This month’s insights from our leaders around the world comes from Gearoid Collins, Director of Sales and Marketing for Vilicom. He is responsible for driving new business, expansion into additional markets across Europe, as well as Vilicom’s brand and marketing. Previously, he served in executive roles at IWG, Virgin Media, and Liberty Global.
What’s the most important development happening in our industry and what does that mean for business?
The mobile telecoms industry has rarely been as vibrant. Mobile Operators battle fiercely for market share of ‘data hungry’ mobile users, while trying to counter the effects of commoditisation, at a time when they are investing heavily in the roll out of 5G Networks.
For our specific industry, the most important development is Open RAN(oRAN), which is helped by the timing of 5G. It’s clear that it has significantly helped operators transform the way they build their networks, but for service providers like us, it has created a cluster and platform for service innovation. Vilicom, for example, is now able to deliver mobile connectivity solutions to anywhere in the world quicker, more cost efficiently and with better levels of service, via our oRAN vRAN cloud hosted infrastructure.
What inspires you most in the work that you do?
Undoubtedly for me, it is building a team to deliver on our ambition to be the undisputed number one company in our industry, by every objective customer measurement. I say undisputed because I genuinely feel we are number one already, but not yet undisputed perhaps.
What is a technique you use to be more effective in your work?
Not a technique as much as a few general behavioural traits – I try to instill an ‘urgency’ and ‘getting it done’ ethos in our work.
What’s one of the ongoing challenges you face at work and how do you manage it?
Time is one certainly. As a leader of any team, you need to be both generous and selfish with how you spend your time. Knowing when you must be a servant to the team and a leader for it is important, especially when you are juggling priorities and constantly looking for ways to do more. I manage this dynamically, it’s a gut thing, and sometimes I probably don’t manage it well as I’d like.
What is your advice for proactively managing your career?
I’m not sure I can impart too much advice on this one, as I’m not Richard Branson yet 😊. My advice to anyone starting out would generally be that if you find what you like and you have a manager who will support and drive you, then you are in fertile ground to become an expert in your field. Stay there until you outgrow it, at which point you must move on.
Who has been the greatest influence on your career and why?
My mother. Having a foundation to build a life and career is so important, that was provided by my parents and my mother who never sits down. I think I got some of that from her.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
Hmmm…. Interesting question! I think many might be surprised to learn that I was an altar boy for about 3 years when I was a child. I can barely believe it myself!
