Paul Healey has a confession. He’s a high-tech addict.

That’s probably a good thing.

As president of Bell Mobility’s Western Region, Healey lives at the mercy of high tech, spending several hours a week travelling between the company’s three major markets in Alberta and B.C. – Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton.

Bell Mobility photo
Bell Mobility's Western Region president Paul Healey believes linking employees into front-line decision-making benefits his organization.

Go ahead. Ask the 41-year-old Healey about his favourite toy, the Blackberry device that is one of Bell Mobility’s numerous wireless products.

But be prepared for a lengthy spiel from the man who has headed Bell Mobility’s penetration into Alberta and B.C. since the company launched its wireless operations in the West a year ago.

“I may be getting a little long-winded here,” says Healey as he breathlessly pitches the joy of life with a Blackberry. “And I’m sorry.”

No problem. The man’s just doing his job.

1. What initially sparked your interest in the high-tech telecom industry?

“I was attracted by the growth, innovation and the high-energy nature of wireless. I’m addicted to it. I’ve been in this environment for almost 11 years now and it’s extremely exciting to be able to see technology changing in the workplace that you live and breathe. It’s kind of like running on a treadmill and knowing you’re going to be completing a race that you think is very, very important and you’re running with a lot of high-energy people.”

2. What was your boyhood dream?

“It has always been to run something. I always wanted to be involved in many areas and, essentially, I’ve always been focused on business since I was a kid.”

3. What was your first job?

“I was a dividend reinvestment clerk at National Trust for accumulating shareholder rights and shareholder dividend values. I was promoted after six months to run a department of 25 people and I was the youngest person in that department (at 24). I certainly learned a lot about rolling up my sleeves, listening and learning from people. Before that, I was bellman and waiter at the Jasper Park Lodge for two summers and that kind of got me falling in love with the West.”

4. Who has had the greatest influence on your life?

“My parents. They kind of lived their lives totally for their eight children. They’re the most unselfish people I’ve ever met. They didn’t really have the means to put us all through university, but they just found ways of figuring out how that could be accomplished. In my family, there are three lawyers, two teachers, myself – I did an MBA – and the rest did their post-graduate in social work or computers. My parents had only Grade 8 and 9 educations, but they certainly laid the path for us.”

5. What has your first year as president of the Western Region of Bell Mobility been like?

“It has been absolutely fantastic. We have been unbelievably successful in attracting (employees). We’ve had a fantastic response from customers. I think customers recognize that Bell Mobility is bringing a new and real viable alternative to the marketplace. We’ve also been successful in getting involved in the communities. For instance, I am currently involved in the B.C. Women’s And Children’s Hospital on their foundation board and we are sponsoring events such as the Calgary Stampede and the Nokia Brier.”

6. How does the business culture in Alberta compare to other parts of the country?

“I find Alberta to be a very proud and confident business environment. I find they’re very much risk takers (more) than possibly some of the other provinces. I find they’re always looking for new ways of being innovative. I find a lot of the same traits in Alberta as in Ontario.”

7. What is the key to attracting customers?

“Customer service is extremely important. It is probably one of the biggest differentials that Bell Mobility has to offer in Western Canada. To me, customer service and customer loyalty is the centre of every business, and, if it’s not looked upon as the heart and soul of a business, I don’t see a customer being successful. We’ll earn their business and we only want to get customers we know we can have a very long-term relationship with. And we’ve been extremely successful so far. There’s lots of future and lots of opportunity out here.”

8. Which of your company’s products has the hottest growth potential?

“The first one would be the Blackberry (a Research In Motion product), which is also called e-mail to go. You can use this wireless device for all your office e-mail wherever you are on the road in North America – it’s your schedule, it’s a task organizer and it’s your entire contact list. So, essentially, imagine your computer in your hand. The analogy I like to use to describe it is this: If I’m on a plane before the door closes and I have 25 e-mails that I need to respond to, I can respond to those e-mails while waiting for the plane delay. Once the door closes, I can switch my Blackberry off because you have to turn the wireless portion off before you can fly. Then I can answer all the e-mails live in this little device. When I land, I can switch it back to wireless and all the e-mails are sent and I have a record of all e-mails sent. It’s unbelievably powerful.”

9. Do you lose sleep over what your competitor Telus is doing?

“No, I don’t. I think Telus is a very, very strong competitor, as they would, I’m sure, feel about us. I believe there is tremendous opportunity in the marketplace in Western Canada. One of the things that I believe that is really prevalent in the West, having been out here for a little over four years (with Bell Mobility and Rogers Wireless), is that customers have been really strong in looking for an alternative.”

