Get to Know… Alex Clahane: MVNO Business Manager, BT Wholesale

At BT Wholesale, we’re proud of each and every one of our team members who make it a fantastic place to work. Our ‘Get to know’ blog series gives you an insight into what it’s like working at BT Wholesale, and an opportunity to learn more about the people behind the scenes.?

In this blog, we talk to Alexandra Clahane , MVNO Business Manager, about her role, career highlights and her impressive baking skills.??

What is your role at BT Wholesale??

As a Business Manager in the MVNO division, I’m part of the team responsible for our business development. This encompasses a variety of tasks relating to onboarding new partners onto the award-winning EE network, and my days vary considerably.???

I often meet with new customers and work with them to define their business and technical requirements and create commercial proposals, ensuring all internal review and governance processes are followed closely. Alongside this, I coordinate with legal and delivery teams to implement new products and propositions.?

I also collaborate with different teams, both in the MVNO division and the wider company to understand how we can find new opportunities and better service our customers.??

For example, I spend a lot of time engaging with marketing teams to develop campaigns and identify events that we can attend. This ensures that we’re meeting the right people and the BT Wholesale and EE brands are within our partners’ reach when they are weighing up their needs.??

I’m extremely passionate about diversity and inclusion, both within BT and in the wider technology industry.? That’s why I’m part of our Gender Equality Network and a DEI Ambassador, which both work with leaders in BT to ensure a diverse and inclusive workplace for all, no matter their gender, race or sexuality. I’m particularly proud to be a female leader in a traditionally male-dominated industry.?

What is the best part of your job??

Without a doubt, customer interaction is the best part of my role. Business development doesn’t stop at meet, greet, and sell – I take customers through the whole cycle and stay with them until their solution has launched and their brand is in the market. This means that I get an opportunity to build close relationships with people and I’ve loved nurturing these throughout my career.?

I’ve been at BT Wholesale for over 9 years and meeting customers has always been something I’ve enjoyed. I’ve been able to work on my people skills and expand my network to make sure I can effectively demonstrate the benefits of our MVNO solutions, which allow partners to strengthen their market presence and provide their customers with flexible and simple mobile connectivity solutions using the EE network with their own branded propositions.?

What is your career highlight??

I’ve been lucky enough to work in a great team that has had a lot of success through the years, so there are many examples to choose from.??

One highlight to note is the signing of Audacious Mobile in 2018 – an MVNO that had its own patented technology - which was able to embed into the EE network infrastructure to support those who are hard of hearing.???

It was a rewarding proposition and as a team, we were recognised for reaching our BT ambition of ‘Connect for Good’.?

More recently, I helped to move Plan.com onto the EE network.? It was the first B2B MVNO of its kind in the UK, so it was an impressive milestone and I’m grateful I had the opportunity to lead on this deal.??

What are your predictions for the MVNO landscape??

The MVNO market is extremely varied, and there are growth opportunities for propositions beyond traditional mobile services. Of these use cases, the IoT space is one of the fastest growing as more industries build solutions that require mobile connectivity and 5G. Connected cars are a notable example of this as they demand high volumes of real-time data, which we can deliver with our best-in-class mobile network.??

Expanded network capabilities such as 5G standalone, which operate independently of existing 4G infrastructure, and network slicing, which further enables the creation of multiple virtual networks within a single physical 5G network, will play a key role in the future of IoT and the MVNO landscape too.??

Looking ahead, BT Wholesale’s focus will always be helping our customers grow. We have a proven record of innovating to achieve this goal, as seen with our award-winning bespoke solutions. Recently, we won MVNO Solution of the Year at the Glotel Awards and Best Wholesale Partner at the Mobile News Awards. As the MVNO market grows in breadth and complexity, we will continue to support our customers by investing in wrap-around services that ultimately enable a quicker route to market and boost the bottom line.?

What do you do outside of work??

I love spending time with my family and have a toddler who keeps me very busy. On top of being a mum, I’m passionate about volunteering and keeping as active as I can through fitness.??

My other hobbies include cooking and baking.? Recently, I was honoured to be asked to bake a four-tier wedding cake for a friend.? This was my biggest baking challenge yet and I enjoyed trying something new. The cake was demolished in about 15 minutes at the wedding, so I think it was a success.??

Connect with Alexandra Clahane on LinkedIn.

To get in touch, visit Contact us | BT Wholesale.