Each month we introduce you to a different member of the OV team. We find out what makes them tick, and what excites them most about their role in the world of mobile and IoT connectivity.
This month, we’ve been speaking with Jannie Van Niekerk, Roaming Manager here at OV. He’s a born multitasker, and he needs to be, as he manages roaming operations with countless partners worldwide. Originally from South Africa, Jannie’s a real people person who loves travel and bakery.
Jannie van Niekerk
Roaming Manager
LinkedIn Profile
Can you provide a summary of your role at OV?
I like to think of it as ‘providing the roaming magic’. I’m managing the commercial and operational aspects of roaming that allow OV customers to use roaming partner networks across the globe. That means running hundreds of mini-projects simultaneously, doing a whole load of analysis and negotiating with dozens of roaming partners to ensure OV can deliver a cost-effective yet high quality service.
How long have you worked for Manx Telecom/OV?
My five-year anniversary is soon coming up, but sometimes I think there’s still so much more to learn. With new technologies soon to be rolled out, I can safely say that I’ll still love what I’m doing five more years from now.
Speaking of achievements, what’s been your highlight to date?
There are so many rewarding moments in this job. But I was particularly proud when we rolled out our 500th roaming partner last year. We’ve launched more than 900 services during my first four years, which is an amazing achievement for the company. But all of this has only been possible with incredible team work – it’s mostly down to the fantastic people I’m privileged to work with here.
And what most excites you about what the future holds for OV?
OV is an exciting brand with enormous potential. It feels like we’re only at the beginning, especially if you take a look at all the plans we have for the future. There are so many new and exciting products and features in our pipeline – it’s a thrilling prospect.
And the best thing about working for OV?
It must be the people. They are just so remarkable and have so much knowledge and enthusiasm for what we’re doing. I’ve learned so much from the rest of the team, and it’s great to see how they’re all growing in their careers year after year.
And if you were not part of the OV journey, what would you be doing?
I guess it would depend on whether I’d won the lottery! There are so many things I still want to do and places to visit. There are places I’ve dreamt about as a child that I still want to get to. But most likely, I would still be living in South Africa, and working in my bakery (probably with an expanding waistline) if I wasn’t here at OV.