What aspect of the industry do you think has the most potential for growth, and, on the other hand, which aspect do you think needs the most improvement?
In terms of what we see as growth opportunities in our market and specifically in the Americas, it’s largely going to be driven by product type. In the transport or traditional capacity space, we see a deeper adoption of 100G technology across the customer base and, with that, a growth in demand and reach in the wholesale space. On the IP side of our business, we see huge and exciting opportunities for growth with nontraditional content delivery networks (CDNs) and content owners reaching further into developing markets. At the same time, we also see great opportunities with an ever more sophisticated and educated ISP customer base that demands greater quality of service and the flexibility to configure their service to suit their own customer bases.
When you imagine the future of the technology industry, what does it look like?
After 2020, technology has become an even bigger part of our lives than it was before with the explosion of connectivity needs and demand that was generated and met by those in the industry. I see the future of our industry moving in the direction of expanding that connectivity to those who don’t have access to it in the same way that most of us do today. I anticipate a focus on giving back to the community — connecting rural communities intra-regionally or connecting islands together to build infrastructure and expand their futures. I think we will see infrastructure as a service becoming the norm, which is a good thing.
What is the most valuable life lesson you have learned so far and how has it helped you in your career?
There are a couple. The first being that no one is indispensable — that is key to remember not only as an employee but also as part of a leadership team. The second is more specific to my particular industry, and that is, relationships are key. The subsea space is a small group where everyone knows everyone else, and building relationships based on trust and mutual respect are very important to happiness and success.
What three adjectives come to mind when you think about your future path?
Inspirational, exciting, and ambitious.
