21285 - SCTE Broadband Dec2021 COMPLETE v1

2 Vol. 43 No. 4 - November 2021 Issue Broadband Journal - November 2021 issue CEO’s Letter It has been some time since I last wrote an editorial for Broadband; April 2008 to be precise, and I can announce that this will be the last one! After some 40 years in the industry and 30 years serving on the SCTE Executive Committee I have decided to retire (almost!). I decided not to stand for re-election at this year’s AGM and from the end of October I will cease to be CEO of SCTE Ltd. This has not been an easy decision, the Society has been my life, especially for the last 20 years since I retired from an active role in the industry. I shall miss the day-to-day contact with you all; I’ve plenty of things lined up to occupy my spare time but it won’t be the same! It would be very remiss of me not to acknowledge the support and friendship offered over the years from the membership as a whole but especially from the Executive Committee over the years. My thanks to Chris Swires who introduced me to the Society and has been ever- present for the whole of my term on the Committee. My special thanks to Bev, our National Secretary, for the excellent, often underestimated contribution she has made since day one of my time on the Committee. Together we came through a difficult time for the Society in the early ‘90s and she has always been there to support me over the years. In the last five or so years it became obvious that the Society needed to modernise and adapt to the changing world of broadband. The potential problem of succession was also raising its head, part-time volunteer resource was becoming more difficult and the cost of a new full-time President and CEO was prohibitive. The first step was to split the President and CEO roles; Mike Thornton took over as President in 2015, followed by Chris Bailey in 2017 and Tony Basham, the present incumbent, in 2019. The second step was to re-organise and empower the sub-committees of the Executive so that the CEO role became less critical or onerous. Strangely, the last 18 months of COVID-19 have been helpful in enabling the change and handover. The advent of virtual Zoom meetings has meant more interaction between sub-committees, without the hassle of travel and it has been great to see Committee Members, all volunteers, stepping up to take on additional responsibilities. In addition, regular weekly Op’s meetings have resulted in a smooth running of the Society, so much so that I believe the post of CEO can become redundant. This is an important change since it solves a problem of continuity, reduces the cost to the Society and puts more control back in the hands of the elected Executive Committee. It does mean that the role of President becomes more important in leading the Society forward but we are very fortunate in having Tony Basham as a strong and dedicated leader. You will not be losing me altogether since the Executive Committee has asked me to carry on in the voluntary role of Director of both the Society and SCTE Ltd, a post last occupied by the late Tom Hall on his ‘retirement’. I will be looking after the Society archives, providing continuity for the ever-changing Committee and advising on constitutional matters. For a short time, I will also continue to provide the interface with our major source of income, IBC. So, it’s a farewell, but see you around! Roger Blakeway Director, SCTE ®