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Derek Friend is a dynamic tech entrepreneur with an impressive track record of over three decades in the telecommunications industry. He held the roles of co-founder, CEO, and primary investor at an innovative cloud-based independent Network Exchange platform. He stands out for its ability to connect clients through hyperscalers to global SME partners.
Beyond his contributions, Derek is recognized as an influential figure across the telecom landscape. He serves as an independent director on various telecom boards in fast-growing developing regions and acts as a trusted outsourced consultant on major telecom off-shore secondment projects in the US, UK, and Europe.
Derek's expertise also extends to collaborating with leading international telco and service providers on pioneering remote developments in Africa and far reaching remote islands off Papua New Guinea in Indonesia and Asia developing and ensuring long range communications infrastructures.
Derek began his career in 1998 in Europe as a development and support consultant to French airline SITA Aero with Orange telecommunication on wireles, secure, and long range projects to the Airline industry managing UKs largest airport data management.
Today Derek Friend is well known in the telecom and broadband communities as a regular conference speaker. Involved across specialized projects on leading telco, Internet, data networking, transmission, fixed-line, cellular, and access technologies. And is passionate about enhancing communication in underserved areas.
Derek's experience includes internet backbone development, satellite and sub-sea global solutions backed by large multinational telecommunication companies, and a proven track record of successful business turnarounds through re-focus, restructuring, project management, and people development.
As an independent representative to major international ISPs and Telco Operators, Derek provided intercontinental transit and networks to Carriers in Africa. Implementing large telco projects and developing strategic alliances requires proficiency in building channels via Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia for companies to penetrate the South African Telecommunications market.
The field of management Consulting is dynamic, fast-paced. Similar to other Tier 1 professions such as Chartered Professional Accountants or Professional Engineers, management consulting has a broad scope of practice with many sub-specialties. his specialty is international corporate strategy consulting and project management focused on the global telecommunications market.
As an independent consultant and boardroom advisor aligned with KPMG UK, BPO, and associated MBO Partners, he specialize working with executives, in simplifying, consolidating, and refining global business operations for select large enterprises. Contracted to build business and upskilling from the ground up, or assist with return to profit. His focus spans impactful business planning, diversity, and inclusion strategies, leveraging integrated global specialist teams. These tailor-made solutions target challenges across various business sectors or operating models, backed by robust insights and a premier transformation methodology.
His suite of services encompasses providing perspectives on functional transformation via senior outsourced management, aiding in global expansion compliance, and offering general management administrative support for extensive strategic and rapid scaling projects.
Collaborating closely with internal teams, he functions as an extension of your workforce, delivering business development solutions and offering fresh viewpoints. Leveraging the expansive resources of the KPMG BPO and MBO global teams, collectively simplify complexities, heighten client services, optimize operations and processes, and drive strategic growth identifying gaps and upskilling from a global vantage point.
