Our commitment to responsible business practices include efforts to reduce our environmental impact, invest in our employees, and produce high-quality programming that informs, entertains, and inspires countless people. We firmly believe that by integrating our business practices into our core values, honoring out commitments to our employees, customers, Partners, while operating under the strictest ethical standards of business conduct, we can make a difference for a better world.
Our continued success depends on our people, and we strive to create an inclusive workplace where employees feel valued and inspired. In a competitive marketplace, it is increasingly important to attract and retain talent. We do that by cultivating new leaders, supporting career development, and recognizing the talents of the diverse men and women who work at ROKiT.
JONATHAN KENDRICKCO-FOUNDER/CHAIRMANJonathan Kendrick is the Co-founder and Chairman of ROKiT Industries. As a serial entrepreneur, Jonathan began his business career through securing the European rights to then-unknown Yokohama tires brand (which, having successfully brought to market, he sold back to Yokohama).During the mid 90’s Jonathan continued to work in the tire business and brought the unknown, Indonesian tire brand, Gajah Tunggal to the UK, turning it into one of the leading retailers. Later that decade, Jonathan started to work in the telecoms business, developing an innovative system for British Telecom to sell pre-paid vouchers electronically, and eventually sold the company in 1998. During this time he continued to support his passion for football by running a football financing company, and supporting a selection of League One football teams.
Recognizing, early on, the enormous potential of the mobile industry, Jonathan founded ROK to create the technology to simplify the process of pre-paid vouchers for mobile phones. Jonathan sold ROK’s electronic voucher technology to a leading mobile industry player in 2002, while still retaining the ROK brand – which he re-launched with co-founder, fellow entrepreneur, John Paul DeJoria, founder of Paul Mitchell line of hair products and Patron Tequila.
Over the next decade Jonathan began to focus on the telecommunications world by providing mobile television to network providers around the world. In 2007 Jonathan streamed the world’s first live music concert over mass-market 2.5G via GPRS to mobile and was streamed across a 4 hour period, live and exclusive, to mobile operator AIS’s ROK TV service. Due to the success in Thailand it led to the formation of ROK TV. ROK TV deployed in over 50 countries by 2013. Partners included China mobile, AIS Thailand, Telenor in Pakistan, American Movil in Latin America, Celcom in Malaysia, and the world’s first free tv mobile service offered globally called Freebe tv.
In 2018, Jonathan and John-Paul created ROKiT, a people-first telecoms company selling a selection of value-driven mobile handsets, paired with vital-life services such as telemedicine and roadside assistance as well as smart phones featuring glasses-free 3D screens. In Fall of 2018, came the introduction of ROKiT Cities, a wide area mesh networking WiFi XL service to help connect some of the poorest communities around the world, starting with 27 of the largest cities in India.
Jonathan has a portfolio of drink brands within ROKiT Industries. These include ABK Beer brewed in the 700-year-old Bavarian brewery and a small-batch, hand crafted artisan spirits brand called Bogart’s Spirits created in partnership with the Humphrey Bogart estate, and Bandero a premium 100% blue agave tequila. In addition to his extensive success as a entrepreneur, Jonathan is an accomplished film producer. Most recently as the Executive Producer for “Wonders of the Sea” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 2019 Jonathan won his first Gold and Silver Telly Awards. Jonathan also has a record label, comic book business, natural spring water company and multiple investments in games companies, crypto currency and emerging technology.
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JOHN PAUL DEJORIACO-FOUNDERBorn and raised in Los Angeles, California, and residing in Austin, Texas, Mr. John Paul DeJoria is best known for co-founding two iconic global multi-billion-dollar-valued brands: Paul Mitchell and Patron.In 1980, Mr. DeJoria and hairstylist Mr. Paul Mitchell used a partially borrowed US$700.00 to co-found Century City, California-based John Paul Mitchell Systems (JPMS). The famous black & white bottle was the result of not having enough money for color printing. JPMS has approximately 325 full-time employees and a global network of hundreds of educators to teach advanced artistic & technical training classes. Mr. DeJoria remains chairman of the company.
