CEO update: A year at Flomatik and what’s set for 2022

It’s been a year of change and challenge for Flomatik. That’s why we wanted to gather the thoughts of our CEO, Dean Checkley, to take us through some of his personal key highlights and speak about what’s to come for our organisation…

Well, that’s been a year to remember! I recall arriving as chief delivery officer in January 2021 and instantly falling in love with the business and its people. Fast-forward a few months and I found myself in my dream role – CEO of Flomatik.

And although it’s a privilege to hold this position, the thing I’m most proud of is the fact that I’m part of a supremely talented team that is tenacious, resilient, and loyal.

The unveiling of our brand values

This is a workforce that has, collectively, redefined the ‘Flomatik way’ and brought to life our brand values. This was an amazing experience to be a part of and together we discovered that our organisation is built on a foundation of:

• Loyalty
• Honesty and respect
• Positivity
• Customer focus

Immersing themselves in the process to firmly underpin these values too, employees have become engrained in the culture and are driving it forward – it’s been incredible to support them on this journey.

During this time, I’ve seen managers grow and professionally represent everything we’re about, plus we’ve unveiled our brand champions and, altogether, our workforce’s loyalty knows no bounds.

Creating new business opportunities and honing our existing relationships

Throughout 2021 we’ve focused on customer retention and getting our message out there in terms of how we can not only support the larger players to deliver in the telecoms space, but also the start-ups and altnets too.

This has led to us winning a further key contract with Virgin Media, as well as creating new collaborative opportunities with disruptive brands including Airband and Ogi, on separate Fibre-to-the-Home projects. I’m immensely passionate about helping up-and-coming brands shake-up the market and guide them in how they can realise their revenue quickly.

For us, it’s all about helping customers to fulfil their digital dreams – no matter the size of the business.

Raising our profile within the telecoms industry

As much as virtual events have provided a great way for everyone to stay connected with sector peers, it was so exciting to get back to face-to-face conferences – one in particular being when we headed to Connected Britain in September.

Not only did our chief strategy and innovation officer, Matt Harrison, take part in a panel debate focused on ‘Project Rollout’ and the gigabit capabilities, but we met so many brilliant people at our exhibition stall – and created new business opportunities as a result!

From a media point of view too, we’re building our industry voice and 2021 has seen us land strong media coverage – resulting in a 1.3 million audience reach – covering our recruitment and growth, thought leadership features on the key to a connected Britain, why it’s about a career rather than a job, and more.

Welcoming sector specialists to the Flomatik family

Following on from that theme, our new chief delivery officer Boyd Brimsted hit a few headlines in trade publications this year too – with Comms Dealer, Comms Business, and Insider Midlands all publishing his appointment story.

Boyd is already making a difference within our Executive Steering Group, and we’ve also added a few more vital additions to our growing workforce, building our strength and capability in all areas of our Business. Not only that, but 2021 marked 10 years’ service for long-serving employees Steve Slater, Mark Griffith, Phil Henderson, Eddie Triggle, and Matt Harrison.

Driving forward our product and services offerings

As well as recently forming our Project Management Office team – which is bursting with bright talent I might add – we’ve expanded our product offering too. In the summer, we launched a QField Opensource app that integrates with our design system and enables FttX survey data to be collected and returned swiftly, and directly, into our platform.

We’ll also be creating an out-of-the-box design solution in the new year to help young organisations take our framework off the shelf and start mobilising their teams so they can not only get assets in the ground as soon as possible but realise their revenue quicker too. Watch this space!

A final note…

As a leader, one of the biggest things I’ve learnt this year is the ability to switch-off. Admittedly, I’m still trying to get better at it – as there are so many Flomatik ideas buzzing around in my head 24/7! – but I know how vital it is to take that time to reset.

I’m so excited for the future of our organisation and reaching our aspirations of growth and diversity into new sectors. For me, it’s not a case of only focusing on 2022 – although that’s important – I’m looking 10-15 years on as I’m so committed to how we can continue to transform the market and take Flomatik, our employees, customers, and partners to the next level.

And for the people who are here and feel the same, they know that our business is not ‘just a job’, it’s a career where they can truly make a difference.