Blog Series NWBLT Career Insights with Chris Mayne
In today’s blog from Chris Mayne, Managing Director of Teleplan Forsberg, we hear his reflections on growing his career within an SME, and the importance of being adaptable and collaborative to unlock innovation.
Tell us a little bit about your current role at Forsberg
I am the Managing Director of Teleplan Forsberg, a role I assumed in January 2020 after advancing through various positions within the company. I initially joined Teleplan Forsberg as an Engineering Assistant in 2003 while seeking summer work during my studies at Lancaster University.
At Teleplan Forsberg, we specialize in delivering mission-critical positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) solutions. Our services include system integration and development, and we represent leading PNT technology manufacturers. We pride ourselves on understanding our customers’ requirements and providing tailored solutions to meet their needs.
It has been brilliant to build my career in a growing business, and we recently embarked on a new chapter. In 2023, Teleplan Forsberg was acquired by the Teleplan Group, a Norwegian company specializing in software development for defence and civil situational awareness. I’m really excited about the opportunities this opens for our business, enhancing our product portfolio and capabilities.
What’s the greatest challenge that you have faced in your career or as a leader?
I took over as Managing Director 2 weeks before the pandemic, and that really sharpened and tested the new strategy we had rolled out into the business. I have more of a transformational leadership style, focusing on the vision and empowering people to accomplish our strategy, but I had to adjust quickly to navigate the unknowns of what was about to change the next day (and even in the same day). The balance of short term, or even immediate term, whilst focusing on the vision for the future was extremely challenging. I’m proud to say that we have a robust and adaptable team of people, and that was crucial to working through the challenges we faced and enabled us to come out strong the other side.
What does responsible business leadership mean to you?
At Teleplan Forsberg I have built a strategy model based on the Good Growth principles, which puts responsible leadership at the core of the business. I think identifying the business’ purpose is crucial. We articulate our purpose to “Empower Progress”; for our staff by creating opportunities for personal development and investing in training; for our customers by ensuring we innovate and deliver solutions that truly address their requirements and allow them to advance; for suppliers, who we work with as partners to encourage collaboration and growth and finally, for our community to ensure that we are making a positive impact in the local area.
As a business leader, what skills, values, and behaviours are you looking for in future employees?
Our focus on purpose and our company values are embedded into our recruitment processes and steer our selection. We look for collaborative and adaptable people who will take ownership of their role, because doing so enables greater innovation and means we can continue to fulfil our purpose.
Personally, I’ve really enjoyed working for an SME. Teleplan Forsberg was just 7 people when I started (we’re over 50 now) and operates in a diverse ever-changing sector where technology never stands still. So that presented me with huge opportunities to learn and exposure to all parts of the business. My best advice would be to identify whether working for an SME or a large enterprise is the best fit, try to get some work experience at an SME to get a feel for the company. Then, find a business that resonates with your own purpose, does the company deliver or work in an area you are passionate about? Finally, when working within a company, push for positive changes that jointly benefit you, your role and the business. Think how you can prove your value and demonstrate your ability to work outside the specifics of your role to support the business.
You recently joined the NWBLT as part of our ‘Digital Disruptor’ initiative, designed to support start up and scale up businesses through 12 months membership of the NWBLT – what are your reflections on being part of the team so far?
It’s an honour to be part of the NWBLT. The experience and knowledge across the team is incredible, and everyone is very approachable. The sessions I’ve participated in so far have been incredibly engaging, offering fresh perspectives and sparking new ideas that I hadn’t considered before. These discussions have not only broadened my thinking but also opened doors to valuable opportunities for growth and innovation. I’ve also been able to bring my own insights and experiences from an innovating SME to the NWBLT – and members have been receptive and keen to learn more.