scte member focus
What would you like to see improve across the sector? Capital availability remains the key to moving past the current stagnation — for consolidation, for system and CX improvements, and for efficiency gains. This will improve as more businesses reach profitability and as opportunistic M&A gathers pace. Copper switch off and better fibre awareness are essential to accelerate take up. But ultimately, we need clearer, more compelling use cases for gigabit connectivity — whether delivered via HFC or fibre. Demonstrating tangible value will drive adoption and help restore sustainable pricing. Have you had any mentors over the course of your career, and how did they help you? Yes, several. Early in my career, experienced engineers, PMs and line managers helped me progress. As I moved into management and later consulting, Mike Thornton was a consistent guiding light — deeply supportive as I learned the ropes at ComTel, where I became a director at 28 under his leadership.
What do you anticipate happening in the industry over the next 2–5 years? With debt funding constrained, consolidation is widely seen as the primary route to value creation — and significant rationalisation will follow. In the meantime, operators will need to hunker down, sell hard, cut costs and push towards profitability. It will be painful to scale back after so much investment in scaling up. Technology will play a major role in the next phase. IT and AI will be essential for innovation, efficiency and leaner operating models — from predictive maintenance to automated provisioning and smarter customer interactions. Consolidation will bring complexity and engineering challenges, but within that lies real opportunity for those ready to solve them.
As I progressed, other leaders provided inspiration and perspective. More recently, I’ve leaned on my Boards and Chairs — sector specialists whose experience and objectivity were invaluable in tough situations. I also work with an executive coach, who has helped me understand my strengths, potential blind spots and leadership style, and provided tools that have genuinely improved my performance. I’ve always tried to pay that forward by supporting others coming through the ranks. What would you tell a young entrant just getting started in this industry? Work hard, show initiative and stand out. Ask questions and keep learning — not just within your role, but across the business. While you’ll get support, don’t expect others to build your career for you. Embrace change, stretch yourself and take on challenges that make you uncomfortable. Build a strong network inside and outside your organisation and seek out mentors. Your knowledge, skills, initiative and relationships are your future in telecoms — one of the most dynamic and exciting industries to be part of.
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MARCH 2026 Volume 48 No.1
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