Fast fibre draws Kilby back

Grant Kilby has gone from sheep and tourism to telecommunications and ultra fast broadband. Photo/Supplied

Grant Kilby's career has gone "full circle" as he returns to the industry he says he's always loved.

Mr Kilby resigned from his position as general manager of iconic Rotorua tourist attraction the Agrodome in January, after two and a half years in the role.

"I needed to take some time out and reflect on where I wanted to be in the business world," he said.

After a period of renovating the house and "getting the kids off to varsity" an opportunity came up with telecommunications company Now, a relative newcomer to the Rotorua market. He took it and is now the managing director of Now Rotorua, officially taking up the post last week.

The telecommunications and IT industry is nothing new for Mr Kilby, despite his years working in other sectors including tourism, retail and economic development for the council.

He has previously worked for Vodafone, as a New Zealand retail manager and in business and application development, he said

"I've done a full circle, gone from technology to owning retail stores in Rotorua [Star Appliances] back to technology again," he said. "It's exciting for me to be back in the industry that I have always loved."

While sheep to technology may seem a big change, he said he actually had more knowledge of IT than he did of tourism.

The self-described "cheeky challengers", Hawkes Bay-based Now moved into Rotorua about a year ago, targeting both the business and residential markets.

Mr Kilby said the roll out of ultra fast broadband meant there were huge opportunities for growth in Rotorua and he was excited about taking something "fresh and raw" to the next level.

Many people didn't full appreciate what fibre could mean for their business or lives and Now was out to teach them, he said.

"If it wasn't a challenge I wouldn't have been interested in getting involved with it," he said, adding he'd never been one to shy away from competition.

Mr Kilby is currently looking at retail premises in Rotorua and plans to have a Now base up and running in four to six weeks. He's also looking to employ a sales team and store staff before Christmas.

His foremost goal?

"To put the power of broadband and telephones back into the people's hands as opposed to the big boys' hands."

Now marketing manager Ben Deller, who has spent the past year commuting to and from Rotorua, said it had always been the plan to find someone with strong local connections to run the Rotorua operation.

Mr Kilby was the "perfect fit" as he had wide networks and was well respected locally, Mr Deller said.