Dig beneath the floor of this seemingly powerful government, and also you’ll uncover Kallie Carlsen’s extraordinary essence. The powerful bravado is only a cowl for his uncooked honesty and large integrity. Dig somewhat deeper and also you realise how he balances a punishingly laborious work ethic with a great deal of humour, ardour, and charity.
Kallie Carlsen is a telecoms man by and thru. Because the MD of Paratus South Africa, which has simply constructed and inaugurated the most important teleport within the Paratus group, Kallie is now poised to carve out a good better slice of the market and to revitalise the satellite tv for pc communications sector in ways in which no one may have dreamed doable a number of years in the past.
His profession spans the complete spectrum of telecommunications. Having skilled as a telecommunications engineer with SA Transport Companies within the mid-’80s, Kallie joined Aberdare Cables the place he was first launched to Fiber Optics cables.
He later joined Plessey in Jet Park the place he focussed on PABX’s methods for companies, together with very giant Campus PABX’s to Dealing room Methods, ending up as a Nationwide Product Supervisor for a brand new Digital SME PABX. In 1997, he Joined VODAC as a Community Specialist and focussed on their LAN, WAN and Name Middle necessities, which included implementing an IVR resolution to reinforce customer support.
On account of his robust name middle and IVR expertise gained at VODAC, he was later recruited to affix BSW Enterprise Options from the place he progressed into Dimension Knowledge once more focussing on Name centres. It was throughout this time that he began focussing on Challenge and Programme Administration, doing research at Cranefield and College of Pretoria (UP). Throughout his time at UP he was requested to affix a consulting agency known as Barnstone which specialised in SAP implementation initiatives for mining entities.
He joined Bytes Know-how Methods integration in 2008 for a brief stint the place he sorted the Microsoft integration groups after which rejoined Barnstone in 2008 and by luck bought concerned in an funding they’d made right into a small firm known as Maxwell Know-how. The founders of Maxwell noticed the necessity for distant connectivity at mining startups throughout Africa.
With some very fascinating initiatives in troublesome occasions – a really costly expertise within the early years, it laid the foundations for the place he’s at the moment within the Satellite tv for pc area. In 2009 he took up Shareholding and a Directorship in Maxwell Know-how and began focussing on learn how to take connectivity to rural underserviced areas.
It was throughout this time that he partnered with Skyevine and took the primary steps into offering consumer-based VSAT options. From zero to hero after a number of years, Maxwell attracted the eye of the Paratus group shareholders who approached Kallie and his companions with a proposal to purchase the corporate. Paratus South Africa was born in 2015 and some years later, in 2019, it acquired its first teleport to strengthen its satellite tv for pc providing.
The Paratus Group’s imaginative and prescient is to rework Africa by distinctive digital infrastructure and customer support and the launch of the Goedehoop teleport is a vital intervention in realising this mission. It represents the most important funding by Paratus South Africa so far and is about to spice up service choices not solely in South Africa however to the group’s prolonged buyer base within the seven international locations wherein it has operational places of work and in an extra 28 African international locations the place it gives satellite tv for pc companies.
The brand new Paratus South Africa Goedehoop teleport goes to spice up the corporate’s providing significantly now that loadshedding is a norm in South Africa. Kallie believes that success is the product of luck and preparation, and it requires laborious work and dedication.
He says: “Sure, we’ve got been fortunate. As a smart particular person as soon as remarked, should you like what you do, then you will see the time and the power to do it. It’s taken a variety of laborious work to launch the most recent teleport within the nation and the present power disaster in Southern Africa is each affecting and disrupting the telecoms scene directly. Companies and people are turning, of their droves, to satellite tv for pc options as an indispensable expertise for delivering an unbroken connection.
Whereas this looks like a fortunate break, Kallie sticks true to his dedication of by no means making idle guarantees. He believes that honesty is important in enterprise and by no means brief sells his clients. His right down to earth realism across the fundamentals of doing enterprise is disarming – and it cuts clear by any nonsense.
Underpinning completely each transfer he makes is a dogged dedication to customer support. He believes fervently that 24/7 skilled and technical assist is essential to any deal and to general enterprise sustainability. He lives and breathes by this ethic and, certainly, that is what units Paratus aside – the belief that its long-standing clients have and the truth that Kallie is aware of his clients by identify … these are uncommon issues in telecommunications. And, all of the whereas, Kallie is on the coalface – he’s all the time ready, at any hour of the day or night time, to get in his automotive to go to a shopper who’s made a misery name about their connection.
As a pacesetter, he drives himself laborious, however he additionally drives a variety of enjoyable and motivation whereas additionally nurturing a prevailing spirit of competitors and charity. Inter-group competitors is a part of the Paratus tradition, and this filters down into Kallie’s area too – whether or not it’s for creating essentially the most entertaining braai occasion or for successful the Paratus Group fishing competitors. Kallie loves fishing – he’d fish for one thing in a puddle if he had the time – and Paratus South Africa are the proud reigning champions of the annual Paratus Group fishing competitors; and he and his staff have each intention of retaining the trophy once they compete in Angola subsequent 12 months.
For a person who hasn’t had a vacation in a decade (his clients actually do come first), Kallie has however undertaken an infinite quantity of enterprise journey and reckons he has travelled most roads and cities in South Africa.
Actually, when he has the time, he ought to most likely write a information to one of the best bars and eating places within the nation and, as a result of he’s a person who doesn’t beat concerning the bush, the information could be compelling studying.
Kallie’s passions know few bounds and for such a busy man, he’s an extremely giving one and all the time makes time to listen to a couple of college or a university that wants a leg-up. He’s modest concerning the assist he indicators off on, however he’s inordinately pleased with serving to a disabled cricket staff; numerous different sports activities charities; AIDS orphanages; colleges; beforehand deprived IT college students; – and extra.
He’s that busy that his prized Harley Davidsons are taking second place proper now, however his fishing abilities will nonetheless be very a lot at giant and on the fore, significantly as he hooks increasingly more satellite tv for pc companions and clients throughout southern Africa.
