1) What was your first job?
My first job was straight out of university working for Rank Xerox selling photocopiers. I joined as a regular employee rather than on the graduate intake as I had seen in the past how graduates on fast-track schemes were often treated with suspicion. I received six weeks of residential training on sales which is unheard of these days and was taught that sales is a profession – something I have taken with me for the rest of my life.
2) What led you into a career in telecoms?
I was approached by BT Mobile in 1994 when they were looking for sales experts to sell into major corporates. GSM was just arriving and we were trying to sell 9.6kbps data cards to companies across the UK. BT was and is a great company and I learnt so much working for BT Mobile and then BT Global Sales and Service where I had a portfolio of over 5,000 products and services. I was hooked, especially on the BT Intranet where I began to understand the power of the internet and what its potential could be.
3) Without naming and shaming, tell us about your worst ever boss?
That’s an easy one – this individual was someone you could not trust. Silky smooth on the outside and very charming, but not someone you could build a trusting relationship with. For me a great boss is someone you can learn from, someone you like, and someone you trust – the individual was likeable but missed on the other two!
4) What has been your worst business travel experience?
I was in Milan one time with my boss, and we had an incredibly early start to get back to London. We took a car out to Milan Malpensa airport which is way out of the city, only to find that our flight was actually from Linate which is close to the city itself. We jumped back in another taxi and raced for our plane, only to find we had missed the flight and the only available plane was back at Malpensa. So the start of our day was spending some four hours in a taxi with a rather frustrated boss.
5) What has been the proudest moment in your career?
It’s actually a very recent one. My team recently won a significant and strategic deal with MTN where we are simplifying and streamlining much of their BSS operations. It’s a significant multi-year deal where we are providing end-to-end management of their wholesale billing and business services platform. What made me most proud was that it was an incredible team effort and demonstrated the depth of relationship we had with MTN and the deep understanding that we had of their business. It also showed a deep level of trust that takes years to attain.
6) Where do you see yourself in five years?
I absolutely see myself at CSG. A great company with great people, the highest standards of business and ethics, as well as a vision for how they can help support the hopes and dreams of communications service providers and media companies alike as they race forward into a digital world. I have fun working there, which is important, and I have a team around me who I truly believe in.
