Peter Dwyer, CCO
Started with KTL in 1998
Working with KTL gives you a view from the top.
Both the telecom and power infrastructure industries afford you the opportunity to travel to places you would probably never have seen and allow varying viewpoints.
A striking aspect about telecoms is accessing the roof tops in city centres. The views across Dublin or London are like looking back hundreds of years over old buildings and imagining what went before.
The scenery, of course, on most of the mountain tops was second to none in showcasing Ireland’s beauty. Our Eastern European riggers, in particular, were always blown away by our coastlines, especially the Atlantic.
At KTL specifically, being part of a capable and forward-thinking team gives you a different type of viewpoint. The constant messaging is that “nothing is impossible” and each person involved operates with that mentality. Whether it’s finding a technical solution for a client, or trying to squeeze programs into challenging deadlines, the can-do commitment is always there.
That attitude, along with our diverse staff, is what, I believe, sets KTL apart. We have always had a culturally diverse human resources approach. The wide range of cultures within KTL gives us different viewpoints, traits, nuances, skills, and knowledge sets that all contribute to delivering the best mix to achieve our results. If we were all the same, then we would only see one viewpoint. I believe our clients recognise this.
When the pandemic first hit in early 2020, we had already completed our preparation for such an event, we dusted off our SHEQ Pandemic Response Plan (first written in 2012) and calmly set about implementing our action plan instructions. We foresaw shutdowns, supply chain issues, travel disruption, critical services importance and planned in advance. In some cases, we were prompting our customers on the best approaches for a critical services provider. We had already implemented our ERP system and WFH was also available to staff in advance of the pandemic, so the full transition was quite seamless. However, the most striking aspect of the reaction of KTL, was that of all our staff. They pulled together to help our customers and a perform our civic duty as essential services providers – it was second to none.
Working in the telecoms and power industry for such a long period, it has become as much ‘a hobby as a job’. Watching and helping KTL grow and succeed is much more than my daily workload, and to be here for the 25-year mark is thrilling.
Trying to name the major milestones can be difficult– there are simply too many highlights. One project that stands out was Esat Digifone’s Switch building in 2001, which was successfully delivered on time to a very strict deadline. I worked late into the early hours on the tools on that project myself.
The vast variety of networks across all locations with complex buildings/towers on top of the highest mountain tops across Ireland and the UK has been truly memorable. I learned it was always wise to finish the most remote locations first before the mountain sheep headed to lower latitudes for winter.
To find out more about KTL go to ktl.ie/services.