Colt CEO Keri Gilder delivers great London Tech Week session

Each year, London Tech Week sees a raft of exciting and informative activity.

Colt Technology Services Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Keri Gilder was a highlight as she spoke at a London Tech Week Main Stage event in an insightful Fireside Chat. Keri discussed collaborative leadership and also spoke about harnessing connectivity. She was joined by the Founder of Wonder Women Tech and host of the Wonder Women Tech Show Podcast, Lisa Mae Brunson.

Creating a culture of trust in an inclusive environment

Keri's Fireside Chat: Collaborative Leadership & Harnessing Connectivity session shone a light on connectivity as a hallmark of the digital age and how collaborative leadership can leverage connectivity to drive success. Keri's session also highlighted the importance of cross-functional teamwork and of collaboration with partners who may have access to different technologies and understandings of markets.

"Regularly seeking out diversity of opinions and ideas among teams to build strategies and solve problems creates a culture of trust, an inclusive environment that energizes teams, releases creativity, and cultivates a productive work culture," explained the Fireside Chat organizers.

The session also provided Keri and Lisa with an opportunity to showcase how, as leaders, they implement collaborative settings for the best outcomes.

Impressive leadership positions

Appointed to the role of CEO in May 2020, Keri is responsible for executing Colt Technology Services strategy which centers around putting the power of the digital universe in the hands of its customers, wherever, whenever and however they need. Before becoming CEO, Keri was Colt's Chief Commercial Officer, leading global teams across sales, presales and marketing, as well as working closely with the wider organization to ensure Colt delivered for its customers.

Before joining Colt, Keri held several leadership roles at Ciena but was most recently its Vice President and General Manager Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), responsible for guiding Ciena's EMEA service provider and enterprise customers, as well as partners. Prior to Ciena, Keri worked in multiple roles for Lucent Technologies, and has also worked for Hughes Aircraft as a Network Engineer.

A passion for promoting inclusion and diversity

Named CEO of the Year 2024 at the TMT Finance Awards, People's Choice Woman of the Year by Network X, CEO of the Year at the World Communications Awards, Outstanding Female Executive (Pacific Telecoms Council), Outstanding Contributor (Layer123 Awards) and a 'leader that has the ability to move mountains' (Global Telecoms Women's Network), Keri is passionate about promoting inclusion and diversity to ensure Colt is a business where everyone feels they can bring their true selves to work. In addition, Keri brings this passion to the wider industry as the Chair of the TM Forum's Diversity & Inclusion Council and President of the Global Telecom Women's Network.

Keri has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with an emphasis in Management Information Systems (MIS) from New Mexico State University, US. Keri lives in London with her husband and two children, and is based at Colt's head office in London, UK.

Join a company that makes a difference to people everywhere

Colt Technology Services is a global technology and telecommunications company that strives to challenge the norms of the industry, providing its customers with intelligent connectivity that powers digital transformation. The company connects organizations around the world so that they can make a difference to people everywhere. Colt's teams are made up of over 5000 people located around the world, working together to deliver a best-in-class over a common platform and technology.