The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Trade unions representing Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) line staff yesterday warned that the company’s first-ever female chief executive will suffer “a rude awakening” unless she “hits the ground running” to resolve the carrier’s challenges.

Both Sherry Benjamin, the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union’s (BCPOU) president, and Sharazed Pickstock, her counterpart at the Bahamas Communications and Public Managers Union (BCPMU), told Tribune Business that Gravette Brown is unlikely to enjoy a long “honeymoon period” after her appointment was yesterday confirmed by BTC’s Board of Directors.

Speaking ahead of their meeting with Ms Brown today, the duo argued that she and her executive team must prioritise improving BTC’s network infrastructure, which Mr Pickstock branded as in “shambles”, so as to improve the customer experience and deliver the products and service quality Bahamians expect.

Ms Benjamin, who heads the line staff union, told this newspaper that BTC’s network and service quality “sucks”, and the only thing saving the carrier is that its mobile rival, Aliv, in her opinion is just as bad. She argued that any new market entrant would “eat us for breakfast, lunch and dinner”, while asserting: “We have to save this company from extinction.”

BTC, meanwhile, confirmed Ms Brown’s appointment as both BTC’s chief executive and a director takes effect immediately. Tribune Business reported on Monday that she was being touted as the front-runner to replace the recently-departed Sameer Bhatti, who has stepped down to pursue other opportunities, with both unions confirming then that they were aware of the speculation.

Ms Brown, who was previously chief commercial officer at BTC’s main mobile competitor, Aliv, before later becoming its chief innovation officer, becomes BTC’s first-ever female chief executive and its seventh since the 2011 privatisation.

BTC, in a statement, said that under Ms Brown it will “focus on delivering value to customers, advancing the company’s growth priorities and building on the strength of its network, products and service”. 

Inge Smidts, BTC’s Board chair and chief executive at its immediate parent, Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC), said: “I am delighted to welcome Gravette and look forward to working with her as we build on BTC’s solid foundation and capture the opportunities ahead.

“Gravette brings a strong combination of commercial experience, industry knowledge and a proven track record of driving innovation and growth. Her deep understanding of the Bahamian market and experience across telecommunications and business transformation make her a strong addition to our leadership team.”

Valentine Grimes, BTC’s deputy chairman, and head of the Government-appointed directors representing its 49 percent ownership interest in BTC, added: “We thank Sameer for his dedicated service and the lasting contribution he has made to BTC, and we are equally excited about the future under Gravette’s leadership and look forward to supporting her as BTC continues its evolution as a modern telecommunications and digital infrastructure company.

“Her experience developing new and exciting digital products, and building strategic partnerships, is directly relevant to BTC’s next chapter. The Board is confident that she is well positioned to lead BTC as the company continues to invest in connectivity, innovation and service for customers and communities across The Bahamas.”

Ms Brown herself said: “BTC has an extraordinary team, and the company plays an essential role in the every day life of many Bahamians. The opportunity ahead is to build on the strong foundation by continuing to improve customer experiences, expand resilient connectivity, accelerate innovation, and create lasting value for employees, customers, communities and shareholders,” she said. 

“I look forward to working with the BTC team and the Board as we shape the company’s next chapter together.” Ms Benjamin, though, said the unions’ meeting with Ms Brown today will be “very interesting”, adding that while they are prepared to “give her an opportunity to show what she can bring to the table” they are unlikely to be patient.

The BCPOU president, confirming that Dominic Boon, CWC’s vice-president in charge of human resources, had informed both BTC trade unions of Ms Brown’s hiring yesterday morning, argued that the carrier’s present situation requires someone with a ”strong background” in communications networks and infrastructure rather than the commercial and technology roots of its new chief executive.

“We are in desperate need of someone to come in to try and help restore our services,” Ms Benjamin told Tribune Business. “We don’t need someone to come in to sell services to our customers and we cannot deliver on that service. We need someone to come in and fix that service, and then have someone to come in and navigate through the sales challenges we have.

