GET TO KNOW...
On the lighter side of things, we ask the
industry experts what makes them tick. . . .
Riaan Graham, Director Sales,
sub-Saharan Africa, Ruckus Networks
What would you describe as your
most memorable achievement?
I think the most memorable achievement
was in the early 2000s when we successfully
rolled out one of the first wireless broadband
networks to 180 branches of Teba Bank – a
project worth approximately R30 million.
It was a difficu lt project to get approvals on
as only a few service providers dominated
the market at the time.
What first made you think of a
career in technology?
I have always been technology inclined – I
studied Industrial Engineering – and for me
to land in telecoms was really not a planned
move. It just organically happened.
“ opportunity to share their opinions and
thoughts because when you have multiple
brains working together only greatness can
be achieved.
has a role to play. I don’t believe that there is
‘I’ in team, everyone needs to pull together
in the same direction in order to all succeed.
I also believe in affording employees the 5G is also one to watch out for after IoT,
but this conversation is still a little pre-
mature for the South African market at
the moment.
NO MAN IS
AN ISLAND
– I BELIEVE
IN WORKING
COLLECTIVELY
TO ACHIEVE A
COMMON GOAL.
What do you think is the current hot
technology talking point?
IoT/smart cities – the two go hand in hand.
I think that the conversation around these
is one that will last for a while given that it
links into various industries and it provides
visibility and control into systems, provides
cost reductions and improves revenue just to
name a few.
I was intrigued by cellular networks and data
transmissions through radio waves so I began
educating myself about how it all works.
Around 2001 to 2002 I fully pursued this
path because I wanted to specialise in
broadband technology.
What style of management
philosophy do you employ with your
current position?
No man is an island – I believe in working
collectively to achieve a common goal. To
succeed in anything you need the buy-in of
the whole organisation because everyone
www.intelligentcio.com
INTELLIGENTCIO
91