CCOOMMMMSS N NEEWWSS - MOVERS & SHAKERS
BYTES... GREENING
59%
of enterprises stated that they lack staff
with integration and migration skills
(compared to just 28% of SMEs),
CHALLENGES
New research, by the Cloud Industry
Forum and BT, has revealed that
while large enterprise organisations
are investing in new technologies
in pursuit of digital transformation,
skills shortages, and migration and
integration challenges, are inhibiting
the pace of change.
64%
of enterprises say they need more
security expertise
SKILLS NEEDED
Analytical skills including data
analysing and risk analysis are all set
to be strong skills requirements for
the job specifi cations of tomorrow’s
IT and telecoms employee, according
to a new YouGov study commissioned
by AAT.
APPOINTED
UKFAST CFO
BRITISH CLOUD FIRM UKFast has
appointed Catherine Greening
(pictured) to the role of Chief
Financial Offi cer (CFO) as the fi rm
embarks on an ambitious fi ve-year
growth plan. The move comes as
part of the expansion plans linked
to the recent investment from
Infl exion Private Equity announced
by the hosting provider last month.
Greening, who joined UKFast
fi ve years ago as M&A director,
played an important role in
the recent deal with Infl exion
alongside GCA Altium which saw
UKFast valued at £405m.
With more than 18 years’
experience in the M&A and private
equity industries prior to joining
UKFast, qualifi ed Chartered
54%
of enterprises require more strategic
digital transformation skills
Accountant Greening has worked
for heavyweights including PwC
and mid-market private equity
house, LDC.
Greening said: “As M&A
director, I was more focussed on
one-off projects designed to add
value, such as the acquisition of
S-IA. The move to CFO sees me
far more involved in the dayto
day operations of UKFast,
working more closely with the
other directors to drive business
performance.
“The timing wasn’t right at the
end of 2018 for an IPO. However,
with Infl exion as business
partners that still remains a
viable option for the future.
I’m also excited to see how
ClearCloud and Public Sector
develop throughout 2019, with
both having incredibly strong
pipelines.
VOICEFLEX APPOINTS
EXPERIENCED
LILL NEW DEALER
ACCOUNT MANAGER
VOICEFLEX HAS ANNOUNCED
that Dawn Lill has joined the
company as Voicefl ex Dealer
Account Manager, responsible
for recruiting and managing the
dealer community. Dawn brings
with her over 25 years’ experience
in the Unifi ed Communications
and telecommunications sector.
Dawn Lill commented, “I’m looking
forward to helping Voicefl ex
dealers prepare for Digital Britain.”
Paul Taylor, Sales & Marketing
Director said “We are delighted
to welcome Dawn to Voicefl ex.
2018 has been a fantastic year
for Voicefl ex and 2019 will be
an exciting year with the Unify
Circuit and Openscape Cloud
products. Dawn’s industry
knowledge and experience will
allow us to develop existing and
new relationships and support
our partners with the growth
opportunities available.”
Bob Falconer takes
Non-Exec role at
Nextgenaccess
NEXTGENACCESS HAS
ANNOUNCED the appointment
of former Gamma CEO, Bob
Falconer (pictured), as
Non-Executive Director. His
appointment is in line with the
company’s aggressive growth
strategy as it ramps up the
expansion of its core fi bre network and the roll out of affordable full
fi bre services to businesses and the public sector, delivered through
third party sales channels including telecom resellers, network
installers and operators.
A veteran of the telecoms industry, Bob Falconer led Gamma
Telecom for 15 years from the position of a start-up wholesale voice
provider in 2003 to a substantial innovative and disruptive player in
the UK B2B telecoms sector, consistently growing ebitda, profi t and
cash over the period.
Falconer commented “The reality of fi bre to the premises and 5G
is driving unprecedented change and with this Nextgenaccess has
a compelling and differentiated full fi bre offering. I relish helping
the company’s excellent senior management team maximise the
substantial market opportunities and growth potential on offer. I hope
my industry and management experience can bring value and help
ensure Nextgenaccess achieves its business goals. An integral part
of this is the forging of strong mutually profi table relationships with
channel partners.”
Awards Open Now!
Read the full story on pg 20
10 | Comms Business Magazine | February 2019 www.commsbusiness.co.uk
/www.commsbusiness.co.uk