WiseBizCounsel:
Shaping Trends, Driving Success
5 After 5
5 after 5 is an interview forum for aspirational business leaders to showcase insights on their road to driving success in their business.
Jason Paris​
CEO
One New Zealand Group Limited
1. Tell us about your business and your role. What are some of your current challenges?
I’m the CEO of One New Zealand (formerly Vodafone).
We provide essential connectivity services that help New Zealanders work, learn, stay entertained, and connect with others anytime, anywhere.
Our biggest challenge right now is the economy—customers are cutting costs by switching to cheaper plans or delaying tech investments.
2. How do you differentiate yourselves from your competitors?
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We focus on being the best at what our customers value most: connectivity, service, and value. We’ve been awarded New Zealand’s best mobile network three years in a row, and our world-first partnership with SpaceX gives us unmatched mobile coverage.
We also lead in customer service—we’re the only telco that publishes daily service results. And when it comes to value, we believe there’s no better place to buy your next phone.
3. What are some of the learnings from scaling your business up / or down?
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We’re focused on scaling up, and the key is executional excellence.
We have many opportunities, but the challenge is deciding which to pursue first and how many we can deliver well at once.
4. Business disruption is rife. How do you anticipate and manage it so you remain relevant, resilient and profitable?
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We see disruption as an opportunity if you’re confident in your strategy. We’re focused on what our customers value now and in the future. That gives us the confidence to make bold moves—like investing in satellite tech—to lead disruption, rather than be disrupted.
5. Balancing work and life poses a challenge for most of us. How do you achieve this?
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I prefer to talk about “work/life choices” rather than “balance.” You can’t be great at work if you’re not great at home. I’ve always prioritized my wife and kids and never missed an important moment in their lives. That doesn’t mean I attend everything—they just know I’ll be there when it matters. I often work evenings and weekends to keep up, but I never feel guilty about my choices. I’m lucky to have support from my team and company.