Corporate Vision February 2017

, The Road to Success AdEPT Telecomplc unite communication and innovation through the use of technology, creating unique solutions to help their clients on the road to success. We caught up with European CEO of the Year 2016 Ian Fishwick to learn about the firmand howhe has helped drive it to excellence through his dedication and the application of his vast industry experience. As one of one of only a handful of Telecoms companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, AdEPT is an innovative and dynamic firm supplying services to nearly 20,000 customers across the UK including many well- known national companies, 40 Councils and some Central Government departments. Ian discusses the unique nature of his company and how this helps it to differentiate itself and highlight its excellence to potential clients. “Different Telecom networks are available in different parts of the UK and not every technology is available in every town. What sets AdEPT apart is that we are completely carrier independent and use the best supplier and technology at your post codes to create the optimum data networks combining best speeds and best prices. In simple terms: why deal with one Telecom network, when you could deal with them all? “Our Unified Communication solutions utilise the world- leading Avaya Aura technology integrated with a range of Contact Management systems. We specialise in specific vertical markets: health, public sector and business centres. Around 70% of Private Hospitals in London and over 200 Business Centre’s use our services.” “As part of this drive I have a very clear plan. I explain it to my team and ensure they understand their role in implementing it. Every CEO needs something personal that drives them on, and for Ian this is his vast industry experience, which constantly spurs him on to constantly build upon his current success and do better for both himself and his company. “Personally, what drives me is I have reported increased EBITDA every year for 25 consecutive years. That record stretches across several businesses and through several economic recessions. All CEO’s will have dark days but the thought of finally losing that unbroken record forces me to get up and try again. “As part of this drive I have a very clear plan. I explain it to my team and ensure they understand their role in implementing it. Given a choice of good implementation or a good strategy I will always choose good implementation because an idea is just an idea until you actually do it. “I also understand that 10 very good people will always achieve more than 100 not so good people. For some reason people want to work for me; often for many years, so I must be doing something right. I am very proud of my staff and feel that it is an absolute privilege to be their leader.” Within the wider telecoms market, the UK Government has set a target that 33% of public sector spend will be with SME’s (small and medium sized enterprises with sales revenue of less than £40 million and 250 employees) by the end of this parliament in 2020. AdEPT (with sales of £33 million) is leading the charge into the public sector and has won 40 Council customers in the last 40 months. Central to this success is the firm’s dedication to technology. Ian is dedicated to remaining at the forefront of the latest developments, as he is eager to emphasise. “As a Telecoms company our job here at Adept is to ensure that all industries understand the benefits from the latest technology. We live in a world where work is something that you do rather than a place that you go to. People want to have access to everything they need wherever they are. All businesses are seeing a huge increase in the amount of bandwidth they need as applications are based in the ‘cloud’ and accessed via the internet.” Overall Ian is optimistic about the future, both for himself and his company, as he concludes by discussing the future and the exciting plans he has to continue to develop and adapt in order to continue to offer the very best solutions to his clients. “AdEPT has just reported its’ 13th consecutive year of increased EBITDA and we are constantly making plans to ensure that run continues. We have completed the acquisition of 22 companies to date and expect to do more in the future. On average, we buy one out of every 10 businesses we look at, as we are highly selective and understand the importance of knowing what you are buying prior to making a deal. “Personally, I chose to work in the technology industry so you must accept that change is the only constant. That means you need to concentrate on planning for the future. You also must accept that not all new products will succeed and you have to be brutal in quickly closing down failures before they cost you too much money. We constantly test new ideas and I am looking forward to integrating these into the business moving forward.”