A firecracker with a firm grounding

Luke started his career in telecommunications at 16 years young and has now worked in the sector half of his life. His experience across different roles and businesses has given him a firm grounding and understanding of the industry.

“With Vocus I’ve progressed slowly and steadily, learning all parts of the business relevant to my roles, from design to build and international to domestic connectivity. I’m now National Fibre Specialist for Enterprise, Wholesale and Government, and I’m focused on strategic sales for new and existing customers.”

A straight-shooter who talks a mile a minute and enjoys a good laugh, Luke is quick to share his belief that not all telcos are created equal.

“I can remember my time with a previous employer in one exact way: my employee number. That’s all that sticks with me from my time there – I felt like I was just a number.”

“The environment at Vocus is completely different. It feels like a family and I can be myself. The people are a major reason behind the good atmosphere - without good colleagues, it’s hard to come to work day in and day out. Here we enjoy ourselves and bounce off each other.”

Luke’s ability to bounce off his colleagues is evident. While reflecting on how he thinks his colleagues would describe him, he lists “excitable” and “a firecracker”, then calls out to his nearby teammates for further encouragement. The phrase “wrecking ball” and a brief rendition of the Miley Cyrus song follows.

Seizing opportunities

A key theme that runs through Luke’s experience is ‘opportunity’. Luke has grabbed many opportunities at Vocus that have led him to where he is now. And he shows no signs of slowing down.

“There’s a lot of cross-pollination between teams here, and that lets you branch out and try different things. Opportunities are here if you want them - you can grow your career here.”

“The position I’m currently working in is a new role that I created with our management team. I said, ‘I want to get more skills under my belt and I need to be challenged outside of operations’. My manager said, ‘We think this is something you could be doing’, and now I’m working more strategically to bring business in.”

Challenging the status quo

Luke says the fundamental ‘challenger’ nature of Vocus differentiates our business from others. He also says we “walk the talk."

“Vocus is a challenger - for our team and our customers. On the customer side, we’re challenging our customers to think differently. We’re not selling them something they don’t need - we’re selling them something they want and that pushes the limits. Our products expertise is really diverse.”

“Internally, we have the flexibility to be that challenger as well. We’re not tied down by bureaucracy, and that allows us to get stuff done. Managers want you to have opinions and challenge them, because, how will we improve, change and move forward otherwise?”

“The truth is Vocus isn’t the underdog anymore. It’s invigorating being in an environment where you can have a crack, get stuck in and make a real impact. That’s quite rewarding for me personally - going home and knowing that I’ve achieved something and been recognised for my good work.”

Looking to the future

It’s clear that Luke feels strongly about Vocus and is unapologetic in his ambition to shape our company to a more prominent position in the future. But he knows that building the career he seeks is a marathon, not a sprint.

“I do want to keep moving up in the business, but I’m not in a rush. Vocus is a long-term career for me, it’s not a temporary job. It’s not just about quick promotions and within a year you’re CEO. It’s about understanding where the business wants to go and owning it to help them get there.”

“I think the people who thrive at Vocus are those with a strong work ethic, and people who are willing to put in the hard yards. I treated my first four years as an apprenticeship, taking in as much knowledge as possible and understanding the products inside out.”

“At Vocus, the work is challenging and there’s heaps to do, but we always celebrate our successes. We take the time to appreciate everything we’ve achieved. Being in this environment makes you want to work harder, and it makes you grateful for the opportunities you’re given. That’s something you don’t see in many other workplaces.”

Since this story was written Luke has been promoted to Wholesale Sales Manager – QLD.