10. So do you view competition as a healthy thing?

“Yes. Competition’s a good thing for everybody – for customers and for companies. It keeps everybody focused on being the best they can be. I believe we have a lot to offer. You don’t get to be the largest wireless carrier in Canada and have the best customer loyalty and be recognized with the most innovation awards without knowing, I believe, what you’re doing.”

11. How big is the potential in the wireless industry in general?

“The opportunity is endless in the industry, given that only 35 per cent of Canadians carry wireless devices today and the fact that there are penetration rates of 80 to 90 per cent in other parts of the world. We believe we’ll penetrate the Canadian population by another three to five per cent every year at least.”

12. Describe your business philosophy.

“It’s very much an inclusive management style. I really believe that the most important thing to do is to bring decisions down to the front line of the organization and the people who deal with customers. And everything that we do needs to link back to customers so we create customer service and customer loyalty as the heart and soul of the business.”

13. Is winning everything to you?

“Winning as a team is everything to me. There’s a big difference between winning individually and winning as a team.”

14. What’s the best advice you can offer a young business leader?

“I would say it is that people are the only true long-term competitive advantage in this world. Surround yourself with really good people and let them flourish and make decisions as much as possible.”

15. Who is the business leader you most admire?

“It was Bill Gibson, who is the chief operating officer at Crystal Decision. He demonstrated what I call a leadership with grace. He taught me, I think, a lot of the value attributes that I live and breathe by today, in terms of how to bring the most out of people.”

16. When you turn your cellphone off, what’s your greatest escape from business?

“Family vacations with my wife and three children. We like to go on ski trips into the interior (of B.C.) or out to cottage or cabin country just to go away.”

17. Do you aspire to climb the corporate ladder of BCE Inc. or are you content to remain in your current role?

“I’m enjoying what I’m doing right now and very much interested in adding as much value as I can in the BCE group of companies. I would consider myself young and I consider myself energetic. I really want to keep learning. I see exciting opportunities down the road for me at Bell. My goal is to be a CEO before I’m 45 and I’m working on that.”

18. Do you believe it can happen with this company?

“I think anything’s possible.”

19. Where do you see the most room for improvement as you strive for the goal of being a CEO?

“I’d say probably there are three areas I need to get better at, as most leaders do. You have to have the ability to continuously attract followers. You really aren’t a leader unless you can do that and that’s about selling a concept or a plan or something compelling to people, so they follow you. It’s always challenging for a leader to stay involved in all aspects of the business, but leaders really should know everything so that nothing surprises them. And probably the most important is the art of listening. I believe good leaders listen well and you never master the art of listening. It’s human nature to speak and I think that you can constantly do better by trying to find ways to patiently develop listening skills to the point where people are coming to you because they recognize you as a good listener.”

20. What do you see in your life’s crystal ball?

“I see myself achieving my goal in becoming a CEO, but I also see myself helping others to achieve their goals. I see my kids growing up and establishing a successful career and family so (wife) Lyse and I can get a break from all that activity. I also see myself retiring and living on the water somewhere and doing a lot of travelling with Lyse.”

THE COMPANY: Bell Mobility western region

* Brass: Paul Healey, president.

* Profile: Bell Mobility, Western Region, is the western operation of Bell Mobility, Canada's largest wireless communications carrier. The Western Region employs 350 people in Alberta and B.C. Products and services are focused on cellular, paging, data, PCS (personal communications services) and airline passenger communications.

* Websites: www.bellmobility.ca and www.bell.ca

* Alberta office: 111 5th Ave. S.W., Calgary, AB.

* Phone/Fax: 403-410-6161, 403-410-6162.

IN PROFILE: Paul Healey

* Born/raised/age: Oshawa, Ont., 41.

* Residence: Vancouver.

* Title: President, Bell Mobility, Western Region.

* Education: Master of business administration, McMaster University; Honours bachelor degree in economics and commerce, University of Toronto.

* Family: Wife Lyse Prendergast; children Patrick, 9, Marianna, 11, Meagan, 13.

* Career: Prior to being named president of Bell Mobility’s Western Region a year ago, Healey spent 10 years with Rogers AT&T Wireless in senior positions in sales, marketing, customer operations and finance. He has also worked in the banking and aviation industries.

* Favourites: Pastime – playing guitar. Music – folk. Meal – steak and baked potato. Movie – As Good As It Gets. Celebrity – Clint Eastwood. Toy – Blackberry handheld.