Can you brief us about the company, its Unique Offerings and the service.
Jurassic Fibre is an award-winning full fibre broadband provider based in Exeter. Founded in 2018 by Sidmouth resident, Michael Maltby, the company is armed with £250 million investment from Fern Trading to build its own cutting-edge network across the South West, passing over 350,000 homes. The network provides unrivalled connectivity, with speeds of up to 950Mbps for residents and 10Gbps for businesses. Jurassic Fibre has a growing presence in the marketplace and was named Best New Internet Provider at the 2020 ISP Awards. The company now employs over 250 people and endeavors to support local communities through sponsorship, investment and employment.
Kindly Give us an overview of your background and your role in the company.
My background is heavily in GIS (Geographic Information Systems), so that involves enterprise level implementation management and integration between systems. I have been in this field for about 16 years. I started off in agriculture and then entered telecommunications in 2014 and I have been working in that industry ever since.
What excited me about Jurassic Fibre is that it gave me the opportunity to put my stamp on the development of the system, as opposed to fixing things that were broken on entry. I manage a team of 22 in Jamaica.
What were the past experiences, achievement or lessons that shaped your journey as a successful leader?
One of the things that was key for me was seeing how my previous manager/director operated; she was a very driven, principled, inspiring leader. Seeing a women take on the reigns of a male-dominated field really inspired me. I realised that I had a true passion for the field, which really excited me and which I was inspired and driven by. When you’ve planned a network and see that first customer light-up, that is something which is close to the heart.
Kindly mention some of the Important challenges that you faced during the initial phase of your journey.
The transition to a different culture was huge, because the Caribbean way of life is very different to England. Trying to understand the landscapes, the dos and don’ts, the mode of operation, the dynamics, was a bit of a learning curve.
Also, trying to get an understanding of what we were going to do. As a start-up, you’re constantly reworking and changing your mind. It’s about working with the dynamics of a start-up versus an established company that knows exactly what they’re going to do, has the budget and existing infrastructure in place. Initially, this was one of the biggest challenges.
Describe some of the significant attributes that every senior leader should possess.
The first thing is to be a strong, inspiring leader. There is a significant distinction between a leader and a manager. It has to do with inspiring your team, setting a clear vision for your team and having the strength to be the driving force when things aren’t going to plan.
You need that accommodating spirit where people respect you with a level of authority but still feel comfortable to come to you if there is something wrong. Setting clear goals and expectations, that is also critical. Lastly, understanding the value and strengths of each of the players within your team, making sure that you are maximizing them and they understand that you recognise their value. So that the whole team believes that ‘we can do it,’ no matter what happens. That has always been my mind set. It’s inspiration, leadership and collaboration with your team. It’s about ensuring everyone feels involved and understands the value of their input, and that we work together to make sure that we are the best that we can be.
According to you, How do you see the company and the industry in the future ahead?
Every time we look into new regions it’s exciting because someone else is going to know Jurassic Fibre. We are going to be changing peoples lives, how they do things, the way they work and that’s exciting. I’ve already seen how the organisation has grown in the last two years. It will more than likely be the next Virgin; ultimately that’s what I see Jurassic being for rural communities. I think it is a very bright future. We have a solid, driven team and everyone buys into the belief that this is going to happen.
What is your advice for Growing or emerging business leaders/executives?
Only take on a role if you are truly passionate about it and are able give it 150% the majority of the time. There are going to be challenges, but you have to go back and ask yourself ‘why am I doing this?’ That why should never change.
