Having led the pan-African telecommunications group Paratus for the past two years, Schalk Erasmus has realized there are often different ways to steer the ship. His renewed vision is focused on what truly makes a business successful and he says it’s not only about pure economics.
“We all know it’s important to be financially successful”, says Erasmus. “But I believe it’s equally, if not more important, to remember why you started the business and what you stand for because if you stick to that you will be successful. We believe in real people, real service and real value. Lose sight of that and you lose all sense of what’s real while also compromising your economic goals.”
In setting out the Group’s five-year plan in 2022, Paratus was not shy about its ambitions in Africa. While the goals are still very much in place, Schalk Erasmus is refining their focus. In addition to setting monetary targets, the group aims to increase its customer base by 600,000 additional connections by 2028.
Erasmus explains: “We have always said that we want to be a part of the transformation of Africa by building exceptional infrastructure and delivering excellent service. While this is still very much at the heart of our mission, what we really want to do is to connect more people and enrich their lives. In turn, we want our people to be passionate about delivering this mission. It is very simple because if we are true to that goal, we cannot help but be even more successful. I believe that when you only focus solely on the bottom line and making money as your driving force, much of your ethos is challenged along with the joy of doing the work.”
Erasmus uses the Parthenon for his business analogy, the foundations of which are the people and the network infrastructure including Data Centres, cable landing stations and teleports; the pillars are the verticals, the services like internet connectivity, fiber and satellite; and the roof is where the value added services offering, cover and safeguard all the business operations.
From a start-up 21 years ago, Paratus has already achieved many of its goals to become a major telco player with an impressive footprint in Africa. The cornerstones of the Paratus success to date are founded on the group owning and continually investing in its own infrastructure, building capable teams in all the sub-Equatorial African countries in which it operates and in serving customers across the continent with a seamless quality network service. From fiber networks to data centers and teleports, Paratus is laying the foundations to connect more and more people across the African continent. Through its extended network, the Paratus group also serves customers in over 30 African countries. It was the appointed as the landing partner for the Equiano subsea cable in Namibia and it has already built four data center facilities in three African countries with a fifth under construction. Other significant achievements include the investment to create the continent’s East-West fiber route and the express route from Johannesburg to Europe via the Equiano subsea cable.
Erasmus believes the best way to focus on the pan-African plan is to expand the Group’s footprint, connect more people, and to make a difference wherever the Paratus network crosses.
“It gives us immense joy to connect communities via fiber or satellite connections to the internet for the very first time. As we enter new territories, we aim to leave minimal environmental impact and give back to the communities in which we operate. This is the way to do business. To empower people with what they need and to leave as little negative impact of doing so … to do right by the people and the planet.”
While pushing through with an aggressive expansion programme, Erasmus says that disruption on this scale can only be successful if you understand that there must be other positive impacts to consider. “We need reality checks as we expand, so we actively search for ways in which we can improve situations. For example, we recently connected a community in Mozambique that previously had no link to the internet. By installing a LEO satellite link at Santa Maria, located on the East coast of the Machangulo Peninsula, we now provide internet connectivity to approximately 1000 people including a school. This is transformation in practice; it is what makes us tick and this is how we can help empower the people of this continent, with minimal environmental impact.”
His disarming honesty mixes with competence, bravado and humility to make Erasmus a unique and engaging personality. By challenging his own methods, he fosters awareness among his colleagues. He likes listening to ideas and strives to be available to both his colleagues and customers. He believes true accountability comes from being open to suggestions and from being approachable. His passion for the environment, people and governance guides his thinking and actions. Although he admits to always wanting to fix things, he realises that sometimes the best approach is to simply listen.
Knowing the importance of always listening and learning, Erasmus inspires his team to do the same, and to enjoy what they do. As he says: “We are, at the heart, a people’s business. We are connecting people. We are providing the tools and the network to make it happen in Africa. This is our mission and our joy. It is what has made us successful and as we connect more and more people, we will help to create yet more success for others.”
If the man at the top of an African born telco is saying that Paratus is different because it delivers real service and real value, then the Group’s continued continental success is very real too.