Kline & Company ranks JPMS first in Care & Style sales in the United States and Euromonitor International, the leading independent provider of market research, ranks JPMS second in global sales of professional beauty products. JPMS professional and salon sales-at-retail are approximately US$2.7 billion.
JPMS brands are available in more than 100,000 hair salons in 115 countries. There are three distribution channels: professional, salon-to-customer and direct-to-consumer for which salons can also receive compensation. There are 106 Paul Mitchell schools throughout the United States, with more planned, and two in Europe. The company produces salon-quality hair care, hair color and styling tools through a family of brands including Paul Mitchell®, Paul Mitchell® Professional Hair Color, Paul Mitchell® Pro Tools™, Tea Tree, Awapuhi Wild Ginger®, MITCH®, MVRCK®, Neuro®, and Marula Oil. JPMS was the first company to take a stand against animal testing since its inception in 1980.
In 1989, Mr. DeJoria co-founded (eventually having a 70% shareholding) Patron Spirits International. In 2018, Bermuda-based Bacardi Limited purchased the company at a valuation of US$5.1 billion. Mr. DeJoria is chairman emeritus of the company. Mr. DeJoria’s current commercial interests include investments in ROKiT Industries, John Paul Pet, Daily Body Restore, Bonanza Park and DeJoria Center at High Star Ranch, among others.
Established in 2011, and with assets exceeding US$50 million, JP’s Peace, Love & Happiness Foundation channels the DeJoria family’s commitment to contributing to a sustainable planet through investing in people, protecting animals and conserving the environment. Partners include Grow Appalachia, Waterkeeper Alliance, Sea Shepard Conservation Society, Mobile Loaves & Fishes Serving Goodness, Keep Austin Fed, Chrysalis, SAFE, and CONNECTHER Film Festival, among others. Also In 2011, Mr. DeJoria signed the “Giving Pledge” created in 2010 by Mr. and Mrs. Bill Gates and Mr. Warren Buffet. Today, the commitment includes more than 200 of the world’s wealthiest individuals who will “give the majority of their wealth to address some of society’s most pressing problems.”
Mr. DeJoria has been profiled globally for his corporate and philanthropic initiatives across a multitude of media outlets including ABC’s 20/20, CNN, Forbes magazine, Fortune magazine, Fox, Fox Business, Bloomberg, CNBC, MSNBC, and NBC, among others. He has also appeared as a mentor for budding entrepreneurs via a guest shark appearance on CNBC’s Shark Tank television program.
In 2018, Mr. DeJoria was appointed Ambassador-At-Large by the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, where his family has commercial interests. Mr. DeJoria is a registered Independent. Mr. and Mrs. DeJoria have six children, thirteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
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JAMES KENDRICKCHIEF OPERATING OFFICERJames is responsible for the overall operations of the Company and charged with implementing the strategy set by the Board on all aspects of the global operations. Working very closely with all of the senior management team, James orchestrates the business priorities so that delivery targets for all technical and operational areas are understood and achieved throughout the Group.James is an experienced international Director whose background in marketing and advertising led him to become a main partner and Managing Director for one of the Virgin Group of Companies successfully working with a number of blue chip brands throughout his career including Proctor & Gamble, Cadbury Schweppes, Budweiser, Tesco, Pepsi, Lloyds TSB, Virgin Atlantic, Monster.com and Volkswagen.
DEAN BECKERVICE CHAIRMANDean Becker is Vice Chairman of ROKiT Industries where he is Globally recognized as a pioneer in the wireless industry. He has extensive experience as a principal in venture capital and private equity funded transactions with a focus in the telecommunications industry.Mr. Becker has been involved in over 8 Billion dollars of intellectual property based transactions. Mr. Becker’s market-making experience extends back more than 30 years across several technologies. He founded 422 Inc., an innovative wireless directory assistance service. He also served as the Chairman and CEO of eWireless, a patent-based abbreviated dial service across all major wireless carriers that enabled direct response consumer marketing for participating radio advertisers.
Mr. Becker served previously as the Chairman and CEO of Becker Beeper until it was acquired by Arch Telecommunications (NASDAQ Company). He also served as CEO of ICAP IP & ICAP Media when ICAP was a FTSE 100 company.
