We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with NED, CEO and advisor Rosalind Singleton to talk about her remarkable 30-year career in the Telco industry and how it continues to evolve. Rosalind shared her insights on overcoming resistance, the transformative power of saying “no,” and the pivotal moments that have shaped her career.

Can you give us an overview of your career and explain how you progressed from the start of your career all the way up to the C suite?

Like a lot of people, my career has been driven by luck, meeting people and having good networks. I didn't go to university. I started out doing various clerical jobs and even worked as a tea lady, where I learned that food is an excellent motivator!

I ended up at O2, where I’d use a fax machine to move people to new networks and I also looked after their fleet of cars. There were a lot of opportunities for somebody like me to learn and spend time with experienced, so I took advantage of that. I worked there for seven years; in that time, I did about seven different jobs and a HND at night school.

What drew you to project management and technical leadership roles?

I figured out early on that I wanted to be a project manager because the project managers I knew didn't treat people differently depending on their seniority. So I moved into project management for a while before working in cyber and then back to telecoms. I spent around 20 years delivering projects and I looked after IT systems, particularly BSS and OSS systems. Eventually, I became a business architect where I put people, processes and systems together to deliver strategic and tactical outcomes.

What were some key career milestones that helped shape your leadership style?

I worked at HP as a consultant and helped build Vodafone Qatar, which was built from scratch out in the desert, which was an interesting adventure. I also worked at Openreach and other telecom networks before eventually became the IT director at UK Broadband. I was planning to go contracting, but a recruiter changed my mind. Good recruiters understand people and look past things like paper qualifications. As somebody with no degree, I've been turned down by lots of organisations because they used to think you couldn’t be a senior manager without a degree, which is silly.

How did your role evolve at UK Broadband and beyond?

After I became IT director at UK Broadband, I became their Chief Operating Officer. I helped to build and run the networks and was responsible for all of the technical strategy, programme delivery and operations of the network. It was really rewarding. When it was sold to Three UK, we had to transform the business into one focused on spectrum and wireless, and we built them a 5G network in Central London. I became the managing director, which is still probably the best job of my life.

What were some of your proudest innovations or initiatives?

One standout project was building Relish, a wireless broadband to the home service. You could order it like pizza; we’d turn up the next day on a scooter with broadband. It was the first of its kind and felt truly revolutionary. We gained a lot of market share quickly because it was so easy to get up and running. My team was phenomenal: one New Year's Eve, they climbed 14 floors carrying diesel to power a generator and keep the network running.

What have you focused on since leaving UK Broadband?

After UK Broadband, I joined the Spring Fibre team in 2020 as a consultant. Alongside that, I chaired the UK 5G Advisory Board, advised Government on supply chain diversity, and sat on a listed semiconductor business board. I'm currently on the board of Lumine, I’m an angel investor, and Chair of JOINER, an experimental telecoms platform that supports innovation across the UK.

How did you get started in pursuing non-exec and board positions?

Most of the time, I've been lucky. The harder you work, the luckier you are. My first board Chair position was the UK 5G advisory board which I was very fortunate to be asked to do. I would never have applied for it, because I assumed it would be for much more experienced guys who sit on panels. Similarly, when I started angel investing, I assumed you had to be rich and super-smart, but you don't have to be either of those things.

When I was working with Three UK, they used me to talk to the analysts, because I was one of their more senior female technical staff. That was something I needed to show because there aren't that many of us around – especially at that time. I started saying yes more and putting myself forward more often.

You’ve had a fascinating career journey. What would you say your biggest lesson has been?

A lot of it's just not saying no to things. I learned in my mid-20’s that the most useful phrases while being in male dominated industries are “I don't like that,” or “please don't do that,” which can be hard to say - especially when somebody's more senior than you.

I learned the power of saying no, but I say yes to lots of things too. I go to events even when I don’t know anyone there because that’s how you meet some amazing people. I got into angel investing by attending a Women in Telecoms and Technology event where I met the CEO and founders of my angel group. We’re dedicated to investing in businesses with at least one female founder, normally tech B2B businesses. If I hadn't said yes to that event, I would never have had the opportunity to get involved.

Who would you say have been your biggest allies in your career journey?

There have been a lot of people who've been supportive and helpful during my career. Some of the guys I worked with on the UK 5G advisory board were endlessly helpful and encouraged me to do public speaking, which really built my confidence.

I was on the board of a semiconductor business called Alphawave which had all sorts of experienced people on it, who I still learn from and ask for advice. There are also people in my network who have pointed out opportunities that I wasn't brave enough to do myself. I believe in maintaining relationships and that goes both ways. I try to champion good people who have worked for me and help them and offer support where I can.

Have you encountered any resistance or negativity during your career, and how did you navigate through it?

If you haven't had to deal with that stuff, then you're either blind to it or you're doing it wrong. There will always be people who are going to assume you can't do your job and think they can do it better than you. A lot of them will maintain this thought, no matter what you do. It’s not easy but have to accept that you can't do anything about other person's opinions.

Not being a highly qualified technical person or an engineer has often caused people to question why I’m in certain roles. But over time, people accept you. My job as a leader is to make sure they can do the best job they can. Nobody goes to work thinking, “I’m going to do a terrible job today.” You go to work wanting to make a difference, to learn something new, to get on with your colleagues and you want to be supported and supportive.

You must own your mistakes, but I will be cheering your wins and I'll be there to catch you when you make a mistake. I’ve found that, over time, technical people in particular will realise my job involves the stuff they don't like. The key thing is listening. There are right ways and wrong ways to do things, but there are also just different ways of doing things that still achieve the same result.

If you were to give some advice to your younger self as she’s starting out in her career, what would it be?

My answer is to trust your instincts. I've taken a few jobs where my instincts have screamed at me not to do it for no logical reason. I've taken them because I needed the money or there was a significant boost in pay or title - but my gut has never been wrong.

My other piece of advice would be to say yes to things, even if they frighten you. If you get the opportunity to speak, speak somewhere. If you get asked to be on a podcast, take it, because you never know whose life you'll affect. More importantly, it’s good practice. The more practice you have earlier on, the more confident you get.

Rosalind Singleton’s career is a testament to the power of adaptability, integrity, and self-belief. Her journey from a non-graduate tea lady to a respected board chair and telecoms pioneer challenges many of the assumptions still held in today’s corporate world.

If you’d like to work with someone like Rosalind to resolve a transformational challenge in your organisation, you can find out more about her and our other DelTra Associates over on our Business Advisory page.