By Barbara Ellington, Senior Gleaner Writer 
Fontanez: I'm an ocean person, I spend my vacations travelling and sailing the Caribbean. - Rudolph Brown/ Chief Photographer
RAOUL FONTANEZ is the new chief executive officer (CEO) at Digicel, the fastest growing mobile telecommunications operator in the Caribbean. He likes wind surfing, cricket, football, golf and sailing.
As he tells it, surfing gives him an opportunity to "park his mind and relax" while the wind lashes him. He loves spending time with his wife and two children, ages nine and three one was born in Guadelope and the other in the Dominican Republic.
With responsibility for the overall strategic direction, growth and management of Digicel, Mr. Fontanez brings over 20 years experience to the table, having served as CEO of Orange Dominicana (Dominican Republic) and Orange Caraibe (French West Indies). He also held several senior sales and marketing positions with St. Pierre et Miquelon Telecom, Teknekron Communications Systems, Ericsson-GE Mobile Communications and Cellular One.
He holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from Clark University in Worchester, Mas-sachusetts, and has served in the French army. He is the recipient of the French National Defence Award. He is originally from Morez in France and has one brother and one sister.
Sunday Business spoke with Mr. Fontanez about his plans for Digicel and how he's embracing the new challenge.
BE: Many share the view that your predecessor left an indellible mark on the company and the country and positively so. Some feel he leaves very big shoes to fill. Is it your intention to try to fill them or wil you be getting your own new shoes and leaving your own footprints when you are ready to move on?
RF: Good question. Seamus did a fantastic job. He came and built Digicel Jamaica, making it a success story before moving on to group activity. He was the founder/builder of the company. I have taken over as CEO of the Group so our shoes are not the same. I am his successor focused on organising things so that we function more efficiently as a group and grow.
I want us to continue being the fastest growing mobile telecommunications company in the Caribbean and to expand our footprints to new countries.
BE: You have worked in the region for over 11 years, why did you leave Europe to live and work here and why Jamaica at this time because I am sure you have heard negative portrayals of this country. What has your experience been so far and what are you expecting?
RF: I have lived in the region for 11 years and I like it.
BE: So it wasn't that work forced you to be here?
RF: No, I was in California when I decided to come to the Caribbean and I moved to Guadeloupe. With Digicel, the choice was to go back to Europe or live in the Caribbean and I chose to remain.
BE: What is the charm of the Caribbean for you. Those of us who live here, know why we do, but what keeps you here?
RF: I like the nice people and weather. I'm an ocean person, I spend my vacations travelling and sailing the Caribbean with my family on a boat. It's a nice and relaxing way to spend time and get to bond with each other.
BE: Have you put together your strategic plan for the Group or was there already one in place that you will continue to implement?
RF: Both. There was a plan and I am putting together my own. This was discussed before I joined the Group.
BE: Let's say you are here for seven years, what is it that you would like to have achieved, what are some of the targets that you have set yourself, can you share them?
RF: I would like Digicel to be present in every single Caribbean island. Every day is a new day, the opportunities are noT identical on each island. Soon we'll be present in all the English-speaking parts but that's a small part so I want us to expand outside as well.
BE: Do you have plans to expand further afield if so, where else would you like to go?
RF: First we must complete our primary task which is to complete the Caribbean and then having succeeded, we will move on to the perphery, where the Caribbean waters touch, that is where we want to be.
BE: When Digicel came into Jamaica and even prior to that when the population started using cellular phones on a large scale, phones had basic functions. With advances in technology, phones are now capable of much more.
How far do you see cellular technology going and how much of that technology do you think your Jamaican/Caribbean clients will embrace?
RF: First, I'd say these products have become like a communicator; you can also talk on them, take pictures, access the Internet and do many other things. I think this technology is a leapfrog technology and from what I've seen in this island and elsewhere in the Caribbean, people are hungry to absorb this technology.
Not only that but there are a large number of visitors and Caribbean nationals who make regular visits to their home countries and the services should work for them when they come. Some of these services are useful for tourism. Any island that does not have them will become less competitive in tourism. If a visitor planning a holiday cannot access his emails he probably will not go to that destination. It's peace of mind knowing that you can be away and use part of the day to handle urgent things back at home while spending quality time with family. If you manage your communication, it's a useful tool; it gives much more freedom.
BE: Are you satisfied with the company's balance sheet, and if not by how much more would you like to see your share of the Jamaican market grow?
RF: A couple things are going on in the wireless industry so we could look at wireless beyond mobile. New products and services may be adapted to the business. Technology is going to provide avenues and opportunities for us to deliver quality and competitive new products and services to the market. We will continue growing financially in Jamaica.
BE: Following the passage of Hurricane Ivan, there were many complaints about your service or the lack thereof. The competition siezed the opportunity to portray your services badly. With that experience, has Digicel recovered from the negative fallout? How adversely affected were you? Are you in a positon to say how many customers you lost and what's being done to alleviate that in the event of another hurricane.
RF: We gained customers since that - the reason is simple - we continued to work on best serving our customers and being positive. Everybody had problems its just that some were busy pointing the finger at others. We learnt a few lessons and have taken steps to ensure we are better prepared for a hurricane but natural disasters will always generate problems no matter how prepared we are. Steps have been taken. Fortunately Jamaica does not get hurricanes very often.
I have been through some terrible ones.
Digicel gained customers and it was recognised that we responded by taking the necessary steps. We got the customers' vote of confidence in spite of the negatives
BE: With your wealth of experience in the telecoms industry complete the following sentence: "If present trends continue, I know for sure that....."
RF: "... Digicel will become the largest telecoms company in the Caribbean, will be the pan Caribbean leaders."
By continuing what we've done, we've been the fastest growing telecoms company in the Caribbean and our aim is to continue.
BE: Are there any new and exciting plans perhaps you could share from your bag of tricks for the Caribbean. What other islands are you going into next and in what time frame.
RF: There's a bid due in Trinidad on Monday. We're delivering ours and we aim to be one of the winners of the two licences up for grabs. We are presently in seven countries.
BE: Would you consider Cuba, even with the prevailing economic and political conditions?
RF: Cuba has 11 million people and the phone is a communicator, it brings the information right to you unlike newspapers, and the concept is to bring the information to you and the customers can choose what they want so it enables you to adapt. The available market to provide information to has improved and expanded.
BE: What are you looking froward to most in your new job?
RF: Having fun and working with great people and being first in the minds of consumers in Jamaica and the Caribbean. I have met the team and I admire and respect what they have accomplished. Bravo to them and I will work with them to continue moving forward.
BE: Do you find anything about being in Jamaica daunting?
RF: No, I knew it before I came and it's not that different from anywhere else.
BE: What's your honest take on our biggest problem - crime?
RF: It's been going on for a long time and people have gotten accustomed to it; so it's about what Jamaicans want for their country. The people of Jamaica must choose and act accordingly if they want to.
BE: Having lived in the Craibbean for 11 years, what would you say (generally speaking), defines a Caribben person and how are we different from the French?
RF: They are friendly and there is a difference in the pace of life. Caribbean people are generally laid back. One could question the constant sense of urgency on things that do not matter, that exists in industrial countries. At the end of the day, does that make you happy? The people in the Caribbean are generally happier and isn't that the real measure of success. The French can be reserved and on occasion this can be interpreted as being aloof. I'm a Caribbeanite, bit by the bug.
