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Denis O'Brien. RollingNews.ie

Digicel to cut workforce by 25% as part of 'global transformation'

It’s part of its 2030 strategy, the company said today.

DIGICEL, THE TELECOMS group chaired by businessman Denis O’Brien, is to cut 25% of its global workforce over the next 18 months.

In a statement on its website, Digicel announced its 2030 global transformation programme, which it says promises customers “a completely new communications and entertainment experience made possible by a more agile, customer-centric application of resources and investment”.

It also announced that it has signed a global partnership agreement with telecommunications provider ZTE.

Under its Digicel 2030 transformation, the company will undertake a complete re-design of its organisation structure, which will result in an approximate 25% reduction of its global workforce over the next year and a half.

This will begin with the offer of an enhanced voluntary separation programme, opening on 1 March 2017.

The company said it has invested over $1.65 billion in upgrading its networks and platforms and rolling out broadband fibre over the last three years. Its total of 120,000 customers is “well ahead” of its business plan, it said.

It has operations in 31 markets in the Caribbean, Central America and South Pacific.

Digicel Group CEO, Colm Delves, said:

“We are building Digicel for 2030 and beyond. Our transformation programme sees us taking the bull by the horns and daring to be different by challenging the status quo and by innovation-led growth. That’s what we are known for and that’s what we will continue to be known for into the future.”

Digicel was founded by O’Brien in 2000.

Read: A new Dublin hotel backed by Denis O’Brien will be aimed at tech-savvy travellers>

Read: Denis O’Brien’s Digicel pulls out of biggest ever Irish initial public offering>

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35 Comments
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    Mute Kieran OKeeffe
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 10:56 PM

    Comments are open!..must be someone new in the office..

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    Mute Anton Friendo
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 12:44 AM

    “To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire

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    Mute Kieran W
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 1:45 AM

    Oh no!!!! Might Denis lose a few quid. The absolute horror of it. Forget Enda and the FG power struggle, let’s not forget ‘something is rotten in the state of Denmark’.

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    Mute The Guru
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 2:32 AM

    They’re doing this to save money. I’d imagine the plan was to pay off a load of politicians in the Caribbean with the promise of jobs to get it up and running and contracts signed. Now it’s up and running they can cut 25% and reap the profits.

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    Mute iohanx
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 4:38 AM

    All the hallmarks of a long term sale. Trying to make itself look attractive to potential suitors. 2030 indeed.

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    Mute Christy Nolan
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 3:34 PM

    @Kieran W:
    Other websites report a E6 Billion debt. Why not the above report. Very selective indeed.

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 11:43 PM

    @Kieran OKeeffe: Let’s keep the recovery going? lol.

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    Mute patrick keane
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 10:54 PM

    No mention of how many jobs…just a percentage…cute enough…reminds me of the time I had to let 50% of my staff go and the other lad walked out!

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    Mute cortisola
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 12:46 PM

    @patrick keane: Irish Times “Denis O’Brien’s Digicel telecoms group is shedding more than 1,500 jobs over the next 18 months in an overhaul of the debt-laden business”

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    Mute GCLPhD
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 10:58 PM

    I read recently the company is in serious financial trouble. I hope to god it is.

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    Mute FifiJamming
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 11:03 PM

    So let people in the Caribbean lose jobs just cos you dislike one man? Solidarity with the workers unless they work for Denis o brien.

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    Mute Cranium
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 11:14 PM

    Not to mention the fact that he tried to charge the free message apps for using “his” bandwidth.

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    Mute Gulliver Foyle
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 12:47 AM

    The company is heavily leveraged and because it is private, a lot of what goes on in the background is hidden from view. This came to the fore dodgy dealing prevented the listing on NYSE and potential buyers valued the group at a lot less than they did. The workers in the Caribbean should be safe, as operational cuts can only go so far in a maturing market. They will have to go public before they are swallowed by their debts, and the new owners will either have to reduce customers costs (that benefit the economy) or the countries involved will no longer accept, er, personal deals to avoid regulating a fair price. But, yeah, I hope he gets caught eventually and a new DoB guess after him as ruthless as he did to O’Reilly

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    Mute GCLPhD
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 3:25 PM

    They deleted my comment so I’ll put it up again. The man is despised in the Caribbean, they charge €20 for one GB of data when most people don’t earn that in a day.

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    Mute Tony Mcgrath
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 11:17 PM

    Is the bould dinny s empire crumbling.

