Anwar Barrow assesses performance as he gets ready to leave B.T.L.
Chief Executive Officer of Belize Telemedia Limited, Anwar Barrow, the son of Prime Minister, is to leave state-owned Belize Telemedia Limited in the first quarter of 2017, after what the company calls an orderly transition between him and his selected successor. Barrow, who remains on the company’s Board of Directors, took the reins at B.T.L. almost three years ago and despite two successive upgrades in service – from three-G to Four-G to Four-G LTE Advanced – the company’s profits only just took an upturn this past financial year. Speaking on Open Your Eyes today, he commented on the circumstances of his appointment, and his thoughts on departing from the company.
Anwar Barrow, C.E.O., Belize Telemedia Ltd.
Anwar Barrow
“It was a time of transition the board is really the one who asked me to serve and encouraged me to serve. I was on the board I didn’t really have any aspiration to be the leader of B.T.L. But they wanted a change and they wanted to move the company in a different direction. As evidence by some of the things we have done, in terms of pricing, the products and this new network and a bunch of different things that we have taken on. So, they wanted to move in that direction and they needed someone to take them in that direction, so they thought from my participation on the board that I would be able to do that. I think that it has been a great challenge for me it’s been a learning experience in a lot of aspects, I have never led a company of this side, I mean obviously, there are not many companies of this size in Belize or any other company. I think we have a clear vision of where we want to go, we have put a lot of things in place and we are going to get there. I am confident that we will get a new CEO who will continue the work, everything has been set out and pretty much it is a matter of executing and taking BTL to the next level. So, for me it’s been a great experience, working with the team that I worked with, developing that team, recruiting new talent, charting a clear vision and getting people behind that vision has been challenging and rewarding and I enjoyed every moment of it. There hasn’t been any uprising or revolt because while people within the company had questions at first and doubts, people have developed a certain level of confidence in what we are doing and us doing what we said we would do. So, I think that has been good, I think the public, on the public side, this new network is a big part of that achievement. But I think there is still a lot further to go and it’s really about planning and setting up the company to do that. Because where the company was and were the company wants to go in terms of being a top telecom company in the region is afar stretch and so it’s not something that you can do in one or two or three years.”
Barrow will receive a generous exit compensation package.
