Derek Friend

Derek Friend brings over 30 years (1998- present) successful end-to-end business development and telco project management solutions linking service providers to enterprise and cross functional commercial environments. He has been extremely effective in delivering ICT advisory and strategic solutions, linking commercials, aligning client strategy to global solutions providers, and supply chain vendors. International experience in consulting with multinationals and leading fortune 500 companies across the US, EMEA, Asian and African enterprises, and across a wide range of industry verticals, had fine-tuned Derek’s extensive technical proficiency and business development skills. He excelled in telecommunications, holding a number of senior executive positions in leading Silicon Valley companies and global infrastructure providers.

With dynamic team management skills and a rich background in ICT and networking sales and consulting, specialising in the areas of data centre architecture, data centre switching platforms, campus LAN /WAN architectures, large scale routing, security, application architectures, UNIX/Linux systems, high-performance computing, virtualisation, and cloud computing.

Derek has become a trusted advisor within the industry. He gives guidance and consulting services on a regular basis, supported by the largest global ICT manufactures, ISPs and international wholesale vendors that provide backbone routing and internet services.

As a communications consultant Derek implements projects to ICT/ISP markets. He also offers services as a motivational and keynote speaker, entrepreneur and advocates for eco-friendly energy efficient data-connected environments.

Derek is well networked and his telecommunications career includes regular international travel, managing outsourced operations and acting as the liaison advocate and technology advisory between client and service provider. Delivering a variety of solutions to a range of C-Level clientele.