DELIVERING ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE WITH PEOPLE AT THE CORE
PROJECT PARTNERS
BUSINESS INTERVIEW
DELIVERING ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE WITH PEOPLE AT THE CORE STUART FARRELL, Chief Procurement Officer at Giganet, shares how the company is aiming to be the best internet service provider in the UK, underpinned by great people, a strong partnership ethic, and with the customer at the heart of everything.
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tuart started his career in FMCG before moving into mobile telecoms with Vodafone, where he progressed swiftly through the ranks through commercial, property and wholesale. 3
Stuart comments, “I gained vital experience in these areas, working in the UK, Kuwait, Germany and Northern Ireland. I then started to transition into network and IT led businesses in Russia, Asia and North America. It was such a learning curve to see other countries, cultures and the differing management styles across the world. I worked for Hewlett Packard for a period, looking after the EMEA PSG team, before being asked by Vodafone to
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go back to head up their UK mobile network wholesale commercial team, delivering both national and global connectivity on mobile virtual network operators.” In 2015, Stuart stepped into procurement, heading up a large project with Accenture, which ended with great success and a true partnership end goal. This took his career into a whole new sphere, bringing together his
consumer, commercial, property and partnership experience to build, lead and develop successful procurement functions around the world. Now at Giganet, Stuart looks after all procurement and commercial operations, and has recently been promoted to Chief Procurement Officer. Stuart enthuses, “I am accountable for all our procurement strategy, contract lifecycle management, quantity surveying and fleet logistics. I have been
tasked by our CEO to build a worldclass procurement supply chain management function, ensuring that the customer is at the heart of everything we do, with a focus on safety, ethics and the environment.” Giganet’s vision is to be the best internet service provider (ISP) in the UK, offering the best customer service, quality, speed, reliability, and experience for a fully connected home. Stuart explains, “We have a
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“Stuart and his team have identified a strong group of key strategic partners to be with them on their journey of the next three to five years and beyond, including Anixter, Vitruvi Software, Yorkshire Fleet and GE Services” two-pronged route to market, offering both On-Net and Off-Net connectivity. We live, breathe and work to our ‘Full fibre. Honestly.’ strapline, and from a procurement perspective, that means delivering engaging contracts, fair terms, and safety, at its very core. Giganet is supporting the Digital Britain agenda, with its centrally hosted core UK network. Stuart says, “We cannot build a connected Britain without partnerships. One of the key learnings of the last 20 years is that a business must acknowledge early on that it is not going to be great at everything, and we acknowledge that we need our partners to help us. The Giganet partnership proposition says 6
that without our partners, we cannot go on to be the best ISP in the UK. We have begun a five-year transformational journey with our partners, and they will be with us every step of the way to realise our aim, supported by our investors Fern Trading Limited advised by Octopus Investments.” Stuart and his team have identified a strong group of key strategic partners to be with them on their
journey of the next three to five years and beyond, including Anixter, Vitruvi Software, Yorkshire Fleet and GE Services. Stuart continues, “We have just signed a huge multi-year deal with warehousing and logistics partner Anixter. We called on Anixter because they have been the global leaders in warehousing, distribution, materials and logistics since the 1950s. They can help build, connect and power us to
deliver our golden aim, providing fibre products and important network componentry. Vitruvi is a Canadian software company, which provides our survey, design, planning and as-built. They are the key tool to allow rapid build deployment. “We have also signed a multi-year deal with Yorkshire Fleet to provide all our vehicle requirements, servicing, maintenance, shipping 7
Fibre Presents Opportunities and Challenges for Internet Service Providers As access to broadband infrastructure funding sources are now becoming available, internet service providers (ISPs) are accelerating the deployment of fibrebased network solutions and shifting their focus to preparing for future expanded capacity. For any fibre deployment – whether an upgrade, a new deployment or expansion of services – there can be complex challenges that require dedicated, experienced management.
Specialised Expertise to Meet Key Challenges Many ISPs simply do not have the inhouse capacity to handle the complexities involved with a large deployment project or they may need additional resources to measurably improve their outcome. Having an end-to-end supply chain solutions partner significantly increases available resources and presents a company with a single-source partner that delivers the specialised area of expertise needed to increase efficiencies, speed deployment and move from a capital expense (CAPEX) to an operating expense (OPEX) financial model. There are a wide range of benefits and advantages to having an integrated provider like Anixter that can significantly increase resources available to deploy and manage components and provide a variety of services and solutions. Our goal is to ensure your project is completed 8
on budget and to specification. Having a partner that can combine a strong suite of products and supply chain services delivers a more effective, on-time project.
