New man at helm of C&W

A brand new leadership, a fresh experience. This is the package that awaits both employees and customers of Cable & Wireless St.Vincent and the Grenadines Limited.{{more}}

The new man at the helm of the local telecommunications company is Angus Steele of Grenada, and with just one week on the job, he is promising to make a marked shift in the way business is done.

Steele, an employee of Cable & Wireless for the past 17 years, takes over the leadership from former Acting Chief Executive, Foster Hannaway, who officiated in the absence of a Chief Executive, a position last held by Antiguan Daryl Jackson.

Steele, who holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree in Natural Sciences, took the mantle of leadership as the new Chief Executive at the local branch on Saturday, December 1, 2007.

He makes no secret about his vision for the company.

“My vision is to see us as the market leader, the leader in all areas, in all lines of the business, to see us as the number one customer service provider with an overall customer experience that is second to none and to see us get to the point where our customers can truly say that they are happy and delighted to be a customer of Cable & Wireless,” said Steele.

In an exclusive interview with SEARCHLIGHT, Steele said, “Customers will see a definite shift in … the way we handle everything from their applications and response to any of their complaints, how they are greeted by our staff at our different points of presence, how available we are throughout the island to make our services and products available for easy purchase and easy reach.”

In his professional life at Cable & Wireless, Steele has served in various portfolios within the business at the senior management level, including Vice President of Retail Services and Vice President of Operations. At times he was also responsible for union negotiations, as well as legal and regularity matters within the business. He also managed several projects for the company in Grenada, as well as having responsibility for overall business continuity management both in Grenada and the Eastern Caribbean Islands where Cable & Wireless operates.

“My experience is pretty vast, as well as my greatest amount of exposure has been in customer service. I bring to St.Vincent a strong background in understanding the business.”

Steele said his greatest achievements at Cable & Wireless have been to change the negative perceptions that people have of Cable & Wireless, resulting in building great partnerships with customers. “Once that negative perception changes, it then goes on the other side of the coin where we actually become a beneficiary. They now think of us as a partner and not just someone trying to extort money from them or to exploit them once they are our customers.”

Regarding Cable & Wireless’ main competitor, Digicel, Steele responded: “Within a competitive market, companies tend to look at each other, and, of course, we are fighting for market leadership. I can’t comment on what may be the perception of who has what slice of the market, but what I can say is that I will certainly ensure that we do what we need to do to be the market leader. That’s my focus. That’s my goal, and that’s where I’m going to take the company.”

Being a bachelor with no children, Steele said it is easier for him to relocate here and focus on what he has to do for the company.

“I am someone with what I consider a lot of urgency. So I am about getting things done and getting it done today, if it can be done today, and not putting it on the side where it gets accumulated.”