Akin Thompson

Experience

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  MTN Nigeria

  May 2001 - Apr 2005

  Directed site acquisition, site build, and transmission installation process across northern Nigeria. Oversaw contractors, managing scope of work, workflows, performance, and quality indicators. Managed the budget including forecasts and execution for site rollouts. Led cost, quality, and schedule, directing a team of 40 staff members. • Delivered $4M in revenue by suggesting a temporary fix that expedited service provision and saved 92% of costs from the originally proposed solution. • Contributed to the rollout of 126 BTS sites per month while saving approximately 15% of operational costs incurred by other regions. • Developed strategies to increase subscriber base from zero to 10M in 4 years. • Rolled out 400 base stations in 4 years, reaching 250 cities and towns. • Led the activation of initial GSM phone services in 60 cities and towns. • Saved significant costs in base station build model by redesigning floors from gravel instead of concrete. • Awarded MTN Silver Award for Outstanding Teamwork and Contribution to Company’s Performance, 2003 from the CEO. Show less

  • Regional Rollout Manager

    Sept 2002 - Apr 2005

  • Radio Implementation Engineer

    May 2001 - Aug 2002
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  Suburban Telecoms Ltd

  May 2005 - Feb 2007

  Senior Manager

  Launched and managed the company’s Project Management Office, building a talented staff of 28 members. Managed the creation and approval of technical specifications on a project basis. Provided leadership and workflow engineering for teams on satellite earth stations and fibre optic stations. Delivered strategic project leadership in communications, procurement, vendor contracts, risk analysis, project scope, and budget. Created and negotiated SLAs. • Managed a $4.5M national fibre optic transmission network for 1,350 km in an 18-month span, coordinating planning, design, installation, and benchmarking. • Saved $180,000 by initiating a training programme for in-house engineers to resolve skill gaps involved in maintaining equipment and infrastructure. • Secured an 8% discount on the purchase of fibre optic cables in Africa by forging a strategic affiliation with CBI-Electric. • Reduced costs on fibre optic rollout 12% by implementing a transparent and competitive contractor selection process. • Increased risk avoidance by revamping fibre optic placement strategy to focus on rail lines instead of roads, significantly boosting reliability by avoiding cable cuts due to vandalism and road repair. Show less

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  Gray Point Technologies Ltd

  Feb 2007 - Dec 2007

  General Manager

  Crafted business strategy for projects department, analysing organisational needs as well as client requirements. Developed business case scenarios and contractual documents for new projects. Managed profit and loss at the project level while overseeing a team of 45 personnel. Ensured compliance with legal regulations and industry standards. • Secured a $2M fibre optic deployment contract with a new client, delivering a 40% profit margin that far exceeded the forecast 25% profit margin. • Landed a $2.8M/year contract to provide fibre optic maintenance to a network operator. • Developed the business case for Oil Pipeline Monitoring using integrated fibre optic monitoring systems for NNPC/PPMC. • Managed the design and implementation of a fibre optic network for Ahmadu Bello University (Zaria, Nigeria). Show less

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  Ericsson

  Jan 2008 - Feb 2013

  Customer Project Manager

  Manage a variety of 2G and 3G site rollouts, multi-band cell deployment, change management projects, and remote system implementations. Leverage vendor relationships and internal structures to ensure all KPIs are met and/or exceeded. Supervise up to 85 team members in target-rich environments. Liaise with stakeholders, delivering consistent progress updates and regularly re-evaluating processes to ensure highest levels of project performance. • Supported the launch of the $1M Millennium Villages Project in collaboration with the United Nations, managing the 3G infrastructure installation through analysis & initiation. • Contributed to the transition of the Zain Network to a managed services organisation, improving vertical communication and implementing a clear reporting structure. • Increased sales $400,000 by outperforming client expectations in Uganda, resulting in securing the upgrade of an additional batch of sites. • Recovered $600,000 of outstanding balances from projects previously completed by strengthening relationships with the client.• Directed the $10M site rollout project for Airtel Kenya, including 257 2G and 3G sites, BSC upgrades, and RNC installations. Show less

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  Elemental Limited

  Feb 2013 - now

  Director

  Learning & Development OrganizationFacility ManagementUp-skill Program for IHS Major VendorsLearning Programs for Infrastructure Management OrganizationsBusiness Turn-Around for Steel Fabrication FacilityPeak Performance Coaching for Senior Corporate Executives and SMEs