Anixter Offers Solutions That Can Help You Focus on Your Total Cost of Acquisition. Sourcing – Supply chain issues are causing delays in fibre deployments and providing frustrating roadblocks to project timelines. Anixter can manage supplier relationships and contracts, provide access to global offerings, consolidate suppliers, leverage spend, access competitive pricing, ensure product standardisation, and reduce noncontract buying and costs to deliver value to your business. Inventory Management – Utilising Anixter’s warehousing infrastructure gives customers the ability to streamline their warehousing functions and increase their speed to deploy. This can also give customers dedicated project inventory to mitigate vendor lead-times and risk by adopting a min/max replenishment process to customer forecasts. Additionally, by having a local presence, customisable reporting and localized VMI, we have designed our services to optimise inventory levels of materials for ISPs centrally and locally. Product Enhancement and Packaging – These solutions allow you to streamline the project and reduce time and deployment costs by maximising off-site assembly, staging, and pre-configuring of products.
This can include services like cable cutting, kitting, labeling, asset tagging, software installation and construction deployment services just to name a few. Global Logistics – Anixter’s worldwide footprint enables them to determine the most efficient methods for delivering products to help mitigate the risk of project delays. Taking advantage of this expertise can deliver lower freight costs, improve on-time delivery, reduce lead times and optimise international transactional costs. eCommerce Solutions – Having realtime visibility to view and process transactions and inventory, track shipments, confirm deliveries, view invoices, run reports, save BOMs for later use, check contract pricing, as well as other customisable options, are all solutions that help increase operational efficiencies.
Our Site, Installer Site, Job Site An ineffective supply chain can be a huge drain on resources. Collaborating with a supply chain solutions partner with local expertise, global experience and innovative solutions can help ISPs optimise profitability and performance. Anixter provides possibilities that are as simple as offloading a portion of your materials management to local expertise, to a complete onsite partnership with a dedicated team to draw on its vast expertise and resources to run a world-class supply chain for your business. There are valuable lessons to be learned from those who have already travelled their broadband journey. An experienced global supply chain partner for these types of projects can allow you to focus on your core business objectives whilst Anixter manages the details of your deployment.
Working with a supply chain solutions partner that provides these capabilities can deliver the optimum total cost of acquisition.
About Anixter
Anixter understands the common challenges and best practices for supply chain assurance, while also realising that every project has its own unique requirements and goals. Our approach is to listen, evaluate, collaborate and use our unmatched expertise to save time, provide consistency and improve scalability.
Anixter is a subsidiary of Wesco International (NYSE: WCC). Wesco builds, connects, powers and protects the world. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Wesco is a FORTUNE 500® company with more than $18 billion in annual sales and a leading provider of business-to-business distribution, logistics services and supply chain solutions.
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and racking. They will ultimately allow us to focus on green credentials through the adoption of electric fleets, supporting our Network Deployment across the UK. “A further key partner, GE Services, will offer assistance out in the field, providing the much-needed civils, building, laying, connecting, powering up, and providing the fibre connectivity for both residential customers and business users. We have invested time in building a trusted relationship with each of these companies. They are woven into the very fabric of our business operation, helping to deliver the Giganet vision we are all driving towards.” Stuart’s global experience, strong commercial conceptuality and cultural awareness help him to spot and harness great talent, seeing beyond colour, sexual orientation and gender. He explains, “I have been very fortunate to work in various parts of the world, and understand that people management and investment in growth will ultimately lead to success if 10
“I have been very fortunate the world, and understand th investment in growth will ulti can embrace
e to work in various parts of hat people management and imately lead to success if you e the culture”
you can embrace the culture. The coming together of cultures will help build a worldclass procurement function here at Giganet.” Stuart enjoys the challenge of mentoring talented individuals, having been lucky enough to have been inspired by Detlef Schultz, the previous Group CPO at VPC. Stuart continues, “I would say one of the keys to my success has been my strong leadership and mentoring skills, but it works both ways. My own mentor still speaks to me now, enabling me to learn what it takes to be a good mentor to the team. But you also have to recruit great people and build a strong team. For me, it goes beyond the procurement team, building connections with Giganet’s partners, as well as friendships outside of the office. At the end of the day, work is important, but life is more important.” Something that Stuart has gleaned from his experience whilst working at Fujitsu in Asia is to take care of the team. He says if a team is happy at work, they can be happy at home, and if they are happy at home, they will work harder. Stuart says, “Having worked across 11
the three main geographies of the world, I have an appreciation of the ability to focus on ethics, the environment, the customer, but also each other. At Giganet, we are fortunate to be able to work almost anywhere, so long as we have an internet connection (something we are pretty good at, by the way!). Someone working from home powered by great fibre connectivity may work harder than they would work in the office, but that may challenge their mental health. We are very focused on mental health at Giganet, making sure our colleagues are happy. We have an employee assistance programme, biweekly one-to-ones with our
team, as well as wellness days, to ensure we are creating the right environment.” So, throughout his career, how has Stuart managed organisational change that transforms structure and delivers significant, measurable improvements? Stuart answers, “In my last four roles, I have been able to design, engage and deliver organisational change with people at the core. Change can be scary, and not all change is good, but the right change with a clear buy-in can be revolutionary. Over the last eight years, my team has managed over 12.2 billion dollars of procurement spend across more than 1,700 partners
OFFICIAL PARTNER
ANIXTER Anixter looks forward to furthering our partnership with Giganet and continuing to provide end-to-end supply chain expertise and solutions that add bottom-line value and enable increased focus on core business strategies and outcomes. By offering our wide range of service solutions – including sourcing, inventory management, product enhancement and packaging, global logistics and eCommerce – Giganet is able to redistribute strategic resources and products that can assist them with their company mission and vision to expand quality ISP service delivery to the UK market.
