CXO INSIGHT
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Tell us a bit more about Ciena and how the company started ?
Ciena was first founded in 1992 and , as you can imagine , the networking and telecommunications sector has significantly changed since that time . During my tenure thus far , I ’ ve witnessed that the company always strives to stay at the forefront of innovation , leading with new technology and ideas that are set to improve communication networks . Over the past several years , Ciena has recorded strong growth and cemented its leading position in our industry .
If we take a look at the company ’ s first solution to come to market , it was designed to change and innovate , supporting greater volumes of traffic and data across the network . After only a few years of being in the market , Ciena was on an impressive growth track and when the company went public in 1997 , it achieved the largest first day market capitalisation of any venture-funded start-up to that date – an impressive milestone .
And , if we fast forward to today , the network is absolutely critical to the way we live , work and socialise . So , Ciena has a perfect opportunity to continue its success in the market . Demands on our communication networks continue and now more than ever , network providers are looking for cutting edge technologies to help create networks that can dynamically adapt to changing and often unexpected demands .
What have you worked on this past year ?
I joined Ciena during the start of the pandemic and understandably the last 12 months for many organisations have been difficult . Even the most global and well-established businesses ( with remote working strategies already in place ) faced some challenges . But I am extremely proud that during this time at Ciena we have continued to meet our customers ’ expectations by introducing new products and services to help them meet their business needs . We ’ ve also been able to maintain customer support and continued to bring in new talent . As an organisation , we need to continue to adapt to our customers ’ mode of operations , market dynamics and technology trends . We ’ ve implemented an agile way of operating within our EMEA team with the goal to closely align with our customers ’ modus operandi and to drive a better customer experience and ultimately greater results .
Jürgen Hatheier , EMEA CTO , Ciena
“ Business is personal to me and I genuinely care what our technology does to other people ’ s lives .”
Ciena is a leader in the telecommunications space , offering agile and innovative solutions that are set to change the way networks are built and managed . With more than US $ 3.5 billion in revenue , operating across 35 countries and over 7,000 employees , the company is continuing to go from strength to strength .
Sharing his insight into Ciena ’ s journey so far , Jürgen Hatheier , EMEA CTO , discusses what is driving the company ’ s growth , its transformation over the years and why customer experience is the key to success .
WHY CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IS THE KEY TO BUSINESS SUCCESS
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