pressure and precision that background demands have clearly stayed with him throughout his career.
What this means going forward
Roger's arrival is about building the technology and information backbone that lets Vortex scale without ever compromising on the things our customers rely on: complete chain of custody, secure data handling, robust compliance and reporting they can trust.
As we grow our reach and take on larger, more complex programmes, having a CIO who's already led IT for a technology recycling business — and who thinks about IT in commercial, not just technical, terms — puts us in a genuinely strong position.
Please join us in welcoming Roger to the team.
Want to talk to us about your own asset lifecycle?
e: enquiries@vortexcircularsolutions.com
t: +44 (0) 7738 167 357
Advancing Sustainability Through Circular Tech.