We were proud to come together with New Zealand's telecommunications industry at the 2020 Broadband Compare Awards to recognise excellence and achievement across the broadband sector.
Congratulations to our finalists, Rory Hunt, Anna Collins and James Walker for their dedicated leadership in our telecommunications business.
Ventia Emerging Leader in Technology Finalist: Rory Hunt
As a Procurement and Supplier Manager within our telecommunications business, Rory Hunt has played a vital role in creating innovative solutions to our client's challenges, ultimately resulting in a happy client and the renewal of several contracts. In his commercially focused role, Rory is involved in everything from contract management to client and supplier management. At the core of his role, he drives compliance across our statements of work while ensuring we deliver the best service possible to our client, their end-customers, and our build partners.
Working at Ventia NZ has reinforced in me that true leadership is understanding your peers and building a platform to provide for their needs. Efficiency is a byproduct of being respected and understood.
Rory is a skilled negotiator with a proven ability to source profitable suppliers, initiate efficient procurement partnerships, and secure competitive pricing in varying market conditions.
Ventia Emerging Leader in Technology Finalist: Anna Collins
In her role as UFF Area Manager, Anna has driven several remarkable industry-leading performance outcomes. Through her authentic engagement style, these have been developed with her team over the last nine years. Having started in the National Dispatch Centre based in Christchurch in 2011 in the roll of Customer Service Representative, Anna has built her working knowledge of the Dispatch Centre and its processes and leveraged this experience to understand the importance it plays in delivering business outcomes, client requirements and customer service excellence.
The words of Tony Hsieh particularly resonate with Anna in this regard as "Customer service shouldn't just be a department; it should be the entire company.
With almost a decade of experience in this industry, Anna has developed her technical understanding of the telecommunications industry across a number of areas — including Chorus FSA and UFB, Ultra-Fast Fibre, and other telco clients. In her current role as Southern Manager in our telecommunications business, Anna continues to drive innovative performance outcomes as she manages regional operations, strategy, and customer service.
Ventia Emerging Leader in Technology Finalist: James Walker
James continues to deliver amazing end-to-end results through his innovative leadership in overseeing approximately 120 self-performing staff. James is a strong advocate for accountability in leadership as he manages the rollout of the fibre networks to Chorus' UFB2 projects in the Lower North Island and Upper South Island.
The wellbeing of my staff is a top priority and mental health is at the forefront of a person's overall wellbeing. Supporting the discussions and presentations of the RUOK Day, the support and continual 'checking in' on people are all important features of being a good leader, and this is possibly even more so in 2020.
James is a strong leader, positively influencing those in his team and his peers, who regularly refer to him for advice. Along with his advocacy for mental health, James takes full accountability for all areas of his business from safety, quality and delivery to client and subcontractor relationships. He personally drives financial, commercial and personnel development. James takes personal responsibility around ensuring his cabinet areas achieve better than budget by continuously encouraging a culture of innovation within his team.
Congratulations to our nominees for their outstanding leadership and positive influence in building high performing teams to deliver vital telecommunication works across New Zealand.