“We need someone with a background in communications and telecommunications to be at the head of BTC. We can then have someone who knows sales come in and help the company through the sales portion once the network reliability is up to par.

“We have to be able to deliver on what we promise to our customers. We have to make sure our network is strong and secure. Hopefully, she and the company are going to bring in someone who is strong in telecommunications to work alongside Ms Brown and build our network back to where it used to be or better so that we can deliver the services our customers expect.”

Ms Benjamin then warned that Ms Brown will have to “work from day one” to both revive BTC and earn the unions’ trust and respect. “We are going to give her an opportunity to show what she can bring to the table,” the BCPOU president said. “It ain’t going to be a long process.

“If she’s only coming to the table for photo opportunities, and to show she’s the first female chief executive of a telecommunications company in The Bahamas, she’s going to be in for a rude awakening. We haven’t got time for her to perform on stage. We need her to come in here working. If she’s not coming in here to work, we’re going to demand her exit from this company very quickly.

“I am a woman. I support women in leadership,” Ms Benjamin added. “No one gave me an easy route. I’ve worked in a male-dominated area all my career coming in as a technician. I know what it is as a female. I applaud her [Ms Brown] for reaching this milestone and breaking the glass ceiling, but she cannot use the female card to come in and not do what she’s supposed to do.

“I, as a female union president, came in from day one to set my mark and do more. She cannot come in and play the ‘victim card’ as a female and expect to be treated differently. That ain’t going to happen. She had better come in here working, and come in bringing results. If she doesn’t, the same way we called for Sameer’s head, we will call for her’s.”

Mr Pickstock, whose union represents BTC’s middle managers, similarly congratulated Ms Brown on her appointment but warned that the warm welcome could wear off quickly if no progress is seen or felt.

“We need a drastic change in where the company is going. I share the same sentiments as Ms Benjamin. There’s really no honeymoon time,” he told Tribune Business. “She needs to hit the ground running quickly. She needs to hit the ground running. We have to deal with the network. The network is in shambles. That’s what we have to deal with.

“She’s coming in from Aliv and Cable Bahamas, so hopefully she’ll bring some secrets. I congratulate her, but this is no time to be celebrating….We have some items on the drawing board that we need addressed, and we’ll be getting them addressed; health and safety issues throughout the company.

“We’re meeting with her tomorrow [today]. We’re waiting on her to see what her plans are. She has been on the ground consulting for a few months. She should know what the company is lacking. She should have good insight into knowing what the company needs and is lacking. I don’t know if she will get a honeymoon from day one; she’ll have to do what she needs to do.”

Mr Pickstock reiterated that the management union is not necessarily opposed to restructuring at BTC, which the unions were alerted to by management two weeks ago, but argued that Ms Brown needed to carry this out at the senior executive and management level first otherwise staff will have no trust and confidence in the process.

His counterpart, Ms Benjamin, promised that both BTC unions will “make sure she understands our position” when they meet Ms Brown today - that they are willing to work with her “if she’s coming to work but, if not, let her know what to expect”. The BCPOU president also renewed her concerns over BTC’s competitiveness if change is not quickly implemented.

“We have to save the company from the brink of extinction,” Ms Benjamin told Tribune Business. “The only thing saving us right now is that Aliv’s service sucks just as badly as ours. Aliv’s service is just as bad as ours. That’s the only thing that is saving us. If someone else came in here, they would eat us for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“Our people, our customers, expect better and deserve better. We have been used to getting better. You cannot get us used to services we have now because we are not going to stand for it…. Everyone employed in this company, whether full-time or contractual, they want the company to succeed and the service to be good.

“Those service employees, our first line, are catching hell from our customers. They [senior management] are not getting the abuse that front-line staff are getting. They are not getting cussed at, and getting all the pressure coming from customers. They are not getting physically attacked in the stores, where people come in and throw equipment at the staff in a rage,” the BCPOU president added.

“She [Ms Brown] has to come in. Whatever restructuring they are doing, they need to do it right away, and whoever they are bringing in to address the ills of the company, they need to come in ready to work from day one.”