Customer Projects and Operational Readiness Manager Ryan Collins explains how he has seen his own professional ambitions flourish as M247 and has enjoyed a decade of growth.
From the start, I had so many opportunities to grow and develop
I joined what was then Metronet in 2010, when it was still a relatively small wireless ISP. The company at that time had about 30 employees – very different to where we are today.
As Warehousing and Purchasing Manager I had so much opportunity to grow and develop from the start. My team’s role was to make sure products and equipment were ready for engineers to come pick up on their way to install. We had an instrumental role to play in the growth of the business, supporting expansion by implementing robust warehousing operations and the tech platforms to run them.
As I gained more and more knowledge of our products, equipment and technology my focus was to eventually move into the tech side of the business.
Getting to where I wanted to be
I got my break when Jenny Davies, now the company’s CEO, joined as Operations Director. Jenny obviously saw something in me and offered me a role as Interim Support Manager. Metronet had just bought M247, so it was a very exciting time for the business, but there was also a lot of change.
There was lots of configuration required to integrate processes across the two businesses, lots of internal projects focused on operational readiness. I worked closely with Jenny leading development and roll out, I also implemented a complete ITIL framework across the entire company.
That led to my current role, which was exactly where I wanted to be. I knew it would be a role that really challenged me, again working on lots of key organisational projects, expanding my knowledge of the tech side as well as applying my experience in operations.
I really love the operational delivery on behalf of the customer
These days, so much of IT service delivery is about integrating connectivity and cloud. When you get to enterprise level, no two infrastructure solutions are the same, everything is bespoke. We’re implementing complex systems, putting together lots of different products to achieve specific goals. My role is overseeing that process from when the order comes in, through to final delivery. We work according to our own operational framework but we implement success criteria set by the customer. One of our key aims is to try to ensure that the customer does not feel the transition or impact to their operations when we carry out what often amounts to a major digital transformation projects.
In many ways, I see my priorities as half M247, half the customer – I am responsible for delivering on behalf of both, ensuring that the customer gets exactly what they need from an M247 solution.
Project management is challenging at the best of times, but that is what I love. No two days are the same and bringing everything together in delivery of a successful project is very rewarding. I am also constantly learning new things on the technical side, learning what the technology is capable of with each new deployment.
This is a company built around the passion to deliver
M247 is a very different working culture to anything I’ve known before. It is definitely not your typical 9 to 5 job – I’ve been there, and I don’t want it. I wanted flexibility and variety in my career, that is exactly what I have. I work with people all over the world, you have to be flexible, especially when having conversations with people in different time zones trying to coordinate efforts efficiently.
What is very noticeable here is that everyone is pulling in the same direction. The customer is number one, everyone shares the same focus. I wouldn’t say that is something that has been only been imposed from on high – it feels more like the company is built around the employees’ passion to deliver, learn and progress. As a company M247 are very good at picking people who fit that ethos and it means that M247 values are in our blood.
The rewards for buying into that are considerable. The clients I am working with around the world, some of them very high-profile, getting to know them and feeling a sense of partnership with them is very rewarding, it gives me a great sense of achievement. It is also the case that what we are doing for them is crucial for the future success of their business – new tech opens doors to even the biggest household names, and we are delivering that.
M247 maintains a very open culture, you really can interact with anyone in the business and that to me is key. I have worked with the managing director, the CEO, I can go up to them at any time and ask questions, ask for help, learn from them. It is a company that is built around giving its employees opportunities to learn and to develop personally, and it uses that to drive its own growth.
Working for M247 makes me feel I am right at the cutting edge ready to embrace the future
Technology is constantly changing and to change and grow with it is very exciting. New opportunities are constantly being opened to learn about new products and innovations, to work with bigger customers around the world. Cloud and connectivity are at the heart of everything now, and there is still a long way left for the technology to take us.
Partly because of that, the unique ethos and approach the company takes, M247 is on the up. By embracing the giant leaps forward in technology and developing full end-to-end IT solutions to offer our customers more, we have transformed into a company with a global reach.
It really is a great company to work for
There is so much talent here, we have the best of the best, nurtured by the commitment to support and rewarded ambition. I love what I do here, I enjoy everything about working for M247 and we have a great future ahead of us.
