The first Employee Spotlight blog will concentrate on Rozy Corry, our CEO.
Have you always had an interest in technology?
Yes, for as long as I can remember! My dad was a plumber, and as toddler I used to help him in the garage, fixing things and passing tools.
Apparently I could tell the makes and models of most cars by age 3!
I took GCSE and A Level Technology at school which I loved so it wasnt a surprise that I went on to do a BEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Queens University. My thesis was ‘Speech Recognition across the Mobile Phone Network’ which involved complex algorithms learning voice commands.
Tell us a bit about some of the jobs you had before you came to Replify
After I graduated, I worked as a Verification Engineer at Nortel Networks. From there, I moved on to Schrader Electronics (now Sensata) and loved travelling with that job. I had to fit and test tyre pressure monitors for cars. One of the best experiences with that, was a visit to the Mercedes test track in Germany, to drive a Mercedes C Class at maximum speed, while keeping an eye on the pressure sensors!
I also worked at Audio Processing Technology (APT, now Worldcast Systems) where I was responsible for a range of Audio Codecs, of which audio-over-IP was at the core. I travelled the world again, visiting many exotic places, carrying out product demos, interfacing with customers and product testing in real world scenarios including in transmitter towers and at radio stations. I moved into a Product Management role there, and picked up a lot of experience working with customers around the world.
What interested you about Replify initially?
Replify was the first purely software company that I had worked for, all other companies had a physical product so I was initially skeptical but soon realised the advantages of a purely software based product.
I was hired to head up the Product Management team but then transitioned into a COO role and then CEO.
Did you see yourself as a CEO?
No! Although the supportive Replify board and my other fellow executive directors have made the transition from Product Management to CEO relatively straightforward. I’m a pretty organised, get-things-done person, so it probably suits my personality.
One of the main topics I am keen to improve as CEO is Replify’s brand awareness within the networking space. I’m keen to ensure that any companies with issues that can be solved with WAN Optimization, would think of contacting Replify first.
The move to remote working has proved the need for Replify’s Mobile Client, meaning users can avail of an optimized connection regardless of their location.
Rozy Corry, CEO
I would also say that the licensing model that Replify offers is unique and means SD-WAN, SASE and other networking product providers can offer Acceleration as a key feature as part of their product suite. I thoroughly enjoy visiting Replify’s OEM partners around the globe and ensuring there is a great and close working relationship between parties.
How have you found the transition from Product Management of WAN Optimization to CEO?
One of the things that helped was the Institiute of Directors (IoD) Diploma in Company Direction. This was a very beneficial course and helped steer me on the right path.
I also love variety, so along with the Product Management duties I very much enjoy the CEO activities.
Outside work, what do you enjoy doing to switch off?
I’m very active, and enjoy walking my Greyhound/Lurcher dog, Twiggy. I also have a horse and love competing and riding out with friends.
During the summer I spend a lot of time at Lough Erne in County Fermanagh. I’ve been water skiing since the age of 6 and recently have been trying to master my Kawasaki stand-up jet ski. My family are well known for water based tricks such as standing on kitchen chairs whilst being towed by their faithful Fletcher speedboat, ‘Hopscotch’.
Thanks Rozy! Keep an eye out for a spotlight blog on other Replify employees in the coming weeks.