Get to know Linda Ikwuagwu:

“I am Director of Wholesale Solutions, where I lead a new function in BT called ‘Wholesale Solutions’. My role can be broken down into three core focuses:

1. Delivering the necessary product portfolio enhancements that meet the evolving needs of partners and their customers
2. Identifying new opportunities for converged solutions that resolve customer challenges and offer incremental value
3. Driving brilliant customer experience for the Wholesale channel, which is all part of our commitment to being easier to do business with 

My mission is to move the organisation away from exchanging products and over to building solutions that can solve genuine pain points much quicker. We can do this by working together with our partners, creating a wrap around our solutions that ensure they have the right digital support and capabilities so that they can meet their customer needs - it’s my role to enhance our portfolio by doing just that. Ultimately, I work closely with different stakeholders in the business including our product, digital teams, and other departments to ensure our solutions provide a quality end-to-end experience for partners. Our goal is to make it super simple for partners and resellers to do business with us, and solutions are one of the ways this is being put into action.”

“One of the best things about my job is working closely with partners. This not only creates a great environment to work in, but it also ensures that everyone gets the best outcomes. Together, we are building genuine, strategic partnerships. It’s not just selling a partner a circuit or license; it’s about hearing and responding to their feedback to create converged solutions that fix a pain point. It is very rewarding when you know your bringing partners amazing value which leads them to deliver even better solutions to their customers.” 

“Having visible female mentors and role models at telecoms companies is absolutely crucial to ensure that all individuals are exposed to leaders that represent them. Looking up to someone or being mentored by someone who looks like you is a great confidence boost, and having been in your position before they’ll have plenty of advice and encouragement. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the women who built me up and gave me advice.

In order to have female role models in the workplace though, organisations must address pre-existing biases and gender stereotypes. Deep-rooted unconscious biases mean we hold different people to differing standards – like the idea that women are bossy but men are assertive. It’s up to companies to really start to challenge these stereotypes and foster open conversations.

Additionally, I think that a lot of women would benefit from companies offering mindset training. It’s been heavily researched and cited that men will apply for a job when they meet only 60% of the qualifications, whereas women only apply if they meet 100% of them. Most of the time, it comes down to the fact that women don’t realise their skills. With mindset training, women will become confident in their brilliance and not shy away from new opportunities like applying for a promotion or new job.

That’s why I’m delighted to be a part of The Women in Wholesale mentoring scheme, which aims to promote and support women within BT Wholesale in their personal development. Through working with mentors, mentees will be able to have a safe space to share and discuss their development and improve their mindset, driven by the mentee’s overall work goals.

“The pandemic really inspired me to start running. Before lockdown I would never have dreamed of running 10k, but I am so glad I gave it a go because now it’s something I love.

On the weekends, I love seeing my friends and family and going out for drinks and dinner. In particular, my family just keeps growing and I have so many nieces and nephews now that I love being able to see them in my free time.”