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We build, connect, power and protect the world. Most of us expect life to run smoothly. But we don't spend much time thinking about what it takes to make that happen. Anixter does. Every day we leverage our tech-enabled supply chain solutions and help build a world you can depend on.
So you can live life uninterrupted. anixter.com/emea
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Fleet Management at your fingertips
“The management software provided by Yorkshire Fleet has been a game changer” Steve Blake Senior Supply Chain Manager
YorkshireFleet.co.uk
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Click to see how Yorkshire Fleet supply, manage, and maintain Giganet vehicles.
Call us today on
01653 604300
and vendors, delivering on average 7 per cent per year return. It is about ensuring the continued success of the business, delighting our Giganet customers, and building a great place for people to work.” All of this comes with the usual challenges. Stuart explains, “To succeed, you have to be clear what it is the business wants to achieve. Change for change’s sake can be both unnerving and unnecessary. I think the ability to have a clear vision and strategy is key, while also understanding, for some, an immediate buy-in will be difficult. We always look at the bigger picture. You have to consider the ethics of the team,
and have an understanding of each other. Everyone can play a role in executing Giganet’s vision. It is about making work fun whilst having a tangible output.” On the subject of spend management versus commercial contract management, Stuart makes the distinction between buying items as cheaply as possible versus identifying by category in order to increase efficiency. Stuart explains, “We are looking at building category strategies so my team can be really involved in shaping the future of the business at Giganet, while helping our colleagues understand how best to deliver to our customers. With category
OFFICIAL PARTNER
YORKSHIRE FLEET Giganet approached Yorkshire Fleet to assist, as part of their supply chain, with the exclusive management of the ever-growing vehicle fleet; from vehicle sourcing, supply, tracking and maintenance, to licence checking, mileage monitoring, service reminders and driver behaviour. We were able to help implement the managed service, systems and software necessary to run an efficient and healthy fleet, whilst maintaining the high duty of care standards that Giganet insist on for their drivers and customers alike. Giganet are striving to become the best in the UK, and we at Yorkshire Fleet Management are very proud and excited to have the opportunity to use our expertise to help them achieve this. 15
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management, when making a purchasing decision, you can take experiences you have seen to challenge the status quo. We have identified the most important partners by spend and strategic importance, setting time aside for them
“I have a five-year vision for a worldclass procurement function, underpinning our delivery, to excite and delight our customers” each month to ensure that, not only are we able to deliver, but furthermore that they feel empowered, and we are doing everything in line with our collaborative framework. It is a two-way monthly engagement, with our Giganet customers at the heart of it.” With the market in the UK going through another round
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“We are now on track over the next three years to connect over 500,000 UK homes and businesses to our award-winning brand of full fibre” of fixed mobile collaboration, Stuart says global players are looking at the telecoms sector for strong long-term investment, providing an opportunity for procurement functions to play a larger role in these businesses. He continues, “We need groupwide procurement, even across
different brands within the same group, in order to bring that next level of evolution to corporate buyin. Centralised procurement items can be differentiated in the market, as there will always be a place for local buy-in and customisation. I have a five-year vision for a world-class procurement function, underpinning our delivery, to excite and delight our customers. Giganet is still in the early stages of the journey, but we have talent with decades of experience in the team, and that is being harnessed.” Jarlath Finnegan, CEO at Giganet says, “The UK has made no secret of how much they appreciate reliable connectivity and excellent customer service from an ISP.”
