From Mobile Phone Exec to UK Magician of the Year - Paul Innes

Paul's career began in telecommunications in the late 90s when he joined BT Cellnet (later rebranded as O2) as a Retail Store Manager in the North East of England. Over the following decade he built an exceptional track record, managing seven O2 stores across the region including flagship locations at Eldon Square and Northumberland Street in Newcastle and the Metrocentre in Gateshead. His talent for leadership saw him climb steadily through the organisation. He eventually rose to become Territory Leader covering Scotland and the North of England, and later moved into national strategic roles as UK Stores Lead and UK Channels Development Lead. Behind the scenes, though, Paul was living a double life. By day he'd put on his suit, commute to work, hit his targets and make his numbers. He succeeded by being an open book, someone the organisation could trust through & through. But on evenings and weekends, Paul had discovered a new life of exhilaration, of missed heartbeats and adrenaline. It was an underworld where he could reveal his extraordinary ability to distract and deceive and be celebrated for his otherworldly powers. So, after 21 years at O2 & Virgin Media O2, Paul decided to take a leap into the unknown and become a full-time magician. He quickly established himself as one of the most sought-after magicians in the North East accumulating recognition quickly and culminating with the title of the 2026 UK Magician of the Year at the national Wedding Industry Awards. In 1962 the author Arthur C. Clarke wrote his third law stating that "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic". In Paul's case we're skipping past the tech stuff and going straight for the magic. 🪄💨😀