VanillaPlus: What was your first job?
Patrick Buttimer: Growing up, my parents owned a pub, so I was into customer service at a young age. Officially, my first job was aged 17 when I joined the Irish Navy working as a computer programmer and administrator on large scale IT projects, including GIS, satellite communications and LAN/WAN rollouts. It was an amazing introduction to technology and I’ve never looked back.
VP: What led you into a career in telecoms?
PB: I moved to London in 1995 and was offered a position at Telecom Italia (TMI) in London. It involved managing the systems that monitored its global network. I then moved to Micromuse and was involved primarily with its European telecoms customers. I designed and implemented systems for the likes of Deutsche Telekom and MCI Worldcom – the late 90s was an interesting time in the service assurance world.
VP: Without naming and shaming, tell us about your worst ever boss.
PB: The worst was one who lacked people skills and avoided talking about issues or problems and was a bluffer and unfair. When I decided to move jobs, at the final interview stage for one company the CEO happened to play sport with my old boss once a month. He and his fellow directors were stunned that he’d be left managing people.
VP: What has been your worst business travel experience?
PB: I actually love travelling and even though I probably average 100 flights a year the only bad experience I can recall was checking into a hotel in Singapore with a colleague at 1am; we had to wake the night porter, who after a while found someone to give us room keys at opposite ends of the building. As the door opened, there were wires sticking out of the broken electric light switch, damp carpets underfoot, no windows and the fridge door had been left open with mouldy food in it. That wasn’t something I expected in Singapore, I have always booked my own hotels since then.
VP: What has been the proudest moment in your career?
PB: There have been many moments that I am proud of, including passing the selection process to get into the Naval Computer Centre at 18 to being part of the team that took Micromuse from being a $25m company in 1997 to having a $6bn Nasdaq valuation in 2000. The successes we have had at Eirteic and Galileo are amazing. But above all, my proudest moment is every time we hire someone new, that fact that people are willing to join our organisation and embrace our culture when there are so many opportunities out there. I believe that we have a great company, with amazing employees and I am proud to lead it.
VP: Where do you see yourself in five years?
PB: Sitting on a beach under a palm tree…nope – that’s not for me, I get bored too easily. I love what I do and I love the challenges each new day brings. Telecoms has changed so much in the last 20 years, it is a fantastic environment to be involved in. I am looking forward to the ongoing transformation within the Telecoms industry and I hope to continue to be part of it.