    105
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    Mute Nosmo King
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    Feb 22nd 2017, 11:33 PM

    ” The owner says he’s sad to see that things have got so bad
    But the captains of industry won’t let him lose
    He still drives a car and smokes his cigar
    And still he takes his family on a cruise, he’ll never lose

    Well it seems to me such a cruel irony
    He’s richer now than he ever was before
    Now my cheque is spent and I can’t afford the rent
    There’s one law for the rich, one for the poor “

    117
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    Mute Oh Sheeple Stand Up
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 12:01 AM

    He must be preparing for not getting to steal more of the after his subsidiary called FG are kicked out

    100
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    Mute Brendan Mason
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 12:49 AM

    No water charges revenue for the man. Poor man DOB had to let go 25%.

    72
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    Mute Paul Lane
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 1:45 AM

    Corruption made him his luck but his lack of intelligence will see him blow his fortune and eventual bankruptcy.

    68
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    Mute Gary Caffrey
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 12:00 AM

    DOB wants a new ivory back scratcher.

    62
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    Mute Simeon
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 7:12 AM

    This man should not be allowed to control so much of the media in Ireland. How can we be a democracy without diversity on the airwaves instead of the Newstalk Stepford Wives with the same opinions all day long.

    48
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    Mute Dave Doyle
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 6:44 AM

    @Colin Reilly: Were it not for FG/FF he could very well be in jail. In fact, it’s where he should be.

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    Mute EdmundOrlando
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 2:21 AM

    That’s a lot of people in one Topaz garage!

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    Mute Barry Russell
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 8:23 AM

    @EdmundOrlando: You do know he sold Topaz last year

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    Mute Cranium
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 5:58 AM

    Installing water meters is nothing to be proud of.

    38
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    Mute Seamus Mc Nulty
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 7:42 AM

    So, like all current business models worldwide, let staff go but expect those same people to buy your products?

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    Mute Colin Reilly
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 1:49 AM

    I’d rather fools like you dead.
    Without Denis I wouldn’t have a job where I live neither would the other 100+ people in my rural area, he employs, we’d have to move to an urban area, or many would have never come to the area. I’ve found him a more than fair employer and when I’ve met him a nice patient man. You personally don’t know him or work for him, so don’t be a keyboard warrior about a man who is far more successful than you will ever be just because you begrudge his success.

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    Mute Mark Gearey
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 9:09 AM

    @Colin Reilly: I think people dislike cos he apparently bribed politicians to secure mobile phone license. That sort of corruption is bad for society and the economy. Dont put it down to begrudgery. And you don’t know how things would be without him. You might have had an even better local employer that he squeezed our. Also he controls an unhealthy amount of media in Ireland and is lawsuit happy in a trumpian kinda way. You prob know all this so why say people are down on him cos jealousy. I think I’m way more successful than he will ever be. But I’m focused on different things maybe.

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    Mute Colin Reilly
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 10:03 AM

    I was replying to a comment which has since been deleted, some tool was saying he wished he was dead.
    The business in my area he owns was a large one which was failing and needed a sponsor who was willing to put in serious long term investment with little to no immediate returns, so clearly not all about the money.

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    Mute Ollie Conroy
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 6:56 PM

    Get your facts straight on dob – he capitalises on opportunities and uses his contacts for leverage every business does the same thing , even today. He bought up loads of dumpy buildings and supported infrastructure around the country when no one would touch us with a barge pole. Take the Irish water mess – he saw a couple of weak companies ( gmc and sierras ) who were about to fold making hundreds of people redundant at a time when construction was at a complete stop , he secured a contract which kept them moving through the worst recession most of us will ever see. Brown envelope jokes aside , he has also helped a lot of people in this country survive and more will become wealthy employers because of the opportunities he has helped create. O2 went on to be a great company to work for and for creating competition in the Irish market. Vodafone charged 2 pounds per minute for a phone call before digifone set up !!

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    Mute Alan Ball
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 12:46 AM

    The new technology advances and improves the services provided to the customer,alas…not so many people needed to do this now…sign of the times. I expect this will become more prevalent in certain sectors of industry on the whole.Get used to it.

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    Mute Colin Reilly
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 2:28 AM

    Good comeback. Because he’s only involved in petrol stations and mobile phones yeah?

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    Mute Irish Names
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    Feb 23rd 2017, 5:32 AM

    ‘Roy, we’re keeping Martin so…

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