Intec names Alcatel man to aid recovery

Intec Telecom Systems has appointed Andrew Taylor, a high-flying executive at Alcatel-Lucent's UK division, as its chief executive, as the billing software developer continues to deliver on its recovery strategy.

Mr Taylor, 38, is chief operating officer of Alcatel-Lucent's UK and Ireland division, a business that has annual revenue of more than $1bn (484m). Once he takes the reins from John Hughes, chairman and acting chief executive of Intec, Mr Taylor will be expected to focus on driving organic growth, while also taking on the prudent approach the executive team has adopted to get the business on its feet.

Mr Taylor is lauded for turning around Lucent's UK, Ireland and Nordics division after taking over as managing director in 2004. In the two-and-a-half-year period prior to the merger with Alcatel, he led a dramatic turnaround of the division, which almost tripled revenue, while also growing its margins. It won a substantial amount of new business, most notably a significant chunk of the BT 21CN contract. Prior to his time at the telecoms equipment maker, he spent eight years at BT, where he worked in the telecoms company's mobility and small business division.

Mr Hughes, who will step back to his non-executive chairman role once Mr Taylor starts in the first week of January, said Mr Taylor's experience winning new business, while keeping a tight rein on costs, will be vital to the continued recovery of Intec. He added that his time at both telecoms operators and telecoms equipment manufacturers will prove invaluable in introducing a "real customer advocacy mentality" to the company.

"The challenge Intec faces is to drive the growth of the business, but make sure it runs ... efficiently. He has done that very well in his previous roles in a tough market," Mr Hughes said. He added that Mr Taylor's experience building a services business and his customer service focus "ticked both boxes" in terms of Intec's priorities.