members

GRAEME JOHNSTON – CENTRAL TELECOMS

Integrity, professionalism, and empathy are values that don't automatically spring to mind for most people when they think about the telecommunications industry. For clients of Central Telecoms however, those values are regarded as significant points of difference in an industry where other service providers, including big players like Telstra and Optus, don't seem to care. That is precisely what Graeme set out to achieve when he established Central Telecoms in 2016. Experts at solving NBN issues and delivering superior phone, VoIP and Internet systems for businesses, Central Telecoms has quickly earned a reputation for prompt, personalised service, and cost-effective, tailored solutions.

Born and raised in the UK, Graeme studied Accounting and Finance at Leeds University, majoring in business and finance, and graduating with Honours. He kicked off his career with a start-up telecommunications company in 2004. Over the next eight years he gained extensive experience in all aspects of growing a telecommunications company from the ground up. One of the earliest adopters of VoIP technology, that company is now a leading telecommunications provider in the UK, with a rapidly expanding footprint. The experience of helping that business launch and grow would later serve Graeme well in his own start-up.

Graeme, his wife, Peta, and three young children immigrated to Australia in 2012 and settled on the Central Coast. After working with some of the largest telecommunications companies in the world for many years, Graeme had become disillusioned with the industry's lack of ethics, care, and local knowledge hence the launch of Central Telecoms in 2016.

Graeme had been aware of Wild Fig and its reputation as a quality business alliance as opposed to a referral-focused group for some years so when the category of telecommunications became available, he was quick to apply to join. He says, "The biggest attraction to Wild Fig is the learning and the people. My cogs are constantly turning, and I always come away from the breakfast meetings with useful information that helps me to refine our business processes."