OFFICIAL PARTNER
GE SERVICES GE Services is proud to be a supply chain partner of Giganet and participating in the construction of new FTTP broadband. GE Services provide a full service delivery, ensuring the programme objectives are met whilst recognising and managing the potential impact of construction works to the stakeholders within the build areas. GE Services Managing Director Patrick Guerin says, “Our relationship with Giganet jointly seeks to help ensure that the innovation, energy and construction personnel are available to meet the expectations of the future customers and fulfil Giganet’s ambition of being the best ISP in the UK.”
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Guerin Energy Services are delighted to be a key supply chain partner to Giganet in the role out of high speed broadband networks where we provide civil and cabling expertise along with management of the Streetworks operations. Patrick Guerin, Guerin Energy Services Founder and CEO states that “Underpinning our ambition to grow the business in a sustainable and risk managed way relies upon the entire commitment of the senior management and the investment in the right people and our supply chain which provides the platform to support the construction and investment programme of Giganet for the development of the networks to new customers”
We understand the activities necessary to build new networks requires works on the highway and the conduct of field staff and the image presented can be a great advertisement for both Guerin Energy Services and Giganet and preventing the damage that can be done through one event is highly undesirable and therefore the focus on ensuring all personnel understand their obligations is part of an ongoing effort.
The commitment to Giganet’ s focus on achieving high standard’s of customer satisfaction to cover every aspect of the operations in the field as well as the importance of excellence in the management of Streetworks administration where recognising the importance of the relationship with the Local Authority’s and other stakeholders is key to achieving the planned outputs. To ensure that Giganet are supported in all areas of their business operations Guerin Energy Services rely upon the ISO standards (45001:2018, 9001:2015, 14001:2015) and external assessment to verify the management systems and their continual improvement.
Understanding the impact that the construction works will have on surrounding local communities and how we can mitigate the impact is part of the carefully planned approach that is taken from the initial survey to the intended methods off delivery.
The importance of establishing and maintaining good communications with all stakeholders who that will be impacted by the construction programme is essential to achieving and maintaining the goodwill necessary to achieve the programme objectives.
The materials that’s all used to construct new networks all part of the Guerin Energy Services environmentally sustainable targets. Energy Services seek to minimise any activities or products which may cause a failure one of the key areas is reduction of waste and reworking and therefore we adopt a right first time approach.
The commitment of our field based teams to carry out the works on the highway and to achieve the programme targets of Giganet are fully supported by our established occupational health and safety management system and in addition the training and accreditation within the smart awards competency scheme.
Guerin Energy Services is committed to growing it’s business within the ambitions of Giganet and at the heart of the relationship is the importance of trust and they shared desire to achieve outstanding performance in the delivery of high speed broadband networks.
www.ge-servicesltd.com
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Jarlath continues, “At Giganet, service comes first, and we believe our ethos, grounded in honesty and simplicity, will bring a new dynamic to the market that consumers have been denied for too long. As customers grapple with inflation and rising living costs, our flexible contracts, and our promise to abolish exit fees and midcontract price rises, resonates. “We are now on track over the next three years to connect over 500,000 UK homes and businesses to our award-winning brand of full fibre through the deployment of our own full fibre network infrastructure, and across CityFibre and Openreach.
Jarlath Finnegan, CEO at Giganet
OFFICIAL PARTNER
VITRUVI SOFTWARE The Giganet collaborative framework is extremely refreshing, and Vitruvi feels immensely valued as a core vendor technology partner, contributing directly to fulfil Giganet’s vision. They truly are one of our favourite (and most demanding) customers around the world. Demanding because they have a genuine desire to co-create a better tomorrow, not just replicate the ISP status quo of yesterday. Managing immense amounts of survey and as-built data, as well as critical project schedules and financials, can only efficiently happen within a trusting environment. In this way, Giganet has empowered Vitruvi to propel their success forward. As Vitruvi deploys a leading Construction Management platform, we know our success is directly aligned with ISPs who share common commitments and values. For far too many reasons to list, Giganet is a perfect example of this commitment. 21
Working with our new procurement function, and in partnership with our supply chain on multiyear contracts, objectives are aligned to our overall business strategy, ensuring that we work at pace whilst continuing to deliver the highest safety and quality standards for all our customers. Working ethically, and with a focus 22
on the environment, together, we’re offering the market to not only upgrade to a better home broadband connection, but to a better level of service all round, taking us one step closer to becoming the best ISP in the UK.” The last word goes back to the importance of building a strong network of trusted partners. Stuart concludes, “It is absolutely crucial to have key partnerships built on trust and safety. Some are transactional,
some are engrained in our business, and some are invested. The key four partners I mentioned are all invested in supporting our strategy and providing our connectivity to all our customers in the UK. They are providing that trusted, safe network, which, in turn, takes us one step closer to being the best ISP in the UK.” For further information, visit www.giganet.uk 23
www.giganet.uk
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