Interview with Martin Lossie from Surfline Communications

20-05-2022

Interview with Martin Lossie from Surfline Communications

Can you tell us about yourself and your journey to becoming the CEO for Surfline in Ghana?

My name is Martin and I am married with two kids. In my spare time I like to spend time sailing. I enjoy going to the Ghana Sailing Club in Ada Foah. The Volta Estuary provides an amazing scenery, and there are so many nice people at the club. My most heroic achievement in sailing was a journey across the Atlantic Ocean from Cape Town to The Netherlands, in 2019 (with my wife and two other crew members). Next on the bucket list is a journey to the North Cape (Norway), on the motorbike.

I started working for Surfline in September 2020. Prior to this role, I have been in several executive roles within the telecom sector. I worked as an executive in the commercial department of MTN in South Africa with a focus on strategic pricing policy and value propositions. I also worked at VEON in a similar role, and for KPN Netherlands as Director Strategic Innovation.

What is an accomplishment you are most proud of/What have you been able to achieve so far?

One of the things I am most proud of is that within three months of me starting here at Surfline, we were able to achieve a strong growth within the business. We amended the pricing policy strategy and the  market communication strategy and decided to be more goal-oriented. I am also proud of the fact that I was able to encourage our commercial team to actively go out and win market share. We had intensive workshops which allowed for staff to actively participate and generate their own ideas.

What should our members know about Surfline/Could you introduce Surfline to our members?

Surfline entered the market in 2014 at the request of the late president Mr. Atta Mills. His vision was for an indigenous telecom company in Ghana because at the time all the telecom companies though some were African, none of them was Ghanaian owned. The objective of Surfline was to provide internet acces for companies and households. The technology we use is 1. Dedicated (private) microwave links, 2. Dedicated (private) fibre optics links, 3. 4G LTE mobile telecoms technology (SIM card based).  Many of our commercial clients use a mix of 2 technologies. We are active in Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Takoradi but we also plan to expand to Kumasi and Tamale and other hotspots in the fields of agriculture and mining. One of the reasons customers choose Surfline for their business is to reduce or protect the risk for the business if they are exposed to hackers. Above basic internet access we also offer technology to securely work remotely. In addition, we also provide business continuity insurance. With this service, in the case of a fire or burglary or flooding, a backup facility will be provided.

How has your experience with GNBCC been so far and what do you expect for the future?

It is a well-organized organization and easy approachable. I enjoy the networking activities, the newsletters and the surveys. I enjoy participating in these and enjoy how active GNBCC is.

What support do you expect from GNBCC Members and what do you hope to give in return?

If any GNBCC member is interested in using any of our services and products, they can directly call Mr Isaac Armar, who is our commercial director and he would be able to assist them further (M: 020 200 9796)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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