Five minutes with Tim Fulton

Tell us about your current role and how long you’ve held this job. How many people report to you?

I have been country manager A/NZ for LifeSize Communications for more than two years. I’ve been involved in contact centres, voice/UC and the broader IT industry for more than 15 years and I believe video is going to play a major role in corporate and government collaborations. I currently have four direct reports.

How did you get started in IT? 

It was the early days of the internet, eCommerce, and then the deregulation of the telecommunications market, working in the UK and the US. Initially I worked as a marketing and public relations executive for various IT start-ups, and then moved into a commercial sales role with ICL. Since then I’ve been helping clients drive business benefit from IT technologies and managing teams of sales people.

What’s the most challenging thing facing you professionally at the moment?

Economic uncertainty locally and globally while managing the growth of the LifeSize business.

How are you going to stay ahead of the competition?

Relentless product innovation and ensuring that our clients and partners truly understand the compelling return on investment of deploying LifeSize solutions to help transform the way they and their customers do business. Video conferencing has been available in various shapes and forms for more than 15 years. Our job is now to educate the market place.

What are the key things your reseller partners DON’T know about video conferencing?

Video conferencing can be a fantastic differentiator for our partners to show innovation and thought leadership. Service delivery managers can feel much closer to their client without spending everyday at the client site. Video conferencing is no longer just about internal communications – for the true benefit to be realised we need to be collaborating with our suppliers, partners and customers via video, and this will become the norm.

What have you learned about being a leader? 

There is a big difference between leadership and management. I believe in leading my team with passion and creating an open workplace where everyone understands their role in the business’ success and has the autonomy to deliver within that. My team is encouraged to be creative and enthusiasic while leveraging their knowledge and experience. 

Your best win/worst error? 

There have been many errors, but none that I have not been able to learn from and make myself and the team better for it. I walked out after our best and final presentation to a very large global consultancy in London, only to see my biggest competitor and the incumbent sitting in the hotel bar drinking champagne and apparently celebrating. Twenty-four hours later it was announced that we had won the $10 million-plus contract!

How do you relax? 

By being active. Tennis, running, golf, sailing and keeping up with my children.

Family? 

Very blessed to be married to Amy with two boys, Rupert and Fergus, with the third child on its way.

What technology/gadgets/apps wouldn’t you be without?

My Mac, tablet, Android mobile phone, all running a LifeSize ClearSea video conferencing app and with access to Dropbox.