n The Big Interview with Don Iro of Allteks

Tech entrepreneur

supports business growth

Don Iro loves nothing more than helping businesses to grow. The tech entrepreneur, who has an impressive background in business development, operations and service delivery, joined Allteks as group CEO in 2020 and is currently masterminding the next stage of the company’s expansion.

Allteks is not your everyday IT firm. The company doesn’t just provide off-the shelf IT solutions for its clients; instead, it finds the right technology-based solution for each client to give them the best chance of growing and prospering.

Don says: “We specialise in creating and managing bespoke IT infrastructure and support solutions to businesses in Kent and throughout the UK. As a managed IT service provider, our services include end user support, server management, managed hosting services, managed security, cloudbased business continuity solutions, infrastructure design and strategic IT consultancy. Effectively, we’re a one-stopshop and that’s what makes us the complete IT service management partner. “Our mission is to become the Coca-Cola of the IT industry. We’re in a very interesting period where we’re bringing in significant contracts that will keep us busy, so we’re looking to increase our £2 million turnover in the next couple of years.

“Our commitment to providing brilliant customer service is what sets us apart from the competition. I’m keen not to put lots of sales people in front of clients. I deliver great service instead and focus on retaining the clients we’ve got. It’s a policy that’s working well; repeat customers are 80% of our business. Of course, we like to get more new customers but retention is the key focus. If we suddenly secure contracts with lots of new customers at once, our service standards might drop and I don’t want this to happen.”

We want to help businesses to protect themselves and harness the power of digital by capitalising on technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). There are huge opportunities out there for businesses that are prepared to embrace technology.

Born in Nigeria, Don is an experienced entrepreneur, turnaround executive and board level business leader. He has held several senior roles within the public sector in the UK and Ireland, Israel, Middle East and Africa, and has led multiple technology and transformational service deliveries at director and principal levels for global businesses. Most recently he served as a leader for a FTSE 250 technology companies programme delivery team and he has also worked in the telecoms, retail and automotive industry, delivering cutting-edge digital programmes around the world.

Don arrived in the UK in 2004 to study electronic engineering at Solent University in Southampton. He landed a job at a machine-to-machine business in Portsmouth before being headhunted to join what was then Nokia in 2008.

“I was a customer support leader for one of Nokia’s businesses, Vertu, which made and sold luxury handmade mobile phones,” he recalls. “I was then asked to lead a small team responsible for carving up the Vertu business from Nokia, and to work on a new Android-based operating system.

“Later on in my career I worked with start-ups, which was great as I felt I could really make a difference. Working for a large corporation is fantastic but you can influence a lot more lives working for a smaller business.

“In 2017, an acquaintance of mine bought Allteks and needed a partner so I agreed to become an advisor/ consultant. I’d built up a very good black book of customers through my own business, a consultancy called Hamilton Berkeley. Eventually we merged the two businesses and I became group CEO of the Allteks group in 2020.

“We negotiated the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and got through it. Last year, as things got a little easier, we bought another IT firm to fuel our growth.”

Don is currently eyeing up other opportunities to make acquisitions, as long as these companies fit with the Alltek ethos and culture. He’s also helping clients to deal with the thorny problem of cyber security, with cyber attacks a genuine threat to businesses of all sizes.

“Cyber security is a real issue, particularly for small businesses,” he says. “We want to help businesses to protect themselves and harness the power of digital by capitalising on technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). There are huge opportunities out there for businesses that are prepared to embrace technology. We’re at a point where we’re driving towards the metaverse; it won’t be long before you’ll put your lenses on and go into a virtual café to meet a client. This technology was available ten years ago but it was too costly for many businesses to implement. Now those cost barriers are reducing so the technology is becoming more accessible to businesses. We’re at the forefront of new technologies and we’ll continue to play a key role in helping businesses to capitalise on them.”

INSIDE STORY

Favourite food?

As a Brit Gerian (British Nigerian) I have 2 favourite foods. • Jolof rice & plantain • Sunday roast

Favourite tipple?

I am teetotal so don’t drink – I do like a nonalcoholic mojito

Favourite holiday?

Somewhere with a lot of history and great architecture. I like the Mediterranean revival architecture, and so naturally am drawn to Mediterranean destinations for holidays.

Describe your family life?

Married with 2 kids, a boy, and a girl. I get a lot of encouragement and challenges from my family which keeps me going. I try to be as present as possible for my family.

How do you spend your downtime?

I own more books than I can read, both print and audiobooks, so in my downtime I try to catch up on them. I do love music a lot and have a soundtrack to every part of my life, which I either relive in my downtime, or incorporate new ones through the streaming services I subscribe to.

What are your key strengths as a manager?

Spotting potential. I have always been a better leader than a manager. With a large dose of optimism. I believe in building winning behaviours, thought processes are important, but wouldn’t be useful without the people embracing them as well as utilising these systems and processes. So, my biggest strength is with identifying and nurturing those people, while working in the background to create an environment that enables them to succeed.

And your limitations?

I don’t believe in limitations. I believe in boundaries. Creating and respecting boundaries is important for a healthy relationship (in work and otherwise) so I like to establish and encourage others to be aware of that. However, I feel the opportunities available to us are limitless and that’s how I have approached my life and business.

Best thing about doing business in the borough?

Medway is a fantastic borough which is steeped in culture, sport, and history. Its also a fantastic business base with lots of thriving businesses and like minds within the area which I find very encouraging.

Famous person you’d most like to spend dinner with?

Nelson Mandela

Most interesting fact about yourself?

I have a memory of an elephant. I remember everything and anything. I even remember myself in a Moses basket and other events at the age of sub 1.